Suk sat next to Oripe, and the two chatted while watching the game.
"Henry has a strong impact on the defense, but I think Bergkamp is the key to Arsenal's excellent performance!" Oripe hit the nail on the head with one sentence.
Bergkamp, known as the 'Ice Prince' during his time at Arsenal, took the initiative to withdraw from the penalty area under Wenger's transformation and became a winger.
Winger and wide player are two different concepts.
A winger and a center forward are on the same offensive line in terms of position; that is, they stand at the same level. The task of holding the ball is the same as that of the center forward. They break through along the wing and move near the sideline, all for the purpose of scoring goals.
This is also the most popular wing position at the moment, often referred to as 'Little White Shoes'. This is an old term from when the sidelines were drawn with white powder, and wingers running along them would dye their shoes white, hence the nickname.
Robben, Ribery, and the future Mbappe are all such players.
Compared to wingers, wide players have more responsibilities.
Although they still need to insert forward attacks and score goals, this is not their primary task. Wide players need to contribute more to responding to attacks, even leading them and organizing connections.
In defense, they also need to actively retreat.
In terms of position, they are positioned behind the center forward, closing the gap with the midfield to form a closer passing connection.
At this time, Bergkamp was clearly playing as a wide player, which gave Suk a lot of thoughts about the winger position.
Arsenal's offense was still so smooth and compact, while Liverpool's was a bit weak due to their aggressive offense.
Taking advantage of this, Arsenal began to launch continuous attacks.
At this point, Arsenal pressed forward as a whole, constantly creating trouble for Liverpool, and their penetrating passes left Liverpool dizzy.
"So beautiful!" Looking at Arsenal's smooth passing, Oripe narrowed his eyes and sighed: "When can we play this kind of football!"
Suk turned his head and glanced at Oripe, saying, "We can try it."
Oripe: "We only have one core player. To put it bluntly, Mlinar alone cannot support this kind of smooth attack. Generally speaking, there are too few holding points."
"Rosen's ball-handling and defending ability are very good. He can form a connection with Mlinar, and I can also retreat from the center forward position to participate in organizing and responding to the attack!"
Suk's face was serious.
Oripe looked surprised and said, "You? Retreat? Organize?"
Suk had always been an attacking player, a hidden striker, a player who converted opportunities into goals. But now this guy wanted to take the initiative to retreat and organize.
"Trust me! I did this during youth training. We need to play more as a team, and we can also free up Mlinar's offensive ability."
Mlinar had been sacrificing himself to provide Suk with goal-scoring opportunities. Not actively participating in the attack, attracting the opponent's defense, pulling wide to respond, etc.
Now, Suk said that he could exchange responsibilities with Mlinar, or even swing back and forth.
"The overall attack can make the opponent's defense more chaotic. It's no longer just me attacking their defense alone, but the entire team pressing forward, relying on our numerical advantage to launch a quick counterattack. As for the job of scoring goals, Mlinar and I can handle it, and it will also create more opportunities for our wingers."
After hearing this, Oripe stopped watching the game and turned to him. "Are you going to play as a false nine and a half?"
Suk asked in surprise: "Do you know what a false nine and a half is?"
Oripe was speechless. This guy really thought he was useless. Although he didn't have a coach's license, he had also undergone many coaching trainings.
The reason Oripe said that Suk was going to play as a false nine and a half was because Suk couldn't play as a false nine.
Both the false nine and the false nine and a half require the center forward to retreat.
The number nine represents the center forward, but whether it is a false nine or a false nine and a half, both require some additional tasks compared to the traditional center forward.
A false nine needs to become a fulcrum, relying on his physicality to help his teammates who are making forward runs, creating passing opportunities.
But Suk couldn't play like that. His small body couldn't handle the impact.
So, once he retreats, he has to retreat completely and without hesitation.
A false nine and a half is the position suited for Suk.
But there's still that problem.
How is Suk's passing?
So far, Oripe had not paid much attention to Suk's passing and organization. Maybe he really could do it?
This is indeed a shortcut to improving the overall strength of the team.
"Try it tomorrow!" Oripe made a decisive decision.
Suk nodded excitedly immediately.
The two continued watching the game. The match between Arsenal and Liverpool was still intense.
Oripe was purely watching the game and enjoying the tense and exciting atmosphere.
