83 – Tool Usage
083
As the second half began, the intensity of the pressure increased sharply for 1860 Munich, and Leipzig, who had been aggressive from the start, inevitably collided fiercely.
In a matchup where both teams aggressively attacked, even a small mistake could come back to haunt them.
In that sense, Leipzig’s opening goal was luck derived from a small mistake.
To intensify the frontal pressure, the defensive line also had to be raised. Consequently, Munich had no choice but to expose vast spaces in the back, and Leipzig’s rapid striker, Brian Baidu, was the perfect type of player for that.
Brian Baidu, instructed to exploit Munich’s empty backspace, actively crossed the defensive line from the beginning of the game, making his penetration intentions clear. This goal also occurred in such a process.
Originally tasked with playmaking from the center, Strahinja Pavlovic, deployed as a wingback for this game, sent a sharp forward pass towards Munich’s backspace. Brian Baidu, as if it were a matter of course, started sprinting.
But Munich was not foolish, and they were not unprepared.
The danger that was anticipated when raising the defensive line from the beginning, the strategy that had been tormenting Munich throughout the second half, was it not? Indeed, most of Munich’s conceded goals originated from this strategy.
As seasoned as they were from taking numerous hits, the Munich defense responded skillfully.
There was no need to struggle specifically against the speedy Brian Baidu. Just raise the line.
“Push up!”
As it was early in the game, everyone was in a focused state.
As soon as the quick-witted Joo Ji-tae’s command was issued, they immediately pulled up the line, creating a situation where, apart from the goalkeeper, only Brian Baidu existed in the Munich zone before the ball left Strahinja Pavlovic’s foot.
It was an offside trap.
If things had continued like this, even if Brian Baidu received the pass, it would have been declared offside, and Leipzig’s attack would have returned in vain. However, a very small mistake changed everything.
“Oops!”
As the ball passed by, captain Daniel Rout reflexively stretched out his foot.
The explosion of Leipzig coach Christoph Loewe’s shout came at that moment, watching with regret.
“Run!!”
The pass that accidentally hit Daniel Rout’s foot floated over the Munich defense and headed towards the backspace.
Thanks to this, Brian Baidu, who moved a step ahead of the momentarily frozen Munich defense, calmly caught the ball and was able to take a shot.
The goalpost wavered, and all eyes turned toward the net with anticipation.
If the ball that met Daniel Rout’s foot was judged as a simple deflection, it would lead to an offside declaration, canceling the score. However, if it was deemed an intentional move to block a pass, the goal would be acknowledged.
1860 Munich 0:1 Leipzig
7’ Brian Beedu
The result was a confirmed goal.
Unfortunate for Munich, but a stroke of luck for Leipzig, Christoph Loewe, the coach, roared in triumph.
“All right! We’ve got luck on our side, and now that we’ve scored the first goal, we can definitely win this!”
* * *
Though unexpected, the early conceded goal did not bother Ju Ji-tae as much; he focused on another aspect.
Even if it was a stroke of luck for the initial goal, Ju Ji-tae doubted that luck played a part. He revisited Leipzig’s movements during the first goal.
His innate intuition and seasoned experience quickly allowed Ju Ji-tae to discern Leipzig’s strategy.
“Why move Luca Stescal to the center and push Pavlovic to the side… So that’s why.”
It was a tactical move.
Ju Ji-tae, despite being a center-back, possessed superior playmaking abilities and an offensive mindset compared to most playmakers. Consequently, teams facing 1860 Munich naturally intensified their efforts to thwart Ju Ji-tae.
At first glance, it seemed like a reasonable strategy.
Since Munich’s buildup essentially started and ended with Ju Ji-tae, disrupting him would collapse Munich’s entire buildup.
But what use was the pressure if they couldn’t bring down Ju Ji-tae?
Pressuring him left gaps, and Munich skillfully exploited Leipzig’s strategy, turning the tables on the attempted Ju Ji-tae blockade.
Leipzig’s coach, Christoph Loewe, analyzed numerous failed cases of attempting to neutralize Ju Ji-tae, realizing how futile and lacking substance the strategy was.
Simultaneously, he discovered a counterstrategy.
“Ju Ji-tae may be Munich’s core, but paradoxically, focusing on him when facing Munich is not the answer.”
