Chapter 301 – King of Steel Hong Min-Joon (2)

301

Soccer is a pretty intense sport.
22 athletes ran for 90 minutes on a large ground that left enough for them to run around, and they did not mind rough physical fights with opponents from time to time.

According to common sense, running 10 to 13 km with a rough physical fight for 90 minutes can’t be tiring.

What’s more, he started the season earlier than others due to being selected for the Olympics, so he couldn’t even train properly, so he played 5 games in a row in less than 2 weeks?

Even players who are quite confident in their physical strength should worry about injuries, not performance, so even I, who has a status window, was no different.

A heavier-than-usual body, a slightly slower reaction, and a slight ball control miss.
Symptoms that occur when one lacks physical strength.

It was a tough and harsh schedule even for me, whose stamina-related stats are in their mid-80s, but if you ask me if it’s enough to discharge, I can answer sternly.

Still say
I can still survive.

‘Enough for the first half. But the second half… I can’t do it full time.’

I could tell because I was at an age where I always jumped over my physical limits.

Isn’t that the case with me, who has always played too many games since Barcelona, ​​the first year of his professional debut, and Frankfurt, which was in the second division, on loan?

In my second year as a professional in Frankfurt, I had to do the Europa League, which I advanced to by winning the cup competition that I had achieved when I was in the second division, in addition to my first league full-time. In the third year, he advanced to the EPL, which is famous for the number of games.

Except for his first year as a pro, he played the role of an ace in any team and had to participate in almost every game, and even played as a national team member in Europe and Asia.

From the time when my stamina stat was much lower to now entering my 5th year as a pro, I have some know-how when it comes to improving my stamina.

Of course, playing a game with an exhausted body is already familiar.

It’s a shame because there was a status window, without it, I would have been seriously injured early on.
If you’re lucky enough to survive with minor injuries… Well, it must have been that he had a bone disease and his form fell into the abyss.

Paradoxically, thanks to such a harsh schedule, I have the know-how to play efficiently in the game, distribute my stamina, and objectively determine my physical condition.

‘If you’re at this level of fitness, you’ll have to rest for the next match to maintain your form…’ After all, after this match, it’s an A match. Can not help it. We need to see the match as soon as possible.’

The know-how I learned while crossing my physical limits from time to time is no different from 100% when it comes to my physical condition.

Considering the countless schedules left in the future, one goal in the first half of this game… No, considering Chelsea is the opponent, you have to score two goals so you can be safely replaced.

I abandoned the distribution of stamina for the second half and went on the attack as aggressively as possible, but Chelsea was also tough.

Normally, I would have waited for the ball at a higher position… If you want to score as many goals as possible in the first half, you should create your own chances rather than wait.

Because of this, he came down more frequently than usual and tried to break through by receiving the ball, which inevitably caused more sprints.

A few good breakthroughs and disappointing situations have passed, and all that remains is a tighter breathing and a tight score of 0:0.

After all, Chelsea is annoying being sticky.

While Gapao was trying to catch his breath and looked for the next opportunity, captain Johann Baum’s missed long pass fell over the line.

“Whoa—”

The right to attack went over due to a pass miss, but… Rather good
I expected it, but I get tired from sprinting too often and repeatedly within a short period of time.

While the game pauses due to Chelsea’s throw-in, a sweaty Chelsea player walks toward the line while holding her knees and breathing.

Judging by the slow pace, it seems that the other side is also trying to catch their breath for a moment.
Well, as much as I ran from time to time, the Chelsea players who had to stop me ran around like crazy, so it’s exhausting.

As the Chelsea player approaches, the ball boy… No, do you want to see it? The girl playing the ball boy tries to throw a new ball to replace the ball that rolled away, but she hesitates when she sees me.

Then, pretending to be a mistake, he drops the ball with awkward acting, and then catches the ball that rolls far and throws it to the Chelsea player. That too slowly.

“Under… Cute.”

You wink at the breaking boy action, so you cover his face and don’t know what to do… Well, it’s a face that looks forward to the future.

Play resumed with a throw-in.
Perhaps thanks to the increased stamina stat, a strange premonition pops up as I try to hold the position with more stable breathing for a short time.

‘Somehow, I have a feeling that I have to go this way…’

I was worried for a while because I had to leave the opponent I was supposed to mark free, but the moment I moved to the side more according to my hunch.

Whiik—
A ball flying towards me.
The Chelsea player I was trying to trap flinched when he saw me approaching—

Tung—!
The ball hit my foot bounced towards me.

