Chapter 153 – Mezzala (1)

153

Mezz’ala.
A type of central midfielder, it is a combination of the Italian word ‘Mezzo’ meaning half and ‘Ala’ meaning wing.

The term Mezzala first appeared in the 1930s.
It is also called ‘half wing’ in English as a word used to express the two midfielders who support the front forward and winger of the W-M formation that was popular at the time.

However, it was in the 2000s that the ‘mezzala’ of modern soccer took root in its true sense.
Along with the rise of the tactic of using three central midfielders, a word was needed to express the central midfielder, which showed a different movement than before, and it became widely spread in earnest in Carlo Angelotti’s AC Milan.

Later, with the rise of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, the 3-middle tactic using Mezzala swept the soccer world, creating stars such as Frank Lampard, Andres Iniesta, Thomas Müller, David Silva, and Angel Di Maria.

“…They say.”

I said I would think about the director’s proposal to change my position, and when I returned home, I put my heads together with Oh Harin and Yoon Daye.

First of all, the central midfielder, and that too, was named ‘Mezzala’, so I searched for exactly what Mezzala was.

“The roster is gorgeous. But… There are no players with a style similar to mine.”

Mezzala is a more aggressive central midfielder.
When there is no ball, energize the midfield with active off-the-ball movement, create space by disturbing the enemy’s defense, actively attack the opponent’s half-spray, control the tempo when you have the ball, distribute the ball and carry the ball, lethal You have to open the water of the attack through passing and crossing.

But he shouldn’t just focus on attacking.
Participation in active defense with a lot of activity Also, Mezzala’s… No, essential virtues of a modern midfielder.

In a word, a hexagonal midfielder role that is more focused on offense, but also in charge of defense.
Of course, this is the case in theory, and it is rare for mezzala to perfectly digest the rules in an actual game. A perfect hexagonal midfield is not common.

“In the early days, Mezzala’s CEO was Iniesta, and now Mezzala’s CEO is Kevin Debrawinner.”
“…I can’t.”

Daye Yoon looked at my embarrassed face and asked.

“Did the director say anything else?”
“Um… Ah! I heard that I should refer to Angel Di Maria’s movements?”
“You should have said that first!”

I only blinked at Yoon Daye’s scolding,

“I get it now. Well, asking you to be like Iniesta or Kevin Debrawiner is a nasty, nonsensical idea. With Angel Di María… Maybe it’s possible.”

Aren’t you doing this kind of nonsense?
OMG… That I can’t be like Iniesta or Kevin De Bruyne? Oh you got the king

“Found it. Look at this. It’s the move of Di María, the left mezzala at Real Madrid under Angelotti.”
“Where did you get this again?”
“Everywhere is one of the materials I’ve been studying these days. It’s noisy, look at this.”

Daye Yoon, who was manipulating the tablet pc, showed the video of the game filling the screen.

“If you look at Di Maria’s movements, oddly, she tends to move more like a winger than a central midfielder. Does she often fall to the left and penetrate the half space? It’s about moving freely and putting in the pass. Half-wing, that is to say, freely crossing the space between the center forward and the wing forward.”

And then I keep making jokes… None of them come to my ears
Under. What? Am I not as good as Iniesta and Debrawinner? I? Under… Shocking.

* * *

As usual, as soon as I went to the training ground early in the morning, I met the coach with a sullen face.
I couldn’t believe I didn’t even get off work and stayed up all night… ?

“Oh Minjun. You’re still diligent. You arrived first.”
“Because it’s a habit, if I don’t stretch in the morning, my body gets swollen.”

Now that I am proficient in German to the level of a native speaker, I was able to understand the subtle feelings that are not directly expressed in ‘words’.

“Director. Do you have something to say?”
“Keuheum. Let’s have a cup of tea.”
“Ah. Some green tea…”
“Uh-huh! It’s an expensive tea that Chinese emperors drank. Come with me.”

This time, as I was about to taste the tea, whether it was Yongjeongchan or Nokchan, the director cautiously asked me.

“Yes. Have you thought about it?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Yes. Hard to decide…? What?”
“Change position. I’ll do it. It’s until I return to Chicha anyway. I’m not saying to change completely, and I don’t think things will get better if I go like this, so I have to change.”
“…Minjun!!”

I turned away from the eyes of the old gentleman who was moved to tears.
In fact, it doesn’t matter if the team’s performance is bad or not. What… It’s good for the team to do well, but more important than that is my individual performance.

As long as I do well, it doesn’t matter if the team wins or gets relegated.
If you win, it’s good, and if your grades are bad, you can transfer.

