THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

There were a total of twenty-eight Rosenborg players attending training that day. They couldn't all play at once in a single 11-vs-11 game session. So, the assistant coach left six of them, including Zachary, on the bench. They would only get the chance to join in on the action after the squad rotation slated to happen fifteen minutes later.

Zachary wasn't displeased in the slightest on hearing that he wouldn't be in either of the starting line-ups. He could use the break in training to rest and regain his strength while observing the goings-on on the green. That would help him be more prepared when it was his turn to join the game.

So, he stood on the sidelines and chugged down some water as he observed the players taking their positions on the field. He noticed that the coaches had divided the squad in an imbalanced way. The most probable starting eleven were all in green, while the second-stringers were in red bibs.

Zachary could easily guess the coaches' intent. It seemed they had organized the scrimmage match with the sole purpose of improving the teamwork of the first-stringers who were in green bibs. On the other hand, the second-stringers in red bibs 'simply' served as the perfect whetting stones for them. The coaches were only using them to sharpen the starting squad, which would play the friendly against Malmo in Sweden the following day.

On making that realization, Zachary was even more delighted to be on the bench instead of being part of the red team. He hadn't joined Rosenborg to become the whetting stone for others. His only wish was for the coaches to give him a chance to showcase his talent in an official game.

As long as he could play in an official match for thirty minutes, he was sure he could convince the coaches to keep him in the squad. With his A-graded passing skills, game intelligence, and tactical awareness, he knew that he could easily rival any other midfielder on the Rosenborg starting eleven. All he needed was a chance to prove himself, and he hoped it would come sooner rather than later. That way, he could kick start his professional career in the best way possible.

Zachary watched from the sidelines as Nicki Nielson, Rosenborg's newly recruited number-9 from Villarreal, took his position over the ball in the center circle. There was no trace of the laxity or playfulness about his persona that had been present when Zachary had met him earlier that morning. Zachary could tell he was carefully assessing the situation all over the field as he awaited the referee's whistle.

His opinion of the forward increased right away.

*FWEEEEEEE*

At 11:15 AM, Trond Henriksen, Rosenborg's assistant coach, blew his whistle. The scrimmage match started immediately with the green team's kick-off.

Nicki Nielson raised his leg and hammered the ball back into his half—towards Mix Diskerud in the left midfield.

Mix Diskerud, one of Rosenborg's first-stringers in a green bib, controlled the ball perfectly and passed it back to the defense with his second touch. Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's newly appointed captain, received it just outside the 18-yard box. He quickly flicked it to Per Rönning, his counterpart in the central defense. The latter didn't hold on to it for more than a few seconds. He sent it towards the touchline where Mikael Dorsin was waiting with a simple—but precise pass.

By then, the opponents, dressed in red bibs, were already high-pressing the green team and cutting down their passing options. If it were some amateur squad of players, they would have lost the ball since they were limited to only two touches.

That meant that even before a player received the ball, he would have to make himself some yards of space first by running into open space—away from his opponents. Then, he would have to control the ball while judging where to pass it with his subsequent touch.

The player had to complete the whole process seamlessly in a matter of seconds—so that he wouldn't get caught on the back foot by an opponent who could be lurking nearby. That was a tall order for anyone to achieve if he didn't possess high-level ball control, in-game risk analysis, and spatial awareness.

However, the team in green bibs wasn't just any ordinary squad. They were the most probable starting eleven of Rosenborg for the new season. All the experienced players like Mikael Dorsin, Mike Jensen, Tore Reginiussen, and Tobias Mikkelsen were on their side.

So, they passed the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, with seamless one-two touches. They managed to dominate the red team comprising the second-stringers without much effort. They even bore down on the red team's goal on several occasions and unleashed several shots on target. However, the skillful goalkeeping of Daniel Örlund, the red team's number-1, kept the score at 0:0.

"Ole and Fredrik, don't let them pass the ball freely in the midfield," Zachary heard Coach Trond Henriksen yelling at the midfielders in red bibs.

"The objective of the exercise is to hone our passing and positioning capabilities when under pressure. If you don't press them, the workout will turn out to be pointless. So, run at them as if your life depends on it. Don't give them any breathing space and try to win the ball back as quickly as possible." He roared at the top of his voice in-between gasps of breath.

