147. Champions League appearance (2)
German star player nicknamed the Blonde Angel.
Bernd Schuster.
During his career, he lived a true journeyman life by going back and forth between Barcelona, Real Madrid, and AT Madrid. After working for six teams, he was eventually appointed as the manager of Real Madrid.
This was his 13th year of leadership experience.
While coaching so many players, I came up with various tactics, but most of them ended in failure.
Even if you come up with a brilliant strategy, it is of no use if the players who actually execute it do not live up to expectations.
It must be based on not only skills but also teamwork, organizational skills, and understanding of tactics.
In particular, understanding tactics was very important for players who played key tactical roles.
But there weren't many such players.
Even though players were good, they always lacked a good understanding of tactics, and although they were smart, most of them had poor skills.
It was difficult to find players like Zidane or Raul who could support both.
But I finally found it today.
Woo Ho-young.
In Schuster's opinion, he was a player close to the ideal.
I've seen a lot of players so far, but it's been a long time since I've seen a player as versatile as Woo Ho-young.
Chelsea's Michael Ballack.
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.
Francesco Totti of AS Roma.
AC Milan's Clarence Seedorf.
Approximately these are the all-round players recognized by Schuster.
In the team, there was Wesley Sneijder who could play everything from a central midfielder to a winger and an attacking midfielder, but there was no talent like Woo Ho-young who could cover a striker as well.
So the card I took out was Woo Ho-young.
The plan was to utilize his versatility and secure as many tactics as possible.
It was clear that this would be a great asset in the Champions League, a tournament with the best teams.
Today's game was very important.
Since victory was almost assured, victory was a given as long as no major mistakes were made.
Therefore, we planned to use experimental tactics in the second half.
There are approximately 6 minutes remaining in halftime.
Schuster began to explain in a very excited tone.
"You tried one-top once during training, right?"
"yes. I played for 25 minutes as a penetrating striker who broke the line. Robben and Guti Zidane supported me from behind."
"You will have a similar mission today. But it doesn't end there. If the opponent starts using the offside trap, make a play with your back to the goal. The goal is to drop the line to lure the opposing defenders and open up space for Malouda and Saviola to penetrate. Conversely, if the opponent is passive, break the line again with a one-two pass play with van der Vaart. "When Zidane in midfield starts to build up, we need to look at the goal and coordinate the attack to increase the number of players in the box."
"It means playing irregularly, sometimes a step behind the opponent and sometimes a step earlier."
Yes.
The top spot where Woo Ho-young would be placed was not a position solely aimed at scoring goals.
It is Complete Forward.
It meant becoming an all-round striker who is good at everything.
Even if he had skill or talent, it was a role that he could not properly play with even his fair share of soccer intelligence.
"Of course, today is the first real battle, so there is no need to feel pressured. I just want to use your card in various ways. Because your versatile abilities are strategically valuable. There's nothing more stupid than tying you to one position. "Do you understand what I mean?"
"I guess I should say thank you for the compliment."
"I'm glad you understood. Now, back to the point."
There are now 4 minutes left.
Schuster used halftime to order Woo Ho-young to play the way he wanted.
Even if this tactic failed, it was a great joy for me as a director to be able to try it.
Second half.
When halftime ended, players from both teams came out of the tunnel.
[You can see the players who have been replaced. Real Madrid removed Van Nistelrooy and Raul and replaced them with Ho-Young Woo and Van der Vaart.]
[With this, a new history of the Champions League is written. At the age of 15 years and 57 days, Woo Ho-young became the youngest player to play in the Champions League.]
[That's right. Now, if I don't say that I am the youngest, it feels empty.]
The audience was already shaking with excitement at the sight of the substitute players.
Is there anything more satisfying than seeing your favorite player appear in a game?
Among them, the eyes of the two men in the supporters' seats behind the top of the goal were focused on Woo Ho-young.
One of the men clenched his fists and screamed.
"nice! As expected, I knew Woo Ho-young would appear. "Now, give it to me."
