Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 119



Only Krnovel

Episode 119 Special

The day before the game.

A faint sense of tension flows through the grass field of Paju NFC.

While the starting players, including Son Eung-min, Hwang Hee-chul, and Kim Min-je, are relatively relaxed, the reserve players, including Ko Seung-chan and Kwon Jeong-won, are silently raising their concentration.

At this, I also look at the players wearing vests and try to snort.

Not to belittle the opponent, but to ease the tension as they start over on the bench again.

“Everyone, come together.”

As we were called to one side by the interpreter, we came into view of a man with an impressive long nose and full beard.

Jae-young told me who he was.

‘Coach Jorge. He’s usually in charge of defense.’

But more important than his identity is getting the director’s seal of approval, so I listen carefully to what the interpreter is conveying.

“Today’s training feels like we’re preparing for the Iran match. To be exact, we’re playing the role of ‘Iran’. The tactical basis is 4141, with a defensive line and then a counterattack.”

“yes.”

“When defending, the defenders on both sides should be pushed closer to the center, but the midfielders should drop deep to fill the empty space. It’s basically like having six defenders lined up. The key here is… … not to drop the defensive line to the extreme. Sounds paradoxical, right? There’s a reason for that. We pursue extreme defensive tactics, but we make sure the ball doesn’t go straight into the penalty box, or the danger zone. Do you understand?”

I followed the other players’ lead in answering, but honestly, I wasn’t satisfied.

Because it’s the complete opposite tactic from Cologne.

Instead of both wingers pressing forward, they have to drop all the way to the last defensive line… … but I don’t know if they have the stamina to do it.

“Line control is handled by Park Jeong-su and Jo Gyu-min.”

“yes.”

“The front line attackers also have to drop all the way down to the center line. Maintaining a tight gap is key.”

“Please tell him I understand.”

“And Seong Ha-neul.”

“Yes? Me?”

“… … He said to definitely come down even if the defense fails.”

“Of course.”

First, shout out confidently.

Even though the culture is different, the way people live is similar, so unreasonable disobedience is a surefire way to get kicked out, whether in Germany or Korea.

“Counterattacks are centered around long balls, with the two wingers advancing primarily… … .”

Now was the time to adapt to the given circumstances.

* * *

But after a while.

I run around the field and try to calm my discomfort.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

Ten minutes after the practice match started.

We were getting beat up by the first team with our full defense in place, and of course we couldn’t even get possession of the ball.

Not even once.

“Grab some space! Minjun, we need to get closer!”

“Minbeom, you come down too!”

To make matters worse, there is no other instructions to be given on the bench other than adjusting the positions of the left winger and defenders.

No, does it make sense not to be able to attack even once for 10 minutes?

It seems inevitable that my stomach is starting to get a little queasy. What bothers me the most is that the opposing team’s play style is something I’ve seen before.

The opponent’s typical is also 4141.

The only difference from our side is that they have a very high defensive line, and four midfielders form a diamond shape in the center.

“here!”

At this point, the left winger moves into the center and creates a crack in the man-to-man defense, and the defensive midfielder passes the ball down the pitch.

Boom!

When the friendly midfielder approaches, he exchanges a couple of one-touch passes to escape the pressure, and as soon as Lee Jae-seon, who plays as an attacking midfielder, receives the ball… …he puts a dot on it.

In the meantime, both fullbacks had moved high up forward and connected a direct forward pass into the space on the left flank.

What this means is –

“Oh, heaven! Oh, holy heaven!”

“… … .”

That means it’s my turn to run like a dog.

Heh heh heh.

Although I didn’t stick my tongue out, I felt like I was having a hard time, so I let out a sigh mixed with onomatopoeia.

Boohoo-!

Just when you think you’ve almost caught up, an instant cross comes up without any effort.

Low and fast.

The ball, which had risen to chest height, fell to the feet of Hwang Hee-cheol, who was rushing towards the goal, near the box.

The senior player playing for Wolverhampton… … made fools of his team’s defenders with one spurt.

At the moment when everyone’s bodies were frozen in the shooting motion, the official ball passed through the other side of the box, and the player wearing the vest put his foot in and neatly pierced the right side of the goal net.

Wow!

“What’s going on?”

“You’re so excited today? What’s with the lucky goal with the triangle foot!”

“under…….”

The reason why they couldn’t help but feel depressed was because they conceded a goal, but the fact that the player who scored was a right fullback also had a big impact.

[Crazy… … The defender is coming up there.]

“Hey, what’s German? You shouldn’t show off that you’re from overseas~”

“Oh yes, I’m sorry.”

“I’m joking, I’m joking. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

The nagging of Kim Jun-su (since when did he start using honorifics, I’ll just call him by his name from now on), the starting winger and the person who just crossed the ball, adds to the unpleasant feeling.

No, maybe it’s anxiety.

Even though the detailed tactics are different, the opposing team’s style is Cologne-style football.

‘To operate the game in a dominant manner, we clash and do not back down.’

And there was no such thing as ‘moderate’ in responding to this. I knew this well enough, having experienced it for almost a season, or even longer if you count my youth.

If you fight back, it might be okay, but if you counterattack after defending first, you might end up getting hit.

Of course, it’s not like there was no breakthrough.

Getting results from the few attacking chances that come up during a match.

That was exactly the task given to me.

* * *

“her-!”

Coach Jin-Tae Cha, who was watching the game from the bench near the sideline, lets out an exclamation without thinking.

Because the boy who was called up to the national team for the first time showed amazing talent right before our eyes.

