Football singularity-Chapter 411 Gli Azzurri

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[28/05/2019, DFB Camp, Bydgoszcz, 20:15]

"They’re not just fast—they’re smart," Baum emphasized. "Italy will test your patience. If you dive in recklessly, they will punish you. So, keep your shape, and don’t let them pull you out of position."

The German coach let the clip run for another few minutes before finally pausing the footage on the match’s final goal—Italy’s late winner in stoppage time. "This is where they thrive," Baum pointed at the screen. "They’re relentless. Even in the dying minutes, they keep pushing for a goal. That’s the mentality they bring, and we have to match it."

The room remained silent as the players absorbed every detail. Italy had quality all over the pitch, and after their opening win against Mexico, they were brimming with confidence. Baum turned back to the players letting them take in the information, as he folded his arms. "Now, let’s talk about our approach."

He nodded toward Rakim. "Rakim, you’ll be playing on the left this time. You saw how Mexico struggled to penetrate Italy’s defence? That’s because their fullbacks don’t push forward recklessly. You won’t get as much space as you did against Japan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t break them down."

Rakim leaned forward nodding in response as he pulled back his Titan-hood slightly. "So, I’ll have to draw them out, force them into uncomfortable positions?" he asked wanting to make sure that his conjecture was aligned with what the coach had imagined.

Baum nodded. "Exactly. If you isolate their fullback, you can create space for Wirtz or Malik to exploit in the half-spaces. Italy will double-team you, so your movement off the ball is just as important as when you’re on it."

Rakim tapped his fingers against the table as he processed the information before dotting down notes in his notebook. He wasn’t writing down what the coach was saying but was actually writing down the movements of the Italian defence and midfield in different situations on the pitch. The way they would quickly contract their formation whenever a Mexican winger had the ball and subtly encircle him by blocking passing lanes.

The midfield battle was even tougher as the strong Italian midfielders are liable to treat you like English defenders. They would quickly get physical and use their defensive instincts to wrestle the ball away. If you are too fast for them, they are liable to hit, you with a few tough tackles that will teach you to fear them.

A great example came in the form of Diego Lainez Mexico’s electrifying dribbler and arguably their biggest talent in recent years. Since he played for LaLiga side Real Betis he managed to develop his quick feet, boosting his creativity and ability to take on defenders one-on-one. With such a player Mexico should have had a better attacking game but at the start of the second half he was hit with a few tough hits.

The midfielders were smart enough to swap out who would tackle him and in doing so only one of them received a yellow card. They had already achieved their purpose though as Diego’s fangs had been curbed. While Rakim was deep in thought Coach Baum had moved on and gave instructions to a few other players in different positions.

"As for our pressing structure," Baum continued, "we are not sitting back. Mexico gave them too much respect. We’re Germany—we play on the front foot. That means pressing from the first whistle, making them uncomfortable. We force turnovers high up the pitch and transition quickly." A low murmur of agreement spread through the room.

This was their identity—aggressive, high-intensity possession football. Baum clapped his hands together. "Final thoughts?"

Luca Unbehaun, the captain and goalkeeper, was the first to speak. "If they attack in numbers, we need to be aware of late runs into the box. Their midfielders are not fast but are deadly from long-range, they arrive late to finish off plays."

Baum nodded approvingly. "Good observation. Communication will be key. Our attacking midfielder when tracking back will have to hold it and look to intercept that cut back or at least pressure the shooter."

Bella-Kotchap cracked his knuckles. "I’ll make sure Kean doesn’t get comfortable. If he wants to hold up play, he’ll have to fight for it." A few players chuckled at Armel’s confidence, but there was no doubt that his physicality would be a crucial factor.

