Dad was a Genius - Chapter 111



Only Noblemtl

My Dad Was a Genius Episode 111

“So this is… … On the surface it looks like there are 300, but in reality you’re using 200?”

“Yes. When the attack is launched, we form a 2-back and keep pushing the opponents back until they are all trapped in the box.”

Previously, Wolves had always stuck to 3 backs.

500 when defending, 300 when attacking.

This rule has never been broken.

Although there were times when one center back was brought in for build-up, a three-back formation was maintained whenever possible.

But in this Liverpool match, Cha Seong-eun broke that unwritten rule.

When defending, the number of players remains at 500, but when attacking, the number of players is changed to 200, allowing at least one more player to be deployed to the opposing team.

“In short, you’re going to lock your opponent in a box and beat them all day long.”

“Yes. And we’ll do that while trying to get as much market share as possible.”

Rather than launching a quick counterattack, build up from the rear and slowly push the opponent back.

The opponent would inevitably be pushed back if they didn’t quickly take the ball away, and this was exactly what they were trying to take advantage of.

With them pushed back and pushed back again, and the opposition’s entire 11-man box now trapped, Wolves are now free to circulate the ball outside the box.

This would give Wolves the advantage of continued possession.

In theory, Wolves could attack all day without losing possession.

So, Cha Seong-eun added one more center back as an attacking resource.

Anyway, the opponent is trapped in the box and won’t be able to come out to attack!

“When the opponent has the ball, we apply pressure with gegenpressing to take the ball away, and when we regain possession, we go back to the starting point and build up to force the opponent into the box. That’s what it means in short.”

“That’s a great tactic.”

“It’s not that great. It’s almost revolutionary. The process won’t be easy, but if we just follow the pass map we’ve been trained on, any team can do it.”

After Cha Seong-eun finished teaching the new tactics, the players and coaches gathered around and started discussing.

There is probably no other team with such a strong tactical acumen as Wolves.

But it can’t be helped.

When you listen to Cha Seong-eun’s lecture, you will experience the magic of the drowsiness that was creeping up on you disappearing.

His teaching ability was on a different level.

The method is different.

“This… … but can we do it well?”

The reason the players are so interested in this tactic is because it is incomparably more aggressive than anything they have done so far.

Could there be a more aggressive tactic than this?

For players who prefer attacking rather than defending, it was naturally an exciting event that got their hearts racing.

“If one of us makes a mistake here and loses the ball, it’s a counterattack. And we only have two center backs behind us.”

But if you think about it calmly, this was like throwing away the shield you were holding and fighting with only a sword.

Cha Seong-eun said this about it:

The strong teams will come out with very aggressive tactics, if only out of pride, so this is basically a showdown where they just swing their fists without guarding and see who goes down first.

“But the coach also said this. He said that we won’t raise our guard, but we won’t take our helmets off.”

He doesn’t raise his guard, but he doesn’t take off his helmet.

It had a significant meaning.

“And that pitch is me.”

It was Van Dijk, the captain and key member of the Wolves defense, who spoke while patting the slightly anxious Maddison on the shoulder.

“So, even if you make a mistake, don’t panic. Trust our defenders behind you. They’ll stop you no matter what.”

“oh…….”

“That’s so cool.”

This tactic was possible thanks to Van Dijk’s presence.

Van Dijk and Nolan, who were strong defenders at the back, were best mates who relied on each other at Wolves.

That’s why the two of them fit together so well and show a high defense rate.

“And our midfielders are all good, too. Their passes are all clean. Coach Ramsey here even gives us special passing training.”

However, that doesn’t mean that we plan our tactics solely based on defense.

From the goalkeeper to the strikers.

Everyone was able to pass like a machine, following the set pass map.

They also received detailed and repetitive training, and passing coach Ramsey created separate special training sessions for those who lacked passing skills to help them improve their shortcomings.

That is, they could easily master this tactic if they just did what they always did, as they had been trained to do.

“So you’re saying that you trained us to master this tactic before the season started?”

“Yes. If you think about it, it’s like we gradually learn tactics one by one and ultimately operate a tactic that combines everything.”

After thinking about it carefully, it was like that.

Cha Seong-eun trained to master the tactics and gradually implemented them one by one.

First, gegen pressing.

Next up is John Pressing.

And then there are tactics that combine the two, etc.

It could be said that by upgrading our tactics one by one, we finally arrived here.

“It seems that you created a tactical roadmap so that we could learn step by step while gaining experience, rather than rushing things… … .”

“It’s creepy.”

“It was that detailed?”

Only then did I understand why Cha Seong-eun didn’t decide on his tactics all at once, but changed them slowly.

Just like constructing a building, we built it from the ground up to make it to where we are today.

“No, this might not be the final one.”

“Is there any room for further development here?”

