Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

The Chapter 120

Nero followed his other team-mates into the dressing room when the referee blew the whistle for the break. He can still feel the excitement of competing with pro players in a match even after leaving the field.

"Good, Nero," said Coach Marcel, patting his back as they walked through the corridor back to the visitors' dressing room. "Keep doing what you've done during the second half, and you'll be fine." He smiled, matching his steps.

"Thank you, coach," Nero replied with a light smile. He continued to follow his teammates while chugging at the water. He intended to use every minute and a half time to regain his stamina.

When he entered the dressing room, some of his team-mates, such as Bram Nuytinck, stood up and said a few words of congratulations on his outstanding performance. The others gave him a light pat on his back as he walked to the seat.

They look very sincere and make him feel more at home. The atmosphere in the dressing room is very light. The players chatted like they were taking a break from a daily training session rather than the second round of the Belgian Football Cup. They joked amongst themselves and laughed at some awkward moments in the first half.

Nero's 'excited' celebration was also a topic of discussion and many jokes. His teammates imitated the celebration amid waves of laughter in the dressing room. To avoid trouble, Nero had to pretend to hear nothing and busied himself by sipping the water.

"Okay, guys," said Coach Marcel, his gaze sweeping across the dressing room. "Let's focus and discuss the main points of our game plan in the second half. Please sit down."

When all the players took their seats, Coach Marcel started to give his spirit part-time. He made no meaningful changes in tactics or overall game plan for the second half. He just insisted that the players stay focused and make sure they don't concede throughout the rest of the game.

In addition, he explained what he needed from every field player, especially the defenders and midfielders, before sending them back on the pitch for the second half.

**** ****

The atmosphere in the home team's dressing room is completely different from Anderlecht's. All the players and coaching staff of Lommel SK looked at them sadly.

Some frowned, others smiled sadly, while others held their heads between their hands like they were experiencing a personal tragedy. They seemed to give up on the game after conceding three goals against Anderlecht in the first half.

Coach Finn Morten Moe frowned a little at the condition of his players. "OK, guys," he said, started moving around the dressing room. "Let's forget the first half."

"Let's start the second half like we 'new' started the game from the start. Forget that we're 3:0 down. Let's start again and play our best for the rest of the game. Are you with me, guys? " He screamed at the top of his voice.

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

The coach nodded as he watched some of his players regain their strength. “We will continue to play a 4-5-1 formation for the second half. The five midfielders must try their best level to close all the spaces in midfield. They also need to help in surviving. We didn't want to concede another goal. That's our first goal."

"Let's start the second half by removing midfielder Anderlecht from the equation. I agree that they are talented players. However, they still lack the necessary experience to adapt to changing game situations quickly. So, use your brain to keep them on their toes. Vary your playing style from one moment to the next. When they expect a short pass, play high. When they think we're going through the middle, play through the wings."

“Thomas, Ken, and Lucas" continued the coach, leaving his sights for a moment on the three players. "You are our midfielder. Your job is to stop their midfielders from playing freely and limit their influence on the game. But you haven't fulfilled your role so far. In the second half, try to play like a man. Rude a little bit with those youngsters in midfield and don't give them an inch of space."

"Thomas, watch that tall Asian. You let him play at his own pace in the first half. It can't happen again in the second half. Make sure you keep it tight. Make him upset if you want to. But you can't let him control the midfield. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach," Thomas replied solemnly.

"Okay, guys," said Coach Finn Morten Moe with a small smile. "Let's go out there and play as well as possible. Do not leave regrets on the field. Are you with me?"

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

**** ****

When the second half began, Nero immediately saw that Lommel SK had tightened their midfield. The Lommel SK players are still arranged in a 4-5-1 formation. However, they were more compact and more aggressive than in the first half. They will run towards any player who will receive the ball, without giving them the opportunity to control it without pressure. They react like hungry scavengers that catch the smell of food for the first time in weeks. They were able to stop Anderlecht's dominance in the middle of the field at the beginning of the round.

He remained as stable as he was in the first half, except not playing the ball forward as often as he wanted. Lommel's second-half defensive form limited his options to a greater degree. All of Anderlecht's attackers are taped tightly to Lommel's defenders every minute. Alex Mitrovic is very difficult to deal with two centre-backs who shadow him like a bodyguard wherever he goes on the pitch. Nero could not release the pass that split the defense to him.

