Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 149



Only Krnovel

Episode 149: Standing Still

Round 33 of the Bundesliga, the match between FC Koln and Wolfsburg.

At the home stadium, Rhein-Energie-Stadion, a refined cheering song resonates.

[We stand with you, FC Köln!]

[I will always be with you, even if we are engulfed in flames!]

[Always towards you, FC Köln.]

[For the love of our lives, we will gladly go towards the fire!]

In response, the away team’s cheering song is heard from behind the opposite goal.

[We are the wolves, the children of Wolfsburg~]

[VfL is our club, our unchanging promise!]

[Rise together on the green grass.]

[We are green and white, eternal VfL!!]

The cheering competition that started before the game seemed like a victory for Cologne at first glance.

That was understandable, as the number of players was large and on one side of the stadium there was even the club’s mascot, the ‘living goat’ Hanes 9.

Is this a fight that you can’t afford to lose?

Of course, if you look closely, today’s match was between the 3rd and 13th places, so there was no rush for either team.

Cologne was five points behind second-place Dortmund, so there was no way they could go up or down. Wolfsburg also had a considerable gap to aim for in the top seven for their European qualification.

To be honest, it was just a competition for our own satisfaction. But it was also true that we had a slight advantage in terms of motivation.

“I have to win, right?”

“Well, that’s right. From now on, we’re going to watch the cup final. We have to keep up the good flow.”

“You heard? Winning is also a habit. Those who know how to win are the ones who win, and those who do well until the end are the ones who truly deserve to reach the top.”

“Ja!!”

In response to Jonas and Ut’s exchange of words, the players all raise their voices in unison.

Then they let go of their arms that had been linking shoulders and each dispersed to different parts of the playground.

I just walk a few steps inside the center line.

The first half kick-off was ours. Anthony Modeste was about to kick the ball and I had to receive it and push it back.

It was just then.

“Don’t poop.”

“……what?”

“You’ve been a mess all week in training. Don’t hold us back with your crappy play. If you really can’t do it, just pass the ball to the side.”

“… … .”

It’s really frustrating, but I’m speechless at the babbling of that gorilla-like guy…

okay.

This past week, I’ve been a mess.

His senses were dulled, he couldn’t see the field, and inevitably he made more mistakes, but the most fundamental problem was his inability to focus on in-play.

I won’t make excuses.

At least in soccer, there was no way to respond in a half-hearted manner.

This is solely my problem.

It’s none of my business whether he was shocked by his brother’s collapse or, as the physical coach said, it was just the accumulated fatigue that was revealed.

In the end, it was the law that had to be proven with results in the field.

But… … I can’t just let it pass without saying anything.

“You do it, I’ll take care of it.”

“Please do so. As long as you don’t hold my ankle, I won’t have anything to say.”

“……you-”

Beep!

Bam!

One last attempt at resistance comes to nothing as Modeste hands the ball over and runs forward.

Why should I blow the whistle at a time like this?

Liar!

He glares at the referee for a moment and then passes the ball to the 3rd line of the friendly camp, Skiri. He soon realizes that this is not a situation in which he can vent his complaints.

‘Poor condition will not change overnight.’

It was the same for me.

* * *

Wolfsburg’s typical is Diamond 442.

Instead of deploying wing midfielders, the central midfielders were placed in a diamond shape to strengthen the midfield battle.

On the other hand, Cologne had 4132, Mark Uth and Modeste at the forefront, and I was supporting the lower line.

What was special was that I was given another freeroll, showing my continued trust despite my poor performance in the practice match, as Gorilla said.

So, you have to do well.

How can I not do that when Steffen Baumgart is counting on me so much and he’s openly showing it in the starting lineup?

And I couldn’t.

It wasn’t just bad, it wasn’t filthy bad, it was ‘dirty’ bad.

Boom, boom!

Early first half.

As soon as Schiri’s forward pass rolled in, he tried to follow it up with a one-touch pass, but the official ball was caught by the foot of the opposing defensive midfielder, Maximilian Arnold.

As Mark Utt hesitates to counterattack, the deflected ball is passed by the central defender who bursts out to the left flank, setting up a counterattack crisis in the home half.

Aaaah!

It was a heart-pounding moment, even though the opposing attacker’s mid-range shot just flew over the goal.

“Take it easy! It’s okay!”

“… … .”

Mark Ut’s words are of little comfort.

The next situation is not much different.

9 minutes in the first half.

Remperle on the right flank cuts into the middle to pass the ball, but damn it, he makes another mistake.

As usual, I looked up and looked around right before receiving the ball at my feet, and the ball missed my foot and went wide.

Since he hadn’t completely lost possession, he quickly recovered his gaze and ran towards the ball, but it was already too late.

Clang, clang!

“Big!”

The opposing left-centre midfielder, Jannik Gerhard, makes a neat sliding tackle to get the ball away. He doesn’t scream as he rolls around on the floor, but he can’t help feeling internally humiliated.

It’s a mistake to make in the most basic of basics.

This is just… … crazy.

To make matters worse, the situation that followed showed no signs of improving.

What is the worst condition?

That is, ‘neither of them works properly’.

If you try to connect quickly, you’ll miss a pass, and if you try to take it easy, you’ll make a series of basic mistakes.

