THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
First Official Training as a Pro III

There were a total of twenty-eight Rosenborg players attending training that day. They cannot all play at once in one 11-vs-11 game session. So, the assistant coach left six of them, including Zachary, on the bench. They will only get a chance to get into action after the squad rotation is scheduled to happen fifteen minutes later.

Zachary was not happy in the slightest when he heard that he would not be in any of the starting line-ups. He can use breaks in training to rest and regain his strength while observing what is happening on the field. That will help him be better prepared when it is his turn to join in the game.

So, he stood on the sidelines and downed the water while watching the players take their positions on the field. He noticed that the coaches had split the squad in an unbalanced manner. The eleven most likely starters are all green, while the second-stringer wears a red oto.

Zachary could easily guess the coach's intent. It seems like they have organized a scrimmage match with the sole purpose of improving the teamwork of the first player to wear the green oto. On the other hand, the second string with a 'only' red oto serves as the perfect grindstone for them. The coaches only used them to sharpen the starting squad, which will play a friendly against Malmo in Sweden the following day.

Realising that, Zachary was even more happy to be on the bench than to be part of the red team. He did not join Rosenborg to become a grindstone for others. His only hope is for the coaches to give him a chance to show his talent in official matches.

As long as he could play in official matches for thirty minutes, he was confident he could convince the coach to keep him in the squad. With class A passing skills, game intelligence and tactical awareness, he knows that he can easily rival any other midfielder in the starting eleven of Rosenborg. All he needs is a chance to prove himself, and he hopes it will come sooner rather than later. That way, he can start his professional career with the best possible.

Zachary watched from the sidelines as Nicki Nielson, the newly recruited number 9 Rosenborg from Villarreal, took her position on the ball in the centre circle. No trace of leeway or antics about his personality appeared when Zachary met him that morning. Zachary knows that he carefully assesses the situation all over the pitch as he waits for the referee's whistle.

His opinion of the attacker instantly increased.

*FREEEE*

At 11:15, Trond Henriksen, Rosenborg's assistant coach, blew his whistle. The scrimmage match immediately began with a green team kick-off.

Nicki Nielson lifted her foot and hit the ball back into half— towards Mix Diskerud in left midfield.

Mix Diskerud, one of Rosenborg's first forwards with a green bib, controlled the ball perfectly and passed it back into defence with his second touch. Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's new captain, accepted it outside the 18-yard box. He quickly flicked to Per Ronning, his partner at the center of the defense. The latter did not hold it for more than a few seconds. He sent it to the touchline where Mikael Dorsin waited with a simple pass—but right.

At that moment, the opponent, who was wearing a red oto, was already pressing the green team and reducing their pass options. If it was some amateur player, they would lose the ball because they were limited to just two touches.

That means that even before a player receives the ball, he must make a few yards distance first by running into open space—away from his opponents. Then, he must control the ball while assessing where to pass it with the next touch.

The player must complete the entire process seamlessly in a matter of seconds— so that he is not squeezed by opponents who may be lurking nearby. It was a difficult task for anyone to accomplish if he did not have high-level ball control, in-game risk analysis, and spatial awareness.

However, the team in green was no ordinary team. They are Rosenborg's most likely starting eleven for the new season. All the experienced players like Mikael Dorsin, Mike Jensen, Tore Reginiussen, and Tobias Mikkelsen are on their side.

So, they pass the ball from one end of the field to the other, with a smooth one-two touch. They managed to dominate the red team consisting of second-stringers without much effort. They even broke into the red team goal several times and fired several shots on target. However, the skilled goalkeeper of Daniel rlund, the red team's number-1, kept the score at 0-0.

"Ole and Fredrik, don't let them pass the ball freely in midfield" Zachary heard Coach Trond Henriksen yelling at the red-clad midfielders.

"The purpose of this exercise is to hone our passing and positioning skills when under pressure. If it is not suppressed, the exercise will be futile. So, run towards them as if your life depended on it. Don't give them breathing room and try to win the ball back as quickly as possible." He roared at the top of his voice between gasping breaths.

