THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Talk With Coach

Coach Johansen 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 lunch break after reminding them of the next training session—scheduled later tonight.

Nicki Nielson came to Zachary's chair right after the meeting. "Congratulations have made the squad" he said, grinning.

"Thank you" Zachary replied, returning his smile.

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

Nicki Nielson was one of the few members of the squad who kept trying to interact with Zachary during the previous two months. It was after he tried hard to distance himself from his other team-mates. The striker always tried to make small talk with him even after Zachary made it clear he wanted to be alone.

Even met with silence, Nicki would stand by his side and continue speaking. He didn't seem to mind whether he got a response or not. At first Zachary had felt uncomfortable, but over time he began to get used to the chatty number-9. That way, she became increasingly familiar with his presence and even considered him a friend to some extent.

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

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 comes with card and board games. However, there was no entertainment to Zachary's liking. He would rather spend time at the gym doing a light stretching routine than sitting half an hour away from a card game.

He decided to reject the invitation in the most polite way he could think of at that moment. Despite not wanting to get closer to the others in the team, he did not want to offend them. That was why he maintained a very polite attitude even while trying to keep his distance from the other team members for the previous two months.

"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?" nicki 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."

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

During the previous month, she found it difficult to turn down the invitation of some of her teammates— especially when she didn't have much of a reason. Fortunately, he was still able to escape before joining the squad as he underwent progressive overload training under Coach Bjorn Peters. 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 turn down Nicki because he was already part of the squad.

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

"Zachary, 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 Zachary obediently, feeling grateful for the coach's timely intervention.

Without further ado, he says his regrets to Nicki 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.

"Don't be nervous" said Coach Johansen, seemingly aware of his discomfort. "I just called you here to discuss your aspirations at the club." He smiled, sitting on the chair behind the not-so-groomed L-shaped table. A laptop, a Rosenborg coffee cup, paper, a five-by-seven card with unfinished games, a pen, and a Zachary markers— could see all of it lying haphazardly on a laminated table surface.

"Coach Bjorn Peters 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. Alexander Ystein 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."

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

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

"Central View" Zachary replied without further ado. "The best position for me is to attack midfield, right behind the attackers."

Coach Johansen nodded. He leaned his head and looked at Zachary with a thoughtful expression before saying: "You have to understand that we have some talented and experienced midfielders in the squad. There's Mike Jensen, Mix Diskerud, Jonas Svensson, Borek Dockal, Ole Selnaes, Daniel Berntsen, Fredrik Midtsjo, Jaime Alas, and of course, now, that's you." He registered almost all of the midfielders in the team in one breath.

"All of them are incredible players who were able to destroy the team in Tippeligaen with just their passing ability" continued the coach. "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 Tobias Mikkelsen, 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 Zachary. "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?"

Zachary 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 Zachary 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 Zachary after deliberating for a moment. "I want to continue playing as a central midfielder. I can play better there than on the wing. So, I ask you to give me some chances in midfield. I'm not going to disappoint you." He added, his voice unshakable.