THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Coach Johansen's Advice

Zachary spent the next thirty minutes working on a dead ball with the Swedish goalkeeper. After spending more than two weeks of training in both the system and field skill simulator, he was able to put three out of ten free-kicks into the back of the net.

He felt like he was growing every day. His technique is slowly but surely improved. Bend-it mastery like Beckham Juju has increased by 4.2%. He had taken more than 200 set-pieces in a virtual simulator over the previous two weeks.

"I'd advise you to add more power to your technique" a voice interrupted Zachary after he finished taking one of the free-kicks. He was confused for a moment. He kicked the ball gracefully and sent it curving, past the mannequin wall, to the back of the net. Kendrick didn't even manage to react. However, someone told him to add more power to his technique.

Zachary turns around only to find Coach Johansen observing him. He had focused all his attention on the free-kick and failed to notice its arrival.

"Good morning, coach," she said.

"Good morning." Coach Johansen nodded, his face emotionless. "It looks like you came early as usual. And, you brought some teammates with you this time. That's good."

Zachary half-smiled, nodding. "You're saying I need to add more power?"

"Yes." Yeah." The coach took a few steps towards Zachary. "I can see that you have practiced your free kick technique. And it's very similar to David Beckham's technique. You must have practiced a lot to reach that level of expertise." The coach nodded as a sign of tacit approval. "But, I've also seen you do long-range shots from outside eighteen. Why not add that kind of power to your free-kick?"

"Imagine sending a strong shot over a wall with enough indentation on the ball" continued Coach Johansen, half-smiling. "As long as it's on target, no goalkeeper has time to react."

Zakaria nodded. "I understand what you're saying. However, I have to master technique and posture first before adding more power behind the ball." He explains. If he can achieve what the coach suggests, he will create new world-class skills. But, training a new skill was a difficult task.

"It was the wrong approach you took" replied Coach Johansen. "If you're aiming to be another free-kick taker like Beckham, your practice will be fine. However, if you need to raise your free-kick beyond that level, you should start now. Otherwise, you will have difficulty adjusting.The technique after all the postures and body movements have been embedded in your muscle memory." Coach explained, stroking his red beard. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied with a wry smile. He understands Coach Johansen's reasoning to some extent. The coach didn't want him to emulate Beckham's technique exactly. There is no perfect technique in the whole world. He advises Zachary to try to fix it. He could only make those modifications and improve his skills further before developing a habit that was hard to break for this technique.

"It's good that you understand." Coach nodded. "As much as you admire all the stars in the world, you should try to develop your unique playing style." -."

"Aim to surpass the stars, but not imitate them. I won't say this to any other player."

"But you're not just any player. You have the talent to achieve such a feat—that if we train together for some time." The coach said before leaving.

"Did he just talk about free-kicks all the time?" Kendrick ran towards him as soon as the coach left.

"Yes." Yeah." Zakaria nodded. "He advised me to add strength to my set-piece."

"Oh, my gosh," exclaimed Kendrick, rubbing her long brown hair with her hands. "Does he want to turn you into Roberto Carlos?"

"No. I think he just wants me to improve my technique." Zakaria breathed. "Coach Johansen was surprisingly somewhat concerned, in contrast to what many people thought of him."

Kendrick shook his head. "That's because you weren't here two years ago" he said slowly.

"Can we try a few more free-kicks?" Zachary asked, shifting the subject from Coach Johansen.

Zachary took a few more free-kicks against Kendrick. He added more power to his shots, making them wobble far beyond the goalposts. He realized that it would be much harder to modify the technique than he had imagined.

Beckham's free-kick technique generates tremendous power, firing shots at speeds of over 80 miles per hour. Zachary is confident he can unleash a curling free-kick exceeding 90 miles per hour if he masters Bend-it like Beckham Juju. However, Coach Johansen has advised him to add more power to the shots, further increasing their pace.

Did the coach intend for him to fire at 100 miles per hour? The idea was interesting to him. That would stretch physics to its limits. No goalkeeper is fast enough to react to the speed of the ball like that.

Very few individuals have managed to fire such a shot in recorded football history. Usually, it happens by accident, not because of design. The keeper will remain afraid of him as long as he can consistently smash the ball on target with that much force.

Zachary only needed to ask the coach's advice during their meeting that day.

On the sidelines of his training with Kendrick, Zachary noticed that most of the players had turned their attention to the administrative building that housed Coach Johansen's office. "Do you know what happened?" He asked the Swedish goalkeeper.

"No." Kendrick shook her head, wiping the gloves off her sweat pants. "But I have some guesses." He smiled wryly. “Let's ask Paul and Kasongo first. They should have known more about what was going on.

They approached Kasongo and Paul and asked what was happening in Coach Johansen's office.

Paul took a breath. "The coach has called two players into his office. Everyone suspects they'll— cut from the team."

"Which one?" Kendrick asked, frowning.

Paul's expression darkened with what looked more like grief or perhaps sympathy. "Ivan, one of the midfielders, and Mathew Stevenson, the other goalkeeper."

"Let's hope the coach is in a good mood and won't call anyone other than the two of them" Kendrick said. "It's good we still have a team of fourteen. Otherwise, we will miss the international tournament once again this year."

Coach Johansen only cut two players out of the program. They immediately departed from the training ground.

Zachary empathizes with them. His team in his previous life had released him and also terminated his contract. That experience was something he did not want to experience anymore. It is very difficult to hear the news that the dream that you have poured out over half your life— will never come true. That refusal had left a mark that sealed his fate as a failure in his previous life. That was the main reason he put a lot of effort into his career in this life despite having a system.

"Zechari!" Coach Bjorn Peters shouted from near the administration building.

"Here," shouted Zachary back, running towards the coach.

"You can meet the coach now" Coach Bjorn said before turning around and heading inside the building.

Zachary took a deep breath and followed him through the glass door. He was not the slightest bit worried that he would be let go by the team. He is convinced that he is the star player of the academy's U-17 team.

After the match the previous day, Coach Johansen assured him that they only needed to meet briefly to discuss his future. Zachary was hoping to hear about the academy's plans for him.