Super Cup Showdown
The venue where the Spanish Super Cup match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is held is the Grand Stade de Tanger in Morocco. Sir, many domestic fans probably don't know much about the Spanish Super Cup. What kind of match is the Spanish Super Cup?
The Spanish Super Cup can be seen as a kind of super cup concept, similar to the EPL Community Shield. It's a match between the Copa del Rey winner and the La Liga winner. If the two teams are the same, the next team in line participates. And Barcelona, who won the cup and league last season, and Real Madrid, who finished second in the cup and league, will face off in this Spanish Super Cup.
Is that so?
And this Spanish Super Cup is a single match...
Then let's bring out the starting lineups. First, Barcelona. Goalkeeper Maximilena, in the four-back line Anila, Valentina, Tiana, Narsi, midfield Lucia, Lorenza, Yelena, attacking line Albaria, Eloya, Arnal.
Classic Barcelona 4-3-3, right? Probably because Angela gave rest to Ryu Ha-neul, who played quite a few games even as a young player in the World Cup. There was injury at the end of the World Cup too. It seems Angela isn't using the modified 3-back that shocked the world at the end of last season.
Why? Because Ryu Ha-neul, the core of that tactic, is missing. Also, there wasn't enough time to sync tactics during the international break.
Is that so. Then now Real Madrid's lineup. Goalkeeper Yasmine, backline Aridiana, Gabriela, Eona, Priscilla. Midfield Clemence and Iris. Right wing forward Roberta, attacking midfielder Lucía, left wing forward Francesca, striker Marisol.
Real Madrid also gave rest to Josephine, who came through the quarterfinals. But Clemence, who played in the final, is included in the lineup.
Clemence is really an amazing player, right?
Yes. Defense, activity, pass, attack. A perfect hexagon of a player. Probably Charlotte and Marisol will be candidates for the Ballon d'Or this year end, I wonder who will win.
The World Cup Golden Ball winner and last season Bundesliga MVP Charlotte. Marisol who scored in the World Cup, Champions League, and league. And Clemence, the core midfielder of World Cup and Champions League wins. Really stacked players.
Depending on the first half performance, the odds will change, but Charlotte is favored now. Anyway, even though Clemence joined recently, she plays the game, amazing.
Then the match starts.
Maximilena saves! Marisol bows her head! And Barcelona's great captain Lucia steps up as the last kicker. If Lucia succeeds in the last kick, Barcelona will win the title.
This is a great choice. Not any player, but Lucia as the 5th kicker. Angela must have predicted the match would go to the end.
"11 meter ruthless Russian roulette. The final decision is... Goal! Goal! Goal! It goes in! Barcelona wins! Barcelona lifts the championship cup in one breath at the first game of the season!"
Meanwhile, the 2:2 draw was maintained until extra time... Real Madrid's last kicker was Marisol, who recorded the most PK goals in La Liga last season, but Maximilena saved Marisol's shot, and Lucia succeeded in the fifth kick, so Barcelona wins...
Meanwhile, the opening match between Barcelona and Deportivo on August 19 is attracting Korean football fans' attention. After the World Cup, Deportivo recruited Kim Chae-ri, a midfielder from Seoul, and Kang Yu-ri from Barcelona B, filling two EU quotas with Korean players... Ryu Ha-neul and Kim Chae-ri's matchup...
"Sir Ryu! How is your condition today, the opening match is the first one."
"...It's not the article, right?"
"Haha, if you received a knighthood from the king, that's knighthood. Even I who haven't received the Ballon d'Or twice can't receive the knighthood from the king."
"...Then Lucia didn't even make it to the World Cup quarterfinals. Since she was eliminated in the round of 16, that's why, right?"
"...I have won the championship too."
While casually loosening up after dismissing Lucia's words, I see Yu-ri and Kim Chae-ri loosening up while talking far away. Probably Yu-ri can't play because of the loan clause against her parent club, but it's still happy to see her on the first team stage.
After Yu-ri, all the friends who have been together since childhood are on the first team stage. Camila and Valentina who appeared on the first team last season, no need to say, and Bruna joined the opening match lineup showing good form from the international training.
