Imminent Change II

Is this what watching a game is like? Kai couldn't help but question everything that he has ever heard of. Compared to what his friends had ever told him; the atmosphere of the crowds, the passionate players duelling on the battlefield, the hot-blooded intensity of the match. Isn't this a bit lacklustre?

Kai was certain the Lorient fans make even more noise than the Le Havre faithful. What is this? If an ignorant person visited the Stade Oceane, they would think this is the home stadium of FC Lorient! But the situation gets more miserable on the pitch.

Due to the abrupt firing of Nobilo and the sudden appointment of Marley as manager. The timing of Marley being hired and the match against FC Lorient had only 2 days in between. There was little to implement his own footballing philosophies on the Le Havre first team. Marley spent his shorts days evaluating the squad and deciding what to do.

In truth, the moment that Marley knew the promotion was coming, he had spent his time familiarising himself with the players as well as understanding their opponent. Don't even mention the tactics, Marley hadn't touched the tactics in the slightest, and thus the team still played the same brand of football installed by his predecessor.

Kai couldn't help but feel more frustrated. This wasn't what he had expected. How were they supposed to win with a team without any real strategy?

Marley sighed to himself. The attitude of the players wasn't what he expected. It was as if they had already accepted their fate and were ready to take the embarrassment. However, he could not show weakness in front of the FC Lorient players. The truth of the matter is that in football, it is all a game.

What made matters worse, was that he wasn't in charge of the team. He was merely the figurehead of the coaching staff. A coach should never make tactical changes as it takes all of the brainpower to do so. However, something inside of him wanted to be the man in charge.

All he knew is that if he was to make tactical changes, his potential candidates are, without question, a waste of money. The 2 recruits have no true footballing experience. This is a strange situation to be in as neither of them can rely on the other to make any last-minute genius saves!

What anyone could observe was how the Le Havre team deployed themselves. What Nobilo had decided to do was to set his team up in a conservative, no-nonsense, 3-5-2-ish lineup. Looking at the players on the field, most of which Marley had decided to play were the first team regulars that Nobilo trusted to play week in and week out. The starting 11 was a weird mix, most of the players are on the wrong side of their 20s, and Marley was more than certain the first-team regulars would no doubt be one of Ligue 1's oldest squad.

But Marley could understand why Nobilo decided to inflate the team with experience rather than youth. The Le Havre academy prospect isn't up to scratch, though there are boundless amounts of youth players that could do a job in the first team, their fragile mental state would be fatal as the club is struggling in a relegation battle. The youngsters would not blossom in such a high-pressure environment, and Nobilo chose experienced players with plenty of resolve to fight it out of the pitch.

The Le Havre set-up had a simple purpose. To sit in front of their goal and defend, defend, defend. And when win the ball, they play traditional English long ball and boot it up for the strikers to, hopefully, score a goal. The problem was that, from the statistical reports, the Le Havre side has the 3rd worse defence at Ligue 1 level, and the Le Havre midfield is the 5th worst midfield in the league. This team just does not know to stop the opponent from passing the ball outside their box.

Marley shook his head. It was a frustrating game, where the opposition won 2 corners, one of which their goalkeeper was responsible for kicking off the pitch, whilst his team hardly ventured into the opposition's half. When someone forced the issue, the Le Havre defenders looked shaky, but they still fought to keep the ball away from the goal

Marley could not help but be proud of his boys. They put up an impressive defensive showing. FC Lorient had no real chance to create a scoring chance, which is something you would expect from the already Ligue 1-low-scoring team. Le Havre certainly put

themselves out of their misery in the end, as the closest the visitors came to scoring was a hopeful effort from Kévin Gameiro that bounced wide off the post.

The Le Havre scoreline read 0-0 in the 30th minute of the game. Whilst it may not have been the most convincing performance, Le Havre should be content with such a result. If they keep up the scoreline until the final whistle, points would be on the table for the relegation candidates. And this would mark Marley as an excellent opinion as Nobilo only secured 1 measly point during his last 5 games as manager.

