Step Up (1)
Step Up (1)
029
Up until the 80s and 90s, the two regions leading world football, Europe and South America, had distinct characteristics.
Europe was more organized, faithful to tactics, and prioritized speed and power.
South America was more free, focused on individual tactics, and prioritized the creativity and flashes of brilliance of individual players.
Back then, the two regions had clear tactical identities, and regardless of whether the league level or tactical capability of one side was ahead depending on the era, neither could overwhelm the other.
However, in the 21st century, the accelerating globalization had a huge impact on the football world.
The flow of globalization turned football, which used to be a regional party, into a festival for the whole world.
Now, people could watch matches held on the other side of the globe from their homes.
Especially in Asia.
The Asian football scene is still on the periphery of world football.
Some of the leading groups in Asia are comparable to or rated higher than Europe's second-tier leagues, but they still cannot be compared to top-tier leagues.
Occasionally, players with exceptional skills are produced, but unless it's a generational talent like Pele, Maradona, or Messi, it's hard to make a huge impact.
However, no one could ignore Asia's economic value, and the European football world, which succeeded in attracting Asia's attention, came to enjoy immense financial abundance that was unimaginable in the past.
Overwhelming capital broke the balance, and talented players from South America began to envy Europe.
Above all, globalization had a greater impact on tactical changes, and coaches no longer needed to visit stadiums for tactical analysis.
Although there are still coaches who prefer to check with their own eyes, it is an era where one can analyze tactics from home, whether it's a European match or a South American match.
Coaches analyzed, studied, exchanged, and competed with tactics from all over the world, and gradually reached a similar conclusion, which is 'space' and 'pressing'.
These two are the most important elements considered in modern football.
Now, it has become impossible to distinguish between 'European style' and 'South American style' based solely on tactics as before.
Of course, regional characteristics still remain, but 'space' and 'pressing' were being considered as key elements even in the college league in Korea, on the other side of Europe.
"Press, press! Don't give them space!!"
At the coach's shout, the players move reflexively.
The midfielder approaches to press, and the defensive line blocks the space, cutting off backups and passing lanes.
It was truly textbook defense.
However,
"He's through again!"
"Stick to him!"
Two people are bypassed in an instant by the breakthrough of number 15.
The center-back gauged the distance to the ball that had been trapped long.
'It's ambiguous.'
He felt like he could clear it if he rushed in now, but if he failed, even he, the final line of defense, would be breached. After a very short hesitation, not even a second, the center-back put strength into his pivot foot and kicked off the field.
'Got him...!?'
The moment he stretched out his foot to clear it outside the line, one foot pushed the ball away lightly, as if to be spiteful, and disappeared.
Again... it's that bastard again!
Approaching with unbelievable explosive acceleration, the ball he pushed away lightly passed between the center-back's spread legs, and the center-back, having lost his balance, knelt on one knee on the ground and turned his head.
Number 15 fills his vision.
"Fuuuck!!"
I lightly trapped the ball that came over long from the defensive zone, stopped it right in front of me, and adjusted the distance with small touches.
Whether the opponent rushed in or held their ground, I approached with small touches with the confidence that I could react first... and then I just kicked it long and ran.
Passing the midfielder who turned his body late, the center-back hesitated and then rushed in.
'Too slow.'
As I flicked the ball through the spread legs of the center-back who had rushed out for a clearance and brushed past, the goalkeeper, with a bewildered expression, rushed out in a hurry.
Near the left corner of the penalty box.
The goalkeeper lowered his stance and spread his arms wide below to narrow the angle as much as possible, but this is basically an open gate.
Thump, I planted my pivot foot and pushed the ball with the inside of my right foot.
Boom!
The ball, shot with a cheerful sound, headed to a spot the goalkeeper's hands couldn't reach, curved inward—and disappeared beyond the goalpost.
"Argh!!"
"Nice! Nice play!"
"Okay~ Let's go one more time like this!"
I clutched my head and sighed, but the seniors behind me clapped.
Swallowing my disappointment, I turned around.
The 3:0 score visible on the electronic scoreboard.
Of course, looking at the 3:0 score for our team, I shook off the slight lingering regret and headed toward our camp when the substitution signal came in.
IN 19
OUT 15
Ah, is it already the 15th minute of the second half?
As I walked out slowly, catching my breath, the coach patted my shoulder with a big smile.
"Well done, well done! You did very well again today!"
1 goal, 1 assist.
Plus, even though I had no attacking points, even the last goal our team scored was a chaotic scramble that started from my breakthrough, so I was effectively involved in all of our team's goals.
