Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 111



Only Krnovel

Episode 111 Teaching the Part

I don’t want to talk any more about the Greuther Fürth expedition.

The locker room atmosphere was shattered the moment it came close to a fight, and I was forced to sit on the bench and watch the second half.

So what more is there to say?

It’s so unfair, and so unfair.

But, leaving aside my personal feelings, it was also true that I had to deal with the aftermath, so two days after the game, I was in the middle of a heated argument in the analysis room of the main building of the training center.

“Getting caught, falling down… … falling down here too. You didn’t do anything wrong. If the referee hadn’t called a foul, the game would have been a mess. However, it’s a shame that he gave room for a foul.”

“… … I gave you room to do so?”

“Yeah. How about asking Florian Kainz for a swap? The left and right wingers would switch places in an instant. If a dedicated defender had come after that, it could have been used strategically. Using up a defensive card means you can use it in a tactical battle, right? But it looks like… … you lost your composure from the beginning of the game. You just kept going more aggressively. If you do that, you’ll get beat. Usually, the penalty box competition is treated more leniently.”

Analyst Hannes Dold delivers his assessment in a dry tone as if nothing had happened.

That was annoying.

“but…….”

“But so what.”

“… … .”

“say it.”

“… … .”

Because I don’t really have anything to say.

“Hanul?”

“Okay, even if I had two mouths, I have nothing to say. It’s true that I failed, so I’ll humbly admit it. It’s true that I lost my composure, and it’s true that I shit a lot in the first half.”

“… … Could you please refrain from using the expression “I took a shit”?”

“But it’s true.”

Even though I admitted it easily, I kept getting attacked with aggressive comments.

“That’s true. What you did at 43 minutes was absolutely crazy. Why were you swinging your arms?”

“Instinctively… … .”

“You did the worst thing you could have done. You didn’t just try to shake off the hand that was extended to you. It was intentional, and it was obvious that you were acting out of frustration. You let me know that I was this emotional.”

“… … So it was replaced?”

I was about to make an excuse, but I changed course and asked something I had been curious about.

I couldn’t help but feel uneasy, because Steffen Baumgart, the coach of Cologne, had not given any word yet.

“I received a card, and I must have been emotionally agitated, but that wasn’t the direct reason. I’m not asking because I don’t know why you did that.”

“No, what… I want to hear the opinions of third parties as well.”

Then he lifted his elbows off the computer desk, leaned back in his chair, and let out a deep sigh.

“Whew, Hanul.”

“huh.”

“There’s nothing wrong with arguing between players during a match. It’s not something to be criticized for. It’s something that comes from wanting to win. But the incident with Modeste crossed the line.”

“That kid started the fight first.”

“That’s right. He must have felt jealous because he wasn’t able to start. He must have felt a sense of injustice because the previous game was affected by non-soccer issues. But that was all. If you hadn’t reacted, Modeste would have lost its position. But you responded to that and even sarcastically. From then on, there was no point in judging who was right or wrong. Who would defend a player who was trying to ruin the team’s discipline?”

Still, still, still.

I mumble a few words in my mouth, but I can’t bring myself to say them out loud.

Swish!

Before that, it was because Hannes Dold had thrown a newspaper into the empty space next to the monitor on the desk.

[Greuther Furth 1:1 Cologne, disappointing draw.]

The results of the 24th round of the Bundesliga were displayed in small letters in the upper right corner, but what really stood out was the main article in the middle of the newspaper.

[Clash between the old and new generations?]

[Modeste and Sung Ha Neul clash in the locker room.]

There was no need to read the details, but there was a picture of them glaring at each other fiercely (when on earth did they take this picture?).

“We’re looking into how the internal situation leaked out, but the atmosphere within the team is not good. Do you know what I mean? For the time being, don’t cause any trouble and just stay quiet.”

ah.

My conscience… … tingles.

“… …Should I apologize?”

“To whom?”

“Baumgart.”

Although it was a serious concern of his own, he simply shook his head in response.

“This isn’t a matter of apologizing to the director or not. It’s a much deeper and more complicated issue than that. If you think about it, you’ve been like that since the beginning.”

“I?”

“Yes. You’ve been clashing with your teammates since your youth days. Proust, Jens, Klaus, etc. Whenever your relationship with them seemed to be going wrong, you would fight every single day. Eventually, they all left the team. Of course, you didn’t send them out, it was a decision made based on absolute evaluation, but if I, as an analyst, know about it, I think most of the staff members know about it.”

It’s true.

In the past, I was a native Korean fighting cock. Before I developed a high self-esteem, I would end up getting into trouble.