I was embarrassed by the feeling that my feet and my legs were playing separately, and my confidence also fell to the floor.

Even dribbling was like that.

My greatest strengths are my unique dexterity and sense.

The way to advance while teasing the opposing players was not even possible because the first step of ‘careful ball touch’ was distorted.

puck!

Then, suddenly, disaster strikes with Wolfsburg’s counterattack.

Near the central line.

Maximilian Arnold, my dedicated marker (though he wasn’t even close to being a dedicated marker) and a defensive midfielder, glanced forward as soon as he received the ball.

“Look at the person, not the ball!!”

“there-”

Boom!

Within, a long-distance pass is sent to the back line of the friendly camp, in front of the box.

There are four friendly defenders.

There is only one opposing attacker.

His diagonal cut between Cologne’s central defensive duo of Julian Chabot and Killian was incredible, his passes were measured and precise, and his first touch with the ball, received with the inside of his left knee, was close to perfect.

The friendly defense, which seemed to be in good order at first glance, suddenly collapsed, and soon the opposing winger broke into the box and took a right-footed shot.

Woohoo-!!

He effortlessly rolls the ball into the goalkeeper’s right-hand corner, to the left of his own goal, and then runs towards the corner flag.

Amid the silence of the home fans, the away fans behind the goal cheer loudly.

And after a while.

Beep, beep!

So that was my first half, no.

The first half of the Goats’ season ends on a bad note.

0 to 1.

What was more terrifying than being behind by one point was that our performance was so poor that the guy who was supposed to lead the attack had turned into a complete idiot.

* * *

“Hoo-”

“… …Thank you for your hard work.”

Just after halftime.

Steffen Baumgart walks to the front of the bench, lets out a deep sigh and is consoled by head coach Andre Polak.

“Is it me who suffers, or the players who suffer?”

“… … Thanks to you, I learn a lot.”

“what?”

“If I were you, I would have pointed out their performance first, but you pointed out the players’ attitude.”

“That’s Anthony, that bastard’s been acting up again… … ahem.”

“haha.”

That’s right.

The fact that Sung Ha-neul was not doing his job meant that the pass line to the front line was not connected, so Anthony Modeste started a fight as soon as he entered the locker room.

‘You fucking punks, we don’t need a single player on this team who blames his teammates!’

‘… … .’

‘You should be ashamed. If you’re going to swear, swear at my tactics instead. How dare you swear at me in front of me… … Phew.’

‘… … .’

‘… … You decide what kind of person you are. When the worst happens, are you going to blame others? Those guys should just get out of the team. You can’t go that way anyway. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

In response to the criticism, condemnation, and rhetoric that ranged somewhere between these, Steffen Baumgart became an angry bear and shouted at the top of his lungs until his vocal cords burned.

Nevertheless, there are undeniable realities.

“By the way, Hanul is not feeling well. It doesn’t seem like a temporary health problem.”

“Hmm, I think it’s probably because of the physical strain. Maybe… … it could be because of personal reasons. How was it when you met on Sunday? He doesn’t show it at the training grounds.”

“I don’t know either. Ut said it would be okay… … .”

“It’s hard to completely believe that. I can’t help but feel psychologically shaken. It must have had some effect.”

“Yes. I had a conversation with Hanul, and it seems like he’s having trouble controlling his dribbling rhythm and overall tempo.”

“… … In a way, it’s natural. When you have breathing problems, your field of vision narrows, you lose your composure, your mind becomes anxious, and that’s how mistakes lead to mistakes.”

“Yes. So what should we do now?”

“… … .”

Baumgart’s worries deepen.

Just once.

If you show just one flash of your special brilliance, I’ll trust you more.

Unfortunately, today’s Sung Ha-neul is too busy supporting the opposing defenders.

[Aaah!]

Beep!

At best, you’ll get a couple of fouls. In fact, even the places where you get fouls are far from threatening.

“… … Shouldn’t we leave it out? Anthony’s remarks were just a bit harsh in the way they were expressed, but in a way, it could be said that he was asking for something from the coaching staff.”

“You want me to take Hanul out?”

“Please replace the player who is not in good condition.”

“… … Well, did it seem like I was favoring a particular player?”

“It might have been like that for some people.”

“… … .”

“Of course, I completely understand the desire to wait for the cup final. Hanul is the team’s ace and a player with incredible potential. Considering the growth he has shown so far, I am also looking forward to seeing what kind of performance he will show us. However, shouldn’t it be within the range that the players can accept?”

The worries deepened for a moment.

The Cologne manager takes his head coach’s advice into account.

“Let’s prepare the Ozkan. Change it to 4231, but deploy it around the 60th minute.”

“yes.”

If you think about it, it wasn’t really a process of Sung Ha-neul growing up, but rather, it might have been something that was naturally accepted because he just did his part as the director suggested.

“And for the time being… …there will be no freerolls.”

“Okay, then can I think of you as a frontline resource?”

“… … Let’s just wait and see. If the form doesn’t come back up, we’ll have to pull it to the side. There’s still time.”

A story that would have made the person involved jump up and protest if they had been listening from the side.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“… … .”

“No, what I mean is… … that’s such a cold-blooded decision!”

This became a reality after the 33rd round match ended in a 0-1 defeat for Cologne.

The boy did not agree with the coaching staff’s judgment that it was a ‘hasty position change.’