Chapter 65 - 63: Competition in the Heavy Snow

Chapter 65: Chapter 63: Competition in the Heavy Snow

Once winter arrived, strong winds began to blow across all of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The league’s operations were somewhat disrupted by the windy weather. For the players, especially, the risk of injury increased significantly, as they were lightly dressed while engaging in intense physical activity.

Kosopech suffered an injury during the round 17 match against the Banja Luka Warriors. He had sprained his ankle and would need some time to recover.

After Kosopech’s injury, Suk, who had been moved to the winger position, was forcibly recalled to play center forward.

Suk was happy to be back at center forward, but at the same time, he wasn’t.

Unlike playing as a winger, which allowed for wide-ranging movement, his range of motion here was restricted.

Under this restriction, Suk couldn’t run over large areas, and as a result, he was constantly getting knocked to the ground.

At the same time, opposing teams were setting their formations specifically to counter Suk’s strengths, determined to neutralize him as an attacking threat.

The "rookie wall" had hit him so hard and fast that Suk was struggling to cope.

Sometimes, Suk even found himself thinking, ’I wish Kosopech would hurry up and recover so I can go back to being a winger.’

After all, over there, he could at least play football properly instead of being tossed around like a punching bag.

But it had to be said that in this harsh environment, even though Suk wasn’t doing any specific strength training, his core and his ability to withstand physical contact were gradually improving.

Previously, Suk would fall over at the slightest touch. Now, he could barely withstand a bit of impact. Even when he did fall, he could sometimes follow through with the motion, allowing him to spring back to his feet and sprint the moment he hit the ground.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.

As for the coaching staff, they were amazed by Suk’s freakishly resilient body.

An ordinary person fouled as often as Suk would have been injured within a few matches, possibly even out for the season.

But Suk had somehow held on until now without suffering any injuries.

This was excellent news for them.

Kosopech was already injured. If something happened to Suk, they would truly have no one left to use up front.

But Van Stiake had still underestimated the strong winds of the Bosnia and Herzegovina winter.

It didn’t just blow Kosopech away; in the next few matches, it also took Kerpic, Boban, and Mashovich.

With four starters injured, a wave of injuries came crashing down, and Van Stiake was completely unprepared.

After all, this was only his second year coaching the team. He was inexperienced. Although he was quick-witted and had many ideas, this was something that required advance preparation. Clearly, Van Stiake’s attention had been entirely focused on gelling the new lineup, and he hadn’t considered these problems at all.

The situation now was that the substitutes had to step up, and they were barely managing to cope.

But even so, over the course of three rounds, they managed two draws and one loss, just barely holding things together.

The best news for them right now was that Sarajevo had also been hit by a wave of injuries, and their situation wasn’t looking so optimistic either.

The punishment for Oliveira was also announced.

For suspected match-fixing, Oliveira was permanently banned by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Association. A special task force was also formed to investigate Mostar Zrinjski. If the club’s upper management was also implicated in match-fixing, the penalties would be even more severe.

The Oliveira incident stirred up a whole mess. Despite wanting to handle it quietly, it was impossible to keep a low profile in such a small town.

Word had already spread among the neighbors and residents of the town.

Overnight, Oliveira became a public enemy, to the point where his family had to move out of Mostar in the middle of the night.

For the Mostar Zrinjski players, Oliveira’s departure gave the team’s atmosphere a breath of fresh air.

Many of the newer players were no longer suppressed, especially guys like Boamei who had been bullied for years. His fortunes turned around in an instant.

The club also appointed Kosopech as second captain and the goalkeeper, Kish, as third captain.

As for the first captain, he was still recovering from an injury. Suk was quite curious about this captain he had never met, but he heard that even if he returned, it would only be for a retirement ceremony before he said goodbye to football for good.

So, once the winter break was over, Kosopech would probably be promoted to captain right away.

The winter break in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League was very long, lasting from December 5th to February 25th of the following year—a full three months.

This was because the winter in Bosnia and Herzegovina was truly unsuitable for sports.

The southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a Mediterranean climate, while the north has a continental climate. Two different climates, yet they shared the same amount of snowfall.

Insane amounts of snow!

Yes!

The entire winter in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a war against accumulated snow.

Starting from mid-November, major cities and towns began to gather people to launch a massive snow removal effort.

Light snow every three days, heavy snow every week—this was no exaggeration.

Sometimes, if the snow removal was delayed, it would easily cause traffic congestion, forcing vehicles to be abandoned.

In such a harsh winter, forget playing football; just getting around was extremely difficult.

December 5th, Round 20 of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League. Mostar Zrinjski at home against Nemtal.

This day ushered in the weekly heavy snowfall.

White snow began to drift down from the sky as soon as the match started. By halftime, the snow on the pitch was already deep enough to cover their ankles.

"This weather is absolutely terrible!"

Suk trudged back to the locker room, his feet sinking unevenly into the snow. Beside him, a large group of staff members were already rushing onto the field with shovels, preparing to clear the snow.

The piles of uncleared snow stacked on both sides of the pitch were already as high as a two-story building.

"It’s freezing!"

Suk took off his gloves and threw on a down jacket to keep warm, making sure his body wouldn’t cool down.

