Chapter 50 - 48: Bosschenoqi’s Interception

Chapter 50: Chapter 48: Bosschenoqi’s Interception

The news of Mostar Zrinjski’s 5-0 thrashing of Tuzla Slobođa sent shockwaves through the world of Bosnia and Herzegovina Football.

Although Mostar Zrinjski was a veteran powerhouse in Bosnia and Herzegovina Football, their strength had always fluctuated. When they were in good form, they could occasionally beat Tuzla Slobođa, but there were also times when they were humiliated by smaller teams.

You could say they were a team that relied heavily on their current form.

But in this match, Mostar Zrinjski had actually thrashed Tuzla Slobođa 5-0.

You have to understand, Tuzla Slobođa was third in the league. They were by no means a weak team; they had even once managed to beat Sarajevo Football Club, the team currently dominating the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League.

This made the news all the more shocking.

Numerous media outlets and television stations began to focus on the match, replaying it.

Many football commentators started to join in, offering their analysis.

They highly praised Mostar Zrinjski’s tactical system, and they also marveled at Suk’s ’Rainbow Pass’ from the match.

It was safe to say this match completely pushed Suk beyond the confines of a small town phenomenon.

His fame began to spread throughout the entire nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And on the desks of the Head Coaches in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League, technical analysis reports on ’Suk’ began to appear.

But what truly made Suk famous was an interview from the renowned Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League commentator, Basodachi.

"I have never seen such a gifted player. He is like a seedling struggling to survive in the crack of a rock. He has already blossomed with some beauty, but his future is clearly even more exciting."

"I love this feeling of anticipation. Every time I see him perform, every time I commentate on his matches, I am just so amazed."

"He is proactive, brave, hardworking, cunning, and wise. His body is frail, so he needed to develop other abilities to survive in the world of football. And on this point, he has done exceptionally well. Without a doubt, he has succeeded."

"A height of 160 centimeters, yes! He’s 160 centimeters now, but he was even smaller before. I made a point to contact Mostar Zrinjski to find out."

"It must be so difficult to survive in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League with a physique like that, but not only has he withstood the pressure, he’s also performed brilliantly. That’s why I’m always marveling at him."

"Suk is still very young, but he is cunning enough. He’s like... like... that’s right! Like a short-legged fox, using everything around him to make himself stronger. And I believe his future is to become a true tiger! I firmly believe it!"

Basodachi’s admiration for Suk was immense, even bordering on blind optimism.

And the phrase from his mouth, ’the short-legged fox,’ became Suk’s first nickname in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League.

...

"PFFT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"This is killing me!!"

"A fox? Seriously, a fox?"

"And a short-legged one at that! Hahaha... Basodachi really knows how to pick out the important details!"

"Are you sure that nickname has any intimidating power?"

"Why not? It could make someone die of laughter!"

Mashovich and Hajdari were holding a newspaper, doubled over with laughter.

Meanwhile, Suk stood to the side, his round face looking even rounder with anger.

’I’m grateful for Basodachi’s positive evaluation, but what the hell is with this stupid nickname?’

’A fox is a fox! Why did it have to be short-legged!’

’Was it really necessary to add that part?’

Suk could imagine this nickname was going to make his life very difficult for the foreseeable future.

CREAK!

The door opened.

Billiar swaggered in and opened his mouth, "Hey! Short-le—AH!"

Suk shot forward, kicked the back of Billiar’s knee, and as his opponent bent over, he pivoted and landed two solid punches to the stomach. The whole sequence was as smooth as flowing water; job done.

Billiar was momentarily speechless.

Suk glared, "You got a problem with that?"

Billiar, remembering that his goal-scoring rate was in Suk’s hands, immediately shook his head. "No problem at all!"

Everyone else was trying to stifle their laughter. Seeing Suk’s deadpan expression, they were all having a hard time holding it in.

At that moment, Head Coach Van Stiake walked in.

"This next week will be all training geared towards the next match."

Hearing this, everyone’s expression turned serious.

Sarajevo was definitely Mostar Zrinjski’s biggest rival right now.

Whether it was how they had been completely suppressed before, or their current tied position on the league table, everything told them that they had to defeat Sarajevo. Only then would they have a hope of winning the championship.

Sarajevo was an absolutely formidable opponent.

From the other Suk who shared his name, to the midfielders Meškapeci and Tolister who had played in the Five Major Leagues, plus a defensive line composed entirely of starters from the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team—all of these posed a huge challenge for Mostar Zrinjski.

"Sarajevo is a team that relies on their center forward to score off of set pieces and crosses. Of course, their wingers are also incredibly strong, their overall offense and defense are both very stable, and their midfield has a powerful ability to control the game..."

Sarajevo’s strength wasn’t in one specific area, but in how well-balanced they were in all aspects.

"So, in this match, we must seize the initiative. And how do we seize the initiative? It will primarily come down to ’pressing’!"

