Training [1]

In elite football clubs, football training is done every day under the supervision of the club's coach. The only exception was if after a big game, the coach gave his players time out to recover or a bonus day out.

On his first day training as a football player of Enyimba FC, apart from simply training, Sam also took time out to check out his teammates.

Coach Yemi Daniel already took charge of the team for a time, and of course, he had a preferred starting lineup in place.

These set of 11 players were the players that Sam had his eyes on.

And Sam didn't just set his eyes on them, of course, he also used his system's snooping tool on them to know how thick the competition here was and to have an idea of the overall level of his teammates.

Typically lining his team up in a 4-3-3 formation which allowed him to balance his team's attack and defense, this was Coach Yemi Daniel's starting 11.

~----~

[You have made use of Snooping Tool!]

[Goalkeeper:]

[Player Name: Olorunleke Ojo]

Player Position: Goalkeeper

Overall Rating: 70

…

[Defenders:]

[Player Name: Timothy Danladi]

Player Position: Center Back

Overall Rating: 68

…

[Player Name: Adekunle Adeleke]

Player Position: Center Back

Overall Rating: 67

…

[Player Name: Sadiq Abubakar]

Player Position: Right Back

Overall Rating: 62

…

[Player Name: Ezekiel Bassey]

Player Position: Left Back

Overall Rating: 65

…

[Midfielders:]

[Player Name: Austin Oladapo]

Player Position: Central Midfielder

Overall Rating: 72

[Special Title: Captain]

…

[Player Name: Cyril Olisema]

Player Position: Attacking Midfielder

Overall Rating: 69

…

[Player Name: Farouk Mohammed]

Player Position: Defensive Midfielder

Overall Rating: 65

…

[Forwards:]

[Player Name: Emeka Obioma]

Player Position: Center Forward

Overall Rating: 71

…

[Player Name: Chijioke Mbaoma]

Player Position: Left Winger

Overall Rating: 71

…

[Player Name: Victor Mbaoma]

Player Position: Right Winger

Overall Rating: 69

~----~

By getting most of the information of his teammates presented to him on a platter of gold, without even playing with them yet to build chemistry, Sam already had a good understanding of their gameplay and how to best integrate with them.

The system truly was a cheat code to him.

With the snooping tool, he was able to tell the best player of this team immediately. Austin Oladapo, the central midfielder who was also the captain of the team was the best player of Enyimba FC with an overall rating of 72.

'I need to befriend him,' Sam thought. 'I can learn from him'. He stared at the 26-year-old with yearning in his eyes, envying how much playing experience he had.

Well, Sam did not just come here to observe his teammates with his system's snooping tool though. More importantly, he came here to play football.

Another factor that made him feel motivated at this moment was that after observing his rival through the snooping tool, he was suddenly more confident of displacing Cyril Olisema to take his spot in the starting 11.

Coach Yemi Daniel took it slow at first, starting the training with light drills to get the players in the flow.

They went through passing drills, agility drills, and jogging before they finally lined up on the pitch of the stadium, setting up 11 to 11 on both sides.

Unlike Coach James during his training game, Coach Yemi Daniel didn't put all his best players in one side though. Instead, he drew a lot to determine the players that would be in either team A or team B.

And as luck would have it, Sam got his chance to impress as his lot put him in team B where he faced against his rival, Olisema in team A.

This was his chance to show what he was capable of.

It was even easier for him to showcase his talent on his first day of training since the lot favored team B, putting the better players here, including the captain.

Sam scored a goal, chipping in with 2 assists as he put in a great display during his first training match with his teammates.

After the game, Coach Yemi Daniel approached him to personally commend him, while also finding the time to critic aspects of his game.

"You played well, Sam. I'm surprised, I expected to see you in good shape but not this good, you're in perfect shape. I give you points for that".

"Like usual, your stamina showed on the pitch but I couldn't help but notice something, your pace seemed to have increased".

"I see someone's putting the work in the gym, right?"

Sam grinned. "I now have a job, the club is paying me, I will do my best to repay your faith".

Coach Yemi Daniel nodded. "But your game is not yet perfect. At times, on the pitch, your inexperience shines through a lot".

"You are too eager to drive forward and create something with the ball that you risk losing the ball in dangerous situations too many times".

"In a real game, that can easily cost your team".

"Your dribbling is ok, but not at that elite level to take such risks consistently. You have talent, but don't let it get to your head, you're still a rookie".

"Take risks, but remember to play like a rookie, trust your teammates more".

"Though I'd have to say I was impressed by your passing". This coach finally smiled again. "For a player of your age, your reading of the game is already elite".

"You have the vision to spot runs and the technique to throw passes already, we just need to shore it up a bit and you'd be an elite player in no time".

"You have a lot of potential Sam, but don't let it get to your head, work hard".

With that, the coach finally left to attend to more players.

They had a few minutes to rest before training commenced again. After another intense training drill, this one mostly in the gym, Coach Yemi Daniel finally dismissed his players for the day.

Before Sam left to the guest house to his apartment, Coach Daniel reminded him of something. "Don't forget about tomorrow, your unveiling".

"Oh". Sam said; ironically, he already forgot about his unveiling.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.