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justdontaskme · 7 months ago

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It Was Always You (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

A/N: Here you go, just as promised, the second part to this fic here. You should probably read that first to better understand this one. I probably should have proofread it again, but felt like I needed to get this out or it would forever sit as a WIP. So please enjoy and I hope to see you at my next fic.

After finally finishing what felt like the longest season of your life, you were ready for a long vacation surrounded by beaches with plenty of alone time for you and Alexia. Hawaii had been screaming your name since Christmas. The surprise planned proposal was just an added bonus for your good mood.

Ever since you had exchanged Christmas presents, Alexia had been very tight-lipped, deflecting any and all questions you asked about the upcoming proposal you knew was coming, just not when exactly it would happen. She refused to give you even the slightest hint.

While you packed for your two week trip to Hawaii, you felt discombobulated, running around like a madwoman as you packed and unpacked an unhealthy amount of times. Knowing that you were going to Hawaii with your girlfriend and coming back with a new shiny ring and a fiancee was driving you insane in the best kind of way.

As the trip came closer, Alexia started sharing pieces of the itinerary with you. The schedule was very flexible, allowing you to add in your fair share of ideas of things you wanted to do while on the vacation islands. There was a good mix of adventure, romance, and relaxation packed into a short two weeks.

This extra information also had your mind running on overdrive. You were googling everything that Alexia was booking, mentally calculating how likely her plans could lead to a proposal that day. You were dissecting every tiny morsel of information she was giving you. It led you down a long rabbit hole of what-if scenarios that was literally scrambling your brain.

But the midfielder knew how to keep you on your toes because there were just so many possibilities. It could be during a cute, romantic dinner or an adventure with a picturesque background for a proposal. It could be during a morning stroll on the beach or a helicopter ride over the beautiful island. It could even be next to a raging waterfall or underwater during a snorkeling trip. The possibilities were endless and you felt as if you were going crazy with each new idea that popped in your head.

When Alexia came home the night before you had planned to leave, the apartment you two shared was an utter mess. You had to fit a handful of outfits you could mix and match during your two week vacation. But you also had to prepare for the wide range of activities Alexia was planning for the two of you. Narrowing down what to wear was an obstacle all on its own.

“Almost done packing, mi vida?” Alexia whispered, slipping behind you as she looked at your bags over your shoulder.

She held in her chuckle as she noticed there were more clothes laid out everywhere in the room instead of in your suitcase. They were still only half packed, clothes hanging all over the bed. Some draped over your opened suitcase, others thrown haphazardly in a pile.

“I don't know what I’m going to wear, Ale,” you whined, leaning forward to grab a top and holding it up as you contemplated whether it would make the cut.

“Just pack some sleep clothes and swimsuits,” she said, her eyes falling shut as she laid her head against your back, loving the warmth and comfort of having you in her arms again. “You won’t be needing much of anything else.”

“But I want to look good. This is a special vacation,” you whined.

“You know I think you’ll look good in whatever you wear,” she told you, reaching over to pick up an item from your discard pile so she could neatly fold it and make a new pile.

You glared at her because you knew she was trying to keep you happy, but she was being no help whatsoever. It also irked you slightly that she was already fully packed, her bags sitting by the door, ready to be whisked away in the morning rush to the airport.

“Half the time you’ll be dressed in a nice little swimsuit, so it’s not like you need much else. Anything else you need, we can either buy there or you can borrow from me. Besides, the other half of the time, we could be in our room which means, you won’t really be needing any clothes,” she murmured, teasingly nipping at your neck.

You giggled at the sensation, nudging her away, as you twirled in her arms.

“I want to look cute for this,” you amended.

“You always look cute,” Alexia said, leaning down to press a kiss to your nose.

“You're not helping,” you grumbled, slipping out of her hold and sitting on the bed. The pout on your face was adorable, but Alexia could tell you were taking this whole situation very seriously.

“Don’t stress about this too much, mi amor,” she cupped your cheeks, making sure you were looking at her. “This vacation is about relaxing. You shouldn’t be getting riled up over this.”

“I know, I know. But this time it's special. And since you won't tell me what you're planning,” she rolled her eyes playfully at you trying to trick her into revealing everything, “I have to be ready at all times.”

“Good try, but how about I actually help you back your stuff?” Alexia deflected, wanting to help wind you down from this overthinking tirade.

You sent her a relieved smile, quickly nodding your head as you both got to work sorting through your clothes once more until you had a full suitcase. With one less thing to worry about, you slowly felt a bit of the tension in your shoulders momentarily wash away.

