Football: Starting from being abandoned by Barcelona

"This is just the beginning, it's still early!" Li Lei thought silently in his heart.

He knew that if he wanted to achieve results in this boring strength training, he had to keep calm and stick to it every minute and every second.

Every time the weight was increased, every time the muscles trembled to the limit, it was a test of his willpower.

Li Lei gritted his teeth, sweating profusely, and continued.

The next day, Li Lei came to the training ground with a tired face, and his muscles were still aching from yesterday's high-intensity strength training.

Vardy smiled and walked up to him and said,"Hey brother, what's wrong with you? Your face looks so ugly, and your movements are so stiff, as if you have been ravaged by a group of girls!"

Li Lei said helplessly:"Don't joke with me"

"I just started improving my training and added strength training, so I am a little uncomfortable today."

"Oh, I was wondering why I didn’t see you after training yesterday. It turns out you started strength training!"

"This is a tough job, but there is no other way. If you want to be stronger in the confrontation, this is necessary."

"Just bite the bullet and get through the most difficult stage!"

Li Lei listened to his good brother's comfort and agreed in his heart, saying,"Yes! I think so too, and I also want to adapt to this high-intensity training as soon as possible."

"As long as it can improve physical fitness, it is worth it to endure a little hardship."

Vardy patted Li Lei on the shoulder encouragingly:"Come on! I believe you can adapt quickly."

"We are the twin stars of Leicester City. We can work together to become the strongest striker combination.!"

"As a center forward, shouldn't you also strengthen your strength training?"At this point, Li Lei asked doubtfully.

"Do you think I don't want to? But the coach said that I didn't have enough training in football tactics and skills before, and I need to start from the basics and learn systematically."

"So my current training is mainly based on skills and tactics."

"Well! Every family has its own problems."Li Lei looked at his good brother with a bitter face and said sympathetically.

Training day after day, Li Lei felt that time was passing quickly.

After high-intensity technical and tactical training every day, he had to do heavy strength exercises, which made him feel tired but also had a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.

In a blink of an eye, the training days passed, and the team entered the first month of the official competition-September.

Time flies, and it is September 2nd. Leicester City will usher in the fourth Championship game of the season at home. The opponent is Blackpool.

After a week, they came to the familiar home again, which made them nervous and excited.

Blackpool is a city team in northwest England. It was founded in 1887 and its home stadium is located at Bloomfield Road.

It once achieved the excellent result of the Premier League runner-up in the 1990s and was one of the strong teams in the Premier League at that time.

However, the poor performance in the following years caused it to be relegated to the Championship and League One. The current strength of Blackpool should not be underestimated.

For Leicester City, it must win the first home game to win the first home game. Ensure that the points advance steadily and thus impact the Premier League.

The opening whistle blew, and the two teams entered the game state amid the cheers of the restless home fans.

Blackpool, playing away, chose to retreat actively as a team, giving the initiative completely to Leicester City.

The first 25 minutes of the game were Leicester City's repeated attacks on the opponent's goal.

They hoped to open Blackpool's shrinking defense line through continuous passes and quick changes of direction.

But things did not develop in the direction they wanted. The energetic Blackpool players defended desperately and kept the goal.

In the midfield, Blackpool made Leicester City's attack less coherent through active marking and uninterrupted scrambles.

The two sides entered a stalemate stage, and the competition in the midfield was very fierce.

At the beginning of the second half, Vardy received Li Lei's long pass and penetrated into the penalty area alone, but the shot went out of the field at a critical moment, which became a rare chance for Leicester City to score.

James Malaika's commentary continued to ring over the stadium

"70 minutes later, the score of 0:0 made Leicester City players feel anxious and worried."

"Oops! Harvey Barnes' argument with Blackpool defender was irrational"

"We saw Li Lei dribbling on the right side, but unfortunately the ball was intercepted by Blackpool's full-back Charles Duaney."

"The core of the midfield, Niamh Slattery, kept directing his teammates to adjust their positions, trying to find gaps in Blackpool's defense."

Head coach Pearson kept waving his arms on the sidelines, asking the players to stay calm, but he could not hide his urgency.

Time was still passing, and the score was still 0:0, without any change.

When the ball flew out of the baseline again, Li Lei was panting violently, with his hands on his knees.

As a striker, he knew better than anyone that the 0:0 situation must be broken as soon as possible.

However, the consecutive shooting opportunities did not turn into goals, and this aggrieved score made him very anxious.

Li Lei looked at the anxious head coach Pearson on the sidelines, and understood that his desire for goals was no less than that of every player.

Rubbing his sore thigh muscles, he thought to himself,"I have to find a way to break this tough opponent."

As the game time went on, Li Lei felt that every breakthrough pass and every steal was consuming his physical energy, but the goal was still nowhere to be seen.

During a kick-off interval, Li Lei quickly ran to Vardy and other teammates in the midfield.

"Guys, this style of play doesn't work. We need to change our strategy to score."Li Lei whispered.

Vardy and the others gathered together to form a small group to discuss.

"I think we can play more high balls and pass the ball to the center repeatedly to create chances."Vardy suggested.

"Do I still remember our previous training game? The left side can break through more to the center, and the right side I keep dribbling to open up space"

"We take turns changing positions to catch the opponent off guard."Li Lei said quickly.

In just a few words, he briefly explained the next tactical arrangement.

When the ball was kicked out again, Li Lei took a deep breath and tried to get rid of all distractions.

The game was still going on, and as long as there was a chance, he would definitely score for the team.

"Leicester City lacked a bit of luck in today's game! At the 89th minute, we saw the referee holding up a sign, and 4 minutes of extra time were added."

"However, Leicester City players have not given up yet. Niamh Slattery once again started to organize the attack from the left."

"Long pass, long pass transfer"

"Beautiful! The ball came to Li Lei's feet. Li Lei started to break through while running. Blackpool's players rushed towards him."

""Now!" Li Lei shouted, raised his right foot and kicked the ball up with all his strength.

"Cross! Oh no! Not a cross, a long pass, oh my god! He fooled all the Blackpool players."