Episode 184: Repaying Kindness with Enmity -3
["We're already past the twenty-minute mark of the first half. Both teams are still tied nil–nil, and the match remains tightly contested. Honestly, I expected this to turn into an incredible slugfest, but that doesn't seem to be the case."]
["Yes. Both Napoli and Fiorentina are strong attacking teams, so I thought it might become a back-and-forth affair. But perhaps because it's such an important match, both sides are approaching the game cautiously."]
At the point when twenty minutes had passed in the first half.
The score written on the scoreboard was still 0–0.
It was a match between two teams ranked first and second in team scoring, just as in the league table.
Considering that, the game was continuing quietly enough to be boring.
As they say, there's nothing to eat at a feast that's been talked up too much.
Of course, there were plenty of exceptions, but usually, matches between first and second place didn't often produce fiery games.
For one thing, it was inevitable because the balance of power between the two sides was appropriately matched.
Especially since Napoli and Fiorentina were currently competing with just a three-point gap in the standings, they inevitably had to be even more cautious.
Because of that, tension was running high not only on the pitch but also in the stands.
"This isn't easy to break down."
"Couldn't we be a bit bolder?"
"We have no choice but to be careful. Given the opponent…"
The Fiorentina fans seated in the away section bit their nails as they spoke.
Certainly, the flow of the game so far wasn't unsatisfactory.
But if there was anything to regret, it was that sharp attacks weren't coming out easily.
Their defense was concentrated and alive, and their possession in the midfield was good.
They weren't being pushed around by Napoli in those aspects at all.
However, the regret was that they felt like they were pulling back a move even in scenes where they could afford to be a bit bolder.
Of course, given the opponent and the fact that it was an important match that could decide the course of the Scudetto, it wasn't hard to understand why they were approaching it cautiously.
But there was a concern that they might have shrunk back prematurely due to excessive caution.
"Still, it's a relief. The opponent can't be bold either."
"Napoli can't take us lightly either."
"Their condition doesn't seem all that great either. Napoli is a team that doesn't rotate its starting lineup much. In that regard, it's fortunate. They seem to be making a few mistakes today as well."
"Well, actually that's exactly why it's frustrating. Napoli today doesn't look like someone we need to be scared of…"
Well, anyway, regret was just regret.
It wasn't a flow that could be called bad.
For starters, the fact that Napoli's destructive power hadn't shown itself yet was a positive sign.
Currently, Napoli's attacking power was top-class in the league.
Napoli was the team that had scored more goals than any other team in the league.
With firepower led by the likes of Khvicha and Osimhen, even teams like both Milan sides and Juventus frequently had their defensive walls crumble.
But today, those attackers' performances weren't standing out, so that alone was something to be grateful for.
Truthfully, it was a bit puzzling.
The fact that Napoli was playing less aggressively than expected.
As mentioned, Napoli was a team that maintained their aggressive style against any opponent.
If they had come out like that today, it would've been difficult, but since they were voluntarily playing a cautious game first, it was both puzzling and fortunate.
However, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible, because Napoli wasn't a team in comfortable circumstances either.
Not that they could be compared to Fiorentina, but they too were a team with quite a high dependence on certain players.
Therefore, their game management was inevitably heavily influenced by those players' conditions, and the players who held such great influence didn't seem to be in very good shape today.
So their game management was likely being done cautiously as well, to the point where it looked as if they were conserving stamina as they were now.
"…"
But that was from the perspective of an average fan.
To the eyes of an expert capable of sharper analysis, there was clearly more to see.
Right now, Napoli's unique flavor wasn't coming alive.
Was that truly due to Napoli's internal circumstances?
Was the current match tempo really unfolding as they intended?
He didn't think so.
"…."
In one corner of the stands, Fiorentina U17 team coach Tony Luzzo was watching the match with intense focus, his hands clasped in front of his mouth.
He was able to be here because the U17 team had also had a match against Napoli yesterday.
Thanks to that, the youth players belonging to the U17 team were also sitting beside him.
Anyway, that wasn't important.
What was important now was that if one were to ask whether Napoli was playing cautiously because they had no intention of coming out aggressively… in Coach Tony's mind, the important point was that this was not the case.
Napoli clearly wanted to play their style of football.
Why wouldn't they?
Their aggressive football had already proven to be quite powerful by the standings.
The condition of the key players?
At a glance, there didn't appear to be any problems.
There were no leaks in the defense, and the movements of the aces Khvicha and Osimhen looked quite light.
Even in the early stages of the match, those two had looked plenty good.
Then what, because it was such an important match?
Because splitting one point apiece wouldn't be so bad?
Hardly.
Thinking that way, Napoli wasn't a team that had accumulated points like that.
They only had three draws as well.
They had shown their unique colors even in matches against other strong teams.
Then why?
There was only one conclusion.
'…They're being completely controlled.'
It wasn't that they had no intention of playing aggressively; they simply couldn't.
Not that they wouldn't, but that they couldn't.
Napoli's attempts to raise the tempo of the match had been visible from the very beginning.
Quickly, quickly.
They attacked quickly and pressured quickly, to the point where it was visible that they wanted to make the match like a ping-pong game.
But every time they did so.
There was someone who broke their momentum each and every time, and it was his prized pupil.
'…Can I even call him my prized pupil?'
He suddenly wondered if it was too much to call him his pupil, but anyway.
It was Gian who continually broke the opponent's momentum and slowed down the match tempo.
Owning the ball in the opponent's half as much as possible, increasing the time the ball stayed in the opponent's half.