After you set your packed bags next to hers by the door, we flopped onto your couch, the mental exhaustion catching up to you. It didn’t take much coaxing from Alexia to get you to agree to order in food and relax before the whirlwind of vacation swept in.

But for the rest of the night you planned on enjoying the fleeting bliss before your mind could conjure up more scenarios to work you up again. And it was always so much easier to do that with your girlfriend by your side, arms around you, her softly humming into your ear to help calm you.

****

As soon as the plane touched down in Hawaii, you found yourself buzzing with both excitement and a tad bit of anxiety. All you wanted was to know when and where the proposal was happening. You wanted to be photo ready and emotionally prepared, so the surprise was killing you.

Even though it was supposed to be all happy, you felt like you couldn’t relax. Your mind refused to let your guard down completely. Thankfully, it all came in waves. You could indulge in the nice moments between you and Alexia, taking in the sights and emptying your mind for pieces of time.

What sucked was the slightly quieter moments that allowed your mind to wander. When you had too much time to think, you always overthought everything. Your head was constantly on a swivel as you searched for Alexia everytime she was out of sight for a moment too long. Then you’d think about the outfit you were wearing and if it’d fit the occasion if you were to turn and find your girlfriend on one knee, staring up at you with a hopeful smile.

Fortunately for you, your girlfriend was quick to step in before you could work yourself into a tizzy. She was good at redirecting your thoughts, whether it’d be to point out the beautiful scenery surrounding you on these magical islands or if it’d be as simple as unintentionally flexing her tanned and defined muscles that’d leave you flushed as your mind wandered.

Alexia was extremely attentive this trip, and you made sure to soak it all in.

The midfielder was an amazing girlfriend, but at times during the season, you and your relationship with the talented captain would sometimes have to take a backseat while she uplifted a legendary club and a thriving national team.

Even with you being on the same team, it could get difficult to balance everything. So Alexia, over the years, had come to affection overloading you in her break times, and you’d be a liar to say you hated it.

It had been almost a week of full bliss with your girlfriend in Hawaii and still no sign of a ring. You’d already gone on two breathtaking hikes, eaten at delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurants she had researched, and sunbathed to your heart’s content.

Each night so far had ended with a private, romantic dinner where the two of you would talk about anything and everything for hours. You found yourself throughout the trip feeling as if you had travelled back in time, and you were learning about Alexia all over again.

You reminisced on the dates you had been on at the very start of your relationship, and it reminded you so much of what you were feeling now. But instead of those crazy, scary nerves you had about possibly messing up a relationship before it even started, you now felt warm, loved, and safe.

The way the two of you had grown together throughout the years has been one of your favorite things in the world. Yes, the two of you would occasionally fight and argue, but in the end you were always in each other’s corner. Your bond allowed you both to step up and support each other whenever needed. When one of you felt down, the other worked harder to help bring you back up.

She was there to help heal you whenever you tried to deny you were sick even though you were coughing up a lung with snot running down your nose. She was there to lift you up when you felt your chances on your national team slipping away. She was there to make you smile whenever you felt upset about missing another milestone like a major birthday or even wedding in your family’s life as they lived a whole ocean away.

And just as she was there for you whenever you needed her most, you were there for her.

You were there to keep her company and out of her head and she watched endless game films after a tough match, win or lose. You were there to remind her to love whenever she and Alba got into any heated arguments that led to weeks of no contact between the two sisters. You were there to pull her from the depths of her despair when she tore her ACL and the devastating recovery that followed.

Each and every milestone in both your careers and life since the two of you made it official was shared and celebrated with one another.

Despite being in such close proximity to each other almost all the time between working and living together, there was never a dull moment. You took turns planning dates to help keep the romance alive. It was hard to feel like you never had anything to say because you two could talk for hours on end and still have more to add. And on the flipside, you could sit in complete silence and never feel an ounce of awkwardness.

You really felt like you won the dating lottery with Alexia.

This trip was needed for so many reasons, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. To begin with, you felt like you could decompress after what felt like a long, grueling season. There was also the opportunity to reconnect with your girlfriend, catching up on missed date nights or even spending quality time with one another that didn’t revolve around work. And of course, it was going to help move you two into the next step of your relationship.

You were ready to start the next day of your vacation, optimistic that today could be the day, just as you felt every morning since you woke up in the Aloha state.

