Relegation Battle
The relegation battle. “Hoo…” Ha Sunmoon stepped into the restaurant, but everyone inside—customers, staff, and the owner alike—wore grim expressions.
“Ah… what do we do? Are we really heading to the second division?”
“This is bad…”
Many people were gathered in front of the TV, which was broadcasting the match of 17th-placed Valladolid. “Damn it… how are those guys not losing a single game?” “Exactly. Losing those two matches without Ha was huge. I don’t know what to do…”
Ha Sunmoon felt a pang of guilt as he watched the dejected fans. [Well… it’s only natural they’d worry like this.]
Harrison tried to understand them, but it wasn’t easy. Liverpool had never been anywhere near the relegation zone during his time supporting them.
“It’s fine, Harrison hyung… Sometimes you just have to sit tight in moments like this…”
As Ha Sunmoon was scolding Harrison, someone spotted him. “Huh? Ha!” “Ha? As in Ha Sunmoon?” “Oh my!”
One of the seated customers mentioned his name, and everyone in front of the TV turned to look. Raul came rushing out in surprise, while the staff scrambled to look busy.
“Sunmoon, sorry about that. We were just… caught up in the match… We haven’t even properly taken care of our hardworking player!”
“It’s all right. Where should I sit?”
“Anywhere is your seat! Though a quiet spot might be better—how about over there?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Ha Sunmoon followed Raul to his table. “Everyone’s… really worried, aren’t they?”
“Our fans are always like this. Do you think the players on the pitch are any different?”
“Haha…” Ha Sunmoon could hear the forced consideration in Raul’s voice.
“We’ll win the next match too. We’ll win… and stay here. Don’t worry about our game.”
“Of course! Our Sunmoon even re-signed to stay with us!”
But Ha Sunmoon himself felt uneasy. If they really went down to the second division, Espanyol wouldn’t be able to afford to keep both him and Lopez, making them the first players to be sold. Even with the contract clauses that would reduce his wages by 30% and his buyout clause by 50%, he didn’t want to play for such a low amount—or leave at all.
Raul could also picture the terrible scenario, but he chose to push it aside. A team that had finished 7th the previous season sitting in the relegation zone at the end of this one was a nightmare for any fan. At least the expensive youth players had stayed with the club. And the fact that one of them was a regular at his restaurant was a stroke of luck.
“What are you having today?”
“Paella again, so I can play well in the next match.”
“We got some good octopus in this time—want me to make it with squid ink?”
“That sounds delicious.”
So the fan and the player encouraged each other without any awkward small talk.
* * *
“Hoo…” On the bus heading to Granada’s home ground, Nuevo Los Cármenes, Ha Sunmoon let out a small sigh.
“Worried?” Naldo, sitting beside him, asked. Ha Sunmoon nodded.
“Yeah. Honestly, I am. I can’t get a feel for how this will turn out.”
The other players’ expressions were complicated as well. Espanyol had taken six points from Sevilla and Levante, who sat 6th and 9th. But the problem was that the other relegation rivals had done the same. 17th place. Finishing 17th would mean escaping relegation, but the team currently in 17th—Valladolid—was a resilient side. They had consistently hovered around the top ten, so even when they faltered, they didn’t completely collapse.
Valladolid and Espanyol were separated by just a single point. While Ha Sunmoon had returned and helped secure wins, they had also won their matches, keeping the gap at one point. With the season nearing its end, that single point felt like a noose tightening around the players’ necks despite their winning streak.
“But we still have a chance. We just have to do it. Play well today too. The rest is up to the heavens.”
Naldo said this to Ha Sunmoon and made a small praying gesture with his hands. “You’re right. We’ll do everything we can and hope for the best.”
The final match. An away game at Granada. Ha Sunmoon and his teammates began walking into Granada’s home stadium. Granada fans could be seen shouting at the Espanyol players.
“We’re sending you down today!”
“Just try it!”
“Boooooo!!!”
The jeering voices of the opposing fans. Ha Sunmoon straightened his neck and grinned. Don’t act like a pushover. It was a good mindset he had learned from Harrison. Even though they were deliberately mocking the Espanyol players, thanks to that mindset, Ha Sunmoon truly felt nothing.
[Good. That’s the right mindset. You should even laugh at them. Unlike the fans, the Granada players aren’t going to be that motivated for this match.]
Harrison was right. Granada were already sitting in 13th place. It was such an ambiguous position that, aside from it being their final home game of the season, they didn’t have much passion left.
