Chapter 3
Although we conceded the first goal, the tide of the match shifted entirely in our Favor once we scored the equalizer.
No matter how perfect their striker is, he becomes useless if the ball supply to him is cut off.
The 5-4-1 defensive formation we prepared ahead of time proved to be a great help in achieving that.
‘When using a 4-3-3 formation, it inevitably creates space between the wingers and fullbacks. If you try to cover that space, you lose the advantage of creating a numerical superiority in the centre, which allows for high pressing and ends up as a tactic that’s just about running a lot.’
Blocking the space weakens the essence of the tactic, but leaving it open allows the opponent’s attack to become too aggressive.
Most people wouldn’t be able to choose one easily, but I made a quick decision to commit players to defense.
The reason? It’s simple. It was the best choice given the situation.
I had travelled through many countries and met numerous coaches, some of whom were even called master tacticians.
Maybe because I’d spent time having in-depth conversations with them, I had some understanding of the struggles that coaches and managers face.
There is no such thing as a perfect tactic for every situation; it’s a mere illusion. Coaches spend countless hours, night and day, trying to develop a system that can suppress their opponents.
– “Yoon-ho, did you know? Every tactic has its weaknesses. But if you can perfectly neutralize the strengths of the opponent’s tactic, those weaknesses can be hidden, and the strengths will stand out in that moment.”
– “Sacrificing the flesh to break the bones… is that what you mean?”
– “Oh?! That’s quite an interesting way of putting it. You’re absolutely right. It’s like equivalent exchange. I’ll give you this much, so you give me something of equal value. Got it?”
Sacrificing the flesh to break the bones—no phrase captured the essence of tactical battles better than that.
And it was true even now.
‘3-2-4-1, where the wingers pull the ball as much as possible to draw out the fullbacks, creating space to exploit the half-spaces or distribute the ball centrally.’
Their tactic was optimized for exploiting space? Then what happens if we drastically reduce that space?
From that point on, the 3-2-4-1 formation that they had confidently brought out became useless.
Of course, we had to make sacrifices too.
Deploying the unorthodox 5-4-1 meant giving up control to the opponent, and creating meaningful chances in counterattack situations required a lot of running.
But if we could block their attacking routes at the cost of stamina, it was a worthwhile trade.
“Run forward!”
Thud!
“Ah, damn it!”
“Hey, how could you miss that?!”
And it was the same now.
In another counterattack situation, as I rushed forward to intercept, I caught the momentary gap between the two centre-backs surrounding our striker.
Tap!
The through pass I immediately sent forward connected with our striker’s feet, and there was nothing more to see.
Thud! Smack!
“It’s in!”
“Ah, seriously! Can’t anyone join the defense properly?!”
The opponent’s goal shook once again. As their net rippled for the fourth time, the noise in the stadium gradually died down.
Even though time remained on the clock, anyone with sense would know it was impossible to overturn this game now.
But still. I thought I’d run quite a lot, yet I’m not feeling tired at all…
“I couldn’t really grasp it just by reading, but in reality, he’s physically more impressive than I thought.”
I don’t know if it’s a failure in balancing, but it made sense why Baek Ian attracted more attention than Yoon Seung-hwan during his youth days.
I even wondered if I could’ve had this level of physical ability at this age in my previous life.
When I thought that far, I began to understand why Baek Ian had such a lazy personality.
If it weren’t for that, with this monstrous talent, he would have stolen all the attention that would have gone to Yoon Seung-hwan.
Would the author, obsessed with strikers, have been able to stand watching a defensive midfielder getting all the cheers?
Of course not. If they had, they wouldn’t have gone so far as to put me in this body as some kind of drastic measure.
Spotlight belongs solely to strikers, or to attackers. That must have been the author’s belief.
“But what now? It looks like I’m going to steal that spotlight entirely.”
Having been forced into this situation, the author would have to pay the price, wouldn’t they?
Just as I let out a smirk, I noticed that the players were starting to head toward the bench one by one, and the coaches were signaling from the centre.
There was still time left on the clock, but since this was a practice match, they must have judged that there was no point in continuing after the gap widened.
Nodding, I headed towards the bench, when a voice came from behind me.
“You really played well today. You’re the one who changed the defensive formation, right? We couldn’t do anything out there.”
“Hm? Yoon Seung-hwan?”
Yoon Seung-hwan, with his tall frame and a bright smile, reached out his hand.
I didn’t expect him to approach me first.
I was a bit taken aback by his sudden gesture, but I took his hand anyway.
