Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

82 – A Contest for Unknown Honor

082

Recently, the atmosphere around Leipzig was far from favorable.

Even willing to become the most disliked club in the Bundesliga to circumvent the ’50+1′ rule, whatever the reason.

It was solely due to their ambition to quickly leap into the ranks of big clubs, leveraging substantial financial strength in line with modern football trends.

The ambitious goal was not in vain. In reality, Leipzig had emerged as one of the few formidable rivals to Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga giant and ‘public enemy.’

However, the leap with money brought side effects as much as rapid growth.

This method of pressing tradition and history as ‘achievements’ had to consistently yield results to be sustainable. If the results were inadequate, the accumulated dislike, despite being manageable in the short term, would come back with several times the impact.

In this sense, Leipzig’s recent slump was putting pressure on their coach, Christoph Loib.

“This guy and that guy, all they do is talk. Damn it, this is why these people are so spineless.”

Fourth place in the league.

Even in the Bundesliga, one of the top four leagues in Europe, a fourth-place finish was by no means a negligible achievement. However, as is often the case in the world, standards are relative.

For Leipzig, aiming for the Bundesliga summit, fourth place was nothing short of failure.

To the board who considered even the third-place finish last season a failure, fourth place needed no mention. It was an objective standard, a simple failure.

Therefore, in his third year in office, Christoph Loib, feeling a strong sense of pressure, had no room for excuses.

The biggest pressure of all—

“These worthless guys. Nowadays, they lack the professionalism.”

It was a sight to see players desperate to leave RB Leipzig by any means possible.

RB Leipzig, already an unpopular club among the public, managed to attract high-level players only with hefty salaries and good performance. However, if the performance is lacking, there’s no reason to play for an unpopular club. It’s not for nothing that there are relatively few German national players in the Leipzig squad.

If it’s a club with tradition and history, players might endure low salaries and poor performance due to passionate supporters or affection for the club. But that’s a story for clubs with a solid foundation.

Why did world-class players like those who stayed with Juventus even when they were relegated to the second division say, “A gentleman does not abandon his lady,” even during relegation? Of course, whether Juventus, relegated due to a hoax or not, is a fundamentally solid club is questionable.

“If we win this game, the points gap will significantly narrow, and we might even surpass the third position. We have to win somehow.”

Muttering to himself, Christoph Royce’s forehead looked even more furrowed today as he reviewed the performance analysis report of the upcoming opponent, 1860 Munich.

“What’s this? They’ve become more aggressive… The whole operation has changed.”

As Christoph Royce perused the report, he proceeded to play the game footage edited by the coaches.

A distinct change in 1860 Munich’s performance from the first half of the season was evident.

Certainly, whether it was the first half or now, it seemed like a good performance. However, even with the same ‘good performance,’ there was bound to be a difference in the operating style.

For casual football fans, it might just seem like they play more aggressively. But for Christoph Royce, something else stood out more.

“Did they overhaul the defense?”

In modern football based on total soccer, changing only the attacking tactics is impossible. Unless the change is a very localized pattern play, whether attacking or defending, it eventually connects, forming the tactical essence of modern football.

In that sense, 1860 Munich’s aggressive change was intertwined with a change in defensive tactics.

“The PPDA average has increased from 9.9 to 14.6.”

The PPDA (Passes Allowed Per Defensive Actions) figure, indicating the level of forward pressure, was significantly different from the first half.

In simple terms, if 1860 Munich sat back and counterattacked in the first half, they evolved in the second half into a team that created opportunities through strong forward pressure.

Since pressure doesn’t work just by running a lot, there were mistakes due to the short preparation period, and this was clearly reflected in the increased number of goals conceded compared to the first half.

However, what was important was that 1860 Munich transformed into a more proactive and leading team, fitting the mold of ‘modern football,’ and they did so successfully, in a short time.

The skilled analyst, Christoph Royce, could soon identify the key to their success.

“Is it him again…”

Although only four rounds of the second half had passed, Ji Jintai’s indicators were overwhelming.

[Interceptions 25, Clearances 27, Dribbles Allowed 0, Errors Leading to Goals 0, Errors Leading to Shots 0, Aerial Duel Success Rate 74%]

Even the somewhat lacking possession was decent.