Bruna felt like a solid first rotation member since Angela has been watching her for a long time. Fact, it's not easy to beat Albaria or Eloya, but Bruna is definitely better than Abudasha and Antonia.
Seeing everyone stepping on the first team stage, I thought it would be better if Yu-ri was on our side.
"Ha-neul!"
Walking near the center line, Kim Chae-ri and Yu-ri who were talking came towards me.
"Yu-ri. How is the adaptation?"
"Hey, already taking care of your girlfriend? A senior who spent a month together is invisible?"
"I'm not your girlfriend."
'Smirk.'
Yu-ri's expression hardens a bit from Kim Chae-ri's weird joke while laughing.
"Senior? Here it's La Liga, so I debuted first, I'm the senior. From now on, just call me Chae-ri. Chae-ri."
I blurted out the joke before the atmosphere got weird,
"Hey! I ate more meals than you, ate a few more bowls."
Thanks to my joke, Kim Chae-ri got angry and the atmosphere didn't get weirder.
"But, are you okay, senior? Don't you overlap positions with Yu-ri? Yu-ri's football is really good."
And before Yu-ri thinks of something weird, change the topic.
"Eh? Ah, Yu-ri also knows how to play on the right. Using both feet is art, right? Definitely, Basels have different basics. Basics."
"Not Basel but Barca."
"Basel or Barca."
"Anyway, Yu-ri. Do well this year, let's play together next year. Other kids want to see you too."
"...Yeah!"
After talking to Yu-ri, Camila, Valentina, Bruna came, so it looked like Kim Chae-ri was left out, but since I made a weird comment to ruin the atmosphere, not pitiful.
After the pleasant reunion, the match started.
We faced Deportivo with Angela's modified 3-back formation that defeated La Liga last year, and of course, we didn't lose.
"...Then today's POTM! Let's meet Ryu Ha-neul player! Hello! Ryu Ha-neul player! You recorded 2 goals and 2 assists in the first game, involving all goals? Continued great performance from the World Cup to the opening match, how do you feel?"
And it's quite a pleasant thing that the reporter perfectly pronounces my name which has become a nickname. Of course, my teammates didn't call my name because they were teasing 'Sir. Ryu'.
"Um.... It's good to be able to show a satisfying play in the first game."
"Right. Please give me your resolve for the future."
"Although it's the first game, as much as my performance and the team's performance are satisfying, I will try to show good performance to the fans throughout the remaining season and achieve the results the fans want."
No need to give bait to anti-fans, so finished the interview neutrally, and the first game of the season ended, and in the second game, away at Valladolid, I assisted twice, and Albaria and Eloya's goals led to 2 consecutive wins.
[... B group last 4th seed! Inter Milan from Serie A. With Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Inter in B group.]
Wow, it's a deadly group, right? Excluding Barcelona likely to be 1st, Tottenham, PSV, Inter, any team can aim for 2nd place.
And before the 3rd league game, in Champions League group draw, a situation where pretty strong teams from Europe gathered, but not worried.
We won't be eliminated in the round of 16.
"Well, this is not bad. The 2nd place fight will be fierce. Still good. It's also a good thing to check if our tactics work against overseas teams by facing teams that perform well in the first half."
Angela seemed to think it's beneficial to face strong domestic teams.
[Barcelona beats Osasuna 3:0 at home and climbs the league 3 straight wins!]
Ha-neul player scored 2 goals, Bruna player scored her debut goal? Young players showing such activity, Barcelona fans will be full without eating.
Then the home game against Osasuna, the 3rd league game, also won easily, 3 straight wins.
"Aaah! Ryu Ha-neul! Ha-neul! Look here!"
"Ha-neul! Call me noona!"
After playing three games in Spain, I can return to Korea for the A-match.
"Ryu Ha-neul player! In this A-match, you will be breathing with Diana, the new commander of the national team and your first teacher, but is there any advice on Diana's trip to Korea?"
"Ahaha.... Well?"
...Thinking about meeting Diana again is a bit awkward.