While you had come to expect it, you still weren’t thrilled to wake up and find Alexia was no longer in bed with you. Being the athlete she was, and not being able to take off a full day, Alexia was always out for a morning run.

Checking the clock by your bedside, you saw that Alexia was due to be back any minute now, so you figured you’d get started on a quick breakfast to hold you over until lunchtime. With that in mind, you got up from bed, slowly sliding out from under the covers. The cold hardwood floors beneath you caused goosebumps to form up and down your arms.

There was a chill in the suite you were staying in. The warm air outside was nice and welcomed, but inside you both liked to keep the AC low, prompting you to search for a hoodie instead of turning up the heat. You knew Alexia packed one of her favorite hoodies, which also happened to be your favorite to steal, and you were dying to wear it right now.

Digging through Alexia’s stuff, you quickly find the hoodie you were searching for and throw it on. The encompassing smell that is purely Alexia immediately calms you. As you’re hugging yourself to warm up and breathe in her scent, you noticed something out of the ordinary in the back of the drawer.

Curiosity got the better of you, so you reached out and pulled out the offending item. A rather loud gasp escaped upon finding a black box sitting in the palm of your hand.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what it was. You knew she had to have hidden it somewhere, but you didn’t expect to find it before the time was right.

You couldn’t help yourself, your hand gently lifted the lid of the ring box, a small gasp escaping when you took in the ring perched in the middle of the box.

It was absolutely stunning. The diamond itself was just the perfect size for you, nothing too in your face but still big enough to catch the eye. The white gold shimmered along with the tiny diamonds set on the band, caging in the diamond in the middle.

The ring was perfect.

“You weren’t meant to see that yet,” you hear from behind you, snapping you out of the trance.

At the sound of her voice, you quickly shut the box in your hand, feeling incredibly embarrassed and insanely guilty. Slowly, you turned around, your eyes trained to the floor, afraid of her expression. Your mouth opened and shut a few times as you tried to find the words to apologize.

“It’s okay, mi amor. I’m not mad,” she reassured you, stepping into your personal space, her hands slowly taking yours.

You threw the box onto the bed, needing it out of your hands as you hid your face behind your fingers, mortified for messing everything up, “I’m so sorry, Ale.”

“Don’t be. In fact, I’ve been watching you for awhile,” she admitted, revealing that she’d been quietly standing at the door watching as you pulled the ring out and inspected it.

“I’m sorry, Ale,” you repeated, not even able to bring yourself to peek through your fingers to gauge her true reaction.

She shook her head, “Stop apologizing. I could have stopped you but I didn’t. Besides, you were going to see it soon anyways.”

Your jaw literally dropped as your girlfriend lowered down to one knee in front of you. “This isn’t how I planned it, but seeing you in my hoodie with the ring in your hand, I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“Alexia…” you breathed out, your voice wispy as tears began to well in your eyes.

“I’ve known since day one that you would be an important person in my life,” the midfielder started, reaching over to grab the ring box off the bed, opening it and staring down at the carefully crafted piece of jewelry. “Every day we spend together, I find another reason to never let you go and promise myself that I will do whatever I can to make you smile at me for the rest of our lives. I don’t want to wait to call you mine forever,” the slight crack of her voice told you she was nervous, despite you two talking about this very moment numerous times in the past. “Will you marry me?”

The question was barely out of her mouth before you were shouting, “Yes!”

With the biggest grin you’d ever seen, Alexia shot up, pulling you in for a deep kiss, as she slid the ring onto your finger. You pulled away from her, immediately hugging her close, not quite ready for her to anywhere but pressed up against you.

The next second the switch flipped as you both turned to celebrating this momentous occasion by slowly stripping each other of your clothes and finding the bed in your haste to feel one another.

After a few rounds, you found yourself lying on your back, Alexia on her side, watching you as one of her hands continued to trail innocent, lazy paths along your exposed body.

Both of you basked in the afterglow of your previous activities, the calm quiet allowing your minds to catch up to present.

“Will you tell me what you were planning to do? I know you had some crazy proposal actually planned out,” you said to her, turning over so you could face her.

She hummed, not quite ready to escape the state of bliss.

“Well your family and my family are actually flying in later today,” she started. “They know everything, so you’re going to have to pretend this never happened and act surprised when I propose. I think they’d kill me if they found out I already did it,” Alexia said, her voice wavering slightly because she would totally get berated by Alba and at least one of your sisters and possibly a brother.

