Monday, November 7, 2022

Bergamo**

The Juventus match faded into analysis rather than outrage.

By Monday morning, the league table dominated every broadcast—Milan on top, Juventus second, Inter third, Atalanta holding fourth with Napoli close behind in fifth—and pundits framed the loss as context rather than collapse.

"Juventus at home are a different test entirely," one analyst said on the morning show while graphics displayed recent results. "Atalanta's position is still strong—fourth place with eleven matches played—but the margins are narrowing. One slip and Napoli overtakes them."

"The World Cup break comes at a good time," another added. "Three more matches, then rest. But those three matches matter significantly for maintaining position."

-----

**Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM**

Monday at Zingonia was recovery-focused.

Starters remained indoors longer than usual—cycling on stationary bikes with resistance set low, stretching under physio supervision, spending fifteen minutes in ice baths set to four degrees—and the intensity was deliberately minimal because bodies needed rest more than work.

Demien moved carefully through his routine with his calves taped as precaution and his hamstrings checked by the physio who pressed fingers into the muscle and asked about tightness, and when Demien said he felt fine the physio nodded and moved to the next player.

The coaches didn't isolate anyone for individual discussion about Sunday's performance. The message stayed collective when Gasperini gathered everyone before they left.

"One more push before the World Cup break. Spezia Wednesday, then two more matches. Stay sharp, stay healthy, and we'll finish this block in strong position."

The tactical board behind him showed the upcoming fixtures in white marker:

**Spezia (A) - November 9

Lecce (H) - November 13

Roma (A) - November 16**

Then the break.

Training concluded at eleven-thirty and the system notification appeared as Demien walked toward the parking area.

「TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Quality: Recovery」

「REWARD: +10 TP」

「Current Balance: 95 TP | 102 SP | 199 MP」

-----

**Demien's Apartment

7:45 PM**

That evening, Demien returned home to Sophia who was already in the kitchen preparing dinner—pasta with vegetables, nothing heavy—and the apartment was quiet with no television playing and no music filling the space.

They ate together at the small table without discussing football until later when dishes were cleared and they'd moved to the couch, and only then did Sophia ask how his body felt after Sunday's match.

"Fine," Demien said. "Legs are heavy but nothing's pulling. Just normal fatigue."

"You looked tired in the second half. When they took you off I was relieved."

"Yeah. Wasn't my night."

She didn't push further and they watched a movie for an hour before Demien excused himself to make a phone call.

His mother answered on the second ring.

"How's your body?" she asked before he could say anything else.

Demien smiled despite himself.

"I'm fine, Mum. Just tired from the weekend."

"Midweek games are dangerous ones," she continued, and her voice carried that particular tone she used when delivering advice disguised as observation. "The season doesn't forgive fatigue. You need to be careful."

"I know. Recovery day was light. I'm being smart about it."

"Good. Because you're not invincible, even if you feel like you are at eighteen."

He laughed it off but the words stayed with him after the call ended and he returned to the couch where Sophia had paused the movie.

-----

**Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM**

Tuesday's training was short and sharp.

Tactical emphasis replaced intensity as Gasperini organized the squad into patterns designed specifically for Spezia's aggressive pressing style, and the session lasted only seventy-five minutes because preserving energy mattered more than drilling until exhaustion.

"Spezia press with urgency and emotion," Gasperini explained while marking their formation on the tactical board. "They commit bodies forward quickly, trying to force mistakes in your buildup. The solution is simple—play through the press with one-touch combinations, or play around it by switching play quickly before their press arrives."

Demien was fully involved in the session—starting in the central drills, rotating through midfield combinations with Koopmeiners and De Roon—and the staff monitored minutes closely by pulling players out of sequences after specific time thresholds rather than letting them train until they chose to rest.

Outside the perimeter fence where media were allowed to observe, four journalists watched while taking notes, and when training ended one of them spoke into his phone recording a voice memo.

"Rotation likely for Spezia. Walter trained fully but minutes were managed carefully. Gasperini protecting key players with the break so close."

No one mentioned injury. They never did until it was confirmed.

The system notification appeared as the squad walked toward the locker room.

「TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Quality: Tactical - Moderate Intensity」

「REWARD: +10 TP」

「Current Balance: 105 TP | 102 SP | 199 MP」

-----

**Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

8:30 AM**

On Wednesday morning, the squad assembled early at Zingonia while the sun was still low on the horizon and frost covered the training pitches.

Bags were loaded onto the bus by equipment staff, and medical personnel moved through the squad conducting final checks—asking about soreness, checking taped joints, confirming everyone was cleared to travel—and within thirty minutes the team boarded the bus.

