Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

159 – Proof

159

Pablo Lopez, who was limping off the field, apologized to his approaching teammates with a worried expression.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, captain. How’s your foot?”

“It looked like that guy stepped on my foot with force at the end. Did he do it on purpose?”

From the players who were genuinely concerned about the injury to those who were gazing at Na Tan Allan De Run with apologetic expressions, Pablo Lopez quickly spoke up to avoid any misunderstandings.

“No, no. You’ll know my intentions if you see it. It’s not like that; I just got stepped on during the competition. I made too many mistakes today. I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about? It’s okay, captain.”

The apologetic captain and his teammates, who were comforting him, saying it was okay.

It was a scene that could move the hearts of men, but the expression of Joo Ji-tae, who was watching the scene with a smirk, was unimpressed.

“That’s right, captain. You’re wrong.”

“What are you talking about, captain? You got hurt and it’s too much!”

The players, who were shocked, were calmed down by captain Pablo Lopez, who had a wry smile.

“No, Ector. You’re right. I did get hurt a bit this morning.”

“What’s the big deal? We’re already halfway through the season, and everyone’s got some kind of injury. We’re all playing with some kind of pain.”

As Arnau Pradas said, it’s a given that professional athletes have to play with some injuries. The players’ twisted ankles and torn toenails weren’t even considered injuries. It’s just an occupational hazard. It’s normal to get hurt during competition, and it’s not just about physical contact, but also about being stepped on and kicked.

That’s why having no injuries at all is an unrealistic fantasy, except for the beginning of the season.

“It’s not like that. My body really wasn’t good. It was affecting my performance.”

But this was still a minor injury, and if it was an injury that could affect the game, that would be a different story.

“Did you hide your injury and play?”

“Yeah. I thought it was nothing. I thought I could handle it… but it ended up hindering the game. Sorry, captain. I’m ashamed.”

The players, who were shocked by captain Pablo Lopez’s confession, were trying to comfort him, saying it was okay, while Joo Ji-tae, who still had an unimpressed expression, cut in.

“Of course, you should be sorry. But captain, aren’t you apologizing to the wrong people? You should be apologizing to the team, the coaching staff, and the fans.”

When someone apologizes sincerely, it’s only natural to accept it.

There’s a thing called social relationships, after all.

But Joo Ji-tae was firm.

In his first year, Joo Ji-tae had many nicknames, but one that he liked was “Joo Cola”.

The way he boldly spoke his mind, without caring about the criticism from the media… people jokingly called him “Joo Cola, he says what he means!”

“Yeah, captain. Sorry, everyone!!”

“Captain!!”

“We’re okay!!”

“What’s going on?”

* * *

Before Pablo Lopez fell to the ground, Barcelona’s coach, Jose, was already fiddling with the substitution card.

“Pablo’s not doing well today. Is his condition bad? His reaction is slow, and his ball control is a bit rough. Where’s he hurt?”

Then, Pablo Lopez fell, and soon the medical staff sent a signal for substitution.

Jose reflexively scanned the bench, looking at the players who were gazing at him with passionate eyes, like baby birds.

“What’s with them?”

He understood that the midfielders, who could replace Pablo Lopez, were expecting to play. He also understood that the defenders and forwards were expecting to play, thinking that the coach would make tactical changes.

But why was the second goalkeeper looking at him with such expectation? It was burdensome.

“Is it a tactical problem? Or is it just Pablo’s problem?”

This was the most difficult part.

It was hard to decide whether to make tactical changes or if it was just Pablo’s poor performance.

Jose let out a sigh.

“What do I do? Who should I put in?”

That’s when he saw Miguel Gomez, who was having a serious conversation with Joo Ji-tae.

“Miguel Gomez.”

Originally, he wouldn’t have been a player to worry about.

Miguel Gomez, who was once the shining jewel of Benfica, carrying the expectations of all Barcelona executives, but after a major injury, Miguel Gomez, who returned, no longer shone.

They should have gotten rid of him along with other useless high-salary players, but they left him be, not knowing what to expect after his rehabilitation. Besides, his contract was ending this year anyway.

There was no great expectation due to the severity of the injury, but as expected, Miguel Gomez, who returned, didn’t show his former brilliance and was practically relegated to a backup member. However, his skills didn’t completely disappear, and he was still useful for managing the main players’ physical condition. Suddenly, he was training with Juzati, and who would have thought that they would have such great synergy?