Her admission started as a chuckle but quickly turned into a full belly laugh. Your laugh was infectious, and soon Alexia couldn’t find it in her to not join in.

“I like that. It’s like our little secret,” you said, sinking into the bed, Alexia leaning over until she was practically sprawled out on top of you.

She explained how your immediate families were coming in to witness the beginning of the next chapter in your life. The two of you agreed that as soon as you saw them, you had better act surprised to not arouse any suspicion. They were to keep any details about the proposal under lock and key.

Their first day there was meant to help them acclimate to the new scenery and time change. Alexia had planned a very chill day for that exact reason, allowing everyone to gather their bearings with a nice hearty meal and exquisite sights.

Your now fiancée then started to go into detail of how it was supposed to take place at a little private beach at sunset because it reminded her of that one sunset on a beach years ago where she first realized she loved you. And how a couple of weeks later, she took you back to that exact spot to confess it.

She showed you her notes on her phone about what she wanted to add to her speech, which was much longer and just slightly more heartfelt than the way she had thrown all caution to the wind, unexpectedly proposing to you in the middle of your hotel room.

Alexia went over every detail she had planned out, from photos and videos of the proposal to where she planned to take everyone to dinner afterwards. Each new detail made your heart stutter, as you felt the genuinity of each carefully masterminded idea.

While in bed with a new shiny ring on your finger, one you’d have to return temporarily so she could initiate the actual proposal in front of your loved ones, you realized you couldn’t stop grinning. You pictured everything she was saying to you, each little detail its own way of her saying she loved you.

The scenario you had playing in your mind was the exact way everything played out the next day.

It was the perfect second proposal from her. You couldn't wait to show everyone that you were now officially engaged to the love of your life.

#woso x reader #woso imagine #alexia putellas x reader #alexia putellas imagine

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woso-dreamzzz · 1 year ago

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Academy

Hardersson x Preteen!Reader

Part of The Big Adventures Universe

Summary: Your first academy session

Your first official day of academy training comes after Momma and Morsa have retired.

You've moved back to Sweden properly now with constant trips to Denmark as well. But, mainly, you're based in Sweden. Momma and Morsa have gone into coaching and sometimes commentating while you're left going to school and practicing.

You'd done a trial in the summer for Linköping FC and got in and now you're sitting in the car with Momma and Morsa psyching yourself up to go in.

You're eleven now - nearly twelve - and you open and close your hands into fists as you look over at the training centre. There's a group of similarly aged girls to you waiting outside, getting ticked in on the register as they stand in a clump.

"Do you need us to come up with you?" Morsa asks, also looking at the girls.

You shake your head. "No. No one else's parents are there." It's a lie, of course. You desperately want them to walk you up there but it'd be embarrassing so you're leaning away from the option.

Momma turns back in her seat and reaches her hand back to hold yours. "Hey," She says," It's only for a few hours. You go in. You listen. You do what they say and then we'll go and get takeout for dinner. Sound good?"

You nod, wiping your sweaty palms on your shorts. "Yeah."

"We love you," Morsa says," And if you hate it, you don't have to go back."

You slip out of the car and approach, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet as you sign in. It doesn't take long for everybody else to arrive and soon you're all being brought inside and handed trainings shirts and stuff.

Then, names are being read out.

You're still young so roles like defence, midfield and forward are still fairly flexible but some people (like you) are already firmly in little boxes so you're easy to separate out.

But, most of your peers end up in a group in the middle because they either haven't chosen their roles or don't yet know what they'd be good at.

There's a fairly large group of forwards which Momma told you last night would happen. At your age, everyone wants to score a goal and most of these girls will end up as attacking midfielders before the year is up. Speaking of the midfield, they're a much smaller group than the self-proclaimed forwards and the defenders are even smaller.

You're the only goalkeeper, feeling a little awkward as you sit at a table all by yourself until the trainer comes.

He smiles at you. He's kind of got one of those old people smiles that Momma's dad has, all warmth and happiness.

You smile back.

"You know," He says, his voice barely above a whisper," I wasn't actually expecting any keepers today. Usually, everyone wants to score a goal."

"That's what my Momma says."

"Your Momma sounds very smart," He replies," Now..." He pulls out some sheets of paper. "I'm meant to explain all the ins and outs of everything. It's meant to take a while because we leave time for questions but, if you let me get through this all then I'm sure we'd have time to play a few rounds of noughts and crosses while everyone else finishes up. Sound good?"

You nod.

