Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

69 – Crisis

069

If you were to pick the most disliked club in the Bundesliga, it would probably be Leipzig, but if you were to name a public enemy, Bayern Munich would undoubtedly top the list.

While the EPL has recently shown a dominance trend with Manchester City, the chaos is surpassingly confusing, and Serie A has seen various clubs rise after Juventus’s fall. La Liga, despite Real and Barcelona’s dominance, still has two clubs sharing the league. In the Bundesliga, however, it’s solely Bayern Munich.

Even though Leipzig and Dortmund played the role of formidable opponents, it was only in terms of rivalry, falling short of becoming true rivals.

Dortmund, lagging behind in class, couldn’t afford high-wage players. Leipzig, climbing the ranks, found it challenging to keep players in a club with the highest anti-fan sentiment in Germany, making departures common.

It was a natural progression for Munich to become the public’s enemy.

But this season was different.

Bayern Munich remained Bayern Munich, but another Munich, 1860 Munich, emerged as a public enemy, a team nobody had paid attention to.

The reason might seem trivial or, in a way, everything—pride.

“Until last season, a newly promoted team was leading the league!”

“It’s truly disgraceful. This is a matter of pride for the Bundesliga! The top spot isn’t for teams like newly promoted ones!”

People complained that a newly promoted team leading the league indicated a lack of competitiveness in the Bundesliga or diminished brand value—from—

“If a newly promoted team can do this, what on earth is our team doing?”

“The board and the coach need to be replaced! Incompetent individuals are sitting up there, and that’s why the team is in this state!”

“Get rid of players without passion! What’s the difference between 1st division players and 2nd division players? They only receive higher salaries, lagging in skill and competitiveness!”

Even those questioning why we can’t perform like a promoted team.

Despite Bayern Munich being scoffed at and treated as a public enemy, it was still an undeniable fact that they were a globally renowned club. A team that one couldn’t be ashamed of losing to, even if defeated.

On the other hand, 1860 Munich?

They had a long history, but that’s about it.

Just a few years ago, they were struggling in the 3rd division, and last year, they were merely a 2nd division team.

There was no way to rationalize losing to such a team. It was even beyond a mental victory.

To admit that your supporting team was inferior to a newly promoted one.

As the situation unfolded, what initially seemed like a surprise surge for 1860 Munich turned into them becoming a public enemy after the Dortmund game, marking a turning point that became evident in the first match after the break, in the 5th round of the league.

“After a break following the A-Match, the long-awaited Munich match is here. The opponent is Wolfsburg, which has recently fallen into a slump, right?”

“For those who are watching the Bundesliga after a long time, it may be hard to believe, but considering the recent momentum, a victory for Munich is expected. Munich has secured four consecutive wins since the opening and is currently at the top of the league. On the other hand, Wolfsburg, after winning the opening match, hasn’t secured a victory since then. They have shown dissonance throughout both offense and defense.”

“Oh, by the way, this Munich is not Bayern Munich. It’s 1860 Munich.”

The league’s fifth round against Wolfsburg, with a record of 2 draws and 1 loss after the opening victory, was expected to be an easy win for 1860 Munich, even defeating Dortmund…

“Jang—Paulo Rocha’s fantastic pass!! But Joo Ji-tae clears it quickly!! A tense moment for Munich.”

“Yan catches the ball. Passes it to Cho Jae-shin coming down. Cho Jae-shin, lightly escaping the pressure—shooting, no, passing!! He spotted Jan Heinkel accurately! Jan Heinkel’s direct shot!! Oh, the ball goes wide. Munich records its third shot of the game! But there’s no valid shot.”

The game unexpectedly turned into a tight contest.

The only consolation was that 1860 Munich had fewer players called up for the national team after the opening victory, giving them an advantage in terms of fitness, and…

“Pavel’s pass! Yankos receives it. Shoots right away!! Joo Ji-tae blocks it!! He stretches his foot out and blocks the shot in that short moment!!”

“Goalkeeper punching! Joo Ji-tae clears the incoming ball.”

Despite Joo Ji-tae’s outstanding performance, football is ultimately a sport where you need to score goals to win. It was not enough to win with just a clean sheet.

“Coach Wilhelm’s gestures are getting bigger. Daniel Rout and Gunter Draxler are going up.”

“Stefan Buls is being substituted. Coach Wilhelm changes the striker.”

For the coach, Wilhelm, who is obsessed with attacking, a draw is a sin, let alone a goalless game.

