Back in the Cage
Whether the instability in Espanyol’s first team during this period of tactical transition was good for the B-team was, of course, a resounding no. While it was true that a sudden vacancy in the first team could occasionally give a B-team player a taste of senior football, the current situation at Espanyol was far from beneficial. The club was in the midst of painful trial and error following the managerial change, and that turbulence had now begun to affect the B-team as well.
“Sunmoon, we’re also training to fit the new manager’s tactics now.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re still a left-back, but your freedom on the pitch will be more restricted than before. It’s closer to the kind of tactical setup we used previously.”
“So staying in my designated zone is the priority?”
“Exactly. You catch on quickly. For now, think of it that way. You’re capable of doing much more, but when your role is limited, it actually becomes simpler—and I think you’ll handle it well.”
“Understood.”
Ha Sunmoon nodded, showing he grasped the role, and David, the B-team coach, moved on to explain the changes to the other players.
Trapped in the cage again?
“Haa… I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do. I should be grateful I can at least keep playing as a regular in the B-team. Even if Rancho got promoted to the first team, he’d still be on the bench with Billy there, right?”
Oho~ So you’re thinking like that now? You’ve grown quite a bit. Impressive.
“Of course, I’m a little jealous that Rancho gets to train at a higher level with the first-team players under the new manager. But for now, I’m just going to focus on what I can do. No point dwelling on it.”
Right. It would be good to see firsthand what the first-team manager wants, but your current approach is also correct. Well done.
Although the first team and B-team operated as separate entities, the B-team’s sole purpose was to prepare players for the first team. Whenever the senior side needed reinforcements, B-team players were called up, which was why the B-team mirrored the first team’s tactics exactly. A change in the first-team manager therefore threw the entire B-team—coaches and players alike—into confusion.
Espanyol really is something else. They should have hired a manager during preseason and finalized the tactics before the season started. Instead, they’re making everyone do the work twice.
Harrison’s criticism was fair. The team had already been training for a 4-3-3, only to suddenly switch to a 4-4-2, and the atmosphere was chaotic. While the other B-team players had started adapting to the new system earlier than Sunmoon, it was clear things weren’t going smoothly.
Sunmoon glanced at David, who was still explaining the changes.
“Gori, Danny. From now on, the training you’ll need to focus on is…”
He watched the two midfielders listening intently. The position hit hardest by the tactical shift was midfield. The three-man midfield had been reduced to two, forcing them into a numerical disadvantage in the center and subjecting them to far more intense training. At least these two had the quality to make the new system functional. In other words, the rest of the B-team midfielders would struggle to earn minutes for the foreseeable future.
Because the overall quality of players in Espanyol’s B-team wasn’t overwhelmingly high, some simply couldn’t execute the new tactics.
“Eric! From now on, you need to play more like a proper winger than a forward on the right.”
Eric, who had previously played as a right winger, was relatively fortunate—his role hadn’t changed drastically, much like Sunmoon’s.
“Max! You’ll be playing as a temporary center-forward. Position yourself over here.”
Training began, and Sunmoon quickly realized the scale of the problem. La Liga had been revolutionized by Pep Guardiola’s methods. Most teams, influenced by Barcelona, played possession-based football built around the 4-3-3, and Espanyol had been no exception. Now the youth players who had grown up drilling that style were suddenly being asked to switch to a 4-4-2 built on zonal defending and counter-attacks. They looked completely lost.
At least you’re lucky. Your role didn’t change much. The others can’t keep up.
“You’re right. This is a disaster.”
Sunmoon agreed with Harrison as he watched his teammates struggle to adapt. Rapid adjustment to tactical changes was part of a player’s ability, but for these young players, the shift was proving difficult.
The final whistle blew.
Haa…
“Haa…”
After the match, Sunmoon let out a deep, weary sigh. Harrison, who had watched the entire game, did the same. Their opponent had been Zaragoza B, a side they had comfortably beaten before, yet today they had only managed a draw. It was Sunmoon’s second match since returning to the B-team, and Espanyol B had now fallen into a rut of draws.
“Good work, everyone. Max and Danny, you were excellent. You’re both settling into the system well.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes…”
Despite David’s best efforts to encourage them, the players’ expressions remained gloomy. They had grown accustomed to winning, and the rising number of draws and losses had left them disheartened.
“Sunmoon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You seem to have almost fully adapted.”
“Yes, sir.”
It’s not that I’ve adapted. I’m just being forced to stay in one place.
“I know it’s frustrating. The other players still lack a full understanding of the formation, so we can’t afford to play more attacking football yet. If you push forward, there won’t be anyone to cover the space you leave behind.”
Hmm… That’s true. But the fact that he’s saying this suggests he plans to implement more attacking play eventually. For now, they’re keeping things defensive while everyone learns the system. Not a bad approach.
Harrison nodded, agreeing with the coach’s reasoning.
“Understood. So I should just continue like this for now?”
“That’s right.”
David felt a wave of relief as he looked at Sunmoon’s calm response.
Thank goodness. He really does have patience. I was worried he might get frustrated and start charging forward, but he stayed in his position the entire match and defended calmly. Once two or three more players adapt, we should be fine.
While Sunmoon was quickly settling into the B-team’s new system, Espanyol’s first team was facing a serious crisis.
“Espanyol’s dreadful league position—will they be facing relegation this season? Even the major media outlets are tearing into us now.”
The club’s sporting director sighed as the press officer let out a long breath of his own.
“The atmosphere is that bad. Our results aren’t helping either. No matter how much we ask them to tone it down, they’re just looking for things to criticize.”
“Still, we can’t let articles like this keep coming out.”
“There’s nothing we can do. If we don’t publish critical pieces, our own fans accuse us of being too friendly with the club.”
“The fans aren’t happy either?”
“No. Especially on social media—the mood is terrible.”
The press officer brought up several posts.
The criticism was relentless. Sitting in 19th place, Espanyol were staring at relegation—a familiar story for teams in danger. It felt like only yesterday they had been praised for finishing 7th, yet their standing had collapsed with alarming speed.
After scrolling through the barrage of negativity, the sporting director paused on something unusual.
“What’s this?”
“Which one are you referring to?”
He pointed to several posts mentioning one particular Espanyol player.
“Ah… It seems a number of fans have taken an interest in Ha Sunmoon since his performances at the U-17 World Cup. With our first-team left-back Pedrosa injured, some supporters are hoping to see Sunmoon make his debut.”
“Then why hasn’t David called him up? Has anyone spoken to him?”
The youth development officer answered.
“Well… According to what David told me, he doesn’t believe Sunmoon is ready for the first team yet.”
“Not ready?”
“No. He also thinks it’s only fair to give Rancho, who’s been in the B-team longer, the first opportunity. If the other B-team players see that, they’ll be motivated to work harder too.”
“Haa… I suppose that makes sense.”
“Besides, David has been loyal to the B-team for years. He’s seen these players up close, so he must have his reasons.”
“Fine. But when the first-team atmosphere is this bad, it’s hard to ignore even a small request from the fans. We need to give them something to quiet the criticism.”
“I’ll pass that along.”
The youth officer nodded at the sporting director’s words. Unbeknownst to Ha Sunmoon, his first-team debut was drawing closer.