Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 144



Only Krnovel

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There is a saying, “Himsuljjin.”

It is an abbreviation for a loner who hides his strength. It was a meaning that originated from the psychological victory of loners who were bullied by bullies, saying, “I actually have a lot of strength, but I take the beating to hide it.”

And as time went by, this phrase became more focused on ‘hiding strength’, so even if you are not a nerd, if you see someone hiding their strength, it became a way of saying ‘hide your strength’.

And somehow, I found myself out of breath.

I wasn’t as active in the build-up as I am now against Mexico.

Normally. Just like other goalkeepers do. Just as Jan wanted to do in Hannover.

Leon also seemed to want me to do what I did in Hanover.

However, because this match was so important, all of my teammates, including myself, had to bring out more than 100% of the abilities we possessed.

So I fully showed my active build-up, which I don’t usually show, that is, my appearance as a sweeper keeper.

When the angle seems to be visible, he uses a quick and accurate goal kick (of course, leaving one for a possible free kick), continues to use the wedge-shaped goalkeeper that is activated just by sending the ball forward, and even takes on the position of center back in place of Kim Min-je, who participates in the attack.

This literally triggered the Korean Neuer mode.

“Minwoo!”

Kim Yang-kwon passes the ball to me in a familiar way.

Because I would hit long balls whenever I had a chance to start an attack, the Japanese players actively pressured me to keep me in check.

So, it was an active protest to say, “Don’t do that.”

‘Well, I’m fine.’

I smiled brightly as I watched Ayase Ueda running towards me with all her might. In fact, I didn’t really have a place to give it to.

I lightly relieved Ueda’s pressure by giving a quick pat to sideback Kim Jin-seok.

Just by repeating this, it is possible to reduce the opponent’s stamina like getting your clothes wet in a drizzle.

What if your stamina drops and the pressure is eased even a little?

Then from that point on, the long ball bombing starts again.

‘It’s basically an easy multiple choice question.’

1. Prevent the goalkeeper from participating in the build-up by actively pressing forward.

2. Rather than actively pressing forward, conserve energy and wait for the right time.

If you choose option 1, your stamina will slowly decrease, and if you choose option 2, a high-accuracy long ball will be delivered to the opposing attackers.

Even if you maintain number 1, if all of your stamina is depleted, it will automatically switch to number 2, and when that happens, Japan will have to use up its replacement cards.

‘If we continue like this without scoring in the first half, Japan will become noticeably tense in the second half. They will try to break through the blood by substituting, but that will also give our coaching staff a tactical opportunity.’

Since the board has been laid out, it is highly likely that it will ultimately come down to the difference in the manager’s tactical ability.

“hey!”

And then the ball comes back to me.

As befitting the importance of the match, both Korea and Japan were cautious in their management of the match.

‘Here we go again.’

After experiencing a few long ball bombings, you can’t help but feel pressured, right?

Then I can just pass it around to others.

“min!”

He sent the ball over the head of Ayase, who was running towards him. It was a rather ambiguous height, so Ayase jumped with all her might, but since the ball was raised with the jump in mind, it did not reach Ayase’s head.

And the ball that was slightly raised beyond Ayase was delivered to Kim Min-je.

Kim Min-je starts to drive the ball deep forward.

‘If anyone saw me, they’d think I was a public servant.’

Kim Min-je, who trusted me and played the soccer he wanted to play.

I have no complaints because we already discussed this during training.

If Kim Min-je sticks to the line and just plays defense, I’ll be fine, but if Kim Min-je’s participation in the offense ends up being beneficial to the team, then this isn’t a bad thing either.

Kim Min-je keeps running and gives the ball to Gongmi Lee Ja-seong, and Lee Ja-seong keeps running and gives it back to Kim Min-je.

The Japanese players were surprised and blocked Kim Min-je, and although the shooting angle was not good, Kim Min-je hit the ball anyway.

Kim Min-je’s shot hit the net next to the goal and went out.

“Hiya.”

Minje Ham, you really do everything you want to do.

What kind of striker is he?

***

At about 20 minutes into the first half.

Japanese director Moriyasu had a gut feeling that something was going wrong.

I was watching the game with my arms crossed, but something was definitely off.

And he came to his own conclusion as to why this type of game was unfolding.

‘Korea’s tactics are 4-1-4-1. However, goalkeeper Kim Min-woo took on the role of sweeper, and Kim Min-je of the back four was effectively promoted to the role of volante.’

That is, goalkeeper Kim Min-woo was also playing the role of goalkeeper and center back, and thanks to this, Kim Min-je’s feet were loosened and he was moved up to the volante position.

