Chapter 88 - 86 - The Price of Balance

Chapter 88: Chapter 86 - The Price of Balance

Rafael arrived at Frescaty on Wednesday morning to find several of the senior players gathered outside the meeting room.

Tuesday had passed between post-match recovery and school, with Metz’s medical staff satisfied by how his legs had responded after the defeat to Dijon. He’d completed his reduced programme without discomfort, and by Wednesday, he was back on the normal training schedule.

Caron was standing near the doorway with Perrin when Rafael approached. The midfielder had his phone in one hand and was listening to Renaud, who had arrived from the changing room a few moments earlier.

"Morning," Rafael greeted them, earning a nod from Renaud while Perrin moved aside to let him through.

The others gradually arrived, and when one of the assistants opened the meeting room, the players began heading inside.

Monday’s defeat was still bothering the squad, although ordinary conversations hadn’t disappeared. A few players were discussing the weekend’s other results, while others were talking about their plans for the afternoon.

Rafael found a seat near the back as the head coach brought up footage from Stade Gaston-Gérard.

Metz had collected only one point from their previous two league matches, drawing 2–2 with Saint-étienne before losing 2–1 to Dijon. Another disappointing result against Sochaux would make the coming week considerably more uncomfortable.

The opening sequence showed Dijon’s second goal.

Caron had advanced to support Renaud before Perrin’s attempted pass into the penalty area was intercepted. The loose ball eventually reached Vargas-Ríos, who combined with Lembezat and continued his run beyond Metz’s midfield.

The coach paused the footage as Lembezat received.

"Look how much room he’s got."

Caron was ahead of possession, with Metz’s two deeper midfielders spread across the centre. One had already stepped towards Lembezat while the other was retreating to protect the centre-backs.

The coach allowed the sequence to continue until Vargas-Ríos finished.

"We need people getting forward with Mat, but we can’t leave ourselves like this every time an attack breaks down."

He switched to the formation screen, bringing up the alternative arrangement they’d tested before Dijon.

"For Saturday, we’re going to work more with three in the middle. We tried it last week, so everybody should be familiar with it."

Renaud remained the central striker, with Perrin on the right and Caron occupying the left-sided attacking position. Three midfielders were arranged behind them, including an additional player who hadn’t started against Dijon.

Rafael recognised the shape immediately.

His eyes moved towards Caron’s name on the left before returning to the coach, who was already discussing the movements he wanted during training.

Nothing had been decided about Saturday’s starting eleven, but Rafael had spent enough years in professional dressing rooms to recognise what the staff were considering.

He listened through the remaining instructions and collected his water bottle when the meeting ended, joining the others as they headed outside.

The coaching staff divided the squad into two groups for the morning’s tactical work.

Rafael joined the opposing side while Renaud, Caron and Perrin took their positions in the principal group. The additional central midfielder remained behind the attacking players, giving Metz three men through the middle.

The opening exercise began with possession circulating between the defenders and midfielders.

Caron received near the left touchline before moving inside, exchanging passes with one of the central players and finding Renaud near the edge of the penalty area.

The striker held off his marker and returned the ball to a midfielder arriving underneath him, who immediately switched possession towards Perrin on the right.

The winger carried forward and attempted a delivery, but Rafael’s group recovered quickly enough to block the cross.

The loose ball reached one of Rafael’s teammates, who turned and carried into midfield.

He barely made it beyond the centre circle before a Metz midfielder closed him down, forcing him towards the touchline while the other two recovered behind him. His attempted pass through the middle was intercepted, and Metz began building from the back again.

Caron came inside from the left to receive between the opposing midfielders, turning away from the first challenge before finding Renaud.

The striker returned possession and immediately moved towards the area, but when Caron looked forward, the opposing right-back had remained close to the defensive line.

Metz’s left-back was still advancing from deeper.

Caron held the ball until the defender arrived outside him, then released the pass down the touchline. The full-back managed to deliver, but the cross was intercepted before Renaud could reach it.

The exercise continued through several changes of possession.

Rafael was involved whenever his group recovered the ball, occasionally receiving on the left and attempting to advance against the principal side’s right-back.

During one attack, he brought possession inside and tried finding a midfielder between the lines, only for Metz’s additional central player to step across and intercept.

The midfielder moved the ball away before Rafael could challenge again, allowing Metz to work possession towards Caron.

