My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 297 - 286: The Grind Begins I

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex, Zingonia

8:14 AM

The training ground opens under gray skies and the clouds sit low enough that the tree line at the edge of the complex disappears into the haze, while the air holds the dampness of early morning without rain actually falling.

Players arrive in waves through the main gates and cars pull into the lot in ones and twos before engines cut and doors open and bags are lifted from trunks, and by twenty past eight the lot is half full while figures move across the tarmac toward the main building entrance.

Ederson walks through the gates with his bag over one shoulder and his stride is even without the slight adjustment he carried last week when the hamstring was still being managed, and when he reaches the entrance Hateboer is standing just inside and nods once without speaking before holding the door.

Inside the main building the team sheet is posted on the board near the corridor that leads to the locker rooms, and the fixture details are printed cleanly across the top.

MONZA VS ATALANTA (AWAY) SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2023 U-POWER STADIUM 15:00 KICKOFF

Below it in smaller text a note reads: MILAN VS LAZIO — SATURDAY, MAY 3 — 18:00. Beside that in handwriting someone has added: Atalanta 5th (67 pts) / Milan 4th (68 pts) / +1 point.

Players passing the board slow briefly to read it before continuing down the corridor, and nobody stops to discuss what’s written because the numbers speak clearly enough without needing conversation to reinforce them.

Centro Bortolotti — Video Room 9:02 AM

Gasperini stands at the front of the video room with the screen behind him already loaded with footage, and the squad fills the rows of chairs without instruction because the routine on training days before away fixtures is automatic and everyone knows what nine AM on a Sunday four days before a match means.

The lights dim and the first clip begins playing.

Monza’s defensive shape appears on screen — their 3-5-2 formation sitting compact with wingbacks tucked in and the three center-backs staying narrow while space exists on the flanks but only when the ball is on the opposite side, and Gasperini doesn’t speak over the footage while it runs for twenty seconds before he pauses it.

"They collapse centrally," he says, and his finger taps the screen where the three center-backs have compressed into a fifteen-yard space. "Wingbacks don’t track wide runs if the ball is moving quickly. That’s where space appears."

The clip resumes and shows Monza’s transition from defense to attack — the wingbacks push high immediately while the ball travels forward through their midfield, and Gasperini pauses it again when the wingback has reached the attacking third but the ball hasn’t arrived yet.

"On transitions they commit numbers forward without waiting for support. If the ball is turned over here—" he taps the screen where the wingback is isolated "—this space opens behind them."

He doesn’t elaborate and he doesn’t need to because the tactical point is visible in the freeze-frame, and the clip moves forward again showing the pattern repeating twice more across three separate matches.

The session continues for thirty minutes while Gasperini shows clips of Monza’s set-piece setups and how their defensive line adjusts when pressed high, and his commentary stays minimal throughout — short observations, specific details, no extended explanations — before the screen goes dark and the lights come back up.

"Pitch," he says, and stands aside while the squad rises and files out toward the corridor.

Centro Bortolotti — Main Training Pitch 9:41 AM

The session on the pitch begins with shape work and the coaching staff sets up cones marking Monza’s defensive block in their 3-5-2 while Atalanta’s players take positions in their 3-4-2-1 attacking shape, and the drill is about finding the passing lanes through traffic rather than executing at speed.

Demien slots in beside Ederson during the eleven-versus-eleven phase when the first team plays against the reserves who are organized to replicate Monza’s system, and Ederson’s passing is sharp from the first touch — short balls into feet, longer switches when space opens wide — but his positioning during defensive transitions is still adjusting because three weeks away from match rhythm means the automatic movements that come from repetition need to be rebuilt through volume.

A physio stands near the touchline with a clipboard in hand and his eyes track Ederson’s movement across the pitch while noting minutes played and intensity levels, and after forty minutes the physio makes a mark on the sheet and shows it to one of the assistant coaches who nods once.

The drill continues for another twenty minutes before Gasperini signals the end by raising one hand, and players jog toward the sideline while water bottles are distributed and conversations happen in fragments between breaths.

Monday, May 1, 2023 Centro Bortolotti Training Complex 9:15 AM

Tactical work continues in the video room and this time the focus is Monza’s set-piece setup, with footage broken down frame by frame showing how their defenders position themselves on corners and where the runs develop from, and free kicks in the final third are analyzed with the same detail while Gasperini pauses repeatedly to highlight patterns in movement that repeat across multiple matches.

The session on the pitch that follows is sharper than yesterday’s and the intensity rises as full-speed transitions replace the controlled shape work, and Lookman and Scamacca work combinations down the left side repeatedly — overlaps, one-twos, crosses delivered low toward the near post — while Hateboer does the same on the right with his movement timed to arrive in space behind Monza’s wingback when the ball switches.

Demien receives between the lines during one sequence and turns away from pressure with his first touch before releasing to Koopmeiners who has continued his run forward, and Ederson covers the space behind Demien immediately without needing to be told because his positional awareness has always been instinctive even when match sharpness isn’t at full capacity.

The rhythm is building across the ninety-minute session and players move with purpose rather than caution, and when Gasperini calls the end by blowing his whistle twice everyone jogs toward the sideline with their breathing elevated but controlled while water bottles are passed around.

"Tomorrow is lighter," Gasperini says to no one specifically, and walks toward the main building.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023 Centro Bortolotti — Recovery Room 10:03 AM

Recovery session fills the morning and bikes are lined up along the wall while stretching mats are spread across the floor in the adjacent space, and core work happens in the weight room at reduced intensity because the day is about maintaining readiness without accumulating fatigue before the final preparation day tomorrow.

Screens mounted on the gym walls cycle through sports channels and one shows Sky Sport Italia running their midday Serie A update, and the standings graphic appears while the presenters discuss the title race at the top and the relegation battle at the bottom before transitioning to the Champions League qualification picture.

SERIE A — MATCHDAY 34

Napoli — 34 | 27W | 3D | 4L | 75GF | 28GA | +47GD | 84PTS

Lazio — 34 | 21W | 6D | 7L | 60GF | 35GA | +25GD | 69PTS

Inter — 34 | 21W | 5D | 8L | 68GF | 42GA | +26GD | 68PTS

Milan — 34 | 20W | 8D | 6L | 55GF | 35GA | +20GD | 68PTS

Atalanta — 34 | 19W | 10D | 5L | 78GF | 38GA | +40GD | 67PTS

Roma — 34 | 18W | 9D | 7L | 55GF | 36GA | +19GD | 63PTS

The graphic holds on screen while the commentator’s voice explains the situation: "Milan hold fourth on goal difference over Atalanta, but both teams have difficult fixtures remaining. Milan face Lazio on Saturday evening, while Atalanta travel to Monza on Sunday afternoon. If Milan drop points and Atalanta win, the positions flip."

Demien watches the screen while pedaling on the bike at a steady rhythm and his eyes track the numbers without his expression changing, and when the graphic disappears and transitions to highlights from other matches he continues pedaling at the same controlled pace.