Ahead of tactical training, the GYM—where players had gathered in small groups for a simple warm-up—was wrapped in a noisy atmosphere today as well.
“Yo—. Our fantastic Minu—.”
“Minu! Minu! Minu!”
“Yo—. Minu! Yo—. Minu!”
Weren’t Aurier and Sissoko, who usually strike up conversations with jokes and actively lift the mood, approaching me while filming a video with a smartphone?
If I had gone through youth systems in Korea and crossed over to Europe only after my professional debut, it might have been difficult to get used to this kind of atmosphere, but…
“Ahem. Right, do it more. More.”
Counting my time before the regression, my life in Europe was already approaching nearly 30 years, so I naturally accepted the two’s antics.
“Pfft-fft-fft! Seriously, it’s so damn funny.”
“Hey, Sonny! I thought only you were funny, but Minu is really funny too? Is Korea a nation where everyone is bursting with high spirits?”
The players gathered in the GYM burst into laughter in their own ways.
Football is a team sport.
No matter how high an individual player’s skills are, harmony and unity with each other are essential to lead the team to victory.
Looking at it from that aspect, blending quickly into the crowd like Son Hyung-jin or myself is perhaps an indispensable requirement.
Bzzzt—.
“Hm?”
Feeling a vibration, I pulled out my smartphone, and Aurier had tagged me and posted the video on social media.
MINUUUU—!
Our NEW ROOKIE!
COYS!
As soon as the video containing Aurier and Sissoko’s voices, along with my appearance and voice, was posted, a like-bomb from Tottenham fans began to explode in an instant.
‘Oh… The speed sure is fast.’
Even before the regression, I had practically neglected social media, except for when promoting sponsored items or uploading a few team training photos.
Should I say it’s fascinating to see the followers increase so rapidly like this, and the likes plugging in.
Anyway.
As I went out to the outdoor training ground with the other players, familiar faces entered my vision.
“Uh…?”
“These are Bale and Reguilón, who will be joining our team starting from today.”
The two people who approached us after being introduced by Coach Mason.
Both Bale and Reguilón were people I was acquainted with.
If I had to split hairs, I would have a slightly closer friendship with Bale than with Reguilón.
Since Reguilón belonged to Team B and was constantly on loan at other clubs, our overlapping periods were almost non-existent.
In Bale’s case, he used to look after me well whenever I was called up to first-team training.
“Minu, it’s been a long time. I didn’t know you would be here at Tottenham.”
“Ahaha… It’s been a long time.”
While Bale and I were exchanging warm greetings saying it’s been a while, Reguilón, who was next to him, hesitantly handed a greeting to me.
“Hi. Lee, we’ve seen each other before too, right?”
“Ah, though it was brief…?”
As I nodded my head, Reguilón smiled and patted my back.
Presumably, since it’s the beginning of the transfer, getting close to a face he knows even a little bit might be making his mind comfortable.
And
“Everyone gather round!”
With the charismatic manager’s words, training began.
During the tactical training.
Mourinho tried hard to utilize the new recruits, including Minu, in various positions.
Of course, in the case of Bale, who was brought in to strengthen the team’s power, he couldn’t participate in tactical training because his knee injury hadn’t healed.
“Hmm… What do you guys think?”
“Are you talking about Minu?”
“Yeah. We trained on several patterns today, didn’t we?”
In order to find the optimal position suited for Minu, Mourinho trained detailed tactical patterns by making him play as a right winger, a central midfielder, and a central attacking midfielder in the second line.
But
“The thing is…”
“He does so well to the point that it’s hard to pick just one spot…”
“To be honest, it seems we need to study more closely to find the optimal position.”
Contrary to the reason which was to find the optimal location.
Whether Minu played as a right wing.
Whether he played as a central midfielder.
Even when playing in the number 10 role, he showed good form, giving the coaches nothing but a difficult homework assignment.
“Hmm. You guys see it that way too.”
Mourinho did not raise an opposing opinion to the coaches’ words.
Even from what he saw, Minu used to show a performance to the extent that he would become the core of the tactics no matter what position he was put into.
