Chapter 190 – Multiple True (2)

190

Usually, if you stand side by side in the aisle waiting to enter the stadium, you will chat with friendly players and play pranks with the escort kids.

That’s what pro life is all about.
He is a one-club man with good words, so he even helps with coach training after retirement. Actually, how many players have not experienced a transfer while living as a pro?

It is only in the upper leagues that contracts for 4-5 years are made, but as you go to the lower leagues, there are many cases where you sign short-term contracts, especially short contracts of less than a year.

Just as office workers negotiate annual salaries, players also move between clubs every year or several times a year.

In Korea, there is romance about a one-club man represented by Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, but is romance called “Romance” Or “Romance” For nothing?

Besides, most of the players go round and round in the league they play in.
Unless you are moving from a lower league to a higher league or moving to an overseas league, the league you play in is usually at your level.

So, don’t you know when the players you see as the opposing team will become ‘our team’… No, even if it’s not for such a calculated reason, it’s not new to be friends before the game as a business partner.

A derby game with a team that is not very close or a strong rivalry… Or, even though there was no Eun-Won, unless there was an ‘opportunity’.

“…….”
“…….”

And today.
The two teams, Korea and Italy, who did not have any special favors, did not exchange a word while waiting in the player’s entrance passage, and the atmosphere was like a northern wind and snow.

Okay.
What to hide

It’s me, Hong Min-joon’s forced derby game.
… It was the beginning of the so-called ‘Hong Min-jun Derby’.

* * *

This situation was not unexpected.
I’m not an idiot, and I didn’t think about it.

It is said to motivate the national teammates, but from the point of view of the Italian players and the people, it is enough to feel bad.

What if a Swiss player met Korea in the World Cup qualifiers and said, “How long are you going to talk about the offside controversy?”

It’s easy to think of how people in Korea will react.
Facts are facts, but you must feel very bad.

And Italy is more serious about football than Korea… No, it’s a crazy country.

After my remarks, there was a lot of uproar in Italy about killing or saving Hong Min-joon… Well, to be honest, I don’t really care.

I didn’t even think about the Italian league anyway.
Is there a need to move to the Italian league, which is inferior to the EPL in terms of capital and popularity, and inferior to the two major mountains of La Liga at the club level?

If at all… Romance?
But this doesn’t mean that I have any connection with Italy, and an Asian player who has transferred has to be sexually suppressed to achieve his romance, but in that case, why not just play in the EPL or La Liga? Why go to Serie?

In my career… At least for the next transfer, Italy didn’t even think about it, so I screamed as much as I wanted, but the reaction of the Italian players is more intense than I thought.

It’s better if it’s violent in a bad way. The current image of quietly burning up your will…

“Hey. Aren’t we screwed up?”
“… Don’t worry. I am there.”

Well… It’ll be fine… ?

Our team used a 4-4-2 formation this time.
It’s not a tactic I’ve been using, but a fairly incomplete tactic I started practicing right before the World Cup, but the coach’s decision was firm.

“If you can’t break through, you lose. It’s a game whether our spear, which has the best offensive power in the World Cup, can pierce it, or whether Italy, which has the best defensive power, can block it.”

Ironically, in this World Cup that has been held so far, it is South Korea that boasts the most powerful firepower, and the one that boasts the strongest shield is Italy.

The match between the team with the most points and the team with the fewest goals conceded.
Italy has a solid image represented by Catenaccio, so even so, Korea became the best offensive team thanks to me.

And the director decided to trust me.
The ‘2’ position of 4-4-2, I played as the right striker… In fact, it has become a tactic that relies heavily on my individual skills, giving the role of an attacking midfielder to a finishing role.

When preparing, the midfielder positions on both sides were supposed to be for the EPL duo, but senior Bae Chan-sik left due to injury, so senior Yoon-hyeok played in the left midfield position instead.

Originally, he would have to take responsibility for the team’s defense alone, bearing the number of midfielders who are lacking in the center, but due to Italy’s tactical propensity, attack power is needed rather than defense power.

Working with senior Yoon Hyuk, who was in charge of playmaking from the side and was responsible for delivering accurate passes to me, the right striker, was an important tactic.

The match between Korea and Italy, which even football experts were looking forward to with a spear and shield match… It started out surprisingly boring.

—Oh, it’s more one-sided than I thought. Our players are constantly exchanging the ball and looking for gaps, but it is not easy.
—Italian players use the space very well. If the space is a bit empty, it is undoubtedly a trap. Thanks to Hong Min-jun’s excellent ballkeeping, we didn’t lose it, but we have to be more careful when passing.

If you move around along the pass and think there is space, it was a trap.
In the 8th minute of the first half, I almost lost possession by falling into the trap twice, but once I passed a back pass with my toes, and the other time, I was able to prevent a counterattack by sending the ball out of the gear line with all four feet using my hands ugly.

