Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 115's

Upon reaching the dressing room, Nero quickly dried his face with a towel and then replaced the heating gear. He ignored the surrounding chatter and carefully picked up the clothes hanger with his t-shirt from the nearby wall hooks.

A smile adorned his face, softening his face as he lifted his Anderlecht White Purple Jersey in front of him for the first time before the match. He was very happy because he almost fulfilled his previous life dream. In just a few minutes, he will play his debut match as a professional in Europe. Everything seems so unreal.

Just a few months before, he had to fold his jersey properly and put it in his backpack before heading to the match venue. But since he was already a professional, in a contract with RSC Anderlecht, he was finally able to enjoy the sense of finding his jersey already set up in the dressing room. Moreover, even if he needed new shoes for the match, the club would prepare him. Being a professional has its advantages.

Regardless of the coach and teammate in the dressing room, he held the jersey in front of him and looked at it for a while. It was a typical Purple trefoil T-shirt with white striped REMA 1000 on its front.

Nero decided that it was not the best design because his name was displayed in lowercase under the top 30 number on the back of the jersey.

But he had no right to complain about the fashion of the club. That is the job of the club's marketing and public relations staff. So, she quickly put on her t-shirt and nodded to herself after realizing that it was the perfect size for her not to be too big and not tight in just any place. It seems that the club's fashion handlers have done their job well. He's satisfied.

"Hurry up and finish," Nero heard Bersch Hill, the assistant head coach, shouting after a few minutes. "Tactical pre-match briefing will begin in two minutes Get ready."

Nero looked up and noticed that Coach Marcel had already started writing up the formation on the tactical board in front of the dressing room. So, without further ado, he quickly tightened his ankle protection and put on socks before putting on his black football boots.

He was finally able to relax and unwind as he was fully prepared to start the game. He knows he is in good shape. He can feel straight to his bones that he has more than needed to play well in his debut game. So, he leaned on the bench and started to breathe water while waiting for the coach's pre-match tactical briefing.

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After sketching the starting formation on the tactics board, Coach Marcel took a moment to observe his players. Most of them had already finished wearing their away clothes and were just waiting for his briefing to begin. They all had a confident atmosphere about them and looked quite excited to start the match.

Coach Marcel nodded in agreement, a gentle smile adorning his face. He is happy with the high energy level his players are projecting. For the second round match of the Belgian Football Cup, he mainly chose the line-up of the second player. He intends to rest the starting eleven for the match against Cercle Brugge KSV the following weekend. Cercle Brugge KSV has been performing well since the new Pro Ligue season began. Under their new manager, former coach Anderlecht, they played good football in the first six games and as a result, they are even in the top four of the table.

So, Coach Marcel cannot take the next Pro Ligue game lightly. He doesn't want to risk losing a third time in a row in the league. He easily replaced all his starting midfielders against Lommel SK, a second division team.

But he wasn't worried one bit. The young players he picked were all in top shape and with a fairly high match-condition index based on their performance during training. If they managed to maintain their composure, they would crush the second division team with little effort.

Coach Marcel looked at his watch and noted that there wasn't much time left before kick off. "Okay, guys," he yelled as he clapped. "Awas. Let's discuss the main points of our game plan once again before we go to the field."

The players in the dressing room immediately fell silent and focused only on him. He nodded before saying: "Today, we played against Lommel SK in the second round of the Belgian Football Cup. We are a stronger team a team with a rich history in Belgian Football. We cannot lose a second to a division team in the second round of the Belgian Cup. So, my instruction is to play with confidence and play as a team. As long as we do those two things right, we will win this game, hands down. Are we clear? "

"Yes, coach," the players replied, more or less in unison.

"I discussed the game plan last night so I won't go into it any further" said the coach, stroking his chin.

"But remember: we play with a 4-3-3 attacking formation." He pointed to the tactics board. "We have to be very agile, especially in midfield."

"Leander, Nero, and Youri" he said, his gaze fixed on the three players. "I expect assertiveness and quick thinking in the middle of the group. I need a quick transition from defending to attacking. You have to work together and protect each other to achieve such efficiency. Play intelligently, release the ball accurately, and set forward quickly. That way, we'll destroy Strindheim easily. Are you with me, Nero, Leander, and Youri?"

