Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 69's

In terms of technique, Coach Marcel watched his players face Zenit St Petersburg in the quarter-finals. The match turned out to be as difficult as he had expected.

The Zenit players, with their white shirts, have the most compact defence in the tournament. They play in a 4-4-2 formation, with defenders often passing the air ball to the striker, past midfield.

Coach Marcel kept a close eye on his squad, in a blue T-shirt. He is looking for the occasional sign of satisfaction characteristic of inexperienced players.

A team is like a machine, with some moving parts. The players should serve as a collective unit. They should complement each other's abilities in the best way they can. A lack of focus on just a few players can drastically disrupt team performance. Coach Marcel can't let that happen. Not in a quarter-final match where defeat would lead to elimination from the tournament.

So, he watched the players, like an eagle eyeing its prey.

Nero was in perfect condition and well positioned as usual, often running into empty space to receive a pass from his team-mates. Isaac also worked hard, tackling most of the long-range balls that threatened to find their way to the two Zenit strikers. Damon is even more focused, keeping an eye on all the threats to his goal.

Overall, the players are very attentive to the ball and focused on the game. They showed no sign of the satisfaction they showed in the second half of the group stage match against Riga.

He's satisfied.

It seems that his gamble to expose his young players to a hard blow against AC Milan has paid off. He left Nero and Bjorn on the bench for that game, to humble his team and take them off their high horse.

He had seen ferocious complacency develop in the team after they defeated Lechia Gedanks by a score of 6:0. At that point, he decided to extinguish it before it took root in his team and ended his small chance of fighting for the Riga Cup.

The best way to teach his players a lesson is to use their opponents against them. Although he grimaced at every goal AC Milan scored in that match, his players have received timely warnings. They played much better against Zenit despite their lack of experience.

"That airball will be our death" Coach Sebastian, his assistant, observed from the side. “See how our centre-back struggles to keep Zenit's two high strikers. They are under great pressure.”

Coach Marcel nodded without taking his eyes off the field. Van Rochefort, one of Anderlecht's youth academy centre-backs, had just made a long pass towards the halfway line. Konstantin Troyanov, Zenit's defensive midfielder, pounced on the ball and made his first clearance without trying to control it. He blew it up into the air, towards the roof of Skonto Indoor Stadium.

Coach Marcel sighed at the spectacle. The Russian team has been playing aggressively throughout the game, even getting a wave of boos from the fans present. Zenit players will not let the ball fall to the ground, even for a minute. The game has been turned into a clearance-by-clearance display by defenders and midfielders from both sides.

Airballs are Zenit's only tactic.

Even when they decided to attack, they still relied heavily on long-range aerial bombardment. Zenit used that tactic, repeatedly sending long passes—seeking forward passes to opportunistic attackers. They seemed to be waiting for luck, bounce or knock-down, close to the goal.

Such lures have extinguished the beautiful and intricate style of passing play and coordinated counter-attacks that have become the hallmark of matches in the Riga Cup. The fans booed the Zenit players for every long clearance they made.

Coach Marcel was concerned about the development of the game. If the players still cannot let the ball calm down and play with a grounded pass, they will most likely lose against Zenit.

"Nero" he shouted to his captain who had moved closer to the technical area to survive the throw-in. "Retreat a little bit to the defensive midfield. Play level with Isaac so you can create a defensive midfield 'Two-Man'. When you win the ball, try to keep it on the ground for as long as possible."

Coach Marcel relaxed as soon as he saw Nero brandishing his thumbs up to show he had received the message. There will be gaps left in the attacking midfield, but he believes Nero can do something to hamper Zenit's long-ball strategy. He is the player most likely to achieve achievements across the team.

*PRITTTT*

Coach Marcel stopped his muse when the referee blew the whistle for Zenit's corner kick.

"Zenit won a lot of corner kicks" he commented as he looked at Zenit's right wing towards the corner flag.

Coach Sebastian sighed. "They were very good at corner kicks. That's how they managed to hold a tough team draw like Atletico Madrid in their group. They usually first frustrate the team with long balls and finish them off with corner kicks when they get the chance."

Coach Marcel nodded in agreement. He had already read the report on Zenit's tactical strategy. "Yes, they're fine" he said. "But we were lucky to have Nero. He has handled most of the corner balls. I guess I owe him a clean sheet, so far."

As if to prove his point, the Zenit winger raised one of his hands and inserted a corner kick ball into the RSCA Youth Academy box. Nero reads the ball well. He jumped one of the Zenit attackers and headed the ball out of the box to safety.

"The vision of the game is astounding" commented Coach Sebastian after the RSCA Youth Academy players avoided the threat. "It looks like he can predict the trajectory of the ball even before it gets kicked."

*PRITTT*

The referee blew the whistle down while the score was still 0-0. Coach Marcel followed the players into the dressing room and gave them a bit of motivation. He did not change his tactics.

However, he advised his players to try their best to stay focused for the rest of the game. He instructs them on how they can disrupt Zenit's long-ball strategy by using grounded short passes or counter-attacks. He gave special instructions to Nero as they walked back onto the field.

“We only need to score one goal, and we will have all the advantages,” he told Nero. "If we score, they will be forced to abandon the long ball strategy to put pressure on us. Once that happens, they will play right in our hands. So, try your best to score."

Nero nodded without answering verbally before running into the field. Coach Marcel returned to the bench to watch the second half. He felt a little nervous when he saw his players take their positions. He can't afford to lose. Not in the quarter-finals.

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