However, this was me, so it was only a possible stunt.

—Ah, it was taken away! I lost Choi Seul-chan! We need to come back soon!!
—Defense, defense must come back quickly… Ah, Taesik Choi tackle!! Well blocked… Uh? What’s the situation? The referee… I took it!!

When the check on me was severe, changing the direction of attack became poison.
As soon as senior Choi Seul-chan received the ball, the Italian players surrounding him immediately seized the ball and immediately followed up with a counterattack.

At the last moment when the opponent was about to shoot, captain Choi Tae-shik made a good tackle, but the referee declared a penalty.

“Referee!! Hey Referee!! Why!? Why penalty!!”

Excited colleagues shouted at the referee, but with a determined expression, he declared a penalty once again.

“Fuck! He just touched the ball! I didn’t even reach it properly, what kind of penalty is it!!”
“Keep your eyes open, you bastard!”

The head referee, who had received a fierce protest from the coach, put his hand on the in-ear and stood there for a while, then drew a rectangle with his finger. A request for reading came from the VAR team.

After a few minutes of anxious waiting for the results, the referee waved again to the players with desperate expressions. Change direction this time.

— Oh, thank God! Good luck, our players!
—It is judged that Choi Tae-shik was kicked and left. Corner kick. Uh, really… Looking at the replay… This is the correct tackle. Obviously not a penalty.
—But our players. You have to concentrate. Italy is a team with strengths in set-pieces, right?

Italy has a reputation for defense, but you cannot win a game with only good defense.
After all, soccer is a sport where you need to score goals to win.

The reason why Italy has been able to come this far despite playing solid defensive football with minimal conceding goals is that they have great counterattacks, but above all, they are a team with excellent set-piece attacks.

In fact, Italy was the team that scored the most goals from set pieces in this World Cup.

—Lorenzo carefully prepares for a corner kick.

Maybe it was because I felt relieved that I had avoided the penalty.

Corner kick situation.
The tall players got in the way, but there was no player to stop the short Italian running from behind.

-Uh? Uh huh Kriegwich! Kriegwich… Ah… It’s a goal.
—Our players only cared about tall players. I didn’t see Kriegwich running from behind. Too bad.

15 minutes in the first half.
Italy scored the opening goal.

A team with good defense, which was already able to score the least amount of points, even scored the first goal, so the next step was obvious.

—Ah~ The Italian defense wall is too strong.
—Looking hard to break through the hunched-over Italy. Still, our players, we have to work hard.

Even if senior Yoon-hyeok, who came up almost like a three-top, and Seul-chan Choi, who showed a stiff back while scrum with their bodies, created good opportunities several times.

Beep!!

— What? Another foul declaration!
—This is not it!! Rather, it is a situation where you have to foul Italy!! Obviously, the ball passed and blocked the path, but it was a foul by Hong Min-jun!!

Every time Simpam made an incomprehensible decision, he repeatedly cut off decisive opportunities.
When Choi Tae-sik, the unbearable captain, protested harshly, he even got a yellow card as if he had waited.

“… I will be thrilled.”

The referee, who is making a determined expression after getting up after falling down, and his colleagues who try to calm down the wheezing senior Choi Tae-sik by dragging him behind.

I expected it to be difficult, but… I hope even the referee does this.
I’m an African referee, but I don’t know. Italy supporters, so maybe I didn’t like it. Or do you hate Asians? Even though they are of the same color, it could be because there is surprisingly no bond between people of color.

Under… If you lose like this, there will be a lot of uproar in the press.
Being cocky or having no manners… If I win, if the results are good, my interview, which I would have asked moderately and passed on, will come back as a boomerang.

Why not just return home after the World Cup?
I look up at the sky dejectedly,

“Hey. Why are you like this without answering?”
“… Senior Yoon Hyuk?”
“Calm down, you bastard. The game isn’t over yet.”
“Right. It’s not over.”

As I was going back to the camp, straining my body, senior Yoon Hyuk grabbed my shoulder.

“Min Joon-ah. Even if other players give up, you shouldn’t give up. Okay? You are the national team ace. Aces should always be confident and shameless. That way the players can see you and get hope. So kid, go and score a goal like always. There’s something you’re good at It’s ridiculous, crazy play.”

Crazy play…

“Senior. Then can you pass the ball to me?”

At my words, senior Yoon Hyuk looked at me as if it was new.

“What kind of bullshit is the bastard that has been driven until now? Score a goal, you bastard.”
“… So what.”

But.
Being able to do one thing under these circumstances is not the quality of being a superstar.

He gritted his teeth as he watched the referee announcing the restart of the game with a nasty expression.
Yes, how far it interferes, but let’s try it.