However,
‘I must find a combination where there is no damage even when Minu is left out.’
Considering Minu’s age, as he is not yet physically complete, Minu’s playing time is around 50 minutes at the longest.
Putting aside cases where he enters as a second-half substitute, if he starts as a starter, it is important to find a combination where the tactical pattern can roll well even if Minu gets substituted out midway.
“Let’s test it out in the next match.”
Coincidentally, the next match opponent is Southampton, who is evaluated as relatively weak.
They were a perfect opponent to test various combinations.
“Wowww—!”
The 20-21 season Premier League Round 2 match against Southampton.
I was sitting on the bench today as well.
“Hmm.”
Even though it is said that I had a huge performance being selected as MOM in the opening match, an opportunity called a starting appearance is not given already to a prospect who is still only 17 years old.
‘Well, that’s more comfortable for me too.’
It would be good if I appeared as a starter, but since I am physically less mature yet, it was difficult to endure full-time.
Anyway,
‘The state is completely out of sorts today too.’
Just like the last Round 1 match against Everton, the content of the first half in this match was not good either.
No, rather than it just being not good, it was safe to view it as the worst.
Rather than a smooth ball development, it was developed in a clattering, messy way, shaking the net twice, but it wasn’t recognized as a goal due to being caught in the offside trap, plus.
Southampton even brought the atmosphere over in reverse, burning their will to definitely take points against us.
“Ugh.”
Sissoko, who was sitting next to me, was looking at the pitch with an itchy expression.
Presumably, his body would be heating up with the desire to go out onto the pitch and play himself.
It wasn’t any different for the other players sitting on the bench either.
Particularly, those like Lamela or Bergwijn.
Those who want to seize the upper hand again in the starting competition would also be yearning to come out and perform actively in this match.
To make matters worse, it’s a situation where we conceded the opening goal to Danny Ings, so under this state, they would be predicting that they will go in during the second half, but…
First half stoppage time.
Kane’s long pass—
Sonny! Son! Sonny is sprinting—!
The first play signaling the insane performance of the Son-Kane duo this season began to unfold.
‘They’re starting the engine now.’
Kane, who took on the false nine role, developed a long pass toward the infiltrating Son Hyung-jin, and Son Hyung-jin, catching a pass that any other player would have missed for being too long with his overwhelming speed, fires a shot.
“It’ll go in.”
From that position, Son Hyung-jin succeeds in scoring in most cases.
Whether the opponent is a strong team or a weak team.
Swish—!
And the result was a goal as expected.
Just before the conclusion of the match! Tottenham makes the equalizer!
Receiving Kane’s pass, Sonny finishes it perfectly! Score 1-1! The match is tied!
It was right after the second half started that Tottenham’s substitution, which succeeded in reversing the atmosphere, was carried out.
Tottenham had a lineup change in the second half.
It appears Ndombele has come off and Lee has been deployed.
He is the player who showed a tremendous performance in the last opening match, right?
That’s right. Unlike last time, it appears he appeared as a left central midfielder rather than a right winger.
What kind of appearance he will show in the midfield, not on the flank…!
Unlike Round 1, my position in today’s match is left central midfielder.
Originally, it was the spot where Ndombele played.
The reason he deployed me in this spot instead of as a right winger was…
‘To make the build-up process smoother and create chances.’
For an expectation placed on a mere 17-year-old prospect, it was too grand that a laugh almost slipped out.
Whether the appearance I showed on the training ground and the pitch was absurdly good, or whether the manager who places expectations on a prospect who has yet to show enough is an eccentric.
‘Well, if I received expectations.’
I just have to meet them.
Tuk!
Tottenham is circulating the pass calmly.
They can’t leave Tottenham’s build-up alone, can they? Southampton attempts an organized forward pressing!
They apply pressure to passionately bring over ball possession.
Ah! Winks, it was dangerous, you know?
“Minu!”
Winks almost lost the ball, but in a split second, he succeeded in connecting the ball to me.
