My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 83: Time to go polish the diamond

Rio watched as Manager Farke walked off towards his office, letting a smirk creep onto the corner of his lips.

He enjoyed seeing the expressions of his manager, especially when he did something that was unexpected or shocking like benching his star player for a "tactical masterclass." In his previous life simulations, Farke was known for his stubbornness, rarely changing his winning formula.

However, since Rio started intervening, he had seen more tactical flexibility in this past month than he had in the entire season he knew beforehand.

Of course, there was an expression that he didn’t want to see again...

Just remembering the look of resignation on Farke’s face after they failed to get promoted in the "bad timeline" was enough to turn his mood sour.

Rio shook his head; thankfully history would not repeat itself.

"Time to go polish the diamond."

Since the conversation with the Boss hadn’t lasted long, the players were still making their way to the showers to scrub off the Yorkshire mud. Rio’s eyes surveyed the troops, looking for a certain teenager.

His eyes narrowed as he caught a figure crouching behind the kit hampers, trying to go by unnoticed while texting on his phone.

"You think you can escape from me?" Rio almost laughed aloud, seeing the actions of Archie.

He moved towards the group and plucked out the wonderkid who had been trying to escape to the cafeteria.

"O-Oh hi Rio. I was just... checking the lunch menu." He said, although his facial expression screamed ’guilty’.

"Mhmm sure you were. It’s time to start your extra recovery session."

Unbeknownst to Rio, a wicked grin formed on his face, scaring the already anxious midfielder in his grip.

Archie felt warm tears of boredom fall down his face for the second time that day; however, unfortunately for him, it wouldn’t be the last time today.

Rio arrived home a couple of hours later, feeling some tightness in his quads. He had never done that many resistance band exercises consecutively with Archie, which meant his muscles would be feeling it for the first few days.

Thankfully, due to his Galactico Mindset skill, there wouldn’t be too many issues recovering from the strenuous activity.

"I’m home."

"Welcome home, El Capitán."

Rio breathed out a sigh of relief. Leo was back to his old self, despite the burnt toast incident earlier that morning.

Since he had stayed late at Thorp Arch to torment Archie, he told his brother of the new arrangement via text so he wouldn’t worry.

"That’s fine. Just go have a shower quickly so we can eat. You smell like a locker room." Leo said, shooing his smelly brother away from the kitchen counter.

Rio obliged, heading straight for the bathroom. He would need to start taking extra cologne to training, since even he had trouble smelling his own hard work.

’I hope the kid got home alright.’

As Rio got under the hot shower, his thoughts moved to Archie who had completed the stretching routine under his watchful eye. He had needed to bark out orders while holding the resistance bands at the same time.

Now that he thought about it, he probably looked pretty intimidating, shirtless and sweating, bossing the poor seventeen-year-old around like a drill sergeant.

Remembering the sight of his friend almost passed out on the yoga mat after the session, a smile couldn’t help but form on his face. As long as he kept up with it, he could see that Archie would have tangible durability improvements by the end of the month.

’Maybe I can try using the Tactical Blueprint function on Dan James?’ Rio mused as the water hit his back.

However, he didn’t have much hope in that regard. The System had already hinted that James’s decision-making was... chaotic at best.

They also had the game coming up in four days against Arsenal at the Emirates. Of course, since it was the FA Cup, it meant that the whole world would be watching.

[Chat Room Active]

The_King: You wash away the sweat, but you cannot wash away the hunger. Arsenal are soft. They play pretty football, but they do not like to bleed.

Total_Football_14: Rest is also a weapon, Rio. Your manager is wise to bench you. Let the game open up, then strike when the spaces appear.

Zizou_5: And use conditioner. A star must look good for the cameras.

Rio chuckled, turning off the tap. "Conditioner. Got it, Zizou."

While Rio was drying off, Leo picked up his phone which was ringing on the coffee table.

"Hello, Lance residence." He answered in Spanish.

"Hi Leo, it’s me."

"Mateo! Hermano! I’m so glad to hear from you."

Leo’s face lit up as he heard the voice of Rio’s childhood friend, Mateo Joseph. He quickly chastised him for not calling ever since he got his loan move to Arsenal’s U21s (and subsequently the first team bench), however, he wasn’t that upset since he knew life in London was busy.

They’d also received a call from his agent to let them know how Mateo was settling in a month earlier.

After some apologies, the two caught up.

"Ah, Rio is just in the shower, I’ll go get him for you. He will be so excited," Leo said, getting up from the sofa.

"No, it’s fine. I just called to talk to you, Leo." Mateo replied, his tone clearly flatter than before.

"Oh... Okay then."

"I’ve gotta go get some treatment and head to bed. We’ve got a tactical session with Arteta tomorrow."

Leo frowned, feeling as if something was off. However, he still said his goodbyes and urged him to visit Leeds soon so they didn’t get lonely.

Almost the same moment Mateo hung up, Rio waltzed out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and smelling of expensive conditioner. The first thing he saw was a worried expression on his brother’s face as he looked at him.

"What is it?" He asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Mateo called. But he said he didn’t want to talk to you."

As a brother and manager, it was painful to hear that the two best friends didn’t want to talk to each other. Especially since he didn’t know the reason.

Rio frowned for a moment, trying to figure out why. A few moments later his face changed to one of understanding, a smirk forming on the corner of his lips.

"Heh. Don’t worry Leo. Since we’re facing each other in the Cup now, he thinks we have become fated rivals."

Rio’s tone was dramatic as he whisked away his wet hair from his face with flair, mimicking a telenovela actor.

"He is scared that if he talks to me, I will get inside his head. He knows I know his weakness."

"Weakness?" Leo asked.

"He can’t handle the trash talk," Rio grinned. "He’s too nice."

His brother merely stood there, staring at him unblinkingly.

’Oh god, why is he so much like our father...’ His hand instinctively crept up to his face as he performed a facepalm.

The silence between them was broken by the sound of Rio’s grumbling stomach, pulling him back to reality.

"Umm, is dinner ready? I’m starving."

"It’s pasta," Leo sighed, walking to the kitchen. "And if you complain about the sauce, you’re sleeping outside."

"I love pasta!" Rio shouted, following him.

As he ate, Rio’s mind drifted to the Emirates Stadium.

"Just you wait, Mateo," Rio whispered into his fork. "I’m coming to ruin your day."