“Don’t you know the coach? He’s a tactical genius. Of course there must be something else we don’t know. Before we learned the new tactics today, we thought the tactics we were using now were the final ones.”

There are other tactics that can be further developed than this.

According to Wolves players who have been with the team since the Second Division days, Cha Seong-eun has always developed tactics in this way.

There, the players were curious about what new tactics would come out, but at the same time, they were afraid.

What are the limits of the alternative car?

* * *

You’re finally here.

The day of the final battle.

Jurgen Klopp entered the pitch with bloodshot eyes.

Anfield.

Liverpool’s home stadium and the so-called graveyard of EPL teams.

Even strong teams can’t help but feel nervous when playing away against weak teams.

First, you have to take a bus to go on an expedition, and depending on the location, it takes half a day to get there. This is where the players’ condition primarily deteriorates.

And when they go to the opposing team’s home, the fans there cheer fiercely to dampen the spirits of the away team.

It’s basic to swear and shake the player’s mentality when taking a corner kick or throwing.

Even when shooting, he does everything he can to steal the attention of the away team players.

Because of this, players often fail to demonstrate their full potential on away games.

Because there are quite a few factors that have a psychological impact.

In that respect, Anfield was a nightmare for every team except Liverpool.

Why is this place called the EPL graveyard?

This is because Liverpool fans rock the opposition with their overwhelming support at Anfield.

Not only was there ear-splitting cheering, but there was also booing and harsh voices directed at the away players.

Anfield, where fans roam the streets before the start of the game to cheer enthusiastically, had the highest winning percentage among EPL stadiums.

That’s why EPL managers always say Anfield is the toughest.

In this place, the best option is to draw the game, so no matter how prestigious the teams are, if they score the first goal at Anfield, they will either use the ten-back tactic or take a defensive stance from the start with the intention of drawing.

A place that makes even such strong teams humble.

That place was Anfield.

“This is my first fight here. Am I lucky?”

Klopp couldn’t sleep properly because of the match against Wolves.

The evidence was the eyes with burst blood vessels.

It can’t be helped.

Isn’t the opponent exactly that kind of person?

Because it was an opponent he really wanted to face and an opponent he really wanted to beat, Klopp spent a long time developing his tactics.

Cha Seong-eun dug into the complementary tactics of Gegenpressing and his operating method that he had shown in several matches, and eventually succeeded in creating the most suitable and perfect tactic for Liverpool.

Now it’s time to put that tactic to the test.

I wonder how far my tactics will work against him.

I don’t know about the tea ceremony, but Klopp’s attitude was like that of a disciple challenging his master.

And today we will show that the disciple has already surpassed the master.

* * *

There is an energy that you feel from the moment you step foot in.

If there was a chilling feeling you got when entering an empty house or space, this place was filled with red Liverpool fans, and there was a feeling of oppression that seemed to weigh down your whole body.

The voices they make.

The heat radiating from their bodies.

It was all mixed together and crushing us.

“… … .”

The expressions on the players’ faces as they get off the bus and enter the stadium are grim.

They feel the same way as I do.

I’m talking about the oppression of Anfield, filled with this red heat.

“Wow. This place is seriously no joke. I’ve heard a lot about it.”

Ramsay shuddered.

The guy said it was his first time coming here as a coach.

That’s why I feel vividly things I’ve never felt before.

“But you seem… emotional?”

The word emotional is perfect.

Because I’ve been here many times in my past lives.

Of course, as an away team.

Even then, Anfield felt heavy and scary, and it is no different now than it was then.

It was still instilling fear in away teams to the point where it was accurate to say that this was the graveyard of the EPL.

“It’s been a while. I wondered when I would be back here again, but it’s come sooner than I thought, so it doesn’t feel real.”

“You did that at Old Trafford last time. You’ve been watching more football games than I thought. Well, I guess you can’t go anywhere, you know, being the son of a rich family.”

“Haha. Let’s do that.”

I entered the stadium with Ramsey.

Then he spoke in a worried tone.

“Our kids are really nervous. This time, they’re on the line for a 9-game winning streak. I think that’s why they feel even more pressure.”

The pressure of Chelsea being on the verge of a record-breaking ninth consecutive win.

This EPL nightmare, the pressure of having to play at Anfield.

We all understand.

but,

“We have to overcome it.”

In the end, you have to win.

In the future, we will face many games like today where the pressure and pressure are intense.

If you can’t overcome that burden by wavering every time, you will never be able to become a strong team.

This is the difference between a strong team and a weak team.

Can you overcome the mental pressure or not?

Maybe today will be our test.

The psychological burden of nine consecutive wins and the fear of having to play at Anfield.

If we can’t overcome all of this, we’ll never be a strong team.

So, we must definitely overcome it.

We are making new history right here at Anfield.