Chapter 15: The coach's determination
The next day, Lucas woke up early in the morning.
After having breakfast, he grabbed the football and hopped on his bicycle to head to the training base.
Werder Bremen's training base was conveniently located near the Weser Stadium, a prominent landmark in the city of Bremen.
Therefore, even as a newcomer, Lucas didn't have trouble finding his way to the field.
Since the team was on vacation, the club operated on a reduced schedule as well.
Uncle Graves, the security guard at the base, was surprised to see players showing up for training at this time.
"Hey, young man, are you really one of our players?" he asked, giving Lucas an appraising look.
Graves hadn't seen him with the team before, and Lucas wasn't wearing a Werder Bremen jersey, which made his identity seem suspicious.
"If you're genuine, you can call the club's management to confirm—Mr. Essien, Mr. Allofs. If you have the club chairman, Mr. Klaus Fisbry's phone number, you can reach out to him too."
Lucas remained calm at the gate of the base, unfazed by the security guard's questioning.
Impressed by Lucas' composed demeanor and the fact that he mentioned several names from the club's management, Graves began to believe him.
However, Germans tend to be more methodical, and Graves wanted to do his proper job as guard.
He decided to call the club manager, Allofs, to verify Lucas' identity.
Allofs had only met Lucas the previous day, so he was quite surprised to receive Graves' call informing him that Lucas had come for extra practice.
Curious, Allofs personally drove to the training base to meet Lucas and bring him inside.
"Over there is the training ground for the youth team, and here is the training ground for the senior team.
The locker room is located here, and..."
After introducing the various facilities at the training base, Allofs paused and spoke earnestly:
"It's great that you're taking the initiative to train more, but remember to be mindful of your training workload.
Don't overexert yourself and risk getting injured. You're still young, and there's plenty of time ahead. Don't worry!"
Although he wasn't overly optimistic about Lucas flawlessly adapting to Werder Bremen's tactical system, Allofs appreciated and admired hardworking players like him.
Especially when a player is still very young, they can resist the temptation of the colorful world outside the court, remain focused, consolidate their foundation, and work hard to improve their skills.
This is a highly commendable quality.
Lucas nodded. After some interaction, he found Allofs easy to get along with.
It can be observed that Aloffs has an attachment to the club.
However, judging from his preoccupied appearance, the rumors of his desire to leave may also be true.
Before Lucas time-traveled if he remembers correctly, Allofs departed Werder Bremen in 2013.
During that season, Werder Bremen barely avoided relegation until the last game.
Perhaps the poor results were the primary reason for his determination to leave.
In other words, if the team's performance improves this season, Allofs may choose to stay.
However, this matters little to Lucas.
He has come here on loan to play football for a year. Once the loan contract expires next year, he will most likely depart.
By that time, whether Allofs and head coach Thomas will stay or leave will have minimal impact on him.
...
For a period of time afterward, Lucas went to the club daily for step-by-step training.
The training mainly consisted of ball-related exercises and drills without the ball, which are standard routines for professional players.
At the beginning, the training load was light to prevent injuries.
Gradually, as his physical condition adjusted, the training load increased.
Once the training load reached a certain level, he stabilized and no longer continued to increase.
Considering his age, he is in a critical stage of physical development, and excessive training could cause irreversible damage to his body.
Whenever Lucas trained, Allofs would quietly observe from the sidelines for a while.
A week later, there was another person standing on the sidelines.
Lucas didn't know this person, but seeing that he was familiar with Aloffs, he speculated about the individual's identity.
The two didn't disrupt Lucas's training; they only came over occasionally to watch and exchange a few words.
"Thomas, what do you think of him?"
Allofs had been observing Lucas for two weeks, and he had gained a deep understanding of Lucas's technical abilities.
This young player possesses solid skills, delicate footwork, and a remarkable spirit.
In Lucas, Allofs saw shades of both Xavi Iniesta and even Messi at the same time.
It appeared that he had combined the strengths of these three individuals, showcasing both organizational and finishing skills.
Being a product of La Masia, he truly stood out as a gem!
Unfortunately, due to the lack of actual match experience to validate his judgment, Allofs was uncertain about the accuracy of his assessment.
That's why he invited his friend and partner, the club's head coach, Thomas Schaaf, to watch Lucas's training session together.
Schaaf stared at Lucas for a long time and then quietly replied:
"The skills are very impressive, but he is still too young."
Football boasts numerous potential new stars, but only a few manage to truly shine in the end.
Take the Golden Boy Award, for example.
To win the Golden Boy Award, players must have received unanimous recognition for their performances during the period when they received the award.
However, their future careers are not always smooth sailing, and many end up falling short, earning them the label of "super big money importers."
For instance, Anderson, the European golden boy whom Manchester United bought at a high price, failed to make an impact at the club, resulting in criticism of the €20 million signing.
Anderson joined Manchester United at the age of 19, whereas Lucas is only 16 years old this year.
The risk of betting on Lucas is likely greater than Ferguson's bet on Anderson.
Allofs clearly disagreed with this statement, saying:
"I don't believe we should dismiss the opponent's strength simply because of his youth.
Don't forget, you hold the record for Werder Bremen's youngest appearance.
If the previous coach had also dismissed young players like you, would you have been able to stand out?"
"Schaaf, you have changed. You've become conservative. Is it the team's poor record that has made you lose your previous calm and confidence?"
Thomas Schaaf fell into silence upon hearing his friend's words, and he couldn't help but ponder: Had he truly changed?
The club had still been in the championship group of the league three seasons ago, but it suddenly collapsed before last season, falling directly out of top 10 and got 13th position in league table.
The situation further deteriorated last season, with the team nearly facing relegation.
This summer, 14 players, including the starting goalkeeper Wiese, departed from the club, with half of them being key players.
Under such circumstances, the pressure for relegation in the upcoming season was unprecedented, and Schaaf couldn't afford any mistakes.
Perhaps it was under this immense pressure that he had become conservative.
"You're right. I shouldn't be so conservative!"
"With our current lineup, regardless of how conservative we are, there is no guarantee that we will be able to avoid relegation.
In this scenario, we might as well give it a shot!"
(End of the chapter)
Did u know Messi and Rooney also won golden boy award, but who was the first winner?
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