TRCSSITE 07

Episode 7. Like a Ghost (1)

Skill is relative.
In sports, this tendency is even more pronounced.
In that sense, Suwon F C’s Under-18 youth team belongs to the strong teams.
They have better strength and tactics than Yeoungdeok High.
There’s only one reason the current game is difficult.

“Again! Again! Don’t get stripped of the ball so feebly!”

A difference in concentration.
Yeoungdeok High, who must widen the lead by one more point and win.
Suwon F C, who have already secured advancement to the main round regardless of the result.
The difference in position created a difference in concentration, and that twisted the relationship between the two teams.

‘Right. I need to show that I’m playing well first.’
‘Even if we lose the game, I must not let the perception take root that today’s defeat was because of me.’
‘I need to work hard too. It might even be an opportunity to stand out!’

The players regained their spirits each in their own way.
Thus, they slowly began to recover their organization.

“That’s it- That’s the way! You bastards! You can do it if you try!”

Simultaneously, the flow of the game changed.
The possession rate began to rise.
It was the exact development I had predicted.

‘Shall I start moving slowly now.’

After I was substituted in, Yeoungdeok High held the initiative throughout the game.
But my position? I’m a second-line attacker on the wing.
That means I had almost no chance to hold the ball.
I could have actively participated in defense to show my presence, but I didn’t.
Because I knew a flow like this would come.
I kept my position, trusted the team, and waited.
And as a result.

Fight!

For the first time, a pass easy for me to receive came.
A forward pass from the fullback.
Finally, Suwon F C was also starting something resembling an attack.

Fight!

I passed that ball to a midfielder diagonally behind me.
Naturally, with one touch.
If it were me from two days ago, I wouldn’t have been able to do even this properly.
After receiving the ball, once serious pressure began, I would have hurriedly looked for a gap and made a difficult pass to a teammate.
I had clearly grown.
And I had become able to execute more difficult plays.
But it wasn’t time yet. This much was sufficient for now.

‘Don’t stand out. Quietly, with the feeling of a backup player.’

A little while later.

Toouk.

The ball came to me again.
Our team’s most advanced striker, unable to withstand the opponent’s fierce pressure, passed the ball to me.

Fight!

I passed that ball back to the fullback positioned behind me.
Again, quickly with one touch.
In the next ball touch opportunity, I dribbled about 3 meters.
To make it look like my own attempt to create a passing lane.
But soon, two opponents approached and pressed, and I had to pass the ball to our defensive midfielder who came to receive it.
Three consecutive backpasses.

‘Be swayed, little by little.’

The nature of the game had also changed significantly from the early stages.
Youngdeok High’s offensive was still fierce, but it didn’t lead to scoring crises for us.
Everyone had regained their composure, and…

‘One guy who kept losing the ball is gone.’

I, at least, didn’t lose the ball.
I was just connecting the flow of the ball.

‘This is enough.’

There’s no standout performance or presence.
But if I were the manager, I would definitely be satisfied with Seo Jae-woo’s movements.
Youngdeok High is applying fierce pressure non-stop to steal the ball.
Against such a team, just skillfully circulating the ball can have a great effect.
Because the opponent’s stamina drains rapidly.

‘There’s no need to go just as urgently.’

Within this game, time is on my and my team’s side.
My plan is very simple. I’m just blatantly utilizing this plain fact.

Toouk.

Tuwook.

Fight!

I attempted countless passes.
And all were successful.
Because I only did easy, certain ones.
To that extent, the opponent likely didn’t feel threatened by me.
Difficult plays, unpredictable plays, nutritious plays.
There were none of those.

Peeeep!

The first half ended.
Coach Yoo Hae-wan lowered his voice sternly.

“Anyone here who thinks it’s okay to lose? Is there anyone?”
“……”
“It’s okay to lose. We advanced anyway. But I wonder if your spots in the main round roster will remain the same?”
“……”

Phew.
The coach’s statement is very refreshing.

“Especially you, Seo Jae-woo.”

Oh my.
The aggro shifts to me here.
Well.
It’s something I had anticipated to some extent.

“Disappointing.”
“I’m sorry.”

I apologized first.

“That’s not the kind of movement the manager or I wanted. I wish something brilliant, like in the last practice match, would show a bit.”
“I understand.”
“Stop circulating those damn backpasses. I get that your footwork has improved, and I get that you now move well without breaking down in real matches? But that alone is not enough. There’s no reason to use you over another guy. Understood?”
“Yes.”

While giving appropriate answers, I quickly racked my brain.
One very important piece of information had just fallen into my lap.

‘So Seo Jae-woo was a guy who broke down on the field?’

Come to think of it.
There was no doubt about his talent.
You could feel it just from the speed of his improvement in footwork training.
He wasn’t originally a guy who couldn’t do it.
Albert Spencer just needed a little time to adapt after gaining legs.
He was a guy with sufficiently solid basics.
Moreover, aren’t his physical abilities exceptionally excellent?
He clearly had talent with no competitors among his peers.
Circumstances suggesting he was misfitting and twisted within the team popped up in various places.
The reason for that is now somewhat visible.
How many times have I seen players crash and burn in real matches?
Seo Jae-woo must have been similar.
I still can’t know the detailed circumstances, but.
It feels like a candle has been lit in a place where there was only darkness.