I didn’t have any particular intention behind it. I just didn’t want things to be awkward between us since we’d be seeing each other often from now on.
That’s all. But it seemed to mean something slightly different to Yoon Seung-hwan.
“What, what? You actually accepted the handshake? What’s going on with you?”
“You were the one who asked for a handshake. Why are you acting surprised?”
He extended his hand for a greeting first, but then he was shocked when I accepted it… What kind of guy is he, really?
Did I misunderstand and think he was extending his hand for a greeting?
As I was mulling it over, Yoon Seung-hwan scratched his head and finally spoke up, as if he had made up his mind to say what he had been holding in.
“Uh, no. I just didn’t expect you to accept the handshake. To be honest, it was also meant as a gesture of reconciliation.”
“Reconciliation? What are you talking about?”
Did Baek Ian and Yoon Seung-hwan have a fight or something? Of course, given the original storyline, it wouldn’t be surprising if they had been at each other’s throats.
But as far as I knew, there hadn’t been any direct interaction between the two.
They never actually fought.
It’s just that, as Yoon Seung-hwan’s form gradually improved, Baek Ian started to feel the limits of his own talent, grew anxious, and distanced himself before eventually making a reckless tackle on him. That was the extent of it.
Had the future I knew somehow changed?
While I was worrying about that, Yoon Seung-hwan, who seemed relieved, let go of my hand as if he had finally unburdened himself.
“I was wondering if I had done something wrong to you… After you signed the semi-pro contract, you stopped even acknowledging me, and every time we met, you’d frown. I thought I must have done something to upset you.”
“There’s nothing like that. It’s probably just that I’ve been in a bad mood lately. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Haha. Really? That’s a relief. I’ve always felt most comfortable playing against you since our youth days.”
With the tension seemingly lifted, Yoon Seung-hwan’s face brightened up, and a smile spread across his lips.
“Let’s keep doing well together. And while we’re at it, let’s dominate the first team like we did in the junior league.”
After saying that, Yoon Seung-hwan walked away, and I stood there, staring blankly at his back.
“Dominate, huh…”
Of course, that’s the plan. If we don’t, I’ll be the one who suffers.
‘And more than anything, I still have a score to settle with that author.’
Winning the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup. It’s a daunting task if I’m alone, but…
‘It’s different with that guy around.’
With a protagonist blessed by plot armour, a perfect striker at that, completing quests and dominating games wouldn’t be difficult at all.
“Whew, it’s hot. I should head back too.”
I let out a half-hearted laugh, headed back to the bench, and sat down on the grass.
All players must receive feedback from the coach after a match, but priority is given to the team that lost.
Which means my turn would come much later, so for now, I could take a relaxed break.
What should I do while I rest? I barely had time to think before—
Bzzz.
The vibration of the phone next to me spread through my skin. At the same time, my eyes focused on the name displayed on the screen.
[Shin Ah-yoon]: I’ll be waiting at our usual spot again today. I know training must be tiring, but I really hope you can come today… There’s something I really want to tell you. I’ll wait until you come… If you can’t make it, please let me know in advance.
‘Shin Ah-yoon.’
The message, filled with a sense of despair, caught my eye, but my attention was more on the sender.
Shin Ah-yoon.
It’s a very familiar name. It’s not because she was someone I knew in my previous life or anything like that.
The reason I know her name is… because she’s one of the heroines in this novel.
‘She’s not the main heroine of “The Striker Who Scores Too Well,” but she had many scenes with Yoon Seung-hwan due to her role as a trainee physical performance coach, making her a prominent supporting heroine. She was also my favourite.’
I had just received a message from a character I’d considered my favourite in the novel.
And the message was filled with a thick aura of desperation.
But that wasn’t what startled me.
It was because I suddenly remembered something I had completely forgotten.
‘Right. Baek Ian and Shin Ah-yoon were childhood friends!’
I was now closer to my favourite heroine than anyone else in this world.
And there was an even more important detail.
‘Today’s date is February 17th… This is the day when Shin Ah-yoon, hurt by Baek Ian’s harsh words, ends up being comforted by Yoon Seung-hwan and starts to develop feelings for him.’
It’s the day when I can address the last of Baek Ian’s two major mistakes.
That day is today.
Once that realization hit, my hands moved on their own.
[Baek Ian]: You mean the park next to Honam Jeilmun, right? I’ll be there by 9 PM. See you then.
[Shin Ah-yoon]: Oh? Okay! I’ll be waiting! Take your time and be careful on your way!
—
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