Chapter 1022: Game Day! Volkswagen Arena!

Time flew quickly, and before anyone knew it, they had already entered March, the third month of the year.

The pandemic was still raging wildly outside, but people started to resist, leaving their safe zone and taking fresh air outside.

Even though the government still recommended that people not go out recklessly, they couldn’t really contain the citizens here. After all, staying at home for a full year was enough to drive everyone crazy, and it was time to heal all the wounds remaining inside.

It also helped that the weather also started to get warmer, and the snow also melted as the sun shone brightly in the sky.

While yes, the wind was still strong, and the coldness hadn’t truly disappeared, at least the winter had started to pass, so staying back home was like a sin after they had to face such snowy weather for about four months.

That was why, even if the seat was still limited due to the pandemic, the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg was filled with people even two hours before the game.

Even though only half the northern part of the stand was open, which could only fill around 800 to 1000 people, this stadium itself had a small capacity, only around 30,000 people. Compared to the Veltins Arena or any other big stadium, this could be said to be a small stadium.

That was why the stand looked so full of people, and while they were not crazy fanatics like Schalke fans, those people came with their proudest Wolfsburg jersey, ready to support their home team.

"This should be the biggest crowd I have ever played in this year, right?" Higo couldn’t help but mutter. "Does that mean the number will only grow bigger?"

Well, he sure hoped so, because that would only mean the pandemic was getting closer to the finish line.

Some people might miss the feeling of not having to go anywhere and just stay at home, and honestly, the high school Higo before joining the football team would also love that idea.

However, this time, it was different.

There was no way Higo would miss this whirlwind of shit, especially whenever he remembered the constant worry that followed and all the what-if scenarios about what would happen if his family was infected by the virus.

No, hell no. Higo would be so relieved to get through this hellish episode as quickly as possible.

The boy would also love the idea of having his mother and sister come here to visit, and that would only happen if the travel restrictions between countries were finally getting loosened.

’Oh, well, let’s think about it later.’ Higo shook his head quickly as he did his warm-up. ’For now, let’s focus on the game first. It has been a long time since we won, so let’s get one first today.’

Of course, there was no way Higo would say it out loud. After all, even though the team had started to regain their spirit, they all still thought that Wolfsburg was not a team that they could beat, so the target here was just a draw.

It would be good if they could gain the lead, but they wouldn’t risk everything just for that.

"So, are you ready for the game, Higo?" Bastian Ozcipka suddenly asked while warming up, trying to loosen his hamstring a little bit.

"It should be me who asks that, right?" Higo couldn’t help but snort. "You haven’t been playing in such a long time; are you sure you can hold the right flank on your own?"

Yeah, in the end, even Frohling himself also acknowledged that Rudy’s performance in the last couple of games had been abysmal, and the man finally decided to rest the full back and replaced him with another veteran defender.

The problem, though, was that Ozcipka had been sidelined for a long time since Stambouli arrived this season, and his natural position was also in the middle. There was no way Higo wouldn’t be worried when he thought about that.

"Eh, don’t worry, I will focus only on defense, okay?" The man brushed off the concern nonchalantly. "Beni can just run amok on his own to attack. Maybe that will surprise us. As for defense, leave everything to me! I will make sure that the right side is clean!"

Higo just snorted a little, not truly believing the man even though he patted his chest confidently.

There was a reason why he only became a bench player this year, and the issue started way before he got injured at the beginning of the season.

Still, since the man was confident, who was Higo to dampen the enthusiasm here?

In the end, Higo just turned around, looking at the others who were also preparing on the pitch.

Besides Ozcipka, Ao Tanaka also finally started to get a position in the main eleven. After being deemed unready for the Bundesliga game for the last three to four weeks, the midfielder finally stole the spot from Jonas Hofmann in the main roster.

It wasn’t like Jonas himself was bad. However, his instinct was the same as Mustafi’s, who acted as the defensive midfielder, which was to drop back and support the defensive line whenever the team lost possession.

No, two players with the same type would never work well when they played together.

Frohling needed someone who was willing to run, fight to win the ball, and make a run on his own to give more dynamism in the midfield, and that task fell on Tanaka’s shoulders this time.

’He looks nervous.’ Higo noted inwardly. ’Oh, well, this is his debut. Not being nervous wouldn’t be normal.’ He corrected his thought.

Still, it wasn’t just Tanaka who was restless. No, the boy could see some of the guys being too stiff, as if walking took more effort than usual.

’This must be because we haven’t suffered two consecutive defeats in a row like this in a long time, right? Everyone is worried about what would happen if we fell three times in a row; what would happen next?’ The boy guessed quickly.

’Still, fixing this situation will be a headache. Oh, man... Let’s just hope that they wouldn’t be too nervous to let the opponent slip under our grasp...’