Chapter 258 – 2nd Pro Finals Stage (1)

258

January is officially the European winter transfer window.

Generally, the most active time for transfers is the summer transfer window held between seasons.
In contrast, the winter transfer market held during the season has many difficult conditions for transfers to be completed.

The team that wants to recruit has to take out a player during the season, so they have to pay a higher transfer fee than usual, and they have to match the sum in the actual game without time to match their hands and feet, and the selling team might not want to give away a player in the middle of the season. .

However, despite these difficulties, there are always teams that try to recruit players through the winter transfer market.

The winter transfer market is an opportunity to immediately supply power to teams with poor performance that do not match their name value or teams with sudden player departures such as injuries, and even from the point of view of selling clubs in urgent need of immediate money, it is possible to save money at a higher price tag than usual. It was also an opportunity to catch .

『Hong Min-joon, who recorded a transfer fee of 100 million euros, goes to Chelsea for 200 million euros in just half a year?』
『Real Madrid’s hijacking move! The transfer fee is a whopping 250 million paid!』

That’s why this kind of chirashi can come out.

Transfer rumors of star players are always a staple in the transfer market.
In particular, isn’t the transfer rumor of a superstar from the East and the West like me a special treat that guarantees the number of clicks just by posting an article?

It’s not for nothing that there is a lot of shit about transfers in the transfer market.

Even when I’m still, all sorts of crap happen to me, how much more did I eat with the manager of another team during the transfer period?
If you miss this kind of aggro, you won’t be eligible for the trash.

Of course, rumors of my transfer heated up,

“Red… Are you really not transferring?”
“Because it isn’t.”
“Then why did you meet the Chelsea manager?”
“I just ate. It’s been less than half a year since I joined in the first place, right? There is no buyout. Are you going to sell the team as crazy?”
“Is not it?”
“Uh, yes.”
“But wouldn’t it sell for £200m?”
“What? 200 million? Not 200 million euros, but whose dog is 200 million pounds?”

Even the team members made up of young players reached the level of hatching and brainstorming at the chirashi.
I’m so sick of it, I’m dying

Okay. This is fine.
Transfer rumors are not a day or two, isn’t it an annual event that comes every transfer market?

But, unlike usual,

“Was the meal good?”
“Director. Under… Because it really isn’t.”
“Okay. Migration will not be … If you don’t like my tactics, feel free to come back. I have enough thoughts to share with you.”
“No, not really… Ah-oh.”

All of a sudden, the people present spread distorted rumors.

『Lorenzo Federico and Hong Min-jun, who had an in-depth discussion on tactics』
『The Newcastle manager doesn’t know how to best use Hong Min-joon?』

… Of course, something like that came up in the middle.

“I have to ask the director for tactical help… Wait, doesn’t our coach know about this?”
“Can you not know? Boatman isn’t such an incompetent manager, you know. I know, but there is no clear solution, and even now, if it’s not a championship team, we can catch it enough, so we’re burying it.”
“Ah. Well, in today’s game, before the start of the second half, he told us to pass directly to the penalty box.”

A bit of a story.
It was really the end, nothing more, nothing less.

However, since people couldn’t pass it on from mouth to mouth, and the spicy seasoning of the trash was added, our director was put on a frame of incompetence.

“It’s a joke. It’s not once or twice that the media shakes things up, don’t worry. When I first took over as first-team manager, it was worse than this.”

Phew, good luck
I really thought about whether I should transfer.

“Ah. It’s true that if you have any tactical concerns, ask them to come to you. Don’t just go to the manager of another team.”

… The back end seems to be left behind.

“In that sense, Director. Please help me with special training.”
“Special training? Like the last pass drill?”
“No. Something like video analysis or tactical training.”

* * *

In fact, director Lorenzo’s advice didn’t have a big impact on me.
So what? Some sense.

Director Lorenzo said.
Why is my dependence so high on each team I work for, and why the team’s performance depends on my performance?
It’s like I can’t do without me, think about the reason why my colleagues look incompetent.

The style of playing a leading role with a co-worker as a supporting role?
What about that

I can’t do it even if I think it’s selfish, but to be honest, my performance is important and my colleagues’ performance is not my concern.

Of course, it would be best for me to be active and for my friends to be active as well.
But if that’s my style, isn’t that inevitable? If that’s the problem, you shouldn’t have recruited me in the first place.

More than anything, this doesn’t bother me at all.
Limit? Style? Sexual?
That would have been a problem if there was no status window.

