Step Up (4)
Step Up (4)
32
After sticking the magnets representing the players onto the tactical board, the Coach declared.
"It's the same loss whether we lose by 2 goals or 3."
In a regional preliminary league without goal difference, winning by 100 goals or 1 goal results in the same 3 points. In short, for a team trailing in score, attacking without looking back is the best strategy.
"From now on, we push the line up."
First, the Coach's hand dragged the magnets at the very bottom, representing the four-man defensive line, upward.
"Kim Young-hyo!"
"Yes, Coach!"
The magnet for 4th-year Senior Kim Young-hyo, who was playing left fullback, was dragged straight up.
"Young-hyo, you take the left flank. You're a wingback... no, just infiltrate and attack like a winger!"
"Understood."
Senior Young-hyo, who was originally a winger, had his eyes light up as if he had caught a great opportunity.
He wasn't as fast as me, but for Senior Young-hyo, who had good footwork, the Coach had personally unleashed his long-suppressed attacking instincts, so he couldn't help but be happy.
"Yong-jin, hold the defensive line firmly as usual and sweep up, and Ki-soo, take wide lateral movements."
As 4th-year defensive midfielder Senior Chae Yong-jin and 4th-year central midfielder Senior Kim Ki-soo nodded, the Coach's finger pointed to the last remaining spot among the three midfielder magnets.
"Yoon-hyeok! You move vertically. Move up and down as much as you want. Don't worry about the tactics, just move according to your judgment."
"Understood."
Everyone looked at Senior Yoon-hyeok with surprised eyes at the declaration of a de facto free role.
It was the first time the Coach, who had a conservative tactical view that prioritized team movement over individual freedom, had granted a free role.
And no one expected that Senior Yoon-hyeok, a 3rd-year student who had been playing as a semi-regular, would receive a free role.
"And Hong Min-jun. You move mainly in the half-space. Leave the left flank to Young-hyo, and when attacking, position yourself in the half-space, then infiltrate the empty space that Jin-ho creates by dragging the opposing defenders down. Move like a central attacker, not a winger. Got it?"
"Uh... so like a Trequa?"
"Yeah. Trequa. Like Francesco Totti or Roberto Baggio. You know what I mean, right?"
Trequartista.
An Italian soccer term referring to a person positioned at the three-quarters mark, corresponding to an attacking midfielder.
It was generally a role taken by players called 'Fantazista', and it was a style that minimized defensive participation to focus on attack, a position that required a style difficult to survive in modern soccer where every position demands active offense and defense transitions.
Roberto Mancini, the Italian master who once served as the manager of Manchester City, cited excellent ball control and technique for press resistance, and creativity as the requirements for a Trequartista, which is similar to what is called a 'Crack'.
"Ultimately, when attacking, we move in this form."
(The blue color is the protagonist's team, and the yellow color is the protagonist. The arrows are the direction of movement, and the blue circle is the half-space where the protagonist will mainly move.)
I was surprised looking at the magnets the Coach had placed.
It's more aggressive than I thought.
"Yoon-hyeok. You are the core. You have to move widely up and down to shake up the enemy camp and supply quality passes. Can you do it?"
"...I'll try."
"I asked if you can do it. If you can't, say so quickly!"
"I can do it!"
The Coach, who had been quietly staring at Senior Yoon-hyeok, nodded.
I have to cover that wide space?
Oh Sang-tae felt like his head was turning blank.
It was already a first half full of mistakes, and it seemed like he would have to be responsible for the flank space all by himself in the second half.
Of course, when defending, Senior Chae Yong-jin, the defensive midfielder, would drop down to form a 3-back, but in a counter-attack situation, would things really go according to tactics?
In the end, thinking that he might have to cover the wide space on the left all by himself if things went south, Oh Sang-tae's legs were trembling.
That was when it happened.
"Sang-tae."
"Yes, Coach."
The Coach approached Oh Sang-tae, who was following at the very back after everyone else had left to hide his trembling legs, and put his arm around his shoulder.
"You bastard. Are you scared?"
"...A little, I'm nervous."
"You saw what Hong Min-jun did in the first half earlier, right?"
Oh Sang-tae unconsciously recalled Hong Min-jun's play in the first half.
The overwhelming technique with which he repeatedly broke through the opposition with dazzling movements, even from the perspective of himself in the defensive line. But didn't he commit countless turnovers trapped in the layers of the enemy's formation?
"That guy has a temper, so if you scratch him a little, he explodes."
"...Yes?"
"You saw him play, so you know well. That guy's footwork is the real deal."
"Ah, yes. That's true."
There is no one who doesn't know Hong Min-jun's technique.
At least at the pro level. If it's the domestic league, it's enough to compete for the best, and even if you turn your eyes abroad, it's a level that could easily work in the top 4 European leagues.
