Chapitre 58: First Talent
Hannover's goal made the game tense. If they scored again, they could draw with Werder Bremen. If they scored two goals, it would be an incredible comeback!
Werder Bremen's players knew they couldn't let Hannover gain momentum, so they started using foul tactics to disrupt their opponents' attacking rhythm.
Werder Bremen's playing style was tough, even a bit rough. They were bold in defense, and as a result, they received many yellow cards last season, averaging 4.79 per game.
They understood how to use fouls to break the opponent's attacking rhythm and dampen their fighting spirit.
So they began using this tactic against Hannover, and the Hannover players soon felt the power of this strategy as their attacking rhythm became disoriented.
Every time they tried to build an attack, it was immediately interrupted by fouls.
This frustrated Hannover's players, almost leading to conflicts with Werder Bremen's players.
The referee, aware of Werder Bremen's infamous reputation, was decisive in his yellow card decisions, handing out three in less than ten minutes.
After paying the price of these three yellow cards, Werder Bremen successfully thwarted Hannover's attacks for some time.
In the 76th minute, Werder Bremen had an excellent counterattack opportunity. Taking advantage of their opponent's pressure, they won the ball in their own half and sent a long pass to the forwards.
Anatović headed the ball to Lin. However, to Werder Bremen's surprise, Lin, after receiving the pass from his teammate, was caught from behind after only a few steps.
Fortunately, he protected the ball desperately, causing the opponent to foul him and retaining possession.
Seeing Lin fall on the field, Coach Schaaf stood up abruptly, "He's out of energy!"
The fitness coach on the sidelines expressed concern, "Hmm, let Petersen warm up, and then substitute Lin!"
But at that moment, Lin got up, gestured to the coaching staff not to substitute him yet.
He knew his energy wouldn't last the whole second half, planning to ask for a substitution around the 75th minute to take a break.
However, with the team currently leading by one goal, he was worried that if he went off, the opponent might equalize the score.
So, Lin gritted his teeth, opened the system store, and prepared to buy a bottle of energy potion.
However, upon seeing his current points balance in the system store, he changed his mind.
Instead of wasting points on consumables, why not buy a permanent talent?
Before facing Hannover 96, Lin had earned 14 points - 5 from friendly wins in July and August, 4 from the Telekom Cup victories over Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and 2 from the second Bundesliga round against Hamburg. Another 2 points came from representing the Spanish U19 team.
Considering his current lack of energy, the best talent seemed to be "Endless Running," costing 100 points. After activation, it increased energy recovery speed by 200% and raised the energy limit by 80%.
If he activated this talent, his energy issues would be solved. Moreover, with the super recovery ability, there would be no worries about intense schedules of double or even triple matches in a week.
The next best option was "Unrelenting," boosting energy recovery speed by 100% and increasing the energy limit by 50%, priced at 80 points.
Unable to afford the top talents, Lin settled for a cheaper option. Priced at 10 points, this talent increased energy recovery speed by 20% and the energy limit by 10%.
[You can upgrade the talent, and when you upgrade the talent, you pay according to the difference in price between the purchased and desired talent]
Following the explanation from the system, Lin felt relieved that his points wouldn't go to waste.
After buying the talent, he felt a warm sensation circulating through his body, relieving the fatigue and making him feel much lighter.
The physical exhaustion he felt after running almost disappeared, surprising Lin with the talent's effectiveness.
Considering the results from the 10-point talent, he couldn't help but wonder about the higher-priced talents...
As Lin looked for ways to improve his performance, discussions about his energy levels circulated online, with some expressing concern while others explained the challenges of youth players compared to experienced athletes.
...
"Lin seems to be out of energy; I wonder why Werder Bremen's coaching staff doesn't substitute him?
In the commentary box, Mark Tiwan was finding it hard to watch.
"Maybe Coach Schaaf is worried that taking out their forward attacking core might decrease Werder Bremen's offensive firepower?" said Hussk Baker, trying to find a reasonable explanation since he wasn't Werder Bremen's head coach and couldn't know their exact thoughts.
Online, upon seeing Lin miss a counterattack opportunity, some long-term fans who had just started watching Werder Bremen matches this season expressed sadness with this missed chance.
"Lin seems a bit low on energy!"
"Indeed, but we can't blame him; after all, Lin is less than 17 years old and still not fully developed."
"Speaking of young players, when the young emperor James first entered the NBA court, why didn't we hear about any energy issues?"
"Don't joke around; when James entered the NBA court, he was already close to 19, while Lin is just 16, almost three years younger!"
"Lin needs more stamina!"
After Lin was tripped, the main referee awarded a free-kick.
De Bruyne stood at the spot, looking a bit concerned at Lin, asking, "Are you okay energy-wise? If you're struggling, stay up front for a while, I'll try to get the ball to your feet; you relax and focus on scoring the goal!"
Lin had just acquired a talent, so he was full of energy!
Despite being ready, upon hearing De Bruyne's words, he felt moved; this guy indeed cared for others!
"Thanks, my energy is fine; when you pass next time, try to lead the ball a bit ahead of me, that way, I can shake off the defense easily!"
Having expressed this, Lin jumped in place a few times, signaling that his energy was not a concern.
De Bruyne thought Lin was just trying to show resilience for appearance's sake, even though he had no strength left; why ask for the ball ahead?
If he couldn't run, wouldn't it be handing the ball to the opponent? But to protect his friend's face, De Bruyne kept his worries to himself.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone