Chapter 69 - 67: This Guy... Isn’t Stupid

Chapter 69: Chapter 67: This Guy... Isn’t Stupid

"I’m finally back!"

Suk returned to his dorm and stretched.

He’d slept the whole train ride, so he wasn’t all that tired.

Suk glanced around. After two months of being empty, the dorm was covered in dust.

SWOOSH!

Suk opened the window, letting the biting winter wind sweep in to air the place out.

Grabbing a rag and a basin, he went to the utility room for water and began to clean the dorm with gusto.

He wiped the dust from the corners and the metal bed frame, tossed the pillowcase and duvet cover into the laundry, and put on fresh bedding.

Finally, he mopped the floor. The job was done.

Looking at the tidy dorm, Suk felt a sense of clarity.

"Suk?"

A voice came from the doorway. When Suk turned, he saw Stelk standing outside. He looked at Suk, pleasantly surprised, and said, "You’re finally back!"

At noon, the two went into town for lunch.

The cafeteria was closed for the winter break, so their only option was to eat in town.

They ended up at Buckqi’s restaurant, as usual.

"Dinamo Zagreb lost that badly?"

Stelk said in surprise as he listened to Suk recount the match he’d watched in Zagreb.

In his mind, Dinamo Zagreb was the sole giant of the Croatian League, the undisputed hegemon.

But they were having such a miserable season. Those Mostic brothers really weren’t doing their jobs!

"How would we do if we played against them?" Stelk couldn’t help but ask.

Suk thought for a moment. "I don’t know what Dinamo Zagreb was like in their prime, but if we’re talking about the team from that specific match, we’d have a chance to win."

In Suk’s opinion, if a full-strength Mostar Zrinjski faced the Zagreb Rail Workers, they would have a shot.

Although the two leagues were far apart in the rankings, Mostar Zrinjski’s level was already far beyond the average of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League, so there was still hope for a victory.

Hearing Suk’s assessment, Stelk couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

However, Suk had only told half the story.

He was talking about the average level of the Croatian League, not its top-tier strength.

The Croatian League was inevitably more intense than the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League.

That was something he could clearly discern from the match he watched.

The performance and condition of the players in every position were on a level the Bosnia and Herzegovina League couldn’t compare to.

The overall pace, discipline, and tactical variations were also remarkably distinct.

The most crucial factor was the pace of offense and defense.

Faster! Stronger!

Suk wasn’t even sure he could quickly adapt to such an intense and rapid transition speed, let alone the other players.

For that reason, Suk believed that if it had been Dinamo Zagreb in their prime, they really would have completely dominated Mostar Zrinjski.

After lunch, the two returned to the dorms.

Suk changed into his training gear and headed to the field to practice.

It was still the holiday break, but surprisingly, some people were already doing extra training on their own.

When Suk arrived at the field, he saw Kosopech and Boamei.

"You two aren’t taking a break?"

Suk called out from outside the fence.

Kosopech turned to look, and Suk immediately raised a hand. "Captain, good afternoon."

As Suk walked over, Kosopech smiled. "My injury just healed, so I want to get a head start on rehabilitation training. The goal is to be ready to jump straight into team practice when the second half of the season begins."

Kosopech felt that because he was older, he recovered more slowly.

’But the early bird gets the worm!’

He still wanted to play for a few more years, and besides, he felt his form hadn’t declined too drastically these past few years.

Moreover, with Suk’s arrival, he was also trying out different styles, broadening his technical skills, and extending his professional career at the same time.

Boamei’s reason was much simpler.

With Oliveira having just left, he was finally free. Even though Suk currently occupied the wing position, he had to prepare for the future.

He wasn’t content with being a substitute forever.

If he couldn’t compete with Suk, then he would compete with Billiar.

"Can you practice some give-and-go combinations with me up front?"

Boamei said to Suk, mustering his courage.

Suk looked slightly surprised, but he quickly turned to Kosopech. "Captain, want to practice some shooting?"

He acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

The logic was simple. Suk had no obligation to practice with him.

Boamei’s expression fell, a hint of dejection on his face.

In the end, Kosopech couldn’t bear to watch.

"Suk, let’s the three of us practice together. If Billiar gets injured, we’ll be able to link up."

Seeing that the "big brother" of the team had spoken, Suk reluctantly nodded.

They set up a few training mannequins in the middle. Suk pointed at them and said, "In a bit, you’ll run around these mannequins to receive my pass. You decide when to start your forward run. Finally, either slot the ball through the gap between two mannequins into the center, or chip it directly for the captain to challenge for a header!"

"Understood!" Boamei immediately nodded.

Only then did Suk say, "Let’s start!"

With that, Suk kicked the ball, but Boamei was still standing there in a daze.

"What are you standing around for? Go get the ball!"

Suk shouted, annoyed.

Boamei immediately turned to retrieve the ball.

When Suk passed the ball out again, Boamei gracefully caught up to it and made a cross.

Just as Boamei was feeling very pleased with his performance, Suk’s rebuke came.

