Chapter 56
***
Before the match between Union Berlin and FC Viktoria 1899 Berlin.
Honestly, I couldn't understand FC Viktoria 1899 Berlin's coach.
'...Why is he acting so cocky?'
After the FC Viktoria 1899 Berlin coach's provocation, I looked into their tactics, but nothing especially brilliant or remarkable stood out.
'This is just an ordinary fourth-division team.'
In fact, Viktoria Berlin's performance in the match currently being played was pretty poor. Especially their clumsy gegenpressing, which had been applied under the influence of me and Thomas Tuchel, was eye-searingly bad.
I lightly picked apart the weaknesses in their tactics. Well, it wasn't anything special, really. FC Viktoria 1899 Berlin's organization was no different from loose sand.
Judging from the fact that this wasn't their usual tactic, it was obvious the coach, not the manager, had taken full control.
Naturally, I wasn't in a good mood. I hadn't received any word from Viktoria Berlin.
That was disrespectful to the opposing coach in a preseason match.
'...At this rate, I can't assess the players' condition.'
Well... if the opponent had played a decent match, I might not have cared. But it was different when they played this badly.
In the first place, preseason was basically the final check of the squad before the season started.
It was valuable time to get the squad's chemistry right during preseason.
Some nobody had popped out and ruined that precious time.
I had no intention of just swallowing it and moving on.
I didn't know what that coach was thinking when he pulled that stunt, though.
“Hooooooo─!”
If you're going to run your mouth, it's time to pay the price.
***
The match was one-sided.
There was already a gap in class between the two teams, and once the coach clumsily tampered with the tactics, the game completely fell apart.
The opposing coach, who had been giving tactical instructions, looked half out of his mind. He didn't seem to understand how it had come to this.
Seeing that, I let out a sigh without meaning to.
'I acted cocky because I trusted Tuchel, but you were just being cocky.'
At the very least, I clearly distinguished between when I should act cocky and when I shouldn't.
Running your mouth before a match is a surprisingly risky move.
That's just how life works: if you talk big, you have to deliver results.
If you lose after talking trash, you'll get mocked to death by everyone. In other words, trash-talking in a preseason match gets you nothing and only carries risk.
Of course, I did once run my mouth against the Oseong Red Wings during preseason. But that was a team decision made to give Union Berlin's players experience against a pro team's starters.
In fact, that action of mine helped the team a great deal.
Union Berlin's players gained confidence from putting up a strong showing against professional players, and as a result, didn't they achieve the great feat of earning promotion to the second division?
'Besides, that was the Korean league...'
And back then, when I talked big, I had calculated things pretty carefully too.
Unfortunately, the average attendance in the Korean league at that time was 12,215. That was similar to Union Berlin's average attendance last season.
There was a difference between standing room and seats, but even in the third division, Union Berlin had crowd-pulling power on par with the Korean league in sheer numbers.
For reference, as could be seen when one section of the stand collapsed during Union Berlin's promotion to the second division, quite a few fans didn't visit the stadium because it was so old.
After all, the ground was too dangerous to bring young fans into.
With the stadium construction making the club's name known nationwide once again, the influx of new fans was growing rapidly, and at this rate, Union Berlin was expected to surpass an average attendance of 20,000 next season.
Union Berlin's home ground naturally expanded to 40,000 seats thanks to the rapidly growing influx of new fans. As I've mentioned several times, it was thanks to the kickbacks from GL Group and Park Jeong-a.
'Koreans' donations were turned into a 40,000-seat home ground. Be grateful, Germans.'
Considering the club's future, 40,000 seats was appropriate.
In fact, after Union Berlin reached the first division, it had become a stadium where fans couldn't get in because they couldn't secure tickets.
They even sold tickets by lottery on weekends to fans with memberships.
As of 2025, Union Berlin had 70,000 official fan members.
Well, that's not exactly huge compared to Bayern Munich's 400,000 or Dortmund's 200,000.
Unlike those traditional Bundesliga powers, Union Berlin was a club that had wandered through the lower divisions after German reunification and had grown its official membership to 70,000 after the 18/19 promotion.
That was an incredible growth rate.
There was also analysis that Union Berlin's growth came from drawing support from East German football fans, but the club's romantic story played a major role.
Anyway, while I was lost in thought because of the ordinary match,
the shot from Son Hongmin, who had been subbed on, shook Viktoria Berlin's net once again.
I ran toward Viktoria Berlin's bench once again.
***
[Union Berlin crushes the opposition with an overwhelming 7-0 rout.]
[Park Chanhyeok shows off a unique celebration.]
[‘Second-half substitute’ Son Hongmin blasts home his preseason debut goal.]
└ Nice lol
└ Thomas Meyer, that crazy bastard, actually passed it.
└ For real... I thought Thomas Meyer would shoot since it was a one-on-one with the keeper, but he passed it to Hongmin.
