Field Commander - Chapter 64
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 64.
Chapter 64.
Chapter 64.
I thought I had mastered soccer to a certain degree.
“Now, this part.”
In addition to team training, tactical training, and physical training, there was something called individual training, which was a plan to improve my dribbling ability during the season.
“Do you feel the difference?”
They recorded videos of Antonio’s technique, who has a similar build to me, and my technique, then showed them frame by frame, and the difference was clear.
Antonio, with his 192cm height and 95kg build, goes back and forth around 34.8km/h in terms of instant speed, while I, at 195cm and 87kg, had a limit of about 31km/h.
“Yes. Antonio’s center of gravity definitely looks higher.”
David, my personal training coach, made his lips round and went ‘Oh?’ for a moment.
But it was only a fleeting expression, and he returned to his expressionless face and nodded.
I can see all of that.
“Right. You’re running while slightly crouched, and Antonio is running with his back clearly straightened.”
“Ah…”
“Most people who haven’t received training run like you. It’s not strange. You can’t produce fast speeds, but it puts less strain on your body. However, professionals need to keep in mind that they have to push themselves to some degree. We’ll do posture correction through pitching (running in place). For one season.”
“Does it take that long?”
“This is a habit you’ve built into your body your entire life, so it can’t be fixed instantly. And in most cases, it can’t be fixed even with training. In urgent situations, habits just come out naturally. That’s why habits are important for professional players. Habits.”
“How much faster will this make me?”
“About 5% at most? What you’re born with can’t be helped.”
5% would be.
1.5km/h
Then theoretically I could produce speeds of about 32.5km/h, which was close to the average speed of Bundesliga players.
‘Oh, then I probably won’t get evaluated as slow?’
Indeed, the world of soccer is vast and wide.
I gained a slight realization after being pointed out about a part I had no idea about.
That I can develop further technically and physically than now!
This brought a strange excitement.
“We’ll also do another training simultaneously. It’s related to your dribbling.”
I don’t dribble that much.
However, when my synesthetic ability is activated, that is, when I’m extremely focused on the game and can predict the opponent’s movements, I dribble.
“If you can master this dribbling method, you won’t kill your team’s counter attack speed when you dribble. If both methods show effect, you can become quite a good dribbler. You have so much potential for it.”
I had never received this kind of training method during my high school days, when I was at Cheongju FC, or when I was at Freiburg II.
“If you become a decent dribbler, opponents will find it very difficult to stop you. You have quick timing and sharp kicking and passing abilities, and you can also break through with dribbles while engaging in physical battles. You can become a higher level player.”
A higher level player!
“Then of course I have to learn it.”
* * *
Before the Bundesliga 10th round home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, I woke up early in the morning, took a soccer ball, and headed to a nearby park.
For that distant final destination, I absolutely, absolutely must not get injured, so I woke up even the lazy cells existing in every corner of my body before slowly handling the ball.
‘If you don’t allocate rest time to train separately, there won’t be much effect.’
Player life during the season is quite tough.
It’s a schedule of going to work at 9 and leaving at 3 PM, but besides team training time, there are also many things like club-related events, interviews, shooting advertisements, and participating in sponsor events.
Of course, I don’t have advertisements or sponsors yet.
It would be somewhat relaxed if there were only league games held once a week, but when there are cup competitions, European cup competitions, A matches, and age-group national team games, that’s when you often feel the limits of your stamina.
When you have to play games once every 4 days and fly 4-6 hours on airplanes.
So during the season, there’s almost no time to do other things.
You absolutely have to rest well and eat well…
That’s not easy for young players.
Because they have to pour their overflowing energy somewhere.
‘I’m really fortunate. I can just play soccer.’
How tired must that bastard Jang Jin-woo be, shooting 6-7 major advertisements?
Ah, it’s not that I’m envious…
I just feel sorry for him.
But I am fucking envious though.
First, I chose flat grass and did pitching on it.
I slowly lifted my legs and swung my arms in the posture the coach taught me.
I never knew that running with a straight back could be this uncomfortable.
They said I have to condition my body daily until this discomfort feels comfortable.