Even though he made a trapping mistake while panicking, the ball did not bounce back very long, as if to show his class his.
At first glance, it seemed like a good trapping, not knowing it was a mistake, but—

‘Chance!’

At my speed, I can secure ownership first!

Reflexively, he energized his back foot and kicked the ground.
Right before the ball touches the Chelsea player’s outstretched foot, the ball that touched my foot narrowly bounces in the opposite direction to the Chelsea player, toward the Chelsea camp.

“Stop!!!”

The Chelsea players rushed to me, but my body, which gained momentum after hitting the ground a couple of times, was already at top speed.

The intense sound of the wind brushing your ears, the resistance of the air touching your body.
Leaving behind the blue uniform that passes by in an instant, I put more power on my spurs.

* * *

“In the first half, both teams are tight against each other with 20 minutes going by.”
“In the midst of a fierce battle, Minjun Hong’s sprint stands out. Did the EPTS data show any figures to note?”

Subtitles that float at the bottom of the screen along with the words of the commentary.

Based on EPTS data, Hong Min-joon’s sprint count was 7 in the first 20 minutes.
〈EPTS is an abbreviation of Electronic Performance Tracking System, which means a player activity measurement system using electronic equipment.〉

“In the middle of the first half, there are already 7 sprints.”
“For those of you who don’t know the standard, the sprint standard in soccer means running for 0.6 seconds or more at a speed of 25.2 km/h or more. It’s not just short sprints.”
“In other words, does that mean that the stamina consumption is enormous?”
“That’s right. Typically in the EPL, the average number of sprints per match for players is just over 12. Minjun Hong showed 16-17 sprints per game this season. Even so, recording 7 times in the middle of the first half is quite a burden on your stamina, right?”

While the game is paused due to the declaration of a throw-in, the commentator diligently conveys the information.

“Commentator Deok-gi Kim is saying that he is concerned about Min-jun Hong’s stamina.”
“That’s right. Hong Min-joon, who started all of the last 4 matches, must be quite tired. You see, at the start of the second half, the top speed he recorded at the moment exceeded 36 km/h?”
“It was exactly 36.8 km/h, right?”
“Yes, yes, it is. I mean, this is almost an all-time record. It’s an incredible speed comparable to Gareth Bale or Mbappe in their prime.”
“But today, even though there were so many sprints, the momentary top speed is 36.3 km/h. Of course, this alone is the best in the world, but I am worried that I might be a little tired.”
“Ah~ I see.”

As Caster was about to clean up, the commentator started talking again.

“This again… It’s my personal opinion, but isn’t Hong Min-joon a player who continues to grow? The speed continues to increase. From what I’ve heard, he said it’s unofficially rumored to have broken the 37km/h wall. It is said that Mbappe has reached it unofficially, but no player has shown this speed in an official game yet. Our player Minjun Hong can set a new record and become the fastest player in football history! I see the wrong—”
“Now~ Chelsea’s throw-in resumes—”

The moment the caster, unable to hear the commentator’s brawl, quickly announced the start of the match,

“Uh? Benjamin’s trapping mistake! Hong Min-joon quickly cuts and runs! Run as it is!”

The Chelsea player’s trapping mistake exploded on a long throw-in.
The ball was stronger than expected, so it hit the Chelsea player’s front foot and bounced far away, and then the ball landed lightly like a sponge on Hong Min-jun’s feet.

Hong Min-jun, who started hitting and running right after trapping, had already reached a speed that no one could catch up with by the time he took one, two, and three steps—

“Fast, fast!! It’s incredibly fast, Hong Min-joo Woo-woon!!”
“The Puse that stood in the way will be pushed aside at once! It’s too fast!! From the Newcastle camp to the Chelsea camp in an instant! Mbaba, Mbaba follows—”

Mbaba, who boasts a tremendous stamina, followed, but Hong Min-joon, who kicked a long ball toward the empty front, entered the top speed in earnest, and the distance began to widen enough to be noticed by those watching.

“Oh my gosh! Hong Min-joon who presses down the fastest center back, Mbaba, with overwhelming speed!!”
“Run, run, run!! Hong Min-joon, who was running on the line, went inside! Bend to the penalty box, oh! Take the ball out between the legs of the last remaining Sturatchen and shoot!! Gooooohol!!”
“21 minutes in the first half! The first goal in a tense match is scored!! The main character is Minjun Hong!!”
“As expected, Newcastle’s ace does it!”