"Whew."
It's become a warm spring day now, but I put on a jumper to prevent my body temperature from dropping rapidly as the sweat cooled, and as I sat on the bench, the seniors hit my head as if they had been waiting.
"Wow~ This bastard is really something."
"You punk! You didn't take drugs, did you?"
Ugh, stop hitting me. And what drugs.
"What drugs would make my individual skills better? Of course not."
"Is it a new drug?"
Chatting with the seniors who were playfully booing me, I leaned back on the bench and watched the game.
...It's really boring.
Our team is defensive to begin with, and since I, who was leading the attack, am out, there's no decent offensive development.
Since the opposing team, whose mentality is broken, is also making mistakes, it's truly an eyesore of a performance.
Rather than watching this, I should look at the status window and think about future development directions.
【Technical】 【Mental】 【Physical】
Individual Skill 070(▲3) ｜Vision 046｜Speed 067(▲5)
Dribbling 068(▲8) ｜Anticipation 044｜Acceleration 068(▲1)
Trapping 067(▲10)｜Judgment 049｜Balance 065(▲9)
Short Pass 048 ｜Concentration 056｜Agility 065(▲6)
Long Pass 041 ｜Off the Ball 047｜Reaction Speed 079
Shooting 045 ｜Marking 038｜Power 054
Free Kick 042 ｜Composure 052｜Jump 046
Header 038 ｜Leadership 040｜Stamina 053
Tackle 032 ｜Teamwork 039｜Recovery 065
【Hidden】
Genius 046 ｜ Charm 095 ｜ Intelligence 028
【Height 175cm｜63kg】
【Points Held】 0P
'Did I raise my stats too rapidly?'
It's been a month since I got 36 points from Heeyeon Noona and Reporter Noona.
Including the existing Jigyeong Noona and Ha-yeon Noona, I was able to get a whopping 42 points as a result of working my waist hard for a month.
In a whole month, there were 4 women, but the fact that I only got 7 points from 36 to 42 was because the point acquisition amount dropped sharply after the first time, and...
'Sigh. Why are they all so busy.'
It's because all 4 of them were too busy.
Jigyeong Noona and Ha-yeon Noona are, despite appearances, 4th-year seniors about to graduate, so they are busy preparing for employment. Heeyeon Noona left the country early to participate in an open tournament held overseas.
Reporter Noona couldn't take a picture of my finger, but thanks to having the confirmation that she would interview me anytime, she is still working at the magazine company without getting fired.
...Of course, she whines every day about wanting to quit the company, but anyway, since she's working well.
Listening to Reporter Noona, it seems she's already marked by the company, so she's walking on eggshells. That's why it's not easy to meet her.
In the end, there are 4 women I meet, but since everyone is busy, it became a situation of poverty amidst plenty where it's hard to meet often.
Still, I managed to raise 42 points, and the status window became very flashy.
'Ah. I want to make at least one of them start with an 8.'
When I first distributed 32 points, I thought about dumping them all into one or two.
However, while raising individual skills, I found that it takes 2 points to raise 1 stat once it goes over 70.
No matter how much I thought about it, I felt it was a waste to dump points only into technique by using 2 points to raise 1 stat.
Unless it's like 90, even if I dump it all, it's just in the 80s.
So I changed my mind to match other abilities first and distributed them moderately... and what do you know. The perceived effect was much better.
'Technique also works better when it's based on other abilities.'
So I realized it late.
No matter how good individual skills are and how flashy the dribbling is, if the physical balance is bad, the opponent won't be fooled by feints, if the speed is slow, I'll be caught quickly even after breaking through, and if I'm not agile, my body won't follow even if I clearly read the opponent's movements.
In the end, technique also needs to be based on physical ability to be powerful in actual matches.
...Why did I only realize this now? It was all learned a long time ago.
That's why my intelligence is 28... no, that's not it.
No matter how I think about it, I'm definitely a genius.
I tried to raise my intelligence stat just in case, but they say hidden stats need 5 points per 1 stat. Damn it.
If I had distributed the points I was given at first into soccer ability.
Then how would I have acquired points? Even if I wanted to raise charm late, it's 1 stat per 5 points... ugh, just imagining it is terrible.
Beep, beep, beeep!!
I was sitting on the bench looking at the status window and worrying about this and that, and time flew by. It seems the game is over.
"Is this 7 consecutive wins since the opening?"
7 games, 7 wins, 0 losses.
I became a rising star, boasting crazy performance with 8 goals and 9 assists in all games I started.