"Yes, coach," replied the three players with passion.

Coach Marcel nodded, half smiling.

"For the attacker," he continued, waving casually at the tactics board. “As I mentioned during yesterday's practice, both wings have to keep backing away to help the defender defend. You can't just relax when we don't have the ball. I don't want to see what happened in the previous game repeating itself in this game. Play like a professional, not like a bunch of kids out for fun."

"Matias, Nathan , and Alex ," he said, sweeping his gaze to Anderlecht's three attackers for the match. "Do you agree with me?"

"Yes, coach," answered the three.

"If the Lommel players decide to hold possession of the ball in their half of the field, you three attackers must press them as quickly as possible. Press their defenders with a high-pressure zone around here." He paused briefly, knocking rhythmically on the attacking positions of the three strikers on the tactical board. "Forced them to lose the ball. That way, we can always reclaim possession quickly and restart our attack."

"Yes, coach."

“The rest is up to you as a player,” he said, half-smiling.

"Is there a question?" The coach asked, sweeping a glance into the dressing room. "Nero, Leander, Youri, any questions?" He picked some of his players to see the whole squad remain silent.

"No, coach, no, coach ..." The three selected players responded with negative responses.

"OK, then," said Coach Marcel, the corner of his mouth turned into a smile. "Let's go out and win the game. We aim to be champions. We won't stop at this Belgian Cup round."

"ANDERLECHT, VICTORY, ANDERLECHT, VICTORY THE PURPLE AND WHITE..."

The players began chanting their routine winning slogan in the dressing room after Coach Marcel completed his pre-match briefing. He noted that most of the starting eleven and substitutes were singing in an excited voice, clearly excited about the game about to begin. He was not surprised because that is how Anderlecht players always improve their morale before every game they play.

But what bothered him a little was that Nero did not take part in the victory chant to improve himself. Instead, he remained seated at the side with his eyes closed. Coach Johansen could not help but wonder if the boy was praying or if the pressure from his debut match had caught up with him.

He had observed that the boy was in a calm mood different from his at the academy during the previous month. Even though he was a sports junkie at the academy, he still tried to interact with some of his teammates before every game. He even had three close friends in the academy team.

‘Is it because he was not in the starting line-up for two months?’ The coach wondered, still observing Nero. But he didn't want to interfere with a different matter when kick-off was just a few minutes away. So, he made a mental note to have a light chat with her after the match. He doesn't want any unstable factor in the squad.

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Simultaneously in the Lommel SK dressing room

Finn Morten Moe, head coach, gave the closing remarks of his pre-match briefing. He repeated his tactical analysis of Anderlecht, albeit a summary version, for the umpteenth time that day.

"We have the advantage because they only bring down their young players in midfield" said the coach in a serious tone. "I've even heard that one of their central midfielders is an 18-year-old freshman graduate from the academy. He hasn't even played a single game for Anderlecht. That means they take us lightly." He smiled, folding his hands in front of his chest.

"But we can use it against them" he said after a while.

"So, Sam, Lucas and Ken, I want you to give hell to their midfielders" he said. All three are central midfielders in his 4-3-3 starting line-up. "I want you to chase those young players whenever they have the ball. Pay special attention to the 18-year-old, showing him the difference between the academy and the professional stage. If we can do it, we will definitely create some good chances in the first half. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied in unison.

Finishing the tactical attack of the opponent's weakness, the coach glanced at all his players. He noticed that they were very confident and stable at least from their body language. A look of excitement was seen on their faces.

The coach nodded in satisfaction before continuing. "I know that Anderlecht are a strong team. They are playing a stable game and will be the toughest opponent we have faced so far this season. But believe in yourself. Believe that you can score goals and win games."

"But most importantly, give your best while enjoying football" he added, smiling gently at some of his players. “Give the best you have. That means trying one hundred and twenty percent. Remember the hard work you put in during the offseason. Don't leave regrets on the field. That's all I'm asking. Okay?"

"Yes, coach," replied the players with the chorus, their voices full of energy.

"Well then, let's go out and make history" said the coach, clenching his fists into the air. "Lommels!" He shouted after a while.

"LOMMELS, LOMMELS, VICTORY..." The players shouted loudly together in the crowd and ran out of the dressing room. They were eager to start the game and give hell to The Purple and White.

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