Chapter 904: Half-Time Break

"Okay, everyone, good job!" Frohling laughed his ass off happily as he went into the podcast with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. "We managed to steal one goal against Frankfurt, and we also managed to hold it until the end of the game! This is definitely way better than in the last couple of games!"

Everyone applauded, and the players who had just come back couldn’t help but grin while they high-fived each other before going back to their own seats.

The atmosphere was quite joyous there, as their head coach was always someone who wore his emotions on his sleeves. When the team was down or playing badly, he would shout at everyone straight in the face without hesitation, but when the team was in the lead, he would always be the first one to congratulate them, showing his enthusiasm toward everything.

This was definitely a head coach that everyone was willing to follow, as he would definitely think about the team first before anything else.

Then, the head coach started to praise everyone individually, from how Mark Uth was always there to put pressure on the frontline even without receiving any good ball, Fabian’s goal, Morita’s crazy performance, and even the defensive line who managed to survive the whole ordeal unscratched.

This session turned into one where Frohling flattered the whole team, and while some was a little bit exaggerating, this affirmation was enough to make everyone had their eyes beaming in pride. It was always good to receive such an acknowledgement, especially from the head coach himself.

Of course, some people would disagree with the assessment, especially when the team itself didn’t play that well in the first half.

Oh, well... Screw it! It wasn’t some people, just one person sulking in the corner of the locker room. Of course, that person was none other than Higo himself, as the goalkeeper just felt the corner of his lips twitch speechlessly as he heard the mumbo-jumbo assessment about the defensive line’s performance.

’Fuck, if that kind of a performance is enough to impress Sensei, how low is his standard right now? Without me, they would’ve already conceded two or three goals, for God’s sake!’ He grumbled inwardly.

It was quite an arrogant statement, something that Higo would never say out loud, especially in front of his teammates. Still, there was some truth in his grumpiness, as the team lost focus a lot of times in the first half, and it took sheer luck and him cleaning up the mess to prevent a goal from happening for Frankfurt.

Honestly, Higo didn’t know when the luck would be over. After all, Frankfurt’s offense was somehow so close to the intensity that Bayern showed in the past, and if that was the reference that Higo used, he was so sure that sooner or later, everything would crumble if the defense didn’t get fixed.

’Oh, well, that would be the head coach’s problem to think of. I don’t want to care about it right now.’ Higo sighed, leaning his body back against the bench while also wiping the sweat on his face with a towel.

Meanwhile, the same relaxed atmosphere couldn’t be said to be shared in Frankfurt’s locker room. No, their head coach, Adi Hutter, was furious, lashing out at anyone else that he saw not playing well.

"How in the fuck is it possible that you are down against a fucking Schalke?!" The man roared. "I can accept anyone else, even the bottom team of the table, but Schalke?! The worst offensive team in the league?! Are you kidding me?! Defense, do you think that your training is not intense enough that you want additional punishment here?!"

The defensive line, being led by the team’s captain, David Abraham, had their faces pale instantly at that threat. They knew that the coach was not a man who liked to throw an empty threat, and if he really wanted to, the physical portion of the training session in the next month could be doubled up without any hesitation.

"You too, Hasebe!" The man turned his glare to probably the most senior player in the current squad. "You know from the disallowed goal that they were going to target the moment when you rushed forward to attack, and yet you still allowed them to do that?! How many times do I have to tell you, always talk to Djibril! He is your junior and is reckless in his movements, it is your task to guide him, for fuck’s sake! This is not something I have to tell you how to do it!"

Makoto Hasebe just kept quiet right now. However, it was clear that he was unwilling to get blamed like this. After all, he also had his own duty to hold the ball when the team was in offensive mode, and it wasn’t his fault that the opponent took advantage of the loophole in the scheme.

Of course, he would never dare to say that out loud. When the head coach was in this mode, it was always better to nod and accept everything, knowing that saying anything else would only make things worse not just for himself, but also for the whole team.

Then, the head coach turned his target again, and this time, all the offensive line tensed for a moment, getting ready for another severe scolding. However, what they were waiting for didn’t happen, and if anything, the head coach’s gaze softened in that exact second.

’Forget it... You are fighting against a freak goalkeeper, so just try your best to find your luck later...’

Well, that was definitely an unreliable suggestion, one that should never come out of the head coach’s mouth. Still, this was enough to give those involved in this matter a chance to let out a relieved sigh, knowing that they could live for another day.

Of course, they all knew that it wouldn’t last that long. If somehow, they failed to breach onto Schalke’s goal and even the score, the anger would be back, and that was when the worst-scenario possible would descend.

’Now, though... What should we do to prevent that?’