Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

10:15 AM

Tuesday's session carried more structure as Gasperini organized tactical work focused on Fiorentina's pressing patterns, and the intensity increased from Monday's recovery pace while still remaining controlled rather than exhausting.

The squad gathered at midfield while Gasperini stood before a portable tactical board, and his marker moved across the white surface as he drew Fiorentina's 4-3-3 formation with quick precise strokes.

"They press in a mid-block," Gasperini began, and his voice carried instructional clarity without excessive emphasis. "Their front three sits deeper than Napoli's, waiting for triggers rather than hunting the ball aggressively. When we play into certain zones, they spring."

He drew arrows showing the pressing triggers, and his pen tapped specific areas of the board. "Left center-back receives under pressure from their right winger. Right center-back gets closed by their left winger. If we force it central too early, their number ten jumps."

Demien listened while standing beside Koopmeiners, and his eyes tracked the diagram as Gasperini continued explaining Fiorentina's defensive structure, and when the coach mentioned their number ten without using Adriano's name directly, Demien's jaw tightened fractionally before relaxing.

"Their left half-space gets overloaded," Gasperini said while drawing another formation layer. "Left midfielder, left winger, left-back all occupying that channel. They want to create numerical advantages there and force us to defend one-versus-two situations."

The board showed the problem clearly, and Gasperini looked up at the squad. "So we don't engage where they're strong. We circulate quickly, we switch play, we make them chase the ball rather than sitting comfortably in their shape. Questions?"

Silence answered him, and he nodded before erasing the board. "Positional work now. Defending their press first, then transition patterns."

The drill began with eleven versus eleven, and Gasperini positioned himself near the sideline while his assistants acted as opposition pressing triggers, and Demien operated in his usual attacking-midfield role during the first sequence.

When Tolói received the ball and played it to De Roon, the assistant coach sprinted toward De Roon simulating Fiorentina's press, and De Roon's pass came quickly to Demien who'd dropped between the lines to offer support.

Demien's first touch took the ball forward as the second assistant closed from his right, and rather than forcing a turn he played it one-touch to Koopmeiners who'd moved into space, and the Dutchman's pass found Lookman wide before Fiorentina's simulated shape could adjust.

"Good," Gasperini called from the sideline. "That's the tempo we need."

The pattern repeated for twenty minutes with variations, and Demien felt the rhythm building as his positioning improved through repetition, and when Gasperini switched him to the right half-space for the next sequence the adjustment required conscious thought but came more naturally than it had two weeks ago.

The session ended at 11:45 AM, and players dispersed toward the locker room while Gasperini spoke briefly with his assistants near the center circle, and the system registered completion as Demien walked off the pitch.

「TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Quality: Good」

「REWARD: 10 TP」

「Current Balance: 359 MP | 258 TP | 2 SP」

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

10:15 AM

Wednesday's session carried higher intensity as Gasperini organized eleven-versus-eleven tactical work simulating Fiorentina's defensive shape, and the first team played against the reserves who'd been instructed to mirror Fiorentina's 4-3-3 pressing structure.

Demien operated centrally during the first rotation, and when he received the ball between the lines two reserve players immediately closed him down exactly as Fiorentina's midfield would, and his first touch had to be sharp to avoid being dispossessed.

The drill repeated for forty minutes with variations, and Gasperini stopped play frequently to correct positioning and passing angles, and by the time the session ended at noon Demien's understanding of where space would exist against Fiorentina's system had sharpened considerably.

The system registered completion as players walked toward the locker room.

「TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Quality: Good」

「REWARD: 10 TP」

「Current Balance: 359 MP | 258 TP | 2 SP」

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Demien's Apartment, Bergamo

8:15 PM

Wednesday evening found Demien sitting on his couch with his laptop open, and the screen showed Sky Sport Italia's preview show for the weekend's fixtures, and when the hosts turned their attention to Sunday's Fiorentina versus Atalanta match, the framing became immediately clear.

The studio's main screen split to show two player photos side by side—Adriano Ventresca in Fiorentina purple on the left, Demien in Atalanta black and blue on the right—and the headline beneath read: "Generational Duel: The Academy Product vs The Academy Reject"

"This is the narrative everyone's talking about," the lead presenter said while gesturing toward the split screen, and his voice carried the enthusiasm of someone selling a story rather than analyzing tactics. "Two eighteen-year-olds, both playing attacking midfield, both operating at the highest level in Serie A. Adriano Ventresca—Fiorentina's academy graduate, their homegrown talent. Demien Walter—rejected by that same academy three years ago, now thriving at Atalanta."

The female co-host leaned forward, and her expression suggested genuine intrigue. "The contrast is remarkable, isn't it? Ventresca represents everything Fiorentina's academy is supposed to produce—technical, intelligent, already trusted in their first team at eighteen. Meanwhile Walter, who they deemed not good enough, is starting for Atalanta and has already represented England at U21 level."

"Let's look at the numbers," the presenter continued, and a comparison graphic replaced the photos:

Adriano Ventresca (Fiorentina)

Age: 18

Position: Attacking Midfield

Apps: 9 | Goals: 6 | Assists: 6

Pass Completion: 87%

Key Passes per 90: 3.1

Demien Walter (Atalanta)

Age: 18

Position: Attacking Midfield / Right Wing Apps: 11 | Goals: 7 | Assists: 10

Pass Completion: 89%

Key Passes per 90: 4.3

"Walter's numbers are frankly superior across the board," the presenter noted, and his tone carried slight disbelief. "Seven goals and six assists in eleven appearances—that's exceptional output for any midfielder, let alone an eighteen-year-old. Meanwhile Ventresca has two goals and five assists in nine matches, which is still very good, but the comparison favors Walter significantly."

A third pundit joined the conversation, an older former midfielder whose face Demien vaguely recognized. "The question I have is about mentality. Walter goes back to Florence—the city that rejected him, the club that told him he wasn't good enough—and he has to perform under that psychological pressure. Can he handle it? Or does the emotion of returning affect his game?"

"That's the fascinating subplot," the female host agreed. "Ventresca plays with home advantage, familiar surroundings, the support of fans who've watched him develop through the academy. Walter plays as the returning exile, the one who got away, the reminder of Fiorentina's potential mistake in judgment."

"I just hope he can handle it mentally," the older pundit said, and his expression suggested genuine concern rather than criticism. "Because if that rejection still bothers him, if he's playing angry or trying too hard to prove something, Fiorentina's experienced players will exploit that. Emotion clouds judgment. He needs to play his normal game, not force things just because it's his former club."

The conversation shifted to tactical analysis of both teams' systems, but Demien had already closed the laptop while the narrative sat uncomfortably in his mind—not because it was wrong, but because it was partially right.

The academy reject versus the academy product.

The one who failed versus the one who succeeded.

The exile returning home.

His phone buzzed against the coffee table, and when he picked it up a message from Koopmeiners appeared on the screen.

Koopmeiners: Saw the Sky Sport piece. Don't let them get in your head. It's just football. You've been brilliant all season.

Demien stared at the message for several seconds before typing a response.

Demien: Thanks. I'll be fine.

Koopmeiners: Good. See you tomorrow at training.

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