Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 255



Only Krnovel

Episode 255: Good Try

Time passed and it was already mid-March. The league schedule was busy, but Manchester United was also participating in many other cup competitions, so their schedule was even busier.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Hongmin hyung.’

Today is the day we have a match against Tottenham.

It wasn’t a league fixture, it was the FA Cup.

Quarterfinals. Tournament.

They already have no confidence in losing, and this is a tournament with overtime? The Manchester United players will clearly experience today what it is like to not be able to lose even if they want to… .

And actually, I like this setup.

Since I will be participating in the World Cup soon, it would be good if I got used to the tournament in advance, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Besides, this season Manchester United have been destroying both strong and weak teams equally, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

‘Actually, before I enlisted, I thought I would show my true colors whenever I got the chance.’

After I joined the team and the players started to adjust to me, most of them showed a more mature side.

Above all, our team gained great psychological stability from not being put in a rushed or rushed situation.

Because of that, there aren’t many unexpected plays, and since we only do things in a stable manner, I wonder if the virtuous cycle will continue to turn…

[It was the opponent we most wanted to meet, but what can we do? Since we are going to meet them anyway, we have prepared a strategy tailored to Manchester United for this match. Giovanni will definitely be nervous as well.]

The one who boldly threw his hat into the ring was Tottenham’s Pohang University of Science and Technology coach. He was as big as a bear and looked more like a fisherman than a coach.

I was absorbed in the interview.

“It’s a customized strategy….”

The more you are conscious of me, the more you will sink into the swamp. A representative example is Manager Arteta.

Besides that, many other directors have challenged me and then failed.

I don’t think it would be any different from POSTECH.

Kim Shin-ah also sent a KakaoTalk message confirming the interview.

[Kim Shin-ah: Hahaha]

[Kim Shin-ah: My lord, you haven’t been hit yet]

[Kim Min-woo: lol]

I burst out laughing. He has a talent for making people laugh sometimes.

[Kim Shin-ah: But what does it really mean to lose? I’m asking because I really don’t know. You haven’t lost a single game since you started playing, right?]

[Kim Min-woo: We have to score a goal to win]

[Kim Shin-ah: Hahaha I’m not even nervous anymore~]

[Kim Shin-ah: I wish the chicken house would make me a little more nervous…]

[Kim Min-woo: If someone saw you, they would think you were playing a game]

[Kim Shin-a: I think most other Manchester United fans think the same way?]

Since then, Shin-A has been cursing Tottenham, saying things like, “I’m afraid they’re a London-based team, so I’m going to try to get along with Arsenal and go down the path to ruin,” and “All the teams that try something new, like trying to break through Kim Min-woo, are going down the path to destruction.”

I don’t know if this is a criticism of Tottenham or an expectation of me… but please write.

[Kim Min-woo: More than that, how is college life? Is it worth it?]

March 26. The World Cup is only 3 months away, but Kim Shin-ah has now left high school and become an adult.

Actually, I still can’t quite believe it. Kim Shin-ah is no longer a punk. She’s now a proper college student. It’s ridiculous…

[Kim Shin-ah: Just something… so-so…?]

[Kim Min-woo: So-so?]

That’s an ambiguous answer.

[Kim Shin-ah: It’s okay, except for the students who return to school looking like magpies]

[Kim Min-woo: tsk tsk]

Shin-ah went to college according to her grades.

I debated whether to go to medical school or not, but I ended up giving up on medical school (I didn’t like it because I thought I would just be studying), and surprisingly, I ended up going to Seoul National University’s business administration department.

When asked why she chose Seoul National University’s Department of Business Administration, Shin-ah said—

[Everyone is crazy about Seoul National University, right? Also, I personally want to start my own company later! I’ll make as much money as Minwoo Ham!]

To the question of what the connection between starting a company and going to business school is―

[Hey, Elon Musk also graduated from business school!]

Well. It’s a world where Kim Shin-ah starts a business and becomes the CEO. I bet that company won’t last more than a year and go out of business…

Well, it could work out.

Since I’ve already brought up the topic, I decided to bring it up again.

[Kim Min-woo: When you go to college, you go around saying that your real older brother is Kim Min-woo?]

[Kim Shin-ah: ?? No?]

