Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 206



Only Krnovel

Episode 206

# March to the Grave

I checked the time while listening to the cheering song.

‘First half 15 minutes.’

It’s only been 15 minutes since the game started, but it’s been going by more boringly than I expected.

Both countries are moving very cautiously, perhaps conscious of the importance of this match.

‘Rather than being cautious…’

It feels like they’re both so scared of each other that they can’t throw a punch and just pull back?

The fact that there hasn’t been a single decent shot even after 15 minutes of the game is proof of that.

‘It seems like the fighting in the Central Plains is quite fierce.’

The battle for dominance that began with the whistle to start the game was still ongoing. However, neither team was rushing to attack the other team and was just taking a wait-and-see approach.

If you break through the side and the opposing players get in your way, backpass.

Don’t try to force your way through the opponent’s defense, and if it seems dangerous, pass the ball to a teammate.

If you feel a bit lost, try the opposite.

It didn’t matter where the ball was, what mattered was that both countries seemed to be waiting for their opponents to make a mistake rather than trying to score a goal.

And then the ball came to me.

The ball that was in front came back and came all the way to me, the goalkeeper.

‘Arai.’

The Japanese players were not coming up and were maintaining their line at the bottom, perhaps because they were hit by my long ball in the previous Korea-Japan match, and although the scrum looked plausible on the surface, there seemed to be no place to give it to.

I sneaked out of the penalty area, kicking the ball forward. The Japanese goalkeeper, he seems a little off guard, doesn’t he?

Hey, if you come out any further I’ll hit you myself?

I counted down the seconds in my head, but the goalkeeper was still shouting at the players around him and had no intention of crawling into the goal.

then…….

‘I need to make you come to your senses.’

Before I knew it, I was completely outside the penalty box, turned on the quick and accurate kick, and hit the ball far forward with all my might.

Even though I had walked all the way here, the Japanese players hadn’t even crossed the halfway line, so my long-range shot flew through the air without much difficulty.

The shot that flew with a refreshing whoosh flew with power like a golf ball… … .

“““Waaa …

The roar of the crowd.

The Japanese goalkeeper realized the situation too late and barely managed to block it with a two-handed punch.

This ball didn’t even have a first landing.

It flew straight at the goal and would have resulted in a goal if the goalkeeper had noticed it just a few seconds later.

“Wow, shit! Minwoo!”

Kim Min-jae’s crazy expression.

I smiled and nodded.

The Japanese goalkeeper blocked the ball so acrobatically that the spectators felt disappointed.

“I was so frustrated that I looked at it directly.”

The ball was punched out by the Japanese goalkeeper and went out of bounds, leading to a corner kick for Korea.

I hope that this attempt will be the start of a breakthrough in the frustrating flow of the game.

* * *

Director Moriyasu gulped at the shocking attempt, crossing his arms.

‘What the… .’

A play that is hard to believe even when watching.

It wasn’t the first time I saw Kim Min-woo hit the ball himself, but it was hard to get used to the goalkeeper aiming directly from the opposite side.

In the first place, no other goalkeeper in the world attempts an attack like this.

And the game led to a corner kick.

Japan blocked it without difficulty.

Now was the time to counterattack.

The Japanese players went up powerfully as if they had been waiting, and then went through a competition with the Korean players who returned in an instant.

There was a cool run for the first time in the match, but the attempt was ultimately blocked by Munich’s centre-back.

Kim Min-je pushed in and took control, then hit Ueda with his shoulder. And in that one physical fight, Ueda was knocked out.

The clean defense was met with a standing ovation from over 60,000 spectators. Moriyasu shook his head, and the game fell into a lull again.

‘I think I understand now.’

I was hesitant, but now I know for sure.

Moriyasu glanced at Leon Harpus, who was passionately guiding from a distance.

‘That fox bastard, he’s not going to attack until we raise the line.’

No, it must be an attack.

We will attack without facing a large-scale counterattack.

In Moriyasu’s view, Leon was blatantly aiming for a draw. Even a draw would see Korea advance to first place in the group, and since they had already won 3:0 in their away game in Japan, there was no reason for public opinion to worsen.

There may be some complaints about the way the game is played, but public opinion will likely be sufficiently quelled.

On the other hand, Moriyasu himself… … .