His wet black hair was plastered to his forehead like seaweed.

His baby-fat cheeks were flushed red, like ripe apples.

Thinking back on the first half, Suk’s face was full of frustration.

The playing conditions created by the snow had caused him immense trouble.

He was a center forward who excelled at running, passing, and organizing plays.

But in this awful weather, Suk’s performance was severely hampered.

The ball wouldn’t even bounce when it landed in the snow!

Even his dribbling speed was greatly reduced. Sometimes the ball would be deflected by the snow, suddenly veering off in a bizarre direction as he tried to dribble.

All of this prevented Suk from playing to his strengths.

In weather like this, target-man strikers were the ultimate weapons.

They could hold off opposing defenders, heading and kicking the ball, having a blast.

"Second half, Ben Mais is on..."

Van Stiake announced as soon as he entered the locker room.

Suk shrugged. He had already anticipated being subbed off.

After all, these conditions infinitely magnified his weaknesses, so his presence on the field didn’t mean much.

But Van Stiake’s tone suddenly shifted. "Barton off, Modric drops back, Suk plays midfield!"

Suk was very versatile in his positioning.

Center-midfielder, winger, center forward—he could play them all.

Depending on the tactical requirements, he could deliver different kinds of performances.

Van Stiake was basically using Suk as a utility player.

"In the second half, we’ll use more long passes. Modric, float the ball upfield."

Then, he turned to Suk and said, "Your job isn’t to create plays. It’s to hide behind Ben Mais and be ready to make a forward run at any moment."

In these conditions, overly delicate passing and receiving were completely useless.

The simple, brutish style of play was more effective.

Van Stiake looked down on the long-ball-and-hoof-it style, but he wasn’t rigid. He would use different tactics for different environments.

He saw Suk’s predicament up front, so he assigned him a "bodyguard," telling Suk to fade into the background as much as possible and wait for the right moment to make a run.

Van Stiake also reminded him, "The beginning of the second half is crucial. Some of the snow has been cleared, so you should try to make more forward runs and look for a chance to score."

Once they scored, the plan was to have the whole team fall back and defend.

After all, in these conditions, scoring a goal was incredibly difficult.

During the halftime break, some of the snow was cleared.

The harsh environment couldn’t dampen the fans’ enthusiasm; they remained steadfastly in their seats.

When the second half began, Suk found an opportunity to make a forward run.

The opposing defense was pulled out of position by the forward line, creating a gap. Suk immediately turned his head to look at Modric.

Modric instantly launched a long pass.

The ball soared high into the air, heading toward the attacking half of the field.

Suk also sprinted with all his might, making the most of the pitch before a new layer of snow settled.

Without the snow to hinder him and with the firm feel of the turf under his feet, Suk’s speed instantly skyrocketed.

He surged forward in a straight line, advancing aggressively from the half-space.

Although the Nemtal players tried to stop Suk, they couldn’t keep up.

By the time Suk had brought the ball under control, they had just barely caught up.

"Don’t let him shoot!"

The opposing defender roared.

Suk faked a shot, but instead pushed the ball toward the center.

Ben Mais was late on his run. He was tied up by the opposing center-back and couldn’t get to the ball.

"Fuck!"

Suk couldn’t help but curse, then turned and sprinted furiously back to defend.

With aggressive defending, they won the ball back again.

Suk returned to the front line, but the snow on the ground was starting to thicken again.

While it wasn’t so deep that his ankles sank in like in the first half, it was still a bit slippery, and he no longer had that solid footing.

’We have to hurry!’

Suk’s expression was grave.

Without Kosopech, that tall striker up front, their performance in these conditions was severely limited.

Suk once again snuck toward the half-space.

He was preparing to try another run.

Modric decisively lofted a long pass upfield. The forwards made quick runs, and the defensive line instantly engaged in a physical battle.

Suk drifted on the outside, waiting for his moment.

He saw the opposing center-back holding off Ben Mais and positioning himself right where the ball would land. Suk had no chance.

Just as he thought the defender was about to clear it, Ben Mais accidentally slipped and subconsciously grabbed the opponent’s collar, pulling him down.

The center-back, who had been preparing to head the ball, was pulled into a bent-over position, and the ball just happened to strike him on the back and roll behind him.

"Chance!"

Suk’s eyes lit up. He immediately burst in from the side, running straight for the ball.

At that moment, the opposing goalkeeper abandoned his goal and rushed out, while the fullback also closed in from the wing.

The three of them were in a race for speed.

But when it came to a race of speed, Suk never backed down.

Accelerate! Go!

Suk suddenly quickened his pace. His long studs pierced through the snow, digging into the turf and propelling his body forward.

SWISH!

Suk got there before the other two, cut forward diagonally, and poked the ball ahead.

The opposing goalkeeper lunged forward desperately, catching nothing but air, and even tripped his own fullback in the process.

Having bypassed the keeper, Suk looked at the empty goal in front of him. He easily turned back, and with one kick, buried the ball in the back of the net.

In the 61st minute, Suk scored, netting his third goal of the league season.

Through 20 rounds of the league, Suk had scored a total of 3 goals and provided 9 assists.