Italy and England.
I am nothing more than a foreigner, unqualified to speak rashly on the differences between these two nations.
I spent roughly five years in Italy, and now about five months in England.
Of course, my memories are vivid relative to the time spent, but it is true that it is a brazenly short period to discuss cultural differences.
So this isn't that kind of talk; it's just my feeling.
If there is one noticeable difference between Italian people and English people, it is their attire.
Italians truly dress flamboyantly.
How should I put it, it feels as though everyone loves colors.
Blue, red, yellow, green, purple.
Even these kinds of colorful shades can commonly be seen on the streets.
Thanks to that, Italy was a place where you would feel your eyes sparkling just walking down the street.
England, on the other hand, felt close to the opposite.
If Italy is flamboyance, England is gloom... though that's not a nice word, so shall I call it subduedness.
Of course, I haven't traveled around extensively, but the colors commonly seen in Italy were rarely found here.
It feels like seven out of ten people are in black, and the remaining three in gray.
Come to think of it, perhaps it's not just the length and thickness of clothing that follows the weather, but the colors as well.
If I had to choose, I think I lean closer to the English style.
Well, though it's the English style I can't quite pull off.
Dressing flamboyantly doesn't suit me, and I hate it,
so in Italy, I heard quite a lot from the older guys telling me to dress better. Since coming here, it seems no one's pointed out my attire.
So why.
Why am I suddenly thinking about clothing? Because looking at the crowd filling the stands, I suddenly feel as though winter has come.
“...”
Sitting on the bench with my arms crossed, I look over the pitch.
In the stadium, the match is nearing its end.
It is the second match of December, the fourth match of the Champions League group stage, the second leg against Young Boys.
The score is 3-0.
Today, Haaland's scoring instinct has exploded once again.
Two of the three goals came from his feet and head, and since the last match, he has perfectly returned to the Haaland we knew.
I knew the manager's worries were excessive, didn't I?
Somehow, things feel like they're falling smoothly into place.
Rumors say De Bruyne's recovery is progressing faster than expected.
There was even word that he could return to training as early as next week.
It may sound arrogant to say this, but if he comes back, I even wonder if there is a team that can stop us.
In many ways, it was a relief.
Why are there so many tournaments this year?
There was another schedule I was feeling hesitant about, but in this situation, perhaps I can go with a more comfortable mind.
January next year, that is, a month from now.
A tournament called the Asian Cup is being held.
Was it the day before yesterday?
An official document arrived at the team, a summons from the national team.
Since this Asian Cup is being held in Qatar, it is my second time going to Qatar as a national representative.
Even so, I've been doing interviews in Korean more frequently these past few days.
While it's nice to have the chance to speak my mother tongue while abroad, the questions I've received these past few days honestly haven't been all that welcome.
Golden Generation, Golden Generation.
The word that came out of the reporters' mouths the most was that word.
Us, that is, the players participating in this Asian Cup, are apparently referred to by that word.
It means the squad is composed to the extent that not winning would be strange.
Is there any other label as burdensome as that?
A team where not winning is strange, the Golden Generation.
Doesn't that mean that no matter how well we do, we can only break even?
It would be strange not to feel the pressure.
In that respect, I can only hope that the experiences of the past five months will be of great help to me.
They were five months in which I learned how to play for a team where winning is a given.
How to endure pressure and how to enjoy it.
I think I've at least reached the point between those two.
Honestly, I'm not sure.
What kind of state must one reach to truly enjoy pressure?
Not pretending to enjoy it, but really enjoying it.
Will I be able to become such a steadfast person someday?
Beep, beep, beeeeep!
Unlike me, my teammates may already have reached that state.
No, I'm sure they have.
The whistle blows signaling the end of the match, and I stand up from my seat and head down to the ground.
Winning today's match 3-0 as well, we have continued our perfect winning record since the season began.
It is an amazing feat, yet not an amazing one.
Because we are a team for whom winning is a given.
. . .
December 10, 2023, London.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
[You might be mistaken, but today's match is not a Korean national team match. It's the 17th round of the league, Tottenham versus Manchester City. But Korean flags are fluttering here and there in the stands.]
[It is pronounced Tae-geuk-gi. It is the term for Korea's national flag.]
While the 17th round league match between home team Tottenham and away team Manchester City is being prepared,
Taegeuk-gis are seen throughout the stands.
For Koreans, today's match is one that cannot be missed.
[It's understandable, as the key players of both teams are Korean. Tottenham's Son, and Man City's Lee. Both players, wearing the number 7 for their respective teams, are starting today side by side.]
[Neither player needs a lengthy introduction. Is there anyone who doesn't know that Sonny is a Man City killer? But if I must explain, he has recorded 7 goals and 3 assists in 15 total matches. Does that not put it in perspective? The opponent is Man City.]
[It's not common to find a player with this kind of record against Man City. Moreover, the Man City that Sonny has faced throughout his career has been the strongest Man City in history.]
The match start is imminent.
The camera shines on the Tottenham players scattering to their positions.
Among them, the player with the number 7 on his back, wearing the captain's armband, is shown in close-up.
He has such a kind impression that fans of other teams, not just Tottenham fans, feel affection for him, but to Man City fans, he is the sole exception.
To them, that innocent face looks like nothing but a cold-blooded killer.
[If Man City has one weakness, it would indeed be the counterattack.]
[Due to their tactical tendency to play a high line and invest many resources forward, they inevitably expose themselves to danger from the opponent's counterattacks.]
[That's why the most dangerous type of player for Man City is a fast striker with good goal-scoring decisiveness.]
[That's totally Sonny.]
The most important things in a counterattack are speed and decisiveness.
