THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Preparation for the Semifinal

It was Monday morning, the day before the NF Academy semifinal match against ADO The Hague.

Zachary and his teammates got up and had breakfast early before heading to the gym for post-match recovery exercises and massages. The management of the academy has fully borne the costs for their gym activities during their stay in Riga. They can enjoy the facilities of Riga People's Fitness Gym in the days after the game. Zachary was satisfied with the arrangement.

The squad spent an hour in the gym undergoing Coach Bjrn's post-match recovery routine. Zachary diligently stretches using foam—rutinity rollers that involve rolling different parts of his body slowly over the tube. Coach Bjorn says foam rolling helps reduce post-match-related muscle aches and pains, thereby shortening recovery time significantly.

Zachary and his team-mates left the gym an hour later, feeling more relaxed after a massage session. They returned to the hotel by bus, chatting about the quarter-final match against Zenit. Even after an entire night, their euphoria did not fade away. Most of them did not believe that they qualified for the semifinals.

Thirty minutes later, they arrive at one of the conference rooms at their hotel for Coach Johansen's tactical briefing. He has held meetings to discuss strategies for the semi-final match against ADO The Hague.

Upon entering the conference room, Zachary immediately noticed a large LCD screen placed on a table in front of the room. It seems that, unlike previous meetings, Coach Johansen will use video analysis to explain the tactics he wants to implement in the semifinals.

"Good morning to all of you" Coach Johansen said in a thunderous voice after the squad finished taking their seats.

"Good morning, coach," replied the players in unison.

Coach Johansen was half-smiling. “I am quite happy that we have made it to the semi-finals,” he said. He sat on the edge of the table in front of the room. "However, our work is still cut off for us. We still have to win the semi-finals and the final before becoming champions." He paused for a moment, letting his gaze pause on each player in turn.

"Are we together?" She asked.

"Yes, coach," the players replied in unison.

"Good." Coach Johansen nodded. "Winning in football is not just about tactics. This is not just about the game plan— as we will discuss in a few minutes. The most important thing is your state of mind. The focus and concentration you give in a particular game will have a real impact on your performance."

"If our intention is to win in the next two games and be champions, we have to have the right mindset" he continued as he began to walk around the players' seats. "We have to stay focused for the whole game."

"Remember, the ability to focus makes or breaks our chances of success in a match. Scientists have shown that an individual's ability to build mental focus is one of the most important predictors of future success in life. It's the same in sports."

"The ability to focus on sports is probably one of the most significant drivers of success, along with hard work and talent." He stopped and walked back to the front of the room before continuing.

"Mental focus can make the difference between being mediocre and being extraordinary. This helps you avoid small mistakes that lead to losses in our matches. It helps us win the game. That simple. Are we together?"

Zachary nodded along with his other teammates. His thoughts seeped into Coach Johansen's message. He can relate points about the importance of mindset and concentration in sports.

Players could only achieve true prowess when they fully focused their attention on what they were currently doing. If they let the distractions interfere with their practice or match, their performance will be severely compromised because of it.

On the other hand, if players focus intensively on the job at hand, they will unlock their full potential, whether in practice or in matches. Playing with a hundred percent concentration in tournaments will increase their chances of winning significantly. Just as the sunlight shines on the paper when focused by the lens, the player's impact on the game will increase dramatically—if they maintain a high level of concentration.

"Maintaining focus is everything in sport" continued Coach Johansen, lowering his voice slightly. "In the game, we have to stay organised in attack and defence, for every minute of the game. We can take risks, but we still need organisation behind the ball. All of this requires a high level of concentration among you — players. If you lose focus for a minute during a game, you will make a mistake and give our opponent a chance— like you did in the match against Riga." - Goal.com."

"I will continue to repeat this" continued Coach Johansen, raising his fist to emphasize his point. “For tomorrow's game, you have to play as a team, and more importantly, defend as a team. You have to stay focused and play every minute as if your life depended on it. When you lose possession of the ball and defend, be sure to mark open spaces and opponents. When you attack, run and be prepared to receive a pass from a teammate. Play as a cohesive unit to defeat our opponents."

