Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

108 – Unbelievable

108

The media day where Joo Ji-tae and Paolo Pellegrini clashed in a historic aggro during the Korea-Italy match.

It wasn’t just any ordinary tournament, and the players weren’t nobodies either.

The fact that two world-renowned players clashed in a historic aggro on the World Cup stage, where the whole world was watching, was only natural.

And the result was even more astonishing.

“All 8 matches in the round of 16 have ended. And the most eye-catching one is undoubtedly the Korea-Italy match?”

“Indeed, the result was unexpected. While Korea had a slight advantage, considering Italy’s tendency to strengthen in tournaments, the outcome was too one-sided.”

“That’s right. Even if Italy was in a slump, no one expected them to lose this badly. That’s the country of catenaccio, after all.”

Former football stars participating as guests on the ‘English Football Day’ program, a non-regular football analysis program, shared their opinions.

“Oh, Leo, did you watch the Korea-Italy match?”

“Of course. Why would I be sitting here if I hadn’t?”

“Ha, you lazy guy watched the match. You must have been thrilled to see how intense it was.”

Leo, the Brazilian football star, responded dryly to the host’s teasing.

“There’s no need to ask about my impression. It’s obvious.”

“Oh, I see. So the player who caught your eye is…?”

“Number 5, Joo Ji-tae? That guy with the weird name.”

“Weird name? You’re in danger, Leo!”

“No, no! I didn’t mean it in a bad way! You try saying it too! It’s tongue-twisting!”

The broadcast, which had gone off the rails, finally got back on track after a while.

“Anyway, the key point is this guy. Take a good look at his position.”

“Hmm, it’s high.”

“That’s too simple. He’s too far to the left. The one who’s supposed to be in that position is behind him.”

Leonardo, who had paused the Korea-Italy match video, pointed to Joo Ji-tae with a laser pointer.

“He’s like a side midfielder. What’s with the overlapping fullback? Meanwhile, the left-back has taken Joo Ji-tae’s place as the center-back.”

“Oh, I see. But why is this a crucial point? It just looks like the two players swapped positions.”

In response to the host’s question, Leonardo snapped his fingers.

“Look at this. Paolo, who was following the same path as the other Italian players, has now deviated from them. See, even now, Paolo, Fabio Cristante, and Salvatore are on the same path.”

“Indeed, it’s too crowded in a narrow space.”

“There are three Italian players on one side, including the left flank. This is why Korea’s passing game is struggling. Even Catena would be unable to handle three players on the side.”

“In short, the distribution of players was inefficient?”

“That’s right. With everyone gathered in one spot, the numerical advantage of the defenders is lost, and spatial control is compromised.”

Leonardo continued, playing the next video.

“Antonio Monza is a quick-witted coach. See, he’s immediately responding by adjusting the players’ positions. The problem is that this obvious measure is the cause of the second goal.”

“He couldn’t control Joo Ji-tae.”

“That’s right. This is the key to this game and the reason Italy collapsed. If it weren’t for the inefficient distribution of players, they wouldn’t have been able to stop it, and if they had left it alone, it would have gotten out of hand. Paolo, who was doing well in the beginning, lost his touch, and with a two-goal deficit, the coach’s options were limited. You can sense Antonio’s distress here.”

“Marizio, who is famous as a tactician, seems to have prepared well for Korea.”

“Hmm…”

Leonardo paused, scratching his chin with a curious expression.

“That guy, Joo Ji-tae, is something else. I looked into his games with his team, and I have some doubts.”

“What doubts do you have?”

“Did Marizio anticipate all of this and prepare for Joo Ji-tae’s shift? Or did Joo Ji-tae move on his own?”

* * *

The aftermath of the Korea-Italy match was immense.

Even though they were known as ‘Catena’, Italy had collapsed. Losing 1-0 or 2-0 would have been understandable, but Italy had conceded 5 goals.

[‘Shocking! Even ‘Catena’ is old news? Italy’s defense crumbles, conceding 5 goals’]

[‘Italian media in disarray after unprecedented defeat’]

After 20 years, Italy had finally qualified for the World Cup, only to face an Asian country. The match, touted as a revenge match for the 2002 World Cup, had ended in a 5-0 defeat.

