Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 200



Only Krnovel

Episode 200

Giovanni Aiming for the Space

That’s how we entered the second half.

A match of 11 vs 10.

I expected that after just a little while, the feeling of being without a person would definitely increase.

But no matter how much time passed, the effect I expected did not appear.

‘…what?’

While watching the game, I tilted my head because I couldn’t understand the current situation. Liverpool was clearly fighting on equal terms with us even though they were missing one player. Does that make sense? Unless they secretly brought in another player… .

“her.”

And Liverpool’s attack.

To be precise, Liverpool gets a free kick in a good position for the attack timing.

I licked my lips and did what I had to do.

The players were adjusting their positions loudly, and in the meantime, the referee’s whistle blew in an instant.

The kicker is Arnold. I checked the shooting trajectory and laughed again.

‘If the trajectory hadn’t been visible, this would have worked no matter what.’

It was a shot that went wide of the top of the left goal, especially the corner of the goal (the part that looks like the letter ‘ㄱ’) and deflected into the goal.

In fact, this was a trajectory that was difficult to block even if you knew about it. And the shot came flying with power. I jumped with all my might, and Arnold’s wonder shot was blocked by my left-hand punch and returned to nothing.

I guess that guy was thinking, “This is a goal,” but it’s not for me.

“Wow! Kim! How did you stop it?”

Baran, who had been watching from right next to me, approached me with a surprised expression on his face. I answered as if nothing had happened.

“This one was hard for me too. Now it’s a corner kick, so let’s get into position.”

“okay.”

And then Liverpool’s corner kick attack.

Another threatening header came flying in, and I knocked it away.

Another corner. Another threatening attack. Another corner.

After about five corner kicks, we were able to escape the rut and it seemed like Manchester United would attack, but from then on, the flow continued to be Liverpool attacking.

‘No. Why? How come?’

One of the opponents is missing?

I felt like there were two thousand question marks in my head, but I focused on defense for now.

Coach Giovanni was also frustrated, as he was giving detailed instructions to the field players using all sorts of gestures.

The second half ticks by like that.

Second half 15 minutes.

Manchester United, who were down 10 men, finally started to mount a counterattack.

Rather than a counterattack, it was something that was bound to happen. Liverpool had a ‘gap’ that was inevitable when one player was playing less, and manager Giovanni was persistent in exploiting that gap.

And finally, the fruition came to fruition.

Klopp left the right flank empty by filling the position of striker Kakpo, leaving full-back Gomez to fill that position alone.

It was okay for 15 minutes, but of course it won’t be okay forever.

Having one player missing to help out on the flanks meant that the fullback had to do double duty, and the heavy defensive workload soon led to rapid depletion of stamina.

Giovanni continued to attack the right flank as the fullback position, which already requires a lot of stamina, was now empty and there was no player to help him, and Mainu attacked Rashford.

Rashford passes a short, ground ball to Hoilun in the corner area.

Hoilun shoots into Liverpool’s goal with a one-touch pass.

As soon as that play was over, the net began to shake. It was Manchester United’s first goal. The first goal that had been scored in an instant.

Hoilun was very happy after finally scoring a life-extending goal.

I also watched intently and finally felt relieved when the first goal was scored.

“Yeah. That’s right… .”

With one man empty, it would be normal for Manchester City to be beaten, not Liverpool. On top of that, Liverpool was very arrogant and played aggressively even with 10 men, and it would be natural for them to be punished if they played aggressively with 10 men.

Score 1:0.

Although the game started with a shaky performance for the first 15 minutes of the second half, it was Manchester United who scored the first goal.

Now we just have to defend and we’ll win.

And protecting is also the thing I am most confident in in the world.

After the ceremony time, the game resumed. I tilted my head again as I watched the game.

‘No, I came up and got hit once and now I’m coming up again?’

Are you still out of your mind?

Then I guess I have to score one more goal?

When I was feeling relaxed, a trajectory suddenly appeared.

Red trajectory. A trajectory at a distance between medium and long range. I was startled and straightened up, and a shot came flying at me immediately.

It was a mid-range shot by Wataru Endo.

