Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 51

< 050. The One Who Gets Better with Rest >

-Johann Baan, another attacking masterclass! 1 goal and 2 assists against Leeds United!

-Bani Jr. scores in his tenth consecutive game! Is this really the record of a 16-year-old?

-Highest scoring pace ever? Johann Baan with 15 goals and 8 assists in 10 games. Will he score 40 goals this season?

-1.5 goals per game for Johann Baan. Will he be the youngest top scorer?

-[Official] Premier League October Player of the Month: West Ham’s Johann Baan!

Following 2 goals and 2 assists in the 10th round against Brentford, Johann finished October with 1 goal and 2 assists in the 11th round against Leeds.

It was a phenomenal October.

It felt like he had no rivals.

Johann was already performing at a level unseen for a 16-year-old.

However, after the rest he got in October, Johann was even more devastating than before.

The power of rest was immense.

In fact, Coach Schmidt was very worried.

No matter how well he knew the kid, he was concerned about sending him into a game without seeing him at the training ground for even a single day.

Wouldn’t anyone be?

However, Johann, once he stepped onto the pitch, immediately dispelled Coach Schmidt’s worries.

Johann, having taken a full rest, looked lighter than usual, and no defense could contain him.

A man who gets better the more he rests.

That was Johann.

Thanks to Johann’s performance, West Ham recorded 9 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 11 rounds.

9 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, 28 points.

They were in 1st place in the league. Proudly in 1st place.

Of course, the point difference with 2nd place Manchester City was only 2 points, 3 points with 3rd place Chelsea, and 5 points with 4th place Liverpool, so the gap was very small.

Also, considering various factors, there was still a long way to go.

However, it was also true that they were achieving surprising results, defying everyone’s expectations.

Because of this, West Ham fans were completely energized these days.

It’s not that West Ham doesn’t have trophies; it’s not an unpopular team. It’s one of the most popular teams in London.

Thanks to this, the fans are very passionate in the Premier League.

These days, whether it’s soccer articles or online forums.

Whenever West Ham fans showed up, fans of other teams had no choice but to back down.

-West Ham’s unstoppable run, what about a Champions League spot this season?

└West Ham is being discussed for a Champions League spot? I’m seeing things I never thought I would.

└Your face is stranger.

└Where do you live? I’ll show you why our nickname is the Hammers.

└Of course, the team in 1st place should be in the Champions League conversation, who else?

└We’ll comfortably take one ticket, so you guys fight hard for the other three LOL [Laughing Out Loud]

-West Ham’s unexpected rise, which of the Big 4 will drop to the Europa League?

└We already beat Man City, one of the Big 4. We’ll take care of the rest fairly, so you guys can worry about it.

└Kop [Liverpool fan nickname]) Hammers, please be gentle ㄷㄷ [Korean slang for trembling/fear]

└Chelsea) Can you bench Johann when you play against us?

└Red Devils [Manchester United nickname]) Don’t worry, Big 4 brothers. We’ll take care of that rootless mid-table team.

└? Who’s ‘brothers’? Don’t try to sneak into the Big 4, you smell like Europa.

└I’m jealous… Europa… A passing Arsenal fan.

└Ham) It’s fun to see you guys bickering ㅋㅋ The air above is so clear.

└What does it feel like to not be able to go to the Champions League?

└The feeling you guys had until last season.

└Reveal which team you’re from. I’ll break your head with a hammer.

Honestly, it was incredibly fun.

It was something to be proud of as a fan of the first-place team.

No matter what other team fans said, it was enough to silence them with the number 1.

It was even more fun because they had never experienced it before.

When fans were arguing over who would go to the Champions League and who would win the championship,

West Ham fans had been quietly watching from the sidelines, never even daring to dream of joining in.

However, now they could confidently present their credentials.

Of course, they also knew they should enjoy it while it lasted because they didn’t know how long it would continue.

-West Ham, completely on a roll, faces the biggest challenge of the first half… Arsenal in the 12th round, Chelsea in the 13th round, and other strong teams in a row.

└What’s the biggest challenge?

