Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 47

< 046. Needs Variety >

“Could you explain that in more detail?”

“Um, well…”

Up to the 8th round of the season, 8 games with 6 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.

West Ham is on a roll, causing a sensation.

Looking at how completely different they are from last season,

you might wonder if there’s anything more to add.

However, there was one thing that needed to be clearly understood.

That was that the league is ultimately a long marathon.

From August to May.

A long race that requires playing more than 38 games over nearly a year.

The reason why the standings at the beginning of the season don’t mean much is also because of that.

Starting is important in a 100-meter dash, but not so much in a marathon.

Therefore, West Ham shouldn’t be mistaken either.

Just because their current performance is good, they shouldn’t assume that good performance will last until the end.

This kind of thing happened more often than you’d think.

Whether the manager changed, or new players were brought in in large numbers, or they came up from the Championship [the second-highest league in English football].

That’s how teams that drastically changed their colors before the season caused a sensation at the beginning of the season.

In fact, it wasn’t just rare, it happened almost every season.

However, if you look at the final standings every year,

you’d hardly find a year where such a sensation was maintained until the end of the season.

Except for once, Leicester City’s championship in the 15/16 season, which was said to be like a fairy tale.

Except for that season, the top of the final standings was always the same old faces.

If you think about what the reason for that is, the reason is simple.

The common point that teams that cause a sensation at the beginning of the season have.

That is, their patterns are clear.

In other words, a one-pattern.

They were teams that used one tactic, one weapon, as their only winning pattern.

It was true that even if you sharpened just one weapon well, you could beat a team with relatively strong power.

However, the problem is after that is figured out.

It’s good to cause a sensation, but if you do, you can’t help but attract the attention of other teams.

And they will be studied.

If that weapon isn’t so strong that you can’t stop it even if you know it, the already identified pattern will inevitably lose its power.

Like that,

one-pattern teams naturally find their place as they repeat the game.

In the league table, to the place where they should originally be.

In the case of West Ham, it was especially so.

The current West Ham is, in fact, a one-pattern team to the point that there’s no need to analyze it.

Yo Han one-trick team.

Of course, coach Schmidt and other coaching staff couldn’t have not known that, so I felt that they were preparing various methods.

However, it’s still significantly lacking.

In fact, there has already been a case where that one-trick didn’t work, right?

The 6th round of the season, the match against Leicester City where Yo Han was the only one who didn’t score, or.

The 7th round, the match against Wolverhampton where they suffered their first defeat like a ghost when Yo Han was absent.

If West Ham wants to continue their current momentum until the end of the season, if they want to show that stamina, they definitely need to have a few more weapons.

That was not a need, but a necessity.

But what’s interesting is that the player who can make that possible is Yo Han again.

It was Yo Han.

Currently, West Ham’s only weapon was Yo Han, but Yo Han had more than one weapon.

“Do you know what Yo Han is better at than scoring?”

At Ro Han’s rhetorical question, coach Schmidt and coach Jamie look at each other.

Yo Han is better at something than scoring?

Well.

Is it possible for a player who scored 12 goals in 7 games to be better at something than scoring goals?

When coach Schmidt and coach Jamie couldn’t come up with an answer, Ro Han said.

“Yo Han is better at passing. Passing is the best thing for his personality.”

Pass.

Yo Han was better at passing than scoring.

And he liked it more.

Passing was the best choice Yo Han could make on the ground.

He could pass the ball, which only caused annoying things if he had it, to someone else.

He didn’t have to run and just kick the ball.

During the academy entrance test, what caught the coaches’ attention in the first place was that pass.

“But Ro Han, you know that, right? We don’t have any resources in our squad other than Yo Han who are equipped with scoring ability.”

“I know. I also know that it can’t be helped.”

Ro Han answers cheerfully to coach Jamie’s question.

It can’t be helped.

West Ham isn’t a big club. They can’t just put all-around players in every position.

There can only be players who have one advantage and two disadvantages.

However, coach Schmidt is minimizing the disadvantages by making those parts blend well.

But,

that might not be as big of a problem as you think.

Ro Han knew how good Yo Han’s passing skills were.

“Even players who don’t have scoring ability can score. If it’s Yo Han. Oh, I’m not saying this because he’s my brother.”

“Hmm…”

In short, he’s saying that he can force-feed them. If it’s Yo Han.

Looking at Ro Han, who was talking with such confidence, coach Schmidt nodded slightly.

*

“I’ll check with the club and contact you again. For now, it’s possible to follow along for experience. That position is a secure one, but if it’s the Ban family, anything is possible.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity you’re giving me.”

“We’re the ones who are grateful. I don’t know if our club is relying too much on the Ban family. I never knew we’d be getting help like this for generations.”

Ro Han and Ban Seok-ho had a pleasant conversation with coach Schmidt and coach Jamie.

They debated for almost an hour.

What’s interesting is that they understood each other very well.

Coach Schmidt and coach Jamie were experts.

Coach Schmidt had been in the industry for decades, so he was an expert who didn’t need to be said more. Coach Jamie was also an expert that coach Schmidt trusted the most, even though he was playful.

But,

Ro Han, who was an amateur soccer fan, exchanged conversations with them without hesitation.

Even quite in-depth conversations.

“You, I knew about your dad, but I didn’t know it would be this much?”

“Yes? Ah, haha…”

“Well, nothing is confirmed yet. Are you confident that you won’t regret it?”

“Regret?”

Coach Schmidt said he would formally recommend Ro Han to the club’s front office.

To learn the job of a power analyst and experience the actual work directly or indirectly.

If he did that, his future as a player would be even more uncertain than it is now.