Although he attempted tactical changes throughout and even made an attacking substitution,

“Pavel spots Jan Heinkel! Cho Jae-shin, in front of the defender, hesitates again—will it go in!? He lifts it! A pass towards Rodell Dietz! But it’s intercepted by the defense. It was a good attempt.”

“Munich pulls up the line tightly! Joo Ji-tae rises high and receives the ball. A precise long pass towards Matthias, who is running on the flank! But Matthias fails to control it.”

In the end, the game finished 0:0 in a draw.

“The storming team 1860 Munich finally sees an end to their winning streak!”

“Understood? The lackluster performance of Munich, what’s the reason?”

“The effect of the Korean-made new engine comes to an end.”

While it seemed like Munich’s sprint was sinking, they continued with consecutive victories in the 6th and 7th rounds, proving that they were not easily stopped,

“6th round, victory against Augsburg 2:1! The record of five consecutive clean sheets is broken.”

“Couldn’t stop Joo Ji-tae’s perfect march? Finally, Munich’s goal is breached.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“7th round, 3:1 victory! But the performance raises questions?”

“Unable to record attacking points for three consecutive games, Cho Jae-shin has become a concern.”

“Scorer of 5 goals in 4 games, Cho Jae-shin has scored 0 goals in the recent 3 games! Is he in a slump?”

“Munich concedes goals in two consecutive games. Joo Ji-tae’s perfect march is broken!”

They couldn’t shake off the evaluation that they were not as good as before.

Columns poured in about the declining performance, and among the intense analyses, the most significant response was that Bundesliga clubs finally found a way to deal with Joo Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin.

“He’s truly a perfect player. I’ve watched several games he played this season, but it’s just perfect! It’s hard to believe he’s only 18; he handles the game so skillfully and directs it with seasoned expertise.”

“He’s an extremely aggressive defender, but he’s not recklessly charging at the attackers. While it might look dangerous to us, he has consistently succeeded in seemingly risky attempts and, when needed, diligently held his position and covered for others. It’s truly an unbelievable balance.”

“Moreover, as a playmaker from the back and an unexpected ball carrier, he excels. Despite being only 18, you have to consider him as a fully developed player.”

Numerous attempts to expose Joo Ji-tae had ended in failure.

Especially his performance against Dortmund made it clear that unless you’re an exceptional player, breaking through Joo Ji-tae in a 1:1 situation is nearly impossible.

“So far, no attacker has been able to beat him. Even in Munich’s conceding situations, Joo Ji-tae made no mistakes. However, this also indicates that Munich can concede despite his presence. Yes, football is ultimately a team game. If you can’t break through 1:1, break through as a team.”

In the end, the solution was to contain Joo Ji-tae.

By matching him up against a swift attacker and creating situations where he could penetrate the spaces, Joo Ji-tae was contained. After that, they created opportunities on the opposite side.

No matter how exceptional a player is, they’re still just one person.

And what seemed to be a solid Munich defense had its goal breached successively, proving the effectiveness of this containment method.

Rather than a containment strategy, it was a method that elevated the individual value of the player.

In the end, it acknowledged the inability to overcome Joo Ji-tae.

Despite breaking the clean sheet record and raising doubts about Munich’s performance, the evaluation of Joo Ji-tae continued to soar.

But Jo Jae-shin had a different opinion.

“Jo is an excellent goal-scorer. He seems to have an instinctive sense of how to score.”

“Above all, his on-the-ball skills are fantastic! His trapping is as elegant as ‘Count’ Berbatov or Bergkamp, not flashy in dribbling, but very concise and effective.”

“So why has Jo, who scored five goals in the first four games, been silent for the past three games?”

“Well, that’s simple. Jo is excessively selfless, and he tends to fixate too much on the ball!”

Jo Jae-shin was struggling as his playing style became predictable.

“Ah, this is driving me crazy. Why did I hesitate here? I should’ve just gone in.”

Knowing that his pattern was discernible, he frequently reviewed game footage. But if it were such an easy problem to solve, which player wouldn’t slump?

Joo Ji-tae watched Jo Jae-shin, who was clearly struggling, and contemplated.

Should he step up and resolve this? It might show immediate results, but in the long run, it was more likely to be a hindrance than help.

As with everything in the world, it’s better to find your own way rather than being spoon-fed by others to progress.

He wasn’t a guy who would collapse under such a minor slump.

Jo Jae-shin, the player who would later record three consecutive second places in the Ballon d’Or.

Even if left alone, he would find a way to improve himself.

“It’s not because the sight of a whining puppy is pleasing.”

So, let’s prepare for the next game.

The next opponent is the true giant of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich.