Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 171

< Episode 170 – Villain Appearance >

In truth, Premier League fans don’t really have a strong sense of community.

What I mean is this.

For example, last season when Manchester City and Real Madrid faced off in the Champions League final.

The fans of each Premier League team didn’t support Manchester City just because they belonged to the same league.

If anything, there were probably far more fans who wanted Manchester City to lose. Far more.

Especially Manchester United fans, needless to say.

Of course, La Liga fans might be similar, but Premier League fans are particularly bad about it.

For them, the Premier League is already the best league in the world, and winning within it is what matters. They often don’t care whether a team from the same league wins the European title.

They’d rather it didn’t happen.

There were even fans who didn’t support their own national team at one point.

However, this season was a bit different.

With all Premier League teams except West Ham eliminated from the Champions League, and by La Liga teams no less.

Among Premier League fans, there was a subtle sentiment building, hoping that West Ham would at least reach the final.

-Why can’t the Premier League champion be the champion of Europe… Manchester City, humiliation of the champion

-La Liga 3, Premier League 1… The pride of the Premier League has fallen to the ground

-‘La Liga Festival’ Champions League, will it be a final between La Liga teams? The only hope lies with West Ham…

-Preparing for the final already? Real Moreno Chairman, “I’m not worried about West Ham… The reason they boast overwhelming performance in the league is because they don’t belong to La Liga.”

First of all.

The fact that three of the four semi-final spots were taken by La Liga teams, and that La Liga’s momentum was soaring, was very irritating.

Especially,

-Villarreal advances to the semi-finals after defeating Sevilla, mocking the PL [Premier League]? “If we were in the Premier League, we would have collected trophies like crazy… The PL is a league where a team in the Champions League quarter-finals wins.”

-Villarreal’s Fernandez coach bristles at the evaluation that they had good luck with the draw, “We met Sevilla from the same La Liga in the quarter-finals. How can you say we had good luck with the draw when we didn’t meet a Premier League team?”

-Villarreal expresses regret at facing Real in the semi-finals… “If we were in Atletico Madrid’s position, it would have been much easier to reach the final… West Ham beat Bayern Munich and came up? We’ve beaten Munich too. It’s not surprising.”

Among the teams that advanced to the semi-finals, Villarreal, considered relatively weak, was particularly irritating to Premier League fans with their trash talk.

To be honest, it was really annoying to see those who got to the semi-finals thanks to the luck of the draw talking as if Manchester City or Liverpool were inferior teams.

Villarreal even didn’t hesitate to look down on West Ham.

But what’s even more infuriating is that there’s nothing to say.

In any case, Villarreal is in the semi-finals, and all Premier League teams except West Ham were defeated by La Liga teams and eliminated in the quarter-finals.

This is just a fact.

Villarreal even had experience in the 2021/22 Champions League, defeating Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and advancing to the semi-finals, so they were qualified to say that West Ham’s semi-final appearance was not surprising.

Since everything they say is right, there’s nothing to say even if it’s unfair.

That’s why it’s even more infuriating.

It wasn’t just that.

In fact, what’s most infuriating is the attitude of Atletico Madrid, who defeated Liverpool and will face West Ham.

-Atletico Madrid coach Marco Darin expresses confidence, “Confirmed the level of the Premier League through Liverpool. Their patterns are obvious and easy to block.”

└What a load of crap. Who can’t block it if you just play ten-men-behind-the-ball all the time?

└Is defending for 90 minutes football?

└What era is it, and you’re still playing anti-football?

└When you watch their games, they have no intention of winning. They’re just trying to draw and get lucky to advance.

└If I can’t sleep at night, I turn on these guys’ games and fall asleep right away.

-Atletico Madrid enjoys the reaction to the criticism that it was “the worst 180 minutes.” “The semi-finals will be even worse.”

