Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 134



Only Krnovel

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In fact, Hanover has been receiving some consideration during this time.

U23 Asian Cup call-up.

Olympic draft.

All thanks to Hannover’s consent (even if the team was against it, they could still go to the Olympics), they were able to achieve great results.

Without Kim Min-woo at the U23 Asian Cup, Korea would not have even advanced to the Olympics, and without Kim Min-woo at the Olympics, Korea would have had to pack up and return home after the group stage.

If that was the case, all of the U23s, who are called the golden generation, would have gone to Sangmu, or even if the spots were full, it would have really been a Nonsan ending.

So, the national team has been refraining from calling up Kim Min-woo to the national team, taking into consideration Hannover, which has a tight league schedule and is weak in the sub-goalkeeper category.

The only A-matches that took place so far were the third preliminary rounds in September and October, and the countries that Korea faced were those that Korea absolutely could not lose to, even without Kim Min-woo.

Eugene Ho was lost in thought as he recalled the past.

“Vietnam and Iraq in September.”

Considering the weight class, these are countries that do not need to invite overseas players.

However, during Korea’s World Cup challenge, that is, the third preliminary round, which is the final qualifier, it was always a struggle to get through, except for when coach Bento was in charge, and since the new coach who was appointed after the Asian Cup had not yet clearly established his or her style, these were games where overseas players were mobilized in large numbers.

“Why can’t Kim be drafted?”

The new foreign manager who took over after Klinsgel seemed not to understand the KFA’s dissuasion.

And since Yoo Jin-ho, who was appointed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (more precisely, the executive director line), sometimes had the important task of conveying the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation’s position on behalf of others, I had a hard time persuading him.

“Oh, so you let him go to the Asian Cup by age group, right? Klinsgel was fired, so he could have actually refused to be called up, but he kept his loyalty to us! He sent him to the Olympics without any major problems, so you can’t do this!

And should our Minwoo go to Vietnam and Iraq in the Korean weight class? This is absolutely not helpful to Kim Minwoo. He also needs to think about his club career.

And what else? We will have to work closely with Hanover in the future, so we have to show our image well? Okay? Well, well, well. Understand what I mean? Interpret! I will convey it well. Don’t let a single word slip and be blunt.”

The young interpreter cut off Yoo Jin-ho’s long speech in a short sentence. Then Yoo Jin-ho’s eyebrows furrowed and he frowned.

“Hey. Did I translate it correctly? What the hell, I said so much, why is it so short? Shouldn’t it be longer in English?”

“I conveyed the meaning accurately, so don’t worry.”

“Wait. Mr. Park? Why did Coach Yoo use the word ‘SSibal’? I know Korean swear words too.”

The foreign director asked the interpreter with a serious expression about the atmosphere of the situation and the Korean curses.

The interpreter was silent for a moment and then answered.

“Coach Yoo suspects that I did not do a good job of interpreting. He said a long sentence in Korean but ended it too short in English. I told Coach Yoo again that I conveyed the meaning accurately, and Coach Yoo said it was okay because it was not to the coach but to me.

It’s a misunderstanding. And Korean swear words are sometimes used as exclamations or when you have nothing to say. Don’t take the situation too seriously. It happens often.”

“What? Hey. Why are you talking so long again? Are you sure you’re doing it right?”

···There were a few misunderstandings due to occasional communication problems with the foreign director, but fortunately, it was resolved well.

The director also had a hard time understanding (he was speechless when he tried to hire Kim Min-woo with the logic of “that’s that and this is this”), but after persistent persuasion, he decided not to hire Kim Min-woo and held the preliminary round.

So, the first and second rounds of the 2026 North and Central America 3rd qualifying round.

Vietnam won 2-0 with a clean sweep thanks to their superior weight class, while Iraq won 1-0.

Since both games were away games, I expected it to be difficult, but the content of the games was quite frustrating (the opponent’s space defense), so public opinion in Korea was not good.

And the 3rd and 4th games in October.

Jordan vs. United Arab Emirates.

Here too, the director tried to hire Kim Min-woo, but Yoo Jin-ho again stopped him.

“Hey, I told you to trust Seung-gu Ham, so that’s what I’m saying. Seung-gu is an expert in the Middle East. I heard he’s blocked Neymar a few times and many other star players in his league.”

He has only been playing for Yal Shabab for three years, but he insisted that he is a Middle East expert.

The director also knew that I was representing the position of the association, so I insisted on it several times, but in the end he accepted it.

Kim Seung-gu is not as good as Kim Min-woo, but he is definitely not a bad goalkeeper, and above all, there is no way a powerhouse like Korea will collapse in the Asian qualifiers just because one goalkeeper is missing.

Of course, since it was a Middle Eastern expedition, there was no need to be anxious. If you fight in the courtyard, you get a buff, and if you invade the enemy’s courtyard, you get a debuff.

The third match against Jordan ended in a 1-0 victory, but there was still a lot of noise throughout the game.