"Plus, his speed is good. You get it? Even in the first half when there was no space, the opponent was flustered and swayed because he was stirring things up alone. In the second half, space will open up. Yoon-hyeok has good off-the-ball movement, and he has good chemistry with Hong Min-jun, so he'll pass the ball well too. Do you know what I mean?"
"...Eh?"
"Sigh, you idiot. We're going to tear them apart in the second half, you bastard. So don't be scared, just do it to your heart's content! If we concede a goal, we'll score two. You get it?"
"Ah, yes, yes."
"Go."
The Coach, who tapped Oh Sang-tae's back, sighed and took out a cigarette.
"Sseup. Smoking is prohibited indoors, Coach."
"Damn it. Who's watching?"
"I am."
"So, are you going to snitch?"
"No. I'm going to smoke too."
"This bastard is really something."
The Head Coach, who was giggling and smoking together, exhaled smoke and asked.
"Will Sang-tae be okay?"
"I don't know, you bastard."
"...Seriously?"
"For real. If I could change the kids with a few words, I'd be a pro team manager, why would I be here?"
Phew, the Coach sighed.
"Still, I have to trust him. Hong Min-jun poked him a bit, so he must be boiling right now. If that guy really gets going, no one can stop him. At least in the college league."
"Ah! The players are coming out! It looks like the second half is starting now!"
Han So-young, the operator of 'Football in Love', shouted energetically and adjusted the camera again.
—Who watches the college league? Boring.
—Ah, who requested to watch this?
—Who else, So-young wanted to do it.
—Lol.
—Which match is this?
—It's the college league.
—?? That exists?
—I don't know lol.
—F***, is the audience count for real? It's so empty.
—Idiot, it's 'empty', not 'empty'.
—Are these guys even human? Lol. Isn't it 'empty'?
Seeing the chat window with no interest even though the game was about to start, So-young secretly sighed.
'Ah. Did I come for nothing?'
26 years old this year.
So-young, who had been living the life of a swan (unemployed) after graduating from college, started streaming impulsively after hearing that being a female streamer made good money.
The problem was the content.
So-young, who was worried about what to do, decided to make use of her hobby.
Soccer.
From her grandfather, father, to her older brother. So-young, who had been a soccer fanatic since she was young as the precious daughter of a soccer family where everyone was a soccer player, started broadcasting with soccer content, and was able to grow in an instant with her unique pretty appearance, knowledge that was no less than an expert, and genuine soccer fanaticism.
Of course, it wasn't enough to be called a big company, but it had only been a year since she started broadcasting.
So-young had grown enough to earn money at the level of an office worker, so even if it was at the level of a small company's low salary, she was satisfied with becoming a confident member of society from a swan.
But people want to sleep when they lie down.
So-young, who had grown rapidly as a pretty soccer-loving female streamer, was worried about her stagnant broadcast due to a lack of content, when she coincidentally heard rumors of a 'monster prospect who is eating up the college league'. Plus, he was incredibly handsome!
That's how she came to the stadium after asking her dad.
The prospect who was eating up the college league she saw for the first time was a handsome boy who gave So-young a visual shock for the first time in her life.
'Jackpot!'
I'd heard he was handsome, handsome, but to that extent? And he's even good at it?
So-young's expectation of a broadcast jackpot quickly collapsed, as Hojin University, which had been on a 7-game winning streak, was unexpectedly making mistakes one after another from the first half and falling down on their own.
'Is this the 7-game winning streak team...? Is the skill level of the college league's sensation team for real.'
If there was a silver lining, after conceding 2 goals due to amateurish play, the prospect wearing number 15 showed amazing movement, but...
"Ah. That's too reckless a play."
—Lol, almost brainless breakthrough.
—F***, I've seen this a lot lol. Am I the only one who thinks of Adel Taarabt?
— -Old-timer-
—Just searched it. He's a player from the Park Ji-sung era.
—The smell of an old-timer is vibrating.
Just like the viewers' chat, his individual ability definitely looked good... but it was like he was playing without a brain.
"Ah. That was such a shame just now. Did you guys see that just now? Breaking through 3 people."
—If you only collect the highlights, even a 3rd division leaguer is world-class lol.
—Lol, true.
The first half ended with only ridicule from the viewers, and So-young agonized.
Should I watch this until the second half?
There was no performance from the prospect she expected, and the viewer reaction was lower than she thought.
However, it took a whopping 4 hours to get from Seoul to Hojin University, so it was too much of a waste of time to watch only the first half.
It was when So-young was watching the game, worrying about how to talk to keep the viewers.
"...Huh? Everyone, it looks like the tactics have changed? Uh, uh-uh? Uh-uh-uh!!"