Chapter 284 – How Newcastle Became a Strong Team (1)
284
In order to become a strong team in soccer, several conditions are required.
Competent and passionate coaching staff, strong board, rich finances and enthusiastic supporters… There is nothing that is not important, but above all, the most important thing is the team.
No matter how huge and segmented the soccer team is, in the end, it is only the players who directly collide with each other on the ground.
Of course, the ability of each player is the most important requirement to become a strong team, but meeting the “Most important” Condition does not necessarily make a strong team.
If so, the rankings would have been divided in order of money.
However, isn’t the reason why people are enthusiastic about sports simply because ‘objective power’ alone does not determine victory or defeat?
In that sense, the sum of the players is as important as the quality of the team. Or something that can be expressed through chemistry, synergy, etc.
In other words, the sum of the entire team must be matched in addition to the individual skill of each player.
In that sense, the Newcastle squad deserved to be evaluated as having the conditions for a strong team.
It has already been three years since Hong Min-joon moved to Newcastle.
How many things have happened in the past?
Newcastle’s talented young players, who had won 4th place in the Premier League, which is said to be the most competitive in Europe, on their own even before Hong Min-jun’s transfer, competed fiercely for the Premier League, won the League Cup, and fought fiercely in the Champions League on the stage of the stars for two years. It has withstood the hard quenching up until now.
Even finally winning the Premier League last year.
They were young players from Newcastle who were known for their talent from the beginning.
Considering that what talented young players need most to develop is ‘play experience’, there is hardly a better experience than this.
If you have not achieved satisfactory growth even after experiencing this level of experience for not one year but two years, it only means that the player’s talent was there, so fortunately, the Newcastle squad was full of talent.
Now, the team, which would be more appropriately called ‘a young player with full bloom of talent’ rather than a ‘talented young player’, has grown to the point where the quality of each player is not inferior to them, except for a very few top-tier clubs.
On top of that, the synergy formed over the past two years has also reached maturity… Therefore, Newcastle now was a ‘strong team’ in name and reality.
And this was evident from the opening game.
“Defending champions Newcastle will struggle from the start of the season. Min-Jun Hong, the core of the team, is missing due to being selected for the Olympics, and the nucleus of midfielder Locke Woody will miss one or two games due to a minor injury. Let’s see what Newcastle will do in the opening match against Everton, a formidable opponent.”
When Hong Min-joon spits out interviews full of bravado at the Olympics, and secretly eats female Olympic athletes through his back hole.
Newcastle’s first game of the season was played against Everton.
Although they are the defending champions who won last season, Newcastle have a strong image as a one-man team of ‘Hong Min-jun’, and to make matters worse, even the core midfielder Locke Woody is absent.
Perhaps that is why the predictions were so tight that it was unusual for a match between the defending champion and a mid-table team, and the opinions of experts and fans were also split in half.
The key is how strong Newcastle is without Hong Min-jun.
And Newcastle proudly proved it with results in the first game.
“Ooo~ Newcastle is going to win their precious first away game!”
“Newcastle off to a good start with a 3-1 win over Everton.”
“This team is no longer a promising team. Would it be a big deal if you called Newcastle a ‘prospect training center’ anymorehaha. Newcastle has now become a team that looks forward to the present, not the future!”
Newcastle, who won the first game against Everton, showed good performances in the second and third rounds, proving that Hong Min-jun is not a one-man team.
And the last game before Hong Min-joon’s return, the 4th round against Chelsea.
“We are a team. All the players are closely connected based on trust, and they are firmly united as one team.”
“Are you denying the public evaluation of Hong Min-joon as a one-man team?”
“Of course, Minjun Hong is our important, key player. No one will deny his skills. But we don’t have only Hong Min-joon. There are also players like Nicholas Hosman, who scored against Everton, and Sakum Shakki, who scored consecutive goals in the second and third rounds to lead the team to victory.”
Director Lauren Bortman, who was excited after a long time, confidently brushed his lips… Lost. To Chelsea.
After the match, Chelsea manager Lorenzo Federico kindly even confirmed the kill in an interview.
“Botman’s rant? Hmm… Are you familiar with something? Ah! Okay. It reminds me of a manager who boasted loudly that he could beat Chelsea a few years ago. Maybe you didn’t lose that match?”
