Chapter 47: Winger? Wide Midfielder!

The head coach of Tuzla Sloboda was a seasoned Bosnian tactician. With years of experience and strategic acumen, he had long established himself in Bosnian football. However, the recent stellar performances by Mostar Zrinjski and their foreign coach, Van Stoyak, had stirred up discussions across the Bosnian football world. Many began advocating for the introduction of more foreign coaches to enrich the otherwise monotonous Bosnian football system. This, however, posed a significant threat to native Bosnian coaches. He wasn't about to let that happen and was determined to teach the Dutchman a harsh lesson in his own way. Mostar Zrinjski had two tactical setups. This adaptability made them nearly invincible in recent matches. Whenever one system encountered resistance, they would switch to the other—completely different in style—often catching their opponents off guard. But at the core of the issue lay defensive positioning. It was a straightforward game of "catch the little devil." Identifying the opponent's weak spot was crucial. The key variable between the two systems was the center forward. These differing styles were embodied by Suke and Kosovic, who each led a distinct tactical approach. To counter this, Old Moster devised separate defensive strategies for each. He assigned a dedicated man-marking role. His plan was simple: whenever Suke was on the pitch, shut him down completely whenever he dropped deep. If Suke couldn't receive the ball or create space, he wouldn't be able to relieve the pressure on Modrić, nor could he organize the attack. Old Moster could already picture Van Stoyak's frustrated expression. Halftime, in the locker room— "In the second half, pay close attention to their number 99. He'll wreak havoc on our backline." Old Moster turned, "Manyatuch, you know what to do, right?" Manyatuch, a stocky young man about 175 cm tall, nodded. "Got it. I'll stick to Suke." Old Moster clapped his hands. "Good. In the second half, let's try to score on the counter." Meanwhile, in Zrinjski's locker room, Van Stoyak was also giving orders to Suke. "We'll switch things up for the second half. I've given you enough time to adapt. Now I need you to help organize the attack from the front. Understood?" Suke nodded immediately. "Understood!" Modrić turned to Suke, nodding. "I'll leave the attack to you." Suke grinned. He was getting excited. Kosovic patted him on the shoulder. "Go get 'em!" Second half. Teams switched sides. As Mostar Zrinjski emerged from the tunnel, Old Moster spotted Suke leading the pack, and a smile crept across his face. "Just as I expected." Kosovic hadn't been effective. The Dutchman was making a substitution. But Old Moster had prepared for this! He was confident—until he saw Kosopec, still wearing the captain's armband, step onto the field. "No substitution?" Old Moster was stunned. Had he misjudged? He watched Suke and Kosovic walking onto the pitch together, covering their mouths as they whispered to each other. This didn't make sense! Something was off. Suke was on the field. So was Kosovic. Weren't they supposed to rotate? What was going on? Even the man tasked with marking suke, Manyatuch, was baffled as he saw Suke walk directly to the wing. And then settle there. "Winger?" Old Moster was so shocked that he blurted it out. Suke playing as a winger? Across the field, Van Stoyak glanced at Old Moster, a smirk in his eyes. In the stands, fans erupted. It was the first time they'd seen Suke and Kosovic on the pitch together. Could they really co-exist? Who was playing center forward? And then they saw Suke positioned on the wing, and a wave of questions filled their minds. Sook playing as a winger? Bakic asked, puzzled, "Can Suke play as a winger?" Mlinar responded hesitantly, "I guess so. Wingers need pace and the ability to make runs, and Suke excels at both. But... isn't that kind of a waste?" At the time, the role of a winger was often similar to a forward—players who make forward runs. But wouldn't this positioning waste Suke's excellent passing and organizing skills? No one could figure out what Van Stoyak was planning. Was Suke meant to attack from the flanks? Wouldn't that reduce his overall impact? Fans were confused. So