Stat Man

Nigel Chapman was a simple man.

He was the kind of footballer that is also a big stats nerd. He loves to look at and analyze the numbers of the game. He lives by the creed, 'stats don't lie.'

He keeps a firm belief that knowing the opponents' stats and tendencies give him a ridiculous unseen advantage against anyone. So he spends most of his time in the video room watching tape, to study how his opponents move, and learn how to improve himself and his team most efficiently.

This was why he's anticipating the match up with Blaise Atkinson. His belief is that this guy is one of the best in the division, and has shown why he is one of the best even with the small sample size. Nigel watched his games a couple of times on loop, so he's quite sure that this guy is the anchor, the leader, the pivot of the blade.

Even just by going with the simplest measurement— goals and assists, he can see it clear…

He's so looking forward to scrap with him.

At least that's what he felt before the game began...

Now, Nigel found himself in the dirt, after being juked to the ground by the one man he wanted to fight with the most, Blaise Atkinson. He felt aggrieved.

This is just the start of the game and I'm already on the ground? Why are you so aggressive right out of the gate, Atkinson!

Blaise only did a simple misdirection with the ball on his feet while trying to work his way up the field against the backtracking Nigel. He can't deny the fact that he's basically a cheat code since he knows most if not all of this guy's tendencies. Well, he's a reincarnator so that's probably his biggest cheat yet.

He also knew Nigel's biggest weakness in his youth, which was very apparent until he started fixing it by bulking up.

He's got underwhelming balance.

So… he's gonna abuse it until he's satisfied!

'Sorry man, I don't wanna do this…' After sending his old acquaintance reeling in the grass, Blaise burst forth with some pace. Once again, he's playing the advanced central attacking midfielder role that he's getting used mostly at this level. He didn't even look to his left, right, or forward, as he looked dead set to take this goal for his own.

He tried hitting from beyond 25 yards out…

But the goalkeeper sends the ball clanging onto the woodwork for a corner kick.

Phew…

Nigel, realizing he got lucky that Blaise didn't score that screamer, sighed in relief.

It was only a quarter of an hour in, but Nigel was already regretting the fact that he didn't study this person more. What troubled him the most was the fact that Blaise had apparently locked onto his weakness in just a short span of time! He can't be that good!

I don't believe it!

Sheffield, spearheaded by Blaise, upped the tempo even more. They held the initiative, as expected of a home side, right from the get go.

A quick string of forward passes sent the ball into the Nottingham final third and into the foot of Blaise. He kept on looking out for Nigel, as he knows that he's the only person right now that can change the flow of the game.

As per usual, the man on his left was Cameron, and on his right wing was Terry. The two were clearly locked in and focused on the task at hand.

Yet contrary to what the Nottingham defense thought, Blaise lobbed the ball forward instead of diagonally to the wing. At the end of it after breaking through the defense, was the academy player Callum Rowe, who's surprisingly been given the first start of his career this early in the season.

The diminutive youngster was ecstatic at the chance given to him by the manager. So he'll do whatever it takes to repay his trust.

He will never win an aerial battle with his size, so he used his electric pace and a wonderful chest control to send the ball to his foot without stopping. With his pace, he's already one on one with the keeper once he has taken the ball in stride.

He then launched a powerful shot that caught the keeper, who was already sliding in to try and take the ball from him, off guard. The keeper can do nothing more than raise his hands in the general direction of the ball, and pray it hit him.

It did.

Yet the small teenager in front of him jumped in delight.

The keeper didn't even have the energy to ask what's going on, when he saw the entire team carrying the young man up and patting him in the back.

The debutant Callum Rowe scored! It's 1-0!

The deflection of the keeper didn't affect the shot very much, as it's course was altered but it still went to the left side of the goal.

This was another weakness of the stat geek Nigel. He believed that stats don't lie, but how can stats lie when there's no data or stat on the person!

Nigel felt like he'd been duped. How did this debutant slip his mind!

Meanwhile, Callum was grinning ear to ear. 17 minutes into his under 18 debut, he's already off the mark for Sheffield. He can't thank the manager for the chance, and Blaise for the beautiful ball over the top.

He can't wait to write the beautiful things that happened to him in his journal later on.

***

"Fuck this! I didn't know that that tiny new boy was some sort of a secret weapon!" With his foot on top of the ball at the center circle, Nigel fumed. "I thought he's just a random replacement!"

"Stats lie, dimwit." His other teammate right beside him was laughing. "Just admit it!"

"It doesn't lie! There's no stats to look at to begin with!" The stat junkie fumed again.

"Well, at least there is one now." For a brief moment, the duo in the center circle exuded a killing instinct that was not supposed to be felt in a football pitch. "I guess it's our time now, don't you think?"

"Let's show them our stats also don't lie."

The game was still young, and yet, the passion on both teams' eyes burned hotter than it ever had.