The next weekend, Sheffield United first team training ground.
Only seventeen people came here to start post-match recovery training under Kevin's leadership, and more than seven people boycotted the training in the name of taking leave.
It was clear that Kevin had lost control of the team.
Many veteran players went on strike to make their voices heard, hoping that the club would dismiss them as soon as possible.
After recovery training.
Maher took the football to the next field and practiced breakthroughs with Gilbert.
"I need to increase my training volume on my rest days."
He can't wait to play, wants to prove his worth in the Championship, and also wants to do something for his current team.
Waiting doesn't feel good. No one likes to be in a dormant state. Everyone wants a bright future.
Maher placed the training equipment on the court, simulated the actual combat situation as much as possible, and used all his strength to dribble the ball through the marker.
He continued to use the pedal stroke, while Gilbert next to him used several different techniques.
After discovering that the same training effect could be achieved facing the sign pole, the two stopped practicing against each other.
After all, human patience is limited.
Maher has a proficiency panel that allows him to see his progress and results anytime and anywhere, but Gilbert doesn't.
If he really had to defend Maher's bicycle kick all day long, he would definitely collapse, and the sight of the bicycle would make him sick.
The days passed one by one, the whole club was shrouded in a haze, the players were all silent, and laughter was rarely heard in training sessions.
Only when we are together in private will there occasionally be a warm atmosphere.
On August 8, after the new season of the Premier League kicks off, the English League Cup is about to begin.
Sheffield United will face Hartlepool United, a sixth-level English Parliamentary League team, in the first round of the game on the 12th.
They have two cup competitions to play this season, namely the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
In terms of importance, the FA Cup is definitely better than the League Cup. This is the cup competition that many top teams are most eager to compete for.
As for the EFL Cup, most teams just play wherever they can. If they make it to the semi-finals by accident, they will consider going all out to fight for the championship.
But it is obvious that these two cup competitions have nothing to do with Sheffield United.
They don't have the potential to compete for the championship, so it's better for them to give up early and focus on staying in the Championship.
In the evening of that day, Maher finally arrived at the moment he had been waiting for.
He felt a tingling sensation in his hips and knees, and his muscle memory of cycling had a qualitative leap, as if he had suddenly attained enlightenment.
[Skill: Bicycle passing level 3]
[Proficiency: 1/800]
[Effect: After practicing thousands and tens of thousands of times, you will be proficient in cycling, have a certain speed and deceptiveness, and have a chance to successfully surpass professional players! ]
"Finally reached level 3."
Maher's face relaxed. Now he has become a certain threat on the wing.
When facing defenders who are not familiar with him, he can quickly perform a bicycle dribble and create space.
Whether it is a cross from the bottom or cutting inside and threatening the opponent's goal with a long shot, it is a good means of attack!
[Skill: Strong lv2]
[Proficiency: 564/800]
After taking a look at his strength proficiency, he thought about his future training plan. "It is obviously impossible to do strength training all the time. The human body has limited endurance and we must avoid injuries.
"You can add a step-over breakthrough training that is commonly used by wingers to ensure that the training volume is balanced and the training time is fully utilized.
"I will try to practice both 'Strength' and 'Step Over' to level 3 by the end of this month. By then, I will definitely be considered the top player on the wing in the Championship."
It can be considered as a preliminary ability to carry the ball, break through, hit and pass.
After that, Maher plans to end other training and switch to speed and coordination training.
For a winger, the importance of speed is self-evident! If he can train his speed to level 3, combined with two breakthrough skills, he will definitely become a sharp knife that can cause threats with just one touch of the ball.
Even without breakthrough skills, the level 3 speed will surely be able to defeat some Championship defenders.
As for coordination, this is a basic skill that must be possessed.
Whether a player's lower body is stable or not is the key to whether he can gain a foothold in a fast-paced and intense competition.
Not to mention, his stable lower body is of great help to him in breakthroughs and confrontations.
"Moreover, the intensity of speed training must be very high, and coordination training can just neutralize it."
After making all the decisions, Maher resumed his dribbling training before it got completely dark, aiming to improve his proficiency in stepping past the opponent.
More than forty minutes later, he wiped the sweat off his face and left the training ground with the football in his arms, feeling satisfied.
[Skill: Step Over lv1]
[Proficiency: (24/100)]
[Effect: You.]
Next, practice it.
Once his speed and coordination come out and reach level 3, he can upgrade some of his current abilities to level 4, deepening and highlighting them.
Behind Maher, in the blind spot, a middle-aged man in a navy blue suit was standing outside the training ground railing, smoking a cigarette, and seemed to have been paying attention to the field for a while.
After watching Maher leave, he took out his phone and dialed a number. "Is the list out? Is Maher on it?"
"No, Gilbert isn't here either," a voice came from the other end.
"Kevin is such a fool who says one thing but does another!"
He grinned secretly, his hand holding the cigarette trembling slightly, "Is he afraid that training young players will become my wedding dress after I take office?
"You really don't want to do something good before you leave. You want me to bear the pressure of poor performance in the future and cultivate hope for the team in the second half of the season."
There was silence for a while, and then a voice came out: "That may not be the case, but I have heard from the board of directors. If Kevin loses five Championship games at the beginning of the season, they will definitely terminate his contract."
He swallowed, his mind calmed down a bit, "Got it."
On August 8, Sheffield United travelled to Hartlepool United for the first round of the EFL Cup.
Originally, for this kind of away game, the team should have set off a day earlier, but because the level of the opponent was too low, the team did not take it too seriously.
Maher was still not included in the final roster. He originally wanted to watch the game live at home, but was told that there was no signal.
Helplessly, he could only go to the training ground again with Gilbert, practice for three hours and then go home to check the news online.
Both of them were originally very relaxed, and they just took a look out of curiosity to see who scored the goal and whether any tragedy had occurred.
However, I was stunned after opening the data website.
Zero to two!
Lost!
The English Championship League team was shut out by a team four levels below them!
"impossible."
Gilbert's face flushed instantly. "The 18 players on the roster this time are exactly the same as those in the last game. They are all the backbone of the team. Why did we lose to the English Parliamentary League team?"
Maher slowly put down his phone, sat on the sofa, stared at the ceiling in a daze, unable to speak.
"Are they determined to get rid of Kevin?"
Gilbert opened his mouth wide, "It's still our strength"
Suddenly, he fell into a deep panic. The team's condition was worse than they had imagined.
"Never mind all that, let's wait for the show."
Maher shook his head. There was nothing they could do right now.
(End of this chapter)