Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 245



Only Krnovel

Episode 245: Kim Min-woo’s check

My schedule has been tighter than I thought recently.

It felt like all the homework I had been putting off was coming at me all at once.

After beating Newcastle in the EFL Cup last 32, United faced Burnley in the last 16.

Burnley is in the second division, and I thought they would have some leeway and could come out to play at full strength in the EFL Cup, but that was far from the case.

In fact, the English league’s second division was more rigorous than its first division in terms of schedule.

You can tell just by looking at the number of games.

Even the tough EPL has 38 league games, but the second division EFL has 46 games, which is 8 more games.

For Burnley, the EFL Cup was at best a stein, and promotion was a hundred times more important than lifting the stein, so Burnley naturally let go of their non-regular players.

What about Manchester United against him?

Manchester United also sent out only non-regular players, including Kim Jun-young.

The result was a 2:1 victory for Manchester United.

But the opponent is in the second division.

In addition, sub-member Kim Jun-young scored multiple goals in the match, earning the coach’s seal of approval.

‘The problem is that the starting position is still difficult…’

Kim Jun-young still hasn’t found his place at Manchester United.

Although it is not as complete as before, the current Manchester United striker position is a two-man, one-woman situation.

Buyer and Hoilun are fighting back and forth, and Kim Jun-young is looking for an opening in the middle of it.

Kim Jun-young looked like he was about to burst into tears, but I wasn’t too worried. I thought he’d grow up on his own if I left him alone.

What the… Wasn’t there a case in the presidential election where two candidates were strong candidates and then one of the middle candidates got elected by a stroke of luck?

‘I wonder if Junyoung will become like that too.’

The presidential election and the primary race feel quite different, but in any case, they are both the same ‘fight to secure a position’.

And today was the EFL Cup quarter-final day. Giovanni also started the match with only non-regular players.

Chiller, who was taught by me, took over as goalkeeper, and Rooney Bardazi, who joined with Chiller, was also named in the starting lineup.

There, Kim Jun-young, who is good at beating weak teams, was also selected as a striker.

The opponent is Liverpool.

It was a kind of mini Northwest Derby.

Liverpool was also in a situation where they only sent out their second team players.

Plus, it was a sort of preemptive strike as they were about to face Liverpool in the league.

Perhaps because they were opponents, Giovanni gave strong motivation to the players coming from the locker room.

“You know how important today’s game is. We have to win any game against Liverpool. Even if it’s rock-paper-scissors. The fans want you to win!”

… If you wanted to win so badly, shouldn’t you have filled the team with the best players instead of non-regulars, Coach?

“I don’t need a draw! A defeat? Do you think you’ll let them do what they want at Anfield?”

It’s contradictory. It’s contradictory… .

But you have to endure the pain of such contradictions to become a manager of the world’s top league.

The players looked confident and courageous thanks to the coach’s continued motivation. Seeing them reminded me of the old days.

One day, when I really didn’t want to study, I was lying down blankly watching YouTube when a recommended video started playing.

It was a motivational video.

As with the typical videos circulating on the market, the content was something like, do your best, take on the challenge, and do it right away.

The look in the players’ eyes right now is exactly the look in my eyes when I watched the motivational video back then.

Sparkling, boiling with energy, and ready to do anything at any moment.

And as someone who has experience, I knew their future.

‘My eyes will open after about 20 minutes of playing.’

It’s obvious.

And so the mini Northwest Derby began.

Liverpool vs Manchester United clash at Anfield.

I sat on a bench and watched comfortably.

Since it was a match between players who had not been given a chance to start for either team, their skills may have been lacking, but their mindset towards the match was different.

‘Wow.’

The tenacity to grit your teeth and run to the end to get the ball back even if it is stolen.

That tenacity and pressure to catch the director’s eye.

The passion of the players was so clear to me, sitting on the bench, and the spectators watching must have felt it too, cheering and booing just as much as they did in a league game.

And among them, there was a player whose movements particularly stood out: Kim Jun-young.

It’s not that I was being pushed around because I was a junior at Suyang High School, but I really stood out the whole time.

Like an awl in a pocket.

Like a crane mixed in with a flock of chickens, Kim Jun-young’s movements were different.

