Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 149

< Episode 148 – Johan's Perspective >

The feeling of playing soccer ‘directly’ and ‘watching’ soccer are completely different.

First of all, there’s the issue of perspective.

Watching soccer on TV or from the stands is a third-person experience.

Everyone’s field of vision is inevitably wide.

It’s natural since you’re looking down from above.

That’s why there are thousands of armchair coaches in the stands [referring to fans who believe they know better than the actual coaches].

Pass it there, pass it here.

Everyone knows the passing lanes perfectly.

On the other hand, when you’re actually playing on the field, soccer becomes a first-person game.

In this case, the field of vision is inevitably limited.

Unlike when you’re looking down from above.

If I’m looking to the left, I can’t see the right, and if I’m looking forward, I can’t see behind me.

Unlike when you’re watching from afar, it’s hard to find passing lanes easily.

Is it just a matter of perspective?

There’s a saying that if someone is doing something very easily, it’s not because the task is easy, but because the person is very good at it.

In fact, even though they are professional players, running at full strength for 90 minutes, making quick decisions every moment, and making accurate passes and shots is quite difficult and requires a high degree of skill.

Especially with opposing players interfering.

Watching soccer is easy, but playing it is on a different level of difficulty.

People who haven’t experienced this difference often get frustrated while watching soccer games.

Why pass to the right when the left is open?

Why miss the player running in from behind?

Why don’t they think of penetrating into the open space that’s clearly visible?

How can they touch the ball like that?

What’s with that ridiculous shot? Are they completely hopeless?

It’s inevitable that they’ll be frustrated.

Therefore, they sometimes excessively criticize the players.

Saying that they do nothing but play soccer, and they can’t even do that much when they’re making money from it.

However, people who have a lot of experience playing soccer don’t easily criticize.

Of course, it depends on individual personality, but people with experience at least have an understanding of why that player has no choice but to do that.

Therefore, even if they’re frustrated, they usually just say things like, ‘It can’t be helped. But playing B instead of A would have been the right answer,’ or, ‘It was a difficult shot.’

“Ah, Captain. Seriously… Why are you doing that?”

Interestingly, Johan’s reaction was the latter, not the former.

As if he had no experience playing soccer at all.

Johan watched the game, constantly clicking his tongue and feeling frustrated, as if he couldn’t understand his teammates’ plays.

This is the reaction shown by people who belong to neither the former nor the latter.

A very small number of people who have a lot of soccer experience, but have never experienced difficulties even when actually playing soccer.

For them, there’s no difference between doing it and watching it.

Both are easy.

So, it’s inevitable that they’ll be frustrated.

Johan was one of those very few.

“Ah…”

In the end, Johan exploded around the 20th minute of the first half.

West Ham finally conceded the first goal to Maximin.

Even though they knew that Maximin would try to dribble no matter what when he got the ball, they couldn’t stop him.

Johan sighed.

“They should have stopped him with a foul just now!”

“The problem is that they let him receive the pass freely. They should have contested him earlier.”

Of course, Rohan and Ban Seok-ho were already standing up and venting their anger.

Johan tried to grumble, but shook his head when he saw his brother and father like that.

Now, he understands a little bit.

Why those two were always so frustrated while watching soccer until a few years ago.

Johan wanted to change into his uniform right away.

*

Even after conceding a goal, the game didn’t go smoothly.

Maximin, who was on a roll, continued to threaten the goal, and the players’ bodies looked heavy.

In the end, the game went into the second half with West Ham trailing 0-1.

Will West Ham’s undefeated and all-win record end here? Only 45 minutes left. West Ham needs a different look from the first half.

You could tell just by looking at Johan’s expression that was constantly being shown on the scoreboard. The first half was quite frustrating.

The good thing was that the expressions of the West Ham players heading to the field for the second half were different from the first half.

As the commentator said, Johan’s face, sighing, was shown on the stadium scoreboard throughout the first half.

The players naturally saw that too, and couldn’t help but feel like they were being scolded.

