Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße, Munich

6:15 PM

The team bus turned onto the access road leading toward the stadium and immediately the noise became audible even through the tinted windows, a low continuous rumble that suggested the crowd had been building for hours despite kickoff still being seventy-five minutes away, and Demien felt the shift in atmosphere as the bus slowed to navigate security checkpoints while German supporters pressed against the barriers waving flags and scarves.

The England squad sat quietly in their seats, some players with headphones blocking out external noise while others stared straight ahead processing the environment, and the contrast with Friday's modest King Power atmosphere was stark because this felt like proper international football with hostile energy and expectation pressing against every surface.

Demien remained near the back of the bus with his kit bag on his shoulder, and he watched flashes of movement through the tinted glass—faces pressed close, mouths shouting words he couldn't hear, camera phones held up to capture the arriving opposition—and he didn't look nervous exactly, but he also didn't look settled, and the familiar pre-match tension sat in his chest alongside the awareness that tonight he'd likely watch from the bench while others handled the pressure.

Owen Blake sat beside him scrolling through his phone without speaking, and the silence between them felt appropriate because words wouldn't change anything about what was coming, and when the bus finally pulled into the secure underground parking area the engine's hum faded and left only the muffled roar from above.

"Right, let's go," one of the assistant coaches called from the front, and his voice carried practiced calm. "Stay together. Equipment staff will handle bags. Straight to the dressing room."

The squad filed off the bus in loose formation, and Demien followed his teammates through concrete corridors that smelled faintly of disinfectant and old sweat, and the walls were painted in Germany's national colors—black, red, gold—and photographs from previous matches lined the hallway showing celebrating German players from various youth levels.

The assistant coach walked the aisle once as they moved toward the away dressing room, his voice measured and professional as he spoke without excessive emphasis.

"Remember your spacing on goal kicks. Germany presses in a five-two-three shape when we build from the back. The center-backs will have options, but you need to show early. And restarts—we've drilled them all week. Execute what we've practiced."

Nobody responded verbally, but heads nodded in acknowledgment, and the message landed without needing dramatic delivery because the environment was already doing that work—the crowd noise bleeding through walls, the unfamiliar stadium, the awareness that Germany away meant something different than Italy at home.

6:30 PM - Away Dressing Room

The away dressing room was functional rather than luxurious, with wooden benches arranged in a U-shape around the space and individual hooks above each position where England shirts already hung in numerical order, and Demien spotted his number 28 folded on the bench side exactly where he'd expected it, confirming what he'd known since Sunday's training session ended without him forcing his way into the starting conversation.

He dropped his bag beside the bench and began changing without rushing, pulling on his base layers and compression shorts while around him starters moved through their individual routines with practiced focus—Kayden Muir already taping his ankles, Reece Darlow stretching his hamstrings against the wall, Tommy Grayson organizing his goalkeeper gloves with meticulous precision.

Lee Carsley entered at six-forty with his coaching staff following behind, and the room quieted immediately as players turned their attention toward the manager who stood at the center of the U-shaped benches with a tactical board in his hands.

"Starting eleven," Carsley began without preamble, and his voice carried calm authority. "Whitfield in goal. Back four: Ford right, Keane and Rowe center, Price left. Double pivot: Whitmore and Merrick. Attacking three: Darlow right, Muir central, Crane left. Teller up top."

He paused to let the names settle before continuing.

"Germany's right side—their number two and their right winger—they overlap aggressively. Crane, you'll need to track back hard when they build attacks down that flank. Price, communicate early so you're not isolated. Midfield, when they press us, don't panic. Find the spare man, play through their pressure. We've drilled this."

Demien listened from his spot on the bench while pulling on his match socks, and Carsley's tone stayed measured throughout the tactical review because raising his voice wasn't necessary when the environment was already creating intensity, and the coach understood that professional players responded better to clear instruction than emotional speeches.

"Substitutes," Carsley said, and his eyes swept across the bench players briefly. "Stay warm. Stay ready. This match will open up in the second half when legs tire. I'll need fresh energy to exploit that."

The meeting lasted twelve minutes, and when Carsley finished the players resumed their individual preparations while the coaching staff moved between them offering final reminders and adjustments, and Demien finished dressing before sitting on the bench watching the starters complete their routines.

7:10 PM - Warm-Up

The tunnel leading to the pitch carried amplified noise from the stands above, and as the England squad filed through the narrow corridor the sound grew louder with each step until they emerged into the stadium proper and the full force of eighteen thousand German supporters hit them like a physical wall.

The atmosphere was intense and hostile in equal measure, with German flags waving in coordinated sections and chants echoing across the stands in rhythms that suggested organized supporter groups rather than casual attendance, and Demien followed his teammates onto the pitch while the warm-up equipment was already being set up by England's support staff.

Germany's squad was already on the opposite side conducting their warm-up routine, and their energy level was noticeably higher—louder communication, more expressive movements, feeding off the crowd's support in ways that came naturally when playing at home—and several German players jogged past England's area with confident body language that suggested they expected to win tonight.

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