‘I have to do it.’
But continuing this motion was too boring, so I also did ball lifting with my knees.
But this was surprisingly difficult.
As I focused on executing the correct motion, the rhythm was all messed up, and if I didn’t match the ball to that rhythm, it was hard to execute the correct motion.
‘It’s fun because it’s difficult?’
Indeed, it’s fun when there’s a ball.
After doing pitching + ball lifting training for about 30 minutes, I did dribble training.
– If you dribble with your dominant right foot outside kick, you can use the momentum of running forward when the defense steps back to react. If that happens, even though you’re a bit slow, it will be hard for the defense to react. You’ll get past them in an instant.
“But why do you think my dominant foot is my right foot?”
Thinking about it, it seems like I’ve given offensive passes with my right foot more times than with my left foot.
To give such passes, you’d think to use the much more comfortable foot.
But it’s not because my right foot is comfortable, but because my right foot kick is good that I use it when stabbing forward.
‘When I stop to change direction or to put up a cross, the defender also stops and prepares for blocking…’
Still, it’s what I was told to do.
I stepped forward with my left foot first and hit with my right foot outside kick while running simulations in my head.
If I dribble like this, I have to accelerate from a stopped state, so even if I’m slow, it’s hard to catch up.
‘If I push in with my body in this state…’
Under the assumption that the opponent can’t handle my physical battle…
Wide open space and the goal post came into view.
If this happens, one of the defenders would be drawn out to me.
Especially while watching my right foot…
‘At this moment, an accurate pass with my left foot toward our forward who’s open. And then shooting.’
This was much more fun as I practiced while drawing simulations in my head.
When I played soccer alone as a child, I used to do this kind of imagination, and now it’s a very crucial help.
After continuing repetitive training and motions for about 20 minutes, my whole body was soaked with sweat.
“Up to here.”
Since I have to start today.
Just up to this point.
“But can’t I do this with my left foot too?”
I should try it sometime later.
If possible, I should practice both.
* * *
“That bastard is a complete thug, I tell you?”
Interviewing people who commented that they were victims of assault by Kim Sang-hyuk was not difficult at all.
Among them, there were people pretending to be victims, so after filtering them out, 4 people remained.
At the time, same middle school.
Same grade.
“Do you see this scar? It’s from surgery after that bastard broke my arm. I had to wear a cast for months and my grades dropped because of it. That guy ruined my life.”
Shin Ye-ra looked at the student being interviewed.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone who would be good at studying.
His way of speaking and posture were completely slovenly.
Moreover, all 4 of them knew each other.
“I got hit in the face with a chair, my nose was crushed, and I got a big scar. I was originally an aspiring entertainer, but that bastard ruined my life.”
You’re going to be an entertainer with that face?
With that big head?
Shin Ye-ra sighed inwardly.
“Me too. Just seeing that bastard’s face makes me feel like I’ll get depression… How will you compensate for this mental damage?”
A guy with tattoos on his arms, earrings, and even a nose ring saying he’s depressed seemed somehow off the mark.
“Why did you get beaten up like that? What was the reason?”
When Shin Ye-ra asked for the reason, the four looked at each other and said in unison.
“School violence, obviously. What else would it be?”
“Was Kim Sang-hyuk like a school bully or something back then?”
“Of course. Look at that bastard’s face. He’s the kind of guy who could have killed several people and it wouldn’t be strange.”
“Are there no other victims besides you four?”
At Shin Ye-ra’s question, the four each gave different answers.
“Yes…”
“No.”
“There might be… more…”
“Besides us…”
The four couldn’t continue speaking and closed their mouths.
“Well, it’s old memories so you might be confused.”
When Shin Ye-ra said this, all four nodded their heads.
“I understand. Thank you for the interview, and could you tell me if you know anyone who could help publicize this incident?”
The four looked at each other nervously and shook their heads.
“If you were hurt that badly, your homeroom teacher must have known?”
“They don’t know. They wouldn’t know.”
“Right. Only we know.”
“We got beaten… not at school… but outside, so they don’t know.”