Even now, Barcelona is doing well, but Jose’s thoughts of changing the attack pattern coincided with this combination, and it was a promising partnership… but it was too early.

It’s only been two days since they started practicing together, and it was a short training session to prepare for a new tactical part, not the main tactic.

“It’s too risky to experiment in such a big game. We should stick with Leo Martinez…”

Just as Jose was about to make up his mind, he caught eyes with Miguel Gomez.

Eyes burning with passion and desperation.

“Miguel, take off your jacket and come here.”

“…!”

“When you go in, you’ll switch places with Diego. You’ll take Diego’s position, and Diego will move up to Pablo’s position. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll be at the apex of the reverse triangle and give Diego the role of a midfielder, right?”

“Exactly.”

The Barcelona players, who had been focusing on passing the ball with 10 men after Pablo left, quickly confirmed Miguel’s touchline and kicked the ball out.

As the Manchester City striker was announced, the substitution signboard went up, and Jose patted Miguel Gomez’s shoulder.

“Don’t disappoint me and the fans. Go out there and show us what you’re capable of.”

Miguel Gomez, who firmly nodded his head, walked into the touchline.

The Champions League game, which he hadn’t played in three years, was… truly exhilarating.

* * *

“Miguel Gomez is coming in for Pablo Lopez. That’s an unexpected choice.”

“He was a player who showed incredible performance at Benfica and was expected to be the next best midfielder, but… after a long rehabilitation due to injury, he hasn’t been able to show his former skills this season.”

“We’ll have to see what results Jose’s decision will bring. Hmm… there’s a slight change in Barcelona’s formation. Is it a two-volley? Ah, Diego Almeida is moving up.”

In a Barcelona fan pub, the commentator’s passionate explanation was flowing from the large TV installed by the owner, but unfortunately, it didn’t reach anyone’s ears. The pub was filled with criticism and shouting.

“What the hell is Jose doing?!”

“Gomez is useless! He already showed us what he’s capable of in the Osasuna game!!”

“We have Leo! We should put Leo Martinez in!!”

Barcelona, who had been slipping in the league and European competitions for years, was no longer a championship contender. Although they were still called a strong team, they barely made it to the top ranks.

But Barcelona, who was finally doing well in the league and Champions League, brought in Miguel Gomez of all people!

“Has Jose gone crazy…?”

The angry shouts of the Barcelona fans in the pub grew even louder, but soon turned into cheers.

“This is it!! This is Barcelona!!”

On the broadcast screen, Iker Rodriguez was celebrating his goal, and the atmosphere was electric.

* * *

The game, which had been leaning in Manchester City’s favor, continued.

However, the opening goal came unexpectedly from Barcelona.

The game resumed after Miguel Gomez was substituted in.

Until now, Manchester City players had been performing strong forward pressure, but with 30 minutes left in the first half and 10 players on the opposing team, they slowed down their tempo to conserve energy. It was a retreat for the sake of advancing.

However, Manchester City’s plan to suddenly increase their tempo and launch a fierce attack just before the end of the first half was thwarted by Barcelona’s sudden acceleration.

The tempo of the game is something that can be controlled by one side, but slowing it down requires the agreement of both teams.

Joo Ji-tae, who had the ball, suddenly attempted a forward dribble, and Manchester City responded by deploying two players to defend him.

According to Manchester City’s analysis, Joo Ji-tae preferred to use dribbling to advance rather than passing.

So, if they didn’t give him space, it would be okay… but this time was different. The two Manchester City players marking Joo Ji-tae left a small gap, which Miguel Gomez exploited to receive the ball, and in the chaos, Joo Ji-tae passed the ball back to him.

This time, Manchester City players surrounded Joo Ji-tae, determined to block him.

But Joo Ji-tae chose to pass again. He sent the ball to Miguel Gomez, who had found an open space, and after receiving the pass, Miguel Gomez held the ball for a second, attracting the attention of Manchester City players, before passing it back to Joo Ji-tae.

A concise, almost ridiculously simple 2:1 pass combination ensued, and Joo Ji-tae broke through to the halfway line. As Manchester City players focused on him, Joo Ji-tae’s foot ignited.

A pass that pierced through the four Manchester City players like an arrow landed exactly in front of Iker Rodriguez, Barcelona’s central striker.

He just turned his body forward, and the ball was placed right in front of him, as if inviting him to shoot.

Iker Rodriguez’s shot went straight into the net.

It was Barcelona’s opening goal.