A disappointing match considering its weight class.

The cry of foreign coaches to challenge for the World Cup round of 16 with build-up football following Bento ended up becoming a laughing stock due to poor performances in consecutive preliminary matches.

Of course, public opinion was still split.

It hasn’t been long since he was appointed, so let’s wait and see, at least he’s not tactical like the previous manager, the problem with Korean soccer is you guys, there were definitely many words of support for the current manager.

However, after suffering a 0-1 defeat in the following away game against the United Arab Emirates (all overseas players except for Kim Min-woo were fully operational), public support for the team died down.

And once again the arrow returned to the Agricultural Cooperative.

[You fired Klinsgel, so why did you bring in a coach like that?]

[If Klinsgel was simply incompetent, this manager is incompetent + hardworking.]

Why, there is a saying that a stupid and diligent officer is more dangerous than a stupid and lazy officer.

People were criticizing the director and the association, citing all sorts of precedents, and there was even talk that when the foxes were driven out, the wolf cubs came in.

There was also talk that the seniority was wrong from the beginning.

Not only that, if it was going to be like this, why did you cut Klinsgel? Klinsgel lost to Japan in the Asian Cup match between Korea and Japan······etc.

“That’s amazing.”

Coach Shin Tae-young, who was a firefighter at the Russian World Cup, once said this.

[In Korea, 30 million people become coaches during the World Cup period.]

It seems true when you think about what Shin Tae-young was going through at the time, but in Yoo Jin-ho’s eyes, even outside of the World Cup period, there were a lot of mothers-in-law.

Yes. This is the poisoned chalice.

To be criticized this much just for losing one away game…

Perhaps because the criticism had reached its peak, the director’s patience had also reached its limit.

“Coach Yu! Listen to me carefully! I will definitely call up Kim for the next match against Japan! I have no intention of listening to your position any longer! The coach’s right to use players is his exclusive right! I have accepted it out of consideration for the association so far, but I will not do so any longer!”

“Yes, please do so.”

“······!?”

As Yoo Jin-ho took a step back, the director’s eyes widened as if they were going to pop out. The director seemed to think for a moment, then burst into a bitter laugh.

“Yes. I guess the association is also burdened by the loss to Japan. But it’s really strange. Usually, soccer associations don’t usually take care of individual players’ convenience······.”

That was true.

Because other European players who play for bigger clubs than Kim Min-woo also get called up regularly.

This was simply a genuine consideration for Hanover.

However, consideration can only be temporary, and the KFA, which had one loss in the Middle East expedition, had no choice but to pull out the Kim Min-woo card against Japan, which is currently on a winning streak.

In fact, even if Kim Min-woo had shown good performance without losing, he was definitely going to be called up for this match against Japan.

If you don’t pick Kim Min-woo and lose to Japan, how are you going to handle the criticism?

Eugene Ho stopped reminiscing about the past and returned to the present.

“Whew. I’ve reached the place I’ve always dreamed of, but it’s still like thin ice.”

Eugene Ho puffed on a cigarette and looked at the Asian final qualifiers on the monitor.

[Group A]

Australia 3 wins, 1 draw, 10 points.

China 3 wins, 1 loss, 9 points.

Saudi Arabia 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 7 points.

Uzbekistan 1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses, 4 points.

Lebanon 1 win, 3 losses, 3 points.

Jordan 1 draw, 3 losses, 1 point.

[Group B]

Japan 4 wins, 12 points.

Korea 3 wins, 1 loss, 9 points.

United Arab Emirates 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 7 points.

Iraq 1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses, 6 points.

Jordan 1 draw, 3 losses, 1 point.

Vietnam 1 draw, 3 losses, 1 point.

[Group C]

Qatar 3 wins, 1 draw, 10 points.

Syria 2 wins, 2 draws, 8 points.

Iran 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 7 points.

Kyrgyzstan 2 wins, 2 losses, 6 points.

Thailand 1 win, 3 losses, 3 points.

North Korea 4 losses 0 points.

As the number of teams participating in the 2026 World Cup has increased to 48, the number of World Cup tickets allocated to Asia has also increased from 4.5 to 8.5.

So, the original division into Groups A and B has expanded to Group C, significantly increasing the number of countries participating in the third preliminary round.

Logically, Korea should have been assigned to Pot 1 and should have dominated the group stage without a hitch, but the results of the last Asian Cup have twisted Korea’s fate.

As of now, the rankings for the final Asian qualifiers are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Group A (China’s advance is unbelievable no matter how many times I see it).

Group B, 1st place, 3rd place, 2nd place.

Group C chaos.

The Asian Cup had an absolute influence on this situation.

Korea was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Asian Cup after meeting Japan, a contender for the title, and Australia won the Asian Cup in the following match.

According to the original FIFA rankings, Australia should have been in Pot 2, but thanks to winning the Asian Cup, Australia’s FIFA ranking has risen significantly.

Korea was eliminated in the round of 16 and its FIFA ranking dropped significantly.

