Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Not Yet - 4
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“Uh, but… why are we going?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are we suddenly training at the first team’s training ground…”
On the way to the first team’s training ground, following Coach Luca.
When I asked, the Coach replied.
“Well, it’s like a field trip.”
“A field trip?”
“Yeah. Just go for a day, train with the first team players, and come back. It’s nothing special.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Everyone does it once. To get a taste of first team training. So don’t be too nervous or anything.”
“I see.”
At the Coach’s words, I scratched my head and sighed in relief.
Phew. So that’s what it was. I got all worked up for nothing.
I mean, I thought… they were calling me up to the first team for real. It couldn’t be helped. It’s just that suddenly being told we’d train at the first team’s ground…
But apparently not. It’s just one of the courses everyone goes through once. Go there, try training together, and learn what first team training is like.
Hearing that made my steps a little lighter.
…But when did the other kids go? I’ve never seen them go.
Well, whatever.
“Hard work—”
“Yeah, you’re here. Let’s go in.”
Even if they say everyone does it, I can’t help but be nervous.
Arriving at the first team’s training ground, the players I’d only seen from afar on the pitch were in the middle of training right before my eyes.
Meaning, people who seemed like they were in a completely different world just yesterday were right in front of me.
And I’m not supposed to be nervous?
Especially… that shiny-headed man over there seems to be the first team manager, Vincenzo.
He looks terrifying. Incredibly terrifying.
Even from a distance, I felt my body automatically tensing up.
“Manager, I’ve arrived.”
“Ah, good. Luca. How have you been?”
“Yes, I’ve been fine. But you, Manager, don’t seem to be doing so well. Just looking at your face.”
“…Have you been influenced by Tony too?”
“It’s Manager Tony who was influenced by me…”
…Up close, he’s even scarier.
Coach Luca and Manager Tony were a bit intimidating when I first saw them too, to be honest.
But looking at Manager Vincenzo, I can’t help but think the other two were just angels.
Mafia probably wouldn’t even dare come near this place…
“Ji-an?”
“…Huh? Yes?”
“You should greet him.”
“Ah, yes…”
Coach Luca put a hand on my shoulder and spoke.
Now that I think about it, I’d unconsciously been hiding right behind the Coach.
I bowed my head, looking at the ground.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah, yeah. So you’re the one. I’ve heard a lot about you. Well, don’t feel pressured just because it’s first team training. It’ll be similar anyway.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Good. Let’s get ready then.”
Hmm… But he’s smiling, so his expression looks much better. Maybe he’s a warmer person than he looks.
Right. You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.
“Let’s get ready.”
Yes.
I took a deep breath and took my soccer cleats out of my bag.
*
“You’re slooooow!!!”
“Slow! You’re slow! How many times do I have to tell you to get it through your thick skull!”
“Think ahead before you move! For god’s sake!”
You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance, but now I’m starting to think that maybe first impressions are the most accurate thing of all.
While I was changing my cleats and doing a light warm-up, I couldn’t help but flinch and get startled several times. It was because of Manager Vincenzo, who was shouting at the first team seniors during training.
“Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster!”
…Does the Manager have Korean blood in him or something?
With his head turning red from yelling, the Manager looked almost like a boiled octopus.
Manager Tony had told me he’s been under a lot of stress lately, and it certainly seemed that way. He looked furious. And he’s even scarier when he’s angry. Of all days to visit the first team, my timing couldn’t be worse.
Well, whatever.
Even if it’s just a field trip and training, I have to stay on my toes.
Manager Vincenzo is scary, but today, I’m representing the U17 team, in a way.
I have to do my best to keep up with the training so I don’t embarrass Coach Luca and Manager Tony.
“You’re slooooow!!!”
…I’ll do my best, but it doesn’t look easy. To my eyes, everyone looks incredibly fast, so I don’t even know what’s slow about it.
To be honest, it’s embarrassing.
Thinking back to when I watched the seniors’ match and complained about this and that being lacking.
Seeing them up close at the training ground, they all look like Messi and Mbappé. For me to have thought… I must be crazy.
Haah. I feel like the world is going dark before my eyes.
