Chapter 91 - 5: He Stopped the Ball Like That

Chapter 91: Chapter 5: He Stopped the Ball Like That

The moment Davor Suker returned to Dinamo Zagreb, he began imparting his experience.

He didn’t know how much the youngsters could absorb, but he poured out everything he knew anyway. He figured that with enough talent, they would eventually break through on their own.

Of course, Suk and Modric were an exception.

The two youngsters’ grasp of detail and keen instincts surprised Davor Suker.

In truth, Mandzukic, Vukojevic, and the others were also very talented, but they paled in comparison to Suk and Modric.

But what truly amazed Davor Suker came during the subsequent training match.

On the first day of training, Head Coach Be?i? didn’t schedule any fitness drills. Instead, he organized an intrasquad scrimmage to build chemistry.

It was also a chance to assess the young players’ skills and specific strengths.

Throughout the scrimmage, since it was their first time playing together, the teamwork was quite clumsy and unfamiliar.

However, there were still some outstanding moments.

It was just that they all came from the interplay between Suk and Modric.

But what truly surprised Davor Suker wasn’t Modric’s performance, but Suk’s.

Davor Suker was used to playing in top-tier leagues, so his movements were often a step ahead of the other players.

As a result, he would always find open space a fraction of a second faster.

This disconnect made it uncomfortable for both Davor Suker and the young players.

Suk’s performance, however, was astonishing.

No matter how Davor Suker moved, Suk could instantly support him and make the pass.

His passes and runs were constantly in sync with Davor Suker.

What’s more, during the scrimmage, the two executed a goal by using a forward run with a sudden change of pace.

The instant Davor Suker made his move, Suk perfectly timed a through ball that split the defense.

Then, as expected, Davor Suker finished with his exquisite technique, putting the ball in the net.

Although Davor Suker made the shot, Suk’s pass was just as crucial.

The timing of that through ball made Davor Suker feel as if he were back playing in the Five Major Leagues.

Because of this, he looked at Suk with a hint of astonishment.

Meanwhile, Suk wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed to himself.

’He’s so hard to keep up with!’

He possessed Inzaghi’s awareness, so he could anticipate Davor Suker’s runs.

Compared to the others, it was as if Suk himself already had experience playing in the Five Major Leagues.

But awareness was one thing; the fluidity of his footwork was another.

At first, his mind could keep up, but his body struggled to follow.

When he was in a good position, Suk could use one-touch passes to link up with Davor Suker.

But if his positioning was slightly off, or if he was being pressed by an opponent, he found it difficult to execute the next move.

Davor Suker played the way they do in the Five Major Leagues.

His movements were clean and decisive, with no wasted motion—lethal and direct.

But neither Suk nor Modric had yet reached that level of proficiency.

They had even picked up some bad habits from the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League, like holding onto the ball too long, trying to take on players unnecessarily, and making pointless dribbles.

All of this told them they needed to fix these issues as quickly as possible.

Although Suk and Modric performed very well—they were undoubtedly top of the class compared to guys like Mandzukic who couldn’t even keep up with the pace—they still weren’t satisfied.

At lunch, Davor Suker sat down directly across from Suk and Modric.

"You two make too many unnecessary moves. Hold the ball when you need to, but when you don’t, move it on as quickly as possible."

Davor Suker looked at the two of them.

"Suk, you need to be more observant! Modric, you need to make fewer pointless observations!"

Suk and Modric had opposite problems.

When the pace quickened, Suk would forget to scan the field. He’d get flustered and couldn’t even lift his head to look around.

As for Modric, he made too many useless observations. His head swiveled around like a fan gone haywire.

Not only did he waste time scanning, but he also slowed down the tempo.

"I’m not telling you to scan the field 15-20 times on every touch. You need to make different decisions in different situations. If you have time, take a good look. If you don’t, make a quick decision!"

After speaking, Davor Suker looked at the two and said, "Starting tomorrow, you two will have a separate one-hour training session with me every day. Get Jarni and Stimac. It’ll just be the five of us training together."

Davor Suker wanted to teach them, and of course, Suk and Modric had no objections. They both agreed immediately.

Davor Suker then carried his tray over to Be?i?’s table.

"You’re more enthusiastic than the coaching staff," Be?i? said with a laugh.

Davor Suker smiled. "Anyone would be, after seeing two youngsters with such outstanding talent."

"After another season or two of training, these two will be perfectly capable of playing in the Five Major Leagues."

Hearing Davor Suker’s assessment, Be?i? looked at him in surprise.

Clearly, when it came to judgments like these, Davor Suker was the authority.

"They have that kind of potential?" Be?i? asked.

