Chapter 62
***
‘Got it...!’
The moment Robert Lewandowski’s opening goal went in, I clenched my fist. Then I turned to look at Leverkusen’s bench.
Leverkusen manager Michael Skibbe looked plainly flustered.
He seemed to have failed to keep his expression under control because of the unexpected situation.
Leverkusen must not have prepared for us very well in advance.
“Robert!!”
“Football God!!!”
All the fans were chanting the name of the scorer, Robert Lewandowski, but I gave Thomas Meier a thumbs-up.
“Thomas, well done!”
Nod.
Thomas Meier only gave a slight nod, not showing much reaction even to the manager’s praise.
Maybe it was because his name was Thomas, but Thomas Meier was actually a pretty easygoing guy.
Maybe Tuchel and Müller had such a strong impact.
Oh. For the record, Müller isn’t even someone we can try to sign.
Because he’s a Bayern Munich youth prospect who’ll retire having played only for Bayern Munich.
Müller really is a talent freak.
Anyway.
Thomas Meier’s contribution was the biggest reason we were dominating Leverkusen.
I wasn’t praising him for nothing.
Thomas Meier had successfully changed positions.
He was still a little lacking defensively, but his ability was improving rapidly.
Still, we were lucky.
In fact, today’s match was lucky for Union Berlin in more ways than one.
Because Arturo Vidal couldn’t play for Leverkusen due to injury.
If Vidal had played, the flow of the match might have been different.
Even if Vidal was still more of a prospect, Nachilbi was just as legendary as Kalnalbi.
'I want to bring him here. I want to use left Thomas, right Vidal.'
But even if I wanted to, he definitely wouldn’t want to come to our team.
If I were playing in the first division and suddenly got a transfer offer from a second-division club, I’d shred it.
Anyway, unlike the Union Berlin players whose tension eased after the opening goal,
the Leverkusen players’ expressions hardened.
It seemed to bruise their pride to concede against a team that had just been promoted to the second division.
“Get the defense line sorted first! There’s still plenty of time, so take it slow!”
Seeing those players’ expressions, manager Michael Skibbe came out to the touchline and tried to give active instructions...
'That won’t do.'
I didn’t just stand there and watch.
With Robert Lewandowski’s goal, we’d succeeded in taking control of the match.
We kept pressing hard so Leverkusen couldn’t reorganize their line.
Under Thomas Meier’s intense pressure, Leverkusen made another mistake.
The ball went through Union Berlin’s overlapping left back and found Lewandowski.
It was obvious that Lewandowski still didn’t fully understand the No. 10 role, but on the pitch he was still pulling his weight.
The reason I put Lewandowski in as an attacking midfielder was
'Clearly, he has talent for link-up play and playmaking too.'
Because Lewandowski had more than enough talent for the No. 10 role.
'Did Jürgen Klopp use him as an attacking midfielder for a year, too?'
I could definitely understand why Jürgen Klopp used Lewandowski as an attacking midfielder.
Well... Klopp probably didn’t use Lewandowski as a No. 10 for that reason alone.
Maybe it was because Dortmund had Lucas Barrios at striker, and Shinji Kagawa, who played in attacking midfield, got injured, so Lewandowski was put into that vacant spot.
Anyway.
The situations at Dortmund back then and at Union Berlin were similar, yet different.
Dortmund had a clear lone striker in Lucas Barrios, but Union Berlin didn’t have a clear lone striker.
Yannick Poit was better suited to the role of a second striker than a lone striker.
'Yannick’s off-the-ball movement is incredible.'
Putting Lewandowski in as an attacking midfielder also meant he could learn from Yannick Poit’s animalistic off-the-ball movement.
Anyway.
Lewandowski slipped a pass into Yannick Poit, who was making a run into the space behind.
Yannick Poit got in behind with fantastic off-the-ball movement, staying onside.
He checked the goalkeeper’s position, then calmly went for the shot.
Bang—.
And Yannick Poit’s shot skimmed past the goalkeeper’s fingertips.
Clang—!
It smashed against the goalpost.
“Argh!!!”
It was only natural that Yannick Poit and I both grabbed our heads in disappointment.
***
[Aaaah! Off the post! Yannick Poit’s shot hits the post and bounces away!]
[Ah! If that had gone in, Union Berlin could have wrapped this match up easily!]
