The New Year Begins with El Clasico (2)
Good day! The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, where all football fans' attention is focused, the confrontation between Barcelona and Real Madrid. This is the first El Clasico of the season, held at Barcelona's home, Camp Nou.
Because of Barcelona's Club World Cup schedule, Barcelona's first half of the season two matches were pushed back. And the Spanish Super Cup was also pushed to January instead of early in the season, so these two teams that divide the football world for 20 years finally meet for the first time, it's really exciting.
Yes, I'm really excited too, but there are several elements that are increasing the anticipation for this match.
That's right. Barcelona is in 2nd place with 13 wins 2 draws, and Real Madrid is in 1st with 14 wins 2 draws. The ranking competition between these two teams is really fun to watch. Real Madrid is leading 1st by playing one more game, but Barcelona is leading in goal difference, so the ranking could change depending on the result of this match.
And the goal scoring competition between Ryu Ha-neul and Marisol is another fun element to watch, right?
Yes. Ryu Ha-neul has appeared in 13 matches and scored 19 goals, and Marisol has appeared in 15 matches and scored 24 goals. Both players are running at an amazing goal scoring pace, and just watching the goal scoring competition between these two players will be a really fun match.
……Then, let's look at Barcelona's starting lineup. Goalkeeper: Maximilena, defense line: Anila, Tiana, Narsi. And defensive midfielder: Valentina, central midfielder: Camila and Yelena. And attacking midfielder: Ryu Ha-neul. Right and left wing forwards: Eloya and Albaria, and striker: Arnal. Today, instead of Lorenzo, Valentina is starting? Since it's the first game of the second half after the break, there shouldn't be any physical issues.
Yes. Usually Barcelona's main central midfielder is Yelena and Lorenzo. Yelena is a typical box-to-box midfielder and Lorenzo is a more creative type of player, but today Camila is in the central midfielder position instead of Lorenzo and Valentina is taking the defensive midfielder position where Camila usually plays.
Chairman, what do you think of this formation?
It seems like a formation that pays a bit more attention to defense. Lorenzo is a player with plenty of attacking talent but questionable defensive ability? But Valentina is a player with plenty of defensive talent. She doesn't lose in size compared to Real Madrid players.
Then, what reason do you think Camila replaced Lorenzo?
Although Lorenzo is slightly ahead in defensive ability compared to Camila, the evaluation is that Camila has one step above in creativity? Also, her dribbling ability is good. It seems like they'll leave the defense to Yelena and Valentina, and the attack will be developed by Camila and Ryu Ha-neul.
Whether Angela's intention will flow the game as she wants, let's check the game. Then Barcelona's kick-off starts.
The players were taking their positions on the pitch, and Ha-neul turned to Tiana with a teasing smile.
“Tina, you're not shaking, are you? This is your first El Clasico as a starter, right?”
“Who said I'd be nervous.”
Ha-neul's words were spoken with the same confidence as always, but in truth, Valentina's heart was racing more than ever. She had played in the Champions League final and pushed to seal the team's victory in the second half, but it wasn't to this extent.
But since she had lived in Barcelona since she was little, El Clasico was special. Moreover, she was the starter. No matter how tough Valentina was, the first starter in El Clasico made her heart race.
'Haa... Can I do well?'
Today's role was to block the opponent's attack. Angela's order was just that. But the players she had to face were the 'genius' Lucy who led Spain's prime and Marisol, who is said to be the best in scoring ability.
As she glanced ahead, she saw the Real Madrid players preparing for the game. And she saw Lucy and Marisol's figures.
At that moment, something cold touched her cheek. Since she was this tall, it was the first time someone had touched her cheek, so she was surprised for a moment, then slightly lowered her gaze, and there was Ha-neul touching her cheek.
The sight of him looking up at her made her want to smile without thinking, but Valentina forced herself to hold back the smile.
“How is it?”
'Good.'
She swallowed the words she was about to say like the forced smile. Valentina, who had said to her friends that she wouldn't hide her feelings as a woman, but even so, revealing her true feelings to Ha-neul, who had been friends for over 10 years, was really difficult.
There was a fear that if this relationship broke, what would she do.
Also, Ha-neul was a friend who had no interest in things like male and female relationships, so the common opinion of the three friends who liked Ha-neul was to approach as slowly as possible, so that Ha-neul wouldn't be surprised.
Especially, thinking about Yuri's story heard while drinking made it even more so.
“How is it?”
“...It's cold, though.”
That's why Valentina answered Ha-neul's words while hiding her true feelings. And Ha-neul nodded at her answer.
