Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae - Chapter 210



210 – Talented

210

In Jo Jae-shin’s opinion, Joo Jitae’s only advantage as a human was his face. If he had to add one more, it would be that he was slightly taller than him, by about 5 cm.

Aside from his half-decent face and slightly taller height, it was hard to find any other advantages as a human. But as a player, Joo Jitae was completely different. He was a player who was considered a genius, someone who stood out from the rest.

In the eyes of Jo Jae-shin, who was confident in his own abilities, Joo Jitae was an extraordinary talent. As a human, Joo Jitae lacked advantages, but as a player, he lacked disadvantages. He was a player with only advantages, a true master of his craft.

However, Jo Jae-shin didn’t highly evaluate Joo Jitae just because of his exceptional talent. If it were just talent, he would have been impressed, but he wouldn’t have acknowledged him to this extent.

What made Jo Jae-shin acknowledge Joo Jitae was his relentless desire to improve, despite having such exceptional talent.

Throughout football history, there have been many players who relied solely on their innate talent and became complacent.

But Joo Jitae was not one of them. Even now, as he stood at the top of the world, he still worked tirelessly in training, attended individual training sessions after regular training, and managed his body during the off-season.

And he analyzed his opponents more passionately than anyone else, approaching each game with meticulous care.

This game was no exception.

The World Cup final stage.

Joo Jitae’s efforts to perfectly analyze Uruguay, especially his priority target, Fernando Alvarez, were— but at this moment, they backfired.

* * *

The game started with Uruguay’s kickoff.

Due to the pressure of being on the World Cup final stage, Uruguay showed a very relaxed attitude from the beginning.

The ball was passed from the goalkeeper to the defender, from the defender to the midfielder, and then back to the defender, before being returned to the goalkeeper.

By not applying too much pressure and matching the pace of the Korean team, Uruguay was able to maintain one-sided ball control for three minutes after the game started.

Some spectators even booed, finding the situation boring, but Joo Jitae thought Uruguay’s strategy was quite good.

On the World Cup final stage, even the bravest players would feel nervous and tense.

The best way to loosen up a player’s stiff body on such a stage was to have them touch the ball as much as possible.

As players who had spent their lives kicking the ball, their bodies would naturally relax as they touched the ball, following their muscle memory.

That’s why coaches often instruct their players to get as many touches as possible during important games. It’s a way to naturally loosen up their stiff bodies.

Of course, this was only true from the perspective of the team with the advantage. From the opposing team’s perspective, they couldn’t just let their opponents relax and get comfortable.

After observing Uruguay’s movements for about three minutes, Joo Jitae realized that they were showing the same pattern they had displayed throughout the World Cup. There was no need to observe further.

“Apply pressure!!”

As Joo Jitae shouted, the Korean players, who had been firmly defending their respective zones, simultaneously charged into Uruguay’s territory.

The Korean team’s pressure had begun.

This team was the one that showcased the strongest forward pressure in this World Cup, the most organized, the most intense, and the most successful.

Are Korean players that exceptional?

Of course, it’s a fact that Korean players’ abilities are objectively outstanding. They have many exceptional, world-class players.

However, are their average abilities superior to those of top contender teams? That’s not the case. In fact, their average ability is even lower than that of the top contenders. The Korean national team is, after all, a young team with a low average age.

It’s not like the Korean national team gathered all their players and went through months of intense training to build their teamwork like they did during the 2002 World Cup.

From the start, it’s difficult for national teams to match the level of teamwork seen in club teams, which is why they often struggle with teamwork compared to professional games.

So, how did Korea manage to develop such powerful, solid, and successful pressure abilities?

It’s simple. Just raise the pressure line to the maximum and throw in as many players as possible.

Although pressure tactics are physically demanding, the high pressure line reduces the distance each player needs to cover, which means the absolute amount of physical exhaustion decreases. Moreover, if you increase the number of players participating in the forward press, each player’s range of responsibility narrows, naturally reducing their physical exhaustion.

Individual physical exhaustion decreases, but the tightness of the pressure increases, creating a virtuous cycle.

This tactic may seem to have only advantages, but there are reasons why other teams don’t follow suit.

Then, who’s going to defend?

The vast, empty space behind?

Korea overcame this solely with Joo Ji-tae.

In other words, Joo Ji-tae’s form determines whether the advantages of this tactic are maximized or its disadvantages are highlighted, making it a risky strategy.

At first, many experts evaluated this tactic, which relies heavily on one player’s form, as too risky, but what were the results?

Joo Ji-tae maintained his high-level play throughout the World Cup, leading Korea to the finals, and naturally, Korea’s trust in Joo Ji-tae was solidified. This time, in the final match, they employed the same tactic, relying on Joo Ji-tae to raise the pressure line and have all players strongly press forward.

“Left! Go to number 5!”

“Cover him!”

“Sleek, go that way! Block their path!”

As Korea’s unlimited forward pressure was applied, Uruguay’s line naturally felt the pressure and collapsed. This time, the ball was circulating in the back, taking a different path.

Joo Ji-tae’s gaze, which had been giving directions from the center circle, turned to Fernando Alvarez, who was hovering around the center circle.

“He’s shifting his weight backward. His posture is like that too. He’s preparing to sprint backward. Is he going to participate in the midfield battle again and play a key role?”