[Kim Min-woo: Oh. Why? That’s unexpected? I thought you’d brag to your neighbors with your personality.]

[Kim Shin-ah: ?????]

[Kim Shin-ah: What do you see me as?]

[Kim Min-woo: Whenever you do something, you send me a KakaoTalk message]

[Kim Shin-ah: That’s because it’s you -_-]

[Kim Min-woo: ?]

[Kim Shin-ah: My goal is to live a quiet college life. Plus, Seoul is hard because there are too many people…]

Kim Shin-ah grumbles that Seoul is crowded wherever she goes.

I relieved my tension about the upcoming game by chatting with my younger sister for the first time in a long while.

Strangely, when I meet Son Heung-min or Hwang Hee-cheon as my opponents, I feel a little more nervous than usual. I think it might be because I have been watching them since before I started playing soccer.

* * *

The inside of Tottenham Stadium looked solemn. It seemed to be due to the POSTECH coach’s pre-match remarks.

I found out later that Director Giovanni also gave a short but significant message to POSTECH in a later interview, saying, “I wish you good luck.”

Good luck. Good luck… .

He’s not even a villain from Taken, right?

Before the game started, we came in early and did a short warm-up, but the Tottenham fans who had come in early were very hostile to me.

“Hey Kim! Why don’t you move to Tottenham? Your captain is here too!”

I continued to stretch without paying attention. While doing so, I muttered to myself, ‘Can I afford the transfer fee? What about the weekly salary?’

“Kim! If you know morality, give the first goal to Son!”

Fuck you.

next.

“If you can’t move to Tottenham, then get out of here to Real Madrid or Barcelona! Right now!”

I’ll think about it. Next!

“Hey you piece of shit!”

… … ? What is that random swear word?

When I turned around in shock, the audience member was startled and swung his sword at me.

“Oh! He saw me! Kim saw me!”

I shook my head and focused on warming up again. And then time passed and it was just before the game started.

“Hey Minwoo. I’m going to score a goal for you this time, so accept it sweetly.”

Son Heung-min’s confident declaration.

I smiled and nodded.

“I’ll be waiting, brother.”

Yeah. Someone like Son Heung-min would be worthy of taking my first goal.

Of course, I said I could take it, I didn’t say I would give it to you.

.

.

Even during a match, I tend not to let my guard down.

I was especially more alert today.

Tottenham said they had prepared a custom strategy or something, so just in case.

however.

‘… I don’t know?’

Contrary to POSTECH’s declaration that it would not be an ordinary game, the game was proceeding normally.

Was it fake?

In the flow that was almost identical to the last game, a trajectory was suddenly created in the distance.

A long range shot aimed at our goal.

“What is this?”

Tottenham were stuck in their own half and we were pressing them hard as usual.

That’s why Manchester United was pushing forward so strongly, and Tottenham seemed to be targeting that.

“Hyung Hongmin. This kind of thing doesn’t work on me.”

I ran to the goal, muttering to myself.

He was away from the goal a lot for the build-up, but Son Heung-min must have seen this as a goal chance.

Yeah, that’s impossible.

I ran in a hurry and managed to catch the ball as it bounced, thus preventing the attempt from happening.

Tottenham’s ambitious and entertaining burglary ultimately ended in failure.

‘I can do this too.’

Should we try?

Looking far away at the opposing camp, the opposing goalkeeper was guarding the goal. In this case, the attempt was meaningless.

They say it’s a sure bet, but looking at the current flow, it looks like today’s game will be easy.

“Show! Come get the ball!”

I decided to leisurely pass the ball to my teammate and watch the situation unfold again… … .

* * *

The Tottenham players had a hard time understanding the manager’s instructions, but they initially accepted them.

The director’s words were poignant.

And the players all agreed.

“You know that you can never break through Kim with ordinary methods. In the end, we have to do something that no one has ever done before. It has been proven dozens of times that Kim cannot be broken through with what is already out there.”

What the POSTECH coach showed was a scene of Mbappe at the Paris Olympics.

How Mbappe got through to Kim back then.

The scene where Kim, who showed a force that was more than solid, was penetrated by Mbappe and scored a goal was shocking to the players.

“This was later ruled offside and disallowed as a goal, but the difference was so small that it was effectively Kim’s first goal.”

