He didn't radiate the sa aura as Cillian. However, Hiro still couldn't help but feel unsettling.
Then he cast his gaze at the sidelines.
On the sidelines, he spotted a rather old-looking man with silvery hair. He was dressed in a black coat and had a rather stern expression.
He was the manager of Real Betis: Manuel Pellegrini.
He has been with the club since 2020 and extended his contract a year ago.
Though he hasn't managed to win anything noteworthy at the club during his tenure, he has been an excellent leader. He had led them from a mid-table team that constantly fought relegation to a top team that fights for the European competition.
While the captains of the two teams went for the coin toss, Hiro kept sweeping his gaze over the entire field.
Before the kickstart of the match, Hiro checked on his condition.
There weren't any abnormalities in his stat. He had all the skills he needed. He also had decent improvents.
The night before the match, he had rested well. He didn't have any sore muscles. His physical condition was excellent.
After Elias stepped up to help him, he didn't need to feel bothered about the recent scandal either. This further added to the well-being of his condition.
He could tell that he was in excellent shape right now.
The opposing side won the coin toss and chose to start kickoff.
Beep!
The match began in full swing.
The cheers of the crowd beca even louder. The sounds of the drum reverberated throughout the stadium.
Imdiately, after the kickoff, the players scattered around the field.
Hiro positioned himself in his position while Alvarez chased after the ball. For the first few minutes, the ga progressed rather smoothly.
The opposing side wasn't in any rush to score.
They passed the ball among themselves, slowly building their montum.
Hiro knew he couldn't act alone. Hence, he bided his ti while fulfilling the role given to him. He wasn't in any rush either.
He knew he had to keep calm.
Gradually, the pressure began to mount as the intensity surged. Both sides exchanged shots. However, neither managed to succeed.
Be it on paper or the field, both of them appeared neck-to-neck.
This made the fans anxious. The fans of the red and white were expecting a dominating performance. They were expecting their team to be the dominating one on the field.
However, it didn't seem to be the case.
The opposing side was putting on an impressive display of performance as well. They didn't lag when it ca to performance.
This outco was rather shocking for the Atletico fans.
Like a shadow operating in the darkness, Hiro had been operating from behind. He didn't directly participate in the attacks.
However, every ti an opportunity arose, he made sure to capitalize it.
Despite the lack of participation, Hiro didn't feel anxious. He didn't feel bothered by the role given to him. He knew his role was important.
He knew that he would have to operate from outside the frontline.
Diego had handed him this role— the role of the supplier.
Without him in the midfield, it would beco extrely hard to penetrate the defense of the opposing side. Just like them, the opposing side also specialized in defense.
From the midfield, Hiro could see the entire field.
He could tell that the formation of the opposing side was rather tight-knit. Hence, he knew he had to remain patient.
Though he didn't participate in the attack directly, it didn't an he didn't intend to participate at all. Hiro was biding his ti in search of an opportunity.
He knew the opportunity would present itself before him if he kept disrupting the beehive-like formation of the opposition.
Just then in the 41st minute of the match, Hiro finally spotted an opportunity.
He spotted the opposing frontline advancing.
Just now, they had managed to steal the ball from Conor Gallagher. Taking advantage of the lost montum, the opposition was preparing for a swift counterattack.
Under normal circumstances, the counterattack wouldn't be the most feasible option since their side still had all their defenders inside their half.
However, the passing of ti had made them desperate.
The opposition could sense the montum slipping from their hands. Though they had managed to put on an impressive fight until now, they could sense the shift in the montum.
They could tell that Atletico was starting to build their montum.
With every build-up, Atletico was gaining control of the match. The numbers on the screen don't lie after all. In the last 10 minutes, they had been dominating the charts.
Manuel Pellegrini could sll the shift.
He could tell that they needed to disrupt the build-up before the opposition took control of the ga.
While his players prepared to launch a fierce counterattack, he stood at the sidelines with his brows knitted and palms clutched.
He was anxious about the counterattack.
The opposing defense was nothing but solid. Even as an experienced manager, he had failed to spot a gap in their defense.
Perhaps, it wasn't the defense after all.
Perhaps, it's not the backline.
The more he thought about it, the more he found sothing bugging him. He had looked at it from different angles but he hadn't been able to co up with a solution.
They had been able to penetrate their defense fine earlier.
However, the more ti progressed, the more their formation beca impeccable.
He could sense sothing brewing.
He had fixed his gaze on those deed as threats from the opposition. Especially, their young attacking midfielder: Takahashi Hiro.
He had been watching him since earlier.
But unlike previous matches, he played differently today. Despite being an offensive midfielder, he was playing as a center mid.
He barely advanced.
Sure, his passes were impressive. But if he were the one managing him, he wouldn't play him like that. He was more suited to be a winger than a midfielder.
Explosive pace, deadly finishing, excellent dribbling, he had all the qualities needed to beco an excellent winger.
Yet still, Diego was playing in a CM position.
Why would he waste such talent?
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