My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 59: The defensive shape

Rio didn’t panic, slowly increasing his pace and continuing to drive into the box. He was currently close to 90% of his full pace, which was usually what he hit during Farke’s "Murderball" sessions.

His legs, which were accustomed to high-intensity pressing, were efficiently pumping lactic acid out of his muscles like a machine.

’Okay, time to stop playing,’ He thought inwardly, feeling a smile form onto his face.

WHOOSH

The Millwall defenders chasing alongside Rio suddenly felt something brush past them.

"W-What!?"

21, 22, 23.

Rio began to pass the defenders one by one, his eyes set on the goalmouth. It wasn’t long until he was past the last man.

"Haaah haaah how are you so fast," Cooper managed to get out between sucking in deep breaths from his mouth.

"System," Rio said simply (in his head) before pulling in front of him.

Now that he was secured in the six-yard box, he didn’t slow down. He knew that he could only hold this focus for a split second, but he wanted to try to humiliate the keeper and return the favor for the earlier shithousery.

Perhaps it was because of his previous life on the bench that he felt the need to beat them at their own game, or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, the gap between Rio’s talent and the Championship defenders only continued to widen.

Archie, Piroe, and the other Leeds players watched on in awe as Rio tapped the ball into the net, silencing the entire stadium. Now that he had scored, the exhausted Millwall players began to slow down having lost their will to fight.

Manager Farke couldn’t help but grin widely, punching the air on the touchline. It wasn’t until Rio had kneeled in front of the away end that he called for the team to regroup.

As Rio stood up and began to catch his breath, a notification appeared in front of him causing a smile to blossom onto his face.

YOUR MENTAL HAS INCREASED BY 1 GRADE

MENTAL: (Avg. A+)

Composure: S

Vision: A+

Decision Making: A

Aggression: A-

Leadership: B

Rio felt a soothing sensation spread throughout his mind after the notification, easing his racing thoughts considerably.

’Awesome!’ He exclaimed inwardly.

Such an unexpected outcome caused him to be in a great mood. Despite not playing the full ninety minutes, he had carried the mental burden of the hostile crowd in order to silence them once more.

’Will my stats be more likely to increase if I try to reach and exceed my limits under pressure?’ He thought, making his way over to the others who had arrived in the center circle.

Farke had managed to hide his grin by the time everyone assembled for the restart, donning a poker face before anyone could notice. The Millwall players seemed to be in low spirits thanks to Rio’s domineering performance.

"Well done everyone. It’s great to see that we have some players who are already leaders at the start of the season." Farke didn’t specifically name anyone, but everyone knew who he was talking about.

Archie, Piroe, and last of all Rio. Both the Leeds players and the Millwall players were looking at the three. But while the Leeds players had a look of awe and respect, the Millwall players looked on with bitterness.

Both Rio and Piroe didn’t seem bothered by the stares, but Archie gulped nervously. He didn’t like to be targeted, so all of the eyes upon him seemed like a weight that he was not used to bearing.

"However..." Farke continued from the touchline, screaming over the noise.

"While the goal is important, you win games with your defense." He tapped his temple, as if to underline the importance of this point.

"No matter if you’re a striker, winger, or midfielder, you’ll need to be able to track back and tackle. Even if you can score, it is useless if you concede in the last minute."

Rio nodded. Unlike other leagues around the world, the Championship did not adopt the "lazy winger" rule which meant that attackers would have to defend set-pieces as well.

This changed once one went to the Premier League (sometimes), however, the rules were a bit different for Guardiola teams. Since it didn’t apply to him just yet, he disregarded it.

’It’s a good thing that I’ve been focusing on my defensive positioning with Total_Football_14 this past week,’ He thought with a smile.

"As I said earlier, I’ll be evaluating your discipline regardless of your goal. Let’s finish this by parking the bus and we’ll move on to three points." Farke screamed.

"Stay compact, clear everything, and survive."

A couple of hours later, Rio found himself a seat on the team bus and got comfortable. He began to recount his performance, comparing it to how he did in his previous life simulations.

Farke could barely contain his smile after seeing the skills of himself, Archie, and Piroe. This was a far cry from the first time he had gone through this fixture, mainly because the team was disjointed back then.

There was also the fact that Mateo had not even traveled with the squad when he began at Leeds, which meant they had a poor midfield.

Just remembering Mateo looking like a lost puppy during the Millwall game in his previous life almost caused Rio to laugh out loud.

Despite him thwarting the Millwall plan to kick him out of the game, they actually responded quite well to his presence, surprising Rio greatly.

"First Cooper and now the fans..." Rio mumbled.

"Ah!"

He almost jumped up as an idea came into his mind. Could it be his Captain’s Presence skill (unlocked early) that had changed the other players’ perception of him?

’That could explain why they weren’t trying to break my legs after the goal.’

"Hahhh, this feels surreal."

Rio sighed, laying back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head. The description of the skill was so vague that he had dismissed it for a while, but it looked like it would come in handy in the future.

[Chat Room Active]

Hand_Of_King: You silenced them. Good. But did you see the defender’s face? He looked like he wanted to ask for your autograph.

Total_Football_14: The defensive shape in the last 10 minutes was... acceptable. But you were too deep, Rio. A counter-attack needs an outlet.

The_Phenomenon_9: Forget defense. That chop was nasty. I think his ankles are still on the pitch.

Rio chuckled, closing his eyes. The bus rocked gently as it sped down the motorway back to Leeds.

DING.

[Mission Update: The Lone Wolf]

[Task 1: Score 3 goals in the next 3 games (2/3)]

[Time Remaining: 1 Game]

Rio opened one eye. One game left. Hull City at home.

"Just one more," he whispered.

"One more what?" Archie asked from the seat next to him, munching on a protein bar.

"One more goal," Rio said, closing his eye again. "And then I get the prize."

"What prize?"

"Secret," Rio smirked. "But if I get it, I might let you borrow my PlayStation."

Archie gasped. "The PS5? The one with the custom controller?"

"Maybe."

Archie chewed thoughtfully. "Okay. I will pass to you every time against Hull. I promise."

Rio laughed. It was good to have a sidekick. Even if he was bribed with FIFA.

Suddenly, Rio’s phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number.

Unknown: Saw the goal. Not bad for a lightweight. My client is interested.

Rio frowned. Client?

He typed back: Who is this?

Unknown: Jorge Mendes.

Rio dropped the phone. It clattered onto the floor.

"Fuck," he whispered. "No way."

"What?" Archie asked, picking up the phone. "Who is Jorge... wait. THE Jorge Mendes?"

Rio snatched the phone back, his heart hammering against his ribs. The Super Agent. The man who represented Ronaldo.

Why was he texting a Championship winger?

Rio: Prove it.

Unknown:

Unknown: We need to talk. January is coming.

Rio stared at the screen. The bus seemed to disappear. The noise of the lads singing "Marching On Together" faded away.

This was it. The transfer war he had triggered.

But he still had a mission to finish.

Rio: Talk later. I have a game to win.

He put the phone away, his hands shaking slightly.

"Archie," Rio said, his voice steady. "Against Hull... we need to destroy them."