Breath of The Interferer - Chapter 97
Only Noblemtl
#97 – Breath of the Interferer_Key – 1679662
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Notts County Surfing
On February 11, Notts County will host Bournemouth at home. Bournemouth currently sits 10th in the league with 31 points. In the previous round, while Notts County lost 0-2 to Manchester United, Bournemouth beat Chelsea 3-0 away.
Most experts predicted a draw between Bournemouth, who has won two games in a row, and Notts County, who has lost five games in a row. Although Bournemouth’s defense and counterattack are powerful, it is obvious that Notts County will also come out on the defensive, so a 0:0 draw is the most likely outcome.
The defense line started with Guzmiks and Cantu as starters. Berbe, who was stressed by physical contact, was put on the bench. Beno was the left fullback and Kim Si-woong was the right fullback. Cha Bum-soo and Gray were in the midfield, and Renault was in the attacking midfield. Bonavich was in the right wing, Baguio was in the left wing, and Hector was in the center striker.
Contrary to expectations that they would play defensively, Notts County pulled up the line high. They put their trust in the speedy Guzmiks and the defensive judgment-oriented Cantu, and put pressure on Bournemouth, who lacked a fast attacker.
In the audience, Juan, Mongelo Chavez, and others watched the game. Mongelo is currently training with the youth team. He lacks a great understanding of tactics, so he is learning the basics in the youth team and learning new movements in various tactical situations. Nice will also have to receive tactical training from the youth team once he gets used to his new body.
Baguio, who caught the ball, cut inside and passed to Renault. Renault handled the ball carefully as if he was rough, luring the defenders and then passed it to Bonavich who was penetrating. The passing motion was so secretive that the Bournemouth players were slow to react, but Bonavich, who had anticipated the timing through training, received the ball accurately.
Bonavici chose to pass instead of shoot from a narrow angle, but the ball missed Hector, the defender and the keeper’s legs. At the far post, Beno slid Bonavici’s pass into the empty net.
Baguio ran straight to the left touchline after passing to Renault. Bournemouth’s right-back had no choice but to follow Baguio. At that moment, Benoit took the spot vacated by Baguio, and Bournemouth’s winger who was supposed to cover Benoit missed Benoit when the ball went to Bonavich.
It’s a very basic tactic. Renault’s pass was crucial to its success. The unexpected pass caused the defenders’ concentration to waver for a moment, creating a small gap. It may also be because the condition was not up to par even after 3 minutes of the game.
Despite conceding an early goal, Bournemouth did not push the line. On the other hand, Notts County, who scored, gained momentum and pressed harder. In Hunter’s absence, Gray frequently entered the penalty area and succeeded in heading the ball. As he had practiced, he headed the ball towards the far post every time.
Gray’s heading rate is 7. That’s pretty good, but he’s not always accurate. That’s what’s bothering the Bournemouth keeper, because sometimes it’s hard to tell if a header to the near post or the middle is intentional or not.
And Hector, too, doesn’t often head the ball because he lacks physical strength, but whenever he does, he sends a shiver down the spines of Bournemouth players. Because of crosses from Benoit and Bonavich and headers from Gray and Hector, Bournemouth’s defense gaped wide to the left and right.
The ones who took advantage of that gap were Cha Beom-soo, Baguio, and Renault. Renault’s passes are not as precise as Ward’s, but rather unpredictable in timing. However, when Renault, who is good at shooting and passing, catches the ball and dribbles, the stress level of the Bournemouth players goes up.
Cha Beom-soo’s long-range shots are accurate. They are not sharp, but they usually do not miss the goal. Baguio’s shots are not accurate, but they always aim for places that are difficult for the keeper to block. When these three pass each other and Hector moves in front, Bournemouth’s defense is greatly shaken.
If you close the gap between the left and right, you threaten with a cross. If you widen the gap between the left and right, you threaten with a pass work from the center. If you lower the defensive line too much, you harass with a mid-range shot, and if you raise the defensive line, Hector makes the goalkeeper’s heart beat with a stealthy and deadly penetration like a beast. The broadcast camera occasionally showed Turner doing light exercise alone to avoid stiffening his body.
Renault dribbled past a midfielder. Another player immediately blocked his way. With a player in front and behind him, Renault kicked the ball short to the left and accelerated. As the shooting angle appeared, the Baguio defender had no choice but to run to block Renault’s shooting angle.
Renault faked a shot and then lightly rolled the ball. Baguio, who received the ball, also fooled the defender with a shooting motion and passed it to Cha Beom-soo, who was in an empty space. Cha Beom-soo was temporarily free because four players were crowded around Renault and Baguio.
Cha Beom-soo’s shot was accurate, but there was no surprise. The goalkeeper accurately judged the path of the ball and jumped. The goalkeeper, who had barely managed to block Cha Beom-soo’s shot with his right hand, held his breath the moment his body hit the grass. After skillfully minimizing the shock to his body, the goalkeeper quickly got up. It was an instinctive action that had been honed through countless training and actual games.
The moment Cha Beom-soo shot, Hector and Bonavich had already rushed to aim for the rebound. Hector, who caught the ball, did not shoot but passed it to Bonavich. Although the goalkeeper was getting up, it was a ball that Hector could have shot. However, Hector gave the goal to Bonavich, who devoted himself the most to the team.