Even in situations where he could finish the attack, if it wasn't certain, he pulled back a move, not giving the opponent attacking rights as much as possible.
Orchestration, orchestration, orchestration.
At first glance, one might not have noticed.
But quick-witted people would have realized.
That whenever the ball went to Gian's feet, a timing to catch their breath was created.
Gian was completely dictating the tempo of the match, and Napoli was helplessly being dragged along by Gian's tempo.
Helplessly.
It was as if renowned speed players were burning with frustration because the conductor kept drawing out an andante.
Because their minds were so hasty like that, mistakes were coming out too.
"…Andrea."
"Yes?"
Coach Tony, who had been quietly watching the match, called the name of the student sitting beside him.
Then the boy named Andrea turned his head, and Coach Tony tried to say something to that Andrea…
"…No."
He soon shook his head.
Coach Tony let out a quiet hollow laugh.
Truthfully, he had been about to tell him to watch and learn.
The friend named Andrea was a friend who played central midfielder for the team.
He had been about to tell him that this is what orchestration looks like, so watch and learn, but.
'For now, just appreciation…'
No matter how much he was an instructor, he couldn't bring himself to tell him to learn that just by watching.
It wasn't something you could watch and imitate.
*
"Hoo, hoo–"
While the ball had briefly gone out over the touchline.
Taking that gap, I breathed deeply and glanced at the scoreboard.
74:39
NAP 0 : 0 FIO
It was already approaching the 75th minute.
With only about fifteen minutes left until the end of the match, still not a single goal had been scored.
But if one were to ask whether it was an uneventful match that had simply flowed by like that, it wasn't.
The fact that I felt fatigue as if I had already run ninety minutes was the proof.
Of course, it wasn't the disaster brought about by excessive drive like in the last match against Napoli.
More than physical fatigue, the psychological fatigue was greater.
As they say, with great power comes great responsibility.
Controlling everything as if I were manipulating it, adjusting the match's tempo was quite a fun thing, but.
Because of that, it was true that I felt a heavy sense of responsibility.
It might be a slightly arrogant thing to say, but if our team was a ship sailing on the sea, I was the one holding its helm.
If I didn't set the direction correctly, we could hit a reef or end up somewhere completely wrong, could we not?
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to keep asking myself inwardly as I played.
Is doing it like this right now correct?
Is continuing in this direction correct?
Even if the ship seemed to be sailing well for now, I had no choice but to check again and again.
Because football wasn't exactly something that had a single correct answer.
Beep–!
The match resumed with our throw-in.
Deep in our half, the captain threw the ball in.
Nastasic received that ball and lightly tapped it forward, looking ahead.
By now, the opponent wasn't applying strong forward pressure.
Perhaps because we had shaken off the opponent's pressure better than expected until now.
And also because the opponent's stamina was heading toward rock bottom at this point.
One way or another, we were playing the way we wanted.
And the opponent was playing somewhat unsatisfactorily.
That was the only map for me.
A map telling me that this was the right direction.
"…"
And as I look around me now, I can feel it.
That it was time to end the safe voyage and drop anchor at the destination.
Tat-tat-tat–!
I shifted my position slightly lower in the space between the opponent's defense and defensive midfielder.
Pa-aang–!
Pa-aang–!
At the same time, several passes were exchanged in the back, and soon the ball reached my feet.
I too processed the pass concisely, keeping the flow of the passes alive, but making the direction head toward the flank.
Tat-tat-tat–!
After that, I turned my body and moved back up front.
The space in the opponent's half wasn't that wide.
Because they had dropped back overall compared to the first half.
But if one asked whether there were no gaps, that wasn't the case either.
No matter how much they had dropped back, it was relative.
Because the opponent still wanted to attack.
Pa-aang–!
I could see Senior Saponara, having received the ball on the left, turning direction toward the center.
At this, I naturally moved to the left diagonal to take Senior Saponara's place, and.
Pa-aang–!
I received the pass coming toward me again, with the touchline at my back.
Then immediately, the opponent's defense showed considerable wariness and closed in.
…Not one, but two.
On top of the right fullback who naturally should be there, I could see the monster leaving the box to block the path.
Suddenly, I felt it was time to pull out the wrong-answer notebook.
Tat-tat–!
With the defense in front of me, I showed off some appropriate footwork.
As if expressing the will to somehow break through this left flank, I shook my upper body.
But that was so that my gaze glancing beyond them wouldn't be caught.
To bind the opponent defenders' gazes solely to my feet.
They say if you can't avoid it, enjoy it, but that probably means avoid it if you can.
There was no need to fight the monster unnecessarily.
Paaa-aang–!
After planting my right foot, I sliced the ball from the left side.
I wondered if it was a pass given far too deep, but because I had struck it with strong spin using the outside of my foot, its trajectory curved into the box.
Tat-tat-tat–!
At the end of that trajectory, Senior Saponara was already charging in at full speed.
The left side of the box.
Though it was the maximum danger zone, the space was quite generous because the defense had crowded toward me.
For a moment, I worried what if Senior Saponara hesitated to shoot, but.
Trusting in my senior, I decided not to yell at him to hit it.
The pass itself was practically screaming to shoot.
Booooooom–!
Senior Saponara dynamically twisted his body and swung his left foot.
At that, the ball that left his foot shot toward the opposite goalpost.
And shortly after.
What I saw with my eyes was Senior Saponara's face running toward me with his mouth wide open.
Slap–!!
I had learned a lot from the last match.
I had essentially repaid the kindness of that teaching with enmity, but of course, I probably didn't need to feel any guilt.