The Dreaded Set Piece Drill
In the training ground ahead of the Carabao Cup tie against Wycombe, Ha Sunmoon felt the approach of the one drill he truly hated. Set-piece training.
“Since Ha isn’t that tall, we’ll station you a little wider. If the ball rebounds out even slightly, you’ll be in position to collect it immediately. Got it?”
It’s not the most congested area. At least that’s something.
The set-piece coach was positioning Sunmoon exactly where he wanted him.
“Yes, right there. Everyone needs to know their assigned spots, but basically treat it like you’re responsible for one specific opponent in that zone. When we’re defending, it’s usually one-on-one or we have a numbers advantage. When we attack, we’re outnumbered, so your job is to draw their attention away.”
So, tight man-marking on defense and a decoy role on attack. Simple enough.
“I understand.”
“Good. Before we dive into the actual session, we’ll start with this.”
The set-piece coach dragged a large padded mat in front of Sunmoon.
“Right, push into it.”
“Sorry?”
“Shove it with your body.”
Sunmoon began driving forward, pressing his shoulder into the mat the coach was holding.
Harder! What have you been doing all those strength sessions for? Put your back into it!
When the set-piece coach remained steady, Clive Harrison’s voice immediately began needling Sunmoon.
“Not bad. You’ve actually got some power.”
Harder! If you don’t push properly now, training volume doubles tomorrow!
Uuuuuuuuuurgh!
Under Harrison’s threat, Sunmoon poured on more force. The coach finally began to slide backward.
“Better than I expected!”
Even as he was being pushed, the set-piece coach’s face lit up with approval.
“All right, that’s enough.”
“Haa…” Sunmoon exhaled heavily.
“This is excellent. Now I see why the manager wanted you doing this. Your strength is outstanding.”
Yes! That’s it! When it’s time to push, you push!
“We could even use you centrally if we need to.”
“Sorry?”
“You could hold your own in aerial battles with center-backs. Come on, give me another push.”
No! I was so glad I wouldn’t have to do that…
Sunmoon immediately eased off, pushing with only half his strength.
“Hey, none of that. Full power. This is just the beginning—there’s a lot more work ahead!”
“But… shouldn’t I conserve some energy?”
“No! I want to see you go full throttle against center-backs!”
Look at that fire in the coach’s eyes! This is what growth looks like!
The set-piece coach stared at Sunmoon with open anticipation. Sunmoon sighed inwardly and drove forward with everything he had.
“How did he do?”
“Very impressive. Definitely not bad at all.”
The set-piece coach delivered his report to manager Pep Guardiola.
“For a fullback his frame isn’t bad, and the power is genuine. All that strength training is clearly paying off. At this level he won’t get bullied by other fullbacks or wingers. He’s already solid as a fullback, but if he improves further, using him as a number nine wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. Having him in an attacking position during set pieces looks promising too.”
“That good, is he? Excellent report.”
Pep Guardiola nodded, clearly satisfied. Sunmoon had been delivering positive results by his exacting standards.
“The concern is… I’m not sure how he’ll fare against quick, clever opponents. And against the caliber of center-backs we have on our own squad… well…”
The set-piece coach looked slightly disappointed as he finished.
“Can’t be helped. Our center-back unit is arguably the best in the world. Breaking through them was never going to be easy. Focus on drilling the set-piece routines into the players who’ll feature against Wycombe. We’ll have plenty of young lads out there, so make sure they don’t look lost.”
“Understood.”
Pep Guardiola then turned to first-team coach Juanma Lillo.
“Does Ha seem to be settling in with the squad all right?”
“Language really is key. Since Ha speaks Portuguese well, he gets along with the Brazilian and Portuguese lads. He also has a bit of Spanish and English, so communication isn’t an issue. And… he seems to have grown especially close to the Brazilian players.”
Juanma Lillo shared what he had observed.
“He’s sharp. Not many young players pick up multiple languages so quickly.”