└ Thomas Meyer, open wide, here comes a Choco Pie lol
└ There are a lot of Union Berlin preseason articles. Did the reporters go all the way to Germany?
└ Son Hongmin got promoted to the first team this time. So they probably traveled for that.
[Park Chanhyeok on Son Hongmin: “Hongmin is the future of Korean football. Please keep an eye on him with warm support.”]
[Park Chanhyeok sidesteps a reporter's question about a regular-season start. “That is something Hongmin has to fight for himself. As Union Berlin's coach, I can't show excessive favoritism toward any one player.”]
***
Viktoria Berlin conveyed its apologies for the rudeness that day.
The coach who caused the trouble at Viktoria Berlin was fired.
Since he caused insubordination against the coach and got himself cut, it would probably be hard for him to find work in football-related jobs.
Well. Anyway.
Fortunately for Union Berlin, the second preseason match at least went ahead normally.
I was able to check the players' condition and combinations.
'There are definitely too many strikers.'
Union Berlin's attack was overcrowded.
It was because I couldn't resist a moment of greed when I heard the name Robert Lewandowski and picked him up.
Well... I had no regrets.
And there was another plan as well.
It was Thomas Meyer's position change.
'Thomas Meyer's energy level itself is definitely higher than the other players.'
Personally, I thought he'd be better off playing as a midfielder rather than a wing forward.
Thomas Meyer was a high-work-rate player. Last season, he proved his stamina by covering for Daniel Teixeira's lack of work rate. He was a monster who could play the full ninety minutes in the latter half of the league season with only a slight sign of fatigue, even as the other players wilted and collapsed.
His passing sense was decent too, so I had high expectations if he switched to midfield.
And the awkward strengths he currently had as a wing forward would become major strengths if he changed to midfield.
'Speed, for one.'
Thomas Meyer's pace was fairly quick, but by wing-forward standards it was a little underwhelming.
That was why the wing-forward position was full of players whose strength was speed. Son Hongmin right now was also a player whose main asset was quick pace.
'No matter how I look at it, midfielder is the perfect fit.'
For reference, Modrić, who brought the Messi-Ronaldo era to an end, had once been a wing forward too. Modrić was reborn as a world-class midfielder through a position change at Tottenham.
Thomas Meyer showed similar qualities.
Of course, I'm not saying Thomas Meyer is Modrić level.
Anyway.
I immediately proposed the position change to Thomas Meyer.
He might have been hurt by the idea that he'd been pushed aside by youngsters, so I tried to persuade him as carefully as possible without hurting his feelings.
“If you go to midfield, you'll really make it big.”
In fact, the scout window also strongly backed Thomas Meyer's position change.
[Name: Thomas Meyer.]
Current ability: ★★★
Potential: ★★★★
Special note: If changed to midfielder -> ★★★★★
Perhaps because my sincerity got through to him.
“...Okay.”
Thomas Meyer accepted the position change without getting too upset.
***
Thomas Meyer played football in a way that matched his personality.
Honest, diligent football.
His parents were devout Catholics.
Influenced by his parents, Thomas Meyer had also been a devout Catholic since childhood.
Rather than get greedy in scoring situations, he often passed to a teammate in a better position.
For Thomas Meyer, that was the obvious choice.
Because it was the more 'right' choice for the team.
He lacked a bit of creativity as a striker, but he was diligent.
Even Thomas Meyer
was angry at Park Chanhyeok's suggestion to change positions.
He thought I was looking down on him.
On top of that, Thomas Meyer had fear in his heart. There were plenty of players who had failed at a position change and fallen into decline.
But Park Chanhyeok's eyes were full of certainty.
So he agreed. He decided to trust Park Chanhyeok.
The first training session in the midfield position was comfortable. It felt like wearing clothes that fit just right. It was still a little awkward, but the feeling was good.
'It's better than I thought. I can prepare for the position change slowly.'
But unfortunately, Park Chanhyeok was a man who went beyond common sense.
“...No, this isn't right.”
Park Chanhyeok had Thomas Meyer start as a defensive midfielder in the friendly against Bayern Munich.
***
The day before, we moved to Bavaria.
We had decided to play the preseason match at Bayern Munich's home ground.
The players' faces were clearly tense.
Union Berlin's players knew Thomas Tuchel's tactical ability better than anyone.
With Tuchel leading the giant that is Bayern Munich, there was no way they wouldn't be nervous.
'Not good.'
To ease the players' nerves, I stepped carefully in front of them and started speaking.
“Everyone, we didn't get promoted to the second division thanks to Thomas Tuchel, but rather despite Thomas Tuchel! We got promoted to the second division!”
It was a political move to criticize Thomas Tuchel, who had built a powerful dictatorship through overwhelming charisma, and to raise the players' morale.
But maybe because Tuchel's reign of terror had gone on too long.
The players who heard my speech all wore expressions of utter shock.
“...Chanhyeok. Look behind you, you idiot!”
Only then did I realize it. I was probably screwed.