Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 156



Only Krnovel

Kim the stone thrower

* * *

I thought I was used to playing in front of huge crowds and had gotten used to it, but here at Dortmund’s home stadium, Signal Iduna Park, it felt different.

‘It’s similar to when we played in Sangam.’

At that time, it felt like I was in another world, not a soccer stadium, and even now, it feels similar, just different.

“Kim!”

And Ariumbi’s pass.

I broke out of my thoughts and received Ariumbi’s back pass.

Then, Dortmund immediately puts pressure on them. After all, they are the originator of gegenpressing, aren’t they?

Dortmund kept pressing throughout the game in an attempt to force mistakes from Hannover, who were ranked higher but were weaker than the other teams.

Just once.

If they make just one mistake and lose the ball, Hannover will be ruined.

Most mistakes can be cut off within my control, but the mistakes I make… … are so fatal that I lose a point.

Boohoo!

I waited for a moment for Niklas Führeruk to come running at full speed, and then handed the ball to Alex Scott when he was right in front of me.

Alex Scott, who played as the second pivot in this match, received the ball from me and relieved Dortmund’s pressure with a smooth dribble.

However, they were unable to break through the Dortmund line, and the reality was that only meaningless horizontal and vertical passes were exchanged.

Even with Dortmund’s strong pressure, he was passing the ball around to his teammates as if he was passing a bomb, and the ball would come back to me again.

‘for a moment.’

Just before I received the ball, I glanced at the opposing defense.

To maintain this high pressure, the opponents even had their goalkeeper leave the penalty box and take on the role of sweeper.

That means.

‘The goal is empty!?’

I thought about it that far and as soon as I received the ball, I turned on the quick and accurate kick and hit it straight away into the distance.

Since it was to be sent all the way to the goal, a little bit of running was also essential.

and.

Boohoo!

A soccer ball soars into the sky with a sound like a cannon exploding.

When Hueckru, who was running to pressure me, saw my amazing long ball, he looked up at the ceiling of the stadium to chase the ball.

And the opposing goalkeeper, perhaps sensing that my long ball wasn’t a simple kick, runs madly back to his own goal.

“Get in! Please!”

I clenched my left fist and looked at the flying ball.

The ball floated in the air for a while as if gliding, and successfully landed on its first try inside the opponent’s penalty box.

The goalkeeper was behind the ball.

The crowd was so surprised that they collectively let out a ‘whoa’ while the ball successfully landed a second time.

If there is no interference, the ball will go into the empty goal.

And, the third landing.

And just before it rolled into the goal.

The opposing goalkeeper barely managed to stop my ball’s trajectory by stretching his leg.

More precisely, he kicked the ball away as if he was doing taekwondo.

Just before the goal was scored.

“ah…….”

It seemed like he would score his third goal in the Bundesliga, but he narrowly missed.

“Ah, what a pity.”

If only the opposing goalkeeper had reacted just a little bit slower, it would have gone in.

The opponent was none other than Gregor Kobel, Dortmund’s starting goalkeeper and a player considered to be on the verge of becoming world-class, so although I felt disappointed, I consoled myself that it was a good attempt.

But I guess I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

Hannover teammates and the bench were also groaning in disappointment.

‘But one thing was made clear.’

I sent a clear warning message to Dortmund. If you keep pressing by pushing your defenders up, I will click a long ball into the space behind and try to score.

Perhaps Dortmund is aware of the gravity of the situation and is horrified at the thought of having almost conceded a ridiculous goal.

So… …I’ll prepare for this situation in some way.

If the Dortmund manager had dropped a few defenders back to prepare for my long balls, it would have been a win-win for Hannover, as it would have reduced the level of pressure they were under.

If I do nothing, I can just send it into the goal again, and if the opponent feels alert and deploys defensive numbers, Hannover will also have some breathing room.

‘If we prepare for this by just putting the goalkeeper in the goal… … then it will be real click soccer.’

If I go with the third option, I can just spray the Hannover attackers with quick, accurate kicks instead of aiming directly.

If there is a keeper who plays the role of a sweeper, he will come out and clear the long ball when I throw it, but if he is stuck inside the goal, he will be penetrated by a counterattack in the back space.