‘Kim Jun-young stands out more than Rooney, who is considered one of the best prospects in Europe.’

Certainly, as expected of a player who won the K-League Rookie of the Year award at the age of 18, Kim Jun-young made an impression on people by striding all over the field.

‘When it comes to running, I run more than anyone else. When it comes to being concise, I’m also concise than anyone else.’

To put it simply, the method was different.

Looking at that scene, it felt like Giovanni was a racist and didn’t use Junyoung very well.

The game is becoming more and more intense… … .

34 minutes in the first half.

Counterattack situation. Kim Jun-young hits a mid-range shot with a bang! The mid-range shot from outside the box splits the net like a painting.

Anfield suddenly became quiet, and everyone at Manchester United, including Giovanni, was delighted.

I also stood up and applauded the wonderful goal scored by my junior from Suyang High School.

And then time passed and 66 minutes passed in the second half.

Liverpool’s attacking situation.

Short cross from the side.

The Liverpool striker receives a cross inside the box and passes it short to the left again.

And the opposing striker took the unmarked chance very easily and kicked it. Even Chiller missed the player because his eyes were focused on the left, and Manchester had to pay the price with an equalizer.

That one goal made Anfield feel like a concert hall. The floor was shaking, and it felt like a local festival.

And the one who decided today’s match was once again Kim Jun-young.

Rooney Bardad received the ball in the opposite transition and started a counterattack, dribbling brilliantly past a defender in the box before firing a shot.

To be honest, I thought it was in.

But the goalkeeper made a super save, and Kim Jun-young, who was next to him, caught the loose ball and put it in.

It was a lucky extra goal.

‘His activity level is good, his movements are concise, he passes well, and his positioning is even good.’

But why doesn’t Giovanni prefer Kim Jun-young?

… Actually, I knew it vaguely.

Because he was a player who lacked something to be a regular player.

But if that’s all filled in, Kim Jun-young is a hexagonal player in my opinion. If he had started at another club instead of here, he would have definitely become a regular player.

‘… Isn’t that right? In fact, my running mate effect also had quite an influence on making the current Kim Jun-young.’

And the North West derby in the quarter-finals of the Beer Cup ended with a victory for Manchester United.

The final was a battle of whether Manchester United would break through or not, and it was a very exciting game, perhaps because the goalkeeper was chiller.

‘Is this why people say it’s boring for me to be a goalkeeper?’

Of course, Manchester United fans and Koreans don’t say it’s not fun. Rather, they say it’s too fun. But the fans of the opposing team that I play against… … Hmm. It’s understandable that it’s not fun.

Kim Jun-young, who scored two goals, was the star of today’s game. So he received POTM and went for an interview.

I stretched and got up from my seat, and as I did so, one of the opposing team players who was playing approached me.

“excuse me….”

“huh?”

“Is it possible to exchange uniforms?”

“me?”

The opposing player nodded. He was covered in sweat. I answered, momentarily dumbfounded.

“But I didn’t play in the game?”

“…Wouldn’t that work?”

Well, there’s no way it wouldn’t work.

“wait for a sec.”

Since I was on the roster for this game, I had some spare uniforms. I went to the locker room and grabbed one.

“here.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

He received my uniform with a happy face. And when I didn’t give him his uniform, he asked for mine too, and then his face became even happier… .

‘What a strange guy.’

Meanwhile another Liverpool player comes up to me and says:

“Hey Kim. Do you have a uniform… ah.”

“Sorry. I already exchanged it.”

“huh.”

It’s weird. The North West Derby is such a close game that I didn’t think they’d do something like this.

“Why, Kim? Because you’re a huge superstar.”

Captain Bruno said with one eye winking. I blinked and asked back.

“Do you read people’s minds? I didn’t say anything.”

“I can tell just by looking at your expression.”

I looked at Captain Gesuttsre. I need to control my expression properly in front of this person.

* * *

England FA Cup.

It is the oldest ball game competition still in progress, having started in 1871.

It’s not for nothing that England is proud of being the home of football.

The EFL Cup is strictly a junior competition to the FA Cup, the final of which is held at Wembley Stadium.

At Wembley, the stadium of dreams.

And in the FA Cup, anyone with the skills can go to Wembley, whether they are in the 1st or 10th division.

The problem is that it’s not easy.