I know it’s a selfish mindset.
However, since when did I say that I was so full of loyalty and loyalty? Of course, since I get paid, I will work hard and do my best, but… But if the team needs it, do you have to play while changing positions?

I struggled consistently scoring goals even while the team lost three games in a row.
I will do my best as much as I receive as a professional, but I have no intention of ‘sacrificing’ at all, not even the slightest bit.

The reason I accept the director’s proposal is… I just want to play in Central America, and more than anything else, I want to show Oh Ha-rin and Yoon Daye, those nasty girls, that I’m good anywhere.

What? Am I not like Debra Winner? Not like Iniesta?
Let it go. I was laughing at the thought of being stunned later, so the director grabbed my hand and thanked me over and over again.

“Thank you, thank you. I knew from early on that Asians were professional and respected the authority of the coach, but to hear such an unreasonable request. Thank you very much.”
“Kuhmm… Calm down, Director.”
“I’m sorry. I’m getting older, so I’m just feeling guilty.”

No matter how I was, I felt a little bit of remorse, so I quickly went to the main topic.

“So what should I do?”
“That’s right. I’ve been thinking all night. How to move to the waist of the team without overdoing your old style!”

The coach, who hastily brought the tactic board, moves the magnet around.

“Even so, hasn’t your off-the-ball movement gotten much better this season? The linkage play is the same. Even if you don’t do it, your passing sense is quite good.”
“Ssom-hum. That’s natural. I practice and work hard every day.”

Is not it. How hard I try
Harin suffers every night… No, I serve for Harin, I work hard on my waist even with Eva and the friends that Eva brought, it’s hard to meet.

Oh wow, it’s hard, it’s hard
I’m still working hard to the point where my back hurts these days.

The director seems to be surprised by my growth, but it’s all because of my hard work.

“Yes, yes. If all the players were like you, I wouldn’t have any wishes. Anyway, the goal is simple. Rather than before, you play in the center. Previously, if you were the spearhead of the attack, now you can move—”

I stopped the coach who was moving the magnet on the tactic board.

“Director.”
“Huh? Uh, uh. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“My existing play style. There is no need to consider it.”
“…What?”

Okay.
For two months from now on, I will become a man who is the Pleme itself.

“Please watch during the practice game. I, Iniesta, Hong Min-joon, made in Korea. I will show you Mezzala itself.”
“…Her?”

After the Pokal quarterfinal match against Hamburg, 4 days were given until the match against RB Leipzig in the 23rd round of the Bundesliga.

No matter how hard the game was, recovery training was a national roll the day after the game, and on the first day, only light recovery training and video analysis were done and disbanded.

And the next day.
Two days before the match, he started training in tactics in earnest as Mezzala.

Definitely different.
Even though it is the same training ground and the same players, it feels completely different from when I stood on the side.

In particular, the pressure and view were very different, and the level of pressure was different when it came to the center crowded with players from the side where the space was essentially wide no matter how much pressure the opposing teams put on on the day of great success.

Besides, when standing on the side, you basically didn’t have to worry about your back.
With my back to the line, I only had to pay attention to the line in front of my field of vision, roughly 90 degrees to 180 degrees… Not the center I just had to pay attention to all 360 degrees.

“Give the ball and get out!”
“Don’t cut the tempo! What if I drag the ball there!!”
“One-touch or two-touch treatment!! It came out beautifully in front, are you going to dribble there!?”
“Pressure! Press! Opponent striker is free!!”
“Return quickly! If you’re late in switching between offense and defense, you’ll be counterattacked!!”
“Before you receive the ball, check the surrounding information as much as possible! It’s too late to think after receiving the ball! Before you receive the ball, think about how you will move and where you will hand it to when you receive it!!”
“Attitude!! Again, when you trap, you put the ball in a good place to dribble! Dribbling is not the first option!!”

Ugh… I think I’m going to vomit….

“Hmm… I can’t do it. Minjun is wandering around more than I thought.”
“Playing from the side is ingrained in me. It can’t be fixed in a day or two. Even now, I instinctively trap the ball in a good dribbling position and in a good place. Besides, like a player who plays on the side, the angle of view is not good.”
“Still, there seems to be a possibility. Basically, the ability to keep the ball and release the pressure is insane. In addition, he has a surprisingly good passing sense.”
“The problem is that we don’t have enough time. The potential is there, but it’s hard to break the habit of playing right away. This is really… With enough time, I think he’ll stand out in the middle.”

During the break, I was panting from exhaustion from the mental burden rather than the physical burden, but I vaguely heard the voices of the coaches reporting to the coach.

Uh fuck I can’t do this.

‘Status window!!’