System
On July 20, two weeks after the team's training camp, Werder Bremen faced their first opponent in a warm-up match, Cottbus.
Choosing Cottbus as the first opponent was a deliberate move by Werder Bremen.
Cottbus is a club from the Bundesliga 2 (Lower League than Bundesliga where Bayern play they are also called Bundesliga So I will address them as Bundesliga 2), but they were only briefly promoted and played for two seasons before being quickly relegated due to their weaker strength.
Compared to Werder Bremen, Cottbus is considered to be about half a grade weaker in terms of overall strength.
Playing against them helps boost the confidence of Werder Bremen's young players.
With the departure of several experienced players, the team will heavily relying on these young players for the upcoming season.
However, the young players' mentality may not be as stable, and they are more susceptible to collapses in the middle and late stages of the season.
This phenomenon can be compared to Arsenal, which often starts the season strongly but struggles in the second half.
Therefore, it is important to address the young players' stability as the season progresses.
In addition to building the confidence of the young players, choosing a weaker opponent minimizes the impact on Werder Bremen's defensive line, allowing the team to focus more on offensive strategies and test their attacking capabilities.
For this game, both Lucas and De Bruyne were included in the squad.
The difference is that De Bruyne is in the starting lineup, while Lucas began as a substitute.
Lucas faced this situation with a calm and peaceful attitude, not expecting to secure a starting position immediately upon joining the team.
He acknowledged that his current stamina and physical strength is not sufficient to play the entire game.
Being a substitute offers him an opportunity to come on during the crucial moments of the second half when the opponent's physical condition might have declined, making it easier to make an impact and turn the game in his team's favor.
"De bruyne, come on, play well and I will cheer for you!" Lucas encouraged De Bruyne with a light punch, and De Bruyne shyly nodded in response.
The game kicked off shortly after, with a total of 23,000 spectators present at the Weser Stadium for this friendly match, although more than half of the seats remained empty.
This lack of attendance is not surprising, considering that the team has lost several key players and the friendly match against a lower-level league team may not generate as much excitement among the fans.
After the game started, Werder Bremen quickly gained the control of the ball and choose to attack from the start.
Cottbus chose to retreat to their own half and play defensive counterattack strategy.
This was a pragmatic choice, especially when a weaker team faces a strong opponent.
Rushing out to fight against a stronger team can easily result in being overwhelmed by the opponent's attacks.
"Looks like they've chosen to defend!" Assistant coach Rolf furrowed his brow and nervously remarked.
"Well, it's not unexpected," replied Schaaf calmly, as if he had anticipated the opponent's strategy.
"There are too many defensive players in the opponent's backcourt.
It will be difficult for us to break through in the middle.
Our best option might be to utilize the sidelines, but the effectiveness may not be optimal," expressed another assistant coach, Hernerbach, who was also concerned about breaking through the dense defense.
It's a challenge many teams faced to breaking dense defense worldwide, and he was worried whether the young players on the field would handle this situation well.
"Now let's see if these young lads can withstand the pressure and create opportunities," said Schaaf, sitting on the coach's bench with his hands folded calmly, observing the players' performance on the field.
These upcoming warm-up games are important references for him to determine the starting lineup for the new season.
It's easy to identify the players with strong abilities and outstanding performances during actual matches.
Those who excel will rise, while the mediocre ones will fall.
Werder Bremen will firmly adhere to this principle in the coming season.
Moreover, even if the team struggles to gain an advantage in the game, Schaaf is not worried because he still has an ace up his sleeve, a trump card that hasn't been played yet.
Thinking about this, he turned his head and looked at Lucas, who was sitting on the bench, attentively watching the game.
He eagerly anticipated the surprises that this young talent, who has surpassed countless others on the training ground, would bring in real matches.
On the bench, Lucas seemed focused on observing the game.
However, upon closer observation, one would notice that his gaze was not fixed on the field. Yes, Lucas is distracted.
As soon as the referee blew the whistle to start the game, the dog system, which had been silent for two months, unexpectedly intervened again.
There was no "Ding" sound or sudden release of tasks.
Instead, a perceivable module appeared in front of his eyes.
Curiously, Lucas tried to communicate with his mind to explore the module, and it unfolded in his mind like an operational interface.
..
It appears to be a game like interface, and the protagonist of the game seems to be himself seen as player with a football.
When he tried clicking on the player information column, the displayed information is indeed about himself.
Name: Lucas
Age: 16 years and 153 days
Birthday: February 20, 1996
Nationality: Spanish
Position: To be determined
Club: Barcelona
League: Bundesliga
Appearances: 0
National team appearances: 0
Current template: Messi
...
The first half of the information is not particularly noteworthy, but the last column surprises Lucas.
The concept of the current template is easy to understand, but does the inclusion of this term imply that the templates of other football champions can be replaced in the future?
Lucas sends an inquiry to the system regarding this matter.
[In theory, it is possible, but in practice, it is not very feasible.The previous football champions have retired, their abilities have significantly declined, and they can no longer reach the level of champions. Therefore, their attributes cannot be replicated.]
Well, this aligns with reality, as obtaining the template of a champion is not an easy task!
Lucas is already quite satisfied with having the template of peak Messi.
He decides to explore other features on the operational interface.
Apart from the player information column, there are two other modules: a task module and a system mall.
This system seems quite limited. With only these three features, how can it call itself the Football King system?
Having said that, Lucas curiously clicks on the task module and notices an unread task reminder.
Upon clicking, a system task pops up:
[Task introduction: The path to becoming a Football king is not achieved overnight, just like any other champion. You will have to grow through game after game, constantly playing, challenging tough opponent's, earning game experience and win trophies, and now you are about to take the first step in your career!]
[Task Requirement: Make an appearance in the match between Werder Bremen and Cottbus, lead the team to victory, and earn 1 point for completing the task!]
As per the system's introduction, points are crucial for unlocking the system mall.
Accumulate enough points to gain access to the system mall.
Moreover, points are the currency used for purchasing items and equipment in the system mall.
Points can only be obtained by completing system tasks and winning games.
Initially, Lucas didn't pay much attention to this.
After all, he already had the Messi template. What more could he possibly need?
What could be more impressive than the Messi template?
So even without the items in the system mall, he remained confident in becoming the next generation of football king.
However, upon visiting the system mall, Lucas couldn't help but exclaim, Wow! "It's incredible"
Among these things, the talents available in the system mall, such as injury immunity, exceptional prediction, resilience, determination, Mr. Key, and other abilities, is truly incredible!