“But that… why? Is it a problem now?”

“No. It’s a problem because it’s not an immediate problem.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

When pressed for a more detailed explanation, the analyst continued, tapping the desk with the fingers of his right hand.

“… … To be honest, it’s okay in Cologne. They didn’t bring you up to the first team without knowing your personality. But in the long run, it will have a huge negative impact on your career as a player. It’s because of that temper. But this is a very personal matter. I think that’s why Steffen didn’t call you in separately. If you react sensitively, the trust between players and coaches could be damaged, and your play on the field could even be hindered. I think he’s still worrying about it… … . Haa, I shouldn’t say things like that, right? But I’ve been holding it in for so long that I’m going to say it now.”

“… … I’ve heard that story before, just calm down.”

“That’s right. Everyone knows that skills alone don’t suffice. Training, counseling, school life, you have to approach it with the right attitude and method, just like playing on the field. Hanul, think about it carefully. Why do you keep repeating the same things around you? Seriously.”

* * *

The story of Harness Dold helped me put things into perspective.

While my school life was in turmoil, I was also perceived as a troublemaker within the team. I thought it wasn’t something I could just dismiss as a joke, so I raised my mental alert level.

Unfortunately, the slight anxiety soon takes on a concrete form.

“… … Eric and Maxi said we’ll talk later?”

“… … .”

Lunchtime at Kimnasium.

I call an emergency meeting before the kids head to the cafeteria, and realize that only Jonas Drmann is left.

It seemed as if the evil Scar, aka Ralph Pfaff, had infiltrated the very heart of my human resources.

“… … I guess you’re a little busy.”

“That must be true.”

“… … .”

“Well, I still secretly admire the friendship you showed me. I’ll make sure to repay you someday.”

“… … Thank you so much. I’m almost in tears.”

Look at this.

Even German otakus don’t take my word for it.

This is a crisis. A really serious crisis.

“But really, what are you going to do? I don’t really care, but the kids curse at you a lot. Especially when you’re away at the training grounds.”

“… …What are you swearing at?”

“He’s completely selfish, and when I see a knight fighting with his teammates, I think his personality is bad. Thanks to that, Claudia is receiving pity and sympathy, and Ralph Pfaff goes around bragging that he’s been hit too.”

“You just sat there and listened to that?”

“Uh… … Yeah. There’s nothing really wrong with it, right?”

“… … .”

“Well, anyway, the best resistance I could give was silence.”

Yeah, let’s say that’s true.

“That’s fine. What’s important now is to solidify my side before it’s too late. It looks like we’re in a pretty disadvantageous situation.”

“… … Are you just realizing it now?”

“The flow is not good. But I can’t act as I please. It became even more difficult after the accident in last week’s game.”

“I know right.”

“First, let’s gather the people around me. Originally, in difficult times, only those with solid concepts, like bone soup, will remain!”

“Should I be the one collecting them?”

“Of course. You’re my confidant.”

“Not a friend?”

“It’s a relationship that’s closer than friends. But if you like the word friend, then I’ll call it friend.”

“… …Can’t we just apologize to Claudia and move on?”

But the series of measures felt rather late.

The next day, right after the morning classes at Kimnasium ended.

While my classmates chatter about when their report cards will come out (which are usually out around March), I call my fellow beasts together.

True predators who know how to fight.

The first guy sitting next to me was, of course, Jonas Drur, but I can just ignore him. It’s natural for heroes to have assistants.

The key comes next.

“Oh, hello.”

“……hi.”

A plump girl with long hair that fell to her waist stuttered as she greeted me.

Lisa Weiss, a Polish schoolgirl…

Well, it’s not bad, even if she’s a bit shy. She was the direct cause of my conflict with Ralph Pfaff in the first place.

In the worst case scenario, he could have been called as a witness in court.

Knock knock.

And then, as I turned my head to the touch of a hand on my shoulder, a small girl… … .

“Molly?”

“My, my name is… … .”

“I told you last time that you didn’t know me. Could you please remember my name?”

Let’s say Morsi is famous for being a Liberian immigrant family. This isn’t a convenience store, and Sophie Hertz is following you around for one plus one.

This is exactly-

The worst.

“Hey, you-”

“Don’t blame me. This member was the best. And you just told me to do it and went straight to the training ground. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been much different if you had gathered them.”

“That’s right. But I asked you to gather the tiger-like guys. This is… … weak!”

“That’s harsh.”

I know it’s harsh, but there’s no denying that it was a shabby and unsightly squad.

This is a big problem.