Arsenal’s Tactical Chaos: Blind Pass or Inevitable Backfire?
Arsenal was a strong team? (Part 2)
A mid-table side suddenly surging to the top of the table usually gets dismissed in the early days as nothing more than pure luck.
But when you look a little closer, there is always a reason behind it.
One of the reasons City were holding down second place in the Premier League right now was the rock-solid stability of their backline.
Ever since I joined, the defenders have become noticeably more confident, which has allowed the attackers to push forward with even greater aggression.
That was why, even though it was only the early stages of the season, we had somehow managed to secure four straight victories.
But no one can ride a wave of success forever.
Trouble always finds its way around, and when it does, its favorite name is usually **complacency**.
[Oh! It’s gone in! Rost’s shot! Ah, Tae-woo isn’t letting City’s net shake this time either!]
[That’s one of Tae-woo’s best things. Right now, no other goalkeeper in the world has a higher one-on-one save rate than him. That’s why an eighteen-year-old can even step into the Premier League as a goalkeeper.]
[But look at the defenders— they’re way too unsettled. Six shots on target already in the first twenty minutes.]
[Arsenal’s tactic is basically that old-fashioned kick-and-rush—long bypass passes that leave the defenders scrambling all over the place. The Arsenal players are having a field day.]
[This isn’t going to fly. Even I know my one-on-one situation isn’t a hundred percent guarantee. One day it’s going to slip. Defenders, you need to stay sharp.]
Yeah, I’d been on a winning streak for almost a month. It was easy to let your guard down.
But that’s not how pros do it.
Pros can’t afford to lose their cool, no matter what.
“Concentrate! What the hell are you doing? If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been 6-0! It’s not even that difficult a pattern—why are you constantly missing?”
The defenders jumped at the sound of my voice.
Of course they did.
I’d never yelled at them during a match or training before.
But now was the time.
Even if I was unbeatable in one-on-one situations, I couldn’t promise I’d keep every ball out.
If this kept up, we’d concede sooner or later.
“Next time you miss another one, I’m forcing a piece of Castillo’s pie straight into your mouth!”
The defenders’ faces turned deathly pale at my words.
Everyone already knew through Guerrero that Castillo’s “authentic” British dishes were legendary—especially the fish-headed pie that people had to force themselves to eat.
Of course, some of the defenders didn’t understand the threat, but…
“Eh? Why the scary face? It’s delicious, though. Why are you all looking like that?”
The defenders who got the joke immediately hardened their expressions, while Castillo, completely oblivious, just kept smiling.
“Tae-woo, I swear I won’t miss this time. Please stop with the nightmare stories…”
“Are you trying to kill us?”
“No, the pie is actually tasty!”
“Ugh… just thinking about it makes my stomach turn.”
Of course, they knew I wasn’t actually going to make them eat the pie. It was just a joke meant to get them focused.
I’m not joking. If I ever see a play I don’t understand again, I really will shove a piece of Castillo’s pie into their mouths.
That idiot who still defends his own cooking as “tasty” actually believes it. So I’d be happy to oblige.
* * *
Thankfully, the joke worked perfectly.
The effect was immediate.
[Mench! He’s clearing the ball from the front. This is exactly what we’ve been drilling. No matter how fast the counter is, you can never give up the space behind the defense. Tae-woo told you that before, right? The defenders finally got it— no more sloppy gaps.]
[Unbelievable. Even the older players who tower over him are getting shouted at sternly, yet Tae-woo still keeps the whole team in line. Pure leadership for an eighteen-year-old goalkeeper!]
[What the heck is wrong with this player? An eighteen-year-old keeper pulling off moves like this? It’s insane.]
‘Huh? I was playing well before… why do I feel so uneasy?’
[Arsenal send it long to the left… and he’s taken it!]
[Too many defenders in front of them. What do we do? Oh! Straight shot!]
[Eh? The ball hit his hand. During the slide tackle, why did he raise his hand? The ball clearly struck his hand!]
‘Shit! He was playing clean just a second ago—why the hell is he lifting his hand now!’