On hearing the assistant coach yelling, the players in red bibs upped their game and focused their attention on pressing the green team. Ole Selnæs and Fredrik Midtsjö, the central midfielders, worked harder than everyone else, trying their best to dispossess the green team. Thanks to their efforts, they managed to force Mix Diskerud, the green team's attacking midfielder, to take more than two touches on the ball, thereby incurring a foul.

*FWEEEEEEE*

The assistant coach blew his whistle, and the ball turned over to the red team. Fredrik Midtsjö re-started the game with a back pass to Daniel Örlund, the red team's goalkeeper.

Daniel Örlund controlled the ball well in his box before passing it down the wing towards Jörgen Skjelvik, the left-back. The latter kicked it towards Ole Selnæs in the defensive midfield after skipping past Nicki Nielson, the green team's center forward.

The team in red had finally gained their first spell of possession in the game.

For the next few minutes, they played confidently with short but precise quick passes, trying to find their way through the green team's highly agile 4-3-3 formation. It seemed the boys in red bibs would be the ones dictating the tempo of the game for a while.

However, the pressing of the players in green came at them with an intensity befitting their statuses as the first-stringers before they could even make a single shot on target. They tightly marked the players in red and limited their passing options. They didn't give the red team players any breather until they forced them to play the ball high and long towards John Chibuike, the red team's center forward.

However, John Chibuike, the striker from Nigeria, failed to get at the end of Ole's defense-splitting pass. Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's captain, out-jumped him and headed the ball back into the midfield. Mike Jensen, the highly tactical defensive midfielder, chested the ball down in midfield before unleashing a grounded through pass towards the right-wing with his second touch.

With that single pass, Mike Jensen had managed to catch his opponents unawares.

Tobias Mikkelsen, the green team's forward on the right flank, received the ball in the wing, skipping past Jörgen Skjelvik, the red team's left-back, with a deft initial touch. He then played a one-two with Nicki Nielson, the center forward, advancing towards the red team's box like the wind.

Brede Moe, the red team's center back, hurriedly closed them down. But the two forwards were too speedy for him. Without any surprise, they skipped past him with their short and precise quick passes. They managed to step into the red team's box in a matter of seconds.

Zachary could only sigh as he watched Nicki Nielson receive a return ball inside the box. Without losing his composure, he immediately fired a first-time shot into the bottom left corner. 1:0.

The green team had managed to obtain the first goal in the scrimmage match. It wasn't that the red team wasn't trying. However, the green team comprising of the first-stringers was much better.

*FWEEEEEEE*

Trond Henriksen blew his whistle once again, drawing the attention of all players on the pitch.

"Okay, okay," he yelled, "that was some fine play from the boys in green. However, the boys in red should have done better to stop the goal. So, as usual, the red boys should go down and give us 20 press-ups." He clapped his hands for emphasis.

All the players and trainers on the pitch laughed at that. And without any complaints, the red team members started doing press-ups as the penalty for conceding the goal. When they finished, the assistant coach nodded before calling for a squad rotation since the fifteen minutes had almost elapsed.

Zachary quickly tightened his laces and pulled up his stockings over his shin guards before jogging into the field—towards the assistant coach. He hoped to join the green side, composed of the most skilled players on the Rosenborg squad. In such a team, he would easily showcase his superior passing skills and impress the coaching staff.

However, Trond Henriksen, the assistant coach, shattered his hopes in the next moment. "Zachary, pick up a red bib from Fredrick," he intoned, his tone overbearing. "For the next fifteen minutes, you'll play right midfield. Make sure you do your best to press when your team doesn't have the ball. No resting is allowed on the pitch. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," Zachary replied, trying his best to hide his disappointment. He wasn't happy about being included in the red team, which seemed like the whetting stone for the starting eleven.

However, Zachary couldn't defy the coach's orders since he was still a nobody who had just joined the team. So, he silently swallowed down his displeasure and picked up the red bib from the heavily worn-out Fredrik Midtsjö.

Zachary then took up his position on the pitch along Ole Selnæs and Borek Dockal in the red team's three-man-midfield. Since he had failed to join the stronger side, he would try his best to showcase his individual ability even against the starting eleven. That way, he would surely obtain the ticket to join the squad heading to Sweden the following day.