A shot aimed at the left corner, just like the free kick earlier. It was a shot with frightening accuracy, and if I hadn’t blocked it, it would have resulted in a goal.

‘Huh!’

The shot barely hit my fingertips and the trajectory was distorted. It was really close. It was even more so because the shot came when I was letting my guard down.

“Fuck.”

What kind of leisure can’t I have?

However, despite my feelings, the Manchester United fans gathered at Old Trafford were impressed by my continued defense and applauded with a “Wooooh” sound.

The following match ended up having a similar flow to the first half. A slugfest.

Manchester United took full advantage of Liverpool’s gaps and launched a barrage of attacks, while Liverpool displayed a clean line of defense followed by a counterattack tactic.

A team of Liverpool’s size was very threatening even though they were missing one player, as they used a classic defensive line followed by a counterattack.

But it didn’t lead to a score.

Rather than leading to a score, it accelerated the crisis.

Liverpool’s counterattack. Manchester United’s defense. And then another counterattack. In the process, perhaps due to a gap in one player, Liverpool’s defense committed a foul while defending Manchester United’s attack, and the referee blew the whistle without missing a beat.

It was a free kick foul right in front of the box.

“Hoo.”

Is it my body’s turn to step forward?

As I slowly walked up, the Liverpool players approached the referee and protested actively. Klopp, who was watching, also got angry from the bench.

To me, it just looks like he’s jumping around… but the referee won’t change his decision just because of that.

Because Premier League referees are famous for their high self-esteem.

In the end, as I expected, the decision was not overturned, and we quickly prepared for a free kick.

Liverpool players also gave up and moved busily. They created a free kick wall, and Alisson controlled the movement of other players… .

I thought to myself as I watched Alisson orchestrating the players.

‘You block a lot of shots well, but will you be able to block my free kick too?’

To be honest, my free kicks have become more like a psychological warfare. If I hit it somewhere, a goalkeeper like Alisson can easily stop it.

And that would come as a huge crisis to me.

If the Manchester United goal is empty and the opponent blocks it, they can score by just hitting the ball from far away.

‘Well, the defenders are waiting below the half line to prevent that.’

Even if I fail, I will do my best to make sure that the defenders do not get hit in one shot.

I believed so and waited for the referee’s whistle.

Beep!

I swallowed hard and looked ahead. The fans were waiting for my free kick with expectant voices.

I turned on the quick accurate kick and decided on a target. Like the Liverpool players, I aimed for the left corner.

and…….

Boohoo!

A cannonball-like shot flies.

It’s a shot so fast that immediately after you close your eyes and open them, the result is already determined.

And the result is.

slam-!

A goal net that clanks as if it were going to pierce the net.

Alisson tried to react but couldn’t stop it. My shot was too fast and too powerful to block.

I ran to the ceremony while hearing the cheers of Manchester United fans.

I hadn’t really thought about what kind of ceremony I would do, but then I suddenly thought of the captain and did that ceremony as a sign of respect.

Run straight in front of the camera, slide once, stand up and make the camera into a square shape.

Son Heung-min’s snap ceremony.

Close one eye, and click!

* * *

The game was tilted.

After Hoilun’s opening goal, my free kick goal, and then Bruno Fernandes’ clincher.

The game ended like that, with the score ending 3:0.

For Manchester United, it was their first big win in a North West derby in a long time, so everyone was happy. Literally everyone.

“Good job everyone! Good job!”

Even Giovanni, who was always angry after the game, was an exception today. This man was also a manager who knew how to smile.

Giovanni greeted the players with a big smile.

That’s how encouraging this victory is. Even if one player is missing, a 3-0 victory is still meaningful.

And I was the POTM of today’s match.

Sending off a player, scoring a goal and stopping every single one of Liverpool’s near-goal attempts is what got me to the POTM.

I stood in front of reporters as usual, and the reporters asked me all sorts of questions.

Your wrist got kicked by that jerk. Is your wrist feeling better? ‘It hurt a lot, but it feels better now that that jerk has been kicked out!’

