Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 113



Only Krnovel

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Hannover unfortunately lost their first match after a hard-fought away game in Berlin.

And Hannover manager Jan Rytl still had one more challenge ahead of him.

The tiresome and frustrating ordeal of having to deal with local reporters from Hanover who followed me all the way to Berlin.

However, Jan smiled and greeted the reporters who followed him here, and although the reporters were a little disappointed at the end, they were satisfied with the performance itself, so the atmosphere was good.

“Today, we missed the chance to earn points, which was unfortunate. In fact, we could have been satisfied with a draw and played less aggressively. However, we played aggressively and conceded a goal in the second half and lost the game. Do you plan to maintain this tactical style in future games, Coach?”

Jan smiled contentedly.

If the relationship had been turbulent, some of the sentences would have been different even if the question had been asked with the same intent.

For example, ‘be satisfied with a draw and be less aggressive’ might have changed to ‘be overly aggressive due to being obsessed with points’, and ‘intend to maintain your tactical style’ might have changed to ‘intend to stick to just one tactic’.

Jan shook his head to clear his mind and answered. To the reporters, it must have seemed like he was clearing his mind before speaking.

“It is clear that the tactics shown in this match will be Hannover’s Plan A, but we do not intend to insist on this tactic against every opponent we face.

“With flexible thinking and creative thinking, we will survive in the Bundesliga, and although this match did not go well, we will achieve good results in the future.”

“I guess the main reason we lost this match was because of the absence of our starting goalkeeper?”

Have you ever seen such a pesky fox?

If, immersed in the good atmosphere, I were to say here, “Yes, that’s right. If only Kim could come back, all the problems would be solved,” the reporters here would surely shout, “Okay, I asked!” and go back to their companies to spout out all sorts of speculative articles.

For example, article titles like ‘We lost because of Leo!’ or ‘Hannover’s defense is like a sand castle without Kim’.

Jan, who had been harassed by reporters many times, laughed and shook his head again.

“Leo did his job well. Although we lost the game by conceding a goal at the end, I understand because it was our first real match with the new players.”

Then, a reporter made a pitiful expression. I remembered your face clearly. From now on, you should take all the questions that reporter asks defensively.

“A question outside of the competition, but Kim just finished the Olympics and won the gold medal. Do you have any words for Kim? Also, is Kim available for the next competition?”

“I personally called Kim to congratulate her. I’ve congratulated her more than three times, so I won’t do it here. And I hope Kim will return soon, but I will first carefully check her physical condition and then make a decision.”

Besides that, the reporters asked several questions.

Several players Hannover signed in the transfer market this summer. And several players were sold to other clubs accordingly.

The reporters asked him in detail whether he felt the void left by the player he sold and whether he was concerned that the player he brought in was not performing as well as expected, and then the interview ended.

As always after a game, Yan felt particularly tired today.

***

I returned to Hanover without even raising a glass.

It was a quick return with no time to catch his breath, but he couldn’t say to Hannover, who had just started their league schedule, “Leave me alone. Let me enjoy it when I have fun! Don’t you know work-life balance?”

‘If you show that kind of attitude while receiving an annual salary of 6 billion won, you could receive death threats.’

Of course, fans don’t know exactly how much they get paid.

Only a few gossip media outlets have ‘guessed’ roughly how much I receive, but the details of my contract are unknown.

But still, the news spread that the annual salary had broken the club record, and there were reactions like, “No matter what, are you giving that much money to renew a contract with a new player? Those incompetent front office bastards!” So ​​I absolutely cannot slack off.

Taking responsibility for what you receive.

Isn’t that a mature professional consciousness?

Fortunately, Jan told me not to go with him on his expedition to Berlin, which Hanover was leaving for, and to return to Hanover to rest, so I guess that was a little bit of consideration for me.

“Son! Wasn’t it inconvenient coming here?”

“It was almost uncomfortable, but my mom came out to pick me up so it wasn’t really that bad?”

“I’m getting paid 6 billion won, so of course I have to escort you. Right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

As soon as I got out of the airport, I hugged my mom, got in the car, drove straight home, and unpacked my clothes.

