Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 177



Only Krnovel

Hanover emergency

* * *

A crisis always comes suddenly.

Hannover’s crisis occurred in April, in the DFB-Pokal semifinals. Hannover’s opponent was VFB Stuttgart, where Jeon Woo-young played.

It was a fiercely contested match that left an impression on me. Stuttgart brought out Hoffenheim’s Hoffenheim 2.0 tactics that had been strengthened in the meantime, and the match was tight and back-and-forth.

As a goalkeeper, clashes with players are a regular occurrence in every game, but that day was special.

It started with an exquisite out-of-front pass targeting Stuttgart’s back space.

In an instant, Hannover’s defense collapsed, and Dennis Undav, one of the two strikers, ran into the empty space.

Until then, it was a common crisis. It wasn’t the first or second time that Hanover had been breached like this.

‘This has to go!’

As always, I calmly dealt with this life-or-death crisis. Even if the defense was wide open and the opposing attacker was rushing in, it was a crisis that I could have easily prevented if I just reacted well.

Since the gap between the ball and the player was quite large, I jumped out right away and was able to reach the ball before the opposing player.

Since he was in the penalty box, he could have caught it or kicked it.

So the moment I was about to kick it away… … .

‘What the heck is this kid!’

This crazy kid didn’t slow down. I touched the ball first, and he came running at full speed and crashed into me. It was very intentional.

I was completely unprepared for the collision, and as I ran towards it with full force, I felt my world turn upside down.

Actually, I had a strange feeling when the guy didn’t slow down, I touched the ball and tried to change direction quickly, and that’s where it went wrong.

“Ugh… … .”

The gym work I’ve put in to prepare for a variety of situations paid off here, but the problem was the sudden change in direction.

I hit the ball as soon as I kicked it and tried to change direction, and although the impact was quite strong, it wasn’t serious enough to cause serious injury.

The problem is….

“Ugh… … Ugh!”

Fucking hamstring.

The back of my thigh, which I had only heard about in words, was sore.

The sudden change of direction or sudden stop caused excessive stress on the back muscles of my thighs, and I was unable to get up due to the pain I had never experienced before.

My colleagues swarmed Dennis Undave, shoving and even trying to step on him in an attempt to punish the kid who obviously did it on purpose.

“Kim! Are you okay?”

“…Do you look okay! Aah!”

“It looks hard. Damn it… .”

The atmosphere suddenly becomes tense.

Perhaps because the referee was watching from behind, he intervened between the players and showed a red card without hesitation to Denis Undave, who had intentionally collided with them.

Corsic, who had been checking on my safety, marked an ‘X’ on the bench, and people and a stretcher came quickly.

“Oh, shit… This won’t work… .”

Just when it matters most.

At this crucial time, when we have to win both the Pokal and the league, an injury?

Oh my god, why are you putting me through this ordeal?

“Kim! Are you okay? Can’t you move?”

“Hamstring. Hamstring…”

All the coaches who heard me were silent. Then they quickly carried me out on a stretcher, and in the meantime, a substitution card was prepared.

I was carried out of the ground and was able to face Jan.

“are you okay?”

I answered with an expression. ‘I don’t know because it’s the first time I’ve experienced this pain in my life!’

Coach Geralt sprayed something like a spray on my thigh, and I was quickly carried off the field by people.

Of course, as soon as I was carried away like that, my phone lit up.

[Kim Shin-ah: Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?]

[Kim Shin-ah: I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Kim Min-woo in so much pain in my life]

[Kim Shin-ah: Ah, shit!!!!!!! Anyway, those European guys are really fucking good at games]

Now that I think about it, I think this is the first time I’ve seen Kim Shin-ah swear.

It wasn’t just Kim Shin-ah. Her mother followed her to the hospital in a hurry, and her father also sent a KakaoTalk message.

And everyone including Yoo Jin-ho, the national team players, the staff, my Suyang High School colleagues, and everyone who has ever been related to me in my life sent messages.

It wasn’t this bad when I got injured last time. Was it because it wasn’t broadcast then?

