Damn, I could tell something was going to wrong for Ashito when he was in the clubhouse with Fukuda with how happy and grateful he was being but I wasn't expecting Fukuda to drop such a bomb on him, it might have been better to tell him his level as a forward isn't good enough but telling him he's never going to make it as a forward must be so scarring since his existence up until now has been all about being a forward.

I can understand why Date looked so torn the when speaking to Fukuda about it, he seemed like he'd be the strict and ruthless kind but he actually really cares about his players and it seems like Fukuda is actually the one who will do anything for what he aims for just like how he brought Ashito to the team without letting him know of his real intentions.

It's sad how this episode ends like that when in the game Ashito ended up doing very well although he started off on the wrong foot trying to imitate Kuribayashi too much lol. The reactions of the other players filled with a burning rage was funny.

The way Aoi just started stuttering in confusion like he just couldn’t believe what he was hearing was rough, he was extremely Bewildered about what Fukuda had just said…

But honestly Aoi should just accept this offer, I know that its going to be hard for him to accept this new position and role but it really isn’t worth it leaving the team because of this.

It’ll definitely take him time for him to adjust to this new position but I really think he’s well suited for that defender role like Fukuda said. And even if he’s not going to be a forward anymore and not become the best forward in the world like he said after this, he still has the opportunity and option to still aim for the best defender in the World that’s for sure!

The defender position really not that bad as it sounds but in Aoi case I guess it is lol But I know for a fact he could nail that role and become the Ultimate Wall for his team though!

When he say's defender he meant fullback. In the modern game which Fukuda is basing his team on the fullbacks job is to provide important passes and dribbles from the sides of the pitch rather than defend. He won't be a wall but more a spear. Good for defense and great for offense

pretty much yeah
best teams at the moment utilize fullbacks on the offence...cuz they can move the ball quicker and create more spaces especially against a team playing low block, but they also need to track back quickly (which ashito proved he can do), they assist a lot of goals and can score too if they are playing inverted....it suits ashito cuz it also provides him a clearer view of the pitch

I really hope this anime help these people appreciate the role of defenders. So sad to see they disrespect the role that much.. I am a defender myself playing for my university team.

Fukuda wants him to be the game maker, exactly what Kuribayashi meant he needs

Good some that actually commented the right thing. Be playing soccer since I was little. My position was all ways a mid field.

At first,
Aoi be like, " I'm the second coming of Gabriel Batistuta! Eat this!"
Then he like," I'm the second coming of Homer Simpson! D'oh!"

eagle eyes is best suited for a defender, not only it makes him easily guess the best play according to the enemy position and reposition accordingly, opening the play from behind with accurate pass to his player he noticed to be at the sweet spot to open a play for them to the goal, i 100% agree with fukuda there and i was playing as forward when i was a kid and i can relate to the impact of that bomb, tough once he knows the fun of being the one making all the plays from the backline i'm sure he won't want to go back as forward anymore.

Tbh I disagree, I figured if his position was going change he’d go from a number 9 to a second striker/number 10. The way he used his ability to drag defenders out of position to open up space for otomo showed he’d be perfect for that role

The first thing Aoi noticed with Kuribayashi was that he wasn't smiling.

Aoi wont be smiling when you see him playing matches against the world as a defender. He may be able to ace that role, but he won't find the sport as fun as he used to. That's just my guess

This is why it will ruin the anime, it’ll be a good storytell and watching him devlop more etc but we wont feel the same joy he once did as a striker because we’re not watching the mc bang in so many goals and will play at the back

But this is a reality of a lot of top level competition stuff. You might not have the best abilities for one position, but that doesn't mean you don't have amazing potential for a different position.

I don't get the impression he'll be "playing at the back" as much as we might think. He's not a by the goalie defender as a Fullback right? I do think we'll see more about the whole game of soccer (Futbol) with this development so it'll add depth to character development and viewer learning while still being entertaining.

No...he will smile because he'll have Hana on his side🙂

errr if you read the manga... he actually kept smiling... not yet at world stage but his development is frightening

He's the MC. Forward is the best position for spotlight. People can barely name a top 5 defender, but they can give top 5 forward easily.

Speak for yourself. Anyone that can't remember their Defenders never cared about the sport in the first place.

Not really, it just shows that strikers are known even by people who don't care about the sport.

I don't give a shit about soccer but I know who Messi,Ronaldo,Neymar etc are even though I don't watch it however I only know a handful of defenders....shows how less in the spotlight they are... and that's not a position of an MC

Maldini, Cannavaro, Puyol, Pepe or Ricardo Carvalho...tell me you never heard about this "no bodies"...

You obviously dont know football lol. Glad the anime is going with a unique route and their are plenty legandary defenders-Ramos,carlos,maldini,adams etc.

