Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: I Want to Be an Adult - 3
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“How is it? Can you keep going?”
“Yes. I'm fine.”
“If you feel it's too much, raise your hand right away. The manager told me to do it that way.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I nodded while the medical trainer was giving me a massage.
I already felt a bit heavy on my body today, but now it felt even more limp, like waterlogged cotton.
The first half was quite tough.
No, to be precise, it was the toughest first half I've ever played.
If we're only talking about the physical aspect, that is.
The problem was that I kept colliding with the opponent's number 7 throughout the match.
That was because I was given a defensive duty, and also because the opponent wasn't the type of team to play with a high line.
We were bound to bump into each other often.
If the opponent was just an average team, the manager probably wouldn't have given me a special defensive role. Like in the matches against Genoa and Sampdoria.
But Roma was clearly different.
This wasn't just based on their ranking; I understood after meeting them directly on the pitch.
Roma was a solid team with a good balance between offense and defense.
That's why I also had to actively participate in defense. Thanks to that, I had to be as exhausted as if I had run for 90 minutes, loosening my legs like this.
It was good that my body was so tired that I couldn't have any other stray thoughts, but the problem was that the second half was still left.
“Hoo···”
I placed an ice pack the size of my palm on my forehead.
Now, it seemed I needed to cool my head more than anything else.
Because I wasn't satisfied with the first half, I was honestly still in a state of self-inflicted irritation.
So, what exactly was I not satisfied with?
I asked myself.
My condition being worse than usual was just an excuse, so I'll put that aside for now.
First, the defense.
There were several situations where I faced the opponent's number 7 one-on-one. I succeeded in pushing him back a few times, but I allowed him to turn a few times, and I even allowed him to break through a few times.
Let's just say that can happen.
After all, I don't think I have any talent for defense. Besides, the opponent is a player who holds the role of ace for a big team like Roma.
It means it's something that can happen, that I could allow a breakthrough a few times.
What the manager instructed me to do was a primary press and delay, not an order to block him at all costs.
However, I got emotional over just losing a few of those physical battles.
That's right. I should have been more cold-headed, but I was stupid.
For various reasons··· it was because of my physical condition.
First, my condition wasn't good, so my body felt heavy.
Today, for some reason, I felt like my body couldn't keep up with my mind. Usually, my body and mind moved together, but today, my body was always one beat slower.
That's why there were many situations where I had to compete physically with the opponent. Because I was one beat late in moving, situations where I had to use my body were bound to arise continuously.
And in those situations, I kept getting pushed back, which seemed to make me more emotional.
I could clearly anticipate how the opponent would move, and the opponent actually moved that way.
It was frustrating that I knew it but couldn't stop it.
Moreover, I deliberately charged in more because I thought my teammates would worry if they saw me struggling.
Because the seniors wouldn't just sit still watching me struggle. I didn't want to make my seniors suffer.
But··· after cooling my head and thinking about it, it was just too foolish.
It wasn't that I played emotionally; to be precise, I played foolishly.
And I just kept making excuses and feeling wronged.
That I would have won if I had met him when I was fully grown?
Hey, Lee Ji-an.
Didn't you say you wanted to be an adult?
Then why are you making age-related excuses the moment things get disadvantageous?
“···.”
I removed the ice pack I had placed on my forehead.
My head must have been that hot; the ice pack had gone soft in an instant.
In the second half, I have to play more intelligently.
If my body moves one beat slower than usual, I just need to make my judgments one beat faster.
I was way too arrogant from the start.
I wanted to do well. I wanted to run longer, and I wanted to show a better performance than in the last match.
But··· since when did I start thinking that I was a player who could run for 90 minutes and beat an ace from a team like Roma?
Maybe the one who had the biggest expectations for me was actually myself.
“Alright, let's go back!”
“You're doing well, you're doing well! Let's try a little more!”
The first half was a loss because I wanted to win too much.
So in the second half··· I'll just do what I can.
I'll focus with the thought of running for just 10 more minutes.
I nodded and followed my teammates out of the locker room.
*
“Don't you think you should say something to him?”
“It's fine.”
“Still, it seems you need to guide him back in the right direction···”
“Leave him be.”
Vincenzo shook his head at the coach's words.
It was about Lee Ji-an.
He had shown signs of struggling a bit during the first half.
No, to be objective, the word 'struggling' might not be appropriate.
After all, he played well.
He pressed Pellegrini, the core of the opponent's attack, and made him uncomfortable, and he also showed he could overcome pressure and advance in attacking situations.
It was his first start, this is Roma, and he's 16 years old.
Saying he struggled just because he didn't get a goal or an assist was too harsh an evaluation.
Instead, he deserved to be praised immensely.
'Struggling' meant that he himself felt like he looked like he was struggling. His expression wasn't very good throughout the match.
So I wanted to say a word to him.
That he was doing well. That he was doing incredibly well.
But I deliberately didn't say such words.
This might sound like a strange misunderstanding, but··· Vincenzo found Lee Ji-an's appearance, puffing up in anger by himself, to be sexy.
He always thought of him as a clean-cut kid, but that appearance felt quite adult-like.
So he wanted to see more of him struggling by himself.
Lee Ji-an was becoming an adult in real-time.
He wasn't satisfied with his own play and was thinking by himself if there was a better way.
Players who develop quickly don't have any special secret method.
They just have a heart that hates to lose no matter what.
Actually, it was hard to see such a side in Lee Ji-an until now. Maybe it was because there hadn't been a player who made Lee Ji-an struggle until now.
But today, Pellegrini, a rather difficult problem, made Lee Ji-an's head ache.
Thanks to that, Lee Ji-an was finding the answer by himself.
The opponent was even something to be grateful for.
