Chapter 4

4. Interim Manager? (2)

"Huff... Huff..."

The Seoul United players were drenched in sweat, training hard on the field. Unlike under the previous management of Coach Jeong In-woo, they were visibly struggling under the intense physical training regimen imposed by Ha Jun.

"There! You're falling behind!"

Ha Jun wouldn't tolerate any slack. In his view, the problems with Seoul United weren't just about disorganized teamwork, but also the players' low physical fitness and poor judgment.

Thus, in his first training session as interim manager, Ha Jun implemented a high-intensity physical training program.

'Physical fitness can't be improved in a short time, but...'

There were only four days left until the 9th round of the league.

He was well aware that he couldn't significantly boost their fitness in such a short period. Still, he pushed the players to their limits for a reason...

'To instill the right mindset and filter out the players with better physical condition.'

Most of the tactics he aimed to implement required strong physical fitness, so Ha Jun placed the highest importance on the players' physical condition.

'Even objectively, our team's strength is not as good as the other teams in the league.'

Though the team had been in the top division just a year ago, their current situation was far from competitive. This was the result of the team's relegation, the departure of key players, and Coach Jeong In-woo's lackluster recruitment and controversial player selections.

As time passed,

Beep!

Ha Jun blew the whistle, signaling the end of the physical training.

"Huff... Ah... I feel like I'm dying..."

"Water... Water..."

"Ugh..."

Except for team captain Shin Young-joon, known for his hardworking play style, the other players were all gasping for breath and struggling. Ha Jun watched them with a dissatisfied expression and sighed.

'This is a mess.'

Ha Jun felt the enormity of the mess left by the previous coach and rubbed his temples. He recalled why things had come to this. When he was a coach and offered suggestions during Coach Jeong In-woo's meetings,

'What do you know, giving advice left and right? Have you ever been a manager? Is being a coach in the Bundesliga for a short time a big deal? That's why people these days are so... Tsk!'

What was the point of gathering the coaching staff for tactical meetings?

To discuss and refine the tactics for the next match with the manager. However, Coach Jeong In-woo always looked at Ha Jun unfavorably, and most of his suggestions were ignored.

Occasionally, his suggestions were accepted only when the team was in a dire situation and facing a likely loss. Ha Jun shook his head, dispelling those thoughts.

"You were taking it easy during the physical training, and this is the result."

Ha Jun's head ached thinking about how he ended up cleaning up the mess left by the previous manager, but he had no time to complain. He needed to quickly improve the team's organization and teach the players the movements he wanted through tactical training.

'At the very least, we need to make it to the playoffs. Otherwise, all the blame will be on me. Damn it.'

Ha Jun had a goal: to return to Europe and become the first Asian manager in the top leagues. If his career got derailed in the Korean second division, he wouldn't be able to achieve that dream. Thus, he had to pull this team up, whether he liked it or not.

"Alright. We'll wrap up the morning training here. Be ready to gather here for the afternoon training!"

"Understood!"

As Ha Jun left, groans and complaints erupted from the players.

"Ah, damn it. Why is he suddenly doing this?"

"He didn't do this when Coach Jeong was here, right?"

"Is he overdoing it just because he's the interim manager?"

Shin Young-jeon, overhearing the complaints, barely suppressed a chuckle. The players complaining were those who had been guaranteed playing time under Coach Jeong In-woo.

'They just don't like change.'

Among the regulars under Coach Jeong In-woo, only a few, including Shin Young-jeon, had secured their positions purely based on their skills.

Shin Young-jeon had been with the team since its glory days in the top division and had remained loyal, running hard and earning the support of the fans. From his perspective, the group complaining was not helping the team at all.

On the other hand,

"Huff... It's tough, but Coach? Interim Manager? Whatever. He must have his reasons, right?"

"Call him one thing. He's probably trying to improve our fitness. He's the one who received the best training among the coaching staff, right?"

On the other side, Jeong Sang-ki and Lee Tae-jun were stretching and accepting the training positively, creating a good atmosphere. Who would choose the group that only complained and didn't have the skills over those who trained diligently to improve their performance?

Shin Young-jeon had a good idea of who would be in the starting lineup for the 9th round.

* * *

Ding!

"Yes, this is Ha Jun."

-Coach! No, Manager! The two new coaches have arrived at the club. I'll send them to your office.

Fortunately, the new coaches arrived before the day ended. Although there were only two of them, it was a relief, as every person counted at this point.

"Ah! Thank you for your hard work. Please guide them to the manager's office!"

After the call ended, not long after,

There was a knock on the door of the manager's office, and I opened it to welcome the new coaches.

"Welcome. I've been waiting for you."