It wasn’t a bad feeling that the world only cared about me, but honestly, it was not a feeling I ever wanted to experience again.

Anyway, I went to the hospital and got a thorough diagnosis, and of course the doctor diagnosed me with a hamstring.

“Fortunately, it’s not a serious injury. It’s a grade 1 hamstring strain, and after two to three weeks of treatment, he should be able to play again.”

The other coaches who came with me were relieved, but their faces darkened when they heard the words 2-3 weeks.

“As you know, Kim is a very important player for Hannover. Couldn’t we shorten the treatment period a little bit?”

“… … It will depend on the player’s recovery speed. However, even if it is fast, he will need to recuperate for two weeks.”

My face hardened as I heard those words.

‘That’s fortunate, but 2-3 weeks of treatment? No, I was definitely in a lot of pain?’

Of course, it was the first time I’d ever experienced pain in the back of my thigh. But if it hurt that much and then suddenly came back after two weeks, this is… … .

‘Aren’t you kidding me by saying I’m pretending to be sick?’

I shook my head. I didn’t have time to think about other people’s reactions. On the contrary, it was fortunate. If I just focused on treatment, it meant I could return in two weeks.

I tried to think about how many games there were in the meantime, and bit my lip when I remembered that I would definitely not be able to play in two league games.

‘The points for 1st to 3rd place are all tied together. This is a big problem.’

Currently, the Bundesliga has played 29 games. Hannover has maintained its position in first place with 67 points, while Munich is closely behind with 65 points and Leverkusen with 64 points.

Even if I receive maximum treatment and only miss two games, if Hannover loses two games in the meantime, the points will be reversed.

The Munich dynasty that seemed on the verge of collapse all season is finally continuing… … .

I couldn’t bear to look at that, even for the sake of Football Manager’s compensation.

“Kim. I have good news.”

Goalkeeper coach Geralt said with a bitter smile on his lips. When I looked at him, he opened his mouth again.

“Hannover beat Stuttgart by scoring two goals in extra time.”

“thank god.”

Haha. I won against an opponent who was undefeated until overtime. Well, it’s good that I won, but…

‘If this injury snowballs and prevents us from winning the championship…’

I wonder if the Hanoverians will go and kill Dennis or something.

This is a golden opportunity to win the Bundesliga for the first time since its founding, and if we miss this, people’s eyes might really turn upside down.

* * *

News of Kim Min-woo’s injury spread like wildfire.

Hannover fans screamed at the news, Koreans also reacted sensitively, and other fans and officials not associated with Hannover were in a celebratory mood.

[Finally! Now let’s show Hannover how tough the Bundesliga is! (Smiling emoji holding a fork and knife)]

[With the defeat suppressor gone, all that remains for Hanover is defeat. Long live the Munich Dynasty!]

[Honestly, it’s not good that Munich has won the championship for over 10 years, but it’s not good that Hannover is trying to win the championship with just one goalkeeper. Honestly, if Kim transfers, Hannover will be in danger of relegation next season, right? If they win this season and get relegated next season, that’s a farce.]

[Dennis Undave must have been a martyr who sacrificed himself for other teams…]

[I saw the scene where Kim got injured, and I expect he’ll be out for the season lol]

[So is it now a title race between Munich and Leverkusen again?]

The teams that had to face Hannover right away were laughing openly at this slope, because they didn’t want to go down against Hannover.

On the other hand, the teams that had already played against Hannover were upset. They were annoyed because they had already played against Hannover and had points stolen from them.

The next day, Hannover announced that Kim Min-woo would be out for around 4-5 weeks with a hamstring injury, but even 4-5 weeks was effectively the same as being out for the season, as there were only 4-5 games in between.

Now the Bundesliga is in its final stages.

Of course, Hannover was worried that the injury might get worse, so they made a conservative announcement, and Hannover fans who were unaware of the situation flocked to Dennis Undav’s Instagram and made murderous threats, such as saying that they would boil and eat your family and your dog…

And the manager and coaches of Freiburg, who have to face Hannover in the 30th round, cheered.