He's right, of course. Everyone else takes ages to explain everything but keeping is fairly straight forward and you're the only keeper here so there's not other people around to ask questions.

"Whoa there!" Morsa says as you crash into her at the end of training," You're all sweaty!"

She's right.

You are sweaty. Hair sticks to your forehead and your shirt to your skin. You're sure that you're all gross feeling but Morsa doesn't care as she hugs you back before ushering you into the car.

"How did it go?" Momma asks as she pulls out of the car park," Good? Bad?"

"Good!" You say, a grin splitting your face wide open.

"What did you do?" Morsa asks, turning in her seat to look at you.

"We played a little game," You answer, practically bouncing in excitement," So they could all see where we were at and the individual trainers laid out the plans for each week."

"Were there a lot of forwards?" Momma teases as she turns onto a road.

"Uh-huh. I was the only keeper though."

"That'll change," Morsa assures you," Those kids that haven't decided yet will end up cycling through everything. I'm sure one or two of them will be keepers."

"It's fine," You say," I'm not upset. I don't need other keepers."

Your mothers laugh softly.

"You still need to make friends," Momma says.

"I just want to train," You insist stubbornly.

"You can train and have friends too," Morsa puts in," In fact, I'd go so far as to say you need friends to train well. Promise me, princesse, that you'll make some friends."

You huff. "Fine," You say," I'll make friends."

"Good. Now, what did you want for dinner?"

#woso x reader #hardersson x reader #pernille harder x reader #pernille harder #magdalena eriksson x reader #magdalena eriksson #woso community #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso #The Big Adventures Universe

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didalexiabreakupwitholgaisback · 3 months ago

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what do you think of alexia playing a deeper midfield role? do you think the team is better this way?

well, alexia was excellent on the day, and she played more flexibly and wasn’t always staying back. plus, she's been asked to play a deeper role on the national team too, so it’s not unusual.

to me alexia is a complete midfielder and she doesn't need to score goals to show her value. rather her playmaking and assisting is extremely valuable to this team as well. so she’s great in this tweaked role. keep it up sweetie 🙏

sure, why not? i'm cool with it. 👏

that's an interesting question. i actually think that salma and pina are both playing better than ewa at the moment and are both so in form. but on the other hand, it feels too risky to sit ewa, a natural #9. maybe i give the edge to salma because of her speed but it is a very close call.

well, i think you can answer your own question by looking at what position wins the ballon d'or and fifa the best awards.

so yes, pivot/defensive midfielder is definitely an underrated position.

#alexia putellas #ingrid engen #irene paredes #salma paralluelo #patri guijarro #claudia pina #fcb femení #futfem #woso

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hulknussen · 1 month ago

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the 2025 development cycle, a williams front wing, and a prancing horse with broken legs: how sauber achieved a fifth position in barcelona

it is--to my surprise too--that time of the season again. after the review I wrote of the australian gp I was waiting for something substantial enough to be worth looking into in-depth, and barcelona delivered. this weekend was marked by discussions about the technical directive regarding flexible front wings, but everyone's eyes were on mclaren.

in reality, a lot of teams had moved away from the flexible front wings before barcelona, if they even brought them to this season at all. ferrari and aston martin have been moving towards the new regulations all season and only brought the final update to conform to the new regulations at barcelona. mercedes, alpine and mclaren brought no changes at all either to the entire car or to the front wing; they finished adjusting to the new regulations before they went into effect. red bull racing, haas, vcarb and williams were the only teams to bring significant updates to the front wing in response to the new regulations, which is reflected in the finishing order of this grand prix. out of the eight drivers of those teams, only three finished within the points, in 7th for vcarb's hadjar, 8th for alpine's gasly, and 10th for rbr's verstappen. (I don't have one singular source to link to for the upgrades and what I'll be summarizing about them below, but you can go through the season's upgrades for each grand prix if you want to check for yourself. it's the "car presentation submission" document of each weekend on the fia's official decision document site.)

sauber never had a flexible front wing (to the degree that it would be non conformative with the new TD), thus, the technical directive did not affect them; there were no changes to the development cycle, no phasing out, no final hits to take at barcelona. the focus could comfortably lie on improving the car's deficits without needing to make adjustments because of regulations.

in comparison, it seems that williams did not take a phasing out approach, and instead chose to change the front wing at once when required. it wasn't completely clear to me what haas have been doing, but if they have been phasing the flexi wings out, it was done very minimally, with most of the hit still being taken at spain. the cars in the red bull family also seem to have all gone without significant front wing changes throughout the season in order to make the transition to the new directive easier.

