THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

After Zachary's day off on Sunday, he spent the next couple of days training like a maniac. As a supplement to the team training sessions, he spent the rest of his time either in the gym or going through additional training drills alone at Lerkendal. On Monday evening, he even stayed on the training ground all the way until eight in the night, steadily working on his set-piece-taking skills.

Zachary understood that if he honed his set-piece techniques to the highest level possible, he would surely obtain a starting position on the starting line-up. There was no doubt in his mind about that. As long as he sustained a high conversion rate with free-kicks, there was no way the coach would leave him on the bench since a good set-piece taker gave the team a surefire option to net goals. So, Zachary spent a lot of time practicing either on the pitch or in the G.O.A.T Skills Simulator.

Time flashed by quickly, and it was soon Tuesday evening. It was time for Coach Johansen to name the match squad once more.

"Good evening, everyone," Coach Johansen said after everyone had taken their seats in the Rosenborg tactics room.

"Good evening, coach," the players replied, more or less in unison.

Coach Johansen nodded. "I believe that we're ready to face Tromsø Idrettslag tomorrow at 7:00 PM here at Lerkendal. We've already refined the tactics and game plan in the training sessions during the last two days. Haven't we?" He swept his gaze across the room.

"Yes, coach."

"That's good," the coach said, smiling slightly. "We were able to perform well in the second half of the game against Aalesunds on the weekend. I need us to build on that momentum and continue winning. I need focus and creativity on the pitch. Remember that we're a strong team. We don't need to fear the opponents. They are the ones who should be scared of us. So, play with confidence, play with zeal, and above all, play as a team. That's the only way to keep on winning and return to the top of the table. Are we together?"

"Yes, coach."

Coach Johansen glanced at his watch before continuing. "It's already late. We already spent the whole evening on those corner kick drills, and I'm sure you must all be very tired. So, I won't take up much of your time this evening." He smiled, stepping towards the screen where a 4-3-3 formation had just appeared.

"We'll still play with the 4-3-3 formation during tomorrow's game," the coach said, pointing towards the screen. "However, I've made a few changes to the formation to help us accommodate new promising players in our first team. Instead of playing with one holding midfielder here—" He paused for a moment point at the position on the screen. "We shall play with two holding midfielders. That means that the two holding midfielders will remain defense-oriented until I say otherwise. The rest will play as planned with no changes to what I require from them on the pitch..."

Zachary listened intently as the coach continued elaborating on the main points of the formation and game plan for the next few minutes. Although he'd promised he wouldn't take long, he still went over even the simplest of points, trying to explain them to the players. It seemed he hoped to implant the information into his players' minds by sheer force of will.

Nonetheless, none of the players, including Zachary, raised a single complaint. They were all on their best behavior and listened with rapt attention. They all wanted to be in the good books of the coach. That was especially so since the coach was about to announce the squad for the next fixture. Not a single one of them would risk annoying him with some laxity in attention during the meeting. With that kind of atmosphere in the tactics room, the minutes flashed by—and a while later, Coach Johansen got to the point of naming the match squad for the game against Tromsø Idrettslag.

"Okay, I will now begin naming the starting eleven in our 4-3-3 formation," the coach intoned, smiling slightly.

"Lund Hansen will be our keeper, as always. The four defenders will be Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Stefan Strandberg, and Cristian Gamboa. Our two defensive midfielders that will act as the double-pivot during the game will be Mike Jensen and Jonas Svensson. Zachary Bemba will play as our attacking midfielder behind the forwards to complete our triangular midfield." The coach paused, casting a glance at Zachary, who was seated at the very back. "Are we together, Zachary? Is everything clear?" He asked.

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied solemnly. "Everything is clear." Although he was wearing a stern face, it was just a facade to match the atmosphere in the room. But he was bursting with joy on the inside as it was his first time making Rosenborg's starting eleven. His spirits were already bounding higher when he thought about how he would be starting the match against Tromsø Idrettslag the following day. Nevertheless, he forced himself to calm down and continue listening to the coach.

"And finally," Coach Johansen continued, "we have Tobias Mikkelsen, Tarik Elyounoussi, and Nicki Nielsen as the three forwards. Nicki will play as the center-forward through the middle, while Tarik and Tobias will be on the left and right flanks, respectively. That's is it for the starting eleven."

"On the bench," the coach continued without a pause. "We have Daniel Örlund, Brede Moe, Verner Rönning, Ole Selnaes, Mix Diskerud, Borek Dockal, and John Chibuike. That's it for the squad."

"Any questions?" Coach Johansen asked after announcing the squad.

All the players, including Zachary, remained silent. The coach had gone over the game plan several times over the past three days. Everyone was already tired of hearing it. And, of course, they wouldn't dare question the coach about the line-up since that was a forbidden thing to do in a football team. The coaches had the final say about the line-ups. No one else, not even the club chairman, had the right to question the coach about them. The players couldn't do so either.

Okay, that's great then," Coach Johansen said, smiling. "Since there are no questions, let's call it a day. Those that didn't make the squad, please work harder. As I promised, I'll surely give you an opportunity if you keep true to your football."

"For players on the squad, the game is starting tomorrow at 7:00 PM. So, we'll meet at two in the afternoon to begin preparations. Don't be late. Have a good night."

As soon as Coach Johansen concluded his address, the players began making their way out of the tactics room. Zachary exchanged a few words with some of his teammates, like Mikael Dorsin. They congratulated him on making the squad before they exited the tactics room.

A while later, Zachary left Lerkendal and reached his apartment thirty minutes later. No sooner had he stepped into his living room than a system notification sounded in his mind.

"DING"

"The user has completed a hidden system mission: Join the Rosenborg Starting Eleven before Match Day 9 of the Tippeligaen," the AI's voice sounded in his mind.

"The user has earned 500 Juju-points for completing the mission."

"Please continue working hard to unlock more hidden missions."

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