The Sidelines and the Stone
Manchester City players, including Ha Sunmoon, gathered in the meeting room to prepare for the Tottenham match ahead of the opening round of the 2021/22 Premier League season. The club's analyst began the briefing with a detailed breakdown of the opposition.
"Tottenham have a new manager. Nuno Espírito Santo, formerly of Wolverhampton Wanderers."
The players showed little surprise at the familiar name.
"Though new to Tottenham, he spent several seasons at Wolves, so he knows his tactics well. Like Mourinho before him, he's a defensively minded coach. Unfortunately, that works against us."
Against us? Ah, right… City have always struggled against teams that sit deep and hit on the counter.
"The two players we need to watch most are faces you all know—Kane and Son."
Oh! A Korean player! Ha Sunmoon reacted instantly to the mention of a fellow Korean in the Premier League.
[Not bad. Getting noticed by a top club like this…]
Still, with Dias and Stones in the back, we shouldn't be carved open like before…
"The Dias-Stones partnership worked wonders last season, but unfortunately Stones has picked up an injury…"
What?
[Wait, that guy’s injured?]
Stones’ frequent injury issues were hardly shocking, yet the sudden news about a teammate they had trained with only days earlier left both Ha Sunmoon and Harrison visibly surprised.
"So our plan is to maintain an even higher possession rate and…"
The briefing continued without pause despite the new variable. Ha Sunmoon found the moment strangely memorable.
"With this approach, I believe we can secure the win."
Top clubs really are on another level…
Ha Sunmoon looked genuinely impressed by the analyst’s presentation.
The roar of the crowd echoed through Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, 15 August 2021.
[This isn’t good…]
Urgh…
Ha Sunmoon sat in the stands wearing casual clothes, watching the match from a high vantage point. Pep Guardiola had decided he wasn’t yet ready for first-team action, so Ha Sunmoon had been left out of the squad and was observing the game separately.
"I’m not sure whether I should be happy about this or not…"
[Stay still. I know you’re a little excited, but don’t show it.]
The 90th minute. The score remained 1–0. In the 55th minute, during a Tottenham counter-attack, Nathan Aké had stepped up to close down Son as he burst into the space on City’s left. But the Portuguese defender was fooled by the Korean’s feint and allowed him to curl a shot inside with his stronger foot. The ball traced a beautiful arc and nestled into the net. For a split second Ha Sunmoon nearly cheered at seeing a Korean player score, but he caught himself and forced his expression into something more appropriate for a Manchester City player.
[Good. Club comes before nationality. That’s how you manage your face. Someone might be filming you right now.]
Hmm… I suppose so.
Harrison nodded approvingly at Ha Sunmoon’s restrained reaction.
[The English press can be brutal. You have to put up with it. No choice.]
Ha Sunmoon nodded and turned his attention back to the pitch. Manchester City had spent nearly eighty of the ninety minutes in possession, yet they had failed to find a goal. Ferran Torres, deployed as the number nine, was smothered by Tottenham’s centre-backs. Sterling and Mahrez on the wings, along with Jesus off the bench, could not break down the compact defensive block.
— Spurs on the break again! Son! He’s lightning quick!
Wow… he really is fast.
[Whoa, he’s quick! Seriously fast!]
Ha Sunmoon watched, brow furrowed, as Son covered the distance from halfway to the penalty area in an instant. This time the Korean chose the outside rather than cutting inside. Aké, already unsettled, was beaten again.
[This is why two-footed players are rated so highly. He uses both feet brilliantly.]
— Son swings in the cross! It’s perfectly weighted for Harry Kane! Kane with the header—!
But it was straight at the goalkeeper. Ederson breathed a sigh of relief.
[Even the best teams can be made to look ordinary.]
The remark carried a hint of satisfaction, but Ha Sunmoon let it pass.
"Tottenham have always been a difficult matchup for us. Still, just sitting here watching makes me itch to play. I really want to get out there."
[Hmm? Really? Then you’d better catch the manager’s eye sooner rather than later. Nothing else for it.]
From this point onward, Harrison’s advice was limited. Tactics, positioning, and the manager’s overall strategy were still a new world to him; only the physical side of things allowed him to offer meaningful input.
[But I do know how to get noticed quickly.]
"Really? How?"
[First, you need the players’ respect.]
"The players?"
[Exactly. Even if language is a barrier, you have to prove through your ability that you’re a reliable presence on the pitch.]
"And then?"
[Then the coaches and the manager. Going straight to Pep Guardiola was a good move, but earning the coaches’ approval first matters more. Approaching the manager too often can feel like skipping the chain of command. Pep loves talking football more than most, but the coaches might not appreciate it. Show them respect as well.]
"Ah… I see."
[And quietly earning the goodwill of the club’s other staff is important too. If you keep training diligently and sticking to the diet, someone will notice. You think they won’t? You’re wrong. Footballers are stars—everything you do gets seen eventually.]
Ha Sunmoon nodded at Harrison’s words.
"You’re right. Even back at Espanyol, the manager somehow knew all sorts of things about me."
Beep beep beep
[It’s over.]
After the final whistle, Ha Sunmoon headed to meet the players. The mood was subdued following the defeat in the Community Shield and now the opening league loss. He had originally planned to seek out Son, but following Harrison’s advice he quietly joined the rest of the squad instead, sharing in the difficult aftermath.
You’re not ready yet. It seems you still need a little more time. But if you wait patiently, an opportunity will surely come.
Pep Guardiola had said those words to Ha Sunmoon, but they were the same message he gave to any young player stepping up. Currently, Ha Sunmoon existed somewhere between youth prospect and rotational squad member. His name was on the first-team list, yet something still felt missing. His time training with Manchester City had been short, and it remained uncertain whether he could yet match the Premier League’s physical demands. Guardiola’s system rewarded players who covered the most ground to occupy the right spaces, not just those who sprinted endlessly.
"You were curious about that?"
"Yes."
After watching the Tottenham match, Ha Sunmoon wanted to earn the players’ trust first, just as Harrison had advised. He approached the newly appointed captain, Fernandinho.
"In the end, you have to reach the level the manager considers suitable. Even expensive signings get left out if Pep doesn’t rate them. The ability he’s looking for isn’t just individual quality—it’s the capacity to make his tactics function within this Manchester City team."
"So building my body properly is the priority, right?"
"Your body? You’re already in decent shape."
"Even so, the manager is strict about diet and conditioning. I want to reach the standard he expects at Manchester City."
Fernandinho thought for a moment before replying.
"Then live like Stones. You’re staying at the same hotel as him, aren’t you?"
"Stones?"
[Huh? The injured guy?]
"Yeah. Despite all his injuries, Stones is meticulous about managing his body. If he weren’t strict about it, he would’ve been shipped out long ago. The reason he’s still here is clear—he’s extremely disciplined, yet injuries still happen. The stricter the management, the more injuries he seems to attract. So living like Stones is, in my book, the most rigorous approach possible."
"Ah… I understand now. I’ll start right away!"
Ha Sunmoon immediately decided to visit Stones, who was undergoing rehabilitation on the second floor.
Hmm… He’s going to survive here. The manager will like that.
Fernandinho watched Ha Sunmoon stride off toward Stones and nodded to himself.