"So here's what we're going to do," she said, leaning forward. "Today, I observe. I watch you coach, I see how you interact with the players, and I get a feel for your system. Tomorrow, we sit down and figure out what you can hand off to me. Wednesday, I start taking some of those things. By Friday, we'll have a rhythm. Sound good?"

It sounded terrifying. But also... right.

"Yeah. Okay. Let's do that."

"Good. Now, walk me through your whole system. I want to understand your philosophy, not just the tactics."

For the next hour, I explained everything. The pressing triggers, the defensive transitions, the counter-attacking patterns. But more than that, I explained why. Why I believed in proactive football. Why I thought winning the ball high was more than just tactics; it was a mentality. Why I wanted these kids to play without fear.

Sarah asked sharp questions. Challenged assumptions. Suggested tweaks. And by the end, I realized something: I wasn't threatened by her questions. I was energized by them. She was making my ideas better, not tearing them down.

"You're teaching them to press," she said, "but are you teaching them to recognize when NOT to press?"

I blinked. "What?"

"If you press at the wrong time, you're out of position. The best pressing teams know when to hold their shape and when to engage. Liverpool doesn't press every ball. They press smart balls."

I stared at my tactical notes. She was right. I'd been so focused on teaching them to press that I hadn't taught them when to NOT press.

"That's... that's brilliant."

She smiled. "That's why you hired me."

At 10:30 am, the players arrived for training. I gathered them in the changing room, my heart pounding. This was it. The moment I introduced Sarah to the team. The moment I stopped being a solo coach and became... something else.

"Lads, this is Sarah Martinez. She's joining us as an assistant coach. She'll be working with you on tactics, fitness, and generally making sure I don't run you into the ground. She's got a sports science background, she's worked at Brighton's academy, and she's forgotten more about football than most of us will ever know. Treat her with respect, listen to her, and you'll get better. Simple as that."

There was a moment of silence. Then Nya stepped forward. "Welcome, coach."

"Thanks, Nya." She shook his hand. "Looking forward to working with you."

Reece followed, then Jake, then the others. Connor was last, his expression unreadable. He shook her hand without a word, then walked out to the pitch.

Sarah watched him go. "That's Connor Blake?"

"That's him."

"He's going to be interesting."

"That's one word for it."

The training session was different with Sarah there. Better, but also more nerve-wracking. I was hyper-aware of every decision I made, every instruction I gave. Was I coaching well? Was I demonstrating good leadership? Was I showing her that I knew what I was doing?

But then something shifted. About twenty minutes in, I stopped thinking about Sarah watching me and started thinking about the training. And I realized: she wasn't judging me. She was supporting me.

When I was working with the forwards on pressing angles, she was with the midfielders on positioning. When I was explaining a tactical concept to Reece, she was demonstrating it to Nya. We weren't competing. We were collaborating.

It felt... good. Really good.

After the session, as the players headed to the changing rooms, Sarah and I stood on the sideline.

"Thoughts?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"They're good. Really good. Reece is a natural leader. Nya is smart. Connor's got talent but he's got an attitude problem."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"He respects skill. If you can show him something he can't do, he'll listen. But if you just tell him what to do, he'll tune you out."

"So how do I reach him?"

"You don't. Not yet. You earn it. Show him the results. Show him that your system works. Show him that buying in makes him better. Then he'll come around."

I nodded. It made sense. Connor wasn't going to respect authority for authority's sake. He needed proof.

We spent the afternoon in the analysis suite with Marcus Reid, reviewing the morning session. Sarah integrated seamlessly, offering insights, asking questions, and pushing us to think deeper. Reid was impressed: I could tell by the way he kept nodding and making notes.

"She's good," he said to me quietly while Sarah was reviewing a clip. "Really good. You made the right call."

By 5 pm, I was exhausted but energized. Sarah had been here for one day, and already I could feel the difference. I wasn't alone anymore. I had a partner. Someone who could challenge me, support me, and make me better.

As we packed up for the day, Sarah turned to me. "Thanks for today. I know bringing someone new in can be weird. But I'm here to help, not to take over."

"I know. And I'm glad you're here. Today was... it was good."

"It was. And tomorrow will be better. But Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"You need to learn to delegate. Like, actually delegate. Not just say you're going to and then do everything yourself anyway."

I laughed. "That obvious?"

"You coached the entire session. I was there to support, but you didn't hand anything off. Tomorrow, let me run a drill. Let me take a piece of it. Trust me."

She was right. Again.

"Okay. Tomorrow, you run the pressing drill. I'll observe."

"Good. See? You're learning already."

I texted Emma on the way home. "First day with Sarah. She's brilliant. Also, I'm terrible at delegating."

Her response: "Told you she's brilliant. And yes, you're terrible at delegating. But you'll learn. Proud of you."

I smiled. Day one was done. And it had gone better than I'd dared to hope.

The system notification appeared as I walked into my flat.

[SYSTEM] Assistant Coach Integration: Day 1 Complete. Team Efficiency: +12%. Leadership Development: +8%. Delegation Skill Unlocked.

[SYSTEM] New Achievement: First Hire. You've taken your first step from coach to manager. The journey has just begun.

I grinned at the Delegation skill, about time.

The sixth week had begun. And for the first time in five weeks, I wasn't facing it alone.

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