Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 38

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I felt something.

I was a little angry.

I didn’t know why I was angry, but I was.

I was angry.

It was unusual.

Johan wasn’t the type to get angry easily.

No, it’s not that he gets angry often, but there’s rarely anything that makes him angry in the first place.

But,

Hearing Price’s words suddenly made me feel strange.

‘You can’t win with those guys.’

Johan was the only one from West Ham who was called up for this *sbor* [national team training camp].

Aside from foreign players like Jacob Buckley, who was called up for the Scottish national team, or Jeff Hurrichel, who was drafted for the Norwegian national team,

There were no other players called up for the England national team.

Even though most of them were British players.

Johan could understand what that meant.

It meant that his West Ham teammates weren’t considered good enough to be selected for the national team.

So, he could understand what Price meant by ‘those guys’.

Johan was reminded of something that had happened just a few months ago.

The day of the West Ham Academy entrance test.

The guys who were talking behind his brother’s back after he failed.

Those guys laughed at the entire Ban family because of his brother.

And now.

Price’s words felt like an echo of what those guys were saying back then.

If he represented the Ban family back then,

He felt like he was representing West Ham now.

He felt like his performance here would soon become the image of West Ham.

In fact, look.

Didn’t his impression of Manchester City worsen because of Price alone?

Even though he didn’t know anything about the other players.

It was the same thing.

He didn’t want that to happen.

Even if training was annoying, he didn’t want to see his teammates being looked down upon.

Because those teammates weren’t the kind of people who deserved to be treated like that.

Jack Price.

Those players whom that guy referred to as ‘those guys’ were, in Johan’s eyes, people who endured incredibly difficult training sessions.

“Coach.”

“Yeah?”

“How many of these did you say I should do?”

“15 successful attempts each with your left foot, right foot, and head.”

“Okay.”

The training assigned to Johan on the first day was shooting.

It was training to receive crosses from the coach and connect them to a shot within two touches.

The quota was 45 successful attempts in total, combining both feet and the head.

It was a light warm-up for the first day of the *sbor*.

Johan nodded,

And unlike before, he began to take the training seriously.

Whoosh-

Thud-!

“Hoo.”

Not long after,

“…Good job.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

He finished the training in one go and left the training ground.

*

Lanister, who watched Johan’s training, was impressed.

“He’s naturally gifted.”

“There must be a reason. Even doing that, he’s the top scorer, and he came here at that age…”

“I can’t gauge it. Just how much he’s been gifted, I can’t gauge it.”

There were still many things to observe.

How well he can understand his tactics, how quickly he can integrate into the team, how much he can help the team when he puts him in the top position, and so on.

But,

Aside from that, just watching him do shooting training for a short time was enough to know one thing.

As for what he was born with,

It was bigger than any other player gathered here.

Look.

Today, Tottenham’s Mason Maguire was also given the same type of training as Johan.

But,

Booom-!

Booom-!

Even though they started the same way, he’s still left on the training ground, isn’t he?

Johan had already finished the same quota and returned.

This, really.

He couldn’t help but feel like he was a guy with a mysterious talent.

Also,

He felt like he knew why coach Schmidt cherished him so much that he sent such a long text message.

‘Don’t worry, coach. I’ll use him well and send him back.’

At that moment, Lanister thought that it was a good thing that he had taken on the England national team.

Two years ago, when he led Everton to finish the league in 5th place.

Lanister had received three options.

One option was the next manager position for Manchester United.

The other was the England national team.

As you can see, Manager Lanister chose the latter.

The reason was simple.

In charge of the national team, he could build the squad entirely to his liking, unconstrained by a club’s finances or history.

If he’d stayed with Everton, could he have used players with transfer values exceeding 100 billion now?

Even taking over money-rich Manchester United, he couldn’t bring in players from Manchester City.

Only the England national team, with its single restriction of nationality, allowed him to bring in players as he wished.

Seeing Johan today reinforced his belief that taking on the national team was the right decision.