He and the other Anderlecht midfielders hardly had any difficulty because they had to deal with five Lommel players in the middle of the field. The only players who had room to play the ball at their own pace without pressure were the defenders as Strindheim only used one striker in the second half.

So, Nero returned to defensive midfield in the 60th minute, forming a line-up with Leander just ahead of Anderlecht's defence. He then began to play short and precise passes with Leander and the defenders at the back, allowing Anderlecht the ball.

However, it did not last long. In the 70th minute, the Lommel SK players changed their form again, letting their two midfielders move forward and putting more pressure on Anderlecht. Thomas Jutte, Lommel SK's attacking midfielder, specifically targeted Nero even when he was not in possession of the ball. The midfielder followed him around the pitch, sometimes breaking him and pulling his shirt to disrupt his control of the midfield.

Nero was a little annoyed by his antics, especially when the referee failed to mention his fouls. However, he remained calm and focused on his game.

He was surprised to learn that it was not too difficult to control his emotions while on the pitch. All he has to do is remember when he scores so that all the negativity disappears from his mind. Although the game became more difficult for Anderlecht, he continued to enjoy his football.

**** ****

Sage frowned slightly after glancing at his watch. It was already the eightieth minute, but Anderlecht had yet to score again. During the first half, he thought his team would continue to bag at least six goals by the end of the game. However, Lommel SK came out of the dressing room harder than in the first half.

From the break, they played defensive football such as isolating attackers and limiting the mobility of Anderlecht's midfield. They managed to hold Anderlecht and avoid conceding one more goal.

"Geez," Sage heard Anne Rimmen, the commentator, yell. "This is another tackle on Nero Juniar close to the centre of the pitch. I guess this is it. The referee finally showed Thomas Jutten a yellow card, Lommel SK number 8. Moss, what do you think of the Lommel breach? committed player?"

"Well," said Mr. Aad de Moss, another commentator and live expert for the game. "I wouldn't blame Lommel for committing some fouls here and there in midfield. They only did their best to stop Anderlecht from dominating the game and scoring another goal. If they weren't strong and played a man's game in the second half, they should've conceded three more goals."

"Don't you feel they specifically targeted Nero Juniar with their offense?" Anne Rimmen asked.

"It seems so, '" replied Mr. The Aad de Moss. "He was the best performing player in midfield during the first half. He was involved in all three of Anderlecht's goals. If I was the coach of the opposing team, I would also chase him to mess up his game. So, we can't blame Lommel for babysitting Nero a few times. You can say that they are not doing anything evil but are just trying to limit their time to mastering the ball."

"Well, what do you think coach Anderlecht should do in such a situation?"

"If I were Anderlecht's coach" said Mr. Aad de Moss, "My priority is to protect Nero at all costs. We have all seen that he is quite a talented player. You don't want to lose such an asset in his debut game because of some injuries. Because there are less than eight minutes left, I think there will be a change of players soon. And Nero will probably be the player who leaves the field."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Moss," said Anne Rimmen. "Let's get back to the game, which has just restarted after the foul on Nero Juniar. As predicted by Mr. Moss, Ronald Vargas, an Anderlecht midfielder who often starts, has started warming up along the sidelines. Maybe, we'll see. Nero, a young but talented central midfielder, came off the pitch in the next few minutes."

Sage sighed and returned his attention to the field.

**** ****

On the pitch, Nero saw Ronald Vargas start warming up. At the time, he knew that the coach would take him off the pitch in a few minutes.

However, he remained calm and composed and continued to play at his own pace. He understands that coaches hate agitated players who try risky games at the end of a game.

Anderlecht have won the game, and that's all that matters. Nero could sense that his team-mates were only setting up games to prevent Lommel from scoring. There was no reason for him to be so fixated on the completion of the entire duration of the match as he had already earned his performance bonus for the day.

What's more, he already knew that he would put in a good performance for the game because he was involved in all three of Anderlecht's goals. That seems like enough to put him in the squad for the next game. As long as he continues to get playing time, he is confident he will be able to seal a place in the starting line-up. So, he continued to play quietly until the referee blew the whistle, calling for his replacement.