Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 108

Price, who escaped the pressure by shaking off the opposing defense, even stabbed in a sharp through pass.

However,

Instead of following the ball, the Spanish players all raised one hand and started looking at the assistant referee.

A chance thwarted by Spain’s offside trap.

The Spanish back four line, moving like one body, shows good line control.

In fact, Johan wasn’t in a very high position, but since Spain is raising the final line itself so high.

Even a slight movement resulted in offside.

At first glance, Spain seems to leave a large space behind the defense, playing the game with a wide gap.

It’s to the point where you wonder what they’re going to do if they get counterattacked.

Sometimes, even the last defenders participate in the midfield to pressure the opposing midfielders.

However, unlike how it looks, Spain wasn’t a team that conceded many goals.

The secret is, as they just showed, that they use the offside trap remarkably well.

Coincidentally, this seemed to be a tactic that suited quite well to facing Johan.

In any case, no matter how unstoppable Johan is once he gets the ball, the referee’s whistle can stop Johan too.

If they can’t stop Johan with individual skills anyway, they stop him through team movements.

It seemed that Spain had brought a pretty good approach.

Spain’s counterattack, after winning the offensive rights with an offside.

England also narrows the gap in the midfield and increases the intensity of the pressure.

In particular, what’s impressive is that most of the players seem to be slightly biased to one side.

That direction is the left, or the right from Spain’s perspective.

Spain’s core is on the right.

This is because Fernando Viegra is a midfielder who mainly utilizes the right half-space, and Iago Quintes is a right winger.

It was England’s formation that showed their intention to block Spain’s right side.

Intentionally creating an easy path on the left, with the intention of inducing the attack in that direction.

However,

Spain didn’t choose the easy path.

Spain is developing the ball to the right, which is crowded with English players.

Even if they don’t want to move according to the opponent’s intentions, it doesn’t seem like a good method to deliberately find a difficult path while leaving an easy path.

But,

Viegra breaks through it.

Viegra releases the strong pressure in the narrow space and connects the ball to Quintes with fluent ball control and one-touch passes that utilize his teammates.

Thanks to that, Quintes started to comfortably attempt a 1-on-1 with the fullback.

Tuk, tuk-!

Quintes starts dribbling rhythmically with one defender in front of him.

Quintes is a technician who steals the opponent’s timing with irregular rhythms rather than linear dribbling.

In other words, he is a type of dribbler that is hard to see in the Premier League [English Football League].

Tatatat-!

England’s left-back Danny White expresses his disapproval of Quintes’ unfamiliar rhythm with his whole body.

Quintes, who overtook White, penetrated deeply to the right side of the box,

Paang-!

He sent a ground cross towards the center.

No, to be precise, it felt like an intermediate form between a cross and a cutback.

Quintes’ pass was aimed at Pablo Enrique, but Enrique’s position was behind Quintes.

Enrique, who was holding his position with his back to the defense,

Paang-!

Passed the ball back again.

A pass that maintains the flow of the pass as it is, only slightly changing the direction.

What’s running towards that ball is,

Tatatat-!

Viegra, who had already come up.

Ppeoooeeoeoeong-!

Fortunately, Viegra didn’t get to shoot.

Because Chelsea center-back Shay Bellamy, who checked Viegra’s penetration, cut it off first.

However,

The problem was that they had allowed the development up to this point in the first place.

Spain’s attack power is definitely scary.

They come up here easily from the first attack, so can they really hold out for 90 minutes without conceding a goal?

Before they knew it, naturally.

Spain took the initiative, and England’s first priority became blocking the opponent’s attack.

Certainly, Spain wasn’t a team that had 올라온 [come up] to the finals for nothing.

*

For now, the game was in the form of England defending against Spain’s initiative, but England wasn’t just defending.

Even while defending, they were constantly looking for opportunities for counterattacks, and sharp passes were heading forward.

However, every time, the assistant referee’s flag stopped the counterattack.

The movement of the Spanish defenders, who moved to the front rather than the back the moment England’s pass came out, made even the viewers admire them.

“Aren’t they scared?”

“It’s touch-and-go.”

It was definitely a bold act.

If even one person slips up and reacts late, the offside trap ends up giving the opponent a perfect chance on its own.

Especially if it’s a pass heading to the center.

If it’s a pass heading to the side, there’s at least time to delay it even if the trap is뚫리더라도 [breached].

The center is the end if the trap fails.

It’s really like walking a tightrope.

However, so far, the concentration of the Spanish defenders has been sharp as if it could cut.

“Focus! Focus!”

“Look next to you! Next to you!”

“Aspas! A little further forward! Match the line!”

Of course, even those Spanish defenders were sweating.

If even one mistake comes out, the consequences that will follow are obvious.

The moment the assistant referee’s flag is not raised and Johan gets a 1-on-1 chance.

They will concede a goal in vain.

Knowing that, the concentration of the Spanish players today is even sharper.

“···Hmm.”

Johan, who had already been caught offside for the third time, sighed briefly.

He hadn’t even lost the ball, but he had to turn around leaving the ball behind, so he couldn’t help but feel 허무 [empty/futile].

He didn’t like the opponent who was playing 잔재주 [tricks].

At that time,

“Hey, kid.”

“?”

“Come here for a second.”

Shane Murray calling Johan.

Murray put his hand on Johan’s shoulder and said, covering his mouth.

“Don’t go above the halfway line.”

“The halfway line?”

“If you’re below that, you won’t get caught offside in any case. Do you understand what I mean?”

“···.”

Murray’s words to stay below the halfway line.

Johan thought for a moment, then nodded.

If the attacker doesn’t cross the halfway line, they can be free from the offside rule regardless of the position of the opposing defense.

Of course, even if they raise the defensive line, the final defense almost never crosses the halfway line, so no attacker waits below the halfway line to avoid one offside.

That’s just a position selection that’s not at all threatening to the opposing defense.

If they’re being counterattacked, what’s scary if the opposing attacker is below the halfway line?

However, Shane Murray said that to Johan because he believed it.

Johan’s speed.

Following situation.

Spain’s attack was 차단 [blocked], and England had another chance for a counterattack.

Murray received the ball that Danny White 끊어낸 [intercepted], and Murray immediately floated a pass towards the front.

However, Johan, who should have received that pass, was standing below the halfway line as Murray said.

Of course, thanks to that, the assistant referee’s flag will not be raised.

However, it was a 경합 [contest] that was obviously advantageous to the Spanish defense for anyone to see.

Murray’s pass, which aimed for the space, was naturally heading to the Spanish camp, but the starting line of the defenders and Johan was several meters apart.

But.

Johan ran anyway.

Just by getting out of the opponent’s 잔재주 [tricks], his body felt much lighter.

Tatatatatatat-!

The Spanish defenders, who were running towards the ball, couldn’t help but feel a sudden cold sweat when they glanced back.