└Champions League popularity will drop as these guys go up each round ㅋㅋ [Korean slang for laughing]

└These guys are the scariest of all teams

└I’m so sick of them ㅋㅋ

└It’s all Liverpool’s fault

└The semi-finals will be boring ㅅㅂ [Korean slang for ‘damn’] If these guys go to the final, it’s a real disaster

└If these guys go to the final, this season’s Champions League is doomed ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for laughing]

The quarter-final match between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.

The 180 minutes of the game between these two teams was considered the worst 180 minutes of this season.

It was that boring.

Atletico Madrid brought their attackers down to focus on defense, and Liverpool showed a frustrating performance, failing to break through Atletico Madrid’s defense.

Perhaps few people, even Atletico Madrid or Liverpool fans, watched all 180 minutes; it was such an uninteresting game.

Because of that, there was a lot of criticism.

Liverpool was criticized for failing to eliminate Atletico Madrid, and Atletico Madrid, the main culprit of the boring game, was severely criticized for undermining the quality of football.

But,

even those who criticized them couldn’t beat their logic.

-Atletico Madrid coach Marco Darin speaks out about the anti-football controversy, “Is there anything more important than winning in professional football? We were just being true to the essence more than anyone else.”

Nothing is more important than winning.

No one could refute this sentence.

There may be various interpretations, but in any case, it’s not wrong.

In the world of professional football, nothing is more important than winning.

In the end, there was only one thing fans who were at a loss for words could do.

In the face of an external enemy, even an internal enemy becomes an ally.

That was to support West Ham, who would face Atletico Madrid.

└Yohan needs to teach them a lesson to wake them up

└Please drop AT [Atletico Madrid] and let’s have a fun final

└I’m rooting for West Ham this time

└Still, there should be a Premier League team in the final to save face, right?

└West Ham, do well. If you lose to Atletico Madrid, we’ll all look bad

└Yohan, the football itself, is going to defeat the anti-football villain

└Will it work…? Will it?

└Are you guys not believing in Yohan? If you’re worried, go back and watch the game your team played against West Ham

└You’re dead, boring Madrid ㅋㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for laughing]

ㆍㆍㆍ

After finishing the Champions League quarter-final schedule.

West Ham’s next schedule is the league’s 30th round.

It was an away game against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

This day’s game also continued in a similar vein to the previous 29th round against Tottenham.

Just as more Hammers than usual filled Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this time too, West Ham’s chants echoed even louder at the Emirates Stadium.

Anyway, away games within London don’t feel like away games.

Because it’s so close.

Compared to away games to places like Liverpool, Manchester, or Newcastle, it’s just a neighborhood outing.

The only things that give it the feeling of an away game are the atmosphere of the stadium and the home fans’ enthusiastic welcome.

But today, even that wasn’t felt, so in fact, the meaning of an away game was completely gone.

“These traitorous bastards…”

“Selling your souls for petty cash…”

“It’s not petty cash though… I’ve been seeing lately…”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Gooners [Arsenal fans] gnashing their teeth as they watch the Hammers making Emirates Stadium their own home.

After seeing Hotspur Stadium become the Hammers’ territory last time.

The Gooners all promised.

Let’s not sell our souls for money.

Unlike Tottenham’s penny-pinchers who only know money, they would protect Emirates Stadium and show the spirit of Arsenal.

But, was it just an empty promise?

Everyone promised that, but where did they all go?

“Welcome to another London Stadium!”

“London Stadium Branch No. 3 Open!”

“Franchise inquiries welcome!”

It’s unfortunate for the Gooners, but anyway.

Emirates Stadium was also occupied by the Hammers who wanted to see Yohan, and.

The game went very hard for Arsenal.

*

The game ended 3-1, with West Ham winning.

Yohan recorded 1 goal and 2 assists before being substituted in the 77th minute, and the remaining players defended the score well and secured the victory.

Interestingly, after the game, some of Arsenal’s young players had a fight among themselves.

But, the reason for the fight wasn’t the poor game content.

“It’s mine!”

“Why is it yours! Did you leave it with me?”

“Hey, hey! Let’s play rock-paper-scissors, rock-paper-scissors.”

