Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 82

< 081 – Trophy Obsessed Man >

-A twist of fate? Kane joins West Ham, faces Tottenham in Round 26

└Spurs fans must feel strange ㅋㅋㅋ

└What if Kane comes on and scores?

└They probably hope Kane doesn’t play

└ㄴㄴ They want Kane to play. If Kane doesn’t play, it means Johan plays the full time, right?

└ㅇㅇ I’m a Tottenham fan, and I want Kane to start so we can beat the traitor up ㅅㅂ

└But looking at Tottenham’s defense right now, I don’t think they can stop Kane ㅋㅋ

└Either way, Tottenham is in a terrible situation ㅋㅋㅋ The only way is to win

└But it doesn’t seem like West Ham will lose···

└Do you think Spurs can beat Hwang-st Ham? Just pray for a draw ㅋㅋㅋ

Coincidentally, West Ham’s next opponent was Tottenham.

Tottenham, where Kane spent his beginning and prime.

In those days, Kane was the most beloved player by Tottenham fans.

How could he not be?

When the club reached the Champions League final and narrowly missed winning the league, enjoying a short but intense golden era.

Kane was at the forefront of that.

He made Tottenham fans feel proud to have a world-class player.

And that’s not all.

Kane was the striker and captain of the England national team.

To Tottenham fans, Kane was a great source of pride.

Just like Johan is to West Ham fans now.

However, now that Kane is on the opposing team, Tottenham fans couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Moreover, this game is held at Tottenham’s home, Tottenham Stadium.

If Kane plays and scores, Tottenham fans would feel as if they had lost their lover.

But, that doesn’t mean they want Kane to not play.

Because Kane is only Johan’s backup striker right now.

Kane not playing means Johan will be playing.

In the previous Round 4, Tottenham conceded 2 goals to Johan and lost points.

Facing Johan for 90 minutes is a terrifying prospect.

Therefore, it would be easier for them if Kane played instead.

Also, the presence of Kane, who is now an enemy, could stimulate the Tottenham players’ competitive spirit and bring out better performance than usual.

They also wanted to see Kane, who abandoned his loyalty for the sake of a trophy and joined a rival team, get mercilessly crushed.

However, those expectations of Tottenham fans seemed unlikely to be fulfilled.

-PL [Premier League] 24R West Ham vs Tottenham starting lineup announced··· Johan van starts

ㆍㆍㆍ

About half a year ago, until the first match between the two teams in Round 4 of the season.

No one denied that Tottenham had a superior squad objectively.

Even West Ham fans thought they were the underdogs.

The players themselves felt the same way.

Back then, everyone, except Johan, was only thinking about upsetting Tottenham and surprising everyone.

Tottenham was a team that secured a Europa League spot last season, while West Ham was a mid-table team.

However, the situation of both teams has changed a lot in the past 6 months.

No, in fact, Tottenham hasn’t changed much.

There were no changes in the squad, and although their ranking dropped from 6th to 7th, the number of points they earned was similar to last season.

It was just that West Ham had changed a lot.

West Ham, led by Johan, had become a strong team.

At this point, no team can be sure of an easy win against West Ham.

Even Manchester City, who were classified as the strongest team, were tied with West Ham at 1 win and 1 loss.

Now, it’s Tottenham who is looking for an upset.

Therefore, West Ham fans seemed very excited.

This was the first time they were looking down on their opponents from a position of strength ahead of the derby match.

They had always resented the Tottenham guys, who pretended to be a big club even though they weren’t, and had been determined to give them a taste of their own medicine.

This was the first time they were seeing the Tottenham players sighing and looking insecure before the game.

That 모습 [Korean for ‘appearance’ or ‘sight’] of Tottenham was very satisfying to West Ham fans.

They were very proud of the Tottenham players for finally understanding their place.

In particular, Tottenham’s manager, Mauricio Reyes, was having a hard time ahead of this game.

In the press conference before the last game, Reyes compared Johan with Tottenham’s striker, Mason Maguire.

He was asked who he would use if he were the manager.

Of course, Reyes couldn’t hold his head up because he lost that game thanks to Johan’s performance.

Also, that label seemed to follow him in the future.

Because there were many reporters who mentioned that statement in this press conference as well.

“Do you still think the same, manager? Mason Maguire has recorded 13 goals and 6 assists this season, and Johan van has recorded 40 goals and 12 assists.”

“······.”

It was a dark history.

Back then, he didn’t know Johan would do this well.

But it’s not like Reyes is being criticized for not knowing soccer or anything.

Honestly, no one knew that Johan would show such overwhelming talent compared to Maguire.

Except for Ban Seok-ho, Rohan, and West Ham insiders.

Anyway, the second West Ham vs Tottenham London derby of the season was held at Tottenham Stadium.

*

“Hey, guys.”

“Yes?”

“Keep a close eye on that guy’s expression.”

“Kane? Why?”

“Why? You still don’t know. What his true feelings are.”

“What feelings?”

“Whether he came to our team just to snatch the trophy, or whether he came to play for our team sincerely. You’ll know today.”

“Hmm. I guess.”

Before the game started, captain Tim Gordon told the players who would be on the bench to keep a close watch on Kane’s expression.

