Chapter 49: Bosčenović’s Interception

The news that Zrinjski Mostar had crushed Sloboda Tuzla 5-0 became a seismic shock across the entire Bosnian football scene. Though Zrinjski Mostar was a traditionally strong team in Bosnian football, their overall performance had always fluctuated. At their best, they could beat Sloboda Tuzla, but at their worst, they had also been humiliated by smaller teams. It was fair to say they were a team that lived or died by their form. But in this match, Zrinjski Mostar astonishingly triumphed 5-0 over Sloboda Tuzla. Keep in mind—Sloboda Tuzla was sitting third in the league standings. They weren't some pushovers. They had even defeated the current dominant force in the Bosnian Premier League, FK Sarajevo. That made this result all the more sensational. Numerous media outlets and television stations began to cover the match, replaying the footage repeatedly. Many football pundits jumped into the fray with their commentary. They gave high praise to Zrinjski Mostar's tactical system, while also expressing amazement over that "rainbow pass" by Suke during the match. This game fully launched Suke beyond his small-town fame. His name began spreading across the entire country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the desks of coaches in the Bosnian Premier League, a technical analysis report titled "Suke" started appearing. But what truly put Suker on the map was an interview from famous Bosnian Premier League commentator Basodachi. "I've never seen such a gifted player. He's like a sapling struggling to grow between rocks. Some of his beauty has already bloomed, but clearly, his future holds even more promise." "I love this feeling of anticipation. Every time I watch him play or commentate his matches, I'm left in awe." "He's active, brave, hard-working, cunning, and wise. He's physically small, so he had to develop other skills to survive in football—and he's done that remarkably well. Without a doubt, he's succeeded." "He's 160cm tall—yes, 160! And he was even shorter before. I contacted Zrinjski Mostar to confirm." "To survive with that height in the Bosnian Premier League is incredibly difficult. But not only did he handle the pressure, he performed brilliantly. I can't stop praising him." "Suke is still very young, but he's cunning enough—he's just like... yes! Like a short-legged fox, using everything around him to grow stronger. And I believe, one day, he'll become a true tiger! I believe that!" Basodachi's admiration for Suke bordered on blind faith. And from his words, the nickname "Short-legged Fox" became Suke's first official nickname in the Bosnian Premier League. "Pfft—Hahahahahahahahaha!" "Hahahahaha!!" "I'm dying laughing!!" "A fox? Seriously?!" "And not just a fox—a short-legged one! Hahaha! Basodachi really knows how to zero in on the details!" "Does this nickname even strike fear into anyone?" "Why not? It could make people laugh to death!" Masovic and Hadzic clutched the newspaper, laughing so hard they were nearly in tears. Meanwhile, Suke stood to the side, his round face puffed up even more in anger. He was grateful for Basodachi's positive comments—but damn it, that nickname? "Fox" was fine, but short-legged? Was that really necessary? Suke could already imagine how much grief this nickname was going to bring him in the coming weeks. Creak— The door opened. Biliar swaggered in and opened his mouth: "Hey, short-legged f—Ah!" Suke leapt forward and kicked the back of Biliar's knee. As Biliar bent over in pain, Suke spun around and landed two solid punches to his stomach. The whole move flowed seamlessly like a practiced combo. Biliar was instantly speechless. Suke glared at him. "Any objections?" Biliar, remembering that his goal-scoring chances depended on Suke, quickly shook his head. "None at all!" Everyone else struggled to hold back laughter. Watching Suke's furious expression was just too funny. At that moment, Head Coach Van stoyak walked in. "The next week will be dedicated to training for our upcoming match." Everyone's expressions grew serious. Sarajevo was undoubtedly Zrinjski Mostar's fiercest rival at the moment. Whether it was from being suppressed by them in the past or the current neck-and-neck race on the standings, one thing was clear: they had to beat Sarajevo if they wanted to win the title. Sarajevo was a very formidable opponent. Whether it was the other Suker with the same name, the midfielders Meskapec and Torlist, both of whom had played in Europe's top five leagues, or their entire backline of Bosnian national team players—this was a massive challenge. "Sarajevo is a team that relies heavily on central striker positioning and finishes. Of course, their wings are strong too, and their overall balance on both attack and defense is