└It’s a honey schedule LOL [Laughing Out Loud, meaning easy]

└There are no strong teams for the 1st place team. They’re all just weak teams.

└Gunners [Arsenal nickname]) I know you’re happy to be in 1st place for a while, but don’t get too cocky.

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [Korean equivalent of ‘hahahaha’]

└The shame of London, shut your mouth.

└I don’t listen to teams that can’t even be in 1st place for a while.

-Currently 1st place West Ham, will they be able to maintain their ranking even during the harsh winter?

└ㅅㅂ [Korean profanity] Let’s see if you’re still cocky after winter. I bet my balls that West Ham will be below 5th place in February.

└Balls confiscated.

└I’ve been a Liverpool fan for 3 generations, but honestly, does it make sense for West Ham to be above Man U [Manchester United]? The PL’s [Premier League] discipline is a joke.

└Arrest completed at a Manchester home.

└The difference between big clubs and small clubs appears after Boxing Day [December 26th, a day with many football matches in England].

└West Ham, slip please, we need you to find your place so we can go to the Champions League.

└West Ham is currently the highest in the rankings, but it’s true that they’re the easiest team to beat among the top 4.

└I trust Arsenal and Chelsea, you two are responsible for sending them back to their place.

└Chelsea is okay, but you trust Arsenal?

└I was just saying ㅇㅇ; [Korean slang for ‘yes, yes’ or ‘I agree’]

In fact, West Ham was at the top of the current standings, but it was also true that West Ham was considered the most likely team to fall out of the Champions League spots as the season progressed.

After all, it’s natural to consider the team’s overall strength and history, not just the current ranking.

In fact, West Ham was in 1st place in terms of record and points, but other detailed statistics were far from 1st place.

Even if you just look at the number of goals conceded.

West Ham conceded 13 goals in 11 games, exceeding 1 goal per game.

Looking at how Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea have similar total goals but far fewer goals conceded, it was clear that West Ham hadn’t been overwhelmingly dominant in every game and their performance wasn’t necessarily worthy of 1st place.

West Ham’s high-flying success was simply thanks to Johann, a monster striker, playing out of his mind.

Because of this, Arsenal and Chelsea, who were about to face West Ham in a row, were determined.

Arsenal, currently in 7th place, was aiming to enter the top 6, and Chelsea was aiming for 1st place, surpassing 2nd place.

For them, West Ham was a very important opponent that they had to defeat.

Of course, the same was true for West Ham.

The fans were outwardly proud, but it was certain that both were formidable opponents.

Arsenal was a team with potential, and Chelsea was a strong team that didn’t need any introduction.

Depending on what results West Ham achieved in this schedule of playing against these two teams in a row, it seemed that it would determine whether they could continue their current momentum.

This was even more so because difficult schedules were waiting for them afterward.

The schedule from November to December was almost like hell for teams like West Ham.

At the same time as playing games against strong teams, there were also League Cup games and FIFA A-match weeks [international breaks].

The League Cup was manageable, but Barkley, Huurichelli, and others were likely to be called up to their respective national teams during the A-match week, and Johann was also likely to be called up.

It was burdensome for the team’s core players to have additional commitments on top of the league games.

Moreover, December was even more hellish.

In December, which includes Boxing Day, a crazy schedule of playing 7 league games in a month was waiting for them.

It was almost like playing a game every 4 days, and depending on the schedule, there were weeks where they had to play two games in 3 days.

Even established big clubs struggle with this crazy winter schedule.

Therefore, the three months of winter, from November to January,

would determine the overall performance of this season, so West Ham had to navigate this winter wisely.

Many other team fans were looking forward to their downfall.

Once winter passes, the West Ham fans, who are annoying because they are so proud of being in 1st place for the first time, will be quieter.

But there was one thing they didn’t know.

Even at this moment,

Johann was resting well.

ㆍㆍㆍ

West Ham and Arsenal don’t have a direct derby [local rivalry] relationship, but since they are based in the same city of London, there was some rivalry.

In particular, if you were to pick the teams with the most fans in London, these two teams were often mentioned, so the fans of both teams tended to be aware of each other.

