Champions League Korean Derby
CFA meeting room. Pep Guardiola stood in front of the large screen. The screen displayed the familiar Stars' War logo alongside a somewhat unfamiliar bracket format.
"Alright, pay attention, everyone. You all know the Champions League format has completely changed this season, right? No more group stages. It's a league phase now."
Pep pointed his laser pointer at a massive table grouping all 36 teams together.
[Previous: 4 teams per group, home & away 6 matches.]
[New: 36 teams compete in a single league. Total 8 matches (4 home, 4 away).] All opponents are different.
"We now face eight different teams. One slip-up makes recovery way tougher. Only 1st to 8th advance straight to the round of 16. The rest go through playoffs. We're going straight through, of course. No variables."
Pep's eyes sharpened again. He flipped the screen to show our first opponent's emblem. Red and white vertical stripes. The Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven.
"First match is PSV. True to their Dutch style, fierce front pressing and wingers with insane speed. Especially watch their midfield."
Pep brought up PSV's predicted starting lineup. Among the sea of names, one immediately grabbed my attention.
MF - TAK GO-GANG
"...Tak Go-gang."
The name slipped quietly from my lips. Bernardo Silva, sitting next to me, nudged me and asked,
"Ryan, know the guy? He's PSV's hottest midfielder right now. Monster work rate, they say."
These idiots, he's Korean. Even if we're some backwater nation, you don't know nationalities? Well, not that surprising.
I nodded lightly. Among Korean football fans, Tak Go-gang was already hailed as the next ace, devouring the Dutch league.
Tenacious dribbler—exactly the style that pisses me off on rival teams. Thinking back to the Oman match, Tak had protected Jang Kangcheol and the back four from behind when I pushed up.
Pep's analysis continued.
"Tak is this team's engine. Covers defensive line protection to box-to-box duties all by himself. Ryan, he's different from Casemiro who troubled you in the Man United game. This guy's gonna stalk you for 90 minutes."
Before Pep finished, the picture was already forming in my head. A Korean midfielder showdown on the Stars' War stage.
Ahead of the Champions League PSV match, the communities were buzzing.
Then an article caught my eye. A mid-tier journalist directly countering the sensational Lekka incitement.
The community exploded the moment the article dropped.
Kang Jinmo's sniper article split the community into Lekka supporters and reporter backers, sparking an unprecedented keyboard war.
A bitter smile crept across my lips as I scrolled lying in bed.
Cyber Lekka—they claim it's for Korean football, but no love for the game anywhere.
I hit the power button and turned off the screen.
The Ministry of Culture decided on October 2nd for the interim announcement of the football association audit results.
Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Red and white waves filled the stadium, and the majestic Champions League anthem echoed, signaling the start of Stars' War.