Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 52

< 051. A Talent That Thrives on Rest >

Chelsea is a solid team.

That’s the most fitting description. Solid.

If a team’s abilities were represented in a hexagon, like in a soccer game analysis, Chelsea would undoubtedly be the team with the most perfect hexagon among the PL [Premier League] teams right now.

And a very large hexagon at that.

The balance of defense, midfield, and attack.

The balance of veterans and rookies.

The balance between starters and substitutes.

Chelsea doesn’t lack in any area, making them one of the most difficult opponents for West Ham in many ways.

Moreover, this game is at Chelsea’s home, Stamford Bridge.

In reality, this Chelsea match seemed like the biggest challenge for West Ham in the first half of the season.

-Chelsea, Champions League group stage, achieved 1st place with 3 consecutive wins!

-Chelsea with a clean sheet in the Champions League group stage, their defense is top-tier even in Europe!

Chelsea lacks nothing, but,

If we look for the foundation of that solidity, it’s definitely the defense.

Chelsea’s defense is rated as top-class in the league.

The reason they consistently achieve good results in cup competitions is also thanks to this defense.

The league is the same, but in cup competitions, that is, tournaments, a team with a strong defense definitely has an advantage.

The core of Chelsea’s defense is, of course, the three center-backs forming the back three.

Brazilian veteran Matias Gustavo, England national team center-back Shay Bellamy, and German Niklas Ginter.

The back three formed by these three is the foundation that supports Chelsea. In fact, it was even evaluated as having no weaknesses.

Because the harmony these three create is so ideal.

In the center of the back three, Gustavo, who plays the role of commander and can also move forward like a libero [a player who can move freely between defense and midfield], is known as the epitome of a ‘smart center-back’ and is skilled in overall control.

Bellamy was a cunning, sly center-back – in a good way. What should I say? He’s the type of player you’d feel secure with on your team, but want to take out if he’s on another team. He doesn’t hesitate to subtly provoke opponents or engage in trash talk.

Because of this, there were many strikers who couldn’t perform to their full potential when they met Bellamy.

Lastly, Niklas Ginter is simply a physical monster.

Even decent target strikers often look unsightly when matched against Ginter, so attackers whose strength is their physicality fear Ginter the most.

In any case, Chelsea, guarded by these three defenders, was currently the team with the fewest goals conceded in the league.

Only 7 goals conceded in the previous 12 rounds.

They had 6 clean sheets. That meant half of their games were finished without conceding a goal.

Even in the games where they conceded, it was only 1 goal, 2 at most.

Because of this, soccer fans were paying attention to the game between West Ham and Chelsea.

Chelsea, based on a solid defense.

West Ham, leading the league with Johan’s scoring prowess.

It was inevitable to wonder which team would win in that battle of spear versus shield.

Moreover, for both teams, this game could be the most important game of the first half of the season.

The war of nerves between the two teams’ fans was also fierce.

-Chelsea vs West Ham predicted starting lineup… Can Johan Van record attack points against Chelsea as well?

└The reason Johan is currently the top scorer: Because he hasn’t met Chelsea yet

└I can’t imagine our team’s defense being breached

└Johan won’t be able to do anything

Chelsea fans were confident that Johan was leading the scoring charts because he hadn’t met them yet,

└The reason Chelsea is the team with the fewest goals conceded in the league: Because they haven’t met Johan yet

└Everyone has a plausible plan until they get hit.

└Everyone is equal before the hammer. One hit for you. One hit for you.

West Ham fans responded that Chelsea was maintaining the fewest goals conceded because they hadn’t met Johan yet.

In the end, it seemed that we would have to see the match to know who was right.

Many soccer fans’ eyes were on Stamford Bridge.

ㆍㆍㆍ

November 9, 2027, London Stamford Bridge.

West Ham arrived at one of the oldest stadiums in England.

“The temperature has dropped sharply. You can be a little more energetic today! Warm up thoroughly!”

“Yes!”

Jamie, the coach, shouts at the players warming up on the field before the game.

The game is being played in the evening, and the time has come when most players wear long-sleeved uniforms.

Moreover, it’s especially cold today.

The temperature at Stamford Bridge for today’s 8 PM kick-off is 4 degrees Celsius [39 degrees Fahrenheit].

It’s cold weather, with the temperature dropping more than 4 degrees compared to the average.

What you need to be especially careful about with the cold that came earlier than expected is, of course, injuries.

This time of year, when the league starts to enter the middle of the season and the weather suddenly gets cold, is a time when injuries increase rapidly.

West Ham, whose squad depth is not very thick, can only be afraid of injuries.

The squad is made up of players with clear strengths and weaknesses, and the current squad is made up of those players being mixed together as well as possible so that they cover each other.

If even one person is missing, the impact will be significant.

Fortunately, no players have been out due to injury yet, but injuries can come overnight, so you have to be careful.

Especially today, when the weather suddenly got cold.

“Kid. Move around a little more today. Playing soccer in the winter is definitely different from the summer.”

In particular, Johan had to be the most careful.

It was clear that Johan had a blessed body.

The staff at the club’s treatment room would immediately exclaim when they touched Johan’s body.

However, Johan is not Iron Man, and as a human being, he cannot be free from injury.

In addition, he tends to warm up roughly compared to others before the game, and there are many cases where he suddenly sprints while standing still during the game.

Even today, it wasn’t just that.

“Johan! Run more! Run lightly enough to break a sweat!”

The reason Jamie is especially focused on Johan and urging him on today is because Chelsea has Niklas Ginter.

Niklas Ginter, that physical monster.

There were even attackers who were injured just by colliding with Ginter.

