Chapter 122: Starting XI Practice
Monday, August 2, 2010
It was a hot, humid August morning at Crawley.
Niels arrived at dawn parking his sputtering pickup by the training ground's rusty gate. He felt a mix of nerves and focus the new season was just days away.
Today's plan was an intense 11v11 match simulation to get the squad ready for the pace of League One. With Pogba and Freeman starting to settle in, this session would help Niels finalize his starting lineup.
He looked down at his worn clipboard. He had sketched out a 4-2-3-1 formation, circling Pogba and Freeman's names to anchor the midfield.
While those two would control the tempo, he needed the rest of the squad Max's leadership, Thiago's skill, and Dev's unpredictability to make the system actually work.
But it was about more than just tactics. Niels needed to see how they played as a unit. He walked onto the pitch as the players laced up their boots and staff laid out cones.