The players fought each other for the privilege of exchanging uniforms with Yohan.

Because today might be the last chance to exchange uniforms with Yohan.

Anyway, the protagonist of that privilege was Aaron Reynolds, and Reynolds, who received Yohan’s uniform, couldn’t hide his smile and became the target of angry Gooners.

Anyway, with this day’s victory, West Ham recorded an overwhelming record of 28 wins and 2 draws up to the 30th round.

It’s not all wins, but it’s undefeated.

Now, more attention was being paid to whether West Ham could achieve an undefeated championship than whether they would win the championship.

There are 8 games left now.

If they don’t lose in those 8 games, West Ham can become the protagonist of a rare record, achieving their first first-division championship since their foundation with an undefeated championship.

It seemed possible enough.

Among the remaining schedules, the difficult games would be the matches against Chelsea or Manchester City.

However, West Ham is the top dog in all of those games.

Chelsea, of course, and even Manchester City are now evaluated as underdogs when they meet West Ham.

Of course, there are not no variables at all.

Manchester City was eliminated from the Champions League, so they can focus more on the league.

That part cannot be ignored.

But still, they can win. Enough.

What’s more worrying than Chelsea or Manchester City is rotation.

Especially the day Yohan takes a break.

That day will be the most dangerous day.

Or, the games after confirming the early championship will also be dangerous.

Because you don’t know how Yohan, who has lost motivation, will change.

Well, as long as the club can see themselves winning the championship trophy.

The Hammers don’t care whether it’s an undefeated championship or a defeated championship.

But still, now that we’ve come this far.

We’ve built up such a pretty record, wouldn’t it be better if the finish was clean?

It’s uncertain whether this kind of opportunity will come again.

But above all, the reason why fans want an undefeated championship is because of another reason.

It was because of Yohan.

Yohan is already the best player in club history.

He will soon be the player representing West Ham.

Therefore, Yohan’s career becomes West Ham’s pride.

Among the many phrases that modify Yohan, fans wanted this phrase to be added.

The man who led West Ham’s magical undefeated championship.

That’s what the fans wanted.

ㆍㆍㆍ

“Hmm. Is this the place? The place where Barcelona, Juventus, and Munich were miserably broken.”

“It’s a little smaller than I thought. I thought it would be a little bigger because the away teams lose their minds when they come here.”

“It’s definitely not a place suitable for holding a Champions League semi-final game.”

April 5, 2029, London Stadium.

A group of players wearing red striped tracksuits look around the empty stadium and talk.

They are Atletico Madrid players who came to London for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final the day after tomorrow.

“Still, it’s so popular these days.”

“I think I’ve heard something too. I heard they sell out all the away games too?”

From the players who started light adaptation training, there was talk about West Ham’s recent explosive popularity.

West Ham fans sell out not only home games but also away games.

“Then, it will definitely be full tomorrow too.”

“I guess so.”

The players glance around the stands.

These many seats are filled with West Ham fans.

A slight smile appears on the players’ faces.

“It’ll be fun.”

“It’s the perfect environment.”

It’s a slightly perverted smile.

In fact, after coach Marco Darin took over this team.

And after taking on Darin’s color and playing football like now.

Atletico Madrid players enjoyed something more than the cheers of their home fans.

That was the booing and anger of the opposing team’s fans.

Atletico Madrid, who even got the nickname anti-football because of their extreme defensive football.

Thanks to that, they were a team that received a lot of booing wherever they went.

At first, the players also had a hard time with such booing.

But not now.

“The louder the opponent’s booing, the better we’re doing.”

What Darin said to the players who were complaining about mental difficulties.

That was a great inspiration to the players.

And now.

Atletico Madrid players already have filters on their ears.

A filter that can turn the booing of the opposing team’s fans into cheers for themselves.

So I was looking forward to tomorrow’s game so much I couldn’t wait.

The violent booing of the fans that will pour out here.

How thrilling will it be?

“The villain has appeared.”

“Hehehe.”

The Atletico Madrid players smiled.