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Professional Team Strength

Next friday.

The autumn afternoon sun shines on Lerkendal Idrettspark in its warm light.

At one of the training grounds at Trondheim's iconic sports facility, the NF academy faced off against Rosenborg's senior team.

The game was almost no tension or tension.

Whether it's teamwork or the quality and experience of the players, there's no way the NF academy can win over Rosenborg's senior team. Even most of the academy players do not harbor the illusion of winning the game.

Rosenborg Ballklub is a giant among clubs in Norway. The team has won 13 consecutive—10 titles under manager Nils Arne Eggen between 1991 and 2004. Rosenborg even participated in the European Champions League and beat big clubs like AC Milan. There is no way a first-team player from a club with a rich history could suffer defeat at the hands of a rookie squad from a related academy.

The story of David beating Goliath is rare in a team game like football. The match went as expected, with Rosenborg's senior side really putting pressure on Zachary and his team-mates.

Rosenborg adheres to an attacking philosophy similar to what their second team have done, facing the academy on Friday.

Rosenborg's gameplay is driven by teamwork rather than individual brilliance. They move the ball around the field with the right pass and position themselves following a perfect 4-4-2 formation in the textbook. The chemistry of their team is amazing, with every player seemingly aware of the position of their teammates, without even looking in their direction.

Zachary lost in midfield—only because the Rosenborg midfielders could easily pass the ball around him without having to fight him. Fredrik Winsnes and Borrek Dockal (midfielder Rosenborg) passed the ball quickly onto the wing before Zachary got the chance to close it out. They are disciplined and tactically aware, always making sure that they don't leave their defence open. Zachary barely found room to take advantage of during the game.

Rosenborg attacked with a maximum of four players, the wingers always moving forward to support two strikers. They worked together with the full-backs, creating a 2-on-1 situation when advancing towards the NF academy round.

On several occasions, they released tempting crosses into the NF academy box, creating problems for the academy team. The inexperienced defenders of the academy cannot stop the rapid movement of wings and defenders.

Steffen Iversen and Rade Prica, the strikers, led the attack in a 4-4-2 Rosenborg formation. They weigh heavily on the defenders, coordinating their moves against each other to put the academy's defence out of balance. Both are lethal with good positioning, always jumping and beating the academy defenders all the way to a cross—from the wing.

Rade Prica scored twice with a header after utilising a tempting cross delivered by the quick wing in the 12th and 20th minutes. Steffen Iversen added to the academy's sadness by scoring in the 40th minute. He smashed the ball, past Kendrick Otterson, into the back of the net—after he released a high pass into the box.

By the end of the first half, the academy team was already three goals behind. The Rosenborg team has about 80% possession, according to Zachary's estimates.

**** ****

"You guys played a bad game" Coach Johansen complained to the players in the dressing room. Zachary and his team-mates were on the break part-time, listening to the coach's instructions.

"Especially the wing-back. I'm not happy with your appearance. How can you let a winger release all the crosses into our box?" The coach frowned at yvind Alseth and Martin Lundal.

"They're wings don't make a good run or dribble. Just try blocking their cross, and everything will be fine." The coach snorted at the two wing-backs.

"The game is not over yet" continued Coach Johansen. "I'd like to remind you that you will get the chance to join the Rosenborg squad if you perform well in this game. You should have noticed Trond Henriksen, Rosenborg's assistant coach, on the sidelines. He's not here the same as before, first-team coaches, but to look for potential seeds for the club to nurture. So, you have to perform well or prepare to join a third-tier club." The coach paused for a moment, letting his gaze explore the players.

"One more thing" said the coach. “We will use your performance in this game to determine which players the academy will release in this year's review. And, we also chose the main squad for the Riga Cup. If you do well, you'll get the chance to go to Latvia and test your skills against academies from all over Europe..."

Coaches continue to use promises and threats to motivate the players during the half-time break. Zachary sat on the floor in the corner, chewing on the fried beans. He wants to compete with senior players Rosenborg. However, his team-mates lack the physical ability and technical skills to challenge experienced top-flight league players.

Zachary must find a way to score, or he will fail the system mission and lose Juju's 160 points as a penalty by the system.

Before the game, he received a mission to score during the game. The reward included 80 juju points, enough to buy him some elixirs at the system store. He wanted to buy a few doses of the physical conditioning potion to help train his agility to the next level in the next few months.

Zachary has realised that he can become a formidable player if he can improve one of his physical stats to S-class. His agility stat was the current focus for improvement.

If he could further increase his speed, he would have the weaponry needed to destroy the defenders even at the professional level. Being pressured by a Rosenborg player in the first half only strengthened his resolve.

Zinedine Visual Juju relies heavily on his teammates to work his magic in a match. With strong teammates, he can stand out with his passes and vision, greatly influencing the game. However, if his teammates performed below par, he would also be affected. Zachary needs skills that allow him to perform despite the condition of his team-mates. Dribbling and speed were his best options at the time.

"Zach," Coach Johansen called out to him, breaking his reverie. "Are you with us?" The coach nodded.

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied, correcting his posture by sitting upright. He did not want to give the impression to his coach that he had given up on that game.

Coach Johansen stared at Zachary sharply. "Change positions with Kim and play on the left wing during the second half. Leave the defense and concentrate only on attacking. You will get several chances to attack defenders. Use it wisely and try to test their skills.keeper before the game is over." Coach instructed.

"Coach, what about midfield?" Magnus asked, hearing the coach's instructions. He is a defensive midfielder and is right to worry about Zachary's exchange. Removing Zachary from midfield will increase his workload for the game.

"Kim will play with you in midfield" replied Coach Johansen. "Your only role is to defend and prevent the Rosenborg players from threatening our box through the middle. If you win the ball, release it towards Zachary on the wing. We have to score at least one goal before the game ends."

Magnus frowned but remained silent. The words of the coach in the dressing room are legal.

"Casongo." The coach looked at the short man. "I want you to keep retreating and help the defense against their wings. You can swap wings with Zachary if there is an opportunity he needs to take advantage of through the right wing. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," Kasongo replied.

**** ****