[Yes, we are about to begin Round 22 of the EPL, Manchester City versus Tottenham. I'm Adams, bringing you today's broadcast.]
[And I'm Harry. Nice to meet you.]
12:45.
With around 36,000 spectators filling the stadium, both teams walked out side by side.
At the center of it all, Ho-young strode forward confidently in a sky-blue kit.
The number <10> was boldly printed on his back.
[It may just be a rumor, but it is said that Robinho gave up the number himself after pressure from the board.]
[Robinho had already been under a lot of scrutiny within the team, so he had little choice but to step back. With recent news of potential signings like David Silva and Mario Balotelli, his starting position was already under threat. Still, he starts today.]
[It will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry he shows with Ho-young. There have been quite a few concerns about that.]
[That's right. Now Ho-young must prove through his performance that he deserves the number 10.]
EPL debut.
Ho-young felt goosebumps rise across his entire body.
As someone who had been an EPL fan for a long time, this was an emotional moment.
Especially here, at Tottenham's White Hart Lane.
Thanks to Lee Young-pyo and Son Heung-min, he had watched countless Tottenham matches.
And now he stood here himself, which made it all the more special.
But today, they were the enemy.
Ho-young calmed himself and exchanged handshakes with the opposing players.
A subtle battle of nerves unfolded.
Among them, one player stood out, his cheeks flushed and eyes tense as he stared at Ho-young.
[Gareth Bale]
[Possessed Talents: Wild Horse Charge (SU), Astonishing Pace (S+3), Precise and Fast Kicks (A+3), Fantastic Crossing (A+2), (More...)]
(You may acquire one talent if conditions are met.)
(For S grade or higher, hidden conditions must be fulfilled.)
(Condition 1: Record the fastest dribble speed in this match)
(Condition 2: Record more attacking points than Gareth Bale)
(Condition 3: Achieve 2 successful ball interceptions)
(Hidden Condition: Unlocks upon acquiring at least one talent)
'No title yet, so he hasn't reached that level.'
Still, the important thing was that he could gain a talent from the very first match.
It was a great opportunity to develop his near-miraculous charge skill.
And that was not all.
There were many other talents to acquire.
After all, this was his first EPL match.
Next in line was a Croatian central midfielder wearing a headband.
"Welcome to the EPL."
Luka Modrić.
His words carried a sharp edge, as if trying to seize the initiative.
But.
"I'll do my best. Let's have a good match."
When Ho-young responded calmly, Modrić felt a sudden chill.
The match began in a tense atmosphere.
[Tottenham kick off, and we are underway. Tottenham line up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Defoe and Crouch up front. The midfield consists of Bale, Modrić, Huddlestone, and Lennon.]
[Lennon, like Bale, is one of the fastest players in the EPL. They will look to target Manchester City's full-backs, Kolarov and Richards.]
A simple but effective strategy.
Break through the flanks with pace, deliver crosses into the box, and use Peter Crouch's aerial dominance. Then have Jermain Defoe finish any rebounds or loose balls.
'Simple, but powerful.'
It was Tottenham's most effective pattern, and the best way to exploit Manchester City.
'They're targeting Kolarov, who lacks pace.'
Sure enough, just five minutes after kickoff, the match unfolded exactly as expected.
Modrić and Huddlestone built up play steadily in midfield, while Bale and Lennon quickly took control of the flanks.
The center, where Ho-young held his ground, remained relatively stable, but the wings were another story.
Manchester City were constantly shaken by Bale and Lennon's pace, repeatedly conceding chances.
[A diagonal cross into the box!]
[Joe Hart clears it! That was close!]
Fortunately, goalkeeper Joe Hart made crucial saves to keep City from conceding.
"You idiots! Where's your focus? Watch the flanks!"
Even so, Tottenham's wing attacks kept breaking through.
It was a repetitive pattern, but Kolarov and Richards simply could not keep up with the pace.
Kolarov in particular was repeatedly exposed, allowing Lennon to exploit the space behind him.
Eventually, around the 12th minute of the first half, Lennon delivered a sharp cross into the box.
[Switching play to the far side.]
[Crouch goes up!]
[Header!!]
Thud!
[Joe Hart saves it again! Another stop!]
But the ball was not fully cleared and fell straight to Defoe.
The net rippled.
Thump!
Tottenham had taken the lead, pushing Manchester City into despair.
"You idiot!"
"What the hell!"
"I told you to stay deeper! Why do you keep stepping up? Watch the space behind you! How many times are you going to get beaten?"
Defensive midfielder Gareth Barry lashed out at Kolarov.
And it was not just them.
Manchester City could not even execute half of their planned play.
They did not trust each other.
It had not been like this at the start of the season, but as results declined, conflicts increased, leading to this situation.
Manchester United fans mocked them, saying, "This is the limit of a team without tradition."
Looking at City now, it was hard to argue otherwise.
[Tottenham are smartly avoiding the center entirely. They have no intention of attacking where Ho-young is.]
[This is a critical moment. The captain needs to lead the team.]
Tevez, wearing the captain's armband, lingered up front, letting out frustrated sighs.
To make matters worse, Robinho, who should have held his position on the left wing, kept drifting out of position to get on the ball.
This was not a normal team.
The Manchester City that had climbed to second place earlier in the season was nowhere to be seen.
Only Yaya Touré in defensive midfield and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right wing were putting in a fight.
"Press harder! Don't let them come forward!"
"I've got him!"
[Yaya Touré steps up to press!]
Having joined from Barcelona this season, Touré used his powerful physique to apply aggressive pressure.
Gareth Barry supported him, battling in midfield to prevent easy progression.
[The ball goes to Modrić. Touré closes him down!]
