All Football Talents Are Mine Chapter 25

025. Genius and the glory of winning the trophy (4)

Changing positions is a good strategy.

That is why the value of an all-rounder who can play in a variety of positions is high.

Just like the merits of a two-footed player.

For example, Manchester United has a famous player named John O’Shea who can play everything from goalkeeper to defender and midfielder.

He is called a tinkerer by fans, but they don’t know how much his versatile talent helps the team.

I thought he would play as a defender, but if he actually plays as a midfielder, it is bound to be confusing for the opponent.

However, it was unexpected that Hoyoung, who has a strong offensive tendency, would play as a defensive midfielder.

“… this.”

SC Corinthians coach Paulinho expressed his disapproval.

Knowing that Hoyoung would play as a striker, he developed a response strategy and trained hard accordingly.

“Huh.”

In fact, it was not completely incomprehensible that Hoyoung, who had outstanding defensive skills, was appointed as a defensive midfielder.

It happens occasionally that the front-line striker moves down to the third line.

Germany’s Michael Ballack, who is as good at scoring goals as a striker, sometimes plays as a defender depending on the coach’s tactics, while Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney once played as a defensive midfielder to serve as a link between offense and defense.

Nevertheless, Coach Paulinho felt like he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

‘…Caught off guard like this? It’s an old man, really.’

Now that things were like this, there was no choice but to hand over the leadership to Sao Paulo FC.

Beep!

When the game started, Corinthians took the lead and turned the ball back.

The two players in charge of the attacking midfielders in position 4321 slowly settled in and raised the line little by little.

Since it is a tactic without wingers, the attack development is monotonous, but if the linkage play is good and the players’ focus is fast, it has the advantage of being able to have an overwhelming game.

That was the driving force that allowed SC Corinthians to take first place in the league from the start.

But Sao Paulo FC was no slouch either.

The midfielders, including Hoyoung, fought fiercely.

As soon as the opposing team’s playmaker caught the ball, they rushed in two at a time to apply pressure.

The key is to induce the opponent to use the field narrowly.

There was a good chance of winning as long as the ball distribution to Pato was interrupted.

widely.

‘It’s rough.’

Corinthians’ attacking midfielder Didi, who caught the ball, looked backwards.

Due to the intense pressure to advance, space was not available.

‘If it comes out like this.’

Cough!

Didi passed the ball to the defender in the back.

Then the defender who received the ball floated it high to the center.

The idea was to solve the problem in the air since it was not possible on the ground.

The Corinthians players were quite tall, so there was little fear of losing air superiority.

Percussion!

The ball crossed the halfway line and fell at Didi’s feet.

At that moment, Sao Paulo FC’s players applied pressure.

“Tsk!”

There was a fierce collision, but it was Didi who won the fierce competition for the ball.

Diddy, who took the pressure off by dragging the ball back and forth, looked straight ahead.

I saw Fatu standing right in front of me.

“Come down and get it!”

Tuk.

Saying that, he passed the ball briefly and Pato came down and received the ball.

It was right after that.

“…!”

Pato turned slightly to the left, hit the ball long through a very clever gap, and ran.

Tremendous speed.

The space that had been closed like a highway on a holiday was opened up.

Fatu’s body was instantly ejected as if a rocket had been launched.

It was a situation where even if we knew, we couldn’t stop it.

“stick!”

Casemiro, who reacted late, ran with him, but only experienced humiliation.

A wide field opened up in front of Pato, who even separated Casemiro.

The only thing left behind was the goalkeeper, who was rushing out.

A beginner might have been embarrassed, but it was a very familiar situation to Fatu.

Scoring a goal from a one-on-one opportunity after a hit and run.

Because it was Fatu’s trademark.

Sigh.

Pato, who was running after the ball like a leopard, glared fiercely.

The goalkeeper’s legs were caught with an A-shaped spread.

‘center!’

Immediately, he briefly stepped inside.

Crash!

“yes!”

“Nice fatu!”

The first point was taken by SC Corinthians.

“….”

There was silence.

Pato’s first goal, which came less than five minutes into the first half, created a mourning atmosphere in Sao Paulo FC’s camp.

If it were normal, I wouldn’t have been this depressed.

Even though the first goal was lost, Sao Paulo FC’s children remained united and focused on the game.

But this goal had a different meaning.

