Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 93

< 092. Let's Compete >

“Today, you tightly marked Southampton’s main striker, Hernandez, with your wide range of activity in both attack and defense, leading the team to victory. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Wow, you have a much nicer voice than I expected! I think there will be quite a few fans hearing Nathan’s voice for the first time.”

“···”

“Anyway. You’ve been selected as MOM [Man of the Match] for the first time this season. Any comments?”

Nathan, doing his first MOM interview, cleared his throat, looking slightly nervous.

“First of all, I’m so happy. Not just because I received MOM today, but because I’m playing on this team. My teammates, coaches, and the manager are all really great. I’ll say it definitively: I want to play on this team for as long as possible.”

“…Wow. You’ve expressed your affection for the team like a rap. Are you aware of the stories circulating these days?”

Having said a month’s worth of words, Nathan paused to catch his breath before answering.

“That’s right. All the stories about me aren’t true. Especially what I found hard to bear…”

“What was hard to bear?”

“The stories about Johan and me. Stories that I feel deprived because of Johan, that I’m not happy, that I hate Johan.”

“It’s not like that at all in reality?”

“Of course. I think it’s lucky to play with a player like Johan. How much do I like Johan…”

Nathan pauses, lost in thought.

Nathan hesitated until the end, then closed his eyes and continued.

Like an announcer reading a script, mechanically and precisely.

“Johan is my sun. I am just the moon reflecting his light. Thanks to receiving a lot of light today, I was able to become a full moon. I am 100 percent satisfied with my role. I really enjoy being on the same team as Johan. I love that friend.”

“Haha. I can really feel your sincerity. Did you hear that, reporters?”

After the interview, Nathan quickly left the interview site with a flushed face.

And, the next day.

At the training ground, teammates pointed at Nathan and burst into laughter.

“Wow, who is this? The minstrel of the ground?”

“Johan is the sun, and I am the moon. How did you come up with such an idea?”

“Were you deliberately holding back because everyone would fall in love with you if you opened your mouth?”

“···”

Teammates tease Nathan, who has generously expressed his affection for Johan.

Nathan sighed, seemingly embarrassed by the teasing of his teammates.

Ah.

I shouldn’t have done that.

I was too drunk on victory last night.

“···”

And, someone is watching Nathan from one corner with a dissatisfied expression.

It was Harry Kane.

For some reason, Kane seemed to feel impatient, like he had to do something too.

ㆍㆍㆍ

“We’ll keep going like this next season, right? The kids have become one, centered around Johan.”

“No.”

“No?”

“There will be more reinforcements. The owner promised.”

“Really?”

Ban Seok-ho, who was watching the news with Rohan, was delighted.

That’s good news to hear.

Following last summer, they made surprisingly successful signings this winter.

There will be more reinforcements coming this summer?

I’m getting confused at this point.

I wonder if the current West Ham is the West Ham I used to know.

I’ve been a fan of this team for over a decade, but I’ve never liked it as much as I do these days.

It’s all thanks to Johan.

Thanks to him, we’re competing for the championship and the team is aiming to become a big club.

“The 32nd round is already over.”

“I know. March is already ending. Time flies so fast. It feels like yesterday that I went to see Johan’s debut match, trembling.”

“It hasn’t been that long in reality, though. Anyway, Johan’s first season is coming to an end.”

Time flies so fast.

Already the end of the season.

Of course, it’s not over yet.

But, I already feel sad.

“Rohan.”

“Yes?”

“Let me ask you one thing honestly.”

“What is it?”

“Do you want our team to win the championship this year, or not?”

“Huh? Why are you asking such a question? Of course… uh…”

“You’re conflicted too, right?”

“…It’s complicated.”

With only 6 league games left.

It looks difficult, but West Ham still has a chance to win the championship.

This season, we thought that qualifying for the Europa League would be a success.

However, the team was recording surprisingly good results every day, and thanks to that, Ban Seok-ho and Rohan, who were confident that no one could love the team as much as they did, were the happiest these days.

Of course, they wanted the team to win the league championship.

It’s a great thing that I didn’t even dare to think of as a wish. Winning the championship.

I also want to see Johan at the center of it.

But, I can’t just be happy.

Because the moment West Ham wins the championship is the day I can no longer see Johan on the field.

It’s greedy, but honestly, I can’t let go of either one.

The team’s championship, and seeing Johan playing on a bigger stage.

Rohan tore at his hair and said cautiously.

“Isn’t second place in the league… really great?”

“Of course it’s great. It’s incredibly great. It’s insanely great.”

“We can win the championship next season. Our team got stronger in the second half, right? At this rate, we might even be able to win the championship undefeated next year.”

“I don’t expect that far, but winning the championship is really likely.”

West Ham.

The most beloved team that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

But if it’s my only brother and son, it’s a different story.

Especially,

“If Johan is gone, can we do as well next year?”

“No…”

If Johan retires, what’s next?

I can’t even imagine.

But I can’t change my promise and grab his pants and ask him to play more even though we won the championship.

Because they both knew how hard Johan was working just to get to this point.

Rohan shook his head violently.

“I think I have to see it. Johan playing in the Champions League, lifting the Big Ear [Champions League trophy], winning the Euros [European Championship], and even winning the Ballon d’Or [Best football player in the world award].”

“There’s no reason why he can’t. No, of course he can.”

“He can retire whenever he wants then. Well… maybe he’ll change his mind again.”

“But I hope this isn’t the last time.”

It’s so strange.

West Ham lifting the league trophy.

Of course I want to see it.