“Yeah, keep your head cold. Okay? Even if your heart is racing, keep your head cold.”
“...Isn't this not about the head being cold but the face being cold?”
“...That's not important. Anyway, they're the same kind of person.”
Ha-neul removed his hand. He could have kept touching it. But the strange thing was that this time, it wasn't because of tension that her heart was racing.
“Okay. Your eyes tell me your mind has returned. Let's do well.”
“...Okay.”
Ha-neul walked to the center line. And Camila quietly approached her side.
“What? What were you talking about.”
“You don't know, kid.”
“Hey, that's mean.”
She thought about hitting that little mouse-like guy who glared at her and went back to his position, but unfortunately, she couldn't.
With the referee's whistle, the game began.
From Arnal to Ha-neul, from Ha-neul to Camila, and Camila passed the ball to her feet. And following the ball, Marisol, the opponent's front-line striker, came running from the beginning.
The strong press from the beginning was a pattern already expected.
If she was tense like before the game, she couldn't, but now she didn't think she would let such poor press work.
Valentina's strength was not in dribbling but in stamina, defensive ability, and physique, but Valentina was also a player who had steadily gone through stages at Barcelona's La Masia.
She had enough skill to handle Spanish midfielders, so Marisol's straight press was too easy.
Tuk, the ball was inside her body, she turned once. And to Anila who came up to her position.
It was too simple a dribble and first touch, but after trying it, she felt that it was easier than she thought. No matter how Real Madrid it was.
'What, when they attack, the guys are like that.'
So Anila passed the ball to Tiana, pulling all the opposing players, and only then did Barcelona's real attack begin.
And in the center were Camila who had moved up one step and Ha-neul who was still guarding his position.
Several times the ball went to other players around the two, and two players rushed into Camila.
Camila! She takes the ball out between the two!
Wow, amazing, right? Actually, Camila has grown a lot while playing as a starter for the past year, right? Especially when coming out as a defensive midfielder, she doesn't do such adventurous breakthroughs, but in the attacking midfielder position where Ryu Ha-neul plays, she often makes such adventurous attempts? It's a player who knows so well how to play in any position.
Camila's pass! To Ryu Ha-neul! Ryu Ha-neul! Clemmence is marking him and pushing forward! Arnal and One! Two! And pass to the side! To Eloya! One touch shuuuut! Ah! Misses! The first shot of the game that grazes the goal post!
Camila's pass! To Ryu Ha-neul! Ryu Ha-neul! Clemmence is marking him and pushing forward! Arnal and One! Two! And pass to the side! To Eloya! One touch shuuuut! Ah! Misses! The first shot of the game that grazes the goal post!
It ended in failure, but Valentina was very satisfied with the attack.
It was because she was playing El Clasico as a starter with Camila, who she had been together with since she was little, and Ha-neul, and matching their chemistry.
They had played together as a team, but it usually came out in the second half of the game, and most of the time, when she came in, one of the two would be out. But to be able to show the game with all three of them on this dream stage of El Clasico.
But she didn't have much time to enjoy that emotion. Because Real Madrid's goalkeeper signaled the start of the game with a long kick.
Valentina threw away thoughts that didn't help with football to the far away and ran to the position where the kick was likely to fall.
The high ball was coming closer. While she was looking around at her teammates to decide where to head, Ha-neul's figure appeared.
“Tina, don't head too much. Your head will get bad.”
Seeing that figure, the words Ha-neul had repeatedly emphasized since she was little came to mind. In the current situation, the struggle of Marisol trying to grab her uniform from behind and get a good position somehow, why would such a thought come at this timing?
'What a dumbass...'
Valentina muttered the groundless words Ha-neul always said in her mouth and jumped high towards the ball.
It was groundless words, but even if Ha-neul was right, it didn't matter.
She didn't have Camila's pass sense or dribbling ability, Yuri's quick speed and shooting ability, or Bruna's breakthrough ability.
The only way for her to help Ha-neul was to use her body, which was the only advantage she didn't have compared to her other friends.
So, no matter how dumb she became, it didn't matter.
Tuk.
The ball that hit her head flew towards Ha-neul. Ha-neul came down to receive the ball, and Barcelona's attack started again.
Seeing that figure, Valentina touched her head. Of course, she had headed countless times, so her head didn't hurt.
'Anyway, because he's a man? He has too many unnecessary worries.'
Valentina smiled faintly and ran forward to help with the build-up.
“What? That guy mocked me after I headed once?”
Marisol, who saw that figure, muttered in disbelief from behind and spat, but Valentina, unaware of that fact, just ran forward to help Ha-neul.