It was an attack that I knew clearly, and even though I had done a lot of training to block this pattern, I ended up being attacked.

It was worth it to lose energy.

In particular, Hoyoung, who was the backbone of the team, could not help but feel a great sense of disappointment.

‘Can this really be prevented…?’

I had doubts.

I wonder if the special training I’ve done over the past week to improve my abilities and sweat hard is really effective.

“… after.”

‘are you okay. All you have to do is score a goal and don’t score in the future.’

I struggled to come to my senses.

I was impatient with the fact that I was being led and the pressure of having to win, but I had to endure it.

Thanks to training to stick to his body, he was able to distribute the ball smoothly in the midfield and gain possession.

If it weren’t for that, they would have lost in the 2nd-3rd line and allowed an additional goal.

30 minutes in the first half.

“ha…!”

A sigh flowed from Hoyoung’s mouth.

I’ve never been this frustrated while playing a game before.

‘I can’t see any gaps.’

Offensive as well as offensive, Corinthians were also highly complete defensively.

Continuous pressure in the midfield and sharp blocking of the ball made Douglas’ quick legs useless, and fullbacks with excellent defensive skills dominated the space on the side.

So did Carlos’s tactics fail?

That wasn’t it again.

‘Our team’s defense is too poor for me to play as a striker.’

It’s not that I distrust my teammates, but that’s the truth.

Even if we look at it positively, Casemiro was not at the level to stop Pato.

If Hoyoung had stepped forward as a striker, it would have been a slugfest where the two would hit each other hard.

The so-called spear-to-spear battle.

However, the sharper and stronger side was definitely SC Corinthians.

‘I have no choice but to play the game by covering as much as I can.’

And it was best to take advantage of the opportunity with smooth ball distribution.

Hoyoung shouted.

“Casemiro! come! “Get your mind straight!”

Statistically, there are almost no comebacks in youth games.

This is because if you score the first goal, you become psychologically discouraged and your mentality is easily broken.

However, thanks to Hoyoung leading the team as a leader, his performance gradually improved.

There were a few dangerous situations, but they did not result in a goal being conceded.

It was fortunate.

Beep –

The first half ended 1-0.

Sao Paulo FC’s players, who played enthusiastically for 35 minutes in the first half, entered the locker room with sluggish steps.

There was tension on his face.

This is because the face of Coach Carlos, who is usually gentle but is famous for being strict when angry, came to mind.

It was obvious that I heard something from the locker room.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes…”

“Yes. “Everyone is doing well.”

But Carlos showed an unexpected reaction.

“Looking at the surprise, it seems like everyone is disappointed with their own performance. Is that so, Casemiro?”

“Yes…”

“Then it would be good to remember the game against Corinthians in July of this year.”

There was a time when we lost 5-0 in a league match against SC Corinthians in the middle of the season.

It was a nightmare I never want to remember again, as I lost my mind by giving up a hat-trick to Pato.

“But how was today? Our pass success rate and possession rate in midfield was rather high. “Although the offensive development did not go as planned, it means that we have maintained the initiative.”

It was also evidence that Hoyoung, who was in charge of distributing the ball, was doing his job.

Carlos was praising that.

The point is that he did not give up the initiative in the waist fight.

If Hoyoung had been used as a striker, 3 goals might have been scored.

That was a clear achievement.

“… But I couldn’t stop Fatu like I trained. “Even though I trained so hard.”

It was Casemiro’s lament that Pato’s final breakthrough was allowed.

Then Carlos asked again.

“Casemiro. Do you really think we were the only ones who trained hard? The opponents must have been training to lose their spirits. To lift the championship trophy for this game today. Why did someone say that before? ‘Only those who are prepared can win the championship trophy.’ No, you’re welcome. Everyone prepares. But victory can only be achieved by those who show everything they have prepared.”

Carlos’ voice was solemn.

“The only thing we don’t have is scoring goals. It would be a waste of all your preparation to dwell on just conceding goals. So enjoy it. Then I can show you everything.”

A voice full of confidence.

While Carlos was speaking passionately, he suddenly frowned.

Hoyoung was twitching his lips, wondering what was good.

“Woo Ho-young. “Do you think what I’m saying is funny?”

“no?”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“I’m trying to enjoy it. “Soccer.”

Hoyoung thought peacefully.

The pressure to win was still there, but it was slowly decreasing.

The same goes for impatience.

‘you can do it.’

right.