[But it’s easier said than done. This won’t be an easy match either. Of course, it won’t be as difficult as the games against Sevilla and Levante, but you know that, right? You played way too much in those two matches.]
Harrison was worried about Ha Sunmoon. His dedicated play to avoid relegation had secured those two wins, but the price had been his stamina. No matter how special Harrison’s training was, Ha Sunmoon was still not an adult, and his body hadn’t fully matured.
“We just need to play well in this one match. Just this one match.”
[I know… I’m only saying it because I’m still worried.]
Still, Espanyol had one hope. Valladolid were playing at home, but their opponent was Atlético Madrid—a club sitting in 3rd place in La Liga, behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona, led by Simeone.
* * *
“…So! This is the tactic we’re going with.” Manager Abelardo was explaining with veins bulging in his neck, but none of it reached Ha Sunmoon’s ears.
[Forget everything I’ve told you so far.]
Ha Sunmoon was listening to Harrison. [We’ve been training long passes and mid-range shots recently, but without the proper technique, it’ll take time. It’s too much to use in a match right now… Let’s take it slow. You’ve got plenty of time.]
Ha Sunmoon nodded. At the right moment, the nod also served as consideration for Manager Abelardo.
[Yeah. For now, let’s just do what you’re good at. What you do best—shaking up and tormenting the opponent. Let’s get results by doing what you’re already good at first. We can work on upgrades during the long break before next season.]
Maybe it was because Liverpool had won the Premier League. Harrison’s voice sounded very merciful.
[You know why I’m saying this, right? Let’s not create any variables. Winning is what matters right now.]
“I know there’s no player here who doesn’t understand how important today’s match is. So let’s give it our all and make sure this team stays in La Liga. For yourselves. And for the fans.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“Yes!”
Ha Sunmoon and the Espanyol players responded loudly to Manager Abelardo’s words.
* * *
Matchweek 38. The final round of La Liga. Matches were being played simultaneously across ten stadiums in Spain. This was Granada’s home ground. The stands were awash with a red wave of Granada fans. The home atmosphere, massive flags, and the fans’ roars breathed new life into the Granada players, whose motivation had seemed somewhat lacking.
Piiiiiiiiiiiiiip
The referee’s whistle blew, and the match began.
— The final match of the 2019/20 La Liga season. The game between Granada and Espanyol has now started.
Both Granada and Espanyol were using 4-2-3-1 as their main formation. As the matches piled up, Darder had solidified his place alongside Sánchez in defensive midfield instead of Roca, allowing for more stable play. Thanks to that, unless facing a particularly strong team, Ha Sunmoon no longer needed to drop into midfield. He could focus solely on tormenting the opposition’s flank.
[Good. Let’s shake them up as much as we want today.]
As the match progressed, Ha Sunmoon and Vargas’s partnership improved as well. Ha Sunmoon stretching the play wide on the flank and Vargas making runs inside had sorted out their traffic patterns, and they occasionally created signals for Vargas to switch positions with Ha Sunmoon moving inside.
And the result showed immediately.
— Espanyol are causing problems on the left side!
It was a rehearsed variation. It looked like a 2-1 pass combination, but instead Vargas surged straight up the line.
— Not Ha, but Vargas is running up the line!
As the match went on, the opponents analyzed Espanyol. Naturally expecting Ha Sunmoon to cut inside, Granada’s right-back Díaz completely lost track of Vargas, and center-back Vallejo belatedly moved to cover.
[The right center-back’s position is empty. Move!]
Harrison, watching from above, pointed out the open space where Ha Sunmoon could receive the ball, and Ha Sunmoon signaled the path to Vargas with his hand.
‘There’s space right there!’
Vargas, whose left-footed crosses lacked quality, stopped and looked for the spot to deliver a right-footed cutback. He soon saw Ha Sunmoon moving into the space created by the center-back’s movement.
Thud!
— Vargas! Cutback!
— And Ha is there!
Ha Sunmoon shaped to curl the ball toward the far post, but when the Granada goalkeeper and the other center-back, Duarte, flinched, he instead smashed it powerfully toward the near post.
— Ha shoots!
GOOOOOOAL!
[Nice!]
Ha Sunmoon sprinted straight toward the away fans, with Vargas and Tomás quickly joining him.
‘Huh?’
Even though Ha Sunmoon had scored, the Espanyol fans didn’t look particularly happy. The reason became clear from the scream of one spectator.
“Those Atlético Madrid bastards just conceded!!!”
‘Ah…’