Chapter 79 - 77: Tuzla Slobođa and the Bus

Chapter 79: Chapter 77: Tuzla Slobo?a and the Bus

What Suk had been worried about didn’t happen.

The next day, Suk and Modric were called into the Head Coach’s office for a talk.

"The club has received an offer for you!"

Van Stiake looked at Suk, who was a little nervous.

After all, if the club were to block his transfer, things could get messy and the situation would become very difficult.

"We’ve accepted the offer!"

Van Stiake’s words made Suk breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, his heart was filled with joy.

"I can’t bear to leave this place!" Suk said, feigning sadness. Modric, who was standing to the side, shot him a surprised look.

Van Stiake also sighed, patted Suk’s shoulder, and said, "Son! The road ahead is one you must face on your own. There isn’t much more I can give you. You are more outstanding than I imagined, and I believe your future will be even more brilliant."

"This is just the first stop. There will be more challenges and difficulties in the future. I hope you can bravely overcome them!"

Suk immediately looked up and said loudly, "Don’t worry, Coach! I definitely won’t let you down!"

Van Stiake smiled, gratified.

Then, he looked at Modric and said, "Next season, your loan contract will be up, and they’ll be calling you back. I hope you’ll have an outstanding performance there as well."

Modric nodded. "Thank you, Coach!"

Van Stiake waved his hand. "That’s one thing. On the other hand, I don’t want you two spreading this news. This is a critical moment for us as we push for the championship. We can’t have any disruptions. I’ll announce this information at the appropriate time."

Suk and Modric immediately nodded. "Understood!"

"Alright! You can go now."

Suk and Modric bid farewell to the Head Coach and walked out of the office.

"You know, I actually am a little sad to leave!"

Suk twisted his neck and said, "Even though it’s only been a year, I’ve been really happy here."

But then, his tone shifted. "Still, I believe Dinamo Zagreb will bring me even more pleasant surprises."

Modric nodded. "The pace and intensity of the matches there are much higher. You need to be prepared."

Suk laughed. "Don’t worry!"

After returning to the locker room, Suk and Modric didn’t mention a single word about what happened in the office.

Their teammates weren’t thinking about transfers either. Right now, their attention was focused on winning the title.

Currently, 24 rounds of the league had been played, and the remaining 9 were still crucial for Mostar Zrinjski.

Although they had beaten Sarajevo twice to open up a five-point gap in the standings, any loss was unacceptable. They needed to be extremely careful.

....

Time flew by in a flash.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League continued in full swing.

The rivalry between Mostar Zrinjski and Sarajevo was still on.

As the number of remaining league matches dwindled, the competition between the two teams grew even more intense.

Sarajevo had failed to defeat Mostar Zrinjski in their direct encounters, so they hoped other teams could hand Mostar Zrinjski a setback.

But they were clearly overthinking it. If Sarajevo couldn’t beat them, it would be even harder for other teams to win.

However, this time, Sarajevo saw a glimmer of hope.

Tuzla Slobo?a, the team known in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League as ’the rock in the cesspool,’ was preparing to host Mostar Zrinjski.

Perhaps Old Moerst could give them some hope for the title!

On May 14th, in the 31st round of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League, Tuzla Slobo?a faced Mostar Zrinjski at home.

Facing the strongest team currently in the Bosnia and Herzegovina league, Tuzla Slobo?a, under the direction of Head Coach Old Moerst, set up a "park the bus" formation at home.

When Tuzla Slobo?a’s fans saw their team parking the bus at home, their complaints about the team grew even louder.

Parking the bus in an away game was one thing, but why were they parking the bus at home too?

Their dissatisfaction with Head Coach Old Moerst grew.

It might have been acceptable in the past, but now the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League was undergoing a vigorous tactical revolution. Only Old Moerst stubbornly clung to his old tactics.

Not to say these tactics were useless.

But the fans definitely wanted to see more entertaining matches.

Their neighbors, Tuzla City FC, had even started playing a possession-based game after bringing in a Head Coach from Spain.

Although their record over the last three rounds—one win and two losses—wasn’t pretty, their possession-based play in the match they won was brilliant.

Compared to their own ugly and passive tactics, they wanted their team to be on the offensive.

Clearly, their demands now were not just to win, but to win beautifully.

But Old Moerst obviously wouldn’t do that.

As a result, during this match, the fans booed the home team’s ugly tactics.

The stadium was filled with boos, which made the Tuzla Slobo?a players and their Head Coach look grim.

Old Moerst snorted heavily.

’These fans don’t know shit!’

’I’m a pragmatist!’

’The process doesn’t matter; winning is the only thing that’s key!’

Besides, given the current situation, parking the bus was the best choice against Mostar Zrinjski.

The match clock had already reached the 70th minute, but the score was still 0-0.

Mostar Zrinjski was having a major headache dealing with Tuzla Slobo?a’s "park the bus" formation.