[It's intense!]
Thud!
But Modrić was not easily dispossessed.
One of the best in the EPL at escaping pressure, he burst forward to evade Touré.
Barry tried to close him down, but Modrić twisted his body and kept control.
He even shook off Wright-Phillips, proving his class.
[Modrić looks in excellent form today. It is as if he is determined to show Ho-young exactly what the EPL is about!]
Manchester City's defensive line had pushed up again.
That naturally created opportunities for Tottenham, far better than before.
But Ho-young was pressing from behind, so they had to act quickly.
There was no time.
[Modrić looks forward! A long pass to the right flank!]
[Oh! Manchester City's flank is completely open!]
A precise through ball behind the defense.
This time, it was the left side.
[Gareth Bale races onto the ball!]
[Micah Richards is chasing!]
Richards tried to keep up, but the gap kept widening.
In terms of speed, Bale was among the fastest in the world.
He easily outran Richards and took control.
And that was just the beginning.
Thud!
[Here it is! Bale's trademark move! The burst forward!]
[He drives straight into central space!]
In the Champions League, Bale had torn apart Maicon and scored a hat-trick.
And this move made it possible.
If Kaká's burst relied on delicate control, Bale's was the opposite.
Like a wild horse, he powered through with pure acceleration and speed.
At his peak, Kaká might have been superior overall, but in pure speed and power, Bale had the edge.
A true world-class weapon.
Stopping it was harder than it sounded.
Even when you knew it was coming, you could not stop it.
Manchester City had prepared for it, but it did not matter.
Bale tore through the left flank and cut inside.
Inside the box, Defoe and Crouch occupied key positions, preventing defenders from stepping out.
Touré, who should have covered, was too far upfield.
Barry was tied up marking Modrić and Lennon.
It was a perfect shooting opportunity for Bale.
And.
'Now.'
His eyebrows rose slightly.
His eyes sharpened, and his left foot swung powerfully.
At that moment.
Boom!
"…?!"
The ball flew into the air.
Right in front of him, Ho-young had raised his right leg.
[Ho-young blocks the shot!]
Pressing from the second line, Ho-young had somehow made it all the way back.
Bale could not believe it.
He had started his run from 40 meters out, yet Ho-young arrived first and blocked the shot.
Seeing it in highlight videos was one thing. Experiencing it firsthand was another.
'Why is he here…?'
Before he could finish the thought, the play continued.
[The ball hangs in the air. Ho-young is underneath it.]
[Crouch charges in and jumps!]
Crouch stood over two meters tall.
Without an extraordinary leap, contesting him in the air was pointless.
So Ho-young did not jump.
Instead, the moment Crouch made contact, he stuck his foot in.
Tap!
"…Huh?"
Beast-like reaction speed.
Combined with sharp anticipation and perfect positioning.
Reading the header's trajectory, Ho-young intercepted it instantly with his right foot.
But Tottenham did not back down.
"Hup!"
Modrić rushed in to cover, sticking his leg toward the deflected ball.
Incredible coverage.
But the result was not good.
Whoosh!
"Uh…!"
Modrić lost his balance and fell.
'Crazy…'
By the slightest margin, Ho-young had flicked the ball with the side of his boot, forcing Modrić into a mistimed swing.
Then he used his shoulder and chest to secure the ball.
It almost looked like a freestyle trick.
But it was not over yet.
"Get him!"
Huddlestone approached from behind and grabbed Ho-young's shirt.
The EPL was known for its physical tolerance.
This would not draw a yellow card, so Huddlestone committed fully.
Not realizing it would backfire.
Thud!
"Ugh."
Ho-young leaned forward sharply, using the pull to his advantage.
Huddlestone was dragged forward and fell.
And true to the EPL's physicality, no whistle came.
The commentators were speechless.
[Unbelievable!!]
There was no better word.
The match continued.
Having secured the ball, Ho-young pushed forward.
Thud!
A burst forward.
Bale, Crouch, Modrić, Huddlestone.
With four Tottenham players bypassed in one move, space opened ahead.
It became his runway.
Thud!
[Ho-young! He's charging forward!]
He had not used this kind of run for a while due to his knee.
But today, it was fine.
There were no obstacles, no need for sudden direction changes.
He just had to run.
Like a wild horse.
[Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god!!]
No, not a wild horse.
If Bale was a wild horse, Ho-young was like a chariot pulled by two.
He showed Bale what true power running looked like.
Centre-backs Michael Dawson and William Gallas tried to chase him.
"Stop him!"
"We can't! Keeper, come out!"
But they could not catch him.
The open space only became his path.
And then.
Step.
After covering 60 meters in an instant, Ho-young saw goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes ahead.
But he did not slow down.
Instead.
Thud!
He accelerated again, breaking past Gomes with ease.
Gomes could only watch in confusion.
In the blink of an eye, Ho-young was inside the goal.
Thump.
Manchester City's equalizer.
Ho-young's debut goal.
A solo run of nearly 90 meters.
[GOAL! It's in! Ho-young scores on his EPL debut!]
[Unbelievable. This is a monster. A monster has fallen into England!]
A monster.
La Liga or the EPL, the environment did not matter to him.
Only the stage had changed.
What he had to do remained the same.
Kick the ball.
That was all.
Ho-young ran toward the away section where Manchester City's flags waved wildly, then gave a slight bow, a composed and gentlemanly gesture.
Teammates and opponents alike watched him the same way.
Especially the Manchester City players, their gazes toward him were changing with every moment.
Awe.
That was it.
When a team lacks cohesion, it can be unified through ability.
Not just a hero, but the qualities of a leader.
That was beginning to show in Ho-young.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)