Those two things intertwined, so Australia was assigned to Port 1 and Korea to Port 2, and in the midst of that, due to some really bad luck, it was a dismal grouping for Korea.

“Why Japan of all places. Why···.”

Even if I had been assigned to Port 2, I wouldn’t have been in such an awkward position if I had met Australia or Iran instead.

However, we were unlucky enough to meet Japan, and because we absolutely could not afford to lose to Japan based on national sentiment, we had to go all-out in the next match against Japan.

Especially since the previous manager was fired because of the loss to Japan.

Just as we are preparing thoroughly, Japan will also prepare for an all-out war.

From Japan’s perspective, they could not afford to lose to Korea, especially since the match was being held in their home country, Tokyo, the capital of the country.

In this situation, exclude Kim Min-woo from the list?

Even before the game starts, public opinion is turned upside down.

There was already a lot of talk about why Kim Min-woo wasn’t brought to the final qualifiers, but it can’t be delayed any longer.

Hanover also seemed understanding.

“Before that, we need to ventilate well in the Mexico match···.”

However, since we are going up against Japan, we cannot have an evaluation match against a weak team, so we brought in Mexico, a powerhouse from North and Central America, to have an evaluation match.

The evaluation match will be in Korea. The preliminary match against Japan will be held in Tokyo via airplane.

With Japan’s momentum so strong and the recent rumors that they are in a different weight class, there was a lot of concern mixed with worry about the match against Japan.

But Yoo Jin-ho wasn’t too worried.

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t imagine that guy falling apart, right?”

There are many cases in which a player who is good at his club team does not do well at the national team, but Kim Min-woo was not one of those types.

If he was that type, he wouldn’t have won a gold medal at the Olympics.

This time, it was expected that Korea would fall for Kim Min-woo. There were frequent jokes that if they didn’t bring Kim Min-woo back right now, they would set the Korea Football Association on fire.

···Isn’t that a joke?

***

Hannover have entered the round of 32 of the DFB-Pokal.

As the match was held just three days after the Leipzig match, most of the starting lineup members were absent.

The opponent is also second division team Hertha Berlin.

Just like last season, this season too, Hertha Berlin has been trying hard to escape the second division, shouting, “This time it’s different!”

When I checked the record, it really does look different this time. For now, it’s top tier.

‘But······ Even so, I can’t even get to the second part.’

Hannover were without most of their starting line-up, but several starters were still in action.

First of all, I was a typical example.

I’m really annoyed that he’s planning on sending it to Korea after getting really excited about it before sending it.

“Tchcha.”

Well, it’s quite annoying and they give me a lot, so I have to try my best.

I blocked Hertha Berlin’s poor shot with my hand, destroying a chance to score.

The match was tighter than expected.

Excluding me, the starting lineup includes Korsic, Toyhert, Ariumbi, and Muramoto (who was a right-back when I first came here, but has now transformed into a winger).

Including me, there were five in total, so most of them were absent, right? Well, anyway, the game was a straight line.

Most of the opponent’s attacks are either cleared at the Corsic line or easily blocked by me, but that doesn’t mean that our attacks can easily become effective hits.

In the second part, it was a game flow that I had experienced many times. It’s been a long time, so old memories are coming back vividly.

“Here it comes again.”

The opposing striker, after facing Corsic a few times, decided that he would be difficult to shake off and took a mid-range shot.

···Do you think it will go in if you hit it from mid-range?

“Huh.”

That’s ridiculous.

He jumped up and caught the ball.

After playing around for a bit in Part 1, the second-tier leaguers’ shots feel a bit slow.

Is this······a reverse sensation?

It was clear that just a year ago, the ball was flying around like it had propulsion.

‘I’ve grown a lot too.’

With my current stats, I think I’ll have no problem being a starter in the second division.

When I was in the second part, I was possessed by Yasin with stats that were far less than that, so it was really easy now.

When the game was pretty much underway.

Feeling the game was going poorly, Yan brought in more starters, and the results were immediate.

First of all, the number of valid shots has increased significantly.

First of all, the number of valid shots has increased significantly.

Hertha Berlin also made a substitution, but it did not have a significant impact on the game.

Whoever came, they couldn’t get through me or Corsic.

Corsic’s concentration is on the rise!

“Ahh! This is driving me crazy!”

When opposing striker Tabakovic is blocked by Corsic and then by me, he loses his temper and throws a tantrum.

I looked at him with a grin, then approached him and said something.

“Does it remind you of the old days? Yeah?”

“what?”

“Aren’t you glad that Hanover is going up?”

Tabakovic looked at him with a serious expression, then chuckled.

“You crazy kid. Did you really say that to Mbappe at the Olympics?”

Oh, you little shit? How did you know? Did you hit me?

As I just smiled without saying anything, Tabakovic muttered to himself and left.

“They say there are a lot of idiots among geniuses, and it’s true···.”

On that day, Hannover defeated Hertha Berlin 2-0 to advance to the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am