Chapter 93
Our first preseason schedule was in Japan.
It did feel like a bit of wasted travel, since we had come to Japan right after the last season ended, but there was nothing we could do.
We had to finish the negotiations before the Beijing Olympics began.
[D-30 until the opening of the Beijing Olympics.]
As the Beijing Olympics drew closer, the public's attention began to shift there.
[Union Berlin heads to Japan.]
Still, thanks to my moving a little quickly, I was able to promote the preseason matches to Japanese football fans before all the attention shifted to the Beijing Olympics.
[Park Chan-hyuk, pro-Japan? Stirring controversy over scouting Japanese players.]
└ Wow. Look at that article. If Park Chan-hyuk saw this, he'd be completely put off.
└ Seriously, after all he's done for Korean football;;
In Korea, there was some criticism over scouting Japanese players.
But it was too big a market to give up on Japan for the sake of some flimsy patriotism.
Honestly, from Union Berlin's perspective, if they were going to give up a market, it would have been better to give up the Korean one instead.
In Japan, the level of interest was on a completely different scale; newspapers even sent resident reporters to cover players going overseas.
And just like last time, the airport was packed with a massive crowd at the arrivals hall.
***
Union Berlin got through its Japan schedule quickly.
[Park Chan-hyuk visits a famous sushi restaurant with Union Berlin players. “Japanese sushi is the best in the world.”]
He ate some Japanese food, casually said oishii once, and then talked about Japanese football in an interview with a broadcaster.
[Park Chan-hyuk: “There are a lot of good prospects in Asia….”]
[Union Berlin manager Park Chan-hyuk gives advice on Japanese football. “If Japan wants good results, it should also consider actively using players of mixed heritage….”]
After getting through everything one way or another, the day of the match arrived.
[Manager Park Chan-hyuk starts Endo Wataru? What signal is this!]
For fan service, I fielded every Japanese player we'd signed.
Well, I said I'd field them all, but once I excluded the players called up for the Beijing Olympics, only the prospect Endo Wataru was left.
Endo Wataru still wasn't fully polished, but that was fine.
A preseason match isn't something you have to win no matter what.
“If you don't know what to do, just pass it to the Luka beside you…. Ah, right, there are two Lukas on the team. Pass it to Modrić.”
I gave Endo, who was obviously nervous, a comforting little tip.
And a little while later, the match against J.League champions Kashima Antlers began.
***
[Union Berlin starting lineup revealed.]
Robert Lewandowski - Yannick Voigt.
Luca Schneider - Endo Wataru - Markus Matschke - Luka Modrić - Thomas Mayer.
Dante - Thiago Silva - Cafu
Manuel Schmidt.
***
At this point, Kashima Antlers were riding high in their golden era.
Kashima Antlers had won the league last season, and this season they were once again leading the table.
And next year too, they would finish first, becoming the J.League's first team to win three straight titles.
Oswald Oliveira, who had led this golden era, was flustered when he saw Union Berlin's tactics.
‘A back three…?’
Up until last season, Union Berlin had been a team that used a back four.
He never imagined they'd suddenly pull out a back three without any warning.
They had signed far too many defenders in this summer transfer window.
He had thought they were just trying to hit the jackpot, not that all of them would start.
Defenders are positions where a single mistake can lead to a goal, so organization is essential in a way that other positions aren't.
‘……Could they be phoning it in, thinking it doesn't matter if they lose?’
For an instant, it even seemed like Union Berlin's manager was looking down on the J.League.
But once the match started, that feeling vanished in an instant.
‘So you can use a back three like that too.’
At present, the back-three system was gradually being pushed back by the Bundesliga's Gegenpressing and Arrigo Sacchi's pressing tactics.
And before long, Pep Guardiola's tiki-taka would drive the final nail into the coffin of the back-three system.
But the back three would eventually come back.
Its tactical flexibility was that impressive.
All Park Chan-hyuk had done was dig the back-three system out of the coffin a little earlier.
‘……Is that just one defender out there right now?’
