2nd Episode of the Genius Soccer Coach - Chapter 193



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Episode 193 What’s Important Now (3)

Real Madrid fans.

The mood among the Madridistas has been grim of late.

Last season.

Madrid, despite giving up the big ear to Barnett, achieved decent results by winning the league and finishing as runners-up in the Champions League.

However, this year, they were eliminated in the Copa del Rey by a lower-ranked team, and it is certain that their rivals Barcelona will win the league.

Naturally, complaints poured out continuously in the bar where they gathered.

“It was a mess from the beginning of the season because of Ronaldo’s tax evasion controversy. Who knew it would end up like this?”

“See? I told you that Zidane won’t be able to do it?”

“But he is a symbol of our team. And the results were not bad, so how can he be fired right away?”

Soccer is a sport that proves itself through results.

Now, with results worse than last season, fans are questioning Zidane’s tactical ability.

“Obviously, Zidane deserves respect as a player. But, apart from the discipline in the locker room, his limitations are clear.”

“To take charge of a team of superstars, you need a manager who is good at locker room control and tactically brilliant. For example… Kim.”

As if reflecting the public opinion of these fans, the Champions League is not over yet.

There have already been several leaflets circulating in the media.

“There were rumors that Chairman Perez would make an offer to Kim when the season ended?”

“Kim is more than qualified to lead the giant that is Real Madrid.”

“But will he come?”

“What manager would turn it down? We are a club above clubs.”

Their gaze naturally turned to the Champions League final.

To see a matchup between the team they support and the manager who might become their manager in the future.

“Can we win?”

“Don’t you know the spirit of Juanito? We have always won.”

The Juanito spirit, a word that symbolizes Real Madrid, famous for its comebacks.

Even though the game hasn’t even been played yet, it’s quite unusual to see fans mentioning it.

Even Real Madrid fans, famous for their strong pride, acknowledged Barnett’s strength.

“But don’t you think our players’ level is higher? Let’s trust Ronaldo and our players.”

Those who are proud that the team they support is the best in the world.

Although the manager was disappointing, Madridistas believed that the individual quality of the players surpassed Barnett.

[The final match of the Star Wars Champions League will be held in Kiev, Ukraine. It’s quite an interesting matchup, isn’t it?]

[Traditional powerhouse Real Madrid and the rising powerhouse, Barnett, meet.]

[These two teams met in the finals last season.]

[At that time, after a fiercely contested match, Barnett succeeded in lifting the treble by defeating Real Madrid.]

[Will Real Madrid be able to get their revenge? Or will Barnet once again achieve a treble and become the first team to win back-to-back league titles since the Champions League was reorganized? Expectations are high.]

[Let’s check the lineups of both teams.]

-Real Madrid-

Ronaldo-Benzema

Isco

Cross – Casemiro – Modric

Marcelo-Varan-Ramos-Carvajal

Navas

-Barnet-

Jejus-Body-Sala

Kante – Kimmich – De Bruyne

Robertson-Rüdiger-Van Dijk-Trippier

Alison

[These are two teams that used the existing Best 11.]

[In a single match, familiar tactics tend to be more effective than unconventional tactics.]

[Both teams are pushing for a head-on confrontation.]

Even before the season began, there were many who had doubts about Barnett’s prospects for the next season.

― As with previous treble teams, performance will decline due to physical overload.

― There is no doubt about the manager’s ability, but if you ask whether the individual players’ quality is worthy of a treble team, there is a question mark… .

― If a player suffers a long-term injury, it won’t be easy to play the season.

‘It was definitely a stroke of luck that there were no long-term casualties.’

No matter how much you rotate the players and give them rest, injuries are a matter of heaven.

But now even the heavens are smiling upon Barnett.

Hyunwoo was not the type of person to turn down an opportunity that was right in front of him.

As I entered the locker room, I saw the players looking very tense.

“Why is the atmosphere like this?”

Even though it’s the Champions League final that we’ve already played in once, I guess it’s inevitable that we’re nervous.

“Could it be that they were intimidated because the opponent was Real Madrid?”

“…no!”

The players’ voices were powerless.

Hyunwoo, who had been watching this silently for a while, noticed one player whose eyes were shining.

“what.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you nervous now?”

“no?”

He showed his will to live as if it were not an empty promise.

“Last time I had to watch the win on TV from the hospital because of Ramos. But this time it’s different. I’m going to lift the trophy with my own hands.”

The players stared blankly at Salah, wondering what he had to say after not being able to play due to injury.

“That’s what I think.”

“….”

“There’s no need to be intimidated by the opponent’s name. We are a team that has already crushed them without Salah.”

“That’s right. We are the champions.”

As Kimihi struck the janggu, Hyunwoo smiled faintly and reached out his hand.

“And even after this game is over, that fact won’t change.”

Players reaching out as if possessed.

“I’m not saying this because I’m your manager, but I think you guys are better players than them. Seriously.”

The eyes of those who built the tower with their hands suddenly began to show confidence.

“3, 2, 1.”

“We are Barnet!”

“In a one-game match, the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins.”

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It is one of the most widely known adages in the sports world.

Unlike leagues or best-of-fives, in a single-elimination match, every mistake was fatal.

