Blue Lock chapter 223: Bastard Munchen’s misery forces Isagi to create a winning formula

With the release of Blue Lock chapter 223, fans got to see Ubers showcase their new tactics designed by master striker Marc Snuffy. While Noel, Kaiser, and Isagi are able to fill the gaps in their team’s defense, they are barely able to hold on. That’s when Noel Noa’s advice helps Isagi ideate a new plan.

The previous chapter saw Ubers playing with a new formation that saw Lorenzo and Niko join the attack. This helped Ubers to attack swiftly. While Isagi and Noel did try to stop Snuffy, their attempt got foiled.

Soon after, Isagi together with Kaiser stopped Ubers’ attack. However, the ball dropped on Snuffy’s feet.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Blue Lock manga.

Blue Lock chapter 223: Isagi’s new winning formula uses Raichi Jingo

Don Lorenzo in Blue Lock chapter 223 (Image via Kodansha)

Blue Lock chapter 223, titled Are You Willing To Die…, opened with Marc Snuffy instructing his players to play in a new tactical design. Soon after, the player got into their new positions as they initiated the second wave of attack.

Immediately after Snuffy made his first pass, Isagi began wondering how he would initiate his attack if he was Snuffy. He knew that unless he got into the mind of the master striker, his team would be left very vulnerable.

Upon seeing the ball being passed to Drago on the left wing, Isagi was certain that Ubers was set to attack by crossing the ball inside the penalty box. While everyone was focused on Drago, Snuffy slowly snuck into the front of the goal.

As Isagi hoped for someone to cover him, Kaiser came in clutch and bodied Snuffy. However, the master striker was left unfazed as he headed the pass to Niko.

Snuffy and Kaiser in Blue Lock chapter 223 (Image via Kodansha)

When Niko received the ball, Noel tried to block him, asking him to shoot the ball himself. However, Niko followed Snuffy’s design and passed the ball to Shoei Barou. That’s when Isagi tackled Barou and kicked the ball out of bounds for an Ubers’ throw-in.

Isagi instantly began thinking of a way to stop Ubers. At the time, they were only able to stop Ubers from scoring because he, Kaiser, and Snuffy were filling the gaps left in their defense. However, they were still struggling to defend the goal.

The key player in the game was Snuffy. Unlike other master strikers who focus solely on scoring goals, Snuffy played a different role as a surveying player. He strategically analyzed the game, searching for opportunities to guide his team and implement his tactical designs.

Yoichi Isagi in Blue Lock chapter 223 (Image via Kodansha)

That’s when Noel Noa approached Isagi. He told him that the secret behind Marc Snuffy’s playstyle was his mastery of jiu-jitsu. He made use of martial arts’ principles and incorporated them into his playstyle, refining his balance and skills even more. Thus, Noel Noa considered Snuffy to be a much better overall player than himself due to his versatility.

Following that, Isagi asked Noel for some advice to defeat Snuffy. However, the master striker had no idea. He advised Isagi to stay patient for three minutes, following which Snuffy should leave the field, making it easy for Bastard Munchen.

Upon hearing Snuffy’s advice, an idea sparked in Isagi’s head. He immediately called out to Raichi Jingo, meaning to tell his plan to the defensive midfielder.

Final thoughts on Blue Lock chapter 223

Raichi Jingo in Blue Lock chapter 223 (Image via Kodansha)

Blue Lock chapter 223 saw Isagi come up with a new plan to help Bastard Munchen win.

That said, the protagonist is yet to reveal the same to his teammates. Considering that Isagi approached Raichi for the plan, there is a good chance that he wants him to man-mark Snuffy and eliminate his existence from the match.