Because the struggling Lee Ji-an, who wanted to solve this problem, would grow leaps and bounds once he solved it.
Lee Ji-an is a smart player.
Since he was a player who could find the answer by himself anyway, Vincenzo deliberately held back from speaking.
He believed that Lee Ji-an would definitely find the answer and show it to him.
*
My head is getting hot again.
It's not out of irritation or anger.
It's just because it's spinning intensely.
I look around.
I grasp the positions of my teammates and the opponents, and store them in my head. Then, I think of each one as a chess piece and move them one by one.
The opponent, who failed to score in the first half, has come up a little higher. Pellegrini has also come up into our territory, and the opponent's defenders have gotten closer to me.
But our central defense is thick.
This isn't just talking about the last line; we have a line set up from the midfield.
That's why Pellegrini kept coming down low during the first half. We were isolating his position well, so he had no choice but to leave his spot to receive the ball.
But now, it seems he has changed his method, instead of him coming down, the back line is coming up.
But I think only the overall position has changed slightly, the fundamentals haven't changed.
After all, the opponent will try to give the ball to Pellegrini and use him to attack.
Their approach method has just changed.
Then what I have to do is clear.
I need to read the opponent's movement and the flow of the ball, and find the routes through which the ball can flow to Pellegrini.
And I need to stand near those routes.
The opponent has come up because they need a goal.
That means, if I cut the ball, the layers of defense I have to break through have decreased.
This is an opportunity for me too.
Paaang-
Paaang-!
The opponent is circulating a sideways pass, looking for an opening.
For some reason, seeing that makes me want to laugh.
Is it because I can see exactly what they are thinking?
They are trying to find a way to give the ball to Pellegrini no matter what.
I keep blocking that route, and then··· I stop my feet for a moment. I thought it might not be necessary to stand there and block it.
Instead, let's open it up.
Let the pass go to him.
Because to intercept a pass, the pass has to happen first.
I just need to move one step ahead.
Then I can cut it off completely.
Paaang-
Paaang-
The sideways pass and the battle of nerves continue.
And then··· the moment I stop my feet.
“···”
I see the defender's foot, who was about to make a habitual sideways pass, hesitate.
Did they see Pellegrini in the path I had opened up?
It seems so.
The leg they had folded to the side is now folded back.
It's a motion to pass forward.
Tatatat-!
I run at that moment.
I quickly run towards the path I had deliberately opened up.
Paaaaang-!
The opponent is already too late to stop their leg.
The pass starts to head in the direction I am running.
I glance to the side and see Pellegrini standing at the end of the pass's trajectory.
I might not be able to beat him physically, but I've proven that I can follow him with my head.
Paaaaang-!
I intercept the pass in the middle.
At the same time, I regain my body's balance, kick the ball forward, and start to run.
Tatatat-!
I read the movement ahead of me.
In front of me are four opponent defenders and Vlahovic.
There are four defenders, but it seems none of them are thinking of recklessly rushing at me.
It must be because of Vlahovic.
He is explosively sprinting towards the box, so they can't help but be conscious of him.
I'll use that.
While dribbling the ball and running, I keep sending my gaze to Vlahovic, making the defenders more conscious of him.
Tatatat-!
Thanks to that, I was able to comfortably bring the ball up near the box.
But from here on, the opponent won't be able to leave me alone either.
I'll use that again.
Tatat-!
After confirming that the two defenders who were blocking the passing lane are now sticking to me,
Paaaaang-!
I pass the ball to Vlahovic, who was slowing down to avoid being offside.
Tatatat-!
I don't stop and run towards the box.
Because I passed the ball, the defenders rushing at me have their eyes turned towards the ball.
Thanks to that, my infiltration is faster.
Paaang-!
I see Vlahovic tap the ball with one touch. The ball flies over the defenders' heads and starts to fall slowly.
I am the closest to the ball.
However, I have a hunch that if I catch this and shoot, I'll be bothered by the defenders who have quickly caught up.
I have no choice but to shoot this without stopping.
I don't look at the goal, I only look at the ball.
And, timing it with the slowly falling ball······
Beeeeeeeeeem-!
I twist my body and fire a shot with my right foot.
I timed it perfectly.
Thanks to that, a lot of power was put into it, so I just need it to fly to an appropriate course···
Shwoooooooong-
My shot flies not just to an appropriate course, but a perfect one.
Thwack-!!
The net shakes.
And the noisy stadium fell silent for an instant.
At the same time, a small cheer was heard.
Our team's fans, who were just a handful, overpowered the tens of thousands of home fans with their voices.
····
AS Roma's number 7, Lorenzo Pellegrini is a player with a very good reputation in Serie A.
It goes without saying that within Roma, he is called the 'Next Emperor' following Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi.
Excluding direct rivals like SS Lazio and Napoli, even fans of other clubs rate Pellegrini as a good player.
That's how good Pellegrini's reputation is.
However, the fans watching the AS Roma vs Fiorentina match were bound to be surprised.
📰 Broadcast Chat
[Broadcast] 11th Round Fiorentina 1 : 0 AS Roma
└Who is Fiorentina's number 20? └That guy? A rookie whose 3rd pro match is today └They say he's 16 └16? But he seems better than Pellegrini? └What's going on? A 16-year-old overshadowing Pellegrini and standing out more? └Wow··· what kind of rookie is this? └What was Pellegrini doing at that age? └He was probably in the youth team └Pellegrini is also a player called a genius··· └So he's a genius on a different level lol └Look at Mourinho's expression lol, he's laughing because it's ridiculous └I'm also laughing in disbelief right now
The real-time comments in the broadcast chat were going crazy.
Everyone was talking about Fiorentina's number 20, Lee Ji-an, who was showing a superior performance to Pellegrini.
“Hoho···”
And Kim Ji-woo was watching it all.