"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
Over ten minutes later, Head Coach Kevin blew the whistle ending the match and gathered all the players around him.
Ma'el finished his cool-down stretches, walked over, and stood beside Gilbert.
"The quality of the match was not bad."
Kevin's expression was one of approval, and he encouraged them: "I can see a certain level of skill and tactics, with only a few unreasonable plays.
"Especially the performance of some of the new recruits, which was quite surprising."
As he said this, his gaze passed over the new recruits, lingering on four of them, including Ma'el and Gilbert.
"I hope in the new season, everyone can work together and pursue excellence in the league."
After finishing his motivational speech, Kevin opened the tactics board, "The following is the preseason training schedule, as well as a rough schedule for in-season training.
"Preseason training consists of six days a week, nine sessions in total, with Sundays off.
"In-season training varies in frequency, with fewer than nine sessions, and after each league match, there will be recovery training in the morning and rest in the afternoon and the entire following day."
After saying this, he closed the tactics board and let out a long breath, "I will discuss the specific schedule with the coaching staff and release it later."
Ma'el's brow furrowed slightly, a sense of doubt and confusion rising in his heart, and he saw most people around him shared similar expressions.
Nine sessions in the preseason, fewer than nine in-season?
This training intensity is far from the standard for a professional team; it could even be described as lazy.
They had twelve training sessions each week at the Arsenal youth academy, so why did it decrease after moving up to a higher competitive level in the senior team?
"Rest tomorrow, formally begin training the day after."
Kevin clasped his hands behind his back and casually said goodbye: "Alright, good luck everyone, dismissed!"
He left with several assistant coaches, and Garrispeed and Jorson exchanged deep glances before finally leaving as well, leaving behind the players.
"Does this old guy want to regain the support of the veteran players?"
As soon as he left, a veteran player on the team, his face full of resentment, cursed: "Last season, he nearly trained us to death, and now he's pretending to be a nice guy this season."
"Haha, who would still listen to him?"
Someone shook his head, feeling relieved: "Most of the good players have left, and now we're just the remnants with a few kids; this is his retribution!"
Voices of complaint rose, with most of the veteran players expressing their hatred for Kevin.
"I hope he fulfills his promise: if he can't lead us to promotion, he'll never coach again!"
"It seems like he's already lost interest in this work, just waiting for the team's severance pay by muddling through."
"That old dog! He caused two players to suffer severe knee effusions, permanently damaging their knee functions and forcing them to bid farewell to the field."
After a match, they mostly accepted the new players; since they were all one family now, there was nothing they couldn't say.
Ma'el listened to their curses, gradually grasping the conflict between Kevin and the players, and got a basic clarity in his heart.
It should be that Kevin was too hard on the players last season, injuring many of them physically, only leading them on with promises of promotion.
As a result, they failed to gain promotion in the end, everything collapsed, and the players' long-accumulated anger levels burst out?
About this... Ma'el didn't join in or ask; he didn't know the full truth, and talking too much would be a mistake.
After all, the conflict was from last season and had nothing to do with him; he just needed to do what he was supposed to do.
The reduced training sessions were not a bad thing for him, as he could take more time to grind his skill level.
"Evans."
A voice called out, Evans and several players approached him, extending a hand and introducing themselves.
"Janu Hans."
"Luton, just mentioned."
"Bolodanovich, happy to collaborate on the header goal."
Ma'el shook hands with them, gave a light hug, and introduced his own name, marking the start of an acquaintance with his teammates.
This was certainly a good start.
Evans and Janu were likely veteran players on the team.
After a training match, being actively befriended by a few players proved that his performance was indeed outstanding.
Gilbert also joined a small group within the red team camp, chatting and laughing with teammates, integrating well.
Walking on the way home, the two looked at the bustling streets and the crowd coming and going, feeling clear-minded as if there were no more obstacles.
"Ma'el, do you feel everything is happening quickly?"
Gilbert tucked his hands in his pockets, smiling with his head down, "Especially you, advancing like a rocket. Suddenly, I can't see your end point anymore."
"I can see it."
Ma'el puffed out his chest and chin, teasingly said: "But for now, I just want a Championship appearance and stats, and a three-million Euro value."
......
The next day, Sheffield United's first training session hadn't even begun.
Ma'el's training session had started, as he and Gilbert entered the phase of intense additional training once again.
Coach Kevin's preseason training schedule was also handed out, with one session on single days, two on double days, each session lasting 90 minutes.
Ma'el immediately drafted his own schedule, training an extra six hours on single days and four hours on double days each week.
Saturdays and Sundays would depend on the week's status and physical condition.
Long-term high-intensity training tests both the body and mind greatly.
After all, people are not machines or beasts of burden, unable to tirelessly contribute all their time to self-improvement apart from sleeping.
Ma'el planned to fully utilize his mornings and afternoons for additional training, with evenings the time for him and Gilbert for some entertainment and relaxation.
Such as watching matches, movies, playing pool, or going shopping.
Thus, the days went by, very fulfilling.
On July 12th, the World Cup final in South Africa officially kicked off at the South Africa Football City Stadium.
Neither team scored in regular time, until the second half of extra time when Fabregas made a precise pass to Iniesta, who after a ball-stopping error quickly adjusted and executed a long-range aerial strike into the far corner for a decisive win!
Spain, historically won the World Cup!
"Tsamina mina, eh eh...Waka waka, eh eh...
"Tsamina mina zangalewa....!!"
In their cozy little house on Cherry Street, Ma'el and Gilbert rarely enjoyed two bottles of beer, hugging and singing to Pique's wife Shakira's hot song.
They even had the illusion of being part of the championship team, celebrating at home as if they had won.
"Fabregas!"
Gilbert shouted out the name of their loyal senior from the Arsenal first team, kneeling with his hands raised high, his face flushed.
Ma'el also cheered for the passionate World Cup feast, but didn't shout the name of the Spanish midfielder.
Calculating the days, the "jersey-gate" incident with Fabregas was about to break out soon... After which the professor and Arsenal would falter, losing all hope and direction.
He was not involved in the incident; the World Cup did not belong to him now, nor did Arsenal.
The Premier League and the World Cup seemed like another distant world, untouchable.
Yet it seemed they were always ahead of him, beckoning him continuously to step forward.
Work hard slowly, intensively hone his skill level, and strive to become a leading player in these top teams and top events in the future.
On July 15, the jersey-gate incident broke out!
During the championship parade, Arsenal captain Fabregas wore a Barça jersey, being loyal to another while living in the camp.
The football world was shocked, and Barça players Puyol and Pique responded immediately, saying the jersey-wearing incident was just a joke to amuse everyone.
Unfortunately, it was weak and unconvincing.
In the following days, Gilbert remained silent and even lost his appetite.
He tore down all the posters about Fabregas, often cursing, converting his previous love into even more intense hatred.
On July 31, the two bought several tubs of drinks and a large amount of gourmet food for a birthday celebration at home.
Ma'el finally welcomed his 17th birthday, gaining eligibility to learn driving and obtain a license in the United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, he currently had no such thoughts, or rather no time.
[Skill: Vigorous Lv2]
[Skill Level: (459/800)]
[Skill: Curved Cross Lv2]
[Skill Level: (225/300)]
[Skill: Continuous Bicycle Kick Lv2]
[Skill Level: (198/300)]
Looking at the results of recent hard work, Ma'el took a big gulp of his drink, burped and said: "The league starts next month, I'm aiming for a Championship starter position!"
Next month, his Curved Cross and Continuous Bicycle Kick will reach Level 3.
As he tried, Level 3 skills make him stand out even among Championship players.
By then, he will undoubtedly step onto the Championship field!