Because of this, Arsenal’s home stadium, Emirates Stadium, was filled with a roaring crowd.

The current atmosphere was definitely more favorable for West Ham than Arsenal.

However, that was because West Ham was so good; it didn’t mean that Arsenal was bad.

Arsenal was in 7th place in the league with 6 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in 11 rounds, with 19 points.

As you can see from the record, Arsenal has many losses, but also many wins.

In other words, the defense is unstable, but they have an attack that can compensate for it to some extent.

The core of Arsenal’s attack was three players.

The so-called Three Young Gunners.

Mikel Myers on the left.

Aaron Reynolds on the right.

Luke De Bruyne in the center.

Arsenal, with an average age of 23, consisting of Myers, Reynolds, and De Bruyne, was quite formidable.

The three of them had already scored 16 goals together.

Arsenal fans didn’t envy other teams when it came to the attack.

However, it was a little different on this day.

That Three Young Gunners that Arsenal was so proud of.

There was one player in West Ham who had all the advantages of that attacking trio.

16 goals scored by three people together?

15 goals alone.

Average age of 23?

16 years old, 7 years younger than that.

West Ham had Johann.

There was also ‘Johann who came out after a good rest’, comparable to ‘Korea facing Japan in a game with military exemption at stake’ [a high-stakes match].

That was something Arsenal couldn’t do anything about.

Just a natural disaster.

All they could do was humbly accept it.

Arsenal’s defense was already unstable.

Arsenal’s defense, whose defensive tactics were incomplete and whose individual skills were difficult to see as befitting a Big 6 team, was insufficient to stop Johann, who had come out after a good rest.

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

In a corner kick situation, he headed in the corner kick delivered by Petrovic, coolly opening up Arsenal’s goal.

Johann’s header was so high that it seemed he had an extra head compared to other players, and Arsenal’s defenders were not able to mark Johann at all.

The second goal came just before the end of the first half.

This time, it came from Johann’s favorite situation, with his back to the defense.

Johann, who received the ball with Arsenal’s center back Martens on his back, broke Martens’ balance with a subtle upper body feint. He broke down the defense behind him without even turning around.

After that, Johann, who turned around quickly, shot towards the corner of the goal, scoring the second goal.

Arsenal didn’t give up easily.

In the 11th minute of the second half, when they were down 0-2, the Three Young Gunners created a beautiful goal with a finish following a series of well-coordinated passes.

Myers broke down the left with a dribble and passed it to De Bruyne in the box. De Bruyne cleverly flicked the ball with a back heel, and Reynolds, who was rushing in, finished it with a calm ground shot.

It was the most ideal goal that Arsenal could create, with each of the Three Top’s strengths properly showcased.

Because of this, Emirates Stadium erupted in cheers, creating an atmosphere of pursuit.

However,

The atmosphere was dampened just 5 minutes later.

Johann scored a goal that mirrored exactly what the Three Young Gunners had shown, all by himself.

Johann, who received the ball slightly outside the box, created space by showing incredible skill to escape the pressure from the rushing defenders, and connected a perfectly weighted through pass to Barkley, who was making a run from the right.

And, Barkley, who received the ball, passed it back to Johann, and Johann easily tapped it in, completing a hat trick.

With that goal, Johann achieved his 3rd hat trick of the season, completely breaking Arsenal’s will to chase and turning Emirates Stadium into a silent library.

In addition, it instilled envy in the hearts of Arsenal fans, who previously boasted that they didn’t envy other teams when it came to the attack.

It was a moment when they could confirm that the Three Top they were so proud of could not be compared to Johann alone.

Anyway, the final score was 3-1.

West Ham managed to win an important game thanks to Johann’s performance.

And,

Many other team fans spared no criticism for the defeated Arsenal.

As a Big 6 team, they failed to bring down West Ham and were beaten like dogs.

However, there was still something to comfort them.

└Arsenal was~~ not an ace~~!! [referencing a popular meme]

└I didn’t expect it ㅋㅋ There’s no fool who believed in Arsenal anyway, right?

└That guy is… the weakest of us.

└Now the ‘real’ one is coming.