Bonavici has scored occasionally, but most of his goals have come from shots that have been blocked or balls that have been deflected by defenders. It is rare for someone to pass the ball to him for him to score. After scoring a goal, Bonavici hugged Hector tightly.
Cool ice water flowed down from his head, and hot heat rose from his toes. As the coolness and heat intersected, Bonavich felt the climax of comfort that he had never experienced before. He wavered for a moment when transfer requests came from several clubs in Italy and Spain in the winter. He felt like he had lost his identity because he had no fixed position and had to digest many tactics in many positions.
In interviews, Kishin has always picked Bonavich as the player the team needs most. And he made up his mind that the teams that want him will also need his multi-talent just like Notts County.
Bournemouth, who had conceded two goals, tried to raise their line. However, Notts County did not lower their line and continued to pressure Bournemouth. Notts County, who did not have a fast attacker, continued to raise their line and pressure Bournemouth in order to take control of the game.
Benoit and Baguio switched to each other on the left, disturbing Bournemouth’s defense. Bonavich kept possession of the ball steadily on the right. Renault and Hector showed good performances with their own unique dribbling. Gray frequently entered the penalty area and participated in the attack. Cha Beom-soo troubled Bournemouth’s keeper with free kicks and long-range shots.
In the second half, Bournemouth sent out a fast attacker. Kishin immediately pulled back the defensive line, then lowered Renault and brought up Hunter. He lowered Bonavich and raised Taylor to work with Cha Beom-soo and Gray in defense, while Baguio, Hunter, and Hector focused on attacking.
In the second half, Hunter and Hector scored a goal each in a counterattack. Although they conceded a goal at the end of the game, Notts County did not let go of the attack until the end. The line was not raised as dramatically as in the first half, but they kept the pressure on Bournemouth throughout.
On the 18th, they lost 0:2 to Manchester United in the FA Cup. They played a great game, but De Gea’s saves and Turner’s mistakes turned the tide. The possession rate, effective shots, and threatening opportunities were similar, but the goalkeeper was the deciding factor.
On the 24th, they won 4:0 against Wolverhampton in an away game. Hunter started the game on the bench and Hector played as a central striker. They suffered a crushing defeat of 0:5 against Tottenham on March 3rd. Except for the left side where Benoit played, Notts County’s defense was completely penetrated by Tottenham.
On March 10th, they won 6-0 at home against Swansea City. In the first half of the game, a Swansea City defensive midfielder received a red card and was sent off. He was sent off immediately after being caught elbowing Gray. Kishin replaced Gray in the first half for the first time in a while with a striker. Gray’s mental state was unstable, so he had to be replaced.
After 30 rounds, Notts County sit ninth in the league with 36 points, seven points clear of the relegation zone. However, they are 22 points behind fifth place, where a Europa League place is possible, so avoiding relegation is the only goal.
In the 31st round, they won 3:0 at home against Crystal Palace. The score was stable, but the process was not smooth. Cha Beom-soo’s condition was poor, so they had difficulty in defense. Turner’s saves and the efforts of the defenders prevented them from conceding a goal, and with few attacking opportunities, Hector scored two goals and Renault added one, leading to the victory.
After the tough experience of Round 31, the new word ‘Kattaro’ was rampant at Notts County’s training ground. It was a slogan for each player to make their own decisions when Cha Beom-soo was not capable of leading the defense or was in poor condition. Since there were people from various countries, it was eventually unified as ‘Kattaro’.
Notts County, who left out Cha Beom-soo, who was in poor condition after returning from being called up to the national team in the 32nd round, lost 0:1 to Newcastle on the road. In the 33rd round, they suffered a surprise blow to Brighton and lost 0:1. As soon as the game started, a shot from a small angle deflected off a defender’s body and passed through Turner’s leg.
Notts County, who won 7-0 at home against Watford in the 34th round, said goodbye to the relegation zone with 42 points. They successfully avoided relegation as they are currently in 17th place in the league with only 29 points. The remaining four opponents are Arsenal and Everton at home, and Manchester City and Chelsea away.
After a 2-5 defeat to Arsenal at home, they won 3-2 against Everton. After the win against Everton, they celebrated a decent first season in the Premier League at Meadow Lane. And from May 1st, Meadow Lane began expansion work.
Although they had already avoided relegation, Notts County did their best by fielding their regular players. There was also a warning from the office, and they confronted Chelsea and Manchester City head-on with balanced offense and defense tactics rather than defensive tactics. Naturally, they lost 0:3 and 1:3.
The match on May 13 marked the end of Notts County’s first season in the Premier League. But the Notts County training ground is still buzzing with excitement. There’s Ward, who’s adjusting to his muscular lower body, Nice and Juan, who are getting rave reviews from coaches, Black, who’s working on his individual defensive skills, and Gray, who’s working on his fundamentals and passing.
There is Renault who trains with them because he doesn’t want to be alone, and Hector and Hunter who are enthusiastic about shooting training. There is Beno who learns by watching other players train, and there is Chavez who is in shape and training his skills. These beasts were born to be beasts and are sharpening their teeth and claws while waiting for the cage door to open. In three months, these beasts will be released on the grass.
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