as the sauber is (supposed to be) a midfield car, its direct competition lies in in the haas, the alpines, the vcarbs, the astons and the williams. in previous races it was williams dominating the midfield, likely in part due to their very strong front wing set-up. mclaren's dominance at the end of the 2024 season has been ascribed to their flexible front wings; similarly, I think william's dominance at the start of the 2025 season may be the result of the same. but I am not as familiar with the williams car, and this is speculative from my end, so take it with a grain of salt.

because of the teams respective approaches to the new regulations, haas, vcarb and williams were taken almost completely out of the equation. aston martin only fielded one car, further opening the midfield. all of this leaves space for cars that are not in the points as regularly to get up there.

apart from that, there are two key things that allowed car 27 to finish as high up as it did: the upgrade package, and the tyre(/strategy) advantage.

it was previously revealed that the sauber car was unable to overtake) (and by extension unable to defend). that is to say it would lose significant amount of downforce when getting too close to another car on track. it was a race car not built to race. sauber's upgrade package for barcelona brought a completely new floor, from scratch, changes to the sidepods, and small changes to the front wing to work with this new floor. all of these were with the aim of allowing the car to overtake, which worked. this is why we could see nico make up five places in the opening lap, for example--because he did not lose so much speed he was basically dead weight simply for being within the opening lap crowd. gabi also managed to hold on to his 12th qualified spot and not drop down the order.

barcelona is a track that wears tyres quickly while still not favouring the c1 hard compound tyres due to not producing enough grip for the higher speed corners of the track, and even one lap can make a significant difference in tyre performance. like many nico was on a soft-medium-soft strategy, but nico had three new sets of softs available for the race by nature of not making it out of q1. in comparison, gabi only had one set, and lewis hamilton had none at all. this, together with pitting later than hamilton, gave nico the tyre advantage for his overtake, and at the time of the overtake during the penultimate lap, nico was lapping 1.6s faster than car 44.

clearly the sauber was in a good position for barcelona, both upgrade wise and by the nature of the track favouring drivers that did not need to use up all of their designated tyre sets for qualifying. but is it enough for p5?

well, probably not. all of this has left out max verstappen's penalty which gave nico a one spot promotion; the safety car that allowed nico to catch lewis in time for the race end in the first place; and the promotion given by the safety car being caused by someone running in front of nico (kimi antonelli) instead of behind h im. this is +3 positions that weren't guaranteed, and nico admitted in an interview with sky germany that he expected to be finishing p8 or p9 at the highest.

additionally, we saw gabi finish 12th. he was handicapped by wearing more tyres for q2, and in my (and jonathan wheatley's, as he said in the same interview with sky germany) opinion pitted too late -- that said, he drove a clean race to finish where he qualified, has shown to be up to nico's pace in previous sessions, and is at the end of the day very much a rookie. it'd be stupid to expect him to fully match nico, who has fifteen years of experience of driving cars exactly like the sauber: with lots of flaws and little opportunities. I think we will continue to see gabi learn and improve, and that points aren't far away for him, either.

fortunately for both us and the drivers, sauber's development cycle is far from done. iñaki rueda (sauber's head of sporting and strategy, who was with ferrari until last year - his wikipedia article here for those curious) said in an interview to german media that a second big upgrade package is planned for after the summer break, though they might try to bring it earlier if possible. this package and the whole 2025 car is fully developed, so all resources are going towards the 2026 (audi) car for the rest of the year. the reason they aren't bringing them earlier is because of production itself, not development being unfinished. there is some danger in finishing the development cycle before the season is over; however, it is much better than I feared, which is that sauber would be abandoning this year completely in favour of 2026. the restructuring that has been happening in the team is seemingly offering them enough resources to both target the 2025 and 2026 cars simultaneously.

the saubers were fortunate this race to both improve on their own and have competitors fall back. but thus is the nature of the sport--it doesn't really diminish or take away from the impressive result it was. the summer break isn't that far away, either, so it'll be interesting what else comes of it, and how the teams that did not seem to respond well to the new front wing regulations will deal with it the following races.

#nico hulkenberg #gabriel bortoleto #spanish gp 2025 #f1 #race analysis

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aiulbones · 3 months ago

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Post NEL Speculation

I think Chapter 300 leaves Reo in a very interesting place. I see a lot of parallels here with Rin and his own backstory with Sae. In both situations, you have a duo striving to be the best in the world together with person A being seen by person B as being the stronger of the two, that ends with A abandoning the shared goal and leaving the legacy to B to carry on alone. Also, A genuinely believes that B is the more capable one, even if B doesn't initially see it themselves.

