First Championship (3)
First Championship (3)
046
After the first match against Hakseondae, Hojin University easily finished the second match with a victory, reaching the finals for the first time since its founding. Thanks to this, the school entrance, as well as various places in the nearby area, were plastered with banners, creating a festive atmosphere.
...Only for the school officials, that is.
In reality, the students and nearby residents were indifferent, reacting with a "Who gives a shit, you nerds" attitude.
"Hehe. Yes. Our soccer team members. To reach the finals for the first time since our founding! First time in our region! as proud Hojin people. It's amazing. Director Kim. What was Uosong University's best record again?"
"It's a whopping 9 years! 9 years ago, reaching the quarterfinals is their best."
"Oh my~ Is that so? 9 years! Ago, reaching the quarterfinals! Is their best? So that's the record that Old Man Park of Uosong University was boasting about, just 9 years ago! Quarterfinals!"
"Haha, isn't that why it's even more amazing? This is a soccer team that many people said should be shut down! If not for the Chairman's excellent eye and insight to keep it, we wouldn't have these results."
"That's right. This is all thanks to the Chairman's active support. Coach Na. Since you've made it to the finals... we can expect a win, right?"
"Hehehe. Now, now, let's all calm down. We haven't won yet. Right, Coach Na?"
"...O-of course, Chairman. Uhaha... haha."
Perhaps that's why.
People I'd never seen before, claiming to be the Chairman and executives, swarmed in and gave us pressure to win disguised as well-wishes.
Why on earth did they come, those people.
They were gilding each other's faces without even feeling ashamed, just adding unnecessary pressure.
Although the Chairman and his lackeys came to cause trouble, the team atmosphere was at its peak since we reached the finals, and everyone was enthusiastically engaging in autonomous training.
"Yoon-hyeok sunbae. When doing a liner pass, is this how you kick it?"
"Liner pass?"
I've been finding passing fun lately.
As my pass-related stats crossed 50, and various areas previously pointed out as weaknesses—like judgment, vision, and spatial understanding—improved, I felt like I was finally beginning to understand the soccer knowledge I had only known superficially.
I'm particularly interested in long passes, specifically what's known as a liner pass.
It's a skill that can be considered a basic requirement for a midfielder, and it's easy to think of it as a fast, low-trajectory long pass.
Midfielders need to possess a variety of skills.
Since it's the position that acts as the link between offense and defense in the center where the pressure is most intense, naturally, they must have a balanced set of offensive and defensive abilities. Of course, even among midfielders, there are cases where the offensive-defensive balance leans to the extreme depending on the role, but generally, that's the case.
In our team's tactics, what's especially required of the midfielder, specifically Yoon-hyeok sunbae, are switching passes and liner passes.
This is a part I've been practicing intensely recently because it's an essential ability for the play that the Olympic national team coach demanded of Yoon-hyeok sunbae, not just for our team.
A switch means spreading the ball wide toward an area where the opponent's density is low; for example, it's called a switch when you draw the opposing team in while exchanging short passes on one flank, then launch it wide to the other side.
What's needed here is accurate long-passing ability.
And among long passes, a low and fast pass is called a 'liner pass', which is a key element in counter-attack situations.
One of the conditions for a counter-attack defined in modern soccer is the 'X-Second Rule'.
It varies by coach, but generally, it's a theory that a counter-attack must be executed within 6 seconds if short, or 9 seconds if long, to neutralize the opponent's defensive transition. Typically, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola defines it as 6 seconds, and Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick defines it as 9 seconds.
When we consider a counter-attack to be a series of actions to somehow carry the ball to the final third, the threatening area, within that short time of 6 to 9 seconds, there are largely 3 methods.
Short passes, dribbling, and long passes.
At this time, let's imagine a counter-attack through a long pass stabbed from the back in one go.
No matter how accurate the long pass is, what would happen if the ball just floated in the air?
The opponent isn't stupid, so wouldn't they naturally organize their defense and focus on the expected landing spot while the ball is hanging in the air?
But what if the long pass flies low and fast?
This is what's called a liner pass.
"Didn't you learn this? That can't be. It's something everyone learns as a basic."
"I did learn it. But it didn't come out right in actual games."
"Then how did you do it until now?"
"I just kicked it however it came. I didn't really do long passes anyway."
"Holy shit."
Why, what.
No coach has ever expected long passes from me anyway.
I looked at him confidently with a thick face, and Yoon-hyeok sunbae shook his head.
"You really are... amazing in a way."
