Call-Up (3)
The La Liga 11th round. Barcelona, currently 2nd in the league with 9 wins and 2 draws, faces Sevilla, who sit 3rd with 8 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses. Over 70,000 spectators have packed Camp Nou for this matchup.
Given the clash between 2nd and 3rd place, interest is running high, and it's impossible not to be excited about what kind of game will unfold.
Barcelona's formation is as follows. Goalkeeper: Maximilena. Right fullback: Anila. Right centerback: Tiana. Left centerback: Amira. Left fullback: Narcis. Defensive midfielder: Lucia. Right midfielder: Lorenza. Left midfielder: Yelena. Right winger: Eloya. Left winger: Albaria. Central striker: Arnal. They form a triangle in the attacking third.
Barcelona has fielded their full starting lineup, hasn't they? Coach Lucia played in a Champions League match just five days ago, so one might have expected her to start on the bench today. Yet here she is, starting. With Lucia in the defensive midfield this season, her presence or absence seems to have a major impact on Barcelona's performance.
That's right. And it's a bit disappointing that Ryu Ha-neul, who put on a stellar performance in the Champions League against Olympiacos—scoring one goal and providing one assist—hasn't even made the bench.
Actually, Ryu Ha-neul has been putting on a great show, but he's been on a brutal schedule. Starting from the U-17 World Cup, and as a young player, he definitely needs proper rest.
That's true. Now, let's look at Sevilla's formation...
Arnal scores Barcelona's first goal in the 15th minute of the first half! Barcelona takes the lead.
Actually, Arnal has been starting consistently and playing full time for the national team lately, so she's been on a very tight schedule. It seems rest has helped her. Her movements look lighter?
In the 30th minute of the second half, Arnal scores her second goal of the day and the season's 7th goal! Her condition looks excellent today! Barcelona leads by two points.
Barcelona's counterattack opportunity! Arnal! She's sprinting! Chance for a hat-trick! Ah, suddenly clutching her thigh and collapsing. What's going on?
Usually hamstring issues are the problem in the thigh... wait, there was no real contact. But even without contact, collapsing is a big problem... for now, we'll have to watch.
Arnal is being carried off on a stretcher. It shouldn't be a major injury... but Rautina, who was ready to come on, is rushing in urgently.
Ugh...
Match ends. Barcelona secures a 2-0 victory and takes firm 2nd place. However, Arnal's injury in the second half looks painful.
Coach Diéna's expression is not good.
“It's Ryu.”
“Of course it's Ryu.”
“Actually, I didn't understand why we dropped Ryu.”
“Well, he's a guy, but he won't ruin the players' chemistry.”
“He's the only one, isn't he?”
In the FC Barcelona meeting room, all the coaches called Ryu Ha-neul's name in unison. Diéna, the coach, covered his head with his hands and let out a sigh.
“Haah…”
“What are you worrying about? The only player to call up is Ryu. And we can't call up Georgia, who isn't starting in Athletic either, can we?”
The coaches looked at Diéna as if they couldn't understand why he had called them for such a simple problem. In fact, the starting striker had been injured, and B-team had a player who could replace him. And not using that player didn't make sense.
“Um... Albaria can also play as a striker. What if we move Albaria to central striker and put Abudasha there? It wouldn't be bad, right?”
“Haha, coach, that's a joke.”
“Haha, haha. Right? As expected, only Ryu, right?”
His words turned into mere jokes and scattered. Diéna gave an awkward smile at the coaches' reaction to his boring joke as a superior.
“Well, I understand your concern. But Arnal will return in 4-6 weeks, and no matter how young Ryu is, he can endure that much. Maybe he'll even compete with the returning Arnal for the starting spot. Ryu has that potential. Coach, didn't you see the Olympiacos match?”
“Yeah, that's right.”
The coaches' words were correct. Ryu Ha-neul was a player who could compete on the adult stage if only his physical condition was proven. Anyone who watched Ryu Ha-neul's play—whether scout or coach—recognized that fact. Even Diéna himself.
'Yeah, I can't delay this anymore.'
Ryu Ha-neul was a striker who scored over one goal per game in the third league. Moreover, he wasn't just a goal-scoring striker but one with a clear strength in link-up play, as he was a player developed through hard work at La Masia.
The confirmation of that strength came in the Olympiacos match.
Ryu Ha-neul shook Olympiacos' defense like a playmaker, ultimately creating a 1-goal, 1-assist result.
Furthermore, his performance at the U-17 World Cup was enough to prove that Ryu Ha-neul wasn't just a simple striker but a player who elevated the team a level.
The reason they didn't use such a Ryu Ha-neul was only one thing: Amira's request. Diéna had chosen Amira, who was already at the world's best centerback level, over Ryu Ha-neul, whose current ability was still unknown, even though Ryu Ha-neul might become the world's best someday.
But the situation had changed. When that judgment was made, Ryu Ha-neul could sufficiently replace Arnal. But when Arnal got injured and the starting striker was removed from the lineup.
Striker or defender—who is more important to the team? Naturally, the striker's influence would be greater. Even if they were of similar class, strikers and defenders already had a double difference in transfer fees.
Moreover, against a strong team, it didn't matter much. Barcelona was a team that controlled 60-70% possession during the game, so there weren't many opportunities to defend.
Of course, there was Rautina, the candidate striker. But Rautina was a 22-year-old young player. Even if a candidate, he didn't show performances suitable for a Barcelona big club's striker. He could fill the heading attack option through height, but for Barcelona, that attack option was only needed in a situation where they were about to lose with 15 minutes left in the game. Barcelona was a team that usually maintained an advantage in that time.
“Then, let's call up Ryu.”
And perhaps through this opportunity, they could keep both Ryu Ha-neul and Amira on the team. Since Amira was a football player, she would surely recognize Ryu Ha-neul's ability, and if they played together, Amira might also think Ryu Ha-neul was a player the team needed.
'Good. If that happens, I might not have to transfer Amira in the winter transfer market. It's a bit sad for Arnal, but her injury might turn out to be a blessing for the team.'
So Diéna decided to call up Ryu Ha-neul, rolling happy circuits in his head.
And the next day,
“Hello! Ha-neul, it's Ryu!”
'Tsk, having to train with a guy.'
And the next day, in a situation where one player was looking at Ha-neul with an unpleasant gaze, Ha-neul was greeting the team members brightly again.