The Koreans listening to the broadcast let out awkward laughs.
Because the commentary kept subtly implying that they wanted Union Berlin to win.
The emotions of the fans watching the Leverkusen and Union Berlin match were similar, so they just laughed it off.
And then, at that moment.
On the broadcast screen, Yannick Poit and Park Chan-hyeok were shown clutching their heads in the same pose.
[Snrk. Are they mirror images?]
The commentators couldn’t hold back their laughter and burst out laughing.
[Y-yes, that’s right. You can feel how much the players trust and rely on Manager Park Chan-hyeok.]
Fortunately for the commentators who had cracked up laughing, the match soon ended.
[As the goalkeeper clears the ball long, the first half comes to an end. The camera also caught Son Hong-min sitting on the bench. Whether Son Hong-min can get on the pitch in the second half will also be worth watching.]
[That’s right. Son Hong-min scored against Bayern Munich in the preseason, but in this DFB Pokal match he started on the bench.]
[Yes. Unlike preseason games, even official matches take time for players to adjust.]
***
Once halftime ended, the second half began.
What I did during halftime was nothing special.
I just motivated the players, pointed out the mistakes that needed pointing out, and praised the things they did well.
This season, Union Berlin’s tactics are simple.
A high press based on work rate, followed by counterattacks.
At present, most clubs built their game around a playmaker.
That was only natural, since it had only been a short time since the world’s greatest midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, retired.
People had seen for themselves just how much impact a single playmaker could have on a match.
'Zidane tearing Brazil apart by himself was shocking.'
Brazil did have some tactical problems, but it doesn’t change the fact that Zidane dismantled them single-handedly.
'And I mean Brazil—the title contender, not the Brazil that would later be ridiculed.'
By the way, what would it feel like to use a playmaker like Zidane?
I suddenly found myself wondering.
'I’d want to use a playmaker like that too if I had one.'
But Union Berlin didn’t have the money to buy a great playmaker like Zidane.
That’s the limit of a poor, small club.
There’s a reason poor teams sit deep and play long-ball football.
'Those managers probably want to try different tactics too...'
Well, Union Berlin was in a better position than other clubs, at least.
Because I existed.
'Yeah, we just raise them ourselves and use them.'
I’d just have to hope Leon from Union Berlin’s youth team would grow quickly.
***
Time flew during the Union Berlin–Leverkusen match.
Leverkusen went on the offensive aggressively as soon as the second half began.
The flow of the game was gradually shifting toward Leverkusen.
'Looks like it’s time for a substitution.'
Park Chan-hyeok, watching the flow of the game, immediately gave the order.
Fifteen minutes into the second half,
Son Hong-min started warming up on Union Berlin’s bench.
“Hong-min, don’t get nervous. If you get a chance to shoot, don’t hesitate and go for it.”
Son Hong-min couldn’t make out what Park Chan-hyeok was saying because he was too nervous, but he nodded anyway.
'Hoo...'
Son Hong-min stared at the pitch, forcing himself to calm his wildly pounding heart.
Today’s match felt different from preseason.
Because this was his official debut on the pro stage.
The passionate cheers of the Union Berlin fans echoed through the stadium.
“Son!!”
“Football God!!”
At first his face went completely pale at the sound of the fans.
But once he realized the cheers were for him, he calmed down a little.
That said, it wasn’t as if Son Hong-min put on a brilliant performance in his first match.
He also showed some poor play, even making a fatal mistake during a counterattack.
After that, Son Hong-min’s mind went blank; he could barely remember how he was even running.
Son Hong-min ran around in a daze for a while.
'Uh...?'
Then the ball came to him.
“Shoot!”
Park Chan-hyeok’s shout rang out from the touchline.
At that moment, Son Hong-min’s legs moved naturally.
Tap.
It was a slightly mishit shot, but the ball still made Leverkusen’s net shake.
“Jaaaaaaaaa─!”
The crowd roared the moment the ball hit the net.
Looking at his teammates running toward him,
'...Coach.'
He thought of Park Chan-hyeok.
In a way, Park Chan-hyeok was his mentor.
He was the one who had brought Son Hong-min, still just a freshman, to Germany.
But when he turned to look at the bench after scoring,
Park Chan-hyeok was not on the bench.
“...?”
It was the first disappearance of the season.