Finally, Wirtz spoke up. "Mexico didn’t exploit the spaces behind their midfield as much as they could have. If we move the ball quickly enough, we can find openings before they settle into their shape." Baum smile. "That’s exactly what I want to hear. We play smart football, attack with intelligence, and most importantly we play to win."

~~~

[28/05/2019, Private Lounge, Bydgoszcz, 20:30]

Rakim found himself relaxing on one of the many couches alongside Wirtz and some of the other boys. Some of them were playing a game of billiards using 10 euros as a buy-in price as they played for fun. Most of them weren’t millionaires given their age and the fact they were still trying to break into their respective first teams, but they did all right for themselves.

Many of these players had been paid to play football since the age of 16, and some were even younger, with youth contracts at the age of 10. So now that they were all on professional contracts, the buy-in price of 10 euros was almost negligible. They could pay more, but the coaches quickly told them that gambling in the camp wasn’t allowed, and most importantly, they did it for fun.

They didn’t just bet on money though some put goal celebrations on the line, others used dares which is the reason that Bella-Kotchap found his braids dyed blonde. Rakim gave up on these games after realising that other than when playing darts he was a sheep ready for slaughter. He could give these people so many shoutouts without his followers asking if he was crazy. Some of his followers even started asking if he was hacked after he posted a story with Niklas Tauer calling the most handsome teammate in team DFB.

"Yo, Rakim, look, these are the standings after the first match day," Wirtz told him as he handed him his phone—something Rakim personally wouldn’t do, even if you threatened to cut his hand off. It’s not that he had something to hide, but it was a dangerous precedent. Plus, other than his family, no one else should be on his phone to begin with. Pushing that aside, he looked at the FIFA page decorated in Polish font, which showcased the first-day results.

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Group A:

1) Colombia U-20, W: 1, D0, L0, GF: 2, GA: 0, GD: 2, Pts: 3

2) Senegal U-20, W: 1, D0, L0, GF: 3, GA: 0, GD: 3, Pts: 3

3) Poland U-20, W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 0, GA: 2, GD: -2, Pts: 0

4) Tahiti U-20. W:0, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 0, GA: 3, GD: -3, Pts: 0

Group B:

1) Italy U-20, W: 2, D:0, L:0, GF: 2, GA: 1, GD: +1, Pts: 3

2) Germany U-20, W: 0, D: 1, L: 0, GF: 2, GA: 2, GD: 0, Pts: 1

3) Japan U-20, W: 0, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 2, GA: 2, GD: 0, Pts: 1

4) Mexico U-20. W: 0, D:0, L: 1, GF: 1, GA: 2, GD: -1, Pts: 0

Group C:

1) New Zealand U-20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 5, GA: 0, GD: +5, Pts: 3

2) Uruguay U-20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 3, GA: 1, GD: +2, Pts: 3

3) Norway U-20, W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 1, GA: 3, GD: -3, Pts: 0

4) Honduras U-20. W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 0, GA: 5, GD: -5, Pts: 0

Group D:

1) Nigeria U20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 4, GA: 0, GD: +4, Pts: 3

2) England U-20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 2, GA: 1, GD: +1, Pts: 3

3) USA U-20, W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 1, GA: 2, GD: -1, Pts: 0

4) Qatar U-20. W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 0, GA: 0, GD: -4, Pts: 0

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Group E:

1) France U-20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 2, GA: 0, GD: +2, Pts: 3

2) Mali U-20, W: 0, D: 1, L: 0, GF: 1, GA: 1, GD: 0, Pts: 1

3) Panama U-20, W: 0, D: 1, L: 0, GF: 1, GA: 1, GD: 0, Pts: 1

4) Saudi Arabia U-20. W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 0, GA: 2, GD: -2, Pts: 0

Group F:

1) Argentina U-20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 5, GA: 2, GD: +3, Pts: 3

2) Portugal U-20, W: 1, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 1, GA: 0, GD: 1, Pts: 3

3) South Korea U-20, W: 0, D: 0, L: 0, GF: 0, GA: 0, GD: 0, Pts: 0

4) South Africa U-20. W: 0, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 2, GA: 5, GD: -3, Pts: 0

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"If this was Germany and we had lost the first game against a team like Columbia, we would hear the end of it," Kevin said, having obviously also seen the first phase of the tournament’s standings. They had been in Poland for six days now, and for three days after their match, despite Poland’s loss, there wasn’t any criticism of them in the newspaper.

"Well, who told us to play for a football powerhouse where winning is considered a standard?" Lenn stated with a bitter smile remembering how some news outlets back home dared to write articles doubting their abilities after a draw. He also caught some starts for not scoring a goal as the team striker, however, it was Rakim catching the most since many believed he could have done more given the hype.

"Sigh just don’t lose to Italy tomorrow or pigs will fly and the media back home will take a page out of the BBC’s book," Youssoufa remarked from the side with a light chuckle but no one took this as a joke realising that tomorrow was a must-win match if they wanted to retain their mental health.

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To Be Continued...