Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 111

Coach Marcel continued to discuss the line-up for a few more minutes. He showed each player's individual role in the squad before concluding a team meeting. He freed the players for their lunch break after reminding them of the next training session scheduled later tonight.

Alexsandar Mitrovic came to Nero's seat right after the meeting. "Congratulations for getting into the squad" he said, grinning.

"Thank you," Nero replied, returning his smile.

"Against Lommel SK, we'll both be in the starting eleven. I'm counting on a lot of help from you." He patted Nero's shoulder gently. He did not show the slightest serious attitude he was familiar with on the field.

"Do you want to join us in the game room while we wait for lunch?" The striker asked, still smiling at Nero.

The game room is a space close to the dressing room where the players spend time playing indoor games as a form of relaxation at rest. It is well equipped with card and board games. However, there was no entertainment to Nero's liking. He would rather spend time in the gym doing a light stretching routine than sitting for half an hour playing cards.

He decided to reject the invitation in the most polite way he could think of at that moment.

"Can I take a rain check for today?" She asked. "I still have to finish some sports work."

"Are you trying to ignore me again?" mitrovic said while raising an eyebrow. "From my understanding, your fitness training should end when you make the squad. You better come and join the cards. During a card game, you can quickly get to know your teammates better."

Nero couldn't find an answer to that. He was at a loss for words, with no way to politely decline Mitrovic's invitation.

During the previous month, he found it difficult to turn down the invitation of some of his team-mates especially when he did not have much of a reason. Fortunately, he was still able to escape before joining the squad as he underwent progressive overload training under Coach Sebastian. The training was intense and made it without energy for anything else. All his teammates knew that simple fact and did not try too hard to encourage him to join the event they claimed for the necessary team bonding. But back then, he had no reason to reject Mitrovic because he was already part of the squad.

As he racked his brain, trying to find a way to politely reject Mitrovic, Coach Marcel's voice rang out, saving him from the awkward conversation.

"Nero, follow me to my office" said the coach as he passed his seat, heading for the door. "I want to talk to you about a few things."

"Yes, coach," answered Nero obediently, feeling grateful for the timely intervention of the coach.

Without further ado, he said his regrets to Mitrovic in the most polite way he could muster before following the coach out of the tactics room. Two minutes later, he stepped into the head coach's office at Lerkendal Idresspark.

He could feel the sense of adventure entwined in his nervousness like he was gaining a definite first foothold in great rock climbing. He did not know why the coach was looking for him after the meeting. So, as he sat in the chair beside Coach Marcel's desk, he felt his heart start racing. What if the coach changes his mind again? He couldn't help but wonder. A two-month absence from the squad has reduced his confidence.

"Coach Sebastian has told me about the hard work you've done over the last two months" the coach continued with a faint smile. "I also received a report from Dr. Alexia Garcia yesterday about your fitness. So, we can safely say that we may have dealt with some of your growth spurt fears to some extent. Since you've finally made it into the squad, I'd like to know what role you want to play in this team."

Nero nodded but chose to remain silent and wait for the head coach to continue.

"Nero, let me ask you this," he continued. "Which numbers do you want to play in Anderlecht's starting line-up? Where do you feel most comfortable?"

"Central Visitor" Nero replied without further ado. "The best position for me is the attacking midfielder, right behind the attacker."

Coach Marcel nodded. He leaned his head and looked at Nero with a thoughtful expression before saying: "You have to understand that we have some talented and experienced midfielders in the squad. There's Ronald Vargas, Luka Milivojevic, Cheihkou Kouyate, Samy Bourard, Leander Dendoncker, Youri Tielemans, Dennis Praet, Sacha Kijestan, and of course, now, that's you." He registered almost all of the midfielders in the team in one breath.

"All of them are exceptional players who are able to destroy teams in the Pro Ligue with just their passing skills" the coach continued. "We also cannot forget the young midfielders who are also waiting for their chance in the reserve team. They are one of the top players of the reserve league as I speak now."

“So, as you can see, we have many midfielders. But you have to remember that for every game, I can only choose three or four midfielders for the starting eleven. That creates very tight competition for some of the places available in midfield. . All the midfielders have to fight hard through weekly training to get a place in my starting line-up."

“But if we talk about wings, there is almost no competition. Other than Massimo Bruno, we don't have a natural fast winger in the team who can double as a forward in our regular 4-3-3 formation. "

"So, I want to ask you." The coach leaned forward and locked his gaze with Nero. "Do you want to change positions and play on the wing? I was your coach for two years at the academy. I understand your ability and style of play quite well. I'm pretty sure you'll do well on the right and left wing, because you can use both feet."

"You will get plenty of playing time due to the speed and accuracy of your passing, which can result in some spectacular crosses. It was enough to help us win more games. What do you think of my proposition? Are you considering playing? on side?"

Nero remained silent for a moment, considering the matter. He understood that by the time the coach decided to ask such a question, he had already begun to consider him as a player with great potential as a winger.

If Nero accepts the coach's offer, he will play a lot of football during his debut season as there appears to be a shortage of wingers in the squad.

But he doesn't want to play on the wing. He can only show his passing skills fully in midfield. Moreover, playing on the wing has its flaws. Because wingers tend to run more with the ball, trying to beat defenders at speed or dribbling, they are quite often injured. As a result, it was an unsustainable position to play in the long run, especially for a tall player like him.

"Coach," said Nero after a brief discussion. "I want to continue playing as a central midfielder. I can play better there than I have ever done on the wing. So, I ask you to give me some chances in the middle of the pitch. I'm not going to disappoint you." He added, his voice unshakable