Emotionally, they are very different. Rin and Sae are brothers with a 2 year age gap, which means that they've been together for their entire conscious lives. Reo and Nagi met less than a year ago. Both pairs experienced a recent paradigm shift, though for Rin and Sae it was their separation whereas for Reo and Nagi it was coming together. Reo was also present for nearly all of Nagi's downfall whiile Sae's was a complete surprise to Rin. The way Nagi passed the baton on to Reo is expressed a lot better and with more grace than how Sae passed to Rin. However, the most relevant difference is that Reo is far more mature than Rin.

Rin's arc has been in a bit of a holding cycle during NEL. He is still unable to stop chasing after Sae's ghost even though he recognizes the way to surpass his own limits is by trusting in his own instincts. For all of Reo and Nagi's codependent past faults, I don't think Reo is going to have this same problem. His dream of success independent of his father started long before Nagi, even if it wasn't able to fully take shape until he met him.

The next arc has been set up to be another Rin vs Isagi rivalry showdown, but Reo could play a key part. I don't think one goal means he's now committed to being a striker (also if there is one thing Blue Lock absolutely does not need is another character who wants to play in that position). As a midfielder, he's been shown primarily as Nagi-support, which has held him back a lot (something that has also been recently hammered in with Ness' loyalty to Kaiser being his downfall). With Nagi gone, he has the freedom to be a lot more flexible, creative, and make smarter plays. He also doesn't have particularly strong allegiances to either Isagi or Rin. Interestingly, other characters have also been recently highlighted as being free agents, willing to support whoever is in the better goal-scoring position as a way to exhibit their own strength (Hiori, Kiyora). (This is how many of the midfielders have played thus far, but it was never made a specific character point in the past.)

Hiori and Isagi are pretty close at this point, having gone through both 3rd selection and NEL together. They have been shown to talk and strategize together, though I don't consider them to be dependent or loyal partners to each other. Reo could end up filling a similar role for Rin as two people who are essentially discovering independence at the same time. They aren't a replacement for what the other person has lost, but something more like kindred spirits who can act as sounding boards for new ideas. Reo would also be a good role model in general for Rin as someone who is a little older and possesses a higher degree of self-assurance (except when he's crashing out after his boyfriend dumped him), better social skills, and isn't trying to crush him into a fine dust.

Anyways, that's all for this little thought train. Looking forward to the next arc!

#blue lock #mikage reo #itoshi rin #and what's bachira's role in the next arc?#living his best life but not being allowed to score because stopping his dribbling is a way to show how awesome the other team's defense is #TT-TT #such is the life #spoilers

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ironwoman18 · 3 months ago

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I'm a football (soccer) fan and I just found this interesting concept. It's not an actual position but a term for a player with a very specific set of skills, can be wingers strikers or attacking midfielders.

What Is a Raumdeuter?

The term Raumdeuter is not your typical soccer position. It doesn’t fit neatly into labels like winger, striker, or midfielder. Instead, it describes a player who thrives by interpreting space. Thomas Müller, the Bayern Munich and Germany star, is the quintessential Raumdeuter. He once described himself as not being particularly fast, technical, or strong. Yet, he consistently finds himself in the right place at the right time. This knack for positioning and movement defines the role.

Key Characteristics of a Raumdeuter

1. Off-the-Ball Movement

A Raumdeuter’s greatest strength lies in their off-the-ball movement. They don’t rely on dribbling or flashy skills. Instead, they move intelligently to create space for themselves and their teammates.

2. Positional Awareness

Raumdeuters have an almost instinctive sense of where to be. They read the game well and anticipate where space will open up.

3. Flexibility in Attack

While often positioned as wide attackers, Raumdeuters don’t stay glued to the wing. They drift into central areas, exploit gaps between defenders, and show up unpredictably.

4. Clinical Finishing

Although they’re not traditional strikers, Raumdeuters often score goals. Their ability to arrive in the box unmarked gives them plenty of chances.

After reading this, it's clear to me that Kaneshiro created Yoichi Isagi with the characteristics of this kind of players. Thomas Müller is a striker with lots of goals in all the competitions, he won the champions league, world cup, clubs world cup, bundesliga, DFB Pokal, Supercup Germany and European.