Kai KazuhiroYonko his point proven, never fking heard of any of those guys. However I heard of pele, ronaldo and messi. Point proven is that we are talking about global international recognition from everyone in the world, not just die hard soccer fans.

Dont really care if you havent heard of them. People who watch football do. You dont need to be a die hard to know roberto carlos or Maldini lol. You just need to watch a little football. I was 10 didnt care about watching football and i knew those names just like thousands of kids around the world if not millions. But i get how if your american you would only know the names you mentioned.

Any country where the football is one of the main sports people will know the name Roberto carlos,Paulo Maldini and Franz Beckanbaur

I don't and soccer is w main sport in my country....we are anime watchers not soccer fanatics....it just so happens that this time its the main plot....bottomline is whether you watch soccer or not you'll know a bunch of strikers but you w9nt know defenders unless you go out of your way to find out....people rarely talk about tackles and what not...its always did you see that game last night, they won 3 nil...who scored? not who tackled who....most don't give a flying ass about that...

lol good one man!!🤣👌
Respect!!

I watch "a little Futbol" and I still don't really know any of those defender names like talking 'bout them. Casual fans catch the names that are thrown at them and those are usually always the strikers and forwards.

The fact that you don't know Maldini is frankly unacceptable if you think you are passionate for this sport.

"soccer" LUL

Never heard of them lol. But I who never ever watched a football match in my life knows about Ronaldo, Messi

well this anime is about soccer.... do you not hear them call it "soccer"? it's soccer in japan

So because the japanese call it soccer i cant say football lol. Its the original name of the sport lol

Its more like you were watching an anime, which come from Japan and the character clearly called it as soccer. You should called it as soccer because it was what the series you watch called it. Calling it with other names could lead to confusion and makes you looks like disrespect the author.

Author? Who dat?

Yeah yeah, soccor, futbol, the sweet game, whatever gets your cleats on.

Who? That didn't sound like Ronaldo, Adona, Pele...

Adona? Its maradona lol. So much for watching a little football lol

thats cuz people only like flashy positions , his aim is to become a pro soccer player and for that defenders are very much equally important

Yeh but this is anime... his eagle eyes is best for fullback defender
Dont forget that defenders can also shoot goals just like Forward
Making the best defender as a spotlight sounds like a better plot
Thats if he can shine more then the defenders by scoring more as well

We also had a foreshadowing of this when he saw that '50s hairdo guy who plays D run up in the previous game. He'll probably remember that at some point too. But seriously, greaser biker wannabe guy, get a better hair cut.

What sport do you watch real football fans can name defenders easy:
maldini, Baresi, Vidic, Ferdinand, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Beckenbaue and the list goes on. If you cant appreciate defenders you dont appreciate the game.

Being defender is like lame you can't score the goal because you're at back watching your teammates score a goal and taste that delicious goal while defenders is defending at the back

Do even watch football wtf? Some of the all-time greats are fucking defenders. Roberto carlos scored the best goal in world cup history. Please don't talk if you have no idea what you are talking about you sound like a child still in elementary school "Defending so boring"

And my point was that most people can name players aside from strikers unless your from America or a country where football is not the main sport so they have no proper knowledge. So what he said does not even make sense lol.

Also, why upvote your own comment?

Bro i get where you are coming from but its just gonna be soo much shitter with ashi as a fullback, its been soo entertaining and i loved every moment of him being a forward

It just means that even non football fans know about strikers and only fans know about defenders.

Messi is a striker now? Interesting. Also so that means you should have a childs mentality where anything other than a striker is boring to watch in anime? The way fullbacks work now Aoi will get plenty of action.

And my point was that most people can name players aside from strikers unless your from America or a country where football is not the main sport so they have no proper knowledge. So what he said does not even make sense lol.

Up voting is fun. try it some time. Like, up vote this? Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?! Come on you know you wanna, don'tcha wanna? Come on do it, DO IT!!!

Who says Defenders can't score?
Roberto Carlos? 117 Goals
Sergio Ramos? 106 Goals
Fernando Hierro? 134 Goals

In total while strikers tend to score more, i cant disrespect roberto carlos since he was the best fullback ever and i know ashi’s eagle eye will be more effective in defence but we were all hype for a better and more in depth version of captain tsubasa and not seeing a forward transition to a defender but hopefully he transitions back into a striker but by how people commented in previous ep he’s still a fullback which sucks

just a heads up, he doesn't goes back to being a forward. and it doesn't suck.
Stop seeing the sport as a individual sport and actually see it as a team sport. Ao Ashi is good, because they actually spend time focusing on being a team story.

Tsubasa has degraded into blind scoring matches that it's not even fun anymore. Just take a look from the recent series Rising Sun,
Spain vs Mexico (6-2), Japan vs Germany (7-5), Brazil vs Argentina (6-3), France vs Brazil (3-6). there's no subtlety or even tactics left in Tsubasa.