Chapter 14: Homestay

Chapter 14: Homestay

Klaus Fischer was an experienced veteran in the field, and he could tell that Guardiola valued Luis and recognized his abilities.

He believed that someone like Guardiola, given his character, wouldn't lie.

So, Luis's abilities should indeed be good, but being good in skills didn't necessarily mean being the right fit.

Werder Bremen's poor performance was primarily due to their focus on offense.

Coach Thomas Schaaf's 442 formation involved both fullbacks pushing up during attacks, and even the center-backs would join in the offense.

This resulted in an overload of players in the front, leaving the defense vulnerable.

Once the opponents countered, it was easy to break through their defense, leading to one-on-one situations.

In the previous Bundesliga season, Werder Bremen had the highest number of one-on-one situations against them.

This wasn't something praiseworthy!

To address this issue, Werder Bremen needed a powerful defensive midfielder who excelled in interceptions.

Ideally, someone like Claude Makélélé or Patrick Vieira, of course, which was impossible as players of that caliber wouldn't join Werder Bremen.

Therefore, they had to search for suitable candidates among young players from top clubs and bring them in on loan.

As a result, Barcelona provided them with a playmaking defensive midfielder, leaving the Werder Bremen staff perplexed about how to proceed.

With De Bruyne already on loan from Chelsea, their midfield was organized, and the defensive midfielder could focus on defense, requiring minimal participation in attacks.

Thus, Klaus and others felt that Luis might struggle to integrate into Werder Bremen's tactical system.

Hence, Klaus didn't bring up Luis's tactical status or playing time after joining Werder Bremen, avoiding matters related to the team's tactics.

He simply assured Guardiola that the club would take care of Luis, putting their minds at ease.

Being a financially constrained mid-sized club, Werder Bremen often needed to rely on loaned players to carry the load. If they tarnished the team's reputation, it might hinder future collaborations.

Hence, Guardiola had full faith in Klaus's assurance.

Consequently, he discussed the issue of Luis's accommodation arrangements with the club.

The club presented two options: the first was for Luis to live with the club's young players.

The second was to have him stay with a die-hard fan family associated with the club.

Respecting Luis's choice, Guardiola agreed to the second option.

So, Klaus had the sports director, Essien, drive them to the host family near the stadium.

The family consisted of a couple in their late thirties or early forties.

The husband's name was Wilhelm Viktor, a local beer distributor.

The wife's name was Anna Viktor, a civil servant working at the city hall.

This was a typical upper-middle-class family in Germany. Their combined annual income was around 100,000 euros, which was decent, and they had a certain social standing.

The couple had a pair of fair-haired, blue-eyed adorable children. Their daughter, Angel, was 12 years old, around the same age as Guardiola's eldest daughter. Their son, Grenny, was 10 years old and still in elementary school.

This family of four were devout Werder Bremen fans. They almost never missed a home game and attended together as a family.

The couple's age was close to Guardiola's, and given Luis's current status as a Werder Bremen player, both sides immediately hit it off. Guardiola and Serra were very satisfied with this host family.

Before parting ways, Guardiola warmly handed over a football with his own autograph to Grenny.

The Wilhelm family, on the other hand, presented Guardiola with a barrel of their cherished pure grain beer.

In order to quickly adapt to the team, Luis chose not to go skiing with Guardiola and the others in Switzerland. Instead, he decided to stay in Bremen and conduct his training before the team's official training began.

The intensity of youth team matches differs significantly from Bundesliga matches. If he approached Bundesliga matches with a youth team mentality, he would undoubtedly struggle.

Therefore, there was much for him to work on before the league started.

This included improving his physical conditioning to ensure he had sufficient stamina to handle the intensity of Bundesliga matches.

Furthermore, he needed to enhance his ability to withstand physical challenges, preventing him from being easily knocked down.

Additionally, he planned to review match footage from the team's past seasons, studying their tactical strategies to better integrate into the team's playing style.

The concerns of Klaus were not a major worry for Luis.

Although he had played as a defensive midfielder in Barcelona's youth team, after acquiring attributes similar to peak Messi, he could play in various positions.

This included winger, shadow striker, attacking midfielder, and even occasionally as a striker.

Of course, he could still perform well as an organizing defensive midfielder, returning to his original position.

Lionel Messi, in his later years at Paris Saint-Germain, played mostly in a playmaker role.

Hence, Luis's role wouldn't conflict with De Bruyne's. De Bruyne could handle the playmaking responsibilities, and Luis could focus on providing the final touch.

If De Bruyne was tactically restricted by opponents, Luis could easily take on the role of supporting the attacking buildup and even play as a dual attacking midfielder.

Of course, Luis didn't have the final say. What he needed to do was prove to the head coach that he was capable of playing these roles.

The host family's residence was located very close to the team's training ground, less than 2 kilometers away.

Being underage, Luis wasn't able to drive yet, and the short distance didn't warrant a car anyway.

So, he spent 200 euros to purchase a bicycle, which would serve as his transportation to and from training.

That evening, Anna prepared a sumptuous dinner to welcome Luis.

"Luis, don't feel restrained here. Treat this place as your own home," Anna said warmly.

She poured Luis a glass of juice, as he was underage and couldn't have alcohol.

Moreover, for professional athletes, consuming alcohol was considered inappropriate behavior, as it could affect their performance.

"Thank you, Mrs. Anna!" Luis politely thanked her and accepted the juice.

Wilhelm poured himself a glass of beer and continued the conversation:

"At Werder Bremen, we've always been very accommodating to young players. Our team captain, Fritz, is a decent guy. With him around, you won't be bullied."

Wilhelm's expression dimmed slightly as he continued:

"Unfortunately, that guy, Wiese, left."

The person referred to as Wiese by Wilhelm was Tim Wiese, the starting goalkeeper for Werder Bremen last season.

He was hailed as Kahn's successor and was a spirited and passionate goalkeeper with a strong personality.

Such individuals often become a team's spiritual leader, a role that Wiese played for Werder Bremen.

Wiese's outstanding skills, combined with his long-standing commitment to Werder Bremen, earned him a special place in the hearts of fans.

His departure left many fans feeling regretful.

Wilhelm realized his emotions were affecting the mood, so he changed the subject. He raised his glass and offered a toast to Luis:

"Luis, here's to you firmly establishing yourself in the team and becoming our pride!"