Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

160 – The Scoring Defender

160

The first leg of the quarterfinals between Barcelona and Manchester City.

The game, which was expected to be dominated by Manchester City’s home advantage, was unfolding in a shocking manner.

“Manchester City, Manchester City scores!! Nathan Allan De Lun replaced by Jack Gabert scores, and the score is now 2:1!!”

Just before halftime, Barcelona scored two goals in a row, taking the lead.

Manchester City responded by substituting Nathan Allan De Lun with Jack Gabert, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation with four attackers, and scored a chasing goal just five minutes into the second half, making it seem like Coach Boyd’s strategy was working.

“Ah, Manchester City, they’ve completely lost their midfield advantage. The pressure is not working at all!”

“This is really surprising. Barcelona’s movement suddenly came alive at some point. And with Miguel Gomez’s substitution, Barcelona’s movement became even more sophisticated.”

After Miguel Gomez’s substitution, Barcelona’s possession rate began to rise, eventually reaching 6:4.

It wasn’t overwhelming, but they had managed to reverse the situation from 4:6 to almost 3.5:6.5.

In football, possession rate doesn’t always guarantee victory. There are many cases where teams have won despite giving up possession. For example, Diego Simeone’s compact 4-4-2 tactic at Atlético Madrid, or José Mourinho’s 4-3-3 tactic that deliberately gave up possession and focused on counter-attacks.

But football fans pay attention to possession rate for a reason. Possession rate generally has a positive impact on winning.

The best way to prevent the opponent from scoring is not to defend against their attack but to prevent them from attacking in the first place. In other words, to not let them touch the ball.

Barcelona’s defense is not passive but active and proactive. By preventing the opponent from touching the ball, they can block the opponent’s attack while also taking the initiative to launch a one-sided attack.

Possession rate is just one aspect of this, but it’s an indicator that shows how well Barcelona’s football is working.

“Manchester City is making a surprise attack! Oliver Negredo’s early cross!! But Madu Murcia cleverly intercepts and clears the ball out of bounds. Barcelona’s goal kick.”

“Look at how fluid the role distribution is. Especially in defense… it’s really amazing. The Joo Ji-tae-Madu Murcia center-back duo has been switching between defense and buildup since the beginning, but with Miguel Gomez added, they’re creating an incredible synergy!! Manchester City players must be getting headaches. Who should they pressure, and where should they go?”

At the center of it all were the three defenders.

Joo Ji-tae, Madu Murcia, and Miguel Gomez were constantly switching positions.

“Ector Port’s goal kick. He passes it short to Madu Murcia.”

“Manchester City’s attacking quartet is putting strong pressure on them!”

Chrisitan Davi, Jack Gabert, Martin Gestad, and Nuredin Gaye all joined in the pressure, but…

“Madu Murcia passes it to Joo Ji-tae. Joo Ji-tae sees the opposite side’s Paul Berger well. Paul Berger, back to Joo Ji-tae… wait, when did Joo Ji-tae get here? The left center-back has moved up to the right midfielder position.”

“Manchester City’s pressure is loosening. This is troublesome. There’s no one to mark Joo Ji-tae, who’s moving freely. Jack Gabert tries to follow, but… ah, Joo Ji-tae moves back to the left. The empty space is filled by Miguel Gomez, who receives the ball, and then it’s back to Madu Murcia, Diego Almeida, Madu Murcia, Miguel Gomez, and again to Joo Ji-tae.”

Like the Moebius strip, the Barcelona players’ movements, exchanging passes while changing positions, rendered Manchester City’s pressure useless.

“Barcelona’s attack continues. Manchester City seems to need a change.”

“They’ve managed to close the gap with one goal by adding an attacker, but as a result, their midfield control has weakened. Now, Manchester City’s strategy to control the build-up with multiple attackers has completely collapsed!”

Players are human, after all, and are affected by the atmosphere.

When things go according to plan and the team and individual performances are good, they become more energetic and active. But when things don’t go as planned or their performance is poor, their movements naturally become slower.

Therefore, it was inevitable that the concentration of Manchester City’s four-man attack line, tasked with applying forward pressure, would wane. No matter how hard they pressed, it just wasn’t working.

But the consequence of this was the worst possible outcome.