Van Stiake clapped his hands. "For the next week, we will focus on high-press training. The starters, in particular, need to get their heads in the game. We don’t have much time left."

The high press is a tactic where the entire team pushes forward, applying pressure starting from the opponent’s half of the field.

It’s all about being fast, precise, and relentless!

This requires the players to work together seamlessly, forming a tight pressing network to compress the opponent’s passing lanes until they win back the Ball or cut off possession.

This tactic is also one of the foundations of the Netherlands’s ’Total Football’ strategy.

And in this pressing system, high hopes were placed on Suk and Modric, two players who were exceptionally good at running.

You could even say that whether this tactic could be executed successfully all depended on Suk and Modric’s performance and how long they could keep it up.

In reality, Mostar Zrinjski had been practicing this tactic since the beginning of the season, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to them.

The overall progress was very smooth.

Suk and Modric’s incredible stamina and endless running became the key to this pressing phase.

Neither of them had a sturdy build, so they focused on auxiliary interceptions in the passing lanes.

Modric’s performance was very good.

But Suk’s performance was even more outstanding.

Suk’s Speed was fast and his Explosive Power was immense, so he would always appear abruptly in the opponent’s line of sight to complete one Interception after another, even managing to make some tackles.

The two of them stirred up the midfield and organized the attack.

For the players of Mostar Zrinjski, the one thing they never had to worry about was looking up and having no one to pass to.

With Suk and Modric’s movement, they would always have at least one or two passing options.

This also allowed the overall tactics to be executed very smoothly.

After the first day of training ended, everyone started heading home.

"No extra training today?"

Stelk asked, holding a ball.

Suk waved his hand. "We have a tough battle coming up. Rest well and conserve your energy."

"Oh~~"

Stelk nodded and finally started to change his clothes.

Meanwhile, Suk had already changed and slipped away into the bathroom.

It was only in the bathroom that Suk finally had a moment to open the card-drawing system.

After yesterday’s match, Suk hadn’t had a chance to draw cards. He had been too tired, falling asleep as soon as he got back. It was only now, after the next day’s training, that he found the time.

Suk directly opened the card-drawing page.

It was the same familiar card screen, and the last mysterious page was still locked.

Suk paid no mind to that. After a serious prayer, he immediately started the draw.

The familiar sound of shuffling cards echoed in his ears.

Suk closed his eyes and prayed.

When the shuffling sound stopped, Suk’s eyes opened just a crack.

Four cards emitting a faint red glow and... a Yellow Card?

"Oh yeah!!"

Suk couldn’t help but cry out in pleasant surprise.

The noise made Mashovich, who was squatting in the next stall, turn his head in astonishment.

’Who the heck is that!’

’Did he get high from taking a crap?’

Suk covered his mouth, trying to calm his excitement.

He took a deep breath and flipped over a Red Card first.

[Red Card (Skill Card) Lovis’s Hand Shape - Playing in the Turkish League, Lovis is the third-string goalkeeper for Fenerbahçe. He has the ability to never fumble a catch, which is based on his excellent hand shape.]

’Useless!’

Suk pouted.

The remaining three cards were, as expected, no surprise at all.

[Red Card (Skill Card) Status Recovery Card] x3

Suk sighed inwardly. He was getting Status Recovery Cards too frequently; he had already saved up 15 of them.

’I really can’t seem to use them up!’

Suk perked up. There was still a Yellow Card.

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, and with a thought, flipped it.

[Yellow Card (Special Card) Bosschenoqi’s Interception - As a former substitute national player for Croatia, Bosschenoqi possessed outstanding awareness for pressing and making interceptions in his prime. His presence made his team’s defense impregnable.]

Suk’s eyes lit up slightly. ’So, a Yellow Card means a substitute national player level?’

’Then would Kaka count as a Yellow Card?’

’After all, he’s also a substitute for Brazil. Is there a chance to exploit a loophole?’

Of course, that was a question of whether the system would allow it. It was useless for Suk to just think about it.

Suk looked at the card. He had a deep impression of Bosschenoqi, since he had played against Sarajevo Railway Workers in his very first match after joining Mostar Zrinjski.

At that time, Bosschenoqi, who was in the twilight of his career, still had the ability to single-handedly suppress Kosopech. It was a testament to what his Interception ability must have been like in his prime.

This was a good card!

And it was extremely useful for the current Suk.

In the next match against Sarajevo, this card could play a huge role.

Suk couldn’t help but lick his lips, inwardly excited.

When Suk walked out of the stall, Mashovich also came out of the one next to him.

Mashovich looked at Suk in surprise, his expression gradually changing from confusion to realization.

Finally, he cleared his throat and said in a grave, heartfelt tone, "Suk, I know you’ve reached that age. If you need, I can take you to Nem Port, but you have to learn some self-control!"