However, as long as I have a status window, I don’t have to worry about limitations, play style, or grades.
A weakness that can be compensated for at any time is not a weakness.

In that sense,

‘I wonder if I can use this weakness.’

I came up with an idea that was ingenious and would be offensive to the opposing team.

‘Obviously director Lorenzo did that. The analysis of me is over. Certainly, it seems that the weakness has been analyzed, seeing as it is difficult to play as well as before against strong teams these days… However, there is no problem with any team opponents. Then, what if I show a drastically different play later in an important game?’

It is the concept of ‘powerful’.
It’s a strong word, but it can’t stop me unless it’s a friendly team. Didn’t director Lorenzo also admit it? It was said that it could not be stopped unless it was a weakness.

Even a team with the power of Chelsea, if that’s the case, there will be no team in the EPL with the power to control me except Liverpool and Man City.

Then, is there a need to raise the stats now so that the enemy can respond?
It’s still active enough.

When I checked the match schedule, I saw a match that was suitable for raising stats.

‘February. Upload in February.’

Collect as many points as possible until then.

Regardless of transfer rumors or worries, time did not stop and the schedule for January proceeded as scheduled.

Seven games scheduled for January.
Unusually, half of them were cup competitions, so there were 4 league matches and 3 EFL Cup and FA Cup matches.

The chances of winning the FA Cup were low, and the opponent in the round of 64 was a second division team, so most of the main players, including me, were given a chance to rest, but the EFL Cup, which has reached the semifinals and the board members expect to win, cannot be neglected. .

The second game of January, the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals held on January 10, against Tottenham,

“Goooool!! Hong Min-joon’s perfect opening goal for Newcastle!!”
“This is Hong Min-jun, who succeeds in scoring consecutively. This time, he connects the cross with a header. Isn’t he scoring his first header this season?”

Thanks to my two goals, it ended in a 2-0 victory.

Then, in the FA Cup round of 64 held on January 13th, 9 out of 11 players were missing, but they succeeded in advancing to the round of 32 with a 1:0 new win against the second division team, and the next game, January 17th, EFL Cup semifinal second leg ,

“Hong Min-jun scores another goal in the second match! He is the best goal scorer in the EFL Cup in name and reality!”
“We make the second goal!”
“Hong Min-joon completes the gearco hat-trick! It is truly Tottenham’s nightmare!!”

He scored a hat-trick and led the team to the EFL Cup final with a total of 5 goals in the first and second games.

Newcastle, which had been faltering, was also back on the right track thanks to my rise, winning all three league games remaining in January and reviving weak hopes for the championship.

With the end of the 24th round of the league held on January 28th, the January game schedule ended, and the winter transfer market, which had a lot of talk and a lot of trouble, also passed.

The rumor of my transfer, which was triggered by a meal with Chelsea manager Lorenzo and occupied the sports news section throughout the winter transfer market, also subsided as if it had never happened, and Newcastle had a quiet winter transfer period without any recruitment or release.

And the February schedule that started.
Starting with the round of 32 of the FA Cup on February 2nd, we won all 2 league games and came back—

“Hello viewers. Caster Han Byung-cheol, who relayed the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Newcastle v Lille and Lille v Newcastle.”
“I am commentator Kim Deok-seong.”
“Hey~ It’s been a while since Newcastle returned to the Champions League final stage, right?”
“It’s been a while. Newcastle’s last Champions League record was in the 02/03 season, so it’s the Champions League they’ve advanced to in 33 years. Besides, we were eliminated in the group stage in the 02/03 season, so the Champions League finals… Hey, I was looking for the records.”
Haha. In fact, there are so many articles in the sports section these days, so if you are a fan of Hong Min-jun, you will know everything, so please tell me.”

The caster cuts off the commentator’s moaning with a single knife.
The commentator smiled shyly and quickly continued.

“Yes, as you all know, this is the first time Newcastle has qualified for the Champions League finals, even though it is a historic club dating back to the 19th century. For the first time in over 100 years of history! For the first time in Newcastle’s history, it’s the Champions League finals!”
“It is a very meaningful moment. This is the moment when Hong Min-joon’s performance leaves a record in Newcastle’s long history.”
“But Newcastle must be worried. You can’t give up on the Champions League round of 16, and you can’t give up on the next match, the EFL Cup final.”

The Champions League round of 16 and the EFL Cup final stage.
There were important matches that no one could give up.