Around 8 PM, Jordi returned to his room to find his roommate had arrived. The boy was fair-skinned and thin, with an unattended crop of dark brown hair on top. Much to Jordi's amusement, the boy was invested in the match he was watching on his phone and did not notice Jordi enter behind him.
Jordi leaned over and tapped him on his shoulder. The boy jumped in surprise, his headphones falling off in the process.
"Spurs and Arsenal, hunh? It was a good game."
The boy had still not collected himself. His shyness disguised any other feeling or thought. Jordi, however, had not made small talk. Instead, he wanted to discuss football, something the boy could go on about for hours.
"Yes. Dembele and Alli were amazing."
Jordi, sitting opposite the boy on his own bed, looked up in surprise, "Really? I didn't expect you to focus on Dembele."
"I play in the midfield, so I naturally look over to that space when I am watching a game. Dembele did not let Arsenal play once."
"He put in a shift! Every buildup Arsenal constructed, Dembele would be there to disrupt the spaces," Jordi was excited now.
"Heh, he took over the central zones with Dier. I don't even know what Arsenal could've done to win there. Maybe the wings? Or, or he could've gone more direct."
"Pochettino kept the fullbacks behind to protect the wings throughout the game. Ozil should've attacked the spaces as Alli did. At the same time, though, Alli did not have Dembele to go against."
"Ramsey and Xhaka needed to do better in finding Ozil. Ozil is a different profile to Alli."
"He can attack spaces, though. He used to do it with Madrid."
The conversation between the two kindred spirits went on for many hours. Finally, around midnight, they could no longer hold out and decided to sleep. As Jordi was about to doze off, he heard the boy's voice.
"What's your name?"
"Jordi… You?"
"Pedri."
…
The training camp started after breakfast the next morning. The atmosphere was queer and charged. The squad of 18 was fragmented into cliques and individuals. Many newcomers arrived, bringing with them their curiosities and anxieties. Jordi was stoic in appearance but affected by the energy in the field. He looked to Balde, Fermin, and Gavi, all three of whom were uncharacteristically quiet. Perdi stood alone, a bit further from the group, his nerves displayed in his terrified expression.
Thankfully, the warm-up began soon after. Jordi and the La Masia kids were familiar with the rondos and exercises that settled them in. For most of the rounds, roommates were paired together. Jordi was quite gratified to find Pedri in front of him.
Coach Gordo could not help but intermittently check on Pedri and Jordi's duo. He was amazed at the chemistry between the two boys. Without a word spoken, they understood each other. The understanding was instinctual, not deliberate. This was a connection forged over years on the same pitch.
…
A week of camp had gone by, and Jordi was settling into a routine. After the morning sessions, Jordi would sleep for an hour, then call Estel and his mother. If he were lucky, Teresa would be up during that time to talk to him as well. In the afternoon, Coach Gordo would either arrange a tactical session or the second training of the day.
The players were free in the evenings and could leave the premises. Every day, Jordi left for the city. In the first few days, Gavi joined him, but refused to come after he realized that they would just be going for a run in a different area of the capital each day. Pedri, however, appreciated Jordi's idea and accompanied him in discovering the many parts of Madrid hidden from locals and visitors alike.
Jordi and Fermin would join Balde and Gavi in their room at night to play Mario Kart. Well, Jordi would only play a game or two because he was abysmal at it. Still, Balde loved to drag him back to the console to avenge his Chess losses. Finally, Jordi would return to his room to watch football with Pedri. Their discussions, at times heated, at times mild, but always impassioned, would continue till the next day.
More recently, they discussed a new aspect that Jordi was incorporating into his game. On the third day of camp, Coach Gordo and Assistant Coach Javi called Jordi in to introduce this idea to him.
"Jordi, your vision and your technique are unlike anything I've seen. You play the pivot role more than perfectly. However, I see your explosiveness and acceleration in training. Most importantly, your stamina is something else, boy. It would be a shame not to use that."
Coach Gordo turned towards his assistant coach after finishing. Javi pulled his seat closer to Jordi and tilted the iPad in his hand. He then played a video loaded in the library. The first clip was of N'Golo Kanté running wide to intercept a long pass.
"With the national team, at all levels, we often lack defensive solidity because of our midfield profiles. So, we think giving you the entire width of the pitch to move without the ball would unlock another dimension to the team. Here, have a look at these clips of Kante and Lahm."
The video contained actions of Kante and Lahm out of possession. In defensive scenarios, Kante and Lahm would cover the horizontal space to wherever they predicted the ball would go. When the team had possession, they would drift wide to make themselves available and form triangles. Jordi looked back at the coaches after the 13-minute video ended.
"Jordi, Kante and Lahm are modern examples of a role known as the 'Carrilero'," Coach Gordo spoke up. "Originally, a Carrilero was the exact adjacent of the box-to-box midfielder. So, instead of covering the length of the pitch as a B2B, a carrilero would cover the width."
Jordi nodded along to convey his comprehension. Once Coach Gordo was satisfied, he continued, "You don't have to change anything in how you play. It is perfect as it is. However, consider this aspect an additional trait to add to your positional play when you play for Spain. Over here, we will allow you the freedom to move as you want."
The discussion went on longer than the coaches expected. Jordi asked many questions, some Coach Gordo could answer, some he could only shamelessly defer to his assistant coach.
…
Ever since the meeting, Jordi spent his days researching the Carrilero role. Even the afternoon jog was cut short. The Mario Kart sessions were avoided altogether. Pedri was the only witness to the hours of tape on Kante, Lahm, Gündogan, and Matuidi that Jordi watched.
Pedri was a dedicated student of the game, more so than any other of his age. However, this was an entirely different level. Jordi's obsession with football bordered on the insane. He was a mad scientist lost in his research; his novels were his lab notes. Pedri was both awestruck and fearful of his friend in this state.