Not Starting?
Michael nodded his head in approval when he heard how Jurg handled his training. Through the use of a punishment that all sane footballers dreaded, he was stimulating his players to perform to the best of their abilities. Furthermore, as for the defenders against forwards, it was simply genius!
He was making his forwards play against his defenders hence he could simultaneously identify, analyze and rectify any weakness that either group of players had. It was simply genius.
How come I hadn't thought of that?
Michael combed through his hair with his hand while watching the group of players training. He looked at the midfielders and smiled. They were better than what he would've expected from a bunch of teenagers.
They weren't as erratic or selfish as he assumed most youngsters were. They were calm and coordinated even when they were under pressure. He looked at David who just passed the ball away and furrowed his brows.
They're lairs, the lot of them. There's no way that they're all as young as they claimed to be. Michael thought to himself.
He looked at Jurg again. In the end, everything was credited to the management methods of the manager and his brilliant scouting.
"The board really knew what they were doing when they gave him such a fat budget" Michael muttered to himself.
Very soon the training session was over. The forwards and some midfielders had to back and forth from one penalty area to another. Omari didn't mind it though. He felt that it was key for him to improve his stamina.
After the short training session, Jurg called them over and revised some tactics with them. They were going to start in a 4-3-3 formation and as he had mentioned before, change into a 5-3-2 formation when they weren't on the ball to nullify Sunderland's central style of play.
Another reason why it was extremely advantageous to play with a 5-3-2 formation was the fact that even if Sunderland decided to surprise the team by reverting from their former tactics and playing from the width or having a balanced system of play, with three center backs waiting behind, the full backs had the freedom to move out and take on the wingers of the opposing team. It also allowed them to be involved in attacking play as they had the freedom to play high up the field.
Basically, it meant that the full backs had a lot of work to do. It was down to how much they were willing to run around the pitch, or more accurately, how much they could run around the pitch.
Michael nodded his head when he heard Jurg repeat his tactics. He began to wonder whether he had premeditated the pros and the cons of the tactics he was using before using them. Then again, he would've had to, unless he wouldn't using it.
"Alright, that's all for now" Jurg said after talking about the tactics. "I'll be emailing details about the starting lineups and how each of you are to move off the ball. And to prevent phone calls coming in at ungodly hours of the night, you're nor starting Omari"
Omari tried to act surprised at that piece of information. In the end he let out a small sigh and shrugged.
"Don't worry, you're not paying for your old man's sins. You're not starting because I still don't think you're sharp enough to jump right back in to the crux of the action" Jurg said. "Don't worry though, if your teammates play shit, which they usually do, you might get to play"
Omari nodded. He didn't bother trying to argue. He wanted to look as respectful as possible in front of Michael. Even if he didn't play the match, Omari reckoned that he played well enough for Michael to consider bringing him into the first team.
After the training session, all the players dispersed from the pitch until it was remaining just Michael and Jurg.
"Now that the rest of them are gone, you can tell me the real reason why you decided to bench Omari" Michael said.
Jurg shrugged. "It's as I told him"
Michael nearly burst into laughter when he heard Jurg's response. "You might be able to fool them with that crap, but you can't fool me. Match sharpness? You and I know that Omari was arguably the best player in training today, and yesterday. So tell me the real reason why you benched him"
Jurg smiled. "It would've disappointed me if you were actually fooled" He said. "But then again, I have my reasons"
"Care to share?" Michael asked as if he didn't already demand that Jurg tell him the reason he benched Omari.
"Have you ever heard the saying that a flicker of light resembles a blinding ray when it appears in the darkest of places?" Jurg asked.
"No" Micheal furrows his brows. "Who said it?"
"Jurgenson Alvers" Jurg said. Michael looked as if he wanted to say something but Jurg didn't let him. As soon as he said the name, he turned his back on Michael and started walking away.
…
Omari was inside his bathtub. He had soaked himself in cold water, his usual post training ritual and started to think of all that had happened that day.
To be precise, he was thinking of what happened with Amber. She needed him, and he left her. He could see the disappointment, the sadness in her eyes, and yet he walked away.
He regretted his decision, or did he? He knew fully well that if he was confronted with having to make the same decision then he would do so, so he couldn't have regretted his decision.
Would she still come to watch his match tomorrow? If she didn't, he wouldn't blame her. She was right to be angry at him, he was angry at himself.
But then again, why was he angry at himself? All he did was follow his dreams, all he did was prioritize football, so why should he be angry at himself? Football came first, no matter who or what was at stake!
A/N:
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Book getting contracted = 2 extra chapters and an update rate of two chapters a day for the next two weeks.