Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Real and the Fake - 1
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I've realized something recently.
I Must Be a Genius.
The Introvert I Was, Now a Popular Guy?
The Deposit Has Been Made.
“Hey, what if you guys don't make it to the World Cup?”
“No way.”
“What do you mean ‘no way’? If you don't get through the playoffs, you don't go.”
“Come on, still. They'll get through, surely.”
“Huh? You think you can beat Portugal? I don't think you're making it this time either.”
It was the second day of the first team's resumed training.
I had arrived at the training ground and was preparing for practice, but today, for some reason, Sapona-ra was being attacked by the other seniors.
They were talking about the World Cup qualifiers.
Apparently, yesterday, Italy drew a match they absolutely had to win. Because of that, they failed to secure their spot in the World Cup finals and now had to go through a deadly playoff for a single spot.
They were picking on Sapona-ra because he was Italian.
I didn't know this, but apparently, Italy hadn't made it to the previous World Cup either.
I never knew Italy was such a soccer-deficient country.
“Argentina, Spain, and Serbia made it. Did Torreira's team make it too?”
“Uruguay? Yeah, they made it.”
“What about Sofiane?”
“Morocco made it too.”
“Damn...”
The players on our team have quite diverse nationalities.
Not just Italy, but Spain, Serbia, Argentina, Uruguay, Morocco, Ghana, and so on.
With so many different countries, it's a coincidence that only Italy failed to secure their spot.
Sapona-ra's face crumpled even more.
“Hey, rookie. What about your country?”
Sapona-ra, desperately looking for a comrade, asked me with a glimmer of hope...
“I believe they made it...”
“...Damn it.”
Unfortunately, Korea had made it too.
At my words, the seniors burst into laughter, and Sapona-ra's face crumpled even further.
Hmm. Once the captain and Bonaventura return from the national team, the team atmosphere should get even more interesting.
“Should I just naturalize to your country while I have the chance? What do you think, rookie? If I go there, can I play in the World Cup?”
“Say something that makes sense, man. Even Lee Ji-an doesn't get picked for that country. You wouldn't even make the roster.”
“I'm a winger. Who's the starting winger for Korea?”
I answered Sapona-ra's question.
“Son.”
“Ah... Damn it.”
At my answer, the seniors all burst out laughing at how quickly Sapona-ra's face fell.
Just as the stretching time was passing by enjoyably for everyone except the Italians—
“Quiet, you lot.”
A shout flew in, and everyone suppressed their laughter, pretending to be focused on stretching.
It was Coach Vincenzo.
The coach, whose name was also Italian, seemed to be in a foul mood.
“Get lined up.”
At the coach's words, we finished stretching and stood up.
Once all the players had gathered, the coach rubbed his face with his dry hands, stroking his head, then looked at us for a long moment and spoke.
“World Cup or whatever, we don't need it. We only care about our schedule. From now on, if you talk about the World Cup in the training ground, it's a fine.”
“Yes-”
“Our next opponent is Hellas Verona. The Round of 32 in the Coppa Italia. It's a knockout match, and considering our opponent, it's a match we must win. However, it won't be an easy match.”
Everyone's faces had turned serious in an instant as they listened intently to the coach.
The coach continued.
“Our key players will be absent. The Serbian mafias, the captain who doesn't act like one, and the guys who have to hold down the midfield. I'm not planning on sending any of them out for the next match. So, that means we'll be playing with the guys we have here, plus a few we'll pull from the youth team.”
At the coach's words that the starters would be absent, everyone nodded heavily.
Truthfully, our team doesn't have a very deep roster. The fact that I was able to make it to the first team alone proves that. Just like it was on the U17 team, the difference between the starters and the bench is quite big.
I don't really know because the seniors I see as bench players are all good, but according to them, that's the case.
Because of that, our team's starting lineup is always the same. No, it's almost fixed.
But now, the key players among those starters have headed to the national teams.
The faces of the seniors I parted ways with in Milan come to mind. They looked really tired. They already play a match every week, and now they have to go overseas and play, so of course they need rest.