very solid. Their midfield has strong control as well." Sarajevo's strength wasn't just in one area—it was in their all-around excellence. "So, in this match, we must seize the initiative. And how do we seize it? Through pressing!" Van stoyak clapped his hands. "For the next week, we're focusing on high pressing. Especially the starters—you need to be sharp! We don't have much time left." High pressing involves the whole team pushing up to pressure the opponent from their half, requiring quick, precise, and aggressive action. It demands total teamwork and creates a tight pressing network to compress space and regain possession or disrupt passing lanes. This tactic is also one of the fundamentals of the Dutch total football system. In this pressing setup, Suke and Modric, known for their stamina and movement, were the key players. You could even say the success of the pressing system depended entirely on how well Suke and Modric performed—and how long they could sustain it. In truth, Zrinjski Mostar had been training this system since the start of the season, so it wasn't unfamiliar. And the progress had been smooth. Suke and Modric's exceptional endurance and running ability were crucial to this pressing phase. Neither of them was physically dominant, so their role was more about intercepting passing lanes. Modric performed very well. But Suke was even more outstanding. He had great speed and explosive acceleration, often darting into opponents' vision unexpectedly to intercept, and he even managed a few clean tackles. Together, the two of them disrupted the midfield and organized attacks. For Zrinjski Mostar players, the one thing they didn't need to worry about was having no passing options when they looked up. Thanks to Suke and Modric's movement, they always had at least 1–2 viable passing outlets. This made the overall tactics flow smoothly. After the first day of training, everyone started heading home. "Not staying late to practice today?"Skolk hugged the ball. Suke waved. "We've got a tough match coming up. Best to rest and conserve energy." "Ohhh~~"Skolk nodded and started changing. Suke had already changed and quickly slipped into the bathroom. In the bathroom, he finally had time to open his card draw system. After the match yesterday, he hadn't had a chance to draw—he was just too tired and had fallen asleep right away. Now, after the intense day of training, he finally had time. He opened the draw interface. The familiar card screen appeared. The last mystery page was still locked. Suke didn't focus on that. He prayed carefully, then hit "draw." The familiar sound of shuffling echoed in his ears. Suke closed his eyes in anticipation. As the sound stopped, he peeked through a slit in his eyes. Four faintly glowing red cards... and one yellow card? "Oh yeah!!" Suke couldn't help shouting in excitement. This startled Masovic in the next stall. Who the hell gets that hyped while taking a dump? Suke quickly covered his mouth, trying to calm down. He took a deep breath and flipped the red cards first. [Red Card – Skill Card] Lovis' Hand Form Lovis, the third-choice keeper for Fenerbahçe in Turkey, has a unique hand shape that ensures he never fumbles the ball. Useless! Suker curled his lip. The remaining three red cards held no surprises. [Red Card – Skill Card] Recovery Card ×3 Suker sighed. These recovery cards came way too often. He had 15 now—he couldn't even use them up. He focused—there was still the yellow card. Excited, he rubbed his hands together and activated it. [Yellow Card – Special Card] Posčenović's Interception A former Croatian substitute international, Posčenović had elite awareness in pressing and interception during his peak. His presence turned his team's defense into a fortress. Suke's eyes lit up. So yellow cards meant "sub-international level"?Could Kaká count too? He had been a substitute for Brazil—maybe there was a loophole? Of course, that depended on the system—no use overthinking it. He looked closely at the card. He remembered Posčenović well. In his debut for Zrinjski Mostar, they had played Željezničar Sarajevo.(Yes there is another Sarajevo team) Even at the twilight of his career, Posčenović could still singlehandedly shut down Kosović. That said everything about his peak defensive talent. This was a great card—and perfect for Suker right now. In the next match against Sarajevo, this card could make a huge difference. He licked his lips, his excitement bubbling. As he walked out of the bathroom, Masovic emerged from the next stall at the same time. Masovic glanced at Suker, his expression shifting from confusion to realization. He cleared his throat and said, meaningfully: "Suke, I know you've reached that age. If you need, I can take you to Neum Beach, but... moderation, man."