26
When he got up and was about to leave, Ravier paid for the meal and tipped, and said to Stanley.
"The next time we eat, you will pay".
Stanley laughs stupidly. We could see that he was happy today.
Leaving the restaurant, Ravier thought of something and asked Stanley.
"How much Monaco will pay you?"
Stanley looked surprised and asked.
"How do you know they're still going to pay me?"
Ravier said quite naturally.
"Isn't that how you behave? I have more or less some concepts of the work of an agent".
Stanley burst out laughing.
"It looks like you worked hard to get to know me for the duration of my stay with you, not much, 200,000 euros".
Ravier shrugged, not really unhappy for his friend. This result exceeded his expectations. Having an agent really gives him peace of mind.
******************************
Amsterdam.
The third largest city in Europe.Classic and avant-garde mix, and the capital is very prosperous.
Ravier didn't have much time to continue celebrating since the championship wasn't over yet.
The next game was against Roosendaal.
Walking down the bag with his travel bag and breathing the pleasant air, Ravier put together the baseball cap on his head. It was given to him by Yolanda. The pre-match training was over and AFC Ajax and the team was preparing to play the game.
Even at the press conference before the game, the two teams of Managers had a did not create any hot topics. In calm preparations and expectations, AFC Ajax meet with Roosendaal. Koeman once again emphasized the game mentality in the locker room before the game. He didn't want the team to play the same way, like the match against Feyenoord.
In this context, the player is more required to remain calm and steady.
"AFC Ajax sits at home, the probability of winning is significantly higher than the opponent"
"Let's take a look at today's two-shot starting lineup.
Roosendaal
Goalkeeper: Aaerts
Defender: Danny, Robert, Oliseh, Tinniho, Eric, Castellano.
Midfielder: De Graaf, Sidney.
Striker: Samy, Ikedia.
AFC Ajax has a starter change with the previous game, but the formation has not changed, or 433.
Goalkeeper: Ravier.
Defender: Grygera, Heitinga, Escudé, Maxwell.
Midfielder: De Jong, Pienaar, Van Der Vaart.
Striker: Sikora, Anastasiou, De Ridder.
"Ok, the game starts right away, let's wait and see, after 90 minutes, which team will win!"
Koeman, who stood on the sidelines, saw the starting lineup of Roosendaal and thought about it. They just wants to defend, and contre-attack if they find an opportunity. But compared to the previous start, AFC Ajax today uses an adjusted lineup for this game.
This obviously does not seem to be a strong attack. Koeman is a bit confused. However, he put aside his concerns and restored his confidence. He firmly believes that AFC Ajax will take the initiative to attack for the goal. As long as it is attacked, and the opponent counter-attack he have plenty confidence into the defense. He is full of confidence in the defense especially in the goalkeeper. So far he hasn't let him down. From the opening, AFC Ajax played extremely conservative and steady.
As Koeman predicted, Roosendaal's side opted to counterattack each time Ajax lost the ball but with the solid presence of the defense and Ravier the excellent goalkeeper, there weren't many scoring chances. The game continue, and another action by the opposing team. Until the end of the first period, neither team had scored.
After a few minutes, the two teams returned to the field to continue the match.
The winger Samy had just picked up another pass and begun dribbling into Ajax's half. He crossed the ball into the box from the side of the pitch, close to the touchline. Luckily, Pienaar, one of the midfielders of Ajax, jumped high and blocked his cross. The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the corner flag.
Gameplay resumed with Roosendaal's throw to the right-wing. Some time later, Koeman took advantage of a touch to pass some instructions to Pienaar
"I need you to do another thing for me. Just shut down that winger."
He said, pointing towards Samy.
"As we did in training, Sneijder will remain the defensive midfielder, while Van Der Vaart will move a little bit forward and serve the strikers. You'll have free rein along the entire center-line to get a better handle on him."
Samy received the ball and played a one-two with Sidney. They advanced towards Ajax goal, weaving their way past Ikedia, the left-winger, and were soon inside Ajax's half. Their short passes were neat and accurate, allowing them to advance towards Ajax goal, unhampered. If the status-quo didn't change, with a gameplay like that soon Ajax would be in trouble.
However, the player had no intention of allowing them to do as they pleased. Pienaar ran towards the wing while concentrating on Samy's sprinting figure. The winger had just received the ball and was dashing past Maxwell, Ajax's left-back, with a flair of sidesteps.
Pienaar didn't need to deliberate for long about which route to defend. He had observed Samy's plays and was sure that he would decide to cut inside. So, Pienaar resolved to take him out without any delay. He just was gauging the timing of his tackle. He increased his pace and caught up to the right-winger before sliding in and thrusting his right leg to meet the ball at the winger's feet and shove it away from the attacker. The very smooth grass of the pitch made his tackling easier as he sent Samy tumbling to the ground.
As the game progressed, it became apparent that Samy was losing his influence in the game. His every run into Ajax's half was interrupted by Pienaar.
Pienaar didn't just mark the winger tightly and shadow his every move. He would move quickly into position when Ajax lost the ball too. When the winger ran ahead of him, he would use a sliding tackle to sweep away the ball.
His free reign in the midfield allowed him to help both wings when the opponent were attacking. For some time, the game reverted to a stalemate in the midfield after he stopped the runs of the agile winger.
Ajax played well with their wingers moving forward and flanking Anastasiou, the formerly lone central striker. The two wingers were using their speed on the wings before cutting in towards the goal. They managed to threaten the Roosendaal goal several times but were unable to score.
As the match progressed, a chant grew from the stands behind Ajax's goalposts until it was a full-blown war song intended to fuel the performance of the Ajax players. The fans sang as they jumped and danced to the rhythm defined by the clapping of their hands.
The Roosendaal goalkeeper kicked the ball high and sent it deep into Ajax's half. One of the center-backs of Ajax headed it back high into the midfield towards Sneijder's position.
He was the only one with any space to receive the ball since the Roosendaal player were marking all the other midfielders tightly.
Sneijder shot forward and leaped up towards the incoming ball. He controlled it with his chest as he took off towards the other half of the pitch.
He'd just take noticed of a safe route to run with the ball. So, he was determined to exploit the gap left by the opponent players in between the midfield.
Sweat poured down his face as his feet flew across the green field towards the box of the Roosendaal team.
Two defenders of the Roosendaal team sprang in front of him. Sneijder slowed down his pace a little before faking to the left but then accelerating and moving to the right with the ball remaining close to his feet. His dribbling was not anything fancy, just an occasional change of pace in his long strides allowing him to weave past the defenders. He simply slowed down, getting the defenders to relax a second, then took off again like the wind.
He managed to wriggle past the two defenders and continue towards the goal, shrugging off one chasing player before getting past two incoming sliding tackle.
Just like that, he unexpectedly found himself stepping into the 18-yard box with only one defender between him and the goalkeeper. A deft touch took him around the defender before he fired the ball in from an acute angle. He had nothing else in his vision but the goal.