Not a plane. A long but familiar trip south toward La Spezia that would stretch past four hours through Italian highways and coastal roads.

Inside, the mood was subdued.

Some players slept with hoodies pulled over their heads and necks supported by travel pillows. Others watched clips on tablets with headphones blocking out the engine noise. Lookman played a mobile game in the back row while Koopmeiners read something on his phone.

Demien sat near the middle with his headphones on though no music played, and occasionally he stood to stretch his legs by walking to the front and back before returning to his seat, and his body felt heavy but not hurt.

Just tired.

The bus rolled through countryside and small towns, and by noon they'd crossed into Liguria where the terrain became hillier and glimpses of the Mediterranean appeared through gaps in the landscape.

-----

**La Spezia

2:15 PM**

They arrived in La Spezia mid-afternoon while the sun hung low over the harbor, and the hotel was located near the waterfront where seagulls circled overhead and the smell of salt water carried on the wind.

Check-in was efficient and routine—room keys distributed, bags delivered to assigned floors—and by three PM the squad was settled.

At four PM, Gasperini organized a short walk through the hotel's surrounding area to loosen legs that had stiffened during the bus ride, and the group moved together for twenty minutes before returning.

At five PM, a brief meeting room session occurred where Gasperini reiterated the basics using a small portable tactical board.

"Intensity. Second balls. Emotional control. They'll try to make this chaotic. We stay composed and execute our structure."

No speeches. No theatrics.

Early dinner followed at six-thirty—grilled chicken, rice, vegetables, nothing that would sit heavy—and by eight PM phones were down and players were in their rooms preparing for curfew.

Sophia texted him at seven forty-five.

**Sophia:** *Good luck tonight. Stay smart. I love you.*

Demien replied quickly.

**Demien:** ❤️

He put the phone away and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling while his mind ran through tactical patterns and pressing triggers until sleep finally came.

-----

**Stadio Alberto Picco, La Spezia

6:45 PM - Pre-Match**

As evening settled, the stadium revealed itself when the bus pulled into the secure entrance—compact, tight, close to the pitch with stands that rose steeply on all sides creating an enclosed bowl where noise wouldn't escape.

Spezia supporters filled the stands early and their voices were already loud and anxious because their team was fighting near the relegation zone and every point mattered desperately.

Atalanta fans clustered behind one goal where maybe fifteen hundred had made the trip, and their flags were visible even from the tunnel—blue and black vertical stripes waving above heads.

**Commentary Booth**

"Welcome to the Stadio Alberto Picco where Spezia host fourth-placed Atalanta in a crucial midweek fixture," the lead commentator began. "This is a classic test for teams near the top—heavy legs across the league, hostile environment, opponent fighting for survival."

"Atalanta need to maintain their position with Napoli breathing down their necks. Spezia need points desperately to climb away from the relegation zone. Entirely different motivations but both teams under pressure."

-----

**Away Dressing Room

7:15 PM**

The players lined up in the tunnel forty-five minutes before kickoff while warm-ups concluded on the pitch above, and Demien stood in his position feeling normal.

Nothing pulled when he jogged. Nothing tightened when he stretched. Nothing warned him.

The system activated without warning.

Blue text materialized in his peripheral vision.

「NEW MATCH MISSION」

「OBJECTIVE: Register 1 Goal OR 1 Assist」

「ADDITIONAL: Maintain Passing Accuracy Above 85%」

「REWARD: 100 MP | 30 TP」

「MISSION ACTIVE」

Demien dismissed the window with a thought while his breathing stayed controlled.

Standard mission. Nothing unusual.

The referee appeared at the tunnel entrance and signaled for both teams to prepare, and players began moving toward the steps that led up to pitch level.

The noise from above grew louder as they climbed—Spezia supporters whistling and chanting, Atalanta's section responding with their own songs—and when they emerged onto the pitch the sound crashed down from all sides.

The atmosphere pressed close because the stands were steep and near, and the compact stadium amplified everything.

Demien moved through his final warm-up touches—passing with Koopmeiners, light jogging to loosen his legs—and his body felt ready.

The referee checked his watch while both teams took their starting positions.

Atalanta lined up in their 4-2-3-1—Musso in goal, back four of Hateboer-Tolói-Djimsiti-Mæhle, double pivot of De Roon and Koopmeiners, attacking trio of Malinovskyi-Demien-Lookman behind Højlund.

Spezia arranged themselves in a 4-3-3 designed for aggressive pressing.

***Fweeeeeetttttttt!!!!!***

The whistle blew.

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