Become a Lion
Harrison let out a low hum. Hmm… There’s surprisingly little for me to do here. I’m bored to death… After wandering around and asking questions, he watched Sunmoon Ha put the instructions into practice immediately and spoke.
The fundamentals had come from Pep Guardiola. To absorb the finer details, Sunmoon had been glued to the coaches ever since. Truthfully, he believed there wasn’t much left to learn about the classic fullback role—he had performed it countless times—but Manchester City was not a club where a player limited to that single role could survive. A perfect example was Benjamin Mendy. Outside the training ground the difference wasn’t obvious, yet inside it, Mendy looked somewhat adrift compared to Sunmoon. On top of that, Sunmoon was now learning the false nine role as well, so the list of things he needed to master was endless.
Hmm… Well, having nothing to do isn’t entirely bad.
After completing his rounds, Sunmoon finally tracked Harrison down.
“Ah! I finally found you. Where have you been?”
What? Why? Weren’t you supposed to be learning the inverted fullback and false nine roles from the coaches?
“I’ve learned everything I needed for today. It’s self-directed training time now,” Sunmoon replied calmly.
In that case…
“It’s time to start that program. The three-step routine you mentioned before. I think the moment has come.”
The three steps? You’re really going to do it? Sunmoon, that’s no joke. It’s the exact routine special forces soldiers use to forge their bodies.
“I have to. A false nine can find space and move quickly, but when bodies collide, strength is what matters. That’s what I believe, anyway. Besides, modern fullbacks who combine physique with speed are the best at shutting down wingers. Players like Kyle Walker here.”
Hmm… You sure you’ll be all right? You’ll barely have any rest in a day. Until your body adapts, your condition will stay poor.
“Even so, I need to do it. If I don’t start now, how can I be useful later?”
Hmm… But here’s the thing. If the manager suddenly decides to use you and your condition is bad, he won’t be able to bring you on. You could miss the exact moment you’re supposed to play.
“It doesn’t matter. In the end, I have to think long-term, don’t I? It’s one team, but it’s also an individual sport. I need to catch the manager’s eye to get on the pitch, yet this squad already has too many good players. To surpass them, ordinary preparation won’t be enough. So if I want to become a better player, I have to start right now.”
He’s thinking that far ahead? Harrison studied Sunmoon with new intensity. From what he had seen, the younger version of Sunmoon would have been stressed about not playing yet. But somewhere along the way the boy had matured. After listening to Harrison, the senior players, and a few coaches, he had calmly mapped out a plan to prepare for an early debut.
All right! Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll teach you the training that forms the foundation of every British special forces unit—the SAS itself! Are you ready, recruit?
“Yes, sir! I’m ready!”
Harrison glared at him fiercely, but inside he felt a surge of pride. I won’t let those rough English players push you around. I’ll turn you into a lion.
“What? What are you talking about?”
It was the second round of the Premier League, the day of the Norwich match. Pep Guardiola had been considering giving Sunmoon a run if the game looked decided.
“I’m thinking of adding Ha to the substitute list. Coaches, what’s your opinion?”
“Ha’s attitude is excellent. He’s adapting quickly and, more importantly, he trains with great diligence.”
“He’s even doing extra training on top of the regular schedule.”
The coaches responded positively, but the head physio and team doctors looked uneasy.
“How many minutes are you planning to give him? Ha doesn’t have the physique to last long.”
“What? The medical passed without issues and he’s been completing every session. Why? What’s the problem?”
“It’s not an injury. It’s simply… extremely high overall muscle fatigue. Even without any special training before the match, he won’t be able to perform at full capacity.”
“What? I just heard he’s been training diligently—now you’re telling me he’s overdoing it?”
“Yes. After today’s massage, we found every muscle group was completely knotted.”
Pep Guardiola frowned at the physio’s report. It wasn’t an injury, but the heavy muscle fatigue bothered him. If the boy played and things went poorly, he risked a hamstring tear or worse.
A player who only just arrived is training so hard he’s created problems for himself… It’s good to have desire, but still…
“Overdoing it is never ideal… Exactly what kind of training has he been doing?” Juanma Lillo asked the other coaches.
“He completes the standard schedule. But he arrives an hour early to train alone and stays an hour after everyone else leaves. The real issue is…”
“The real issue?”
“His strength-training ratio is unusually high, similar to the Bayern Munich players. It looks like he’s trying to bulk up.”
“Bulking up all of a sudden?”
“Yes. Probably because he’s playing as a number nine, he believes more muscle will help him.”
“This… The false nine role isn’t built on muscle. The greatest false nine of all was Messi—short and not particularly muscular…”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand the impulse. Showing up first and leaving last was exactly what diligent, high-potential players did.
“If Ha improves his physicality, how does that benefit us?”
“His original position is fullback. With added muscle, wouldn’t he become something like Walker?”
“Walker? Hmm…”
Pep Guardiola fell silent for a moment, thinking.
“Ten minutes at most. That should be fine, yes?”
“Yes. In five minutes or less he won’t tax his muscles too heavily.”
“Hoo…” Pep let out a small sigh. After the Community Shield loss to Leicester and then the defeat to Tottenham, I missed something I should have caught.
“All right, we’ll include Ha. The overtraining is a slight concern, but it’s better than leaving players on the bench. He deserves the chance.” The other coaches nodded in agreement.
What?
On match day against Norwich, Sunmoon froze where he stood.
“Why the surprise? It’s not that unusual. Against manageable opponents we sometimes give young players like you a few minutes.”
Uh… this isn’t good. It’s only been three days since the Tottenham game and my name is suddenly on the list? Damn… I trained at maximum intensity right up until yesterday…
“Ah, I see! But what if my condition isn’t good?”
“We’re aware you suddenly ramped up your training intensity. The team doctor filed a report on your current state. Still, you’ll only be asked to play between three and ten minutes, so we believe you can manage it. Think of it as coming on once the result is largely settled.”
“I understand… but is it really necessary to put me in?”
“We intend to develop you gradually as one of our own. Especially for young players and academy products like yourself, the memory of winning on the first-team stage is important. The mental gap between you and fully grown professional players is significant.”
Sunmoon had never considered that angle. He simply nodded.
“It may feel like nothing more than a brief taste, but every step matters. There may be emergency situations where you’re thrown in because of injuries, but for now we’re easing you into the first team. This is the beginning of linking up with the senior players in a real match.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll do my best today!”
“Good.”
As Sunmoon headed toward the locker room, his mind swirling, Fernandinho called out from behind.
“Ha! I just heard. You finally made the substitute list?”
“Yes. It won’t be long, but they’re giving me a chance.”
“You might get your opportunity sooner than expected. Norwich are struggling near the bottom, so a comfortable win is likely. That could mean at least ten minutes.”
Ten minutes!
Fernandinho spoke as if offering congratulations, but Sunmoon felt cold sweat break out across his back.
“Why are you shaking? Too excited about making the squad?”
“No, it’s not that… Um… Yes, I’m excited!”
“Hahaha. See you later, then.”
Sixty-seventh minute of the second half.
Peeeeeeeeep!
- Ferran Torres is in obvious pain.
- The referee sprints toward the Norwich player and shows a red card!
“Bloody hell!”
Pep Guardiola swore at the sudden development.
“Pep! There’s no false nine left on the bench. We’ve already used every attacking option.”
Pep checked the substitute list. The match had not gone according to plan; two of the three available substitutions had already been spent on wingers. Jesus and Sterling had come off, Mahrez and Foden had gone on. Every remaining player was either a defender or a defensive midfielder.
“Ha! Warm up!”
Pep Guardiola’s voice rang out sharply across the technical area.