He is literally a human weapon.

Chelsea was sure to use that Ginter to physically harass Johan.

But since the weather is already cold, I can’t help but feel uneasy.

I just hope that we can finish today’s game without any injuries.

Fortunately, Johan was warming up more diligently than usual, perhaps because the urging worked.

Still, something feels a little uneasy.

‘Why is that bastard looking at me with those eyes?’

From afar, Niklas Ginter was staring at Johan with scary eyes.

*

195 centimeters tall [6 feet 5 inches], with closely cropped blond hair and a square jaw.

Niklas Ginter, a Germanic warrior who anyone would want to avoid in a physical fight, had been waiting for this day for quite some time.

When Ginter transferred to Chelsea two years ago, he stepped onto English soil with great expectations.

This was because the Premier League was famous for being a rough league. He came with high expectations that he would be able to have plenty of physical battles here.

However, contrary to expectations, Ginter was disappointed because they were all weaklings.

There was no one who satisfied him.

They just screamed and collapsed at the slightest bump.

Ginter had been kicked out a few times for getting angry at the sight and fighting more violently.

Every time he was sent off, he was scolded by the manager, got angry, and smashed the locker room.

But today, there was no need to worry.

Chelsea’s manager, Josef Hoffmann, said so.

“You can fight as much as you want this time. That guy isn’t an easy opponent either.”

You can fight as much as you want.

That was welcome news.

The ‘that guy’ that Hoffmann mentioned is West Ham’s new face, who he has never physically clashed with before.

His name is Johan Van.

Ginter also knew Johan. There was no way he couldn’t know.

These days, his story comes out whenever you turn on the TV.

What did the media say about him?

They said it was God’s talent dwelling in a boy’s body.

But he didn’t care about God’s talent.

Before God’s talent, there is the human body.

The human body cannot be free from power.

Overwhelming power.

That’s the secret to how Ginter has crushed target strikers who are said to be something.

“······”

Ginter was eagerly waiting for the whistle to blow.

Bumping into him as much as he wanted.

And, he hoped that the kid could satisfy him even a little bit.

“Beeeep-!”

The whistle that Ginter had been waiting for sounded,

The game began.

*

“Haa-”

A white breath comes out of Johan’s mouth as he sighs.

It’s cold.

It’s been several years since I moved to London, but it seems like the first time it’s been this cold since the beginning of November.

Naturally, Johan doesn’t really like the cold. The best thing to do in winter is to be holed up in a thick blanket.

Because of this, Johan warmed up a little harder than usual.

However, even after warming up like that, I felt a chill when I went into the locker room and came out onto the ground again.

When I was warming up, I wore a training jacket, but now I only have a thin uniform.

Ah, but there is one good thing.

“······”

Johan realized for the first time that a person’s body temperature is so warm.

At the same time as the game started, a large figure similar to keeper Huerrichel kept hovering around him. Not only that, but he kept sticking to him and rubbing against him even though there was no ball.

Johan frowned at first because he didn’t like rubbing his skin against men, but his body temperature was giving off a warm feeling.

Besides, he’s so big that he seems to be blocking the whistling wind to some extent.

“Hoo, hoo.”

No, but I’m grateful for sharing your body temperature.

It’s a little unpleasant to even blow hot air.

He’s so tall that the back of my head is hot.

Why is he panting so much when the game hasn’t even started yet?

Could it be… no? Could it be that his taste is that way…?”

While Johan’s thoughts were flowing in a strange direction.

‘What is it…? ‘

Niklas Ginter, who was sticking to Johan like his shadow, was also looking at Johan with a dumbfounded look.

He was embarrassed.

His expression looked comfortable enough to be embarrassing.

In fact, all the attackers who had bumped into Ginter even a little bit had always turned pale.

That rock-hard body made you feel it just by touching your flesh and muscles.

That if you bump into this guy wrong, you’re screwed.

Because of this, most attackers usually avoided him after rubbing against him a few times.

But, this guy didn’t seem to care about him.

No, is he completely ignoring him?

He keeps playing with his breath, saying haa, haa.

It didn’t seem like he was pretending to be calm.

In fact, he was putting quite a bit of strength into his body and poking him.

Originally, if you do this much, most guys’ expressions harden right away.

But, what the hell is this guy…

What kind of body does he have?

At that moment, when Ginter’s head became complicated.

Paah-!

The first pass flew to Johan.

It was a lob pass that went over the back of his head.

Because of this, the moment Johan tried to turn around.

Ginter thought it was right.

Yes. It’s now.

A good opportunity to bump into each other properly, not just poking.

‘I have to take him out at the beginning.’

Ginter wasn’t even looking at the ball in the first place.

Ginter stood in front of Johan, who was turning around to receive the pass.

However, Johan was not the type to turn around.

Even taking a few steps to go around is a troublesome task, so it’s always the shortest distance.

Because of this, even if a giant like Ginter blocked his path, Johan did not change his route.

The collision between the two was inevitable, and

Puh-uh-uh-uck-!

With a heavy sound, one player rolled backwards in an unsightly manner.

It was Niklas Ginter who fell.

“···!?”

The first shock he ever felt.

As he watched the world spin around, Ginter cursed the media who had been babbling on their own.

God’s talent dwelling in a boy’s body?

Damn it!

Is this a boy’s body?!

The front and back have been reversed!

It’s not God’s talent, it’s God’s body!

“Cough!”

Ginter had been so looking forward to fighting Johan, but this was not what he had been expecting.

He was expecting a level that would satisfy him to some extent, but of course he wasn’t expecting something that far exceeded that.

Johan’s power was at a level that far exceeded Ginter’s expectations.