22 – Resolution
022
Until the 1995 Qatar tournament, 16 teams participated in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. From the 1997 Malaysia tournament onwards, there were 24 teams, and there were no separate qualifiers.
Excluding the age limit, it might be the biggest difference from the World Cup.
Then how are the 24 teams participating in the tournament determined?
It was simple.
Each continent’s under-20 national team competition replaced the regional qualifiers.
Europe has the Euro, South America has the Copa America, and Asia has the AFC U-20 Asian Cup.
Coach Jang Ki-seok participated in the draw for the 24-team group stage with the qualification of winning the 2031 AFC U-20 Asian Cup.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jang Ki-seok from Korea.”
“Oh, the winner from Asia. I’m Michael Lindtberg, leading the German national team, the winner from Europe. This is Rodrigo, the winner from Copa America.”
“This table is where the continental winners gather. I’m Rodrigo de Alvarez.”
It was when the Asian, European, and South American winning coaches met at a table and were sharing laughter. A strange language suddenly intervened in the conversation conducted in English.
“Nice to meet you. Representing Asia, I’m Lin Fengxiao, the coach of the Chinese national team participating in the World Cup where people from around the world compete.”
It was Chinese.
As the interpreter finished translating, a tense atmosphere filled the table.
In the U-20 World Cup, where participating teams were determined based on the international performance of each continent, there was only one team that participated regardless of performance, and that was the host country.
Originally, they were supposed to be eliminated in the group stage of the Asian Cup, and participating in the World Cup seemed like a distant dream. However, China is the host country for this tournament, allowing them to join the event as the host nation.
“It’s only fitting for the winner of the Asian Cup, Korea, to represent Asia, isn’t it?” Michael, the coach of the German national team, spoke politely but with a sharp edge. Lin Fengshan burst into laughter in response.
“Hahaha! Korea? Well, they are the reigning champions. Still, we’re all participating nations. Coach Jang Ki-seok, let’s do well as fellow Asian countries.”
Despite the interpreter’s somewhat softened translation, the mocking tone couldn’t be concealed, leaving Jang Ki-seok feeling helpless.
‘Damn it, where does this countryside stereotype get off breaking in through the front door with regular admissions and daring to compete with us.’
At that moment, the broadcast screen captured the attention of the four.
“Wow! Winners from three continents gathered in one place! The winner of Asia, Korea, the winner of Europe, Germany, and the winner of South America, Argentina! And… China?”
“Hahaha. A host country among the winners. What an amusing scene!”
What initially started as a mockery of China turned into a buzzworthy moment after the group draw.
“Argentina… Group A!”
“Oh, my goodness! This means Group A will have Korea, Germany, Ghana, and Argentina!”
“Unbelievable!! Winners from three continents in the same group!”
—
Not to be taken lightly… no, despite the fervor surrounding the unprecedented and challenging group draw, Joo Ji-tae remained unfazed.
When facing a team objectively considered superior, it’s natural for anyone to feel tense and worried. Defenders, in particular, tend to be more anxious about matches against strong teams than attackers. While an attacker receives praise for succeeding once out of ten attempts, a defender faces criticism if they fail just once out of nine successful attempts.
The probability of making mistakes increases against strong opponents, and defensive errors become more glaring than offensive ones. Moreover, in a tournament, preventing goals is often more crucial than scoring them.
Nevertheless, Joo Ji-tae paid no attention.
Despite the coach declaring him the defensive centerpiece of this tournament, despite facing formidable opponents like Ghana, Germany, and Argentina. Not at all.
Because—
“Hey, Joo Ji-tae! Why are you so sluggish!! Run faster, more decisively!! Do what you were good at, burst out like you used to!!”
‘Go out more from here? More from here??’
He regularly surged forward from the last line to the second line, trusting the cover of the two center-backs in the back, yet he received criticism.
“Line! Line, line, line!! Can’t you get the line right!? There are only three of you, and you can’t coordinate it!? Your breathing keeps getting out of sync!? It’ll be like this in the tournament too!!”
‘Why is he saying this to me? I’m pressuring from the front, and the two center-backs in the back should be handling the line coordination themselves, right? Reading should be entrusted to the back, not me surging forward!’
Even though he relied on the cover of the two center-backs in the back and actively moved forward, trusting them with the coordination and reading of the defensive line,
“What are you doing, Joo Ji-tae! Shouldn’t you come forward to receive the ball?! Are you going to stay stuck in the back forever!? Hurry up, come forward, and create opportunities!!”
‘I’m already building up play well, why?’
He constantly demanded to play a pivotal role in the back-pass.
Even Joo Ji-tae, who was confident in his stamina, was intense and repetitive in his grueling training.