Kosopech was very active, but the opposing team’s two tall center-backs were no slouches.

With it being difficult to even get a cross off from the byline, even if the ball made it in, the opposition could use their tall center-backs to clear it.

Suk had the ball on the wing, but the defenders didn’t press him, just watched him like a hawk.

Suk looked into the penalty area, which was packed with Tuzla Slobo?a players. He attempted a cross, but it was ultimately cleared by an opposing tall center-back.

"Great cross!"

Kosopech gave Suk a thumbs-up.

He’d had pitifully few touches on the ball so far.

Under the opponent’s tight man-marking, Kosopech was having a frustrating game, but even so, he had to encourage the teammates who were passing to him.

But at the same time, Kosopech’s face was filled with anxiety.

’Being unable to break through after attacking for so long is not a good sign!’

Suk frowned as well.

Facing a "park the bus" formation was frustrating enough, let alone one that was so well-disciplined.

Tuzla Slobo?a clearly had a lot of experience with parking the bus.

Suk had also tried to break through a few times, but he was brought down by tight marking each time, making it hard to make any further moves.

With breakthroughs and high balls both looking hopeless, long shots were the only option left.

"Luka! I’ll tee you up!"

Suk walked over to Modric.

Modric’s long shots were the best on Mostar Zrinjski; they were not only well-placed but also very fast.

For the remainder of the game, he planned to set up shots for Modric. Whether they could blast through this iron-clad defense would depend on Modric’s ability.

Modric understood what Suk meant.

He wasn’t afraid of the responsibility, so he nodded firmly.

"Long shots! And create more Set Pieces!"

Head Coach Van Stiake also shouted from the sidelines.

In the current situation, breaking through their "park the bus" defense was very difficult.

Set Pieces and long shots were a good approach.

With that, Van Stiake pointed a hand toward the opponent’s penalty area and shouted, "Suk! More Dribbling!"

Suk immediately understood.

’The goal isn’t to get past them. The goal is to win Set Pieces, or maybe even draw a penalty.’

After that, the tactical focus began to shift.

The ball was passed frequently to Suk, and as soon as he got it, he would start Dribbling forward to break through.

Got tackled?

Then win it back and keep going!

If the opponent fouled him, it meant a Set Piece.

In just ten minutes, Mostar Zrinjski created four Set Piece opportunities.

And all of this came from Suk’s Dribbling runs.

Suk was getting knocked around and looked battered, but the effect was very clear.

The opposition didn’t dare let Suk charge into the penalty area, so they started fouling him outside the box.

And this allowed Mostar Zrinjski to win a continuous stream of Set Pieces.

"Mostar Zrinjski’s tactics have shifted. They’re using Suk’s Dribbling to win Set Pieces and having Modric take them, looking for a way to break the deadlock!"

"Van Stiake’s tactical adjustment is very effective. Mostar Zrinjski’s attack in the ten minutes since has put Tuzla Slobo?a on the back foot."

BANG!

CLANG!

Another Set Piece. The ball hit the crossbar, bounced on the goal line, and flew back out towards the penalty area.

Instantly, the entire Tuzla Slobo?a penalty area descended into chaos.

"Kick it out!!"

"Clear it! Clear it!!"

"Mark your men!"

Finally, the opposing goalkeeper made a desperate dive and smothered the ball beneath him.

Seeing how far forward Mostar Zrinjski had pushed, the opposing center-back immediately waved his arms and shouted, "Counter! Counter!"

At that moment, no one noticed Suk hiding behind the opposing goalkeeper.

As everyone sprinted forward, the goalkeeper took a quick look, then tossed the ball forward, preparing for a long kick.

But at that very moment, Suk suddenly darted out from behind him and snatched the ball from right in front of the keeper.

"Tuzla Slobo?a is preparing for a quick counter-attack, the goalkeeper... OH!!! SUK!!"

The commentator, Basodachi, cried out in shock as Suk intercepted the ball the goalkeeper had just thrown.

He immediately pulled the ball back to dodge the keeper’s frantic lunge, nudged it past the fallen goalie, and, to everyone’s dumbfounded expressions, tapped the ball into the empty net.

The opposing goalkeeper got up and frantically claimed it was a foul.

But the referee indicated it was a live ball and that the goalkeeper had already thrown it forward, which counted as putting it in play. Therefore, the goal was valid!

The referee pointed to the center circle!

Thanks to Suk’s clever interception, Mostar Zrinjski had actually scored a goal.

And this goal dealt a huge blow to Tuzla Slobo?a.

The goalkeeper knelt on the ground, hands on his head.

One by one, the Tuzla Slobo?a players also grabbed their heads, their faces a mask of disbelief.

They had held out for so long, only to be defeated by a moment of carelessness!

Now, they all regretted not paying attention to Suk’s position, not taking a closer look.

But it was too late!

The referee had awarded the goal, and the net they had defended for 80 minutes was finally breached!