‘That is. Korea’s current formation is.’

4-2-4-1.

It’s a tactical formation that doesn’t make sense unless one more player comes in, but that’s what Korea is looking like right now.

‘More than anything, we are escaping from our pressure too easily.’

Now Japan only had a few attackers applying forward pressure.

If it had been like before, I would have ordered the entire national team to actively pressure the opposing goalkeeper who dared to imitate Neuer, but that was not possible.

If the line is pulled up all the way, Kim Min-woo’s crazy long ball will target the space behind, and if that is allowed even once, Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-cheon will run wild like fish in water.

‘If it was an evaluation match against another country, I would have ordered them to press even if it meant enduring it···.’

It’s a Korea-Japan match now.

Even this was not an evaluation match, but the final qualifier for the World Cup.

One wrong command can lead to a loss of goal, and above all, once Korea loses the first goal, it becomes extremely difficult to recover.

As far as Moriyasu knows, Kim Min-woo is a goalkeeper who has been making a lot of noise in Europe not only for his excellent footwork but also for his overwhelming defensive ability.

If they score first and the opponent closes the gap, Japan will end up like a rat caught in a rattrap.

‘What should I do? How do I get out of this situation?’

Director Moriyasu wiped his dry lips with his tongue and thought for a moment.

If the current flow of the game continues, we will inevitably continue to be pushed back by Korea.

In other words, Korea is losing the initiative to the opponent, and once it loses the initiative, Korea will go with the flow.

Since momentum is the flow in soccer, it was ultimately a time when a tactical change was absolutely necessary to stop Korea’s momentum.

“Suko!”

Director Moriyasu called the head coach.

Now that he was in a dilemma, Moriyasu decided to make a decision because he knew that if he did nothing and left the situation as it was, it could get worse.

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell the players to apply aggressive forward pressure and raise the entire line. Of course, Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-cheon must be marked by a man. We will decide the game within the remaining time in the first half.”

“分かりました (I understand)!”

Moriyasu looked at Kim Min-woo.

A wall that has never been broken through.

But is it possible to avoid getting penetrated while taking on such an active sweeper role?

As far as I know, Kim Min-woo only kept clean sheets when he played the traditional goalkeeper role.

‘And Kim Min-woo has hardly ever played this kind of sweeper role. Now, when he is in an unfamiliar role, this is the only chance to break through him!’

Soon, the head coach and the coaching staff will begin to explain the changed tactical situation to the field players.

First of all, to the winger. Just summarize the main points. Short and sweet.

***

A tactical shift in Japan has been detected.

If I, as a goalkeeper, can clearly notice it, then my teammates and coaching staff must all know it.

‘Are you watching this?’

I was wondering what to do, what to do, and I thought I would be completely drained of stamina throughout the first half, but I ended up playing the game with some boldness.

Above all, it is surprising that such a bold decision was made in a big match like the Korea-Japan match.

Courage alone is virtual.

Very commendable.

‘I see you guys are looking flustered?’

The intensity of the pressure has changed on a whole other level than before.

He clung to us like a hawk and pressured us, and it seemed like he was trying to get us to make mistakes somehow.

‘If we’re not careful, a major disaster could occur, such as losing the ball in the defensive zone.’

But it falls within the expected category.

And this was actually better.

If you see a showdown while pulling up the line, we should just ignore you and try to play click soccer.

“Brother! Give me back!”

The national team’s click football is simple.

First, I receive the ball.

And as the line is raised, a long ball is clicked into the space behind the opponent, taking advantage of their weakness.

“Take it!”

And Kim Min-jae gave it to me.

Instead of running like before, he hands it over to me, and naturally, the Japanese players put pressure on him from all sides.

‘Old!’

Fighting!

Long ball to Hwang Hee-cheon.

Japan was worried about the back space being breached in one shot while raising the line overall, so they were thoroughly prepared for the left and right wingers.

Hwang Hee-cheon received the ball with the Japanese player’s back to him, then passed it to Lee Kang-im, who had come up next to him, and ran forward.

As the Japanese player chased after Hwang Hee-cheon, Lee Kang-im attempted a solo dribble without giving the ball to Hwang Hee-cheon.

‘Go! Kang-Im-i hyung!’

In particular, Lee Kang-im is a player who excels at dribbling, so he shines even more in situations like this.

If Japan were to only deal with Korea’s left and right wingers, that would be a very wrong approach.

Why!

Our Gongmi is Mbappe’s teammate.

Mbappe’s love doll, who is called the ‘symbol of the underdog’ due to his huge position at PSG.

The pitcher’s attachment doll moves as if the ball is stuck next to his feet and soon reaches the penalty box.