Truly, overwhelming defensive statistics.

But what stood out even more was his offensive contribution.

[Pass Success Rate 99.4%, Forward Pass Accuracy 96.1%, Aggressive Passes 81%, Aggressive Sprints 83%, Dribbles Attempted per Game 4.1, Dribble Success Rate 87%, Big Chances Created per Game 2.7]

“He…”

In the face of absurd statistics, Christoph Loewe’s mouth hung wide open.

A midfielder… no, even if we consider him a center-back in a 2-line attack, there is no discomfort. Instead, he is recording remarkable stats, not just shining in defense, but truly terrifying in contributions to the attack.

His primary role is in defense, but what makes Zhu Ji-tae truly fearsome is his contribution in these attacking plays.

It feels like there is one more player on the field when Christoph Loewe is out there, as if it’s not just eleven players from Munich.

Under the harsh stress, another strand of hair poured down from Christoph Loewe’s bare forehead.

* * *

<32-33 Bundesliga BUNDESLIGA 22nd Round>

1860 Munich: Leipzig

From Noble mtl dot com

Red Bull Arena

[1860 Munich 4-3-3]

FW: Jo Jae-shin / Jan Heinke / Stephan Buls

MF: Daniel Laut / Gunter Draxler / Rodel Ditz

DF: Berti Meyer / Zhu Ji-tae / Mehmet Scholl / Matthias

GK: Hans Zimmer

[RB Leipzig 3-4-3]

FW: Brian Baidu / Jerome Ongene / Mamadi Diamba

MF: Strahinja Pavlovic / Luka Steskala / Seku Boyata / Chukwuebuka Camara

DF: Amar Tettich / Adam Ulmer / Samson Tijani

GK: Alexander Schulage

The 22nd round between 1860 Munich and Leipzig was held at RB Arena, the home ground of RB Leipzig, which, despite being perceived as the weak under Red Bull, proudly asserted itself as RasenBallsport in RB Arena.

[In the 22nd round of the Bundesliga, 2nd-placed 1860 Munich clashes with 4th-placed Leipzig. In the first half, Leipzig dealt a blow to Munich, who were on an unbeaten streak, knocking them down to 2nd place. As we enter the second half, there is anticipation to see if Munich’s revenge will succeed or if Leipzig will emerge as Munich’s killer.]

[As this is a crucial match, both teams are expected to deploy their best lineups without any injuries.]

Entering the second half of the league, where the fate fluctuates with each point, both Munich and Leipzig presented their best lineups, each with tactical changes of their own.

[One noticeable change is that in Munich, the attacking line’s positions have shifted, while in Leipzig, there’s a change in the positions of the midfielders.]

[It’s quite subtle. Munich has moved Jo Jae-shin, who used to play centrally, to the side, and Leipzig has swapped the positions of Strahinja Pavlovic in the center and Luka Steskala on the flank. Both coaches have introduced a variable by changing the positions of the central and flank players… It remains to be seen what significance this holds, which we can only understand by watching the game.]

Although the tactical changes through player position shifts were meant to be strategic, ironically, the maneuvers of both coaches overlapped, creating a peculiar situation.

[This sets the stage for a strategic duel between the coaches. It’s a head-on clash between the young prodigy Wilhelm and the experienced master Christoph.]

The title of a strategic duel between coaches was unexpectedly attached.

However, the protagonists were oblivious to the unfolding battle of strategies.

[Today, as always, Munich raises the defensive line, forming a high-press line. Recently, Munich has been showcasing an aggressive forward press.]

However, if you ask whether it’s effective… it’s a bit ambiguous. The frontal pressure from Munich itself isn’t outstanding, but strangely, the opposing team tends to struggle to respond properly.

The match kicked off with the home team Leipzig’s kickoff.

The players are running hard, but it doesn’t quite feel like an organized pressure—wait!? The ball hit by Daniel Rout deflects backward!

“It’s not offside!! Brian Baidu is running!!”

The first to ignite the fire was—

“Ah… a really unfortunate situation. Munich, conceding a goal right from the start.”

Leipzig.