51 We Need You
"Beattie passes the ball! Who's that? Oh, my God, when did that damn Zhang get there?" exclaimed Rodman in shock.
"Zhang with the ball, uh, such a crude way of dribbling, I've never seen it before, but indeed, it's highly effective. He's almost reached the penalty area!"
"Zhang passes the ball! Danger! Beattie gets the ball! Defender Johnny's tackle is too reckless! Ah! Beattie shoots!"
"Oh, oh, oh, damn, it's a goal! Sheffield United has equalized!" Rodman announced.
When Beattie scored into Charlton's goal, the previously noisy Valley Stadium suddenly quieted down for a moment, except for the ecstatic celebration of the Blades fans in the south stand over the hard-earned goal.
After scoring, Beattie immediately found Zhang Xu, hugged his neck, and shouted, "Zhang, that was fantastic! Your pass was just perfect! Awesome! We've equalized! Haha!"
"Yes, we've equalized, and we must strive for victory!" Zhang Xu was also excited. Their long efforts finally paid off with a goal, and no one could remain calm. He excitedly hugged his captain, shouting to his teammates who were running over, laughing, "We are Blades! Victory! Victory! Victory!"
"Yes, we are Blades! Haha!"
"Victory! Victory! Victory!" The teammates gathered around, shouting loudly!
When Beattie successfully scored into Charlton's goal, the coaches and substitutes were ecstatic, jumping up, shouting, waving their fists, hugging each other tightly, or laughing uproariously, venting their joy.
"Haha!" Sheffield United's head coach Wilson laughed happily, feeling his decision to play Zhang Xu was brilliant, changing the course of the game and leading to this spectacular goal.
Dai Dong was also excited. He had just taken about 50 photos of Zhang Xu in 5 sets, documenting everything from his header clearance to his sprint, receiving and passing the ball.
He looked at these photos, not wanting to delete a single one.
After Sheffield United equalized, they played more actively and aggressively.
Especially Zhang Xu, who ran even more energetically. He no longer limited himself to marking Philips but used his abundant stamina and lightning-fast speed to cover all areas of his half as his defensive zone.
Zhang Xu's approach exceeded the task assigned by coach Wilson, but he didn't neglect his primary duty. Philips was still effectively marked and couldn't make any significant contributions.
Though the situation was highly favorable for Sheffield United, Charlton was a strong team playing at home. Hence, in the remaining game time, neither side could create opportunities, and the score remained 1:1 when the referee blew the final whistle.
Both teams were somewhat dissatisfied with the score. Charlton missed a chance to further consolidate their lead in the league by not winning at home, while Sheffield United regretted not turning the favorable situation into a win.
The fans were also not satisfied, especially the loyal Charlton supporters in the north stand, who left the stadium vowing to show Sheffield United the power of the swordsmen next time. Sheffield United's fans, on the other hand, disregarded the arrogant comments of the Charlton fans.
"Hello, Zhang, can we exchange jerseys?" Just as Zhang Xu and his teammates were walking into the tunnel, a familiar voice called out from behind.
Turning around, Zhang Xu saw it was Charlton's number 10, Philips!
Philips smiled slightly at Zhang Xu and continued, "I spent some time at Manchester City, where Sun and I were teammates and good friends. How about it, can we swap jerseys?"
"Of course! It's my honor!"
Zhang Xu always let bygones be bygones, willing to genuinely connect with others regardless of past offenses, except for fundamental issues.
The two players amiably exchanged their damp jerseys, draping them over their shoulders, and walked shoulder to shoulder toward the player tunnel.
"Zhang, I must say, your defensive skills are much stronger than Sun's. He couldn't stop me one-on-one!" Philips chuckled.
"But Sun Jihai is much better on offense than me!" Zhang Xu had a habit of always recognizing others' strengths over his own.
"Haha, I must say, you Chinese are really interesting. Sun and you are both so modest!" Philips laughed heartily.
In fact, Sun Jihai had also spent time at Sheffield United before being loaned to Chengdu Sheffield United and officially transferring to Shaanxi Zhongxin in January 2010. Almost as soon as Sun Jihai left Sheffield United, Zhang Xu joined.
However, Zhang Xu wasn't aware of this, and since Sun Jihai hadn't made a significant impact at Sheffield United like he did at Manchester City, being loaned out without a real appearance, both players and fans didn't have a deep impression of him, so they didn't connect Zhang Xu with Sun Jihai.
As the key figure in turning the tide of the game, Zhang Xu attracted a lot of attention from the press, who flocked to him after the match.
"Hello, Zhang, I'm Ram from the 'London Daily Express'. Is this your first time playing for Sheffield United?"
"Yes, I joined Sheffield United during the winter break."
"You're Chinese, right? How did you solve your work permit issue?"
"That's something for the club to worry about. I think my job is just to play hard!" Zhang Xu deliberately avoided this topic.
"Hello, Zhang, I'm Sudess from 'The Sun'. I heard Sheffield United used a special talent clause to let you play, is that true?"
"I think you should ask our club's general manager about that. He'll give you an accurate answer. I only know that if the club tells me to play, then I play. That's all!" Zhang Xu knew admitting to this would lead to persistent questions from the reporters, so he cleverly deflected.
"Special talent clause? Oh, my God, for a Chinese player?"
"Yeah, Sheffield United is really unique, using a special talent clause for an unknown Chinese player!"
"Incredible! Absolutely unbelievable!"
...
Hearing reporter Sudess mention the special talent clause used by Sheffield United for Zhang Xu, the other reporters began discussing in surprise.
"Excuse me, but do you really think Zhang's performance isn't worthy of the special talent clause?" Captain Beattie, seeing Zhang Xu looking uncomfortable, quickly intervened, loudly addressing the reporters:
"In this game, you all saw the role Zhang played. Isn't such a player worth the special talent clause? Huh?!"
After speaking, he huffed, pulling Zhang Xu away from the circle of reporters and walking towards the player tunnel.
"Don't mind those reporters. Just remember one thing: we are your teammates, we need you, and that's enough!" Beattie said earnestly to Zhang Xu as they walked.
"Thank you, Captain!" Zhang Xu smiled at Beattie, saying, "I'm not angry for myself, but sad for our country's football. Why can't our football be recognized in Europe? Is it really that inferior?"
Beattie was taken aback, shaking his head, unable to respond.
In this match, Sheffield United gained a valuable league point, and Zhang Xu successfully completed fifteen side tasks, earning a massive amount of experience points and several attribute points.
As he received the side task experience and attribute points, he surprisingly discovered he hadn't yet received the main task completion reward.
Excited, he quickly clicked the completion button, and a crisp "ding dong" sound rang in Zhang Xu's mind.
"Congratulations on successfully completing the main task. All attribute points +1, gain 1000 experience points. Your current experience points are 5060."
"Trigger main task: Become a key player in the team within one month! On completion, reward all attribute points +1, experience points 2000."
When the system awarded the rewards, Zhang Xu felt an indescribable surge of power emanating from every corner of his body, a sensation of intense warmth and exhilaration.
Exhilarated, Zhang Xu checked his attribute panel:
__________________________________
Name: Zhang Xu
Level: 25
Experience Points: 5,060/12,000 (Allocatable Attribute Points: 0)
Weight: 70.5KG
Height: 181.8cm
Current Ability/Potential Ability: 55/69 (Professional players range from a minimum of 30 to a maximum of 99)
Current Physical Fatigue/Condition: 22/86 (Maximum is 99)
__________________________________
Technical Attributes (Each attribute can go up to 99):
Crossing: 35
Dribbling: 35
Shooting: 35
Heading: 57
Long Shots: 34
Marking: 58
Passing: 42
Tackling: 56
First Touch: 39
Technique: 46
Penalties: 34
Corners: 26
Set Pieces: 32
Throw-Ins: 32
__________________________________
Mental Attributes:
Aggression: 46
Anticipation: 57
Bravery: 82
Composure: 72
Concentration: 62
Vision: 47
Decision Making: 43
Determination: 84
Creativity: 39
Influence: 72
Off-the-Ball: 44
Positioning: 56
Teamwork: 59
Work Rate: 95
__________________________________
Physical Attributes:
Acceleration: 83
Agility: 48
Balance: 53
Jumping: 79
Stamina: 89
Speed: 93
Endurance: 90
Strength: 89
He felt significantly stronger, believing that if these had been his attributes before the game, his performance would have been even better, possibly changing the outcome of the match!
