Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: vs Manchester City -3
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***
Manchester City had taken a punch from Union Berlin first.
But true to form for a team led by Thomas Tuchel, they didn’t back down easily.
“Lucio with the block! Long ball upfield!”
It wasn’t long before Manchester City steadied their rattled mentality and mounted a counterattack.
“Sergio Agüero! He holds it up!”
Manchester City refused to yield to Union Berlin’s intense pressure, clashing head-on.
And through sustained attacking efforts, they carved out a prime chance.
The 32nd minute of the first half.
Sergio Agüero, battling it out up top, finally broke through Thiago Silva.
“Agüero into the box! He shoots!”
Even if strikers get blocked over and over, piercing through just once spells victory. Scoring against last season’s Bundesliga stingiest defense was a surefire way to boost his stock.
‘Got it…!’
But Sergio Agüero’s shot was denied by Manuel Schmitt’s brilliant save.
“Puta Madre!”
It was only natural for Sergio Agüero to curse at Union Berlin’s ironclad triple wall.
***
I applauded Manuel Schmitt for his stellar save.
I’d toyed with the idea of signing Manuel Neuer, but there was no real need to switch keepers. Manuel Schmitt was already performing brilliantly.
Sure, he had fewer stars than Neuer, but their total stats weren’t worlds apart.
His kicking was a notch below Neuer’s, but his shot-stopping was right up there—no exaggeration.
‘And above all, Manuel Schmitt’s three years younger than Neuer right now.’
Plus, he wasn’t the type to cause headaches, making him a solid long-term partner.
In a game draining romance from the pitch, the value of a one-club man was endless.
Even ‘that’ Lionel Messi couldn’t pull it off.
Anyway, satisfied with Manuel Schmitt’s showing, I turned to eye Manchester City’s players.
Their counter had been razor-sharp. Our guys’ aggressive tendencies had pushed the line too high.
Without Schmitt’s clutch save, it could’ve easily ended in a goal.
Of course, that didn’t mean I’d drop the line.
Union Berlin might be short on cash, but we weren’t lacking in pride.
And hey, soccer’s about conceding one and scoring two to win.
As an extreme attack soccer zealot myself, it was inevitable my players soaked up my influence.
‘Dropping deep and parking the bus just feels suffocating.’
Sure, we’d deploy the 5-4-1 sometimes.
But that was counterattacking football, not blind defense—so I’ll let it slide.
Bottom line, Union Berlin was going all-out attack today.
‘The key is trusting the defenders!’
The defensive wall we’d built last season had been tempered even stronger.
Cafu was out, but Thiago Silva filled his shoes perfectly.
Thiago Silva directed teammates’ positioning for line control.
He synced with Dante, and occasionally Virgil van Dijk, still rock-solid.
Watching Thiago Silva bark orders, I glanced at Tuchel.
‘Man, he’s built a hell of a team.’
Unlike Union Berlin, who’d climbed steadily from the lower leagues, Manchester City was different.
They had to prove themselves in the Premier League, forcing a rapid build.
Tuchel had turned them into third in the league despite the short timeline and novice owner handicap.
‘Impressive as hell…’
For reference, Union Berlin’s success last season came from laying bricks slowly from the lower divisions.
That grinding from the bottom forged us.
Without that trust-building tempering, we’d have crumbled last season despite the title.
Anyway.
Facing them in preseason two seasons ago felt worlds away now.
Leading Bayern Munich back then was terrifying.
Now, we were the ones overpowering Manchester City in weight class.
‘Two years, and we’ve grown massively.’
***
With Union Berlin holding the lead, the first half ended, and the friendly against Manchester City rolled into the second.
“Roberto Lewandowski adds another! Union Berlin pulls two ahead!”
“Dominant! Union Berlin! Utterly dominant!”
“Park Chan-hyuk is masterfully dismantling his former mentor Thomas Tuchel! Ruthless! A student surpassing his teacher—Park Chan-hyuk eclipses Thomas Tuchel!”
Union Berlin shook Manchester City’s net again right after halftime.
With Kagawa Shinji looking sluggish today, Angel Di Maria subbed in as attacking midfielder at the break.
Angel Di Maria dazzled from the role, tormenting Manchester City more than expected.
“Angel!”
Di Maria shook off City’s pressure and slotted a perfect pass into space for the timing-on-point Robert Lewandowski.
Thwack!
Robert Lewandowski didn’t waste the chance.
“Fuck!!”
Joe Hart, stung by two goals already, booted the ball away in frustration.
Robert Lewandowski, ignoring the raging keeper, sauntered into a leisurely celebration.
‘Guess they forgot Chan-hyuk’s rule about not stealing his goal celebrations.’
Robert Lewandowski remembered what I’d said last season.
***
Even after Lewandowski’s brace, the match pressed on.
Union Berlin hammered Manchester City relentlessly but couldn’t add more.
The 22nd minute of the second half.
Angel Di Maria drove into the box himself, creating another golden chance.
But right before he could shoot, Lucio cleared it safely.
Union Berlin spurned chance after chance.
Slowly, momentum shifted to Manchester City.
They dropped deep, hunkered down, waiting for their moment.
Then, the 42nd minute of the second half. Opportunity struck City.
Gareth Bale, switched to the left flank, beat Zabaleta, but a turnover happened.
“Ref! That bastard cleared it out!”
Gareth Bale protested vehemently for a foul.
The ref shook his head firmly and signaled to get up.
While Bale argued, City’s counter rolled on.
Sergio Agüero burst into the box, faked out Dante with a shot feint at the goalmouth, and fired.
Finally, he breached Union Berlin’s fortress defense.
‘Here, jogging the ball to halfway shows fighting spirit, right?’
As Agüero suppressed a grin and started toward halfway with the ball.
One man from Union Berlin’s bench bolted onto the pitch.
“Go get ’em! Chan-hyuk!!”
As Union Berlin’s net rippled, the crowd’s roar swelled for the charging figure.
Thomas Tuchel’s eyes widened at the onrusher.
He knew what kind of madness ‘that guy’ might unleash.
The man leaped before Tuchel.
“Whooooooo─!”
Nailing a gorgeous celebration.
“…Your team just conceded, you know?”
Tuchel’s bewildered question met a bold reply.
“Yeah. So?”
For the man, the celebration was what mattered.
Meanwhile, Sergio Agüero stood dumbfounded, attention stolen in a flash, staring at the bench.
“…What the hell is this?”
“Welcome to the Bundesliga.”
Thiago Silva, a fellow South American, approached the dazed Agüero with comfort.
“…Didn’t we just score?”
“Yeah, what’s going on here?”
“Angel, Gareth! Welcome to Union Berlin!”
For the record, Agüero wasn’t the only one baffled on the pitch.
“Should we… boo?”
“But they’re celebrating our goal?”
Manchester City fans in the stands pondered seriously whether to jeer.