He has already kept a clean sheet in three EPL games. He even blocked what could have been a wonder goal for Liverpool in today’s game. Can this performance continue? ‘I told you. Who am I?’

He maintains a 100% free kick success rate. How can he kick so well? It’s as if the goalpost is a black hole and the ball is sucked in. ‘Haha! I’m a bit good at kicking.’

During the game, he dribbled off Salah. He has kept a clean sheet since his debut, but if he makes a mistake, such an action could break the clean sheet. Aren’t you scared? ‘It’s okay because I’m 100% sure I’ll get it off!’

… … Of course, the actual answers were very different.

As expected from a country of courtesy in the East, he added a lot of humility and heeded the advice of Director Park Ji-sung, and Kim Min-woo held back as much as possible during the 23rd season.

And that’s how I tried to end the interview.

“Manchester United has a new Korean player, Kim? Can you tell us about him? I heard he is from the same school.”

“……hmm.”

Junyoung?

I thought for a moment and then answered.

“He’s a good player. He won’t be an immediate force for Manchester, but if he continues to grow, he’ll be a key player for the team one day.”

“Did Kim personally recommend you to the club?”

Oh, right. Why are you asking when you already know everything?

“Yes, I recommended him. What happens next is up to him, but I think Manchester United got a very cheap ticket to win.”

That question ended the interview. It was now time to go to the hospital.

* * *

As expected, there was nothing wrong with his wrist. In fact, it was so normal that the coaches who went with him were embarrassed.

So I finished my work for that day, and a few days later.

“older brother!”

A familiar Korean language is heard in the Manchester clubhouse.

When I turned my head, I saw an Asian man with a familiar body type. Kim Jun-young. I also happily raised my hand to say hello.

“Oh. You’re here?”

“Yes, brother! He went down to the reserve without even having time to say hello!”

“…already?”

“Yes, brother!”

No, but even though we’re in the same first-team, they send us down without even saying hello. How cold…

Wait a minute. Can a reserve player be assigned a running mate?

I quickly checked.

[Striker position ‘Kim Jun-young’ is designated as the running mate. From now on, ‘Kim Jun-young’ will be assigned the role of a substitute player.]

[Compared to players, semi-players have a growth efficiency of about 30%… … .]

Phew. That’s good. It was a mechanism where as long as you were on the same team, you would be assigned to either the first or second team. That was fortunate.

“Then where are your accommodations…?”

“Ah! The club provided that anyway!”

“Huh? Really?”

There’s no way Manchester United would give that kind of luxury to a Sub-Tari―

“But it’s not that nice of a house. It’s a decent house to live in alone.”

“Aha. I see what you mean.”

I guess I got a house similar to the one I got in Hanover. Yeah. That’s how they all start out.

“By the way, bro. It looks like we’ll have to fly back to Korea as soon as we get here. Do you know that we have to be in Korea by the 28th?”

“Huh. Round 4 is on the 27th, so I guess I’ll play and go?”

The opponent in the fourth round was Southampton. A team that has been promoted and relegated repeatedly. And a team that experts predict will be relegated this season.

Since they are opponents, it may seem like it will be easy, but this is a world where you never know until you try. This is especially true when it comes to Manchester United.

“Oh! I’ll play a game in the reserves too.”

“Really? Hey. Go smash it. Show me what a K-League Rookie of the Year looks like.”

“Oh, of course, hyung. Even though we are a soccer powerhouse, I’m not the type of person who would get lost in the 4th or 5th division. If I were, I wouldn’t have been selected for the national team. Hehe.”

I had a long conversation with Kim Jun-young, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was quite a refreshing and fun experience to speak Korean with a Korean in a foreign land like England.

“Kim! What are you doing here! We have to start training! Come out now!”

“Oh, yes! Junyoung. I’ll go, hyung. I’ll see you after training if I can.”

“Yes, brother! Fighting!”

I left Kim Jun-young behind and headed to the training ground. Since I had designated him as my running mate, Kim Jun-young’s growth would increase significantly.

Then, I might be promoted to the first team in the near future. I looked forward to that day and ran to where the players were gathered.

.