‘Fuck.’

Sweat dripped down my forehead.

Public opinion had already worsened significantly due to the 0:3 defeat in the Japan-Korea match, and several players were openly criticizing themselves in the media.

Because of this, the team was in disarray, and the media continued to shake up the national team.

Japan needed a win now.

To be exact, we must win this match for Moriyasu himself.

If the game ends with the players just passing the ball back and forth in a stuffy manner, it is impossible to predict how bad public opinion will become.

‘No, even if we draw, we have to dominate the game and draw. If we draw helplessly, we can get fired even after advancing to the finals.’

Moriyasu took a handkerchief out of his bosom and wiped his forehead. However, it was obvious what would happen if he raised the line and attacked Korea without thinking. He knew it better than anyone else.

‘You can’t attack like there’s no tomorrow against a team with Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-im, and Hwang Hee-cheon. If you do, the space behind them will open up, and those three are players who know how to act in such situations.’

For some reason, Kim Jun-young, who joined Manchester United, was on the bench, but despite that, the Korean attack was very strong.

It was a triangle formation that was too threatening to be played against a team one level lower.

Even if the line is raised and attacks are poured in, the Korean goalkeeper is an inhuman goalkeeper who has not allowed a single goal since his debut.

A goalkeeper who is seriously on drugs, or maybe an alien wearing a visor.

‘Are you trying to induce Japan to attack?’

I can’t quite tell what the director’s intentions are.

But looking at the situation I was in now, it seemed like I had to walk into the trap even though I knew it.

A literal dilemma.

If the current flow is maintained in line with the game tempo, unbearable anger will pour out from the archipelago after the game, and if the line is raised because of public opinion after the game, it will be a situation where one has to bet one’s position on a gamble with an extremely low probability of success.

“…after.”

Sweat also runs down my back.

I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t do anything.

If you stay still, you die, and if you move, you die too.

‘… It doesn’t make sense to keep this tactic after shouting that you’re going to win like that. The Football Association could seriously discuss dismissing you for making a fool of the people.’

It may be funny to compare soccer to war, but Moriyasu was quite well-versed in history.

The current situation reminds me of what happened in the second year of Keicho (the year of the Rooster).

A naval battle in which the Joseon Dynasty’s Samdosugun Tongjesa, who did not want to move, led his entire fleet for political reasons and was defeated at Chilcheollyang.

It would have been good if Moriyasu’s situation had been on the Japanese side at that time, but his current situation is the opposite.

If you are forced to go out to sea and return to camp without showing anything, something very big will happen… .

However, if you really go out to sea to fight, it is a very reckless situation with a very high chance of defeat.

‘Damn. What should I do…?’

Before the match, Moriyasu naturally thought that Korea would come out aggressively.

There was no reason not to do so.

In the away game, they won 3:0 and even Uruguay, which came out with its best first team, ended up beating them 1:0, didn’t they?

There was no reason for Japan, who were below Uruguay, to play defensively.

‘Joe, let’s wait and see a little longer. The opponent may change their tactics.’

So, Moriyasu decided to hesitate a little longer.

Hoping that the opponent will change their tactics.

.

.

The first 45 minutes passed like that.

Surprisingly, there was no change in Korea’s tactics.

There was no noticeable action.

Korea acted as if they had already won the game, and Moriyasu’s Japan team simply showed listless moves that were in line with their tactics.

“… … .”

Moriyasu was in shock and just stared blankly with his mouth shut.

“…Uhm, Director?”

Two minutes of extra time. Moriyasu turned his head slightly at the head coach’s call. The head coach spoke with a determined expression.

“You don’t plan on continuing this tactic in the second half, do you?”

“… … .”

“The performance so far is different from what the manager has said so far. We need to change.”

“… I know that too.”

“We need to be more aggressive in the second half. We saved a lot of energy in the first half.”

“I know.”

“Oh, yes. Okay.”

A situation where you have to move forward even though you know you’re going to lose. Is there such a fucking situation?

Die with honor or die with shame.

Here, we did not assume that we would ‘win’.

If a team as big as Korea were to focus on defense and counterattack, it wouldn’t be easy for them to beat even the top-tier European or South American countries. Especially now that ‘Kim Min-woo’ is the goalkeeper, right?