“Show me!?”

I put both hands over my mouth and watched the scene from behind.

Lee Kang-im dribbled brilliantly and then kicked the ball.

“Ahh!”

And Lee Kang-im falls.

Following the Mexico match, Lee Kang-im collapsed again!

Lee Kang-im’s dribbling that invites a foul.

The referee blew his whistle right away, and although I can’t tell if it was a penalty kick or a free kick, it was a foul!

‘wait for a sec!’

I watched the situation unfold from behind.

And the referee’s decision was a free kick foul!

“Yar!”

I ran quickly.

The Japanese players’ protests were in vain, and the situation developed into the Japanese players building a wall to take a free kick.

I arrived in a hurry and shouted.

“Should I take it!?”

The reason I didn’t say, “I’ll do it!” was because of a shred of conscience.

Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-im, and other national team players stare at me.

“Minwoo, are you confident? This angle is honestly not a good one. If you kick and it gets blocked, you could lose a point.”

It was Son Heung-min.

I scanned for a moment, looking at where the ball was and beyond the wall.

I don’t know if I can put it in or not.

It was a bit ambiguous, but it seemed like it would be possible to score if you aimed for either the far post or the near post and hit the ball just past the crossbar.

And above all, free kick opportunities don’t come every time, and there’s a chance they might not come at all during the entire game, so I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“You can put it in. And even if you can’t, you can return to your original position before the opponent has a chance to attack.”

If you hit the ball just past the crossbar, the opposing goalkeeper will never be able to catch it, unless he knows the trajectory like I do.

In that case, you have to fly high and kick it away, but if you do that, the ball will go out of the goal line and become a corner kick, or it will become a loose ball.

‘Even if the goalkeeper is possessed by Yasin and tries to block the ball, it will almost always end up out of bounds.’

And even if it becomes a loose ball, it will fall near the goal, so if the surrounding players are careful, the Japanese players will not be able to kick it forward right away.

“Okay. Just give it a try. I trust you! I trusted you because I did it last time!”

“yes!”

No matter how much you prove it, it’s inevitable that a goalkeeper will feel uneasy about taking a free kick.

Most players, even those known worldwide for their free kicks, only have a success rate of around 20% at best.

So, rather than putting it in, you start to think about blocking it, and you can’t help but worry that this will lead to a loss.

‘I have to keep proving it.’

As the number of times increases and the data accumulates, eventually you start to believe it.

The referee paused for a moment, perhaps wondering what the goalkeeper was about to do, then gave me a few pointers on what to watch out for before spraying white spray in front of the ball.

And Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-im stood next to each other at different angles for the fake······ It seems like the opponent won’t be fooled.

Because we already showed something in the Mexico match.

Beep─!

And the referee’s whistle.

The Japanese crowd that filled the stadium booed and jeered in disapproval.

It was a good side dish.

Now let’s silence the stadium.

‘Let’s make a Tokyo library.’

I stand with my legs shoulder-width apart like Ronaldo.

Take a deep breath and blow it.

Turned on quick and accurate kick.

The goal was just wide of the crossbar, in the top right corner.

“Go.”

The preparations are complete.

I slowly moved towards the ball and kicked my right foot hard, aiming for the goal.

Boohoo─!

The shot, which bounced like a cannonball, was in the goal in the blink of an eye.

So, to be exact, I felt like I had scored a goal because the net was shaking.

And Tokyo falls silent.

It was the opening of the library.

“Wow! Minwooyaaah!”

Son Heung-min smiled brightly and rejoiced, and I blocked the players who were clinging to me with my hands before going through the essential course that must be done when coming to Tokyo.

Running towards the opposite corner kick area, he glanced at the quiet Japanese crowd.

The so-called walking ceremony.

The players must have figured out my intentions because they all followed me and did the walking ceremony together.

‘Ah. Sensei Ji-seong.’

His will is further unfolded here.

You’re probably still watching our game and commentating, right?

I’ll definitely watch it again later.

And for now.

‘Hey, how about going for a jog in front of 68,000 people?’

The jogging line soon became longer.

We kept running and before we knew it, we had reached the bench. I passed the Japanese bench and ran towards the Korean bench and hugged the coach tightly.

“Thank you for trusting me, Director.”

Leon smiles brightly and pats me on the back.

“I am more grateful Kim.”

And beyond that, you can see Eugene Ho.

Eugene Ho looks at me with a slightly betrayed expression.

I laughed out loud and thought for a moment about how to handle this.

‘Should I score one more goal and hug Coach Yoo this time?’

End

ⓒ Doctor Am