Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 44

< 043. There is such a thing as compatibility >

West Ham’s penalty area was a chaotic scene, packed with players.

Defenders and attackers engaged in a fierce physical battle, each vying for space and refusing to yield an inch.

Man City’s set-piece specialist, Jack Price, raised his hand, signaling his readiness to take the corner kick.

*Thwack-!*

*Whoosh-*

Price’s kick was aimed slightly short, targeting the near post. Araujo darted forward, attempting to intercept the ball.

This was Man City’s most frequently used corner kick strategy.

But,

*Swoosh-!*

West Ham’s Petrovic was the first to make contact with the ball.

For the past week, West Ham had dedicated themselves almost exclusively to corner kick defense training.

Their physical conditioning was even integrated into these drills.

They had analyzed nearly all of Man City’s corner kick patterns and trained to react accordingly.

Petrovic anticipated Araujo’s run and intercepted the ball a split-second earlier.

Of course, they continued to train intensely afterward as well.

*Thwack-!*

Without even glancing at his teammates’ positions, Petrovic launched the ball far downfield towards Johan. Speed was paramount, even over pinpoint accuracy.

His aim was to make it difficult for both the covering players and the defenders in the box to track back in time.

*Whoosh-*

“Ah.”

However, Petrovic let out a short sigh as he watched the ball soar through the air.

Perhaps he had put too much force into the kick, focusing solely on speed.

The ball was traveling too far.

Or rather, it wasn’t so much that it was traveling too far, but that Man City’s goalkeeper, Eduardo, was known as a sweeper keeper [a goalkeeper who often comes out of the penalty area to intercept through balls or clear danger], known for his proactive positioning.

Especially during corner kicks, Eduardo often ventured outside the box to anticipate the play.

That was the case now, and it appeared that Eduardo would easily handle Petrovic’s clearance.

Eduardo, also confident in his assessment, casually strolled towards the ball.

*Doo doo doo doo-!*

‘Huh?’

Eduardo, who had been walking at a leisurely pace, suddenly tensed.

His pace quickened, and soon he was sprinting towards the ball.

Johan was also sprinting towards the ball from the opposite direction.

In reality, the distance was considerable.

No matter how fast a player is, it didn’t seem like a threatening situation.

Man City often deliberately slowed down the play to make opponents waste energy, so their players usually waited patiently without rushing in such situations.

However, Eduardo didn’t have the mental余裕 [mental余裕 means mental leeway or composure] to consider that. The player charging towards him was Johan.

Eduardo instinctively felt threatened by the sheer momentum of Johan’s sprint.

Therefore, despite the comfortable distance, Eduardo felt compelled to sprint out to meet the ball.

*Swoosh-!*

Ultimately, Eduardo was the first to reach the ball.

Man City regained possession, and their players began passing it around, settling into their positions to resume their attack.

A promising counterattack opportunity had been easily thwarted.

However, that brief moment was enough to electrify the atmosphere at the London Stadium.

“Hey, that bastard’s scared!”

“You guys are finished if Barney [Johan’s nickname] catches you!”

“Where’s all that arrogance you were spouting before the game!”

The home fans booed Man City as they slowly circulated the ball.

More specifically, the booing was directed at one Man City player: Jack Price.

Every time Price touched the ball, a deafening chorus of boos erupted.

“Barney! Show that backstabbing Jack Price what’s what!”

“Show them what kind of team West Ham is!”

Jack Backstabber was the nickname West Ham fans had given to Jack Price.

Price had once been a tremendously popular player during his time at West Ham, though not quite to the same extent as Johan. His skills were exceptional, and he consistently demonstrated loyalty to the club. He was even considered a potential future captain.

However, as the saying goes, a fan can become the most formidable of adversaries.

Now that he had transferred to Man City, Price was one of the most hated players among West Ham fans.

But,

The ironic thing was that Price seemed to relish it.

He never hesitated to provoke West Ham whenever they met.

He had done the same in the lead-up to today’s game, giving an interview that seemed to be aimed directly at Johan.

“I’ll teach you on the field how to win if you want to win.”

*I’ll teach you how to win.*

That’s what Price had said.

Of course, he was addressing Johan.