But I feel like it’s okay if it’s next year. No, maybe even the year after next.

If possible, I want to see Johan achieve everything he can as a soccer player.

This isn’t because he’s my brother or son.

It’s as a soccer fan.

Johan is a player who has the ability to do that.

It would be a waste in many ways for such a guy to leave the field early.

Because of that,

“Manchester City won again today.”

“I didn’t expect them to lose.”

It’s news that Manchester City won again today, but Rohan and Ban Seok-ho just shrugged their shoulders and didn’t seem too disappointed.

Anyway, the championship is something that heaven gives.

It won’t happen if you want it, and it won’t not happen if you don’t want it.

They were just prepared to accept whatever result came out.

ㆍㆍㆍ

In the Premier League, if the top two teams have the same points, the team with the higher goal difference wins the championship trophy.

Currently, if you compare the goal difference between Manchester City and West Ham, Manchester City is overwhelmingly higher.

West Ham had quite a few difficult games anyway, and they covered it with scoring ability rather than reducing goals conceded.

Manchester City, on the other hand, had many games where they completely dominated their opponents, so it was natural.

Therefore, even with a 3-point difference, Manchester City actually had more leeway.

Is that why?

Manchester City didn’t waver.

Manchester City also won in the 33rd round of the league.

But West Ham also won.

West Ham, who met Leeds United as their opponent in the 33rd round, played a tough game but still managed to get 3 points.

It felt frustrating because of Leeds’ defense that blatantly checked Johan, but in the end, Johan solved the game with an assist instead of a goal.

Thanks to that, the two teams’ championship competition can continue in the 34th round.

The 34th round was an important round for West Ham.

The opponent is the last Big 6 team they will meet this season,

It was Arsenal.

This 34th round was also a round that Arsenal could never miss. Arsenal was only 2 points behind 4th place Chelsea.

The Champions League competition has become even more difficult because of West Ham.

Arsenal had to get at least 1 point, and Arsenal’s momentum was good in the second half.

Arsenal was aiming for a late turnaround in this game against West Ham.

However, West Ham was fair.

Just as they did not allow Chelsea to earn a single point, West Ham did not allow Arsenal to earn any points.

As in the first game, the score was 3-1, West Ham’s victory.

In this game, Johan scored 1 goal and 1 assist, recording 2 attack points and crushing Arsenal’s hopes.

Also, with this, Manchester City became the only Big 6 team that was not ‘doubled’ by West Ham.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United, Tottenham.

All of these teams recorded 2 losses each to West Ham.

It was an amazing record, and now there was no one who could disagree.

The fact that West Ham was purely in 2nd place with ‘skill’ and was aiming for Manchester City’s neck.

Anyway, we’ll have to wait until the end to see the results.

The big clubs that remained below West Ham in the rankings had no choice but to prepare for the next season.

They needed special measures.

That special measure would be simple.

A major player acquisition.

Or the appointment of a big-name manager.

That’s about it.

It’s simple, but it’s difficult, which is the problem.

Anyway, the big clubs were definitely moving in advance.

There were already rumors of Man United’s next manager list, and there were rumors that Chelsea and Arsenal were preparing huge transfer funds.

Liverpool seems to be trying to refine their current members a little more, and Tottenham… I don’t really know. They’re only being linked with managers again, so fans are complaining.

Well, there’s no need to reinforce since they can’t even go to the Europa League next season, right?

-Burnley confirmed relegation… Which team will go down with them?

-Champions League and Europa League teams almost confirmed… Championship competition until the end

-Manchester City, 3 points ahead with 4 games left, is at an advantage but cannot be careless… FA Cup quarter-final opponent Chelsea variable

Ahead of the fierce final competition, the league took a short break.

The FA Cup quarter-finals were held in the second week of April.

West Ham’s quarter-final opponent was Newcastle.

Newcastle was one of the only two teams that had a superior head-to-head record against West Ham this season.

They won 3-1 in the 17th round and were 1-0, and the second match was left in the 37th round.

They were definitely not an easy team.

On the day they lost, Johan was excluded from the list, but the fact that they won 3-1 means that they have that much potential.

Also, Johan did not start in this quarter-final game.

Kane started, just like in the last Round of 16.

Therefore, the outcome of the game seemed difficult to know.

However, Kane went crazy again this time.

Kane, who seemed to be properly motivated, played even more actively than in the Round of 16, scoring 2 goals and 1 assist and crushing Newcastle.

As expected, Kane before the final is invincible.

Thanks to Kane, West Ham won 3-1 quite easily and advanced to the semi-finals while saving the stamina of the starters at the end.

West Ham was happy just with this.

But,

Even better news came from the other side.

The quarter-final match between Manchester City and Chelsea, which was held at the same time.

The news that this game did not end in 90 minutes after a fierce battle and continued into extra time.

Manchester City seemed to want to see the game quickly, but Chelsea was stubbornly holding on.

Is it a reward for West Ham catching Arsenal?

Well, rather than that, Chelsea is too big of a club to finish the season without a trophy.

I couldn’t back down.

But, anyway, it was Manchester City who took the victory.

After 120 minutes of bloody battle, Samir Rishad’s winning goal made it 1-0.

It’s true that Manchester City managed to advance to the quarter-finals.

But the damage was significant.

Even though the league championship competition continues until the end, they had to play a 120-minute game.

‘Maybe?’

The words ‘maybe’ started to come out slowly.

Most people thought that Manchester City would win the championship without difficulty.

But,

It seemed that the results would not be known until the very end.