THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Milestone System
*FREEEE*
The referee blew the halftime whistle in the 47th minute, just minutes after Rosenborg's goal. Valerenga's players had just started the attack after the restart when the referee mercilessly ended the first half.
Zachary immediately struck up a tos with a team-mate close to him before starting to walk towards the dressing room for the half-time break.
Soft smile was on her face—a clear sign of her mood at the time. He managed to score twice against Valerenga that day, taking his overall tally for the month and season to eight goals. He is just one goal behind two top scorers: Nicki Nielsen, number 9 Roseborg, and Frode Johnsen, the BK Odds centre-forward.
At first, before he made it into the starting line-up, he thought that fulfilling the mission of the system would be a difficult endeavor to accomplish. But after playing a few games in the first team, he developed a strong confidence and a great belief in himself. He was confident he could reach the system milestone for Tippeligaen's mission. He is confident he will not fail to reach at least one milestone if he continues to play as a starter in most Rosenborg games.
"It was a good game, Zach" Coach Johansen said, patting his shoulder as he walked into the dressing room. "You're amazing out there."
"Thank you, coach," Zachary said with a smile.
"But please try to keep working hard during the second half" the coach said. "And keep shooting and testing their goalkeepers whenever you get the chance. Okay?"
"Yes, coach," replied Zachary obediently. "I'll do it."
"Then it's good." Coach Johansen nodded. "You can sit down and rest, Zach." He added, looking around, it seemed to check if all the players had arrived in the dressing room.
Zachary left the coach to his device and sat on the bench in the far corner of the dressing room. He concentrated on recovering his stamina quickly by chugging water and taking snacks as Coach Johansen began a part-time speech.
"It was a good game during the first half" said Coach Johansen, sweeping his gaze across all the players. "Although we started slowly, we managed to get up and take the lead thanks to Zachary's brilliance up front." She smiles.
"But we haven't finished the task at hand" continued the coach, his voice becoming excited. “We still had to maintain our lead throughout the second half and try to score a few more goals if we wanted to go home with three points. I don't want to see us conceding a goal early in the second half— like we've done in the previous few games. So, I'll make some changes in the squad for the second half to make sure we don't falter like we used to."
Coach Johansen's eyes narrowed as he looked around. "Verner Ronning will replace Cristian Gamboa while Ole Selns will replace Jonas Svensson in midfield."
“We will then immediately switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation so that we become more solid at the back. Zachary will remain as the only attacking midfielder and play just behind Nicki up front. Ole and Mike Jensen will play as our double pivot and defensive midfielder— while Borek and Tobias will step back and play as real wingers."
"Yes, coach."
"This is our last game before the break" said the coach, his voice shrinking. "So, please give everything so that we can win and have fun. But if we lose, then circumstances will force me to arrange special training for you when the other team is on vacation."
A wave of chaotic whispers filled the room as soon as Coach Johansen started talking about the players' break time breaches. This clearly shows that they are opposed to continued training during the upcoming Tippeligaen break.
"Shut up! Listen carefully." The coach is very sharp, and all the players in the dressing room are calm.
"I didn't play around saying what I just said," he continued after a while, his gaze darting across the room with an unconcealed violence. "If you don't listen to me well the first time, I'll repeat it once more. There will be no holidays for you if I notice that you are still subpar as a professional during the upcoming second half. Circumstances will force me to set up special training for you to improve your skill level. It's that simple."
"So, get into the second half and concentrate" he continued, half-smiling. “Give everything and play your best football today. I'm pretty sure we'll win, if we do. Remember, we're a better team. So, there is no chance of us losing if we play like the best. Are you with me? If you understand me, reply, 'Yes, Coach.'"
There was an awkward and slightly out-of-sync answer from "Yes, Coach" from the players in the dressing room. It seems that the players are still unhappy with the threat of the coach to shorten their vacation time.
Zechariah surprised. He will be ready for special training without complaint if the coach actually follows through on his threat. Besides, he would even be a little happy. Inevitably he wondered why his team-mates seemed so defiant about the prospect of training during the break when they were also professional footballers.
"I can't hear all of you" Coach Johansen said, his voice rising after hearing an awkward response from the players. "You sound like someone who hasn't eaten in days. Please repeat after me. 'Yes, coach. We understand."
Zachary could not help but smile when he heard the players did a better job of replying synchronously back then.
He could see the reason behind the coach's strange approach in motivating the team. Rosenborg has conceded plenty of goals after halftime over the previous few games. The coach intends to make sure that such a scenario does not develop that day. So, he just used a mix of hard and soft tactics to try and motivate them to play their best during the second half.
"Alright then," said Coach Johansen, a bright smile adorning his face. "That's the kind of response I expect from the players in the team who want to be champions. Remember: we will not be able to perform if we are in low spirits. So, have fun and get back on the field to play." second half. I'll keep an eye on each of you from the sidelines." He added, his tone was convincing.
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