This was truly an unprecedented defeat.

Italy’s worst defeat in their football history was a 1-4 loss to Switzerland in 1954 and a 1-4 loss to Brazil in 1970. Although they had conceded 4 goals, they had at least scored one goal. But this time, they had conceded 5 goals without scoring any, making it a historic defeat for Italian football.

[‘Italy’s captain, Paolo Pellegrini, bursts into tears! Refuses to attend interview!’]

[‘Football war turns into football protest? The protest march gains momentum’]

[‘The protests that started in the north spread across Italy, with increasing violence’]

The entire country of Italy was in an uproar over the World Cup disaster.

[Ahahaha, this is ridiculous]

[Angry mob, angry mob, angry mob]

[Italy, you were so pathetic]

[What? Catena? Is this an automatic door?]

[Paolo, who I thought was a defensive genius, turned out to be a crying genius]

[But what did Joo Ji-tae say to make them so angry?]

Meanwhile, the Korean public was ecstatic, but one player was in a state of despair.

“…I’m screwed.”

It was Oh Seung-hwan, the former ace and main striker of the national team.

This goal-scorer had suffered a foot fracture during a training camp in Austria just before the World Cup and had almost been eliminated from the tournament. However, thanks to Marizio’s decision, he had managed to make it onto the roster.

But his relief was short-lived.

Due to the accumulated fatigue from the season, Oh Seung-hwan’s recovery was slower than expected, and he grew anxious.

Generally, it takes three weeks to recover from a toe fracture, but by the time I returned to the team, three weeks had already passed, and Korea had already showcased its destructive performance, taking first place in the group stage.

Even if the main striker was in a slump, Jo Jae-shin, who replaced Oh Seung-hwan, didn’t exactly show outstanding performance.

In this situation, it was difficult to put in a player who was uncertain about their performance due to injury, even if they were the original ace.

Oh Seung-hwan could sense that his highly anticipated World Cup was ruined.

However, since the team was doing well, he tried to take comfort in the fact that his country was achieving high scores, even if he couldn’t play as a starter. But fate was cruel.

In the round of 16 against Italy, Oh Seung-hwan, who came on as a substitute in the second half, scored the team’s third and fifth goals in a row, knocking Italy out.

“Shit… what do I do?”

“Hyung, why are you like this on this happy day?”

“Why… I’m finished, that’s why.”

“Aww, you scored multiple goals in your comeback match~”

The younger players, who were simply beaming with joy at the team’s advancement to the quarterfinals,

“My team is AS Roma.”

“…Ah.”

“Hyung…,”

Oh Seung-hwan’s words left them stunned.

It was inevitable.

The aftermath of the Italy match was already a precedent.

In 2002, Ahn Jung-hwan, who scored the golden goal against Italy in the round of 16, knew how he was treated by his team, Perugia, back then.

The stadium suddenly fell silent.

Oh Seung-hwan’s gaze, which was cast down with a gloomy expression, met the football shoes approaching him.

“…?”

“Hyung.”

“Joo Ji-tae?”

It was Joo Ji-tae, a younger player who didn’t seem like one.

“You scored 19 goals in this season at AS Roma, and you have two years left on your contract.”

“Hmm.”

“Then just transfer, what’s the big deal? You scored 19 goals in a season, and you have two years left on your contract, and you’ve already scored multiple goals in the World Cup.”

“Oh!”

“There you go, hyung. I’m Joo Ji-tae. I’ll lead the way, and we won’t stop at the quarterfinals—”

Just then,

“The quarterfinal opponent has been decided!! The results are out!!”

[Brazil, a strong contender, defeats another strong contender, Argentina, 3:1, and advances to the quarterfinals!!]

[This means we’ll be facing Brazil, who defeated Italy and advanced first!!]

“…It’s Brazil.”

“Ah….”

“It’s okay. I’m Joo Ji-tae. Can’t you trust me?”

“…Yes.”

“…….”