Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 108's

Nero managed to complete a set of fifty Classic Knee Tuck reps when it was forty minutes to eleven. It's almost time for a video review meeting of the match with coach Marcel and the rest of Anderlecht's team to begin.

He quickly thanked Coach Sebastian and said goodbye before rushing out of the gym like the wind. He ran along the corridor, ran past several Anderlecht employees who were cleaning or moving equipment, and finally arrived at one of the bathroom areas.

Without wasting any time, she undressed and immediately went into the bathroom. His actions were hasty as he had no intention of being late for the team meeting scheduled to start at 11:00. He only had thirty-five minutes to get ready. He stood under the shower, letting the hot water wash away all the sweat accumulated on his body from the two-hour workout.

When he finished cleaning, he observed himself in the mirror as he dried it with a towel.

A face with sculpted jaws and protruding angular cheekbones stared back at him. It had deep brown eyes, just below its protruding forehead, which matched its overgrown black hair. Beneath the face is a chest and a pair of shoulders, built like a tank, making the mirror image even more impressive.

Nero smiled, feeling pleased with his reflection. After working hard every day for the past year, he has developed lean muscle that matches his height. His body does not look disproportionate or too fat despite his height of 190 cm. He's not like Peter Crouch, but more like Cristiano Ronaldo's body type. That, coupled with the color of the mature brown skin, made it look like a steel muscle.

Nero sang Garuda Pancasila as he was very careful to remove the moisture of his hair with a hand-held dryer. He let it grow over the past year just with the desire to change his image. It had grown long enough for him to easily tie into the bun on the back of his head. Although it is difficult to clean the hair that grows too much, it is worth the effort because it makes it look more dignified and different from his previous life. NEro likes that.

After she finished drying and combing her hair, she put on her purple-white Anderlecht gym clothes in the dressing room before rushing to the canteen for a quick meal. Although it was almost too late, he still had to replenish his energy reserves after two hours of intensive training that morning. So, he quickly devoured an omelet with an avocado spread on toast and drank the juice in the canteen while keeping an eye on his watch.

After finishing her meal, she felt refreshed and full of energy once again. He rushed into the tactics room without further ado. He was one of the last players to arrive for the meeting. Most of the other first-team players such as Silvio Proto, goalkeeper, captain Olivier Deschacht, Bram Nuytinck, assistant captain, and Alexsandar Mitrovic are already sitting in the room. But the good news is that Coach Marcel and his assistants haven't arrived yet Nero breathed in and quietly slipped into the room without drawing attention.

Nero found himself sitting in the very back seat and started eavesdropping on the conversation around him.

"Most refereeing decisions don't make sense" said Ronald Vargas, a central midfielder, from one of the seats in the middle of the room. "I can understand Olivier's red card because it was a last-person professional foul. But, the second yellow card from Alex, it doesn't make sense."

Nero's ears lifted, wanting to hear more about the midfielder's views on the Pro Ligue game the previous day. He has been watching matches from the stands since he was not in the squad. It was one of the distractions of the season.

Anderlecht lost to KV Machelen 1-2 at home with the entire first-team squad present. Moreover, it was their second miserable appearance in a row. Prior to that match, Anderlecht had drawn 1:1 against KAS Eupen at home. Later, The White and Purple lost 3:1 against Standard Liege in an away game. Anderlecht's situation is not so good with three wins, one draw and two defeats as a result for the new season. The fans were not happy one bit. They use social media to express their dissatisfaction about the state of the club and, of course, poor management.

“But we still performed poorly during the game,” Bram, veteran defender, added. “Olivier's red card came in the 66th minute. We didn't score at the time. We don't blame anyone but ourselves for losing that game."

"Right," said Alex Mitrovic. "During that game, I didn't know what happened to me. I couldn't beat the goalkeeper even when I had clear chances in the 30th minute."

"Don't get hung up on the past" Bram said, patting the striker on the back. "You try your best in the game, but luck is not on our side. We'll win next time."

Nero continued to listen to the discussion quietly until the coaches arrived. The video review meeting of the match began then.

"Good morning to all of you" said Coach Marcel after putting his map on the table in front of the room. Meanwhile, Bersch Hill, an assistant coach, began preparing video equipment.

"Are you all well rested?" The coach smiled, starting to walk around the room slowly.

"Yes, coach," the players replied, many of them grinning.

"Oh, that's great" praised the coach. "I hope you all make a post-match recovery. You should all be ready for the game against Oostende." He added, keep moving around the room.

"Massimo, how's the family?"

"They're fine. How are you?"

"They're fine."

"...Mike, have you adapted so well?"

"...Fab, how's that leg? Did you put ice on it?

"...The wound..."

Coach Marcel didn't start the meeting as he always did in the academy. Instead, he first went around the room to make small talk and, occasionally, saluted the players while waiting for the assistant coach to finish connecting the video equipment. The coach was very careful to ask about the affairs of all the players. Sometimes, it's about family, other times an injury, or even a boyfriend. And finally, he reached the back of the room where Nero was sitting.

"Nero," said the coach, punching him. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, and you?" Nero answered calmly.

"I'm fine, too, but fine," replied the coach, leaning his head and observing Nero with a thoughtful expression. "Are you ready for action on Wednesday?" He asked after a while.

"Of course, I'm ready." Nero smiled slightly. "I've always been ready since I graduated from the academy. I just need a chance to show my skills." He said with

"That's good to hear" said Coach Marcel, half-smiling. "I'll give you a chance at Wednesday's game. I hope you use it well."

"Thank you, coach," Nero replied, finally feeling his mood become brighter. He doesn't mind if Coach Marcel just uses him to pressure the players to work harder. Nothing else matters as long as he gets the chance to play professional football.