Chapter 947: Preparation for the Next Match!

Well, once the countdown was over, it didn’t take long before Higo fell asleep. The last couple of days had been quite draining for him, so it was a good thing to have a little rest here.

The next morning, he was back with fresh energy, going straight to the training ground even an hour earlier than the schedule. During that time, he could enjoy the empty gym, warming up his body with a little bit of physical conditioning.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the other players.

They all came one by one so close to the exact time when the training session began, with some even coming late by ten to twenty minutes.

More than that, one common thing that could be seen here was the dark bags under their eyes, as if they had just spent the whole night staying awake.

Hell, some people didn’t even bother to hide their tipsiness, still walking staggeringly into the training ground. It was clear that they were having a blast last night, not caring about the coach’s warning.

Of course, Frohling was furious when he saw this scene. It was as if they were just a bunch of amateurs who didn’t know how to take care of their bodies, not a group of professionals who were paid to do that.

Still, in the end, he just let out a deep sigh, unable to bring his anger to the surface.

’Am I being too soft with them?’ He murmured, starting to question himself.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have any time to dwell on it. No, soon enough, the man gathered all the players in the tactical meeting room, wanting to make sure that everyone knew what to do in the next game.

Well, they went into the room carrying the heavy atmosphere, and it became more visible once all of them were finally in, as so many chairs were empty inside.

After all, some of the benchwarmers got their holiday early, straight on New Year’s Eve, which was pretty unfair if Frohling asked them about this.

In the end, the coach pretended that everything was fine here, focusing more on starting the meeting as quickly as possible.

"Okay, I don’t need to explain this matter from the start. I am sure you guys still remember our usual formation, right?"

None of the players were surprised by his words. After all, they managed to win the last two games with their basic 4-3-3 formation, so there was no need to change something that had been working well for them.

Frohling circled the defensive territory with a marker.

"The four players on the defensive line remain unchanged. Benjy, Malick, Sead, and Rudy, we are counting on you. Positioning and defensive habits remain as usual; no need for special adjustments here."

The marker tip moved upward, highlighting one name on the midfield.

"Morita, I need you to shift a little bit further, getting close to the frontline. They will drop back and wait for us to knock on their iron door, so we will need someone to breach through every little space that they open to get a goal."

"Sure, Sensei. Leave it to me." The boy nodded firmly; the usual playfulness didn’t appear on his face.

"As for Nabil and Omar, your task is simple. Dictate the tempo and handle the transition well to kill their momentum! Especially when the ball goes to Ellyes Skhiri. If he is in an open position and could stare into our defensive territory freely, I will allow you to foul him, okay?!"

Those two also gave a nod while staring at Ellyes Skhiri, probably the most dangerous player from FC K?ln this season.

"Fab, Beni, I will need you both to be more flexible. Don’t just hog the line and rely on a cross. Sometimes, mix well into the half-spaces, give room for Sead and Rudy to penetrate, and add more numbers into the box. Try to distract the defenders from Hoppe, let him run amok in the box!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Also..." The coach paused, seeming to hesitate even for a second. In the end, though, he finally gritted his teeth, finally making a decision.

"For the first ten minutes of the first and second half, follow Hoppe’s lead to press the opponent in their own territory. Try to suffocate them to death. Counter-press immediately once you lose the ball. Try to get the tempo as high as possible in that period, create a big chaos to get a quick goal and snatch the momentum instantly!"

Well, if before the instruction was still quite ordinary, this time, everyone couldn’t help but be taken aback.

After all, the team always went for a low-block defense, dropping back instantly once they lost possession. This was also what made them so tough to beat, helping the team maintain their status as the best defensive unit in the league.

More than that, they had also never tried the high-pressure scenario in the training session, and experimenting with it straight in the game would be a suicidal move for Frohling.

If they took off that tactical approach, even if it was just for twenty minutes, no one knew what kind of chaos it would bring to the team, so the best way would be for them to try to play their usual game.

Still, it seemed that the man had already made his decision. It seemed that the success the team achieved in scoring three goals against Hoffenheim in the last game was enough to convince him that this scheme might work, so the players just had to accept it.

"Lastly, I want to add one more message here." He took a deep breath, turning the atmosphere into a solemn one.

The players also tensed immediately, wondering if there would be another strange instruction for them.

"We are currently in a two-game winning streak, and we managed to end the year with a victory. So, let’s start the new year by continuing our momentum! Let’s get three points for the new year’s gift to our supporters!"