Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 224
Only Krnovel
Episode 224: Master of Psychological Warfare
These days, modern football is dominated by the 4-2-3-1 formation.
It was 4-2-3-1 for you and me.
Things like three backs and three tops do come up often, but they are literally frequent.
The important thing in the 4-2-3-1 position is the attacking midfielder, and this may be especially true since Manchester United have a world-class attacking midfielder.
Well anyway.
Today was the Korean derby again.
A derby with a soccer player who has unparalleled popularity in Korea.
‘I never even imagined that I would face Son Heung-min.’
When I see a player who used to be so dependable when he was my teammate running madly towards me, I feel a little intimidated.
‘Is this Son Heung-min?’
Suddenly, an old memory came to mind.
When I was on the Olympic team, I met Ukraine in an evaluation match.
At that time, I met a winger named ‘Mikhael Mudrik’, and Choi Yong-seok, the head coach of the Olympic team at the time, introduced him as a player of a similar type to Son Heung-min.
[… … Even though he is compared to Hong Min, he is a player of a much lower level than Son Heung-min. It is easier to think of him as Son Heung-min who lacks soccer intelligence and fundamentals. Do you understand, guys?]
Mikhael Mudrik, who was introduced as a complete version of Son Heung-min, was flying high in the evaluation match against South Korea.
The national team, which had to face the deteriorating Son Heung-min, lost every match and the stadium was like a Gyeongbu Expressway, and I remember having a hard time because of that one player.
And now.
‘shit.’
The same thing was happening over and over again.
Wan-Bissaka, who was supposed to be in charge of the flank, was passed by Son Heung-min, who ran along the flank and passed the ball low from the edge of the penalty box.
And Madison’s ball touch.
I was able to block the attack with quick movements, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous about this attack chain.
‘Hey, isn’t Hongmin hyung thirty-three?’
If it’s like this now, what was it like in the prime of your 20s?
Son Heung-min walked away with a look of regret as if he was disappointed that I had blocked his attack. I quickly got up and sent a long pass forward.
It was a pass that the national team has shown many times. Rashford, who received the ball from me, seemed to win the ball battle and advance, but he soon gave the ball away due to the tenacious cooperative defense.
I bit my lip as I watched the scene from afar.
‘This match won’t be easy either.’
Son Heung-min, the complete player of Mikhail Mudrik.
And there is Erling Haaland, a player who is even more overwhelming than Son Heung-min.
Looking back, I suddenly felt proud of myself for stopping Kylian Mbappe on the Olympic team.
‘How on earth did they block it back then?’
My stats were lower than they are now, and my characteristics were worse. Even if the situation is bad, is it human nature to do something when faced with it?
I rubbed my gloved hands together and prepared for the next attack. The flow was definitely Tottenham’s at the moment.
* * *
This match between Tottenham and Manchester United attracted national attention.
It may be due to the recent soccer boom, but the catchphrase was really good.
[The Future of Korean Football vs. the Present of Korean Football, Meet on Rocket TV!]
It was a match-up that brought together all types of fans, from heavy fans who usually watch overseas soccer matches until late at night, to light fans who only watch national team matches, and even outsiders who are not usually interested in soccer and only watch the World Cup.
And it would be absurd if the blood relatives of the ‘future of Korean soccer’ missed the first match in this kind of match.
Now, the college entrance exam is literally just around the corner. In terms of actual dates, it is still a few weeks away, but Shin-Ah couldn’t miss this game.
“I’ve been doing well so it’ll be okay for a day or so~”
Shin-Ah is confident in her lightning strikes, but she has rarely been in that situation to begin with.
“Shina. Don’t expect to do well by luck. You have to build it up on a regular basis. Got it?”
It was thanks to my mother’s lofty advice that one day becomes ten days, and ten days become a month.
Shin-ah and her brother had that saying engraved in their bones before they entered elementary school, and they are still practicing it today.
Now, I get anxious and nervous when I don’t achieve the goals I had planned for.
“Honestly, from today until the day of the CSAT, I don’t have to study… … .”
Oh, that’s a bit tough. These days, exams are decided by one or two questions, and university names change all the time.
People tend to focus on the CSAT because the people they meet and how they are viewed by others change depending on which signboard they follow, but Shin-ah actually had a strong support system, so she wasn’t as desperate as others…
“Oh! It’s starting! Dad! It’s starting!”
“Yeah. Okay. Dad isn’t sleeping.”
“Are you sure? Why are your eyes closed?”
“… … .”
Today’s game is at 11pm and it’s Saturday, so I went with my dad.
Kim Min-woo, whose participation was uncertain due to injury (I already knew that), was a starter, and Son Heung-min was also a starter.
Kim Jun-young, who scored multiple goals in the previous match against Midtjylland and was then substituted for the next match, was benched.
There’s a saying that a striker should prove himself by scoring goals, but why can’t he play even after scoring a goal?
I felt a little sad, but those thoughts disappeared as soon as the game started.
“Oh! Oh!”
Son Heung-min’s performance.
Son Heung-min breaks through the flank as if sprinting.
And cross.
A teammate tries to get the ball and attack, but it’s blocked. Of course. Who’s the goalkeeper?
“Hey. Son Heung-min. He’s good! But why is he so bad at it in the national team?”
Shin-ah looked at her father lying on the sofa, frowning.
“What are you talking about, Dad? You’re doing so well even in the national team.”
“Really? That’s strange. If you just wear the Taegeuk mark, you can’t do that.”
“What is that…?”
Shin-Ah made an excuse on Son Heung-Min’s behalf.
The inevitable loss of stamina from flying halfway around the world, the difference in roles due to the clear differences in the squads of Tottenham and the national team, etc…
And a word from Dad after hearing Shin-ah’s excuse.