To be able to call up and coach a player like this…

He truly made the right decision.

‘From now on…’

After the very short training session on the first day.

On that first day, Manager Lanister thought:

Johan Ban.

As long as that guy doesn’t cause trouble that could harm the team, it’s best not to interfere with him off the field.

…

September 29, 2027.

Wembley Stadium, London.

This is the largest stadium in the UK, boasting a maximum capacity of 90,000, and the home of the Three Lions [the nickname for the English national football team]. The stadium is filled with a massive crowd, nearly at full capacity.

Today is the third match of Group B in Division A of the UEFA Nations League [a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the member associations of UEFA].

England welcomes Italy to Wembley.

The Nations League, held during FIFA’s A-match week [designated periods in the international match calendar when national teams can play official matches], has its own significance, but currently, it also serves as a preliminary round to determine the teams advancing to the Euro 2028 finals.

Especially for teams in the highest league, ‘League A,’ if they finish first in their respective groups, they receive a spot and secure a direct ticket to the Euro finals.

England had recorded 1 win and 1 loss in the previous group stage matches, placing them 2nd in Group B.

A win away against Switzerland, and a loss away against Spain.

Therefore, they absolutely had to win today to secure the top spot in the group.

Only then could they maintain their chances of a direct ticket to the Euro finals.

For Europe’s top players, coping with a relentless league schedule, the meaning of a ‘direct ticket’ is enormous.

Playing even one less qualifying match can significantly impact their performance in the finals.

Today’s game was, therefore, even more important.

“Hmm…”

Ban Seok-ho, sitting in a corner of the stands, looked down at the field.

As mentioned, today’s game is important.

Ban Seok-ho was well aware that it was a difficult situation for a 16-year-old, newly called up to the national team, to make his debut.

A friendly match would be different, but this is a game where they need immediate results.

Therefore,

Ban Seok-ho fully understood why Johan wasn’t included in England’s starting lineup today.

However…

‘I wish I could see it.’

He couldn’t help but want to see it.

Today,

His son playing on the field.

‘To be precise, I wish he could show it.’

After Johan chose the England national team and was actually selected, he tried not to look, but…

Ban Seok-ho was human, so he peeked at the reactions in Korea.

The reactions were as expected.

All understandable reactions.

Therefore,

Ban Seok-ho didn’t feel anything special whether they criticized or sympathized.

However, one thing.

It was hard to bear the opinion questioning whether Johan could be competitive as an England representative.

It was certain he’d be an immediate starter if he were a Korean representative, but many said it would be difficult in England.

Because of that, many ridiculed him for making the wrong choice.

Many also cursed that he would definitely regret that choice later.

‘Will that really be the case?’

I wish he could prove those people wrong.

Show them.

“Beeeep-!”

The game started.

*

Looking at the lineups of both countries,

It was like watching a match between the Premier League All-Star team and the Serie A All-Star team [referring to the top leagues in England and Italy, respectively].

Perhaps because both countries have strong domestic leagues.

Among them, there are teams that form the backbone.

The main force of Italy was, of course, Juventus, the team with the fewest goals conceded in Serie A last season.

Italy’s goalkeeper and center-back duo in the defense line were players from Juventus.

The core of the league’s stingiest defense was embedded in the defense line.

Thanks to this, Italy’s defense was arguably the best in Europe.

In fact, they showed their strength by recording clean sheets in both previous games.

On the other hand,

If Juventus is the main force of Italy,

England’s main force was, of course, Man City.

Four of the players named in today’s starting lineup belong to Man City.

If Italy, with Juventus at the forefront, is about defense,

England is about dominating the game with passing plays.

Therefore,

Juventus and Man City.

The performances of players from the two teams that form the backbone of both national teams would be a major factor in determining the outcome.

The team that got off to a good start was England.

Italy, the away team, clearly prioritized defense from the outset, while England began the match by dominating possession with a strong midfield presence.

