Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 173



Only Krnovel

Episode 173 Between Joy and Doubt

The rivals in Group B of the UEFA Champions League are FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, FC Koln and Club Brugge.

As the captain bear said, there is no team that is easy, but if you are not going to be eliminated… … it is really clear who you have to catch first.

[Woooooo-!]

So, under the jeers of the home fans, I try to create a chance in the opponent’s second line. Since the ground ball pass from Whibus rolled in strongly, I could break through and pass, but… … For now, I’ll link up.

Fight!

Bring the outside of your left foot to shoot to the right side of the field, then turn your body towards the goal.

Kook, kkwaak!

To buy time to receive a return pass, Mark Utt, who received the ball, silently endured the pressure of the opposing defender.

I also approached him to his left, about 3 meters away, to reduce the pressure. I tried to close the distance as much as possible because it was difficult to pass accurately and powerfully due to the pressure from the defender.

Degururur-

So, like now, if you roll the ball at a time when Ut is pushed back by the defender, the first step is a success.

Because he had the ball with his back to the goal and was facing the goal, he made his teammates take the reins of attack. And most of all, the opposing right central defender dropped low.

“#@$!”

Brandon Mehler.

The Club Brugge central defender, who should have been attached to Sargis Adamian, is paying the price for his hasty departure.

puck!

I desperately pushed my shoulder in, pushed my right foot in and gently scraped my left heel. I tried to block it in my own way, but it was already behind me.

It is not difficult to make a judgment thanks to the speed difference created during the two-on-one pass exchange with Ut.

If you want to block, you have to be prepared to take the card. If you push in clumsily… … you can just hit them and leave.

WHEEK!

I once again respond with an unorthodox ball touch at the timing of the foot coming in from behind. The gasping sound of his breathing indicated his limit, so I moved the ball from my right foot to my left, then kicked it up with my instep and dropped it two steps in front of me.

Chorrrrrr!

If you want to challenge from a distance that you can’t reach, there’s no other way than a sliding tackle, so immediately after that, you lightly jump up and prepare yourself mentally.

There are countless crazy people in the world, and there are those who hold on even when the tackle fails. You have to be prepared for your body’s balance to be ruined in some way.

But even that was an overestimation, as he didn’t really feel like he had collided with the ball, except for a slight wobble in his toes, and he stomped on the grass and regained possession of the ball.

“#@$, @$@*!!”

Kkiyaaaaak, kerruk, kkeuk kkeuk.

This is the sound that Belgian defenders make when they sense a breakdown in their defense and start to panic.

Well, I was just joking because I was in a good mood. I can understand things like calling names or designating defensive positions, but I can’t interpret more complex sentences.

However, at the same time, the movements of the allies are also disappointing.

“Hanul!”

Sargis Adamian was the one who came down the left wing, then ran around the edge of the box and shouted my name. I wonder if it would have been better if he had run through the middle.

I was given quite a bit of time to go down as a central defender and then come back up.

If he had been back in the middle of the box again, he could have moved to the right diagonally to penetrate – I could have just gone straight ahead, with Mark Ut following behind to form an inverted triangle formation.

Suddenly, in a corner of my mind, the image of Anthony Modeste (I couldn’t remember his face because it was in shadows) came to mind.

But that doesn’t matter.

Because I’m the one with the ball. Because I’m Seonghaneul.

Just break through it yourself.

Thump, tik, tok-tok-tok.

The softer the feel of the ball wrapped around the instep, the shorter the distance it is pushed out. It is controlled even more precisely. Since the central area does not have much space, it is better to keep it simple rather than show off fancy footwork.

and.

“back!”

Taking Ut’s false cry as a signal, he comes in to cover for his partner’s mistake – and takes on the left central defender.

My position is slightly to the left, in the center, only 3-4 meters away from the penalty box. The distance between me and my opponent is only about 3-4 steps, so I carefully watch the movement of the lower body.

Knock-knock, knock.