As tactically, they placed importance on primary pressure, so as soon as the ball was stolen, Son Eung-min and Kim Jun-su ran at the same time.

Knock, knock!

Seong Ha-neul scrapes the surface of the ball with the sole of his right foot at the same time that Son Eung-min extends his foot, and mixes in a trick by swinging his upper body to the right.

The actual direction of progress is to the left.

He then returns the ball, which he had pulled with his right foot, to its original position, puts it in the national team captain’s shin, and pulls his body out.

“Where!”

Kim Junsu immediately rushed to cover, but… … right before the defender could extend his leg, he pressed down on the top of the ball with the sole of his right foot once again.

Whirlyrick, bang!

Judgment, selection, and execution were all done in the blink of an eye.

The ball bounces into the air because the shot was pressed almost vertically, and the second touch is with the outside of the right foot.

Scrape off the outer surface of the ball that has risen slightly above the instep and bounce it up.

Kim Junsu predicted that he would turn to the left and took a step forward, but the boy lifted his foot up to knee height… …and bent it once more.

So the final direction of progress is to the right.

Kim Junsu tried to correct his disoriented center of gravity, but Seong Ha-neul accelerated up the right sideline.

From the friendly camp, they crossed the center line and in an instant reached the edge of the second line.

Although the central defender who rushed in to cover was blocked, it was also true that the defense collapsed with just one play.

“… … That guy is completely crazy. Didn’t you say he wasn’t in good condition?”

“I heard from Coach Federico (physical coach) that he is recovering. He said that he doesn’t seem to be in top condition.”

“But why did he do that? He twisted his ankle at least three times. Did you see him do the pavabak in the air? Junsu is a defender who has been eating European food, and he got beat up like that.”

“No, why are you saying that to me… … .”

The interpreter, who was like a brother to his brother in private, grumbled as if talking to himself, but Cha Jin-tae just smacked his lips and his eyes sparkled.

“He’s not in top condition, but he’s like this… … He has clear strengths. From a coach’s perspective, he can’t help but be attractive. He’s a hundred times better than someone who’s mediocre. The Cologne coach didn’t just brag about him.”

The game was lopsided both tactically and in terms of individual ability. This was especially true in situations where it was difficult to expect help from our own team in counterattacks.

The power to destroy the defense line on your own.

“That’s a really special talent. Look at that. The director keeps talking about it.”

“Do you understand, hyung?”

“No. You have to interpret it.”

“… … .”

“What are you saying?”

The two people look at each other at the same time, just a few steps away.

Maurizio Mendes, head coach of the South Korean national team, talks to his assistant coach with his hands in the pockets of his training suit.

The interpreter listens for a while and then opens his mouth with a mysterious expression.

“You’re worried.”

“Worried? Seonghaneul?”

“No, I want Junsu hyung.”

“What… … . Hey, he’s gotten older too. He’s not the type of kid to lose confidence to that extent.”

“Yes. Like my brother said, it’s more like he’s worried about losing his pace rather than being confident. He said that level of individual skill is more appropriate for training for the World Cup finals, not Iran.”

“Haha, right? See, I’m right. Everyone’s eyes are the same. And what else?”

The main point comes right after that.

“I heard you said you wouldn’t be a right winger.”

“Seonghaneul? Why?”

“Even if we use him, we can use him as a substitute, but it would be difficult to use him as a starter. The defensive holes are too big.”

“… … That makes sense.”

Cha Jin-tae also deeply agrees.

Although every player has strengths and weaknesses, it is hard to say that Sung Ha-neul’s defense is good even with empty words.

“It’s not that the activity level itself is low, but there are too many wasted movements. The movements without the ball aren’t very good either. But the biggest problem is that they stop due to personal judgment during the defensive process.”

“Was it so?”

“Oh. He must have known that it would be difficult for him to play full-time while fulfilling the given role. I don’t think he did it intentionally, and he probably stopped instinctively. He thought that if he went down any further, he wouldn’t be able to go up when it was his turn to attack, so he should go down only this far, something like that.”

“But you’re still good at it, right? Even with my poor soccer skills, I can see that you’re good at it.”

“Well, it depends on the coach. Coach Mendes wants organic movement, and to do that, activity is essential. Just look at the competitors in the same position and you’ll get the answer. Changjun is constantly moving. The same goes for Heechul.”

It depends on whether he can be incorporated into the team’s tactics before the World Cup.

Coach Cha Jin-tae feels a surge of desire to take Sung Ha-neul to the World Cup, but at the same time, he makes a cool-headed judgment.

It’s going to be hard.

Both ‘physical conditioning’ and ‘efficient movement’ require considerable experience, and for a while, you should not demand drastic changes or development from young players.

That was when.

“Oh, so that’s what happened.”

“what?”

“Head Coach DaCosta said he wanted to put you on top?”

“Top? Are you talking about the front line?”

“Yes. He said that if he can’t defend, he can’t make him not play… … Since there are plenty of second-line resources anyway, wouldn’t it be better to think of him as a striker?”

“… …Why are you telling me that now?”

“Oh, that doesn’t make sense.”

Thud-!

Then, just in time, Sung Ha-neul’s shot hits the upper left corner of the goal and bounces up.

The end of the practice match.

He scraped and scraped at his worn-out stamina and attempted a decisive long-range shot in what was clearly his last chance to counterattack.

“Ah, shit-!”

“Hahaha, don’t swear!”

At this, Cha Jin-tae calmly organizes his thoughts.

‘… … I guess it’s worth a try?’

It was the day before the final World Cup qualifier against Iran.