With a feeling like ‘He’s watching’.

Honestly, the players were quite surprised too.

That Johan came to the stadium to watch the game in person.

That could only be taken by the players as Johan being that serious about winning the league.

The players have their pride.

They didn’t want to be a burden to him, and they didn’t want to make him worry.

They didn’t want Johan to doubt whether he could win with these guys.

With those thoughts, the players who came out after rearming themselves mentally during halftime started to show a more organized performance in the second half.

Bellamy cuts off the pass one step ahead. He read the opponent’s intentions very well just now!

Petrovic’s cross! Kane’s header! This is blocked by the keeper’s super save! But a good attempt! West Ham’s attack is slowly building!

In particular, Kane’s mindset, who started in place of Johan today, was extraordinary.

Kane had his first career trophy last season with the FA Cup win.

But Kane was still thirsty for more than that.

Kane, who had been suffering from the jinx of being trophyless throughout his career. The taste of the trophy he had tasted after that long wait was so sweet.

Like taking a ‘bite’ of the food he wanted to eat after a long diet.

Kane’s desire for trophies is actually even greater.

Of course, if he just sticks close to Johan, it seemed like it would be a matter of time before he won a trophy.

However, Kane knows that he doesn’t have enough of that time left.

Johan has plenty of time.

But he doesn’t.

He’s still maintaining a form where he’s not a burden to the team when he occasionally comes out to play like this.

But you never know what will happen even after just one year.

In the first place, he might be leaving this team next year.

Kane, shoot-! It narrowly misses the goal! It looks like something’s going to happen on Kane’s side!

At least he shouldn’t be a burden.

Not because of the criticism from fans (mostly Tottenham) that they don’t count bus championships [trophies won by simply being on a successful team, implying minimal contribution], but for himself and Johan.

So that he doesn’t become a burden to Johan, the benefactor who will give him the championship, and so that he can win the championship with dignity for himself.

Kane was trying to do more than 100 percent every time he played.

Especially today, when Johan is watching even more.

Goooooooal-! Finally, the equalizer explodes! Harry Kane’s classy finish! There’s not much time left, but West Ham has at least leveled the score!

The fact that Johan was watching was a great motivation for the West Ham players, and they eventually succeeded in making the equalizer.

*

“…”

Johan coughed, watching Kane celebrate while pointing to where he was sitting.

It was good that he finally scored a goal, but it was a bit much that he accurately found his location among these many spectators and pointed at it with his hand.

How did he know?

And what’s with that inscrutable smile?

“Let’s go for one more goal. Please!”

“Quickly, quickly!”

Anyway, it was good that they made the equalizer, but it wasn’t enough to completely relieve the frustration.

There wasn’t much time left, about 15 minutes.

“It’s too bad to break the winning streak like this! Let’s go one step further!”

In fact, the fact that the winning streak was broken might not be a big deal for West Ham fans.

In the first place, there was no expectation that they would win every game.

No matter how good the atmosphere was, no one thought that was possible.

However, it’s too bad that the moment the winning streak is broken is now.

At home, and against Brighton.

For the remaining 15 minutes, the home fans sent their support with all their heart and soul, and Johan also cheered, though not as much as the people next to him.

And, in the 42nd minute of the second half.

Uaaaaa! Kane’s multi-goal explodes! West Ham finally turns the game around!

What a scary concentration! This is the aspect of a strong team! This is the power of a strong team! That determination to get 3 points no matter what!

In the end, Kane’s go-ahead goal exploded, and the London Stadium was filled with a frenzy atmosphere.

“Uaaaaaaaa!”

“Johan! Johan!”

“Uh, uh.”

Ban Seok-ho hugged and rejoiced with a gentleman he didn’t know in the next seat, and Rohan expressed his joy at the comeback by kissing Johan on the cheek.

Everyone is happier at this moment because it is a comeback that was achieved with difficulty.

“…”

Johan glanced around at the cheering spectators.