With numerous midfielders boasting excellent footwork, and Mason Maguire, the lone striker, covering a wide area,

England was poised to win the midfield battle.

Before the game, Coach Ranister had emphasized the importance of scoring an early goal.

Italy, with their formidable defense and incisive counterattacks, would only become more difficult to break down if they weren’t quickly denied the lead.

Therefore, England started with high energy, aggressively pushing forward, and

the home fans, packing Wembley Stadium, amplified the atmosphere with their cheers.

However,

Italy’s defense was, as anticipated, a tough nut to crack.

Italy was resolutely locking down their defense.

The Juventus center-back pairing, Barzagli and Marzio, were seasoned veterans.

Understanding each other instinctively, they constantly controlled the defensive line, blocking the box as if they were a single unit.

Furthermore,

even if a gap was somehow found and a shot taken,

there was yet another wall.

Thwack-!

Whoosh-

Wham-!

“Ugh!”

The Juventus goalkeeper, also Italy’s goalkeeper,

Alessio Petrucci.

Petrucci’s incredible saves repeatedly drew groans of dismay from the Wembley crowd.

Italy’s goal was truly heavily fortified.

“Sì! Questo è tutto!” (“Yes! That’s it!”)

“Facciamolo! Puoi farlo!” (“Let’s do it! You can do it!”)

Interestingly,

each successful defensive action seemed to energize the Italian players.

Whether it was a well-timed tackle, an interception, or a blocked shot.

The Italian players roared as if they had scored a goal every time they thwarted an attack.

And with that newfound momentum, their defensive wall became even stronger.

The England players, watching the Italian players shouting and roaring like beasts,

felt their own fighting spirit wane somewhat.

Even though they were the ones attacking, they had the unsettling feeling that the opponent was winning.

In terms of sheer grit, Italy was undoubtedly superior.

“Beep, beep-!”

In the end, the first half concluded with a 0-0 scoreline, devoid of goals.

The real problem was the second half.

Although playing away at Wembley was challenging, Italy wasn’t aiming for a draw.

Italy’s defense and momentum building was,

not just about enduring, but about stifling the opponent’s attack.

“Uh oh···!”

“No!”

In the 52nd minute, Italy’s opening goal exploded onto the scene.

As everyone had anticipated, it was a counterattack.

However,

the Black Sword of Rome [Enzo Ferrero’s nickname, referencing his speed and skill] was too fast and powerful to stop, even when expected.

Enzo Ferrero, AS Roma’s star striker, gleefully exploited the space behind England, who were overly focused on scoring, and Italy took the lead.

‘The situation isn’t good… but I like it in a way…’

Watching the game, Ban Seok-ho felt a sense of regret about the situation, but also a strange sense of anticipation.

England clearly needed to make a change.

Especially in a situation where they desperately needed a goal.

In that case,

he wondered if there would be an opportunity for Johan to enter the game.

‘What are you doing?’

Ban Seok-ho stared intently at England’s bench.

It was about time to make a move,

but frustratingly, Coach Ranister was simply staring at the field with a serious expression, without making any apparent moves.

That’s why he felt impatient.

“···!”

Finally, movement was detected.

At the coach’s signal, several players began to rise from the bench and warm up.

And,

Johan was among them.

‘Mo, move more actively…!’

Ban Seok-ho bit his nails as he watched Johan warm up.

Unlike the other players who were moving with purpose, Johan was simply loitering around.

The other players were deliberately swinging their arms and passing in front of the coach to attract attention and get a chance.

Would he even get a chance acting like that?

Even,

‘Why is he going back in?’

Johan gave a cursory warm-up and returned to the bench.

Why?

Was he just ordered to warm up with his older teammates and then return?

No.

That wasn’t it.

“···!”

Johan, having returned to the bench, removed his training suit.

And, he stood next to Coach Ranister in his uniform.

Coach Ranister seemed to say something briefly in Johan’s ear, then patted him on the back.

“Substitution for England···”

The stadium announcer declared England’s substitution.