For starters, on defense, the captain and the center-back duo will all be absent, and in the midfield, the key players Torreira and Bonaventura will be absent.
Most of all, the absence of Vlahovic is a huge blow from my perspective.
To be honest... a big reason I was able to perform well so far was because of his presence.
Vlahovic isn't just a key player for our team; he's the most talked-about striker in the league. No, all of Europe is watching him.
Because of that, Vlahovic's presence on the field is enormous. Just by standing there, the defense has to be conscious of him. That's why I was able to move more freely.
But, can I really do well without him?
“Alright, let's go.”
Well, I'm not confident.
But have I ever done anything I was confident in before? No.
So I'm just going to try.
“......Alright. Do you understand?”
“Hmm... Yes. I think I get it.”
“Right? Good. Let's try it right away.”
I nodded at the coach's long explanation and answered, and the coach nodded as well.
I think this every time, but the coach is really cool.
He never asks twice.
He just explained a pretty complicated concept, so you'd think he'd ask once if I really understood it.
He just moves right on if I say I get it.
What if I was just good at answering but didn't actually get it?
Well, this time I really did understand, so I answered that I did.
“Okay, go!”
Anyway, the whistle blew and training started.
“Hey!”
“Here!”
The players wearing vests took the defensive roles, and the players without vests took the offensive roles.
It's a tactical training we always do, but today it's a little different.
My role, that is.
The coach explained that for this match, I would be starting as the center forward.
So, that means I'm taking Vlahovic's place.
But he said the actual role would be different.
Obviously, I can't play like Vlahovic. I don't have his aerial presence or his physique.
I literally cannot play the number 9 role.
So the coach came up with the idea of a false 9. It means I'll be playing in the number 9 position, the center forward spot, but my actual play will be like a number 10.
So in the end, it feels like a 9.5.
Truthfully, I wondered if I could just do what I was already doing, but it has to be a bit different.
First of all, the fact that there isn't another striker in front of me makes a huge difference. If Vlahovic were in front of me, the opposing center-backs would have to stick to his side, but without him, they are freed up.
But being freed up isn't necessarily a good thing. Being free means there's no one to mark, which can also mean they become redundant.
That's exactly my role.
To make the opposing defenders redundant.
To do that, I have to constantly move to find space, run like a midfielder when necessary, run like a wing forward, and of course, I have to do the original number 9 role as well.
There's a lot to do.
“Hey!”
Something this complex, and he's just throwing me into training without even checking if I really understood it.
Our coach is really cool.
Anyway—
Thwoooosh—!
Smack—!!
“Nice! Good! That's exactly it!”
A fake acting as the real thing.
I felt like there couldn't be a role that suited me better.
There are several types of players coaches like.
Well, there are players with great professionalism, players with superior pure skill, and players who have a good influence on their teammates.
But if there's one type of player all coaches unconditionally prefer, it would be players with excellent tactical understanding.
‘I thought he'd do well, of course, but...’
Vincenzo looked at Lee Ji-an, who was tearing up the training ground, and clicked his tongue.
Even if it's just training, it's so perfect it's breathtaking. Every movement, every single play is clean and without waste.
Truthfully, being surprised was nothing new.
Who doesn't know Lee Ji-an is a genius? He was the kid who became the first team's ace as soon as he was called up, so it's funny to be amazed now.
But now, he wasn't just amazed by his skill.
Before starting the training, he had given him a brief explanation of the role he would play in the next match, and he was amazed that he was executing it exactly as described.
The kid was showing what a false 9 really is.
Truthfully, the concept of a false 9 isn't easy.
It's not simple enough to do right after hearing it once. It's rare for someone to digest it properly unless they have a high soccer IQ.
The reason the famous names that come up when you say ‘false 9’ are all exceptional is for that reason.
Francesco Totti, Cesc Fabregas, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Muller—players who come to mind when you think of ‘versatile’ have taken on this role.
Of course, Lionel Messi can't be left out.
This is inevitable because if you set up a false 9, you have to rely on that player for most of the attack. Since there's no traditional striker, it's difficult to attempt simple attacks.