"Hello, I'm Lee Su-hyuk, the new fitness coach. Nice to meet you."

"Hello, I'm Timi Boller. Nice to meet you."

I nodded in response to their greetings in Korean and German.

"Thank you both for coming. We were short on staff. I'd like to start a meeting to prepare for the next round. Is that okay with both of you?"

To ensure Boller understood, I repeated the same in German. Both coaches agreed, so I had them sit at the table and played some videos.

There were three videos: the eight league matches Seoul United had played, the morning physical training session, and the highlights of the 8th round match of the upcoming opponent, Gyeongbuk FC.

"Hmm..."

The two coaches swallowed hard after watching the videos. I couldn't blame them; I would have felt the same way. The videos of the eight league matches and the morning physical training session clearly showed the team's lack of direction.

"Yes, I understand. You must feel frustrated. However, we are in a position where we must lead this team to victory."

"Th-Their teamwork isn't very good, either."

Coach Lee Su-hyuk cautiously voiced his thoughts. Perhaps he found it difficult to criticize on his first day, so he tried to be as tactful as possible.

"Oh, my. How can they play like this? It's really serious. At this rate, I doubt they can win even one game this season."

Boller, who came from Germany, bluntly expressed his thoughts. Seeing Lee Su-hyuk's puzzled look, I explained with a wry smile.

"He says it's a mess."

"Ah!"

I brought up a tactical board on the screen and continued.

"In the upcoming league match, I plan to use a back three. I've roughly selected the starting lineup as follows."

After the insight, I had been closely observing the players and had prepared a temporary starting lineup and tactics, which I presented to them. They both reacted positively.

"Indeed, a back three seems better for our current situation."

"Shin, the midfielder, has good stamina. If we assign him the task of protecting the center-backs and participating in build-up play, it could work well."

Their positive responses made me smile. Boller, in particular, seemed to share my thoughts.

Shin Young-jeon, with his high activity level and wide coverage, was a box-to-box midfielder. However, given the team's disorganized state, I planned to assign him the task of protecting the back three and participating in build-up play.

"However."

Lee Su-hyuk, scanning the temporary starting lineup, suddenly spoke.

"Many of the players you've selected are quite young, aren't they?"

"Ah, yes."

Among the players I had marked for the 9th round, most were young players in their early 20s, including Jeong Sang-ki, who was 20. It wasn't just because they hadn't had opportunities under Coach Jeong In-woo; it was based on their movements and attitudes during the physical training.

However, to those who didn't know the situation, it might seem odd.

"Yes, many of them are young players in their early 20s. I've selected the best players I've observed while being part of this team. Their lack of experience will be supplemented by team captain Shin Young-jeon and us."

Shin Young-jeon on the field, and the coaches and I off the field.

"Boss, I have a question."

Boller, with a gleam in his eye, asked, and I nodded for him to continue.

"Lee, who you've placed on the left side, has been playing as a right winger in the previous matches. Why have you placed him on the left side?"

The player Boller mentioned was Lee Tae-jun, a right-footed winger known for his speed and powerful shots. Coach Jeong In-woo had used him to create attacking opportunities, but due to the simple tactics, Lee Tae-jun often found himself isolated.

"I plan to assign him the task of playing wide on the left side. When we use the back three, only the right wing-back will make deep overlapping runs."

When the right wing-back overlaps, the right winger will move into the central media-punta position. I also planned to involve the left wing-back in the midfield. I explained this to Boller and Lee Su-hyuk, and they nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, this increases our numbers in the midfield and the final third."

"This is a movement that has been popular in Europe since the late 2010s and early 2020s. Boss, it shows you've been in Europe."

"Due to injuries, I lost my dribbling skills and had to rely on understanding tactics to survive."

I planned to implement tactical movements popular in Europe. Although they had started to trend globally, they hadn't been firmly established in the K-League.

This was partly because the league's overall pace was slower compared to Europe. While the K-League was still a competitive league, especially for the top teams,

The positional play used by managers like Guardiola, Simeone, and Tuchel hadn't taken root in Korea. This was because the tactical movements popular in Europe at that time were based on positional play.

"Anyway, this is how I plan to prepare for the 9th round. What do you think?"

"The tactical approach and player selection are sound. The question is whether the players can adapt to this tactic in a short time."

"It seems like the best choice given the current situation. Boss."

Lee Su-hyuk's point was valid. To implement tactics based on positional play, the players needed to be familiar with the patterns and movements.

However, I wasn't worried. I didn't expect perfection right away. If it didn't work the first time, I'd try again. If it didn't work the second time, I'd try a third time.

I smiled, raising the corners of my mouth.

"Alright. Since you both agree with the tactics and the starting lineup, shall we go and instill these tactical movements into the players?"