This is also why Mourinho, who is good at defensive tactics, is strong in the tournament.

‘But what if both teams have great quality players?’

From this point on, the story changes.

Real Madrid and Barnet. Both teams have top-class players.

From this point on, you need to induce mistakes from your opponent.

And the main thing that plays a role here is tactics.

[Early in the game. Real Madrid are playing defensively, dropping their line.]

[It seems like you are conscious of Barnett’s forward pressure?]

Real Madrid take an unusually defensive stance.

It was definitely not a bad decision.

Barnett’s gegenpressing is a tactic that uses strong pressure to induce mistakes in the opponent.

Having players clustered together in defensive positions can reduce situations that lead to fatal mistakes.

‘But isn’t that too complacent?’

Real Madrid is a team that always dominates the game.

Of course, the defense was good too, but the players must not be used to being pushed back so unilaterally.

Hyunwoo didn’t miss this.

“Leave the backline to Rudiger and Van Dijk and go for it!”

Barnett, who pushed hard as if he was up against a weak team.

Real Madrid also attempted a counterattack with Ronaldo as the main force, but it was not very threatening.

[Early game. Real Madrid is having a hard time.]

[I think this is the first time I’ve seen the Kkamo combination so powerless.]

[I would like to praise the Barnet midfielders because they are not at all inferior to the Real Madrid players in terms of skill.]

“Pass it to me! Is that really that hard?”

Ronaldo tramples on the grass as if venting his frustration over a game that isn’t going well.

The faces of the Real Madrid players showed signs of frustration.

‘That makes sense.’

It’s already hard to keep up with Barnett in terms of mobility, and even his tactics are defensive.

For Real Madrid players who usually take the lead in games, the current situation is bound to be awkward.

On the other hand, Salah, who played as a right winger today, showed a sharp appearance.

[Salah exchanges a one-two with De Bruyne and takes out Marcelo.]

[Ground ball cross from the side!]

[Body extends his foot towards the ball but misses it. Madrid is awarded a goal kick.]

The key to Real Madrid’s offense is Ronaldo’s finishing, which utilizes the fullback’s overlapping.

But now Marcelo is suffering from Salah.

Fullbacks had no choice but to focus on defense rather than overlapping.

[The vicious cycle continues. With the fullback tied up, the counterattack is not sharp. With the counterattack being dull, Barnett’s midfielders can distribute the ball with ease.]

[Real Madrid needs a change of atmosphere.]

‘this.’

Zidane wiped the cold sweat running down his scalp.

As a team that uses strong forward pressure, Barnett often had a decline in performance in the second half.

We aimed for this and tried to turn the game around in the second half.

The current situation exceeded his expectations.

The Barnet players played the game as if the second half was not even in their sights.

‘I don’t think it was this bad in the last finals… Is this the extent of Salah Hana’s influence?’

Although he doesn’t like dirty play, at this moment, he was wondering what Ramos should do.

Then, 22 minutes into the first half.

Ramos attempts a rough tackle, perhaps annoyed by Salah’s continued breakthrough.

Salah cleverly flicked the ball and it landed safely.

The referee immediately gives Ramos a yellow card and awards a free kick.

[Barnet has a hard time shooting directly, but gets a free kick chance in a good position.]

[De Bruyne steps up to take the kick.]

De Bruyne, who was carefully handling the ball, made eye contact with someone.

Tad-

Liar!

[De Bruyne. He’s moving forward…!]

[Van Dyke!]

Van Dijk uses his high ball possession to press down on the ball.

Goalkeeper Navas read the direction and tried to fly, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball from going towards Yashinzon.

[I got in!]

[Barnet has recently had a high set piece success rate!]

[It still feels like a promised play, right? Short players like Kante are guarding the back, and all the center backs are deployed in the box.]

[The score is 1:0. 23 minutes into the first half. Barnet succeeds in scoring the first goal.]

“yes!”

Hyunwoo cheers.

What he said in the locker room wasn’t empty words.

He truly believes that Barnet’s players are better than Real Madrid’s players.

‘They are very evenly matched players. Of course.’

It didn’t mean that Real Madrid had a shortage of players.

It’s just that the direction the team is pursuing is different.

Barnett’s players were optimized for the tactics Hyunwoo pursued.

Players who are suitable for all-round pressure due to their high level of activity and sufficient individual ability.

In contrast, Real Madrid players are a team that is more about individual skill than tactical unity.

This is also the reason why managers who have worked at Real Madrid, including Zidane, gave players a high degree of autonomy.

‘But since managers change frequently, it’s not easy for players to get used to specific tactics.’

For mediocre teams, it would be enough to suppress them with the individual skills of each player.

If you face a tactically superior team, you’re bound to have a hard time.

In fact, if it weren’t for Ronaldo’s performance, Real Madrid would have been eliminated from the Champions League a long time ago.

Hyunwoo called the players who were returning to the camp after the ceremony.

“The opponent hasn’t come to his senses yet. When the momentum is up, we have to widen the score gap.”

“Yes, Coach!”

Hyunwoo sees the scoreboard change to 1:0.

His intuition was telling him.

The treble is just around the corner.

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