Instead of aggressively pressuring Ju Ji-tae like other teams, they pulled him out, pretending to press Luca Stescal actively. This allowed Strahinja Pavlovic, who was now positioned on the flank, more freedom to target the spaces behind.
“We scored the first goal, so we can’t afford to exert ourselves defensively now. However, pushing forward aggressively might be futile against Strahinja Pavlovic’s passes threatening the spaces behind… Not a great scenario.”
Ju Ji-tae looked at Christoph Loewe, who was smiling confidently, and clicked his tongue.
No matter how good an idea was, implementing it on the field was a different matter. Even though luck was on their side, creating the result of the first goal meant they executed the idea fairly well. However, it was a concept that could only succeed if the premise of not falling behind in a firepower battle was met.
And Ju Ji-tae realized he had misunderstood the opponent’s strategy from the very start.
“He underestimated Cho Jae-shin.”
In the previous showdown, was it due to the worst performance since his debut that Christoph Royf underestimated Jo Jaesin so much?
And himself too.
“Moreover, he believed that he could suppress my attacking power just with someone like Luca Stescal? This is really irritating.”
There’s no need to torture an unprepared body.
Especially when Jo Jaesin, now much closer, was signaling from the sidelines.
* * *
Jo Jaesin is an outstanding player on and off the ball.
No, it’s more accurate to say he’s a player specialized in off-the-ball movements. In other words, a threatening player when in possession.
Some might argue that a soccer player is only threatening when they have the ball, but in modern football, players without the ball are just as crucial as those with it.
In Jo Jaesin’s case, being the top scorer of the team and making it to the top scorer rankings in the Bundesliga was possible not only due to his excellent off-the-ball abilities and scoring instincts but also because of the dedicated efforts of Jan Heinke and Stephan Buls, the wingers for 1860 Munich. Of course, the most crucial factor was Jo Jaesin’s outstanding abilities on and off the ball.
This was also a reason why Jo Jaesin performed poorly in the last Leipzig match.
Leipzig’s three-man defense maintained a sufficient number to contain Jo Jaesin despite the off-the-ball movements of Jan Heinke and Stephan Buls.
Despite Jo Jaesin’s weakness in off-the-ball situations, his excellent performance so far was not only due to his good stats but also the unseen influence of Joo Jitae.
Even though Jo Jaesin is weak off the ball, he has matched well with Joo Jitae since a very young age.
And this was even more evident now that he positioned himself in a more liberated flank than the traditional forward.
[Daniel Rout, who blocked Leipzig’s pass, immediately sends the ball to Joo Jitae!]
[Did he make up for the mistake that led to the goal? Daniel Rout is showing consecutive good performances.]
Daniel Rout, who intercepted Leipzig’s rising pass by leaping, sent the ball directly to Joo Jitae in his fallen state.
Though Luca Stescal, who was closely marking, quickly jumped, it was just a part of the highlight as he was stripped off by Joo Jitae’s concise turn movement.
[Joo Jitae! Impressive trapping as always! Joo Jitae releases the pressure with just a touch. But Leipzig’s defensive block is tight.]
[Don’t hesitate. Luca Stescal, who fell, is rushing again— Wow! Once again, elegantly escaping Luca Stescal’s pressure with a graceful turn! Joo Jitae advances this time! However, there are many Leipzig defenders!]
From Noble mtl dot com
[Penetration… pass! Jo Jaesin receives the ball and passes it again!]
Jo Jaesin, who had descended unnoticed, received the ball and immediately passed it.
A smooth 2:1 pass like flowing water.
[Joo Jitae penetrating Leipzig’s territory in an instant! Huh? Another pass! It’s Jo Jaesin! How did he get here!?]
While Joo Jitae, who had dug deep with the 2:1 pass, attracted a lot of aggro, Jo Jaesin penetrated.
And as if it were a matter of course, Jo Jaesin flicked the pass delivered under his feet.
[Goal! It’s a goal!! Two promising players from Korea collaborate for the equalizing goal!!]
[A beautiful collaboration between the two players creates an equalizing goal!!]
This was a play that had been in the making since the time when Joo Jitae played as a midfielder, perfectly syncing up with Jo Jaesin—
‘This makes it worthwhile to have brought him to the same team.’
It was a method of utilizing tools to buy time while completing the body.