When he held out his hand, the man next to him handed him a 10-euro bill.
"Damn it. They said they were going to control their physical strength, but why are they sending me out again? "Isn't this completely over-the-top?"
The two men, who were friends, had made a bet on whether Woo Ho-young would play today.
The betting didn't stop there.
"Shall we guess which position it is this time?"
"That's my specialty. If I were coach Schuster, I would have placed him in an attacking midfielder. "The form you showed in the last game was amazing, wasn't it?"
"I am against it. Since Van Nistelrooy and Raul are missing, there is a high probability that Woo Ho-young will move up to the first line. "I think I'll probably go with Saviola as the top two."
"haha. You idiot. Even if you don't know soccer, you don't know much. Two-top is not Schuster's style."
"If you're that confident, why don't you bet 20 euros this time? how is it?"
"It's good."
While the self-proclaimed soccer experts were bickering, voices from the audience started pouring out onto the pitch.
It was kickoff.
And after a while, the two realized.
The fact that everyone's expectations were wrong.
"One top…?"
"crazy. I never thought of this. "Why one top all of a sudden?"
The two could not contain their astonishment.
This is because the position where Hoyoung was standing was in the front line with no one around.
"Do you think you can lead the attack while covering that wide space alone? "The location is too far from the second line."
"Hmm… I guess it's impossible too. "I bet 20 euros on Woo Ho-young not scoring today."
"Hey, where is that, you crazy guy? Then, I also get 20 euros for no score."
The game began with fans full of disbelief.
The lead was taken by Real Madrid on the right.
The formation is 4-2-3-1.
Diarra and Zinedine Zidane, located in midfield, maintained a narrow gap and increased possession based on short, concise passes.
Real Madrid's attack began from there.
[Zidane looks at Van der Vaart. A short forward pass.]
[At the same time, 32-year-old Aleksandr Yermakovich, who is in charge of Borsov's midfield, puts pressure on Van der Vaart.]
[When Van der Vaart is unable to do so, he turns the ball back. ]
[Zidane takes possession of the ball again and watches the situation. This time, the pass was missed by Malouda on the left.]
Borsov, who was caught off guard in the first half, did not back down easily.
After halftime, they came armed with their mental strength and focused on disrupting Zidane's play by aggressively applying pressure.
[It shows the desire for the Champions League. The three central midfielders are struggling and trying to block Zidane's build-up in the first place.]
[Yes, so far so good. However, Real Madrid will not remain like this.]
It was truly a last-ditch effort.
However, as the commentary said, the game did not go in the direction they wanted.
Real Madrid was not a team that would tolerate that.
It was effective only in the early part of the second half, but as time passed and Borisov's players lost stamina, Zidane's build-up became sharper.
For a moment, Zidane and Malouda's eyes met.
From then on, the flow of the game began to turn.
The French connection, which lifted the trophy at the 2006 Germany World Cup, brought the trend through sharp link-up play.
On the left and right sides, Malouda and Saviola constantly created space and helped Van der Vaart, who was placed in attacking midfield, with his free playmaking.
Borsov's defense was busy preparing for Van der Vaart's trademark mid-range shooting and at the same time blocking Hoyoung's penetration.
But it hasn't even started yet.
Real Madrid's tactics were just beginning.
[Van der Vaart takes his time catching the ball. Malouda and Saviola crowd into the center, maintaining a narrow gap.]
[At the same time, Roberto Carlos and Sergio Ramos are attempting to overlap along both touchlines. Real Madrid quickly increases the number of attackers to six.]
The tactics have become increasingly sharper and more solid.
This is something Coach Schuster had been planning since the preseason, and he wanted to use it in real life, and now that dream has come true.
Everything was going as planned.
Here, if done properly, it was proven that this tactic was practical.
Woo Ho-young.
His role was important.
Now was the time to move.
[Van der Vaart raises his head and looks at Woo Ho-young.]