“Our Minwoo does equally well whether he does it there or in Korea?”
“… … I admit that.”
I have nothing to say.
That’s true.
From then on, Tottenham dominated the game. It was as if they were performing surgery. They pushed Manchester United to one side and beat them up.
And every time Kim Min-woo flies around, I empathize with him, but I also think about how much Tottenham must hate and be annoyed by him.
I quickly checked my phone.
Even though it was just released, there were already posts about it in the community. I’m always amazed when I see it. How did they post it so quickly?
[(Tottenham vs Man U) Kim Min-woo’s crazy saves again ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
→Kim Tae-sik is back… .
→Kim Min-woo hates Manchester United
→And still third place in Ballon d’Or? And still third place in Ballon d’Or? And still third place in Ballon d’Or?
→Minwoo always blocks the ball but doesn’t react much anymore ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
→It seems like I became indifferent because I kept blocking it
→It’s either indifferent or angry, just one of the two
“Why does Minwoo look no different from when he was at Hannover and when he was at Manchester United?”
Dad’s analysis. Shin-A added.
“That’s why I sang the song telling you to go to Real Madrid. Tsk tsk. I told you to go through all the trouble.”
“But Shin-ah. I know that Manchester United is a very famous and good team, but why are they being pushed back like this? Isn’t Manchester United better than Tottenham?”
“…Not anymore.”
“Huh? What?”
“It’s not the old Man U.”
The old Manchester United died when Ferguson retired. I don’t know the details. People just say it was like that.
* * *
Ever since Minwoo joined Manchester United, I expected that it would not be easy to face Manchester United.
Also, Manchester United, who finally got Kim Min-woo after a fierce competition, will show very good results this season.
And those predictions were all coming true.
How are Man Utd’s results this season?
8 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. The last match against West Ham that was missed was also a loss because Kim Min-woo did not play. If Kim Min-woo had played as a goalkeeper, the result would have been clearly different.
And today’s game?
Manchester United are not usually a team to be taken lightly, but today they looked strangely solid.
Shots that would normally have been goals were always thwarted.
‘!’
Another chance to score a goal has arrived.
This time it was a clear scoring chance.
During the competition, the players got stuck together and the ball slipped out, which led to Son Heung-min’s solo dribble chance.
There was a baran next to him, but he was more than three steps behind, and Son Heung-min was not slow enough to catch up.
Glance at it―
As he ran, Son Heung-min waged a psychological warfare.
I’m going to kick to the left. I’m going to kick to the left goal.
He kept his gaze to the left and hinted at Kim Min-woo.
As he raced towards the penalty box, Son Heung-min looked left once again and slammed the ball to the right.
The shot, which hit the ground once, seemed to split the goal net… … .
If Kim Min-woo hadn’t jumped in and stopped it.
It was a very stable save.
As if this kind of psychological warfare would never work on me, Kim Min-woo comically saw through Son Heung-min’s psychological warfare and blocked it.
Son Heung-min threw his head back and laughed in disbelief.
“…ha ha ha.”
How on earth did you do that?
How do you win a psychological battle so easily?
In fact, the attack just now was a fight in which the goalkeeper was in a very disadvantageous position.
It was a kind of rock-paper-scissors battle, but even if you won the rock-paper-scissors game and read the position, stopping it was a whole other story.
It is very common in soccer for a goalkeeper to not be able to stop the ball even if the direction is followed.
However, Kim Min-woo was able to read the direction easily and block it easily.
‘Is this all I have to do to get 3rd place in Ballon d’Or, Minwoo?’
Just now it was a must-goal.
Alisson, Ederson, Vicario, Neuer… … No matter who played goalkeeper, 90% of them would have been successful.
And Kim Min-woo passes the ball past Son Heung-min to Luke Shaw on the flank. Son Heung-min looks at Kim Min-woo as he passes by.
Kim Min-woo also looked at Son Heung-min as he returned to his seat. Kim Min-woo passed by without saying anything and winked one eye.
Son Heung-min laughed heartily at the wink.
‘Yeah. What’s the point of the league?’
Any hope of lifting a trophy at Tottenham has long since been abandoned.
Especially after the moment Kim Min-woo came to the EPL, I didn’t have even a glimmer of hope.
then….
Thump thump.
Son Heung-min thought as he returned to his position.
‘I can’t imagine losing a game with Minwoo in it.’
Then, wouldn’t it be possible for him to surpass his legendary 2002 performance in his last World Cup?
Literally, beyond shocking the world, it astounds the world… .
Son Heung-min glanced around. Kim Min-woo was standing in front of the goal in the distance.
Although the distance was very far, it looked like a mountain or a giant to Son Heung-min’s eyes.
With Kim Min-woo, he thought that maybe he too could win a trophy in the twilight of his football career.
And then Manchester United’s counterattack began.
Tottenham failed to score a single goal in attacks where they should have scored at least one, and this pattern is directly linked to ‘fraud’.
Manchester United’s new signing Bayer scores the opening goal for Manchester United after receiving a pass from a teammate and scoring a goal in a chaotic situation.
It was heartbreaking, but it was reality.
And the first half ends.
As both teams headed to the locker room, Son Heung-min waited for Kim Min-woo to arrive.
Kim Min-woo flinched when he saw Son Heung-min, who seemed to be waiting for him.
“Minwoo.”
“yes?”
“Take care of yourself.”
“yes?”
“There’s still a lot left, but don’t get hurt unnecessarily during the World Cup season. Do you know what I’m talking about?”
“… Ah. Yes.”
“okay.”
Son Heung-min patted Min-woo on the shoulder and headed to the Tottenham locker room. They were down 0-1 and it would be very difficult to score an equalizer, but if there was even a slight chance, they had to try until the end.
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