And since the opponent isn’t me… … If the opposing defender doesn’t have Kim Min-je, then it’s certain that a goal will be conceded.

* * *

Jan Lytle stared blankly at the ground with his arms crossed.

The hellish first half was over, and the second half had begun, but the game was the same.

I knew how my opponent would react and had a feeling of how he would play in the future, but knowing that didn’t mean I had a solution.

It felt as if destruction was imminent.

The opponent is pressing down with a powerful weight class, but there is nothing you can do.

So it was a pity.

‘If Kim’s long ball had gone in…’

That scene that appeared in the first half.

Kim’s long-range shot, which he hit from a distance after seeing the opposing goalkeeper’s goal empty.

Because it was a goal that was frustrated right in front of his nose, Jan, who was watching, felt more than regretful; he even felt as if the goal that was almost in was stolen.

‘I wonder if you could do it again.’

Jan thought about that and then chuckled at himself, feeling dumbfounded.

“To expect a goal from a goalkeeper who is neither an attacker, a midfielder, nor a defender. Me too… .”

If you are a highly paid manager, you have to win here with tactics rather than hoping for luck from your goalkeeper.

Ian thought it should be like that too, but no matter how much he thought about it, he was at a loss.

Aren’t there things in this world that can’t be done with determination?

The difference between Hannover and Dortmund was that they were both in the same first division, but they had to hope for a miracle.

This time, they went up to the first division and went through a rebuild, but they still had a hard time against a traditional powerhouse like Dortmund.

‘Even if Hannover spends 200 billion more, it won’t work against Dortmund.’

A difference of eons.

But despite that ridiculous gap, Hannover were currently holding the score at 0-0.

Jan now looked at Kim with eyes of respect.

The goalkeeper’s god.

Great Wall, which even aims to score when the opponent shows an opening.

‘Not just a simple wall, but a massive wall equipped with catapulting weapons… .’

Kim also drew with Munich, a team of similar or higher weight class to Dortmund.

Leipzig were beaten themselves and did not play against Leverkusen, but perhaps if they had played, Hannover would not have had to accept a comfortable defeat.

So, in this match too, Kim will probably do his best to draw with Dortmund by putting on an absurd show of saves.

Thinking that way, Jan felt a little more at ease, but he also sighed deeply.

‘It’s a really ridiculous shield. If I have a shield called Kim, I’ll overestimate myself.’

It really was.

Jan still couldn’t believe Hannover’s ranking.

The media was touting Jan as the next Klopp (although his tactics and game patterns were almost the exact opposite), and Jan himself was encouraged by his current ranking and sometimes thought that he might be a truly exceptional manager, but he felt a ‘wall’ when facing certain strong teams that dominate the Bundesliga.

And only then does it feel real.

‘I’m not a famous director, I’m just a lucky director.’

A director who happens to get the shield called Kim and tries to conquer the first part beyond the second. That’s about it.

And with Kim transferring, it’ll be back to where it belongs.

Even if Hannover win the title, Jan will face a period of thorough testing without Kim next season, and all the glory will be for naught.

History will remember Jan Lytle as a clown who happened to get Kim and win the league.

“That won’t do!”

“…yes?”

The coach next to him was startled by Jan’s shout. Jan quickly came to his senses and called the head coach.

Something, something must be done.

As a director, you must give proper instructions to get out of this situation!

‘Let’s take advantage of the situation. A true master takes advantage of the situation.’

Hannover may lack a lot overall compared to Dortmund, but they do have one advantage in goalkeeper.

No matter which goalkeeper you bring in, no one can beat our Hannover goalkeeper.

therefore.

‘Let’s trust Kim.’

It doesn’t end with just believing.

“Elmare. We will fight back.”

“… Yes? But, Director. If you do that now—”

“We have the world’s best goalkeeper who hasn’t conceded a single goal since his debut! What’s wrong with that? Let’s just put Corsic as the final defense and let everyone else go up!”

“… … Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Elma licked his lips with his tongue and shook his head.

“It doesn’t look like that.”