And even these seniors couldn’t show that level of performance in an actual match, and the opponent back then was a Serie B team, right?
So what on earth is the level of the Serie A teams, especially the strong ones, and beyond that, the top European teams?
It’s truly a mountain range of obstacles.
It’s so far away, I can’t even begin to imagine.
…Will my genius act really go unnoticed until the end?
“Good. Isn’t this enough to warm up?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“Go on, relax.”
“Yes.”
I nodded at Coach Luca’s words as he helped me warm up.
I’d love to just go home right now, but… I steel my resolve by recalling what Manager Tony told me.
Right. I have nothing to lose.
I’m just here as a visitor, and Ji-woo isn’t even here.
So what if I can’t do it?
No, it’s only natural that I can’t, right?
So let’s not be scared, and since I’m already here, let’s approach this with the goal of learning as much as I can.
“You’re sloooow!”
…Even with that mindset, I had to stop and start several times, but anyway, I headed for the training ground.
First of all, let’s forget everything else.
Let’s just answer quickly.
Whatever it is, he seems to hate anything slow.
*
“So that means…”
“Yes, I understand.”
“…You understand?”
“Yes.”
Vincenzo was momentarily taken aback by the 16-year-old kid’s crisp reply.
Hmm. I like his posture, full of fighting spirit, and his sharp eyes. But for him to say he understands before I’ve even finished explaining is a bit… surprising.
I mean, this isn’t a simple training drill. Is he really understanding and answering, or just making a plausible response?
“Alright. Well then, let’s give it a try.”
“Yes!”
Well, I’ll find out by watching.
Whether he really understood everything, or if he’s just good at talking the talk.
“To your positions!”
At Vincenzo’s command, the players dispersed to their respective spots.
Today’s training was focused on partial tactics in attacking situations.
Since this season began, Fiorentina had been heavily criticized for the excessive simplicity of their attacking patterns.
Vincenzo himself had to admit that criticism was valid.
Whenever he tried to do something, it always ended with sending the ball to the flanks and crossing it in.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that 8 out of 10 attacks were crosses.
It was only natural for the fans watching to start crying out that they couldn’t watch this anymore.
But the problem wasn’t just that it was boring to watch; the opponents could read the pattern perfectly too.
Now, as we head into the middle of the season.
Every team that faces Fiorentina defends the same way. They completely cut off passes to the flanks, or they pack the box with defenders to deflect the crosses.
Since the attack is always the same, the defense doesn’t need to be varied. And even if the opponent defends so blatantly, this side has no other option. They have to force another blind cross and just hope it gets through.
So, what’s the fundamental cause?
They had no players. No players to display creativity in the final third.
Meaning, they all lacked finesse; there were no players who knew how to handle the ball stylishly.
So they had no choice but to keep it simple.
That’s why.
Manager Tony recommended that kid.
Lee Ji-an.
He’d said that kid would solve all these problems. He even went so far as to say that in the future, that kid would become the team’s center.
However, unfortunately for Vincenzo, he didn’t have the luxury of time.
Vincenzo had to make a decision this coming winter, in just a few months.
He might even lose his job before then.
Signs reading ‘Vincenzo OUT!’ could appear in the stadium before long, given the current situation.
As such.
Vincenzo couldn’t just see Lee Ji-an as a promising youth player for the future.
He had to set the standard on whether he could be used as an immediate first-team player within a few months at the latest.
He didn’t have the leeway to keep a spot in the first-team squad open for a prospect right now.
“Ready!”
Vincenzo looked at Lee Ji-an with a sharp gaze and put the whistle in his mouth.
From now on, he would observe him coldly. Even if Manager Tony recommended him so highly, it couldn’t be helped.
“Peeeeeep—!”
With the whistle, the training began.
First, the first situation was simple. The opponent drops their line deep and defends by narrowing the gaps in the center.
From here, they had to lead up to a shot without using a cross.
Originally, he was going to give Lee Ji-an specific instructions on his movements, but the kid just listened roughly, said he understood, and that was that.
Well then, let’s see what he does, Vincenzo thought.
Let’s see.
Paaaang—
Paaaang—!