In other words, the player in the false 9 role has to be responsible for the attack from start to finish, so naturally, only the best players can take on this role.
But even those players must have gone through trial and error at first.
It's easy to end up being neither one thing nor the other.
‘But...’
Lee Ji-an was performing his role as if he had been playing in that position for about 10 years.
It makes me wonder if I explained it that perfectly.
How can he melt it down so perfectly after hearing it just once?
He's lovely.
He's so lovely I could put him in my eye and it wouldn't hurt.
Vincenzo looked at Lee Ji-an with loving eyes.
He fully understood why Coach Toni had been so over-the-top recently.
‘At this level...’
Truthfully, he had been worried.
About the next match, and about how to fill the void left by Vlahovic in the future.
A while ago, Vlahovic had rejected the club's offer for a contract extension. It was already the third time he'd rejected it, and this time, they had offered the best待遇 in the club's history, but he still refused.
In other words, it meant they had to prepare for his departure.
Filling that void wouldn't be easy.
How could it be easy to fill the spot of a talent that almost all of Europe's big clubs are eyeing?
But a method seems to be visible.
The method of replacing that massive talent with an even bigger talent.
“...”
Vincenzo's face, which had been full of happiness, soon darkened a little.
He had suddenly imagined the future.
Fiorentina had no choice but to not be that big of a club. Of course, it's a matter of perspective, but anyway, you can't call it one of Europe's top-level clubs.
That's why they couldn't hold on to Vlahovic.
Then, it means there's a high possibility that Lee Ji-an will also leave the team in the future.
If that moment comes, what should he do?
To be honest, he has no confidence.
No confidence in finding a way to replace a player like that.
‘Still...’
He doesn't wish for that day to come, but there are many unavoidable things in the world.
He even has a thought like this on the side.
He's curious what that kid, who has the talent to implement the coach's intentions 200 percent, would look like if he played under a much better coach.
If he ran under the guidance of a truly great coach, not a nameless one like him, it would be much better for him.
‘I loved him...’
As if the future that hadn't even come yet was already being drawn before his eyes, Vincenzo looked at Lee Ji-an with a wistful expression.
It was exactly the same look Coach Toni had when he looked at Lee Ji-an.
December 4, 2021.
Stadio Artemio Franchi.
The day of the Coppa Italia Round of 32 match between Fiorentina and Hellas Verona.
“Will it be okay?”
“What are you worried about?”
“So many are absent. We can still play.”
In a corner of the stands, Biraghi and Bonaventura, in civilian clothes, were waiting for the match to start.
At Bonaventura's worried words, Biraghi shrugged his shoulders.
“Ji-an is there. What are you worried about?”
“That's true, but, hmm. It's the first time for him to play without Dušan.”
All the players who went to the A-match were given rest.
More than half of the starters were absent like that, and especially with Vlahovic out, the attention on this match was ironically higher. Among the fans.
This was because the fact that Vlahovic was leaving the team was becoming a foregone conclusion.
The weight Vlahovic held in the team was almost half the team's total power, you could say.
It was practically true. Just looking at his market value, it was more than the combined value of four or five other players.
And with him leaving, the mood among the fans was extremely foul these days.
So, what are they going to do from now on.
Who are they going to put at the top in the second half of the season.
They have alternatives, so are they letting him go.
There was a lot of resentment, and for good reason.
That's why the fans were paying more attention to today's match.
How would Fiorentina break down their attack in a match where Vlahovic wasn't playing.
Vincenzo chose to use Ji-an up front as the answer.
“Show us, rookie.”
“Now you have to be responsible for us.”
Can a 16-year-old kid fill the void left by Vlahovic.
Knowing that many fans were期待ing this, Biraghi and Bonaventura planned to watch the match cheering for Ji-an more than usual.
“Ji-an-! Ji-an-!!”
...Hmm.
Actually, their support might not be needed.
Looking at the Korean girl next to them who was cheering for Ji-an as if she was screaming, Biraghi and Bonaventura chuckled.
He was already getting everyone's support.
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