Mench went in hard with a sliding tackle to win the ball, but the opponent never saw it coming.
He never noticed the ball was about to hit his own hand.
And he definitely didn’t realize he was standing inside the penalty box.
‘Ha… shit.’
Why was he waving to me during the challenge?
I wasn’t here to officiate. I wasn’t going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Penalties are decided by reaction time, and mine is fraud-level. I couldn’t save it anyway.
I hate penalties more than anything.
[Rost is preparing the penalty kick]
‘Even this much is fine.’
[Eh? Why is Jung Tae-woo standing on the left? And he’s pointing to the right with his hand! It’s like he’s saying, “You’re going that way, right?”]
The only way to raise my odds was to bait the shooter into overthinking.
Whether it was a real mistake or just a glance in my direction, the extra second of thought was enough to beat him.
After all, I already knew exactly where he was going to place it, no matter which way he struck.
My heart was hammering like crazy.
That was the loneliest moment a goalkeeper could ever feel.
Thousands of eyes were watching me, but in the end, it was always just me and the ball.
‘As soon as he swings—right side.’
[Rost prepares the penalty… KICK!!!!]
[Tae-woo dives right! From standing on the left, he exploded forward like lightning and launched himself to the right!]
[Insane save! He punched it away with his right hand! But it’s still dangerous!]
I didn’t even have time to feel the relief.
Because the ball had bounced out and I hadn’t caught it, I had to prepare for the next one immediately.
[Oh no— the rebound flies straight to Arsenal’s Tony Jones!]
‘Please!’
My body twisted too fast, and every muscle screamed in protest, but I still launched myself forward.
[Tae-woo is up again!]
[AAAH! Tae-woo’s got it! He just snatched the ball clean this time!]
I hadn’t felt tired during the match, but the constant demands of extreme concentration had my lungs burning.
But when you’re standing in front of that kind of achievement, every second of exhaustion feels worth it.
Football is a sport where attackers usually steal the spotlight from keepers.
But sometimes—very rarely—the keeper takes center stage and leaves the crowd speechless.
That happens the moment the keeper starts producing back-to-back miracles that make jaws drop.
And I had just done exactly that.
Twice.
The home fans were already going wild, and their cheers filled the Etihad Stadium until it felt like it was going to explode.
Jung Tae-woo, wherever you may be,
You’re keeping clean sheets for Man City,
With angel face and lightning saves,
The youngest keeper making waves,
He’s our Number One from Ko-re-a!
Tae-woo! Tae-woo!
Mathias came charging through the deafening roar of the crowd and pulled me into a crushing hug.
“You madman! How the hell did you stop that?”
The captain’s face was a mix of disbelief and pure awe.
One by one, the rest of the team gathered around me.
Alexander clapped me hard on the back, and Sanchez patted my shoulder while saying, “That’s our Tae-woo!”
Even in the middle of all the celebrations, there was only one thing I could say to them.
“I’ve done all this… but if we lose, I’m not holding back. Castillo.”
“Eh? Why?”
“If we lose this game… for team unity, can we all eat at your house afterwards?”
The players’ faces turned stone-cold when they understood what I meant.
Mathias hesitated for a second, eyes widening, then coughed and looked away.
Sanchez looked like he’d just seen a horror movie.
Guerrero looked ready to bolt at any moment.
‘Heh heh… Sanchez, Guerrero—you’ve actually tried it, so you know. Those horrific dishes…’
Of course, the only person who was still grinning like an idiot was the self-proclaimed chef Castillo.
“Really? Finally Tae-woo gets it! Just win and we’ll all eat together! I’ll cook every new dish I’ve developed!”
“No way. We win, we prepare for the next match.”
I kept my face serious and continued.
“But if we lose… if I’ve done everything and we still lose, it’s clearly a team issue. That’s the moment your food is truly needed.”
“Haha, really? Alright! If we lose, I’ll try my best—for the team!”
‘Heh heh… if we lose, we all die together, you idiots.’
“The crazy bastard…”
Guerrero muttered under his breath, but I pretended not to hear it.
Even the one who’s the craziest talking like that.
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