These fans’ reactions are familiar.

Every time he scored a goal here, they always showed this reaction.

But, today, the feeling was a bit different.

When he saw the cheering spectators from the field, he enjoyed them cheering, but he couldn’t understand ‘why’ they were cheering.

But now he felt like he could understand it a little bit.

Why so many people are so enthusiastic.

It was why they were going crazy.

*

“It was a real nail-biting victory.”

“It was a bit frustrating, but I’m glad we won anyway. I thought the winning streak would be broken today.”

West Ham won the game 2-1.

Literally a hard-fought victory.

In particular, it was even more thrilling because there was a crisis of conceding an equalizer in the last added time.

Fortunately, they won, so West Ham will now continue their season winning streak to 20 games.

“Johan.”

“Yeah?”

On the way home.

Rohan put his hand on Johan’s shoulder and said.

“Do you know what I was thinking throughout the game today?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m glad it’s not yet.”

“The winning streak?”

“No. I mean our team hasn’t won the championship yet. You haven’t retired, and you’ll be playing in the next game. So I could endure even if it was frustrating. Because it’ll only be a moment anyway.”

Rohan smiled pleasantly.

Ban Seok-ho also nodded.

It was a strange feeling for the two of them to watch the game sitting in the stands with Johan.

It’s like experiencing Johan’s retirement in advance.

That day will definitely come, and when that time comes, watching the game won’t be as enjoyable every moment as it is now.

Even today’s game was full of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, and the proportion of anger was high.

But it was okay.

Because it’s not now.

“You’re not going to make the next game frustrating, are you?”

“Yeah.”

Johan also nodded.

Johan was ready to put on his soccer shoes in response to the saying that if it’s frustrating, you guys should play.

ㆍㆍㆍ

“He’s a very devoted son [filial piety].”

“He’s also a good younger brother [term for younger brother].”

“After Johan retires, I hope our team does worse.”

“Huh? Why is that?”

“Johan might come back because he’s frustrated, right?”

“Oh.”

Three days after the Brighton game.

West Ham had an away game at Brentford’s home stadium, Community Stadium.

On this day as well, West Ham operated with appropriate rotation, just like in the Brighton game.

Bellamy, the core of the defense, took a rest, Nathan and Buckley started the game on the bench, and left winger Joshua Bailey was also excluded from the list.

If you only look at the number of players, the number of starting players who were not included in the starting lineup on this day was even greater than in the Brighton game.

In the Brighton game, only Johan and right-back Jenkinson were resting.

However, on this day, West Ham did not play a sweaty game like the Brighton game.

Rather, it was a performance that perfectly resolved the frustration from the previous game.

It was because Johan was there.

That’s right, Johan, who said he would play because he was frustrated.

“Certainly, Johan has good cost-effectiveness [Korean slang for value for money].”

“Hmm?”

“If Johan wants to rest, the rest of the kids have to play. Even then, it’s difficult to fill the empty spot. But if only Johan plays, the rest can take a big rest without much trouble, right?”

“Hmm.”

Coach Jamie was beaming, and Coach Schmidt also nodded.

Having a definite ace on the team is actually a very unstable thing.

Because the team’s performance drops sharply the moment that ace is gone.

But, if that ace is a very, very reliable ace that can do everything by himself.

There is also this advantage.

The advantage that you can give the other players a little more rest if you only have an ace.

From the perspective of the coaching staff, who have to manage the team while looking at the entire season, Johan, who earns 3 points by himself, is a treasure in many ways.

Barni-! Completes a hat trick with a calm PK [Penalty Kick]! He came back after a day off, and he came back even scarier!

Thanks to Johan’s 3 goals and 1 assist, West Ham won 4-2 against Brentford.

The defense without Bellamy showed a pretty shaky performance, but that didn’t matter.

Because there was Johan who made 4 goals.

“Is this difficult?”

“Hehet.”

To Johan’s question of whether it’s difficult to win easily, the teammates just scratched their heads awkwardly.