POSTECH gave very detailed and specific guidance on how Tottenham should attack in that match.

The players had a hard time believing it at first, but after listening to the coach’s detailed explanations, they changed their minds and eventually agreed to do it.

Instead of taking a normal shot, I decided to prioritize dribbling through the ball.

Then the game got underway and Tottenham finally had a chance to attack.

Timo Werner, who came out on the wing, had that thought for a moment after receiving a pass from Son Heung-min.

‘You can’t get through Kim with a normal shot. Then what about a shot that takes advantage of your opponent?’

The thought that flashed through my mind was as follows:

Will Kim be able to react and stop his teammates’ shots as well as Tottenham’s?

I don’t know. So I decided to give it a try.

Timo Werner entered the left box and floated a low cross to the opposing centre-back.

Raphael Varane, who received the cross, stretched out his leg to clear it, but he did so too ambiguously.

He didn’t kick the ball out of the goal, he kicked it into the goal.

‘it’s okay!’

Intuitively, Werner was convinced that it would be an own goal.

And Kim even reacted to his colleague’s mistake. He stretched out and blocked it.

“Fucking shit!”

It was close. It was a close call. If it had been 0.5 seconds later, Kim would have scored his first goal. And it was from a defender on the same team.

Kim must have been dizzy, because as soon as he stopped it, he got extremely angry at Baran.

My throat is parched with regret, but what can I do? With that kind of reaction speed, I guess I haven’t scored a goal so far.

‘Let’s do as the director wishes.’

Werner had just decided to faithfully follow the orders of Postech with that one attempt. As he had felt before, no matter what he did to the goalpost where that guy was, it was not right.

So, I have no choice but to do something reckless.

“Timo. Nice try.”

Son Heung-min came and praised him.

That angle just now was, beyond a good attempt, the best attempt possible. There weren’t any Tottenham players around.

Time passes again and the dizzying battle continues.

In general, it seemed like Manchester United was attacking Tottenham, and Tottenham was defending against it.

There was no choice.

The opponent wins the game if they score just one goal, and we are almost at the point of giving up if we concede just one goal.

That’s how scary his clean sheet record is since his debut. It was only natural that the entire league was trembling with fear of Kim.

After this, Tottenham had another chance to attack.

It was a precious chance. Tottenham didn’t have many attacking opportunities today.

Deployment on the right flank.

He quickly penetrated the box with two quick passes.

Even Manchester United didn’t have many defenders as they continued to attack.

Timo Werner quickly turned his head to look around, and the Manchester United players behind him were running around.

‘You little punks, you don’t seem to be running hard because Kim is blocking you anyway.’

It’s annoying.

No, to be honest.

I’m so jealous!

We should have had a goalkeeper like that on our team… .

Whatever the circumstances, things happened quickly.

Kulushevski entered the box and passed a ground ball between Maguire’s legs.

Son Heung-min, who was positioned as the lone striker for this match, took a shot as soon as he received the pass.

Baran lies down, but the ball slips out between his legs―

‘no!’

It was fake!

It was such an elaborate fake that even he, who was standing a little distance away, was fooled!

Son Heung-min beat Varane, who was lying on the ground, and fired further towards the goal.

The distance from the goalkeeper is only four steps!

‘Oh my god! No way!’

Is this the scene that the POSTECH director was emphasizing so much coming out!?

Kim and Son were very close.

But even in that situation, Kim is a monster who is more than capable of stopping it.

Timo Werner paused for a moment to think and hurriedly ran to increase his captain’s options.

A fierce psychological battle. The Manchester United players were running towards them but were so far away that they were practically just watching, and the captain made a decision!

‘!’

It was a no-look back pass.

He knew where Timo Werner was and gave a back pass, thinking he would be there by now.

As soon as Werner received the pass, he fired a shot towards the corner of the goal, far from Kim. He knew it was too far, but he couldn’t block it, so he shot as far away as possible.

‘This is real!’

Werner’s shot raced towards the far corner of the goal, and just when it seemed as if the goal was really going in.

Kim flew over and blocked Werner’s shot with his left hand. It was a close call, but Werner screamed as soon as he saw it.

“What the fuck! What the heck! Aaaah!”

Extremely angry.

It only took half a second for the elation of scoring Kim’s first goal to turn to despair.