“Exactly. And for his age, his mentality is outstanding. You saw it yourself, didn’t you? No matter the situation, he’s the first to refocus and lock in. It’s like he has his own routine for overcoming pressure.”
“For someone so young, that side of him is very promising.”
Of course, Harrison’s influence was enormous, but unless Sunmoon revealed it himself, the coaching staff had no way of knowing. They simply saw a young player with unusual mental fortitude.
Haa… I’m finally starting.
Ha Sunmoon steadied his pounding heart and stepped into the locker room. In the slightly oval-shaped space, he walked to the peg marked with his number 13.
Starting makes you that happy?
Harrison spoke as he watched Sunmoon sit down with a grin.
“Of course. Though… the opponent isn’t exactly a strong side.”
Sunmoon had arrived first and was already preparing. Soon the rest of the squad filtered in.
“Ha. Looks like you’re excited to be out there today,” Fernandinho said, walking over.
“I suppose I am.”
“Didn’t you come in a bit early by yourself?”
“Just wanted to get ready and get out on the pitch quickly.”
“By the way, is that rumor true?”
“Which one?”
“The one about you naturalizing for Brazil.”
“Mm… I’m seriously considering it. I talked about it with Marcelo and Carlos back at Espanyol.”
“I heard about that too… Hmm. You sure it’s the right move?”
“It’s still just something I’m thinking about for now.”
“Fair enough. Think it through carefully. I’d welcome a player like you to Brazil any day, but I hope you make the decision with real depth.”
After listening to Fernandinho’s gentle concern, Sunmoon nodded in understanding.
He really has the aura of a captain. Instead of just pulling me in, he respects my choice.
“He really is a good person.”
Time passed, and the match arrived. Sunmoon walked down the tunnel with the rest of the starting eleven and lined up alongside the Wycombe Wanderers players.
Manchester City’s starting lineup was as follows:
LW Sterling, CF Ha Sunmoon, RW Jesus, LCM Foden, CDM Lavia, RCM Kevin De Bruyne, LB Esbrand, LCB Mbete, RCB Burns, RB Egan-Riley, GK Zack Steffen.
It was a youthful side heavy on academy players rather than first-team regulars, but since the opponent was a League One team, no one expected it to be overly difficult.
Sunmoon walked slowly onto the pitch. After all the pre-match formalities, the referee’s whistle blew.
Haa… I can do this.
He advanced gradually into the opposition half, recalling everything he had practiced. Playing in the unfamiliar number-nine role wasn’t ideal, but it was far better than sitting on the bench.
“Manchester City are keeping the ball patiently at the back for now.”
Pocket! This is a pocket situation!
Remembering his lessons, Sunmoon dropped slightly deeper and gave the signal. Although four players were around him, Kevin De Bruyne spotted the movement and slipped a sharp pass into Sunmoon’s feet.
The moment the quick ball arrived, Sunmoon scanned his surroundings and noticed the space in front of Jesus. He cushioned it with a half-turn and played a first-time pass into the Brazilian’s path.
“De Bruyne plays it to Ha. Ha! Straight away to Jesus!”
Jesus read Sunmoon’s intention instantly. He burst forward, used one silky Brazilian-style dribble to beat the only defender in his way, and slid the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs.
The net rippled.
“Jesus! Gooooal!”
Wycombe, caught out on their right flank in seconds, had conceded to Jesus.
What? We scored that easily? Nice one!
Harrison praised Sunmoon’s involvement. Sunmoon quickly ran toward Jesus, who was already performing his trademark telephone celebration.
Just as Jesus lowered his hand, Sunmoon snatched it, redirecting the “phone” toward himself.
“Alô~! Hi, Mum. This is his teammate Ha.”
You crazy bastard. Haha.
“You crazy bastard, lol.”
Jesus had stared in confusion at first, wondering what Sunmoon was doing, but then burst out laughing at the cheeky prank.