EPL teams including Manchester United will participate in the FA Cup from the third round.

Round 3, Round of 64.

Man U’s opponent is Wigan.

Wigan were once called the survival kings of the Premier League.

A team that was a strong candidate for relegation every season and actually had similar form, but then improved like a ghost in the second half of the season and avoided relegation.

Because of that, he was given the title of King of Survival, but that is now a thing of the past.

The survival king did not survive, and now he was struggling even in the second division, so he was moving around the third division.

As expected from a top-tier EFL Cup side, Giovanni had put together a stronger lineup than expected despite the opposition being a third-tier side, and for now I was in the starting lineup.

And some of the regulars were named. Roughly half of the starting lineup were regulars. What about the other half?

“Junyoung, come quickly.”

“It feels like it’s been a really long time since I played with my brother!”

A number of players who showed good form in the Mini North West Derby will be competing.

And in fact, this level of power was not only sufficient, but was excessive. A team that had defeated Manchester City is attacking with 50% of its full power?

“Are you ready? Let’s chew those Wigan bastards to pieces!”

As the captain said, we will chew on Wigan’s bones. That is, unless there is an unexpected variable.

* * *

As the game began, Wigan seemed to be discouraged from the start by the power of Manchester United, and they came out on the defensive with an extremely low line.

‘The third part is different after all. The first half has just started and it’s already getting boring.’

As the opponent dropped drastically, Manchester United also started to raise their line accordingly.

“Kim! You come up too! You have to be the sweeper!”

At Maguire’s shout, I nodded and slowly walked away from the goal.

Even against a team like Manchester United that was lying down openly, it took time to score a goal, and to shorten that time, I also took on some of the duties of covering the space behind and building up the play.

“Take it!”

The ball comes to me.

It’s not just leisurely, it’s relaxed.

The opposing player comes running, jogging, but still has a considerable distance to go.

‘These kids?!’

You’re not going to check this?

For a moment, I was thinking of giving it to Kim Jun-young or the captain, but then I changed my mind and turned on ‘Quick and Accurate Kick’ to determine the trajectory. Into the goal.

‘Try to stop it!’

Even if I block it, my heart will pound, but if I can’t block it, it’ll be great.

I aimed directly at Wigan’s goal, feeling like I’d be happy if I got eaten, but if not, I’d be okay.

Above all, it was a location worth looking at directly.

I was just below the halfway line, and the opposing goalkeeper was slightly away from the goal, trying to communicate with the defenders.

Boohoo!

The shot I aimed for flew away coolly.

Until then, the players had no idea.

Some players even turned their heads and rested, wondering if they had made a mistake.

However, as my shot neared the target, the atmosphere changed. The opposing goalkeeper also sensed something strange and hurriedly ran into the goal.

And then, in the stadium, voices full of anticipation rang out―

Crash!

As soon as the goalkeeper’s dive fails and my shot hits the net, a huge “Wow!” cheer erupts from the entire stadium.

“Nice!”

It was a kind of checkmate intended to keep me in check by using all my stamina without leaving me alone, but the checkmate ended up hitting me dead last.

I strolled towards Wigan’s camp, studying their expressions. Most of them looked defeated.

‘It’s delicious.’

I slowly savored those expressions and ended up doing a walking ceremony without realizing it. Senior Park Ji-sung. Are you watching? This young junior imitated his senior’s ceremony―

“Kim! This crazy guy!”

Bruno Fernandes runs slowly next to me with a big smile on his face, putting his arm around my shoulder.

“Brother Minwoo. Wow. Really. As expected.”

Kim Jun-young also runs next to me, exclaiming in admiration that it is indeed true to its reputation.

By the time the walking ceremony was over, there were already seven or eight players running together.

I turned around to look at my teammates at the corner kick flag area and shouted.

“I was so frustrated that I put it in myself, everyone.”

Then my colleagues burst into laughter, clapping their hands. I also laughed along and hugged my colleagues.

So the ceremony ended and everyone returned to their seats.

“As expected, you are my brother! Kehehe!”

Junyoung went beyond verses 1 and 2 and did verse 3. He was laughing viciously.

I patted Junyoung’s shoulder and spoke lightly.

“Young-ah, watch and learn.”

“yes!”