#blue lock #isagi yoichi

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atlasyaps · 3 months ago

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Koharu Lee (Blue Lock OC)

Overview

Name: Koharu Lee (小春李) (Nickname: Haru)

Age: 17

Height: 172cm

Malaysian Chinese

Trans (ftm) + gay

attacking midfielder

Wildcard

style: Dragon Dance

Dragon Dance:

Allows Koharu to change styles and adapt to the 'rhythm' of the game. With his speed and extraordinary flexibility, it's difficult for players to adapt to him fast enough.

A/N: Hello! Wanted to introduce my Blue Lock OC to the world :3 Ill be adding all his other info and compiling them all into a masterlist in a while! I hope you like him!

#blue lock oc #blue lock #atlas'literature #blue lock fanart #original character #oc x canon

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all-we-know-is-falling · 10 months ago

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El Partido de Fútbol

Mateo had asked Agustín in the morning if he would like to join him at the park later on. Mateo and some of his friends and classmates were going to have a friendly football match. Agustín agreed, although he would only be there to watch and support his friend's team, rather than play.

The sun was just past its highest point, but luckily it wasn't too hot. The two boys met and made their way to the park together; they were always together. The guys who were already there greeted them. Mateo changed into his football boots, and he was already wearing his Argentina national team jersey.

Time was getting on and everyone wanted to start the game already. Raúl spoke up, "Hey, guys. Enrique said he can't make it, something's come up."

A few guys groaned.

"Our team's going to be a man down then!" Luis complained. "One of you stay off, would you?"

"Nah, I'm not going anywhere." Mateo protested. His entire team agreed.

"Oh, come on. Now it's just unfair." Daniel huffed.

Mateo scanned the field for any extra players. His eyes landed on Agustín, who wasn't even paying attention to them, but was completely in his own head, staring at the surrounding trees that moved gently in the breeze.

Mateo whistled at him. "Hey!"

Agustín turned his face to him. "What?" He asked.

"Join their team. They're missing their midfielder." The curly haired boy was totally assuming he even knew what that meant.

"Are you sure?" The other replied.

"Yeah. Come on!"

Mateo heard someone behind him murmur, "We're finished..." and another go, "What does he know?" Luckily, Agustín was too far away to hear them.

He got up and brushed some grass off of his legs. Due to the unexpectedness of this situation, he wasn't wearing very flexible pants, and he didn't have any football boots. At least he had thought to put on his Chile jersey... even if he was the only one.

"Awesome. Thank you dude." Luis stepped towards him. "Alright! Let's start!"

They all got into their positions, Agustín taking Enrique's place on the midfield, and the kickoff began.

As it turns out, those who made the comments behind Mateo were wrong. The imaginary whistle blew and the game was onto a good start. Agustín may not have scored, but he made a really great attempt that was only stopped by Daniel's above-average saving skills. His passes were decent and he was precise with every one he made. He even had an assist, being the key to Luis' goal which held their team in the lead 2-1 for a while. They didn't win in the end, but Agustín's performance was quite shocking, even to Mateo. His tackles and defence were good too, even if he wasn't the absolute best player on either team.

After the game, it was like Agustín had just earned himself some popularity points, because most of the guys came to pat him on the back and compliment his playing. A few more skirmishes went on with fewer players all round as some just wanted to sit around and cool off or chat.

Mateo took a seat on the grass beside Agustín and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Since when have you been into football?" He had to ask.

Agustín smiled to himself and replied, "I've always been a casual follower, but I was way into it for a while when I was younger. That's how I learned how to play."

Mateo grinned, "You were awesome." He then removed his hand. "You really gave me... us... a challenge there."

"Thank you." Agustín averted his eyes and felt a little embarrassed. When he looked back at Mateo, the boy was gazing at him, his eyes creased a bit and his freckled cheeks pulled his lips into a sweet smile. Agustín smiled back, his face suddenly feeling more flushed than before. Then someone appeared behind him, interrupting the moment that felt like it went on way longer than it actually did, and stole Mateo's attention with a conversation about which fast food restaurant had the better Coca-Cola. What a useless question, Agustín thought, although he knew full well that he would be totally down for that discussion if Mateo had brought it up instead.

#oc #ocs #original characters #original character #oc writing #writing #tangy-agustín #tangy-mateo #story #fun fact:#i had to change Alejo into Daniel while typing this up #it was originally written before Alejo existed as a full character #he used to be the sporty type #it seems

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