The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 29

Sunday evening at the 17th round of the league against Oviedo. 

There are no major changes to the lineup. 

Mantovani, who has the team’s highest yellow card record in the position of central defender, returned along with Aitami, while the central midfielder was the familiar combination of Inigo and Harvey Casteyano. 

Pedri on the left-wing and Srnich on the right-wing. 

The forward striker position was occupied by Juan Narvaez, and I was ordered to do whatever I wanted in the attacking midfield position. 

If there’s anything I’m worried about, then it’s about the full-back. 

As the league approaches the middle stage of the season, the range of changes in the lineup decreases, and only the full-back position keeps on changing from game to game. 

There is no reliable full-back defender. 

Right full-back Curbelo has a brazen personality, so he’s an easygoing person, while left full-back Ramirez can’t even hide his anxiety and his legs keep shaking before the start of the game. 

How can I trust them when I see them like that? 

I don’t know if there’s any other reason, but it wasn’t my business.

De la Bella’s recovery is taking longer than expected and will return only in the next game. 

“Benito, don’t be so nervous. You did well during the practice.” 

“Um, it’ll be alright.” 

“Hahaha. You have to do well, what’s going to happen anyway?” 

Aitami tried to relieve Loris Benito’s tension, but he was not in a state that can be changed by just a few words. 

The players in the game lined up and walked into the arena. 

Slowly, a slight tension rises up my back. 

Holding the hand of a child who was standing in the stadium, I walked into the stadium.

Nov 11 2019 Estadio de Gran Canaria. 

In December, in Gran Canaria, the night temperature starts to decrease below 20 degrees Celsius. 

From now to February is the best time for tourists and athletes. 

In Korea, you would mistake this for the cool spring weather. 

It’s just right. 

The body rhythm that was raised through warm-up exercises is being maintained well. 

Aitami loses the coin toss, and the first half begins with Real Oviedo’s kick. 

Beep….

Opponent No. 15 turns to pass the ball back when the beep sound is heard.

Having played in several games as a starter, I was already getting used to the rhythm of the game starting from the center line. 

Home fans cheer by lifting a few mufflers because in their point of view the other team is considered very weak. 

The fans see it as a game that can be won easily.

We have attained 1st place in the league. 

Although we continue to compete for the championship along with second place Cadiz, we are 10 points away from third place Almeria. 

Personally, I think it’s a little too hasty to have an opinion, but some of the sources say that we’re already in the safe zone of promotion. 

If we can hold the lead until January, we’ll probably do what they expect. 

“Pressure!”

A rough contention took place in the center at the cry of Harvey Casteyano. 

Las Palmas players were trying to induce mistakes through pressure, and Oviedo, on the other hand, releases the pressure and tries to advance with the ball. 

Looking at the situation, it is a situation where I need to help in the competition. 

I don’t know if it’s a scoring opportunity, but I hate to bump into each other in the center line area. 

In fact, the tactics of the two teams are similar. 

It was 4-2-3-1. 

They openly told me to fight in the midfield and spread the board. 

“Kim! Come down!!” 

Inigo beckoned. 

If Oviedo’ s 7th and right striker keeps continuing their dribble, a dangerous scene would come out in the space left a little empty. 

I reluctantly went down. 

Not because of Inigo’s request, but to fill the space of the danger zone. 

I would have gone down even if he hadn’t told me……maybe.

Las Palmas’s wing-back Pedri and Srnich also moved to the center and joined the fight for possession. 

The ridiculous thing is that Oviedo’s two-sided attackers also moved.

The stadium is wide open!! 

They are acting as if there is a landmine on the flanks. 

At the sound of the whistle, the referee announces a foul. 

Harvey Casteyano kicked the opponent’s striker’s foot. 

If four or five people were to get entangled in a small space, of course a foul will occur. 

“Kim! Kim!!” 

As Oviedo prepared for a free kick, I heard the voice of Manager Pepe from the bench. 

He points toward both sides of the opposing camp. 

He spread his palms on both sides as if telling me to target them from the side. 

Position change instructions are given before the game. 

He was nervous because he thought I had forgotten his instructions. 

It wasn’t a false guess. 

I was hit in the side by Oviedo’s central midfielder, and I was wondering how to get revenge. 

The referee blows his whistle and raises his hand. 

The players entered the penalty box following the trajectory of the ball kicked by Oviedo’s midfielder. 

Mantovani, the central defender, jumps and shoots the ball with his head.

Oviedo’s player No.15, screamed while grabbing the back of his head and collapsed.

If the forensic team investigates, they will be able to find the opponent’s hair on Mantovani’s right hand. 

He turns his head and looks at the referee.   

The Argentine defenders seem to have such a play as their default skill. 

The game didn’t stop because the referee didn’t check it properly. 

Thankfully Inigo kicks the ball right away, then Pedri on the left side catches the ball. 

While Juan Narvaez catches the attention of the opposing central defenders at the forefront, I busily run towards the space near Pedri. 

It was still early in the first half, so my feet are light. 

“Pedri!” 

“pados uno!” 

I exchanged one-two passes with Pedri. 

The last midfielder remaining in the opponent’s half-field had been stripped. 

Pedri crossed the center line through a dribble and connected a ground pass to Narvaez’s feet. 