"Too slow! Do you think the defenders in a real match are mannequins too? They’ll run, they’ll track back, and they’ll do everything they can to disrupt you. So you have to be faster! Sprint at full speed when you start your run!"

THWACK!

He sent another pass.

"Are you taking a stroll? I told you to sprint after the ball!"

THWACK!

Suk passed the ball.

"Adjust after you receive the ball! Use small steps to get set! Are you shooting or passing? Again!"

Suk was extremely strict, but Boamei didn’t say a word, silently continuing his forward runs.

Kosopech watched Suk, his expression a little odd.

’This guy is clearly putting extra power on his passes, making Boamei work hard to chase them down. It seems like he’s trying to give him a hard time.’

’Did Boamei offend Suk at some point?’

Meanwhile, watching Boamei panting and out of breath, Suk started to feel a little better.

"Alright, starting with the next pass, I can’t guarantee its accuracy!"

After saying that, Suk took the ball and ran to a spot near the midfield on the left sideline.

Boamei was on the right side.

The distance between them was huge.

Suk placed the ball at his feet and took a deep breath.

He was going to practice something new.

Previously, Suk had once made a pass similar to one of De Bruyne’s, which Basodachi had praised as a ’Rainbow Pass’.

But ever since then, Suk hadn’t tried it again.

On one hand, he hadn’t mastered it. On the other, the conditions required to execute it were very demanding.

But now he had a whole month, and since he had to practice passing and running with Boamei anyway, it was the perfect opportunity for him to practice it himself.

With that, Suk placed the ball at his feet, took a few steps back, and after a run-up, viciously curled his right instep under it.

WHOOSH! The ball soared high into the air, flying directly toward the goal.

Boamei: "???"

’This is what you call not being able to guarantee accuracy?’

’That’s way off!’

Suk scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Again!"

THWACK!

THWACK!

THWACK!

THWACK!

THWACK!

"It worked!"

Suk was ecstatic as he watched the ball skim across the grass in a huge arc, flying to Boamei’s feet on the other side of the field.

One success out of six tries, and the accuracy was decent.

Now he just needed to keep practicing through trial and error and reduce his failure rate.

THWACK!

THWACK!

THWACK!

THWACK!

"Get outta here!" Kosopech couldn’t take it anymore. He laughed and cursed, "Are you just making us fetch balls for you? What kind of passes are these? It takes you five or six tries to make one decent pass. Are you the one practicing, or are we?"

Suk scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I’ll practice first, then it’ll be your turn."

Kosopech retorted, "We’ll practice first, and then we’ll help you with your passing. If you don’t like it, you can practice by yourself!"

Suk nodded immediately.

After all, for this kind of pass, he also needed someone to pass the ball to him. Not every attempt could be from a dead ball.

They spent the entire afternoon training intensely.

First, it was passing and running drills to build chemistry.

Then they moved on to give-and-gos during crossing runs.

Finally, it was continuous crossing runs, all while keeping the ball moving between them.

The tactics grew more and more complex.

At first, Boamei struggled with the passing and receiving, but the guy had decent talent and adapted quickly.

By the end of the afternoon, their passing combinations were looking quite sharp.

"Now it’s my turn, right?"

Suk said, looking at Kosopech.

Kosopech glanced at the slightly dimming sky. "Let’s do it tomorrow. It’s almost dark."

Suk wasn’t having it.

Why should he be their free training partner?

Just then, Boamei suddenly said, "I’ll pass to you. I’ll practice with you!"

Suk said in surprise, "You’ll practice with me?"

Boamei nodded. "From now on, I’ll always practice this pass with you. But I have one condition: let me be the one to chase down all these passes!"

Suk nodded immediately.

’No problem!’

He’d be thrilled to have someone fetch his balls.

Kosopech watched them and waved a hand. "I’m heading out then. Don’t you two train too late."

The two waved back distractedly, then huddled together and began to work on it.

They trained well into the evening.

Suk attempted the low, curving pass one after another, while Boamei silently chased after the ball.

No matter how bad Suk’s kick was, he would chase it down, unless it was completely off the mark.

After run after run, Suk could see that Boamei was panting heavily, clearly reaching the end of his stamina.

"Let’s rest. We’ll continue tomorrow."

Suk wiped away a bead of sweat. Even he was getting tired, let alone Boamei.

Watching the guy walk over, holding the ball and gasping for air, Suk couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Why did you ask to fetch the balls?"

"Receive the ball!"

Boamei corrected him.

Suk shrugged. "Same difference. So, why?"

Boamei was silent for a moment before saying, "That curving pass of yours has incredible penetration. If I can learn to sync up with you, I’ll be much more useful on the field."

"Nobody wants to just fetch balls, me included!"

"But I want to be a starter, and to do that, I have to build chemistry with you."

"How to maximize your passing ability—that’s the test the coaching staff has put out there, and it’s for all the forwards... This is my only chance to become a starter!"

Suk looked at Boamei, stunned.

’This guy... he’s not stupid at all!’