Davor Suker replied, "Right now, it’s potential. But they adapt very quickly, which is why I said one or two seasons. If these two had come up through the youth academy of a major club, they could have secured a starting spot, provided they didn’t throw their careers away. Their talent is that good."

This level of praise astonished Be?i? even more.

A starting position at a top club... That was a position countless players dreamed of. It was no easy feat.

Davor Suker chuckled. "Let’s train them hard for a month. When the new season starts, those two will give everyone a huge surprise."

...

In the afternoon, after lunch and a short break, they began their fitness training.

Be?i? placed great importance on conditioning, so the entire next week was dedicated to fitness training.

The fitness training was brutal.

RUN! RUN! RUN!

RUN... RUN... PUKE!

Then RUN! RUN! RUN!

Suk and Modric continued to excel in this area. Their abundant stamina set the standard for the entire team.

Naturally, Suk and Modric became the target for all the other young players to chase.

From the moment they joined, the two of them had been outstanding in every respect.

Mandzukic, Vukojevic, and the others also gritted their teeth and trained hard.

They didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest. Falling behind by one step meant falling behind for good.

Suk and Modric were like two madmen sprinting ahead. If the others stopped for even a moment, they’d never be able to catch up.

No one knew how many steps they ran or how many times they threw up.

Mandzukic felt that over the course of that week, his entire body and soul had been elevated to a new level.

But even so, he could only watch Suk and Modric’s taillights.

After the fitness training was over, those two still had to do specialized drills with Davor Suker and the others.

Mandzukic wanted to join in, but his body was telling him it couldn’t handle any more training.

So, he could only watch helplessly.

When the week of fitness training was over, Mandzukic finally voiced his complaint.

"I want to join the extra evening practice too!"

Mandzukic said, staring at Davor Suker.

Mandzukic was an extremely competitive person. Previously, he truly couldn’t keep going after the fitness sessions.

But now that the intense conditioning was over, he felt it was necessary to keep up.

Otherwise, he would only fall further and further behind Suk and Modric.

Davor Suker naturally had no reason to refuse Mandzukic’s request. In fact, he announced:

"Anyone who wants to join the extra evening practice is welcome to stay!"

With no restrictions and having received Davor Suker’s permission, almost everyone stayed behind.

Davor Suker looked at the young wolves before him, their eyes gleaming with hunger, as if they wanted to drain every last drop of his experience. A smile touched his lips.

"That’s a great look in your eyes!"

...

「Two weeks of training came to an end.」

The first week was focused mainly on fitness.

The second was for tactical positioning and building chemistry.

Once they were familiar with the basic tactics, Be?i? immediately had them start playing preseason friendlies.

Be?i? believed that true improvement could only be gained through real matches.

Real matches offered a different feeling and significance compared to intrasquad scrimmages.

And the first opponent Be?i? found was none other than Suk and Modric’s former club, Mostar Zrinjski.

Less than a month after leaving, Suk and Modric were back at their old stomping grounds. The feeling was surreal.

They had thought they wouldn’t see their old teammates for several years, perhaps even a decade or more.

They never expected their next encounter to come so soon.

The only difference was that now, unlike a month ago, Suk and Modric were wearing the blue kits of Dinamo Zagreb.

"Hey! Let’s mark Suk tightly!"

"If we don’t let Suk and Modric score, our job is done!"

"Kerpic, you can’t let Suk get past you!"

"Don’t worry! I’m going to make Suk know what despair feels like!"

Their former teammates from Mostar Zrinjski were visibly excited to see Suk and Modric.

Suk and Modric looked just as thrilled.

’Thrashing my cocky former teammates!’

’There’s nothing more satisfying than this!’

Davor Suker and Suk stood at the center circle, ready for kickoff.

Davor Suker winked and chuckled. "You all seem to get along well!"

Suk shrugged. "A bunch of bastards. But you should be careful. Mashovich and Hajdari are no pushovers."

Davor Suker just smiled without saying a word.

But the smile on his face was still brimming with confidence.

Davor Suker was getting older and couldn’t cut it in the Five Major Leagues anymore.

But that was only in the Five Major Leagues. His experience and skill were still more than enough for him to be the undisputed star of a lower-tier team.

As if to prove that very point...

In the 25th minute, Modric sent a long pass. Davor Suker controlled the ball with his left foot, bringing it down to his side in a single motion that also took him past his defender. He created an opening for a shot and drilled the ball into the bottom-left corner.

Throughout the entire sequence, Davor Suker made it look effortless.

Mostar Zrinjski’s center-back, Mashovich, stood with his mouth slightly agape. He knew of Davor Suker and knew the man was good.

’But this good is just ridiculous!’

Mashovich looked toward his Head Coach, Van Stiake, on the sideline and pointed at the ground as if to say...

’Look at that! He controlled the ball like *that*! Who’s supposed to stop him?!’