The space is momentarily empty to keep the penetrating Pedri and Narvaez at the forefront in check.

As I move diagonally back to the left side so that I don’t overlap, Narvaez gives the ball at the right time.

It’s a good development. 

Whether I connect with a pass or use individual tactics, the current advantageous situation should continue. 

Four defenders and three strikers. 

As we approached the opponent’s penalty box, the full-back and central defender reacted and rushed at the same time. 

They seemed to have forgotten the existence of Pedri who was infiltrating earlier? 

I send the ball flying with a kick to the bottom of the ball. 

If the opposing central defender didn’t rush in, Pedri would have directly made a shot, and if he doesn’t take a shot, Juan Narvaez’s mark wouldn’t have gone. 

Either way is not good. 

I ran past the defenders through the side of the penalty box. 

I had to be prepared for the moment when Pedri couldn’t send the ball straight to Narvaez. 

As the only remaining central defender blocked Pedri successfully, the ball rolled to the side. 

Without any hesitation, I made a pass with the ball that rolled through the ground. 

At this moment Narvaez was free. 

3 minutes into the first half. 

Narvaez scores the goal through a neat kick. 

All he needed to score was to move near the right side of the post and put his foot on the ball. 

Nice goal.

“Eyee-!” 

“Good! Two goals in a row!” 

“Buen trabajo, Juan.” 

Narvaez responded with a sly smile to his colleague’s congratulations. 

There was nothing to say even after scoring a goal. 

He gives a small thank-you to the cheering crowd and returns to the center line. 

“Kim, Gracias. It was a good pass.” 

“You were in a good position.” 

Despite the blunt answer, Narvaez only giggles and smiles a little. 

I was confused about whether he had a good personality or was simply stupid. 

After an early goal, Oviedo raised the team’s rhythm and started an onslaught. 

The two central defenders Mantovani, Aitami of Las Palmas maintained their defense and effectively blocked Oviedo’s attack. 

Opponent No. 19 moved away from his original position and suffered several times, but fortunately, it didn’t lead to a goal. 

“Get Sanchez!” 

Aitami yells at me, asking me to pay attention to my interpersonal defenses. 

However, his shouting did not stem from a sense of crisis. 

It is true that Oviedo was attacking one after another, but it was only a temporary advantage. 

Las Palmas is waiting for the right time to rearrange their attacking rhythm. 

Oviedo’s offense continued for about 10 minutes, and Las Palmas persevered. 

“Inigo! left!” 

When Oviedo’s attacker hits Aitami’s foot, it goes to nothing, and a proper counterattack situation develops. 

19 minutes in the first half. 

The ball flies over the centerline, aiming at Narvaez’s head, which was standing on the front line. 

Oviedo’s No. 3 and the central defender are attached to Narvaez’s back to stop him, but the Colombian striker does not give up until the last minute and puts his forehead on the ball. 

It was not a good Header, but it went in the right direction. 

Pedri, who changed his position to the center, controls the ball under his feet and turns his head towards Srnich, who moves to the right side. 

The opposing full-back recognizes Pedri’s gaze and follows Srnich. 

The central defender also showed signs of moving to the side for a cooperative defense. 

As if it doesn’t matter, Pedri swings his feet in a way that looks irresponsible at first glance. 

Thanks to his ankle and trick, the ball bent to the left and came to me smashing the defense. 

I was in the opposite direction to where Srnich was and Pedri was looking at me from the beginning. 

Oviedo’s left full-back comes in with a tackle. 

At the last minute I put the ball down and I changed the direction of the ball straight away without putting my right foot on the ground.

The left foot will be overloaded by inertia, but it can’t be helped. 

There is no gain without paying a price. 

I put the body balance of the opposing full-back and the tapping that puts a lot of pressure on my left foot on a scale and wait for the result. 

Expressing it in words feels like a long time, but in reality, it just passes by in an instant.  

The fight ends with the opponent’s fullback, who has lost his balance, falling to the ground. 

As I stepped inside past the corner of the penalty box, a limited shooting angle greeted me.

Oviedo’s central defender narrowed the angle well. 

“Kim!” 

I tilted my head towards the player who followed me and tried to shake the mind of the opposing defender. 

The opponent’s defender’s psychology is shaken by my head toward the player who followed me. 

Pedri’s defense is thin

If I give him a pass, it can lead to a good shot, but I don’t like it. 

This time it’s mine. 

“La izquierda! “

Even if the goalkeeper shouted, it was already too late. 

The opposing team’s central defender’s feet follow the trick of shaking my upper body. 

I rapidly changed direction to the right side and avoided the opponent’s thick shin. 

It’s a slow reaction as usual. 

There was a space for shooting, so it would be neat to finish with the right foot kick, but at that time, the opposing central defender, who was close to Juan Narváez, narrowed the shooting angle. 

It is best to kick the ball fast. 

I adjusted the angle of the upper body to create a trajectory that is difficult for the goalkeeper to block. 

The ball touched the top of the foot comfortably and got pushed away. 

Ummm. 

Since I kicked the ball from outside the penalty box, it takes a lot of rotation to the extent that it feels like it will go to the arms of the goalkeeper.

Fortunately, the opposing goalkeeper was not able to react in time because his view got blocked by the defender, and it was Las Palmas’ second goal.