Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 62



Only Krnovel

The players were in an uproar at the sudden news. I get it. That’s usually the reaction you get when you change a well-maintained captain’s team.

But I had to go ahead.

Because there’s nothing funnier than a claim that’s ‘sub’.

So I had to do it now.

Before the real competition for the starting position begins. If we do that, the atmosphere will become very tense.

“The new captain is Henrik Fischer. The vice-captains are Phil Neumann and Daniel Becker.”

It was a new balanced lineup. One in midfield. One in defense. One in attack.

But of course, the players raised their hands.

“Coach? Why are you suddenly replacing the captain?”

It was Daniel Becker.

Jan Lytle nodded and began to explain.

“The current leadership is doing its job well, but when looking at the bigger picture, I believe now is the right time to replace them.”

So, please explain the reason, Director.

Daniel Becker glares at him.

“Our goal is promotion to the first division. And our next goal is to remain in the first division. As you all know, there are cases where a team is promoted to the first division and then returns to the second division that same year. In fact, it is more common.”

Everyone seemed to understand this far. Jan continued.

“Chiller is a great captain, but we needed a new captain who is a little more calm and can read the game calmly. And that’s Henrik Fischer.”

Henrik Fischer, who was chosen, looked completely uncomprehending even after hearing the reason. However, Jan felt that Henrik Fischer was a player who fit in well with anyone and who would be able to play his role better if he wore the armband.

“As a coach, I think Hannover needs to be able to achieve promotion to the first division and still remain there. To do that, we need to have a stronger team spirit than we have now.”

Jan said this and that.

This was a long-term plan, it was for the unity and teamwork of the team, it was a strategic decision after promotion to the first division, it was a move to bring in a new captain to motivate and energize the team, and it was hoped that a new captain would bring in a fresh perspective and lead to new ideas, and although this decision might meet with resistance from both the current captains and the team and might break the unity as a result, it was a macroscopic judgment made for the team despite that, Jan Lytle talked about it for almost an hour.

Some players who were not particularly interested in this decision even yawned, but Yann Lytle paid no attention and tried to convince everyone.

In fact, this hour-long speech was all just a fit of logic. Those with a keen mind could have refuted it, and even refuted it.

But no one showed up to raise their hand and boldly vote against their opinion.

Because it was too sudden a declaration to judge whether this decision was right or not.

Jan scanned the players and stopped at Kim’s face. Kim had her mouth closed, but the corners of her mouth were twitching. It was an expression of a forced smile.

‘···No way. Do you understand what I mean?’

As a young player with no professional experience, this decision may seem difficult to understand, but Kim seemed to know that it would work out very well for him.

“···I apologize to the existing claim group. I should have told you in advance, but I didn’t.”

The atmosphere was not good, perhaps because of the unilateral announcement that took nearly an hour. It can’t be good to change the captain without even asking the players’ opinions.

I expected this to happen, there would be a transition period, and in the end, the decision was yours and you had to take responsibility for it.

Jan changed the subject with a clap of his hands. The atmosphere was so tense at the moment.

“Any questions?”

No. Jan nodded.

“If there are no questions, we will end today’s group meeting here. The newly selected group of leaders will stay for a moment.”

*

And the news of the reorganization of the captaincy was relayed to the outside world. As with Jan, it was a unilateral announcement from the club.

There was news that the existing captaincy would be replaced and a new captaincy would be formed with Henrik Fischer as the captain.

Naturally, local journalists in Hanover were looking for stories, and they were always hungry.

For those people, the ‘sudden’ change of leadership was an interesting subject. A subject that caught people’s attention.

Soon after, a press conference was held on the basement level of the club’s stadium, which became a party venue for local reporters.

“Why did you make such a sudden change?”

“We decided that the team needed some new energy. Our goal is promotion, and furthermore, staying in the league. Changing the captaincy was a matter of timing, but it was absolutely necessary.”

“There are a lot of stories among fans comparing Chiller to Kim. Could this be related?”

“It has nothing to do with that. The replacement of the main group has been something I have been thinking about for a long time. Please refrain from speculation.”

“Why Fisher? There were many other players who could have been captain.”

“···Fisher is not a serious player like Chiller, but I expect informal and friendly leadership from Fisher.”

Local reporters pounced on Jan Lytle like piranhas.

In fact, Jan Rytl and the Hanover journalists were not on very good terms.

The manager, who had the full support of the club, did not perform well last season, and the reporters wrote articles based on that to the point that they wanted to see them.

Stagnant, rigid, discordant, degenerate, incompetent.

These are the keywords that reporters gave to Yann Lytle last season. You could call it a so-called “new manager’s bread.” If you expect something from a new manager and the results are below expectations, you need to get beaten up a bit to come to your senses.

Lately, the performance has been improving, so reporters have been restraining themselves, but how can hyenas resist when there is a lot of raw meat in front of them?

Provocative articles, especially those about discord within the team, were a great source of interest for people all over the world, especially the football-crazy Germans.

“Coach, Kim hasn’t conceded a goal since his debut in Hannover. Chiller conceded two goals in the last game, which had a huge impact on the defeat. Will Kim be starting in the next game?”

“The goalkeeper is not solely responsible for the goal. The starting lineup for the next round is being discussed with the coaches, and nothing has been decided.”