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“Heuk, heuk… Damn it. Since he said I’m a three-hundred, there’s so much to do. Why is it so demanding?”
It seemed like he ran more than others.
Not just 1.5 times more than the two center-backs coordinating their breaths… No, it felt like he ran twice as much, even more than the midfielders.
Joo Ji-tae suddenly had doubts.
“Is this right? Is this really right? Why does a center-back frequently cross the center line and even play a key role in the build-up? This situation, taking on an unreasonably heavy load… It feels strangely familiar.”
This didn’t seem right.
“Coach.”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I feel like the role I’m playing is too much.”
“Too much? What’s too much about it!”
So, when he went to the coach, the coach wasn’t exactly pleased.
“A defender defending is obvious. Pressuring is also obvious. Handling the build-up from the last line is also obvious. Nowadays, what defender just stays back! In modern football, defenders press, build up, and what? They do everything!”
It sounded correct at first, but Joo Ji-tae wasn’t swayed.
“What defender crosses the half-line and does the build-up, advancing to the opponent’s half? This is just a midfielder who defends.”
Exactly.
This wasn’t a defender. Not a center-back.
If it were a defensive midfielder, maybe.
In Joo Ji-tae’s eyes filled with certainty, Jang Ki-seok smirked.
“He’s not usually stubborn. He won’t break. Even if he dislikes the Pyongyang training, if he wants to stop, what can you do? He insists on being a center-back. So, I thought my head would explode… But, there’s a way to handle it. How should I tell you?”
A conversation replayed in Joo Ji-tae’s mind with Coach Kim Suk-doo of Hojin High.
“Surprisingly easy. Just make him a defender but also load him up with other roles. Can you do that? Can he do that? That guy is a monster, just tell him what to do, that guy.”
It was time to apply what Kim Suk-doo had taught about handling Joo Ji-tae.
“Darn it. Don’t you know versatile defenders? Those who play the role of both midfielders and defenders.”
“Where can we find such a defender?”
“They exist.”
“Sometimes it’s tough and he complains. In those times, it’s simple. You know what a libero is, right? When you say libero, most things go smoothly.”
With confidence, Jang Ki-seok uttered the magical word that Coach Kim Suk-doo had taught him.
“Libero.”
“Again.”
And Ju Ji-tae sighed.
It felt strangely familiar.
“Director Kim Seok-du told me about that.”
“…Impressed?”
“Yes. Very.”
…
Jang Ki-seok, who had been avoiding eye contact, opened his eyes.
“Yeah! I tried to use you as a midfielder! Why not! Honestly, isn’t it a waste to just bury your skills like that? And who are we, Germany or Argentina? If we’re going to compete against them, we need to use everything we’ve got! And honestly, playing as a midfielder raises your market value, right? Show that you’re perfect both as a defender and a midfielder! If you do that, even in Europe—”
“Sure. Whatever.”
“…Huh?”
“I said I’ll do it.”
“…You’re not going to play as a midfielder anymore? Stick to being a center-back?”
In response to the bewildering question, Ju Ji-tae chuckled.
“I’m playing as a libero.”
“Was that a convincing excuse?”
“Until this tournament.”
Ju Ji-tae scanned the fixture list on the coach’s desk.
The first match was against Argentina.
The reigning champions of the Copa America and a football powerhouse. A country famous as the homeland of the football GOAT, Messi.
However, what made them more famous in the context of the U-20 World Cup was the fact that they were the team with the most victories in this tournament.
If they could surpass Argentina, then Ghana awaited, and if they could overcome Ghana, it would be Germany.
A truly staggering set of matchups.
“It didn’t go like this in the first round.”
In the first round, Japan claimed victory in the AFC Asian Cup, and Korea barely managed to qualify for the World Cup in fourth place.
Due to the changes in rankings, perhaps that was the reason.
Ju Ji-tae felt a sense of responsibility.
Responsibility for drawing a much tougher fixture list than he knew.
And it was the worst possible fixture list.
Not at all!
Even in the first round, I met much better opponents than this, but we still ended up in the same group.
Joo Ji-tae’s sense of responsibility was simple.
“Facing rookies like them in the group stage? That won’t do. Absolutely not.”
Playing in the group stage in the U-20 Youth World Cup, even though it’s called the World Cup?
For Joo Ji-tae, who had to maintain a flawless career in the second round, this was a blemish he couldn’t afford, a responsibility as a second-round player.
But more than anything, the reason Joo Ji-tae, who had insisted on being a center-back, decided to showcase his skills as a midfielder more actively was,
“My market value and salary can’t be lower than Cho Jae-shin’s.”
Both the agent’s predicted market value and salary were lower than Cho Jae-shin’s.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