"Haha. Right? I'm pretty amazing."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"That wasn't a compliment?"
"......."
It's fine, I'm a technician.
But don't technicians also pass well?
"First, try kicking one. Let me see your posture."
I carefully placed the ball down, planted my standing foot, and then, with my instep... after a series of processes, the ball sliced through the air.
As I was nodding with satisfaction at the sight of it reaching the target point about 30m away almost accurately,
"It curves a bit. And it's got spin."
"Isn't this a good kick?"
"Nope, not really. Watch me kick it."
Yoon-hyeok sunbae demonstrated.
A textbook posture. From the slightly tilted-back upper body and the smooth follow-through of the arms to the precise impact.
It was a delivery pass that fell to the target point in a straight line, lower and faster than the ball I had kicked.
"See that?"
"Oh... that's sick. As expected of a midfielder."
"Hey kid. This isn't just for midfielders; any soccer player should be proficient at this."
"It's fine. I'm a striker, after all."
"Bullshit. What are you, Aaron Ramsey? Because I'm a midfielder? Kick it again, kid."
After watching me practice a couple of times, he nodded.
"I get it. Your standing foot stance is too narrow. Because it's narrow, the impact isn't made accurately. Look, you push it from the bottom of the ball to the center with your instep, this part right here. The important thing is not to chop at it, but to follow through with the swing."
"Like this?"
"Yeah, like that. If you kick it right, the ball gets backspin, right? If you kick too much in the center, it becomes a knuckleball, and if it leans left or right, it catches spin and the path curves. With the feeling of scooping it up from the bottom, leading to the center, like this, tuk! If you kick it properly, it flies with backspin."
After about 10 minutes of practicing while receiving corrections from him, I could do it roughly the same way.
"What the. You said you wanted me to teach you, but you knew it all."
"I guess so. Why does this only make sense now? I learned it all back in youth soccer."
"Maybe your brain is finally opening up?"
Yoon-hyeok sunbae laughed heartily while making a joke, but I couldn't laugh.
'Brain opening up? So it means my mind is clearing? ...That sounds about right!?'
I recently invested a large amount into the stats that were pointed out as weaknesses. Into passing ability or mental stats.
'What if I invest a bit in intelligence and become a genius? A soccer genius...?'
That's tempting.
Gotta collect points quickly.
University League finals, the so-called King of Kings Tournament.
It wasn't a match that received much public attention, but since it was the final of a national tournament hosted by the Korea Football Association, they did keep up appearances.
Doing some coverage, doing some interviews.
"Uhehe. This is all~ the result of effort, hard work! Didn't all our players run hard?"
"Considering that, in the case of number 15, Hong Min-jun, his activity level per game is only 8km. What do you think about that?"
"Ah! That, whatchamacallit. Doesn't Min-jun always get substituted in the 15th~20th minute of the second half? So, looking at it based on a full-time basis, it's bound to be low~ that's what I mean. Besides, Min-jun has that, tactical movement, so there's also that."
"Understood, Coach. There are claims in some quarters that your tactics are outdated anti-football. What do you think about this?"
"What!? Anti-football!! Who is that making such ridiculous waaaah...!!"
"Waaah?"
"No, I mean slander, slander!"
Hmm... our coach is popular.
It's the first time in his coaching career that he's receiving media attention... though it's only 4 reporters, anyway, the interview with the coach proceeded ahead of the finals.
"Yoon-hyeok player. Rumor has it you performed well in the friendly match against the Olympic national team..."
"Na Jin-ho player. Your scoring ability has been on an upward trend recently, why are you performing even better in the upper league—"
"I understand that multiple pro teams are expressing interest, Go Ji-sik player, what are your future career plans..."
Interviews with the team members were also actively taking place.
...Except for me.
'Wow, fuck. Seriously, I'm not even a kid, this is too much.'
I'm the one who is guaranteed to be the MVP of this tournament regardless of the win or loss, having succeeded in reaching the finals.
It would be nice to win, but even if we end up as runners-up, my individual performance is so overwhelming that there's no competition. My offensive points per game exceed 2, so of course that's a given.
Furthermore, I have looks that are on par with famous handsome actors... no, in my honest opinion, I have better looks than those so-called handsome actors, so isn't this the birth of a star?
I've chewed up the tournament with overwhelming skill and I have looks like this, so it would be normal for reporters to swarm me, but...
"Sorry. Because of me, there's no one who wants to interview you."
"No. Why would that be because of you, noona?"