When all the reporters laughedhahaat the handsome middle-aged man’s humorous facial expression, there was only one person wheezing with a blushing face, and that was Director Botman.
Two years ago, they promised victory against Lorenzo’s Chelsea, but then lost completely, and strangely, the same situation happened again this time.
Director Lorenzo, who was not interested in whether Director Bottman shivered in humiliation or shuddered, continued the interview with a serious expression.
“Newcastle was great. Their grades speak for themselves. Didn’t Newcastle actually win every game with good performances? Oh, of course, until you met us.”
Everyone was warmed by director Lorenzo’s skillfulness in interviewing while mixing jokes befitting the title of ‘mic master’. As expected, only one person, except for the boat manager.
“Listening to what the manager has to say, it seems that Newcastle’s progress so far is excellent. Then, do you not agree with the claim that Hong Min-joon is a one-man team?”
And, again, a sensitive subject.
Hong Min-joon, the captain of the one-man team, who seemed to sink as Newcastle went on a winning streak, bounced back with this defeat.
Director Bortman pretended to be worried, rubbing his chin, and replied.
“Sure. Newcastle is not a Hong Min-jun one-man team. That doesn’t suit Newcastle. It’s even rude.”
“Five… That said—”
“Okay. Newcastle is not a one-man team of Hong Min-jun, but Hong Min-jun is the main body, and it can be called a ‘Hong Min-jun team’.”
“… Yes?”
* * *
I almost spit out while drinking water and watching TV.
“Put a dagger in it, put a dagger in it. Somehow, I recognized it when the director confidently interviewed me.”
The 4th round against Chelsea was held two days after the Olympic final, so it was impossible to participate due to schedule.
Given time, it is possible.
Half a day from Dubai to England, no matter how generous it is, one day is enough.
However, after a grueling schedule of 6 matches for about 15 days, as soon as the finals are over, you get on a plane and go to England? And play the game the very next day?
It is only possible in terms of ‘time’, but since it is a schedule that does not make sense in reality, it is natural to miss Chelsea.
Maybe that’s why, if I couldn’t play anyway, I’d rather be tired from the Olympics, so the club generously gave me a four-day vacation, asking me to rest.
Thanks to that, I was able to relax in my hotel room and watch the Chelsea match.
This pattern that is robbed after boasting victory… It tastes familiar.
Originally, director Botman’s tendency is not the style to shake his mouth or boast in interviews, so there has been only one interview for the declaration of victory so far.
Two years ago against Chelsea.
Even back then, coach Bortman blew his mouth at Chelsea manager Lorenzo Federico in a ‘declaration of victory’ interview, and he was robbed.
… But why again Lorenzo Federico? Why chelsea?
I was anxious about that strange sense of déjà vu, but sure enough, I was defeated 3:0.
And even insults like that in the interview after the match.
Oh my, our director is very soft.
It must have been very embarrassing to see the gentle nobleman’s face blushing.
“What… You probably didn’t want to hear that it was my one-man team.”
I understand.
In the past two years, the team was able to achieve good results based on my performance, but the evaluation of the ‘coach’ was not that good compared to his achievements.
It does not have its own firm football philosophy, nor does it have a clear tactical color.
It’s not that I don’t have skills.
I’m not talking about being a team manager, but objectively Bottmann is quite competent.
With young players who are talented but not young enough, I reached 4th place in the league before I came.
Even though he does not have a distinct tactical color, the ability to flexibly configure tactics according to the squad he has, manage the squad and nurture young players is definitely Coach Botman’s excellence.
Of course, is that enough as a manager of a ‘premier league winning club’… Is ambiguous.
In any case, while Newcastle continues to grow and raise their name, starting with the League Cup, winning the league and advancing to the Champions League in a row, Coach Botman’s evaluation is at a standstill.
Only Bott is not someone who has a special affection for Newcastle and says, ‘I and the club are one body!’, And it is more important for his ability as a manager to be recognized than for the club’s name value to increase.
In that sense, I think I have endured quite well so far.
While listening to the sound of my one-man team.
So I think this time, I tried to break the claim of ‘Hong Min-joon’s one-man team’ head-on… It’s too much for Chelsea.
And even more so for director Lorenzo Federico.
If our manager is a pretty capable manager, that guy—
“He’s the coach of the Champions League runner-up.”