At the same time, he changed the direction of the ball several times with the top of his right foot. He even mixed the upper body movements by alternating between left and right.

If you confuse the other person’s mind in advance… … the process of judgment and decision-making will also be delayed.

But the current situation is such that it cannot be postponed.

As I ran at a speed just one level lower than my maximum speed, the distance between us was instantly reduced to two steps, and at that very moment, the opponent’s lower body flinched.

It was a preparatory action to instinctively stretch out my legs because it was too late to step back, but I couldn’t just let it happen. At the last moment, I knew exactly which leg to stretch out, since I ran straight ahead and then turned sharply to the left.

As soon as he straightened his knees, his right leg stretched out, and I responded by moving the ball with my left foot as if I had coordinated with him in advance.

There is no need to kick far. Just keep the ball on your left foot and pass to the left with a short, steady dribble rhythm as before.

Of course, the defender reached out with a whoosh, but knowingly letting it happen was just plain stupid. He shifted up the gears once more and sped away at top speed.

Percussion!

It felt like the hem of the uniform was caught, but the center of gravity of the body did not waver. Now… … 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper.

[… … .]

As if sensing tragedy, the home fans behind the goal remain as silent as mice. I take a shooting stance, aware of the approach of Brugge’s right-back.

I step out through the shadows of the pitch and check the position of the goal. Using my right foot as the pivot, I plant it under the grass and adjust my timing to match the speed at which the ball rolls.

The destination is on the other side of the goal.

It came through the box line, so this time it was the opposite of the previous situation – a shot that the opposing goalkeeper could not stop even if he knew about it.

slam!

[… …Wow!]

At 19 minutes into the second half, the score was 1-1.

0 points turned into 1 point, and soon it would become 3 points.

*

Five days after the Champions League match against Club Brugge, Gaisbockheim.

On a Monday afternoon, FC Köln’s training ground is bustling with activity. The eight practice pitches are covered in green grass, and next to them is the light tower of the second-team stadium, Rhein-Energie Sportpark.

Meanwhile, Seong Ha-neul was sitting in the analysis room in the main training center.

The room was as messy as ever, but it was equipped with modern equipment. There were countless files on the bookshelf, and the desk was no exception. Also, the monitor in the middle was showing recent game footage, and on both sides, various statistics and tactical analysis data were displayed.

And the boy sits next to the analyst and looks at the screen.

Sweat dripping down, hair flowing down, the concentration displayed during the game is evident. But Hanes Dold’s voice is low.

“Here too.”

“Should I have pulled it to the side?”

“Was it so?”

“… … I should have taken it out.”

In the first match of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Club Brugge and FC Köln ended with a 1-2 away win. They managed to get 3 points, but it was a time to point out the problems that were revealed in the process.

“There was no need to take the difficult route. Going into a crowded space.”

“But we still got a foul. We had a free kick opportunity.”

“Yes. That’s why I used the expression ‘necessarily.’ It’s because I knew I would get fouled, so I did it. Above all, look at the game time. What minute is it?”

“… … 84 minutes.”

“How was it like this time?”

When asked a question whose intentions are obvious, Seong Ha-neul tries to evade by looking out the window, but soon reluctantly gives the answer.

“I’m tired.”

“Yes, I was tired. Because I used up a lot of energy in the first half. But why was that? I know that I had fun with the breakthrough and link-up in the early and mid-second half. The Brugge defenders showed their weaknesses. But that doesn’t mean I had to overdo it. The substitution card in the second half was also effective, so the one-sided game was maintained.”

“Well, um… … Are you anxious? Why don’t you put in one more?”

“But I didn’t have enough stamina to add another one. I could have easily gotten injured. I was on the bench preparing to replace you.”

“… … My stamina was lacking, but I had some strength left.”

“Aha, is that so? Then why did you talk less?”

“word?”

“You were busy giving instructions to your teammates even in the second half. Adamian, come inside, Kainz, approach the box, Remperle, spread out. Weren’t you asking for all of that? According to what I heard from Coach McKenna, you didn’t give such instructions from the bench.”