Hearing the cries of the assistant coach, the red-clad players improved their game and focused their attention on pressing the green team. Ole Selnaes and Fredrik Midtsjo, central midfielders, worked harder than anyone else, trying their best to get rid of the green team. Thanks to their efforts, they managed to force Mix Diskerud, the green team's attacking midfielder, to do more than two touches on the ball, thus inflicting a foul.

*FREEEE*

Daniel rlund controlled the ball well in his box before passing it to the wing towards Jorgen Skjelvik, a left-back. The latter kicked him towards Ole Selnaes in defensive midfield after passing Nicki Nielson, the green team's centre-forward.

The team in red finally got their first ball possession in the game.

Over the next few minutes, they played confidently with short but precise quick passes, trying to find their way through a very agile 4-3-3 formation of green teams. It seems that the boy in red will be the one to dictate the tempo of the game for a while.

However, the pressure from the green-clad players came to them with an intensity that matched their status as forwards before they could even make one shot on target. They tightly tag the players in red and limit their pass options. They did not give red team players a break until they forced them to play a high and long ball towards John Chibuike, the red team's centre-forward.

However, John Chibuike, the Nigerian striker, failed to capitalize on Ole's defensive breaker at the end. Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's captain, jumped him and headed the ball back into midfield. Mike Jensen, a highly tactical defensive midfielder, passed the ball in midfield before releasing a breakthrough pass to the right wing with his second touch.

With that one pass, Mike Jensen managed to chase his opponent unwittingly.

Tobias Mikkelsen, the green team attacker on the right wing, received the ball on the wing, passing Jorgen Skjelvik, the red team's left-back, with a deft starting touch. He then played a one-two with Nicki Nielson, the centre forward, advancing to the red team box like the wind.

Brede Moe, the red team's centre-back, hastily shut it down. But the two attackers were too fast for him. Without a surprise, they passed him with a quick pass that was short and precise. They made it into the red team box in seconds.

Zachary could only sigh when he saw Nicki Nielson receiving the ball back inside the box. Without losing his composure, he immediately fired a first time shot into the bottom left corner. 1:0.

The green team managed to get the first goal in a scrimmage match. It's not that the red team didn't try. However, a green team consisting of the first player is much better.

*FREEEE*

Trond Henriksen blew his whistle once again, attracting the attention of all the players on the pitch.

"OK, okay," he shouted, "it was a good game from the boy in green. However, the red-clad boy should have been better at stopping the goal. So, as always, the boy in red should come down and give us 20 press-ups." He clapped his hands to emphasize.

All the players and coaches on the pitch laughed at that. And without any complaints, the red team members started doing push-ups as punishment for conceding goals. When they were done, the assistant coach nodded before asking for the rotation of the squad as fifteen minutes had almost passed.

Zachary quickly tightened his shoelaces and pulled his stockings over his shin guards before running to the field— towards the assistant coach. He hopes to join the green team, which consists of the most skilled players in Rosenborg's squad. In such a team, he would easily show his superior passing skills and impress the coaching staff.

However, Trond Henriksen, the assistant coach, broke his expectations in the next second. "Zachary, get Fredrick's red bib," he said, his tone arrogant. "Over the next fifteen minutes, you'll be playing in the right midfield. Make sure you do your best to press when your team is not in control of the ball. No rest is allowed on the field. Are we clean?"

"Yes, coach," replied Zachary, trying his best to hide his disappointment. He was not happy to be included in the red team, which looked like a grindstone for the starting eleven.

However, Zachary could not go against the coach's orders because he was still a nobody who had just joined the team. So, he quietly swallowed his displeasure and took the red bib from the very worn Fredrik Midtsjo.

Zachary then took his position on the pitch with Ole Selnaes and Borek Dockal in the red team's three-man midfield. Since he failed to join a stronger team, he will try his best to show his individual ability even against the starting eleven. That way, he would definitely get a ticket to join the squad heading to Sweden the next day.