“Pressure is pressure. In any case, with a team of Dortmund’s size, defensive defense and counterattacks won’t work. The performance so far has proven that. So we’ll attack too.”

“As you know, coach, if you do that, you will definitely concede a goal.”

“I would also like to see Kim score his first goal on this occasion.”

“All right.”

The head coach realized that Jan’s determination was firm and relayed it to the coaches, who then relayed the changed tactics to the players.

‘Trust the data. Kim is impenetrable.’

Jan was convinced that this belief was not a distorted belief, because data and statistics do not lie.

Kim is already a world-class goalkeeper.

* * *

“What the hell!”

Ian must have suddenly gone crazy.

You’re sending them all up, leaving only Corsic? And against Dortmund at that?

In this sudden act of impulsive action, Corsic and I were literally killed.

“Kim! Please!”

Corsic was defeated and I was left alone.

I barely managed to block the attack by seeing its trajectory.

It was a dizzying attack because even if you knew the trajectory, you couldn’t necessarily stop it.

“Corsic! Corsic!”

Situation with 2 Dortmund attackers and 1 Hannover defender.

There was no way I wouldn’t be able to do what Hwang Hee-cheon and Lee Kang-im showed during training last time, so I shouted at Corsic until my throat was hoarse, and thanks to Corsic narrowing the shooting angle, I was able to avoid another goal crisis.

“Fuck!”

“SSIBAL!”

Korsic gasps for breath as he repeats my curse. Isn’t this a bit too much?

But ahead of Jan’s attack! If you were to say that the tactic was ineffective, that wasn’t the case.

Hannover, who had been on the receiving end of the entire match, finally stretched their legs and made a few effective shots.

But the precision of the attack was extraordinary.

The opposing team, Dortmund, aimed for the goal with only one Hannover defender, but Hannover had several of Dortmund’s defenders, so no matter how you look at it, Hannover found the situation very uncomfortable.

Especially, Yan was not a coach who was crazy about attacking, so he was a coach who would never have used such tactics, so why did he do this?

‘…Do you trust me that much?’

Jan’s motto was ‘defense first, then attack’.

But now, Jan’s tactics were completely opposite to his usual theories.

I guess… … .

‘You trust me too much.’

I’m not invincible.

“I’m a person too, a person!”

I shouted like that for nothing.

Even so, it would just disappear in vain in front of an audience of 80,000 people.

As I was hesitating while holding the ball, my teammates came down for a moment.

Dortmund players are coming up.

I didn’t think I would have much of a chance, so I turned on the quick and accurate kick and threw the ball far away like a shot put.

A ball thrown with all your might with your arm flies much faster than one kicked with your leg.

The person I targeted was Cedric Theuichert, the starting striker who had been with us since the second half.

He threw it in front of where Toyhert was, and Toyhert ran to catch it with his right foot, then ran forward and hit it. The first touch was very clean.

My ball flew just over the centre circle and for a split second the Dortmund defenders lost sight of Teuchert.

Why?

‘That’s because I instantly caught the empty spot on Toyhert’s mark and gave it to him.’

Pass 10 points.

First touch and trapping 10 points.

Infiltration… looks like it’s worth 10 points!?

Toyhert ran through the empty space in front of him.

The defenders try to get to the side, but there is too much distance to get to them directly.

Then the opposing goalkeeper comes out.

Gregor Campbell, who is said to be better than Neuer these days, stands in Teutchert’s way.

And Cedric Theuichert kicking hard with his right foot.

The shot flies over Campbell and toward the far post.

“Decision-making power also gets 10 points!”

And then Toichert’s goal went in.

Signal Iduna Park, packed with 80,000 spectators, is suddenly enveloped in silence.

As Toichert fired home a beautiful shot, he ran to the corner kick flag and did a sliding celebration.

I wish I could run over there and help, but it’s too far.

Instead, I ran to Corsic, who was guarding the goal with me, and jumped on his back.

“Hey, hyung! Hyung saw it himself and passed it to me! He got an assist!”

“Huh? What did you say, Kim? Don’t speak Korean, speak German!”

“I said hyung!”

Oh, my brother. You are the heart of Hanover.

No objections will be accepted.