The moment Manchester City’s forward pressure weakened, Joo Ji-tae burst forth as if he had been waiting for it. The Manchester City players discovered Joo Ji-tae sprinting down the field at top speed.

This was partly because Joo Ji-tae had cleverly slipped into the blind spot of the Manchester City players, and other players had created a diversion with their off-the-ball movements. But the biggest reason was that the ball was on the opposite side of Joo Ji-tae.

Just as Joo Ji-tae was about to make his sprint, Miguel Gomez on the opposite side suddenly made a proactive run forward.

“Joo Ji-tae! Catch Joo Ji-tae!”

The Manchester City players finally caught up to Joo Ji-tae due to the urgent cries from the backline, and Miguel Gomez then attempted a 2:1 pass, breaking through to the opposite flank.

The two players’ sudden penetration into the open space behind the defense, with the Manchester City players split to the left and right, was a breathtaking sight.

However, Miguel Gomez’s choice was the center.

“Center! Block the center!”

As Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Navas shouted, the Manchester City players quickly regrouped to surround the Barcelona three-top, who had received the pass. The pass from Iker Rodriguez, who had been exchanging passes, flowed into the empty space on the left, where Joo Ji-tae was making a run.

“Rudy! Brad!”

The reaction from Manchester City’s two center-backs was swift.

They blocked Joo Ji-tae’s path as if they had anticipated it—

“Joo Ji-tae, Joo Ji-tae! He scores with an incredible La Croqueta, neutralizing Manchester City’s defense and scoring a goal!!”

It was as if the highlight reel of Joo Ji-tae on YouTube had come to life; there was no way to stop the goal.

“Goal!!! Joo Ji-tae, who had sprinted across the field, scores his team’s third goal!!”

“Woah! Joo Ji-tae, with this goal, has already scored 15 goals this season, including four free kicks and two penalties!!”

“And he has nine assists too? He’s already proven himself as a top-class attacker!”

＜ Barcelona 4 : 1 Manchester City ＞

Iker Rodriguez (32′) Jack Gervet (51′)

Jose Marsa (41′)

Joo Ji-tae (56′)

Diego Almeida (68′)

* * *

『The strongest teams in Spain and England clash! La Liga and EPL’s top teams face off, with Barcelona emerging victorious!』

『15 goals explosion!! Joo Ji-tae opens up a new horizon for defenders』

『The return of Portugal’s future star from injury! Miguel Gomez’s rediscovery』

『’The strongest’ Manchester City, crushed by Barcelona』

『Yanus’ team Barcelona, with 47% possession in the first half and 62% in the second half』

As soon as the first match against Manchester City ended, the news articles exploded.

The match between the top teams in La Liga and EPL, the two leagues competing for the top spot in Europe, had garnered immense attention, exceeding expectations.

[Damn, Joo Ji-tae scored 15 goals, is this real?]

[This guy should’ve just become a striker lol]

[Wow, a center-back with 15 goals and 9 assists, come on, scoring king!]

[Over PK and free kick goals, field goals are only 9 goals]

[Center back with 9 field goals? Haha]

[Am I the only one who smells something fishy in Barcelona?]

[The smell is real, it’s a smell]

[Was there a smell when Pep was around?]

[King God General Zhu Jiatai, haha]

[Panty Thief, when did that guy change his nickname? Now it’s not Thief, but Zhu Jiatai Panty Guardian, haha]

[Panty guy… why are you so obsessed with Zhu Jiatai’s pants?]

What caught people’s attention was Zhu Jiatai’s attacking points.

Originally known as a “goal-scoring defender,” Zhu Jiatai’s overwhelming build-up ability and advancing ability had overshadowed his scoring power.

However, after scoring in the Champions League against Manchester City, and it being his 15th goal, his attacking production ability drew attention.

Libero “Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer: “As a libero, Zhu Jiatai is an amazing player with all-around abilities!”』

『Experts: “Zhu Jiatai is no different from a top-notch striker!”』

『Hidden scoring power behind build-up and dribbling abilities! How far can Zhu Jiatai go?』

As people’s attention focused on him, the next game began.

In the league match against Valencia, Zhu Jiatai came on as a substitute in the second half and recorded an assist just before the game ended, achieving 15 goals and 10 assists for the season, becoming the only defender in the five major leagues to achieve the 10-10 feat.