were commentators. "Suke as a winger? Can he even do that?" "Maybe?" "What kind of tactic is this?" "Just play the usual setup!" "Wait... is this a new system?" "Suke and Kosovic together... I'm curious to see how it works." Even on commentary, Basodachi was in disbelief. "He has the speed and skill to threaten down the flanks. With Modrić feeding him, he could create a lot of danger." Basodachi hesitated. "But Kosovic is the one being tightly marked. Even if Suke gets a good cross in, if Kosovich can't score, it's useless." Still puzzled, Basodachi noticed one key detail: Modrić's positioning. Usually more advanced, this time Modrić was deeper—playing as a holding midfielder. Modrić as a defensive mid? Suke as a winger? Basodachi shook his head. "Let's just see how it plays out." Kick-off, second half— Kosopvic tapped the ball backward. It made its way to the backline, then gradually upfield. Modrić controlled the ball from his own half. Surrounded by teammates, he wasn't under pressure and calmly looked for passing options. Suke drifted inward. On the opposite side, Biliar also cut inside. Two wide players tucked in, Modrić passed to Biliar, pulling the defense out wide. Biliar returned the ball. Modrić passed to Suke. Suke then passed it back again. These short exchanges dragged the defense across both flanks, while Modrić crept forward and found a gap. Old Moster frowned. Something felt wrong. Modrić advanced slowly. As he crossed into the opposition's half, defenders swarmed him. He quickly laid it off to Suke. Sukek then returned it to overlapping full-back Kelpich, and darted into the space behind. A simple one-two carved open the defense. Suke turned and surged toward the opposition full-back, tried a few feints, failed to break through, but then suddenly stopped and passed the ball centrally to the advancing Modrić. Another switch. Mostar Zrinjski's buildup was calm and deliberate. To Tuzla Sloboda, however, it felt ominous. Their press was getting bypassed with ease—even in Zrinjski's own half, they were being run in circles. Zrinjski calmly recycled possession. After one failed attack, Biliar launched a long back-pass. Suke and Modrić both retreated deep. Modrić dropped all the way into his own half. Suke fell back near the halfway line—half his body even crossed into their half. "That's way too deep..." Old Moster frowned. That didn't look like a winger's movement. There was no aggressive push forward—it was all about supporting the buildup. Zrinjski pulled back, Sloboda tried to push higher to press. Manyatuch was completely lost. Suke was moving all over. Sometimes out wide, sometimes behind the striker. Sometimes chasing full-backs, sometimes retreating to defend. At first, Manyatuch followed. Soon, he couldn't keep up. He had no idea what Suke's role even was—let alone how to mark him. Suke, with all that movement, found a pocket of space, raised his hand for the ball. Modrić saw it and passed. Suke received it, turned, and accelerated diagonally. "Here we go!!" "Suke is on the run!" Basodachi shouted. Manyatuch rushed over, trying to intercept. But Suke poked the ball forward and took off. Manyatuch followed the ball—but Suke had already raced ahead. Ahead, Kosovic made a sudden lateral move, using his bulk to shield the center-back. Simultaneously, Zrinjski's full-back overlapped, drawing the opposing full-back wide and leaving the half-space open. Sook passed to Kosovic, who deftly poked it into the vacated lane. Suke burst through. "He's through!!" Basodachi shouted in excitement. His mind clicked. "Wide midfielder! Not a winger! Sook's playing as a wide midfielder!" "And Kosovic's dropping back to act as a pivot, enabling Suke's deep runs—brilliant imagination from Van Stoyak!" At the time, football was dominated by traditional winger roles. That's why even Basodachi had defaulted to that assumption. He hadn't expected it—Suke was playing as a wide midfielder! On the field, Suke reached the byline, looked up—Kosovic and Biliar were both making runs. Kosovic charged straight in, drawing defenders. Biliar and Suke locked eyes—Biliar stopped and shifted laterally. Suke slid a diagonal pass behind the defense. Right to Biliar. He calmly struck with his left foot. Swoosh! Goal.