So now it was time to decide how to die and where to be buried.

Just before the half-time whistle blew, Moriyasu looked at coach Leon. Leon was sitting on the bench, laughing. He felt the urge to rip that mouth open.

And then a flash of thought crosses my mind.

‘Surely this whole situation… … .’

So, what if that crazy director had set the table like this from the beginning?

What if you realized that if you play defensively, Japan will have no choice but to play offensively?

Beep- beep-!

And then the whistle blows to end the first half.

The expressions on the Japanese players’ faces were all dark and shadowy.

‘I guess I need to start by clearing up the mood.’

Moriyasu grabbed his eyelids and hurried into the locker room.

Afterwards the players came in, and as expected, the locker room had a basement-like atmosphere.

A quiet locker room with everyone silent.

The players wiped their sweat, drank water, and waited for Moriyasu to speak.

Moriyasu looked around the room and thought.

‘What should I say?’

Is everything going according to plan? Will the second half be different? Will there be a change in players?

“Coach, we need a tactical change in the second half.”

It was Wataru Endo. Following the head coach, the captain of the national team also expressed his opinion.

Moriyasu was annoyed by that obvious statement. He already knew it. So he said it without thinking.

“What do you mean?”

Then, the locker room atmosphere becomes even colder.

I realized too late that I had made a slip of the tongue. Asking the player for tactics. What a idiot.

Even if there are no tactics, you have to pretend to have them, and even if you are losing due to differences in the manager’s ability, you have to maintain authority. That’s what it means to be a manager…

“What do you mean, Director? What if you ask us that?”

It was Takefusa Kubo. A young kid who was openly challenging the authority of the director.

“Director, you declared that you would definitely win against Korea right before the Japan-Korea match. So why are you talking like a third party who doesn’t know anything now?”

“Hey. Kubo. You are… .”

Just before Moriyasu’s anger explodes, Endo stops Kubo and manages the situation.

“We can’t go on like this. We didn’t have a single effective shot in the first half. We have to raise the line and go on the offensive.”

“Yes, coach. Uruguay gave us a hint. Korea’s weakness is the flanks. We need to attack the flanks.”

“… … .”

I know. It was something we had discussed several times after the match between Korea and Uruguay. However, Moriyasu was skeptical about the argument to be aggressive in the second half.

‘The opponent must be aiming for that. This must be bait.’

It was my intuition as a coach. If we raise the line because we had a frustrating game in the first half, our back space will be emptied in return.

but…….

“Director!”

“You have to decide!”

… … Sometimes, there are times when you have to jump into the fire pit even though the outcome is obvious. For Moriyasu, that day was today.

Moriyasu, who had been keeping silent, eventually decided to accept the opinions of the players and coaches and raise the line and play aggressively in the second half.

It was an unavoidable expedition.

* * *

Leon looked around the players in the locker room.

Although the players didn’t say anything, they seemed to have doubts about the way the game was run in the first half.

It was worth it.

It was an arbitrary decision, and the coaches were either skeptical or opposed to it.

Leon said a few words, feeling like he needed to lighten the mood.

It’s not us who are in a hurry, it’s our opponents. Let’s not think about the fans’ jealousy after the game and just think about winning, things like that.

Fortunately, since I had built up trust with the players over time, they all nodded without complaining too much.

Trust Leon.

“It may seem strange, but all you have to do is trust me as the coach and follow me. I have confidence in my tactics.”

“Yes, I understand!”

When Captain Son nodded, the other players all nodded. Without any tactical instructions, we left the locker room and started the second half.

Many people must have been looking forward to the match against Japan at home, but isn’t the result more important than the process?

Leon glanced at Moriyasu and then looked back at the field.

Japan takes the first touch as the referee blows the whistle to start the match.

I crossed my arms and watched the flow of the game.

‘…you asked.’

Japan started to attack more aggressively than in the first half. They started to shake up the Korean camp with short, cute passes, which are typical of Japanese soccer.

Japan’s valid shot came quickly. It seemed like Korea was being cornered in an instant, but Leon smiled brightly.

“Nicholas.”

“Yes, sir.”

At the manager’s call, head coach Nicolas van de Burgh was right at his side.

“Plan B. Let’s get started right away.”

“Okay, I’ll let the players know.”

Leon nodded.

.