Union Berlin defended with a back five, and when attacking, even the center backs except Thiago Silva actively joined the offense.
When Thomas Mayer, who was playing as the right wing-back, stretched the field wide, Cafu received the ball in the space that opened up and immediately attempted an early cross as he watched the attackers charging into the penalty box.
Though he was older now, his kicking power was still as sharp as ever.
Cafu's precise cross headed into the penalty box, and Robert Lewandowski met it with his forehead to finish cleanly.
After scoring, Robert Lewandowski sprinted to the corner flag and pulled off a double Hoo with Park Chan-hyuk standing there.
“Hoooooooo─!”
“Hoooooooo─!”
***
[Goooooal! It's in! Robert Lewandowski! Union Berlin are starting to pull ahead!]
[Wow! Cafu's cross is still lethal!]
[Form is temporary, but class is permanent! Cafu's cross sends the Japanese crowd's cheers soaring!]
[Yes, that's right! And Endo, who is playing in midfield, is also performing very steadily!]
“Hoooooooo─!”
“Hoooooooo─!”
[Oh!! The Japanese crowd is cheering for Manager Park Chan-hyuk's celebration!]
[Haha, he's definitely got showmanship.]
***
After Lewandowski's opening goal, the flow of the match completely swung to Union Berlin.
Kashima Antlers tried to press Union Berlin hard, but our beloved Brazilians easily shook off Kashima Antlers' pressure.
For the record, Thiago Silva had also played as a central midfielder in the original timeline.
He had that kind of versatility, able to cover a wide range of positions.
And right now, Thiago Silva was learning a lot from Cafu, a senior from the national team.
The Brazil connection seemed to be producing pretty good synergy.
Anyway.
Union Berlin kept moving the ball around, looking for an opening.
Boom─.
As the gap between Kashima Antlers' midfield and defensive line widened, Dante sent the ball forward.
Kashima Antlers' defensive line was split open by a single pass from Dante, and Lewandowski, who got on the ball, linked a backheel pass to Markus Matschke.
Markus Matschke calmly took the shot and rippled the net.
I fell into thought while watching Markus Matschke celebrate.
‘Man, Japan is seriously fucking hot.’
The hot, humid weather was driving me crazy.
Well, compared to the sweltering heat of the future, this was much better, but hot was hot.
‘Still, Japan doesn't get cold in winter.’
Come to think of it, Korea was the strange country, hot like Japan in summer and cold like Siberia in winter.
A climate like Japan's is what should be normal.
For the record, I didn't steal Markus Matschke's celebration.
It was too hot when I ran over to celebrate earlier.
While I was cooling off in the shade.
Yannick Voigt, who received Luka Modrić's incisive through ball, beat Kashima Antlers' net again with a clean shot.
And a little while later.
After scoring, Yannick Voigt put on a boring celebration at the corner flag.
It was so boring that I just stole it from him.
“Hoooooo─!”
***
[Union Berlin crush Kashima Antlers 4-1.]
[Park Chan-hyuk, “Endo has enough talent to make it in the Premier League.”]
[Union Berlin wrap up all their Japan duties and head to Korea.]
[Union Berlin take on the K League All-Stars at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam.]
***
After finishing our schedule in Japan, we headed to Korea.
The players' schedule in Korea was similar to Japan's. They just had to eat Korean food and shout how insanely good it was.
‘Instead, I'd be a little busy....’
However, I was planning to collaborate with a broadcaster to hold a tryout.
The players selected there would be granted the honor of joining Union Berlin.
For the record, we planned to air this whole process as a variety show.
‘Will this even get ratings?’
I wondered whether it would get ratings, but since we only needed the money anyway, we decided not to care about the viewership.
For the record, the tryout fee was set at 20,000 won to keep out prank applicants.
Well, if we accepted all of those people too, it would make for good TV, but unfortunately I didn't have the luxury of spending time on that.
Even so, an enormous crowd gathered at the tryout venue.
“……You want me to look through all of this?”
It was only natural that I was horrified by the crowd.