“… … Kevin McKenna must have lied because he hates me.”

“… … .”

“sorry.”

“… … There’s no use trying to argue, you can tell just by looking at the statistics. Slower movements, a noticeable increase in the number of passes and failures, etc. Just now, I only pointed out the decrease in speaking, the other evidence is overwhelming.”

Do I have to be criticized like this for a game I won?

Whatever the intentions of the beneficiaries, the analyst’s teachings soon reach last weekend’s game.

The match took place just three days after the Champions League. It was a home match against Union Berlin in the 6th round of the Bundesliga.

[Ahhhhh-!]

[Eww!]

[#@$!!]

“… … .”

“… … .”

And as the disaster of that day plays on the monitor screen, both of them, without exception, keep their mouths shut.

If the Champions League was met with rave reviews from fans, with Sung Ha-neul’s equaliser and Mark Uth’s winning goal (a delicious long-range strike from outside the box), the game against Union Berlin was met with sighs and despair.

In the third minute of the first half, central defender Timo Huibers’ own goal with a header made the score 0-1.

Around the 10th minute, central defender Luca Killian was shown a yellow card for a grab inside the penalty box, and the opposing team’s kicker, Jordan Sivaceu, missed a penalty kick, barely keeping the score at bay.

But can we call this a blessing?

No, it is not.

In the 38th minute of the first half, Luca Killian was sent off for his second yellow card after lifting his foot during a challenge with a striker.

The final score was also 0 to 1.

Cologne’s winning streak ended in round six.

“… … Oh my god, this is a total horror movie. I’ve never seen such detailed situations before… … What on earth were you thinking when you hit the opponent’s shin?”

“Hanul.”

“I’m not blaming you. I just don’t understand.”

“Because I felt a lot of pressure.”

“Because I got pushed out of the game?”

“That’s right. Do you remember the starting lineup for our team that day?”

The answers come out smoothly.

Dietz stood in the front, Kainz on the left, and Maina on the right. The center of the second line was taken by Seong-Ha-Neul, and below him stood Sciri and Martel.

“It was 4231, right?”

“huh.”

“Why did you do that?”

“… … ?”

“Why did Steffen Baumgart choose 4231 instead of 4132? And why were you substituted after only 45 minutes? Just because Killian was sent off? No. It was already decided before the game whether you would be substituted. Because you overdid it in the game against Brugge. The season wasn’t going to end with that game. Also, Cologne doesn’t have a deep roster.”

“… … .”

“That’s why we used a lot of non-regular players, got pushed back once again in the first half, and conceded the first goal due to bad luck… … Killian collapsed. To borrow your expression… … he was ‘mentally shaken.’”

“… … When did I ever express myself like that?”

Unfortunately, petty complaints will not be tolerated.

“Of course I know the fans have high expectations and you are affected by them. Until recently, there was a lot of talk about whether you should stay or leave, but now everyone is talking about the Champions League. But you also need to control your passion so that it doesn’t become greed. The schedule is tight for the time being, and this is a situation you’ve never experienced before. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Okay, I won’t do that again.”

“… … I’m not criticizing you, but telling you to be careful. There’s Ondrej Duda in the same position, but he has different strengths than you. Let’s find a way to keep going steadily and safely. That’s important right now.”

In the end, it means that he is a key player in the team, and it is advice to take care of himself. Sung Ha-neul nods his head, trying to hide his feelings of satisfaction (he couldn’t hide it in the end).

Analyst Hannes Dold’s warnings or advice quickly become harsh reality.

Round 5 of the Bundesliga, away game against Wolfsburg on .

The first match of the UEFA Champions League group stage, away to Club Brugge, is on .

Last weekend, the 6th round of the Bundesliga – the home game against Union Berlin was .

And again, the second match of the Champions League group stage – the home game against AT Madrid is scheduled to be held two days later on .

The grueling four-day schedule of matches was designed to test the boy’s limits.