Marley has his work cut out for him. He kept up his facade on the touchline, motivating the players on the pitch as he aimed to inspire them to the fullest. There were times he questioned the effects of his antics, and he doubted if the players were listening to him at all. But the pot-bellied man kept this concern within himself as he carried on his actions.

The atmosphere within stadiums is always menacing, given that players and managers are always in close proximity to one another. The dugout is only meters away from the nearest stands where the fans would sit. It wouldn't be rare to see people in the stands have an occasional chatter with the players sitting on the bench.

However, Kai wouldn't label the interactions between players and the fans as "chatter", but more "insults" and "insults". Nevertheless, the abuse could be heard, and it would make some diehard supporters, perhaps even the players themselves, feel uneasy.

A drink splattered beside the dugout and the contents of the drink spilled on the floor. Kai noticed it, a fan threw his drink at the players. His heart was enraged, shouldn't fans be supporting their own club? Should they be doing such actions to the players and the staff?

Kai couldn't remain still any longer. His legs ached anyway as he wanted to teach those fans a lesson. But before he can even stand up, he was pulled back to his seat by the person sitting beside him.

"Lanier. Let me go. Those fans have lost their heads!"

Lanier shook his head. "No. They're just irritated at the club, the performance, and the players."

But Kai could not be pacified. He looked at the fans again, and he felt the adrenaline rush through his body.

"Ignore them, Kai."

Lanier looked at the fans again. Kai felt his body buckle. "What should I do, Lanier?"

"Kai, I don't want you to get involved with them. They don't mean any harm by throwing the drinks."

Kai felt his heart sink.

"Leave it be."

Lanier placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"The best way to silence them is not with words, but by actions."

Kai took Lanier's hand off his shoulder.

~~~

Against Le Havre's 3-5-2, FC Lorient decided to play their own style, wishing to impose their brand of football in Stade Oceane. The away team also played in a 3-5-2 lineup, albeit in a possession-oriented style as Christian Gourcuff, the Lorient Manager, wanted to dominate the ball and patiently break down the Le Havre defence. So far, chances are hard to come by for the visiting team, and Christophe Revault, the Le Havre goalkeeper, looked comfortable in goal as all the challenges sent his way were nothing more but pot shots from range.

Marley felt his heart stable as he gazed at the veteran goalkeeper. Christophe Revault has been a goalkeeper developed in their acclaimed academy, though the player has certainly made an impact in his early career as he rose up the Le Havre ranks before becoming the starting keeper in the first team, it wasn't long before his sights settled elsewhere as he moved to teams competing in the top division of french football. After gaining years of experience as an experienced shot-stopper, playing for plenty of French clubs in the process, his age eventually caught up with him as he fell out of favour in his last club. Le Havre took this opportunity as they took the club-trained player back where he started, though Revault is no longer a young juvenile, but a veteran with plenty of experience. But age is only a number, as experience gives something else that youngsters don't have: leadership.

The 36yr old keeper is a fiery presence in goal, always demanding the best from the players as he made his displeasures well known. The captain's armband that was on his sleeve wasn't just for show, as he galvanised the defensive presence of Maxime Baca(Right CB), Nicolas Gillet(Center CB), and Massamba Sambou(Left CB).

Kai eyed the 3 defenders that were deployed in this match, they were a mix of experience and energy from the defensive trio and the coach can understand why they were regulars in the starting line-up.

The three defenders each had a different mix. Nicolas Gillet is the oldest of the trio, even if he is on the wrong side of 30, there is a calming presence in the towering centre back that expertly prevents any dangers. Maxime Baca, on the other hand, is the most adventurous of the three, having been seen going forward to try long ranged passes in hopes of connecting with the striker. At last, we have Massamba Lo Sambou, who is the youngest of the defensive trio. The calm, cold demeanour of the young defender masked his attacking drive which he displays at times. There was an occasion earlier in the season where the defender discretely stepped on the hand of an opposition striker, and so was the character of this cold-hearted man.