Actually, when I renewed my contract last time, I was thinking about moving to a better place, but since I was going to be there for another year anyway, I decided to stay in this old house, and now I feel really comfortable in this old house.

My military brothers say that their unit and their barracks feel like real home when they go there later, is this what it feels like?

And I had a meal with my family (just one person, but still) for the first time in a long time.

My mother showed off her skills to raise the goose that laid the golden eggs, and I ate hot Korean food in Germany.

They say that players who are really good at managing their bodies also manage the food they eat very systematically, but players are people too.

Sometimes, I have to put salty, sweet, spicy, and other foods down my throat to avoid depression.

‘I don’t get homesick because I only have good people around me.’

In fact, it’s no secret that life in Germany and life in Korea are the same, even though I don’t have any friends in Korea.

But sometimes I miss Korean chicken.

Pig’s feet. Jajangmyeon. Tangsuyuk. Tteokbokki. Sushi. Takoyaki. Rice bowls. All kinds of delivery food.

Of course, if you eat something like that recklessly, your body could really deteriorate, so I never put it in my mouth easily.

Isn’t it a famous anecdote that Eden Hazard’s form plummeted after eating a hamburger?

If I don’t cover what I have to, I don’t know when I’ll become a fat Minwoo.

‘Still······I can’t resist Mom’s food~’

*

The day after Hannover’s disappointing defeat in Berlin.

I arrived at the clubhouse in Hanover for the first time in a long time.

Everyone I met was very happy to see me and hugged and greeted me.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Kim!”

This is goalkeeper coach Gerald Hermann.

I was happier than I expected and greeted him with a bright expression.

“It’s been a while, Geralt!”

“Yeah. Congratulations on the gold medal, Kim. Now that you’re back in Hanover, you’ll have to go to the Meisterchalet again, right?”

“A championship shield? What, I guess?”

If I can, I want to build up my career, including winning as much as possible.

Whether it was winning the second division or winning a gold medal at the Olympics, Football Manager always gave a corresponding reward when you achieved high results.

And I went to the director’s office to see Jan, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as Jan saw me, he jumped up from his seat, hugged me tightly, and tapped me on the back of my head.

“I’ll be honest with you, Kim. I really missed you.”

“If I had missed a few more games, I would have gotten lovesick.”

“That almost happened when you went to the Asian Cup.”

This guy, what are you going to do when I leave Hanover? Minwoo Holic, it’s definitely good for me, but if I leave the team, what if Hyunta comes to you?

Jan showed his delight at seeing me for a while, then grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the training ground.

At the training ground, the players had already gathered and were each warming up by running around lightly.

Jan blew the whistle hanging around his neck and called the players together.

“Everyone, get over here! Fisher! Becker! Stop kicking the ball and come over here!”

Familiar faces appear. Some players who already recognized me were gathering around, giggling.

As the players gathered around laughing, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I saw them.

“Are we all here? Well, as you all know, this is Kim who struck gold in Paris. Kim? During the pre-season, Hannover also had some maintenance work done, so some players came and went, so I hope we can get to know each other and get to know each other before the next game.”

“The next game is in 4 days. Will I be able to play?”

Jan makes a blank expression at my words and tilts his head.

“Then you’re not going to run? How much money does Hanover give you?”

“Oh, I mean, that’s not what I meant-”

“Corsic! I’ve been influenced by you! What are you going to do?”

Jan’s nagging.

Corsic scratched his chin at the sudden spark.

“I don’t know that guy.”

“What? You’re my closest friend!”

“I don’t know about players who don’t even follow me on Instagram···.”

“Hey! I did it for you!”

“You’re late, honey!”

Most of the players laughed at this joke. The new players laughed as well.

“Anyway, Kim? I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but congratulations on your gold medal.”

“Yes, thank you.”

And I had a private chat with the new players who were brought in this summer’s transfer window. It was Jan’s arrangement.

A total of three players were brought into Hannover: Wyss Till, Alex Scott and Angelo Stiller.

Each position had two players: an attacking midfielder and a central midfielder.

‘Oh. Hannover’s positions, which I thought were weak, have been completely strengthened.’

It was clear that the midfield was the problem, and Ian must have felt the same way because he poured his recruitment efforts into the midfield.