When they first met in the national team, Johan had reacted with indifference. And, his interviews always emphasized West Ham’s victory as his sole objective.

Price scoffed at that.

‘Do you think that mindset will last a season?’

Price had once harbored the same aspirations as Johan: the ambition to lift the championship trophy with West Ham.

However, he realized within a single season that his ambition was nothing more than naive bravado.

You can never win at West Ham. Price understood this and moved to Man City.

*Swoosh-*

*Swoosh-!*

Price saw Johan as a reflection of his former self. That’s why he wanted to mentor him as a senior player.

If you want to win, don’t waste your time trying to succeed in the wrong environment. Join a team that can actually win.

Isn’t there a saying?

If you can’t beat them, join them.

*Swoosh-*

*Swoosh-!*

Price began to drive forward from the right side, executing a series of one-two passes.

Price’s primary position was central midfielder.

However, he possessed considerable scoring ability, having scored double-digit goals during his time at West Ham.

The secret to his scoring prowess lay in his passing and dribbling skills, as demonstrated now, and,

*Thwack-!*

A tremendous kicking power.

*Whoosh-*

*Thud-!*

“Ah······!”

“Da, damn it···!”

Price’s long-range shot from just outside the arc followed an incredible trajectory and slammed into West Ham’s goal net.

Man City’s first goal came in the 12th minute of the first half.

The London Stadium fell silent.

But soon,

“That bastard!”

“You son of a bitch!”

The home fans’ curses erupted.

Price, who had scored against his former team, ran towards the front of the stands to celebrate, as if to flaunt his achievement.

*

“···?”

Johan frowned as he watched Price pass by.

Price, after celebrating boisterously, walked past Johan on his way back to his own side of the field.

He winked as he passed.

Johan had come to the stadium with a particularly strong resolve today. He was determined to win, regardless of anything else.

If they lost today’s game, it would validate the words of that smug guy.

He was referring to the idea that you can’t win with ‘those kids’.

So he desperately wanted to win.

But after conceding a goal like that, and seeing Price’s winking face as he walked by,

‘I don’t feel good.’

He felt a surge of anger building inside.

Something hot was rising up.

Price’s irritating face, and the sight of the older players hanging their heads after conceding a goal.

He was infuriated by everything.

Johan clapped his hands three times.

“···!”

“···!”

The West Ham players looked up in surprise at the thunderous applause.

They were stunned to see that Johan was the one clapping.

It was an expression they had never seen before. Johan rarely showed much emotion, even after scoring a goal.

But now, Johan’s face was filled with emotion.

The players could sense it.

That young kid was determined to win.

Of course, it’s natural for players to want to win. But it felt different when Johan expressed it.

It was a feeling that invigorated them.

“Let’s raise our heads, let’s raise our heads!”

“It’s okay! Let’s keep doing what we prepared!”

The players snapped out of their daze and shouted words of encouragement.

They had trained relentlessly for the past week in preparation for today’s game, pushing themselves to their limits.

The reason the atmosphere had suddenly plummeted and the players had lowered their heads after conceding just one goal was because their opponent was Man City.

Man City, an overwhelmingly powerful team.

When a weaker team, or a team that believes they can handle it, concedes a goal early in the game, the impact isn’t as significant. They remain confident that they can turn things around.

However, conceding a goal early against a truly formidable opponent creates immense pressure.

Even a 0-0 game feels challenging, but falling behind amplifies the psychological burden.

Especially against Man City, one point feels like two. Scoring one goal against them is harder than scoring two against other teams.

But.

“Kid, I’m sorry! I’ll do my best!”

“You can concede up to 3 goals! Because the kid will catch up anyway! Right, kid?”

Seeing Johan’s face, the players regained their confidence.

All right. We can afford to concede about 1 point. The opponent is Man City, so we expected this much, didn’t we? We just have to keep up. We can keep up.

If we have Johan.

So, let’s pull ourselves together and try again.

Let’s show them.

That this team cannot be easily dismissed.

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s do it!”

West Ham renewed their resolve.

*

Man City, having quickly scored the first goal, felt a sense of余裕 [余裕 means composure or breathing room] and further elevated their game.

Man City was a very selfish team.

Football is a game played by 22 people, but they acted as if they were only playing with their own 11.