In this World Cup, Fernando Alvarez had been focusing on decoy plays rather than his unique goal-scoring ability, using the attention on him to create opportunities for other players. It was an unexpected transformation, showcasing his playmaking abilities.

To Joo Ji-tae, it seemed like Alvarez was trying to hide his biggest strength, but… anyway, the results had proven it.

The results had been demonstrated, so they had to be respected.

“The most important thing to watch out for is— this way!”

Uruguay’s dual striker, Carlos Ferrone.

Although he was small in stature, he boasted incredible speed and agility, making him a speedster with excellent dribbling skills. However, his biggest strength was his ability to break through lines.

This striker, known as a “poacher” type, had lost his place in modern football but had risen to prominence in this World Cup, scoring five goals.

When Fernando Alvarez, who had participated in the midfield battle, passed the ball, Carlos Ferrone, who had been waiting for an opportunity, would infiltrate and score—a simple formula.

The formula that had brought Uruguay to the finals was likely to be employed again—Joo Ji-tae thought, but his body suddenly froze.

“What’s going on?”

The opposite of what was expected was happening.

Carlos Ferrone, who was expected to infiltrate, quickly joined the midfield with his unique movement, and a precise pass was connected to him, as if waiting for him.

And just before Carlos Ferrone received the pass, a long pass went up to Fernando Alvarez, who had started sprinting toward the Korean goal.

Joo Ji-tae was slightly surprised by the unexpected situation, but that was all.

It was no big deal for Joo Ji-tae. He was used to dealing with such situations while defending alone.

Many opponents had targeted the space behind, thinking that Joo Ji-tae was defending alone.

And that was several reasons why it failed.

When a long pass was sent to the vast open space, was there a player who could receive it first?

Among active soccer players, Joo Ji-tae was known for his incredible speed, and to win a speed competition against him… or at least to be on par with him, one had to secure ball possession first and outrun him. Even if one managed to secure the ball, the question remained whether they could break through Joo Ji-tae’s defense.

What if they brought in two or more players?

Then, South Korea would immediately score, as they would apply intense pressure upfront.

South Korea had a striker who could easily break through defenses with their technique and near-perfect shooting, rewriting World Cup scoring history.

To withstand South Korea’s pressure, they would have to bring in at least one player for a counterattack, but if they did, they wouldn’t be able to break through Joo Ji-tae’s defense. On the other hand, if they brought in two or more players, they wouldn’t be able to withstand South Korea’s relentless pressure and would concede a goal.

Uruguay’s choice was Fernando Alvarez, who would be the one to break through this dilemma.

Although Uruguay’s two-top formation was leaning towards Carlos Perrone’s side, Joo Ji-tae, trusting his speed, stood close to the center and quickly caught up to Fernando Alvarez.

However, Fernando Alvarez was not a player who would back down from a speed competition.

Although Joo Ji-tae quickly caught up, he couldn’t secure ball possession first.

Before the South Korean players could regain their positions and the Uruguayan players could launch a counterattack, Fernando Alvarez made his move in a brief moment.

With a series of quick touches, Fernando Alvarez approached Joo Ji-tae, causing his center of gravity to drop. Normally, the textbook defense in this situation would be to stall for time and wait for backup. But Joo Ji-tae was a player who enjoyed taking risks and making bold plays.

And Fernando Alvarez knew this fact better than anyone.

So,

“Of course, I’ll get in.”

Fernando Alvarez wouldn’t miss the moment when Joo Ji-tae would make his move.

“Now!”

As Joo Ji-tae stretched out his leg, Fernando Alvarez swiftly kicked the ball with the inside of his foot. The ball slightly rose, and Joo Ji-tae’s foot changed direction in response, but this was also anticipated.

No matter how fast Joo Ji-tae’s reaction was, it couldn’t be faster than Fernando Alvarez, who had already planned his move.

As the ball was about to rise, Fernando Alvarez’s body, which had moved in the opposite direction, blocked Joo Ji-tae’s path.

“Did I—”

Joo Ji-tae, who had already changed direction once, couldn’t catch up to Fernando Alvarez, who had successfully broken through him one-on-one in a decisive moment—

“Ah—!!”

Just as Joo Ji-tae was about to break through, his ankle tackle was blocked, and the play was stopped.

“Hey, referee!!! This is intentional! He did it on purpose!!”

“Hey, calm down. It wasn’t intentional. Referee, I’m sorry. It definitely wasn’t intentional.”

As the referee watched Fernando Alvarez appealing for a foul and Joo Ji-tae apologizing with a innocent expression, he deliberated for a moment and then pulled out a yellow card.

A yellow card. On the World Cup final stage, sending off the greatest superstar in soccer in just five minutes was too burdensome.

Joo Ji-tae muttered to himself.

“Damn it. With my experience, I’m going to get sent off? It’s all going wrong.”

Fernando Alvarez, who had achieved the feat of giving Joo Ji-tae his first yellow card in this World Cup, let out a cry of frustration.

“Why isn’t it a red card?!?!”

“You’re something else? You made me commit a foul too. Fine. I acknowledge it. You’re talented. But it doesn’t work on me.”

Fernando Alvarez.

Analysis complete.

At that remark, Fernandinho Alvarez, who was lamenting on the ground, stopped and said,

“That villain, he’s mentally attacking me again.”

Jae-shin Jo, who was watching from afar, just clicked his tongue.

It seemed like this time was really dangerous, judging from how far he was going.