The midfielders exchanged horizontal passes, looking for a gap. Vincenzo watched with a sharp gaze, observing what kind of movement Lee Ji-an would make in the meantime.
“…”
Hmm. Well, he’s certainly got the habit of constantly turning his head to survey his surroundings down pat.
But what matters is the movement.
If he moves just like everyone else, no gap will—
“…!”
Vincenzo’s brow twitched.
It was when Vlahović, the lone striker, made a movement to drift out to the outside of the box.
At the same time, Lee Ji-an moved.
In a direction that crossed Vlahović’s path.
As their movements crossed, the defenders marking the two of them flinched.
A momentary confusion.
But a gap had definitely opened.
Vlahović, not missing it, shouted.
“Hey!”
Paaaang—!
A pass toward Vlahović.
Vlahović turned it around with a one-touch pass.
Passing the ball to Lee Ji-an and then charging back into the box.
He seemed to be expecting a one-touch combination pass… but could that 16-year-old kid, in that narrow gap, give Vlahović the exact pass he wanted?
Paaaang—!
“…!”
This time, Vincenzo’s eyes widened.
He… got it right.
Right into the notoriously picky Vlahović’s taste.
Lee Ji-an used the outside of his foot to gently chip the short pass, lofting it over the top.
The pass, lofted to an ambiguous height just above the defenders’ waists, was impossible to intercept unless they used their hands,
Tung—!
And the ball dropped perfectly in the direction Vlahović was crashing into.
Vlahović, who had been complaining until now that there was nothing to eat, now looked like he’d finally been served a delicious meal.
Tatatat—!
He greedily charged in and took a shot.
Beeeeeeeeeeem—!
Shwooooooo—
Slap—!!
“…”
First, his eyebrows. Then his eyes.
This time, Vincenzo’s mouth was agape.
It was a more creative play than the picture Vincenzo had wanted to paint.
*
Even though Manager Tony had recommended him, Vincenzo’s initial expectations were low.
So he was surprised. At first.
In an instant, he read Vlahović’s movement, made the best judgment, quickly positioned himself, and then…
With a flawless combination play, he created a shooting opportunity with his movement.
It was enough to be admired for its sense and wit, but the fact that a 16-year-old youth kid had pulled it off was what made it so surprising.
If another first-team player had done it, it might not have been such a big deal.
But as the training continued.
As they moved on to the second situation and then the third.
The surprise Vincenzo felt at Lee Ji-an was no longer just because he was 16 years old.
Even if you just thought of him as another first-team player, he was astonishing. His sense, his creativity, his understanding of tactics.
Tatatat—!
Even now, look.
Without any specific instruction, as the ball circulates, he comes down on his own to find a way through.
Then, he dribbles with the ball, forcing the defense to move,
Paaaang—!
And the moment he sees a gap, he pierces through it like an awl.
“Nice!”
The pass was so exquisite that Vlahović shouted “Nice!” even before receiving it.
Vlahović has been in high spirits since earlier.
He’s never had a partner who fit his taste this perfectly before.
Beeeeeeeeeeem—!
The synergy the two are showing now is a beautiful picture that was never seen in Fiorentina before.
Scritch, scritch—
Vincenzo scratched his flushed scalp.
Right… this is it.
It’s like scratching an itch.
A spot that had been so itchy he was going crazy but he couldn’t reach to scratch it himself—Lee Ji-an was scratching it for him.
So refreshingly.
“…”
Vincenzo, his eyes still fixed on the field, rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his phone.
And he made a call somewhere.
A moment later, Manager Tony answered the phone.
“Ah, yeah. I’m watching right now. Let’s wrap things up by next week.”
-Excuse me? What are you talking about?
“Promote him to the first team. You were right.”
-…What did you say? Send him to the first team by next week?
“Yeah. By next week.”
-No, Manager. Isn’t that too soon? It’s not yet time.
“What do you mean, ‘not yet’?”
-There’s still so much to teach him. I need to keep him with me a little longer.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be the one to keep him. I have more to teach him.”
-I’m telling you, I need to keep him! It’s not yet time!
The two managers began to bicker childishly over Lee Ji-an.
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