“But still, if you went to the hospital because you were hurt… if you were hospitalized, they couldn’t not know?”
“We… we were scared of that bastard so we just said we got hurt in a traffic accident.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, I did that too.”
“Me too.”
Shin Ye-ra tilted her head.
Then she deliberately threw out a leading question.
“On the same day, together?”
The faces of all four immediately hardened.
“I mean, we got beaten together outside on the same day.”
One of them made an excuse.
“But then why did player Kim Sang-hyuk get indefinite suspension?”
The four once again looked at each other nervously.
“Ah, that bastard was originally violent so the school already had their eye on him.”
“Ah, I see.”
Shin Ye-ra deliberately nodded and scribbled in her notebook.
“I understand. Thank you for participating in today’s interview.”
Only then did the four show relieved expressions and stand up.
“Please… make sure to reveal that bastard’s truth to the world.”
After the four left the cafe, Shin Ye-ra sat alone lost in thought, then picked up her notebook.
And she opened the memo she had written.
And looked again at the tiny writing on the last page.
– Lying piece of trash bastards.
* * *
Dreisamstadion, owned by Freiburg City.
SC Freiburg, run by the citizens, was operating this club.
This stadium that could accommodate 24,000 spectators was the smallest among stadiums operated by Bundesliga teams.
But true to its nickname as the ‘City of the Sun’, it was the first stadium in the Bundesliga to be powered by solar energy.
Since it was a club run by citizens from birth, regardless of which league the club was in, the stands were always full, and it was a place overflowing with passionate support that was second to none.
Other clubs had some violent hooligans, but Freiburg had no such hooligans, and was overflowing with fans who loved the team enough to make the team’s wins and losses a pillar of their own lives.
Most of the players playing for this club were from Freiburg, and their loyalty to the club was tremendous.
The steps of fans visiting the stadium today were very light, because the team was on a 3-game winning streak.
3 wins after 7 consecutive losses.
Anyone could see it was a comeback atmosphere, and fans visited the home stadium expecting the team to win today as well.
“When we escaped relegation last season, I thought the manager was competent, but at the beginning of this season I wondered if my eyes were wrong. But I’m so relieved we’re getting back on track.”
“Especially the two Asians we brought in this time seem like very good players.”
“Kim and Jung.”
“Both are starting today, should we have some expectations?”
“We have to win at home. What’s the fun in winning away?”
Especially regarding the Korean combo that led the comeback against Wolfsburg, they were very positive and had high expectations.
“Mönchengladbach isn’t a team we can easily beat.”
“Didn’t they sink Bayern recently?”
“They’re an incredibly tough team. The amount they run, the pressure they apply.”
“But I heard we have the advantage in terms of team compatibility?”
“That’s something you can say when player quality is similar.”
“What, do you want us to lose?”
“No way. For me, there’s only Freiburg. Oh, my love, the Brazilians of Breisgau!!”
It was when the stands of Dreisamstadion were completely filled.
“Wow…”
The stands and the stadium were so close that you could hear all the shouting.
Standing on the sideline, I thought you could get hit by something being waved from the stands.
‘This is my home stadium.’
Before coming out to warm up for the match, I knelt briefly on the sideline and smelled the fragrance of the ground.
The fresh smell of natural grass.
A perfect temperature of 25.5 degrees Celsius for running.
Optimal grass moisture at 70% level.
‘100.5m X 68m’
stadium.
This special stadium that’s slightly smaller than FIFA or UEFA minimum standards but used with special permission from the German Football Association.
A smaller field means you need to control your strength more gently when giving crosses.
“Gunter! Gunter! Gunter!!”
When Gunter appeared on the ground, Freiburg fans chanted his name with all their might, and that cocky bastard was waving both arms telling them to shout louder.
‘Nice to see.’
Being a homegrown franchise star.
The match will start in 30 minutes, and I’ll be making my first home Bundesliga start for this team.
It’s a special moment and…
A special situation.
The field that will ignite my passion is right there, and after 90 minutes, only victory will be waiting for me.
My body was already heated up, and I’m in peak condition thanks to proper diet management.
“Let’s go.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