He stopped, turned towards Coach Bjrn. "Can you help us start the engine?" He asked his assistant, his voice sounding polite.

Coach Bjorn nodded before busying himself with the connection and placing the disc in the DVD player.

Coach Bjorn quickly finished connecting the banana pins, and the screen came alive with a recording of the match playing there.

Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lighting of the screen. ADO The Hague, with their green and yellow striped jerseys, faces off against Skonto Academy.

Zachary focused his attention on the screen as one of ADO Den Hague midfielders made a quick switch from midfield to wing— using a tempting breakthrough pass. A winger made use of the pass and played a one-two with a full-back, breaking through half of Skonto Academy. The defenders looked helpless against them. The sweeping attack ended with a cross to ADO striker The Hague inside the box. The number-9 made a header past the goalkeeper— entered the back of the goal.

Coach Bjorn passed the video on to other highlights of the game. A full-back performed a solo run close to the touchline, quickly entering the Skonto Academy half-court. He ran past the players so fast that they had no chance to react. He eventually unleashed a spectacular cross into the box, finding the centre striker once again. The number-9 ADO Den Haag pulls the trigger and scores, sending the ball into the inside of the right post.

Zachary continued to watch— attentively as ADO The Hague scored the third using similar tactics. He realized that the next opponent's wing play was incredible. Their wingers and wing-backs work together, running with the ball to deliver a cross to the striker.

"So what do you think?" Coach Johansen asked after the video finished playing.

Paul Otterson raised his hand.

"Yes." Yeah." Coach Johansen pointed at him.

Paul smiled softly. "Most of their attacks came from the wings" he said. "If we want to win against them in the semifinals, we have to close that road."

"Right," Coach Johansen said as he nodded. "We have to make sure that the wings are completely useless when we face them. We had to face a cross from their wing firmly. That's the only way to win against ADO The Hague." He added in a firm tone.

"ADO The Hague had some good wingers who provided crosses and clinical finishes that turned them into goals" Johansen continued. "That's how they made it to this stage of the tournament. We have to keep our risk to a minimum."

"We can only achieve that by maintaining a high level of concentration against them tomorrow."

"I've made some changes in our formation to better handle the ADO style of The Hague" Coach Johansen said, moving towards a nearby whiteboard. "We'll play with a 5-3-1-1 formation tomorrow."

"As usual, we will play with our two full-backs forming a defensive line along with our three centre-backs." He stopped to draw a formation on the blackboard. "Our defence will remain the same as before with three centre-backs: Robin, Lars and Daniel. However, we will use a defensive style of play based on the tight guard of the opponent's wing. yvind and Martin, our full-backs, will be responsible for stopping the attack of ADO Den Hague wingers before they harm our part."

Coach Johansen stopped, turned from the board, to look at the players before continuing. "Kasongo and Paul; you are our winger, but you will play as a midfielder with Magnus during the game. You also have to help wing-backs if there are wingers they can't handle." He went back to the board and drew a new position.

"Zachary" said the coach, looking straight at him. "For this match, I want you to play behind rjan as a half-assed and central midfielder."

Zachary nodded silently, waiting for the coach to continue.

"When reviewing our match against Zenit, I noticed that their long ball strategy can help us better with you in the team. You have good handling and control of the ball, and you are quick on your feet. You will be responsible for collecting the long balls and holding them long enough to create time for your teammates to form."

"I also expect you and rjan to keep ADO Den Haag's defense tense as the rest are mostly focused on defense. The ADO Den Hague coaches will be wary of your run and will not dare to put too many players forward. That's how we look after him. ADO The Hague's at bay." He said as he finished drawing the starting line-up on the board.

"A question?"

No player raises their hand.

"OK," said Coach Johansen. "Make sure you rest and eat well today. You won't do your best if you're tired. Let's play nice tomorrow." He spoke with a convincing tone.