“But the data proves it. Even though Kim has played in very few games, the data is better than Chiller’s. Hannover fans are questioning the manager’s careful use of the player.”

Jan Lytle sighed as he took the microphone to answer that question.

“Are you trying to fight me?”

“What did you say, Director?”

“Player recruitment is a matter that is strictly decided by the coach. Therefore, the coach is responsible for the performance, and the coach is also responsible for stepping down from his position because of it. Today, I will only take questions about the captains.”

It’s a rink of ice. It’s a rink of ice.

Fisher, who had been dragged along to the press conference, glanced around.

He was now being treated as if he was invisible. The reporters were only asking difficult questions as if their goal was to excite the director.

“I’ll ask Fisher a question.”

Oh. Is this finally my turn?

Fisher looked at the reporter with a slightly nervous expression.

“You have a new claim, but in your opinion, between Chiller and Kim, who should be the goalkeeper for Hannover?”

“You’re both Hannover goalkeepers. And if you ask me that question again, you’ll be banned from here for life.”

Before Fisher could even pick up the microphone, the coach answered. Fisher rolled his eyes in the middle. I’ve been a player for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a bloody press conference.

“Oh, I see. I was rude.”

Fortunately, the reporter steps down obediently, but judging by the reporter’s expression, his true intentions seem to be different.

Since then, even reporters have been exercising restraint.

More refined, now somewhat normal questions are being asked.

Even though I was just watching from the side, I felt like my breathing was suffocating.

“Lastly, could you please state your ambitions as a new leader?”

Fisher answered the question tactfully. He said that as the new captain of the team, he would try to unite and lead the players well.

Of course, I don’t know if I have that much charisma. I don’t know if the players will follow me.

‘No matter how much I think about it, Chiller is more of a leader than I am···.’

That’s how the press conference ended.

***

A few days have passed since the new leadership was reorganized. Not long after the change, the atmosphere was chaotic.

There was talk in the Hannover community that Chiller had been given a disciplinary hearing for his disappointing performance in the Paderborn match.

How do you know? I didn’t really want to know, but Sophie told me…

‘The atmosphere has definitely changed.’

Jan Lytle’s decision was a brilliant one.

Perhaps, if I’m thinking correctly, I like Jan Lytle more than Chiller, but Chiller is the captain and has been dedicated to the team, so it was burdensome to suddenly change the starter.

So, it seemed like they were not changing things right away, but rather slowly, step by step, like buttoning up a button.

Even if the director’s intentions were right and his thoughts ultimately turned out to be the right decision, in the end, the professional world is also a place where people live.

Wherever people live, emotions are bound to enter, and even if a rationally correct decision is made, if it greatly affects emotions, it is bound to backfire.

Ian Wright seems to have taken the slow, yet long-winded approach out of fear of the backlash.

‘If it was Yoo Jin-ho, he would have just pushed through without doing anything like that. That guy is a bulldozer.’

Hehe.

It’s funny to imagine.

If Yoo Jin-ho had been the director here, it would have been fun, even if his skills were secondary.

Every time the players made a strange play, you would scream and throw your soccer shoes at their faces… right?

Yeah. Eugene Ho isn’t that much of a psychopath.

On this issue, I would probably have taken the opposite approach that Jan Lytle took, which might have worked in a high school football team where the coach has a lot of authority, but it probably wouldn’t have worked here.

The atmosphere was so bad that it must have affected the team’s performance.

And even though they took a cautious approach, the team atmosphere was on thin ice.

However, I was trained silently.

As we are both goalkeepers, we are training together with Chiller, but to be honest, the atmosphere is really uncomfortable.

Although Chiller had just returned from injury, he seemed to have figured out the coach’s intentions and was training hard, almost like I was doing.

This is how a person can change when they feel their life is threatened. Is the answer to professional sports really endless competition?

‘Ah. I wonder what decision the director will make.’

Should I send you to the next round? It’ll be a bit burdensome to send you, but should I still do it?

Well, I was always prepared.

I’m always a player who improves from the last game. The power of Football Manager is that it’s certain that you’ll be a better person than you were yesterday.

And the starting lineup for the 16R home game has been announced.

Our opponent is Karlsruher SC.

Karlsruhe was currently tied with us in points. Same points. Different rankings. A showdown between 4th and 5th place.

It was essentially a six-point matchup, a battle of whether to go up or fall down right in front of their noses. It was a very important matchup for both Hannover and Karlsruher.

And with a pounding heart, I checked the paper with the starting lineup attached.

I’m so nervous about what this is.

A pounding sensation that feels like your heart is in your ear.

If I were to put myself in the starting lineup for this crucial game, it would be tantamount to making a confession to Jan Lytle.

Kim is more suited to be the starting goalkeeper than Chiller.

and······.

[Goalkeeper: Kim]

“Eww!”

Actually, I tried to pretend like I didn’t care even though I was on the list. But when I actually looked at it, I couldn’t do it. It was like an unconditional knee-jerk reflex.

If you hit your knee, it will pop out in reaction.

Something like an instinct that humans can never endure.

But soon I realized my mistake: there was a chiller there too.

‘Oops.’

I smiled awkwardly and ran away. If I stayed here any longer, I might get beaten to death by the chiller.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am

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