Football singularity-Chapter 362 Poke The Bear

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Oliver’s composed demeanour cracked slightly, his jaw tightening as he straightened in his chair. "You think I fumbled Rakim?" His voice dropped, cold and cutting. "I made Rakim what he is. I pulled him out of obscurity that is the US and put him in the spotlight. Before me all they said about him was his descent for a player from the US now they call him a genius. That was all me, ME don’t you forget that!"

"Without me, you’d still be languishing in England trying to catch the attention of some feeder team or academy so show some respect!" he continued now staring dangerously into the eyes of Mateo daring him to refute his words.

The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the air conditioner. Matteo’s glare met Oliver’s icy stare, neither willing to back down. Matteo’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the table, while Oliver’s perfectly polished shoe tapped an impatient rhythm against the tiled floor.

Matteo broke the silence, his voice low but seething with frustration. "Respect? You want respect? Respect is earned, Oliver. I came to Spain to play football, not sit around waiting for your ’long-term strategy’ to pay off. Maybe you should’ve stayed focused on me instead of spending all your energy turning Rakim into your golden boy."

Oliver’s jaw tightened further, but his expression remained composed. "You think I’m not focused on you? Every call I make, and every connection I leverage is to position you for success. But this isn’t a fairy tale, Matteo. Football doesn’t work like that. You don’t just skip the line because you’re impatient."

Matteo laughed bitterly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "You know what I don’t care just get me playing time, you always brag about what a good agent you are so get it done. If you can’t I’ll find someone who can and I won’t participate in whatever convoluted strategy you have with Nike until my needs are met,"

Oliver rose slowly, his movements deliberate, his expression unflinching. "Fine, I’ll get it done but don’t go crying to me when you fall on your face. I’ll be the first to drop you if you don’t perform." The middle-aged agent stated with a stern look as he made his exit looking as elegant as ever. However, if Matteo were able to hear his chaotic thoughts, he would have run for his life regretting ever signing with this man.

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[Saturday 24/08/2019, Merkur Spiel-arena, Location: Düsseldorf]

"Wow that’s like twice as many fans as in the last match," I said out loud as I took a second to look at the stands of the Spiel-arena that were now filling up. The atmosphere was already heating up for this north-western derby of Germany. The arena could fill a total of 54,600 people around 25,000 more than our home arena despite us being the more successful team.

It wasn’t odd to get my head around tho after finding out that the stadium was a multipurpose one. The owners would host concerts, wrestling shows and all sorts of entertainment events in the off-season or whenever Fortuna Düsseldorf wasn’t playing at home. If you think about it felt like the investors didn’t believe in the team from the get-go when they built the stadium.

’I wouldn’t be surprised if they earn more money the sooner the team gets kicked out of competitions, opening up timeslots for other avenues,’ I thought to myself as I watched some of the Düsseldorf fans waving their team’s flags with passion.

"Yo Florida, come. It’s time to go in. Coach will start growing hair if we keep him waiting," Wendell exclaimed from the sidelines with a bright smile, chuckling at his own joke, completely ignoring the fact that Bosz was standing a few yards behind him.

Coach Bosz, however, didn’t look amused. His sharp eyes were fixed on Wendell, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, but there was a flicker of amusement hiding beneath his otherwise stern expression. He was already used to this Brazilian defender’s antics who seemed to find one or more outlets for all that energy he is carrying.

"Cut the jokes, Wendell," Bosz said in his usual calm but firm tone. "Get in the changing rooms or you can join me on the bench" Wendell gave a mock salute, before I joined him and the rest of our team, heading down the tunnel towards the away locker room.

The hum of the crowd faded into muffled echoes as we entered the tunnel. The concrete walls filled with Düsseldorf portraits and murals gave a rather rich sense of history. None of this mattered to Wendell though as he was still grinning, not at all feeling the pressure of the North Germany derby we are about to play.

"You nervous, Florida?" he asked, as he proceeded to place an arm around my neck just as we entered the locker room.

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"Not a chance, plus I’m sitting on the bench, so maybe you should be more nervous so I can get to play," I replied half joking and half serious hoping that the game is balanced enough that I get some playing time.

Wendell let out a loud laugh, drawing the attention of a few teammates already lacing up their boots. "Man, you’ve got jokes today, Florida. But don’t get too comfy on that bench. You never know when Bosz might throw you in. These games can get crazy fast."

"Just wait—I’ll score a banger and dedicate it to you, yeah?" he stated with a bright smile. "Sure," I shot back, rolling my eyes. "I’ll make sure the bench has a good view just don’t mess up your highlight reel won’t survive it." I shrugged off his arm and found the spot that the team’s staff had prepared for me changing directly into the match jersey.

The smell of liniment and freshly laundered kits mixed with the faint tang of sweat already hanging in the air. Today we donned our black away though I won’t get to show mine off unless I actually get subbed on. Looking around me the team buzzed with energy the team buzzed with energy, the loud ones were hyping each other up with jokes and playful shoves.

While the more serious ones did their best to get into go mode as they listened to music taking a moment to focus on the moment. Cleats scraped against the tiled floor as players adjusted their gear. Coach Bosz entered soon after, his presence commanding an instant shift in the atmosphere.

"Alright, settle down," he called, his voice cutting through the chatter. He placed a folder on the table in the centre of the room and opened it, revealing the lineup and tactical board. On it was the positional play that he had announced a day earlier in training with different priorities to watch out for.

"This is a big one, boys. Not just because it’s a derby, but because it sets the tone for the rest of the season. We put on a shaky performance against Paderborn last week and this is the perfect stage to give not only the fans but everyone in the Leverkusen organisation some needed belief in this season. Now, listen up."

The room fell silent except for the occasional creak of chairs as players leaned in. Bosz pointed to the board where he had already marked out Düsseldorf’s formation. "They’re lining up in a 4-4-2," he began, his tone steady. "Compact, disciplined, and dangerous on the counterattack. That means we’ll have to stay sharp defensively, especially in transitions. Their wingers are quick, and their forwards don’t need many chances to convert."

He paused, looking around the room. "We’re taking a more cautious 4-1-4-1 formation Control the midfield, meet them head-on, overload the flanks, and stretch their backline." He continued going through the pre-match tactics going into more detail with some of the players giving them advice on what he wanted them to watch out for. "Wendell, I want you overlapping with Bailey on the left use some of that energy you have on the field."

Bosz clapped his hands after giving the final instructions to some more defenders who would need to be extra focused on the counter today. "Right. Gear up. We hit the pitch in five." There wasn’t a loud cheer, but everyone was pumped for the match knowing exactly what was at stake, but they simply acted like the professional they were.

As the players dispersed to make final adjustments, Wendell nudged me with a grin. "You hear that, Florida? Coach said you’re important, well he said everyone but you everyone right? Maybe they’ll even let you take a corner if we’re five-nil up."

[Ding mission: ’Poke the Bear’ Successfully Triggered]

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To Be Continued...