The faster the counterattack, the more threatening it is, and since it's not a situation that occurs often during a match, the decisiveness to capitalize on limited opportunities is crucial.
A player possessing just one of those two is a threat to Man City.
But a player who possesses both, and moreover has both at a top-class level,
is a move that is practically checkmate from Man City's perspective.
[Could it be because of this matchup? The head-to-head record between the two teams is nearly a perfect 5-to-5. What's shocking is the record at this Hotspur Stadium. Since this stadium opened in 2019, Man City has not won here even once. No, to be exact, they have lost every single time. Five matches, five losses.]
[For a Man City record, that's something you can't see at any stadium in the world.]
[I haven't told you the more shocking part yet. During those five losses, they failed to score even a single goal. Man City, that is.]
[Unbelievable. But it's true.]
Man City fears nothing.
They achieved the Treble last season and rose to the pinnacle of Europe.
But strangely, things never went well whenever they came to Tottenham Stadium.
They lost here even last season when they achieved the Treble.
A relationship that one might dare call a "natural enemy."
[Man City will likely think today is a good opportunity to settle that relationship. A kind of jinx, and it's because there is a player completely unrelated to that jinx.]
[That would be Lee, for whom today is his first match against Tottenham.]
[Lee arrived amid enormous expectations and has already proven his worth in past matches. He shone even brighter during the period De Bruyne was absent. Currently, the only player at Man City who has not tasted the fear of Tottenham is Lee. He'll have to do it.]
The broadcast screen splits into two halves.
Number 7 and number 7, waiting with rather tense expressions for the whistle to blow.
The figures of both players appear on the screen.
Beeeep!
And the match began.
*
Memories of last year come to mind.
It was when I faced Napoli wearing the Fiorentina uniform.
That was the first time I experienced there being another Korean on the pitch besides me.
I remember it being a peculiar feeling.
A feeling of somehow being reassured, yet at the same time wanting to win even more.
I am feeling that same feeling again now.
Thud!
Thud!
The ball is circulating in the back.
I slowly walk between the opponent's players, surveying my surroundings.
It is a sight so familiar that I no longer need to draw a map in my head.
A tightly packed defense.
Forwards standing like midfielders.
Today as well, our mission is to break down this barrier.
But if there is one thing I need to be more careful about than usual, it is the space behind.
Of course, you should never concede space behind in the first place, but I was told to be especially careful today.
Because the opponent has a specialist at exploiting the space behind.
Tottenham's captain, and come to think of it, my captain as well.
Though it's my first time facing him like this, I know full well how fast and composed he is.
Because I watched him up close when we were called up to the national team.
What I felt watching him so closely was that he is a player I can't help but respect.
His mindset, his attitude toward training, his heart for the team, and of course his skill.
You could say he was a reassuring presence just by being on the team.
But today, he is the enemy.
Because he was the most reassuring teammate, he has become the most frightening enemy.
Respect is just respect; I cannot yield victory.
The only respect I can show until the match ends is to torment the opponent as much as possible.
Tatatat!
I suddenly drop down from the space between the opponent's midfield and defense.
Seeing my movement, Rodri sends a concise pass.
Thud!
I secure my peripheral vision, confirm it is a safe space, and turn.
There are two ways to avoid being counterattacked.
One is for us to not attack first, and the other is to finish with a shot even if it doesn't go in.
You must recognize that losing the ball in the middle is a dangerous act.
Tap, tap!
As I move up away from the halfway line, I immediately feel pressure.
The opponent hasn't raised their line, but it seems they don't intend to just defend their zone.
Do they press immediately once you cross a certain line?
That too will be a springboard for the counterattack.
So expecting such pressure was not difficult.
Thud!
I give the ball to Foden on the right and run forward.
I enter the space between the midfield and defense once again.
One might wonder why I dropped down and came back up if I was going to enter here anyway, but change has already occurred through that movement.
When I received the ball and turned, pressure came.
That means the opponent's midfielders have stepped forward by a few paces.
Then the gap between them and the defense naturally has to widen.
Before and now.
My position is the same, but the space allowed around me has grown wider.
Thud!
I receive the ball back from Foden.
From here, I must not move while thinking.
Think beforehand.
Act immediately.
Tap, tap!
As I approach, one defender in front is drawn out, and I fix my gaze on him while cautiously approaching.
At the same time, my focus is more on my peripheral vision than my direct sight.
Holding the ball in the center like this, what naturally opens up is the space on both flanks.
Well, actually, I don't even need to look.
Our players are the type to create space even where there is none, so there's no way there isn't someone in the opened space.
Thud!
I thread a pass.
To the right, into the space between the center-back and full-back, a pass aimed at Foden cutting inside from the right.
Foden is a truly intelligent player.
A player who knows what to do every moment, you could say.
It's the same now.
Bbaaaaang!
Foden takes a bold shot.
When we've pushed up this high, the finish has to be a shot.
Thud!
But unfortunately, the shot bounces off the goalkeeper's hand and goes out past the goal line.
I thought it was a well-struck shot, but the goalkeeper's reaction was astoundingly good.
Anyway, the attack continues with a corner kick.
Still our possession.
That's why finishing with a shot is important, and if I know it, all my teammates know it, so there's nothing to worry about.
But then, suddenly.
“...”
An inexplicable chill is felt at the back of my head.
While Foden is preparing the corner kick.
Feeling that chill, I glance back and unease wells up.
A corner kick is truly a good opportunity.
However, with so many players coming up into the box,
it can also be an equally good opportunity for the opponent eyeing a counterattack.
The expert at counterattacks is standing behind us.
Just that alone keeps making me conscious of what's behind me.
It was a wonder that one person's presence could be this immense.