He received centrally and continued the attack with Renaud, forcing Rafael’s group to retreat.

Several more passages followed before the assistants called for a rotation.

Rafael jogged across to join the principal group while Caron moved to the opposite side.

The three midfielders remained in place, and Rafael took up his position near the left touchline as the exercise restarted.

Metz began building from defence, exchanging passes through midfield before switching possession towards Perrin on the right.

Rafael stayed wide while the winger attempted to advance, keeping the opposing right-back occupied near the touchline.

When Perrin returned possession inside, Rafael checked over his shoulder.

The right-back had started stepping forward, leaving several yards between himself and the nearest centre-back.

Rafael shifted his weight towards the space behind him, ready to accelerate, but the midfielder receiving Perrin’s pass had an opponent closing from his right.

Another defender was already positioned between them.

Rafael checked his run and remained available outside.

The midfielder attempted to move possession centrally, only for an opponent to step across and intercept.

Rafael was close enough to move into the passing lane towards the advancing right-back before the ball could reach him.

The player carrying possession looked up, held the ball for another touch and tried shifting it onto his other foot.

By then, one of Metz’s central midfielders had recovered.

He closed from the side and won possession as the opponent attempted to turn.

Rafael immediately moved wide again and called for the ball, but the right-back had already recovered his position by the time the pass reached him.

He took a touch forward before returning possession inside, allowing Metz to continue through midfield rather than attempting to force his way past the defender.

The ball eventually travelled across to Perrin, whose cross was headed clear by the centre-back marking Renaud.

The assistant introduced another ball, and the exercise continued.

Rafael returned to his position on the left as Metz circulated possession through midfield, keeping the opposing right-back occupied while the central players exchanged passes.

When the ball finally reached him, the defender approached quickly.

Rafael pushed possession forward, drawing him closer before slowing and releasing his overlapping full-back into the space outside.

The defender reached the pass in stride and delivered towards the middle, where Renaud moved across his marker and met the cross.

An opposing centre-back stretched out a leg and blocked the attempt before it could trouble the goalkeeper.

The loose ball travelled outside the area, where Metz recovered and began another attack.

Rafael continued with the group until the coaches called for another rotation, after which the remaining exercises passed without him creating another clear opportunity.

By the time training ended, most of the morning had been spent rehearsing the three-midfielder formation.

The staff still hadn’t announced Saturday’s team, and Rafael joined the others for the cooldown before heading inside.

The changing room was busy when Rafael returned.

Several players had already gone to shower, while others were removing their boots or searching through their bags. Perrin was speaking with Renaud across the benches, and one of the equipment staff was collecting used training bibs.

Rafael found his place and sat down.

Caron was a few seats away, struggling to loosen one of his boots. He eventually pulled it off and dropped it beside the other before reaching for a clean shirt.

"Coach sent me back outside about three times today," he said as Rafael began removing the tape around his ankle.

Rafael glanced over.

Caron shook his head while pulling his shirt over his head. "Keep ending up in the middle."

"You’ve always liked playing there."

"Yeah. Hard not to when Mat comes short."

Caron sat down again and started searching through his bag, eventually finding his trainers beneath a towel.

Rafael returned to removing the tape around his ankle while the midfielder pulled on one shoe.

For a while, neither spoke, although Caron was still working on his laces when he brought up Monday’s match.

"Still annoyed about Dijon."

Rafael looked across as Caron leaned forward to tighten his shoe.

"Thought we’d done enough to get something after Mat scored."

"So did I," Rafael replied.

Caron finished tying his laces but remained seated, his attention on the floor for another moment.

"We were right back in it."

He shook his head and reached for his other trainer.

Rafael finished removing the tape from his ankle and dropped it into the bin beside the bench.

Perrin called across to Caron from the opposite side of the room, asking whether he’d finished with something they’d been using during training.

Caron checked his bag before answering, and their conversation moved away from Dijon.

Rafael finished changing while the other players gradually headed towards the showers.

He’d noticed Caron moving inside repeatedly during the session, just as he’d done when playing behind Renaud. Starting from the left hadn’t changed where the midfielder preferred to receive, although he’d spent much of the morning responding to instructions to return towards the touchline.

By the time Rafael collected his belongings, Caron was already speaking with another teammate near the doorway.

Rafael said goodbye and left the changing room.