Both are difficult things to do even if you go all-in on one, so there’s a chance that you’ll miss both rabbits if you try to catch both [fail to achieve either of two aims simultaneously].

To do the job of a power analyst, it was right to give up being a player.

But he didn’t seem to regret it.

When I thought about it, it was like that. The path of a soccer player that I had dreamed of since I was a child.

It was true that I loved soccer so much that I wanted to become a great soccer player.

However, the biggest reason why I wanted to become a great soccer player was to make my father and grandfather happy.

So that my father and grandfather wouldn’t be ashamed, so that the Ban family’s lineage wouldn’t be cut off.

I wanted to become a great soccer player because I wanted to be a proud eldest son.

But thanks to my brother, that burden has disappeared.

Since Yo Han became a soccer player who wasn’t ashamed to be anywhere, Ro Han had always been thinking.

What he really wants.

Not because of others, but what he truly wants.

It wasn’t the player side.

Rather, it’s this side.

Unlike when I was training like crazy to pass the entrance test, I wrote columns while watching games and analyzing teams purely for fun.

So,

even if I quit being a player and go this way, I don’t think I’ll regret it.

No, if I give up this opportunity, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

Above all, the team that gave me the opportunity is West Ham.

Ro Han was ready to put anything aside as long as he could be of help to West Ham and his brother.

“I’m glad I have you, our eldest son, our youngest. To think that both of you are working for West Ham after me. I’m lucky to have sons. I’m lucky to have children.”

“Hehe…”

Ro Han also felt proud looking at Ban Seok-ho, who looked happy.

Yes.

Let’s work hard.

I gave up the path of a player, but I didn’t give up the goal of becoming a son that my father can be proud of.

Just as Yo Han is playing his best as a player, I’ll play my best in my position.

I’m confident that I’ll work harder than anyone else.

Ro Han nodded with a determined expression.

ㆍㆍㆍ

“I like that you’re so consistent.”

“Yes?”

“I like that people don’t change so quickly. I honestly thought you’d come out on Monday.”

Gordon said, looking at Yo Han, who came to the training ground after taking 3 days off.

They were the players who had a lot of stories about Yo Han after playing against Manchester City.

He seems to have changed a bit.

I had never seen Yo Han work so hard on the field before.

Of course, that hard work is only up to Yo Han’s standards, but if he’s diving to save the ball, it’s not an exaggeration to say that he’s changed.

So I had some expectations.

Yo Han is now shaking off his laziness and working hard.

No, even if he’s lazy now, how much more potential will he unleash if he trains properly?

Well, Yo Han took off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so I realized that it was an unnecessary worry.

“Don’t you miss your brothers?”

“…Why would I suddenly miss you?”

“Wow, suddenly. I feel betrayed.”

After the Manchester City game.

The squad became even closer.

That day, a party was held in the locker room as if they had confirmed their victory.

The players were intoxicated with the joy of victory, and they shared many things that they couldn’t normally say because they were shy among men. They didn’t drink alcohol, but it felt like they were telling the truth while drunk.

It’s embarrassing to think about it now, but Gordon almost cried.

Gordon felt a lot of guilt as a midfielder when he saw Yo Han receiving passes from top-notch passers and shooting as much as he wanted when he went to the national team.

The other players felt the same way.

So, taking advantage of the energy of victory, when I confessed that I was sorry and that I was sorry for not creating more good chances.

That day, Yo Han answered like that.

“The brothers’ passes are much better than the national team kids’ passes. They give me passes that are annoying to receive, but the brothers’ passes are easy to receive. The brothers’ passes are the best for me.”

The players covered their mouths with their fists at that answer. It was a melting pot of emotion.

How much that answer touched the brothers’ hearts.

That day, Gordon said that he would be a godfather when Yo Han had children, Antonio said that he would introduce his younger sister – he showed me a picture, but Yo Han politely declined – and Buckley said that he would give me a full course guide if I came to Scotland.

The highlight was Jeff Hurel.

That cyborg-like guy danced in front of the players. He said it was a dance for Yo Han.

No one has ever understood why he danced for Yo Han.

Anyway, the locker room atmosphere was the best that day. The players felt like they had finally become a real family.

“You too, you bastard. You said your brothers are the best.”

“Did I?”

“Wow, look at him pretending not to know?”

“I did! You said you wouldn’t trade them for any other players! You said you only have your brothers!”

“I must have been out of my mind.”

“Wow!”

Anyway, the players were dying to see Yo Han while he was gone.

Our youngest, Yo Han, who wouldn’t hurt even if we put him in our eyes.

However, there was another reason why the players were looking forward to Yo Han’s return.

Coach Schmidt said that the training would be conducted in a slightly different way than before when Yo Han returned.

“What’s changing?”

“Well. You’ll know if you do it. The coach is coming.”

Soon, training began.

Before the start of full-scale training, coach Schmidt called Yo Han separately.

“Yo Han. Do you know who the next game is against?”

“…Where was it?”

“It’s Burnley.”

“…!”

Yo Han’s eyes flashed when he heard the word Burnley.

Yo Han was very angry because he only scored 1 goal in the Burnley game last season.

Because they were only defending to death.

So I remembered that I had been determined to smash them if I met them again.

Good. I’ll smash them to pieces this time.

Coach Schmidt, who read the murderous intent in Yo Han’s eyes, laughed heartily.

“But, I think we’ll have to change our promise for the next few games.”

“Promise?”

“I’m talking about the coupon. Training exemption coupon.”

“How is it changing?”

“Hmm, would you call it a kind of event?”

Coach Schmidt held out two fingers.

“Double.”

“…Double?”

“2 coupons for an assist. I’m saying I’ll give you double.”

…A 2x event?

Yo Han’s eyes widened at coach Schmidt’s words.