And, above all,

“Kim. I watched your performance at the Olympics closely. You did really well.”

The player shaking my hand with a smile is Alex Scott from England. He is considered to have the highest potential among England’s promising young players.

How on earth did Hannover get this player? There must have been a lot of clubs interested in him.

Not only that, but Wyss Till and Angelo Stiller were not bad signings either. Hannover seemed to be looking beyond just staying in the league.

‘Still, the cost of recruiting was quite high, so many players left.’

The three midfielders who were considered weak at the time were all scattered to other clubs, Ron-Robert Ziller also transferred to Augsburg in the Bundesliga, and Taylor Nielsen, who we faced at the Olympics, was also gone.

So, if you just look at the player base, it has become thinner than before.

“Kim. Today we’re going to do some light recovery training. You get ready too.”

“Yes, sir.”

The hometown team is back after a long time.

Soon, my teammates will return to Korea and be welcomed by the people. I’m a little jealous. But I’m not the only one in this situation, and it’s something that happens as a fate for those who play overseas, so I figured it would be like that.

Above all, I really want to use the improved Prophet’s Eye as soon as possible.

***

Prowear is a South Korean sportswear brand company.

It was a company that was simply playing in a different water than other poor and weak native brands.

A huge sportswear brand with a market capitalization of 5.27 trillion won, not much different from the Japanese sports specialty brands that are considered an insurmountable wall in this industry.

There, Park Min-su was a relatively successful person.

22 years of work experience. A middle-aged man with a potbelly who is only 2 years away from turning 40. However, Manager Park insists on his ‘full’ age and says he is still in his mid-40s, and he does not want to grow older.

For Manager Park Min-soo, the company was a boring routine. Because he had so much work experience, no matter how unusual the experience was, it was just a part of his daily routine.

“······That’s what was decided.”

So, what I meant was that most things are like that.

Park Min-soo couldn’t believe his ears when he heard the director’s call and the words he was reciting. He also wondered if this was part of office politics.

“···Are you talking about the task force?”

The director nods. What on earth was discussed in the management meeting?

“The conclusion of the meeting was that if we leave it like this, our company will disappear from the soccer shoe market. Although sales are not large, there is a difference between having a steady stream of money and completely drying up.”

So, are you planning to roll the dice big time?

But in Park Min-soo’s view, it was an excessive worry. Western companies like Nike and Adidas rarely produce soccer shoes that take into account the physical characteristics of Asians.

In other words, if we could just overcome the competition with the Japanese kids, it would be difficult to significantly increase the market share in soccer shoes, but it would be possible to maintain the status quo.

‘Ah. So, does that mean that since the sales are ambiguous enough to be folded but also to continue, they’re going to give it a proper push this time?’

Director Han Jeong-hyeon looked straight at Park Min-su, who was lost in thought, and spoke again.

“Anyway, since the task force to increase the European market share has been decided, you should take charge of it. After all, if we just target the European market and increase our market share, wouldn’t other continents follow suit?”

Park Min-soo kept his mouth shut. The market share of prowear in the European market was 0.1%.

This share was because Asian players were knocking on the door of the European continent to some extent, and the same goes for other sports besides soccer shoes, but the two giants, Nike and Adidas, had a firm grip on the Western market.

Puma was next, and then Mizuno, but from Mizuno onwards, the market share was only a decimal point.

“To be honest, we need to start from Asia, not the European market, and then knock on the door of Europe······.”

What can we do if we break down the stronghold of Japanese companies?

“Huh? Manager Park. Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Oh, yes. I’ll try to lead you well this time. Haha···.”

“Yeah, yeah. I told you, Director Park, you’re the only one who can do it. And what about that guy who’s doing well in Germany? Kim Min-woo? The guy who won the gold medal this time. Try contacting him.”

“Support is···.”

“Don’t worry about support.”

Since our competitors are Nike and Adidas, sir, you have to set a budget that is at least higher than what Nike and Adidas are offering so that we can sign Kim Min-woo.

Of course, I couldn’t say that.

All Park Min-soo could do was leave the director’s office, which was sending out cheering voices, and sigh.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am