“Coach! Since Kim is injured and cannot play in the game, don’t you think we need to make major changes to the tactics we will use in the Hanoi version?”

Freiburg’s current ranking is 7th.

Even if it wasn’t the top tier, it was a weight class that could easily compete with Hannover without Kim.

Coach Streich nodded and the meeting quickly led to a revision of the Hanover version strategy.

“Hannover’s power without Kim is not 1st place, but rather around 10th to 13th place. So… .”

In fact, even 10th to 13th place would have been more than enough for Hannover without Kim. It would have been in the lower ranks, perhaps even in the relegation zone.

First of all, since Hannover has never won a game in which Kim did not play, coach Streich changed his previously prepared tactics 180 degrees and changed them to a tactic that aggressively pressured Hannover.

This was the so-called Plan C.

A strategy used against teams with a clear difference in power compared to Freiburg.

And this was almost exactly replicated in Hanover.

“…Coach. I think we’ll have to change our tactics.”

“I guess so.”

The Hannover leadership was in a gloomy mood. Injuries are something that every player who plays in a match has to experience at least once.

This wasn’t the first time for Kim Min-woo. Hannover should have prepared a plan B for when Kim Min-woo was out, but they failed to do so.

“Hannover without Kim won’t be able to attack as well as they used to. There are weaker teams in the Bundesliga… … .”

“Because it doesn’t exist. Thanks for reminding me.”

Head coach Elmare cleared his throat.

Jan sighed repeatedly and then looked at Elmare and said.

“So, if Kim gets back as quickly as possible, two weeks?”

“Yes. The person in charge said that the recovery time would be at least two weeks. So, for now, it would be right to assume three weeks.”

“If recovery is slow, 4 weeks?”

“Yes, for now, that’s it.”

“Fuck.”

Yan chewed his lips. The league will be over in four weeks. Kim will probably be able to play in the last game or so, but by then the league champion will have been decided.

It’s not that he didn’t expect this moment, but Yan thought Kim would be able to make it through the season without getting injured because he was so strong and didn’t have any minor illnesses.

But I never thought something like this would happen in the end.

In fact, it was an inevitable disaster.

The opponent ran towards me on purpose and bumped into me. It was an act of complete lack of camaraderie, and could even be seen as a form of racial discrimination.

“We are two points behind Munich and three points behind Leverkusen, so we still have some room to play. So let’s aim for a draw against Freiburg first. The next game is against Jean Pauli, who came up to the first division with us.”

“Yes. The draw is a bit better. If Jean Pauli is not careful, he could be sent back to the second division as soon as he gets promoted, so he will definitely be aggressive against us without Kim.”

Hannover without Kim are weak.

It was a well-known fact.

Freiburg and Jean Pauli will do their best to get points.

So we too must do our best to hold on. While earnestly hoping that Kim will recover as quickly as possible.

.

.

And the match against Freiburg.

[They’re falling apart! They’re falling apart! Hannover, who have brought down countless giants this season, are falling apart completely at home in Freiburg!]

[The Bundesliga is in turmoil once again! Hannover, who had only suffered two defeats this season and were comfortably in first place, are suffering an unbelievable defeat! Score 4-0!]

[When Kim was guarding Hannover, they had not conceded any goals for dozens of games… …! In today’s game, they conceded as many as 4 goals! Manager Jan Rytl is frozen with his lips tightly shut!]

As the commentators said, Hannover was sinking. As Hannover’s conceded goals increased one by one, Freiburg’s home fans enjoyed the situation as if they were at a party, and Hannover was at a loss in the absence of Kim Min-woo.

“shit….”

He had prepared as best as he could, but the result was a score of 4 to 0. Yan was dumbfounded by the overwhelming score and match result.

Was Kim’s existence that great? Of course I knew it… .

“―Aaak!”

In the midst of all this, Coutinho falls down screaming. Yann can do nothing but open his mouth and look dumbfounded.