It’s true that Kane brought victory to the team in the last game, suffering in the harsh weather at his age.

Honestly, Gordon still couldn’t fully trust Kane.

Isn’t that right?

Born loving West Ham, having played only for West Ham his entire life, and even becoming the captain, Gordon, who is second to none in his love and loyalty to the club, still didn’t find Kane very satisfactory.

Anyway, even if he is currently on a short-term loan, he must be loyal to the team as long as he is wearing this team’s uniform.

Otherwise, Gordon thought that this point would definitely become a problem when the atmosphere is bad, even if it’s good.

Kane had been with Tottenham for over 10 years.

This Tottenham Stadium was his home ground and hometown.

Today’s game must be complicated and subtle for him.

Maybe he secretly wishes for Tottenham’s victory.

However, even if that’s what he feels in his heart, he shouldn’t show it on the outside.

If there is even one player like that on the team, the team’s solidarity can weaken at any moment.

Therefore, after the game started.

The players on the bench began to glance at Kane’s expression as they watched the game.

Whether he knew it or not, Kane began to watch the game with a blank expression.

The flow of the game was being led by West Ham from the start.

It was definitely different from the last game.

At that time, Tottenham actively pressed forward and moved aggressively, threatening West Ham.

They thought they had the upper hand in a head-on confrontation.

But today was different.

With only Mason Maguire at the forefront, the rest were sitting deep and focusing on defense.

It seemed like they were aiming for at least 1 point, even if it would be nice to get 3 points from their rival team.

“Ugh··· It’s humiliating.”

“It’s a bit frustrating···”

“Wow, do we have to do this to West Ham? At home?”

The Tottenham home fans watching the scene couldn’t help but feel humiliated.

Tottenham’s rival clubs are Arsenal, Chelsea, and West Ham.

The easiest to deal with among them was West Ham.

Therefore, West Ham fans were just a target for Tottenham fans to vent their anger on.

If they get slapped by Chelsea or Arsenal, they vent their anger by catching West Ham.

It’s common for fans of rival teams to be unable to stand each other, but Tottenham fans had accumulated a lot of karma.

They fought with Chelsea and Arsenal over the title of owner of London, calling them eternal rivals, but they unconditionally ignored, ridiculed, and looked down on West Ham, saying they weren’t on the same level.

But now, they seem to be admitting that they are inferior and are only focused on defending.

Their pride is bound to collapse.

“Why are your butts so heavy? Why are you just sitting down?”

“You said it would be different at home, but why are you getting worse? Say it again like last year!”

“You guys won’t even dream of the Champions League until you replace the manager who rejected Johan and used Maguire!”

“Just watch us go to the Champions League!”

On the other hand, West Ham’s away fans were in high spirits.

The Hammers were raising their voices as if Tottenham Stadium was their own home.

Everyone had expressions that they were having so much fun.

Of course.

The guy who used to bully them every day can’t even make eye contact with them now.

It’s human nature to seize the opportunity when it comes.

West Ham started to raise the tempo from the beginning and threaten Tottenham’s goal.

And that result was achieved early on.

In the 11th minute of the first half, Jacob Barkley finished off Martin Petrovic’s long, curling early cross and scored the first goal.

It was a disaster that all of Tottenham’s defenders were only checking Johan.

But this was also a pattern that West Ham had prepared.

They expected all the attention to be focused on Johan, so they connected to Barkley, who was going back.

Thanks to that, the first goal was easily scored, and the West Ham players and bench cheered.

And,

At that moment, the players on the bench checked Kane’s reaction.

But,

“···”

Kane’s reaction is somewhat lukewarm.

He’s getting up and clapping like the other players, but his expression is the same as before, with no particular change.

It’s like he doesn’t look genuinely happy.

Is it because he still has more feelings for Tottenham than West Ham?

The players felt a little disappointed in Kane’s 모습 [Korean for ‘appearance’ or ‘sight’].

He’s our team now.

He seemed like he hadn’t completely sorted things out with his old team, so it couldn’t be helped.

But,

It was a while later.

In the 19th minute of the first half, Johan’s goal was scored this time.

But,

This time, Kane’s reaction was clearly different from the first goal.

“Woah-!”

The moment Johan’s goal was scored, Kane screamed strangely and jumped up from the bench first.

And then,

“That’s right! Lovely, lovely goal!”

Kane, who was constantly exclaiming and cheering.

The players started to get a little confused by Kane’s 모습 [Korean for ‘appearance’ or ‘sight’].

Come to think of it, he even asked to give up the seat next to Johan’s locker room.

He’s always been right next to Johan throughout training.

He even got a house near Johan’s house.

“Isn’t it a little scary?”

“Even Johan seems a little scared.”

“Look at him. He’s not just liking him, he’s looking at him with eyes full of love.”

The players burst into laughter as they watched Kane, who couldn’t take his eyes off Johan.

Whether he knew the players’ eyes or not.

“Heh···”

Kane was just smiling happily.

Also,

Kane was thinking.

That with Johan, he would be able to break the trophy curse this time.

Please, please.

Please solve this senior’s resentment.

Then I’ll do anything for you.

Kane’s eyes towards Johan were getting hotter day by day.