They never relinquished possession of the ball, and if they accidentally lost it, they quickly pressed to win it back. Once they regained possession, they simply circulated the ball among themselves, frustrating their opponents.

Many teams had fallen victim to Man City’s strategy.

Players are human, and they inevitably become impatient when they can’t get their hands on the ball. Especially when they are trailing.

But West Ham was different.

After conceding a goal, West Ham patiently waited, reinforcing their defensive wall in the center of the field.

They knew that Man City wouldn’t be satisfied with a single goal.

They would wait for them to attack and then counter.

That was West Ham’s prepared strategy, and there was no need to change it.

“Beep-!”

In the 22nd minute of the first half, Price’s long-range shot, which felt good today, struck a defender and went out of bounds.

Another corner kick.

Price was again the kicker.

He raised his hand, signaling his intentions.

*Thwack-!*

Price’s kick soared high towards the goal.

West Ham was effectively blocking any forward runs, so this kick aimed to exploit a weakness in the opposite direction.

The target was the head of the tall center back, Miguel Ferreira.

Price’s kick was accurate.

*Swoosh-!*

However, before the ball reached Ferreira’s head,

Goalkeeper Jeff Hurrichel snatched it out of the air.

“···!”

Hurrichel, leaping high to intercept the ball, had a clear view of the field.

He immediately spotted Johan’s position.

“Quickly!”

After landing, Hurrichel quickly moved out of the crowded penalty area.

And,

*Thwack-!*

He angled his leg to the side, as if executing a volley, and launched the ball towards the halfway line.

Hurrichel’s kick was precise.

The direction and force made it difficult for the opposing goalkeeper to come out and intercept.

*Whoosh-*

The players sprinted towards the ball as it sailed over their heads.

With the tall center backs still in the box, Man City’s rear was being guarded by the fullbacks.

Man City’s two fullbacks, Benjamen Diaz and John Blake, were confident in their speed.

However, because Johan was positioned for a blatant counterattack, the two were positioned slightly further back than usual.

Roughly in line with Johan.

They believed that would be sufficient to prepare for a counterattack.

But that was arrogance.

*Tatatatatat-!*

Johan, Diaz, and Blake sprinted towards the ball simultaneously.

The distance between the players was significant, so a physical contest was impossible.

It was purely a battle of speed.

“Go!”

“Run, kid!”

“Run! Block it!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd, as if they were cheering on the final runners in a relay race.

The start was even, and the competition was fair.

However, it seemed as if only one player had the wind at his back.

The race, which had started with three runners side-by-side, was now being dominated by one.

Johan was the first to reach the ball, which had slowed due to backspin.

*Swoosh-!*

“That’s right!”

“Do it! You can do it!”

The West Ham players and spectators cheered as Johan controlled the ball.

*Tatatatatat-!*

He continued to run, dribbling the ball.

Even after gaining possession, Johan’s speed didn’t diminish. The distance between him and the pursuing defenders continued to increase.

‘Damn it.’

With no support from the defense, and Johan’s face growing larger every second, Eduardo the goalkeeper gritted his teeth and charged forward.

He had to narrow the angle.

“Show me!”

“Go! Pride of the Hammers!”

The West Ham fans rose to their feet, showering Johan with cheers of support.

A moment of desperation.

Johan and Eduardo collided, and then passed each other.

Johan had lightly brushed past Eduardo.

*Swoosh-!*

Johan, having evaded the goalkeeper, gently pushed the ball towards the empty net.

“Wowaaaaaaaaaack-!”

A thunderous roar erupted.

The London Stadium shook as if an earthquake had struck.

Amidst the chaos,

“···”

Johan calmly picked up the ball from inside the goal, tucked it under his arm, and returned to the halfway line.

As if to say, let’s get the game started again.

“···Ha.”

Jack Price smirked as he watched Johan place the ball on the halfway line and turn around.

However, Price’s lips trembled slightly.

“West ham’s score by number nine-”

“Yo!”

“Han!”

“Baaaaan-!”

The voices of the West Ham fans echoed the announcer’s chant, filling the London Stadium with a force that could be heard as far as Tottenham in the next neighborhood.

The game was just beginning.

Because that one goal was far from enough to satisfy Johan’s mood.