Chapter 144: Back to the Fight
Monday, 30 September, 2010
The air on Monday was cold and damp, a fitting start to a week of reckoning. The training ground, once filled with laughter and light-hearted banter, had turned somber.
The players arrived in silence, their expressions marked by a grim determination. The emotional and physical toll of the weekend was still written across their faces.
Dev Patel was the first to step onto the pitch, moving with a sense of urgency unfamiliar even to him.
Without a word, he headed straight for the corner flag, grabbed a handful of balls, and began drilling crosses each one sharper than the last, his jaw clenched in focus.
He knew his mistake had played out in front of everyone, and he was determined to put it right.
Niels stood off to the side, a steaming cup of coffee in hand, watching in silence. He hadn't addressed the players yet letting the chill in the air and the heavy quiet speak for him.