“The tactics remain the same. I think you can counter them sufficiently if you just regain your focus. That’s all.”

Good news.
Tactics as they are.
What if the coaching staff had pulled out a different trick, trying to force a change for no reason?
My plan could have been disrupted.
This part was also a task I needed to solve going forward.

‘I also need to anticipate how the coaches or manager will try to manage the game.’

Korea is clearly a periphery.
Moreover, this isn’t even an adult professional football club. It’s merely a youth team.
The probability that the manager of such a team is not sensible is overflowing. Even managers in top-flight leagues of football powerhouses are often abnormal.

Peeeep!

The 10-minute rest period passed in an instant.
The second half began immediately.
Now was the time for me to shift gears.

‘My presence… it’s well erased.’

Through the long first half, the opposing fullback’s wariness gradually faded.
By the end, it had reached a level where he almost paid no attention.
From the opponent’s perspective, it’s inevitable.
When a substitute who entered urgently only repeats back passes, how many youth players would maintain their guard?

Pavababak-

Papak!

I gradually increased my activity level.
No presence, but I began to exert a subtle influence on the spaces near my designated positional center.
Dropping a bit deeper to participate in cooperative defense, or opening passing angles for teammates in a tight spot, etc.
I made my movements more diligent than in the first half.
But I thoroughly killed forward progression. I absolutely did not distribute the ball forward.
Backward, or directly to the side.

‘Utilize Seo Jae-woo’s strength. At a crucial moment, once.’

Any player depends on how you use them.
The current me, with Albert Spencer’s mind and Seo Jae-woo’s body, is no exception.
During my managerial days.
How much did I benefit from identifying a player’s strengths and maximizing them?
It’s the same this time. Clearly knowing my strengths and utilizing them was most important.
Because I have too many weaknesses.
I’m still not utilizing Seo Jae-woo’s body properly.
Life with legs is awkward; I’m getting used to it but haven’t perfectly adapted.
I also have no experience playing as a player.
In this situation, what could my strengths as a player be?

‘Vision. The ability to read the flow of the game. And… composure.’

I can see the game better than other players.
And I can accept any situation without panicking.
It doesn’t make sense from the start that I entered Seo Jae-woo’s body.
To utilize these two strengths?
I must somehow get an unmarked chance inside the penalty area.
Every movement since being substituted into the field until now has been the buildup for that one chance.

Fight!

I gradually began to play as a member of this team.
Quietly, like a single component.
Without revealing my presence, I led the team in a favorable direction.

“That’s it! That’s the way! That attacking attempt just now was good! Keep creating things like that!”

Praise came from the bench as well.

‘The opponent is tired.’

Yeoungdeok High played high-tempo, tight football from the first half.
So, upon reaching around the middle of the second half, the tempo noticeably died down.
Players aren’t machines. They inevitably get tired at some point.

‘See, why demand such a high tempo from young players.’

They are guys not yet familiar with pace control either.
Some look like they can’t even run properly, their breathing is so rough.
On the other hand, our Suwon F C players?
We are playing the solid football we always do.
No wonder the momentum is shifting.
I also increased my activity level in line with that flow.

Fight!

Gradually, the time the ball spends in the opponent’s half lengthens.
Simultaneously, the expressions of the opposing players also freeze coldly.
The future of elimination looms before their eyes. Their minds must be foggy.

‘The time is slowly coming…’

At that moment.

Thud!

Our striker, Kim Jinwoo, unleashed a powerful surprise mid-range shot near the penalty area.
My body reacted automatically. I ran towards the goal.

Bang!

The goalkeeper barely punched the ball away. Coincidentally, the ball bounced in my direction.
No one was paying attention to me.
And it seemed no one thought the ball would bounce this way either.
For a very brief moment, while everyone was standing dazed, only I was running towards the ball.
The goalkeeper lying down.
Defenders who belatedly regained their senses but are already distanced from me.
Only a fool would miss from here.
If a player I was coaching missed a goal in this setup?
Immediate exclusion from the next match roster.

‘Stay composed. Don’t get excited.’

With the feeling of passing to a player at an appropriate distance.
Lightly, tap.

Swish-swoosh!

The sound of the ball splitting the net.
I’ve heard it so many times in my life. Hundreds? Thousands? No, at least tens of thousands of times.
But I realized for the first time.
That sound was much more refreshing and thrilling than I had known.

“Nice!”
“Good!”

The voices of my teammates cheering sound muffled.
A melting pleasurable sensation surges over me.

“He’s sharp, huh?”
“Well done!”

I lived for decades as a manager.
I eventually became the best.
And I reigned at the top for over a decade.

“Let’s shake it off quickly and focus. We need to turn this around.”

As a player, I haven’t even lived a week yet.
I have achieved nothing. I’m living a life barely hanging on, hoping not to be kicked out of the team.
However.

‘Playing football directly is more fun.’

If possible, I just learned that standing on the field as a player is the happiest thing.