He barely manages to connect the ball to Lee!
When I turned my direction to face the front as soon as I received the ball.
“Oh.”
I could see the opponent’s midfielder and right winger surrounding me to press me.
‘Do I bypass them and go up? Or Højbjerg? Or else…?’
As if time had frozen for me alone inside the pitch.
The inside of my head spinning rapidly.
In a split second, I organized my thoughts and moved.
Tuk!
“Højbjerg!”
First, I hand the ball over to Højbjerg and turn around to go up, escaping their gaze.
If I run in a straight line, all sorts of aggro will be drawn and the players marking me will follow up, but if I run turning behind the opponent’s back, I can escape their gaze.
“Højbjerg, retur!”
If it had been a player whose harmony didn’t match, they wouldn’t have matched the timing and the pass wouldn’t have connected, but Højbjerg did not betray my expectations and safely gave a return pass.
Lee! This time, he escapes the pressure through a one-two pass!
It’s different again from the appearance where he pierced through the opponent’s pressing with individual skill on the flank!
He is a truly clever player. Is he calculating which method will be the most efficient depending on the situation?
Thereby.
My position upon receiving the ball is an awkward spot between the half-line and the final third.
Also, I came to be located right in the middle of the pocket space between the opponent’s midfielder and defensive line.
‘Their gap is wide?’
From the perspective of Southampton, whose gap between lines is stretched wide, this kind of situation would be considerably burdensome.
Why is that so?
It’s not just me who entered the pocket space.
In the left half-space there was me, in the center there was Kane who had dropped down ambiguously into the number 10 spot, and on the right, Moura and Doherty were coming up.
Even so…
‘Not many guys will be able to rush at me either, right?’
To prepare for this match, those fellows would have analyzed the Round 1 match video.
And my play, which was selected as MOM in that match, as well.
They would have already verified my ability to escape pressure, which melts down even the pressure of three opponent players, and my kicking power that doesn’t discriminate between long passes, crosses, and short passes.
If they invest too much effort into me alone, space will open up for Son Hyung-jin or Kane, which means they won’t be able to do that either.
Lee! He drives the ball and goes up! Matching Lee’s movement, both the camps of Tottenham and Southampton move busily!
Even while advancing, I don’t stop thinking.
Should I give and take a one-two pass with Kane.
Or switch sides to Moura.
Or else…
‘Ah, as expected, you meet my expectations.’
I’ve decided.
Tooooong—!
As I swung my left foot strongly to develop a lofted pass that skips over the defensive line, a player running in at a tremendous speed was seen.
Lee’s lofted through ball—! The space behind the defense is empty, you know?
It’s an ambiguous distance for the keeper to come out! If the pass connects straight into the danger zone… Ah-ah!
Son! Sonny is sprinting! The defenders have completely lost him, haven’t they?
Son Hyung-jin will be able to succeed in scoring by receiving my pass. It was a matter I could know even without watching with tension.
And it was bound to be so.
At the point when Son Hyung-jin would arrive, I had adjusted the quality of the pass so that it would be easy to trap it on his chest.
Bung—!
Ah! Sonny! With a soft trapping, he drops it down well!
Sonny! Catching it and striking it right away— Bak!
Southampton’s goalkeeper threw his body as much as possible, but.
Swish—!
He could not block Son Hyung-jin’s second goal.
Goooal! It’s a goal! Son’s multi-goal!
Tottenham’s atmosphere has changed! The midfield ball distribution, which was unstable, regains stability at once, leading all the way to a goal!
With the deployment of just one player, the atmosphere changes to this extent!
“Min우야 (Min-woo-ya)!”
As expected, is he different because he’s from the Eastern Land of Courtesy?
Finishing a simple celebration, Son Hyung-jin runs toward me, who assisted this goal.
“Hyung, it was a wonderful goal.”
“It was a truly nice pass. How do you give it exactly like that? If I couldn’t even score this, I would have had to take off my striker title, seriously.”
“Haha… What are you doing getting surprised already?”
I’m going to keep feeding you nothing but honey passes from now on.