[Woo Ho-young looks at the situation on the front lines. It looked like he was trying to break the line, but he turned his back to the goal and engaged in an all-out war with the defenders.]
[It left room for infiltration at any time, while at the same time becoming a bait. It seems like the intention is to help other attackers penetrate smoothly. Well, I don't know. First of all, the intention is good. But you shouldn't take too much time.]
[This is a tactic that clearly reflects director Bernd Schuster's tendencies, right?]
[That's right. Sneijder, who is known for his versatility, has been given this role before, perhaps in the game against Villadolid last year?]
[That's right. And it ended up being a failure. Of course, Sneijder scored the winning goal with a thunderous mid-range shot, but the play that Coach Schuster wanted did not come out.]
And I thought that today would be no different.
Even though Woo Ho-young was a former striker, it was not as easy as it sounds to adapt to the tactics he was using for the first time in real life.
It's only been 10 minutes since entering the game.
Moreover, isn't Hoyoung officially joining the first team training less than a month ago?
From the commentators' perspective, it seemed that Woo Ho-young's appointment as one top player would not be successful.
That's because even just now, Hoyoung's movements seemed distracted.
[Woo Ho-young is often seen looking confused today. Is it because he is too far away from van der Vaart? They need to either penetrate or create space to utilize the space on the side, but they are still very immature. Or is this also an operation?]
[I don't know. Woo Ho-young is busy moving around and coordinating the attack right now, right? In fact, in a situation where there are so many attackers, it would be better to leave it to an attacking midfielder.]
The commentators were very suspicious of that.
Why on earth is it moving like that?
Rather than an all-round striker, I felt like I was watching a wanderer who couldn't go with the flow and couldn't figure out where to go.
Are you nervous because it is your first Champions League performance?
I couldn't understand it with common sense.
But that was natural.
That was Hoyoung's intention not to reveal the operation to the outside.
It was not long after that.
[Woo Ho-young! Suddenly changes course. Long pass to Carlos on the left!]
[It happened in an instant. Maluda and Carlos exchanged positions and then made threatening movements in accordance with Hoyoung Woo's signal. What can I say? It feels like the gears that didn't fit are being forced into alignment.]
[And then Woo Ho-young! Turn your back on defense!]
There is a saying in the soccer world:
It is said that genius shines brightest when young, and creativity deepens with age.
That was correct.
Genius was young Hoyoung's greatest weapon.
A dizzying energy began to hover over the pitch.
War clouds.
Central defender Sergey Sosnovski, who has a well-developed sense of soccer, squealed as soon as he noticed the trend.
At the same time, he clung to Woo Ho-young's back like a leech and did not let go of his attention.
The psychological warfare between the two people took place on Hoyoung's spacious back.
There was a violent struggle to get a better seat.
'You can't miss even a moment. 'It's a battle of timing.'
It was a natural thought.
And that was Sosnovsky's defeat.
When dealing with a player who goes beyond common sense, it is neither porridge nor bread if you confront him with obvious ideas.
Thump, whistling.
"…?"
Hoyoung, who received the ball with his back to the defense, rotated 180 degrees in place with fluid, acrobatic movements.
There was almost no movement as if the body had been lubricated.
[Woo Ho-young! Sosnovsky is thrown back in an instant!]
[Maluda continues to break through the space behind Maluda. Ho-Young Woo's pass is delivered.]
[Soon after, Malouda's return pass goes to Ho-Young Woo's toes. Situation right in front of the goal!]
Ho-Young, who ran to the goal while exchanging one-two passes with Malouda, looked straight ahead.
The goalkeeper was very frightened and was running out.
On the other hand, Hoyoung was calm.
He kicked the ball with his left foot and passed it between the goalkeeper's legs.
Immediately after, the net shook and the stadium shook.
Commentators and coaches of both teams.
Up to 60,000 spectators, including two men who placed a meaningless bet of 20 euros.
It was Woo Ho-young's Champions League debut goal that shocked everyone.
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