Suk, on the other hand, was looking beyond the game itself, looking at the world where football was so popular.
Top leagues, wealthy teams, and duels between strong teams.
All of this was stimulating Suk's nerves, and this was the stage he dreamed of.
In the end, after 90 minutes, Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2-1, with a fantastic performance from Ice Prince Bergkamp in the midfield, and secured the victory at home.
After watching the game, the two went straight back to their room to prepare for sleep, since they still had things to do tomorrow.
Nothing happened overnight.
The next day, Suk got up early. After a quick wash, he went to the kitchen, took out a small iron basin, and rushed out of the room.
The morning in Mostar was very peaceful.
Little birds perched on the branches and chirped. The weather was exceptionally good today, with no clouds in the sky and the sun shining on the earth.
Suk's pace was much lighter. He hummed a song and skipped all the way to a pasture.
Walking in through the pasture's gate, he came to a shed where an old man with a thick beard was working hard to milk the cow.
"Grandpa Ksvic, give me a basin of milk."
The old man, named Ksvic, looked up at Suk. Without saying much, he took the small iron basin and scooped out a basin of milk from the milk bucket under the cow and handed it back.
Suk carefully took it, and his movements were gentle, as if he couldn't waste a single drop.
Ksvic got up, patted his sore back, and looked at Suk with a smile. "Little Suk, why haven't you grown up yet? I'm waiting to use you for an advertisement."
Suk's attention was on the iron basin, and he said casually, "I'll grow up, I'll grow up. I won't charge you for an endorsement fee then."
Ksvic couldn't help laughing.
Ksvic took great care of this Asian boy from Croatia. Suk's milk was given to him for free, and occasionally, Ksvic invited Suk over to eat some meat to supplement his nutrition.
Both Ksvic and Suk had experienced that turbulent period, and they knew all too well the pain that came with it.
Ksvic lost his family in the war, and his grandson was also lost during the escape.
Ksvic was very kind to Suk. Perhaps he was also praying that someone would treat his lost grandson the way he treated Suk.
Suk held the milk basin and walked slowly back to Oripe's house.
After entering the kitchen, he poured the milk into a clean pot. The freshly squeezed milk was very fresh, but it still needed to be boiled before drinking.
Once the milk boiled, Suk scooped it out again.
He took out the bread slices from the refrigerator and heated them up, dipped them in ketchup, and started eating breakfast with milk.
After eating, Suk jumped off the dining table and went to a load-bearing pillar in the room.
There were three marks on the pillar. The gap between these marks was very small, about 1-2 centimeters, and the third mark was noticeably deeper.
It was obvious that this was used to measure height.
Suk stood with his back to the pillar, close to it.
He put his legs together, stuck out his chest, and raised his head, comparing the highest point above his head to the highest point of the marks.
When Suk turned his head expectantly, he found that the position of his palm was exactly stuck in the third deepest mark.
"I haven't grown taller again!" Suk was a little discouraged but quickly patted his cheeks and cheered himself up.
After all, this kind of setback wasn't new.
Suk firmly believed that he would grow, just a little late.
Oripe was having a sweet dream. In the dream, he was standing on the coach's bench at Highbury Stadium, giving orders. He was enjoying the worship and cheers of thousands of people in the stadium.
He had gained fame, money, and beautiful women.
Just as he was about to enjoy a pleasant evening with a beautiful model, a loud noise suddenly woke him up.
Bang!!
"Get up! Get up!"
Suk kicked into Oripe's room.
Oripe woke up and was transitioning from dream to reality. The confusion in his eyes slowly faded, and the current situation became clearer. Anger began to build in his eyes as he glared at Suk.
"You brat! I'm going to kill you!"
Oripe became furious, but Suk was quick on his feet, spinning around and running away.
How could Oripe's fat body keep up? Eventually, Oripe gasped for air, glaring at Suk, pinned against the wall.
Finally, Oripe snorted heavily and yawned.
"What time is it now?"
Suk: "7 o'clock in the morning."
Oripe suddenly fell silent.
"Is today Saturday?"
"Yes!"
"Is today's training time at 2 pm?"
"That's right!"
Oripe fell silent again, and in the next second, a roar erupted from his room.
"Go to hell! You brat, I must kill you today to avenge my Saturday!"
Crackling.
Inside Oripe's room, it started to become very 'lively' early in the morning.