"Quiet!" I said, raising my voice. "Listen. This is my first match as your manager. Proper match, against another team. And it's coming fast, two days away. But I believe in you. I believe in the work we've done over the past seven weeks. I believe in the system we've built. Now it's time to prove it works."

Nya raised his hand. "Boss, what do we know about Millwall?"

"Not much yet," I admitted. "Sarah's going to analyze them today. But here's what I do know: they'll be physical. They'll be direct. They'll try to intimidate you. And if you execute what we've taught you the pressing triggers, the recovery runs, the transitions we'll beat them."

Connor leaned forward. "Are we ready?"

I looked at him, at all of them. "You tell me. Have you been working hard? Have you been buying into the system? Have you been trusting each other?"

"Yes, boss," they said, almost in unison.

"Then you're ready. Now let's get to work."

The training session was intense. Rebecca led a high-intensity warm-up that had the lads sweating within minutes, then we moved into pressing drills. Sarah and I worked together, coaching the triggers and recovery runs, while Rebecca monitored work rates and Michael pulled Ryan aside for technical work.

But there was an edge to it now. An urgency. The lads knew they had a match in two days, and they were pushing themselves harder, moving faster, communicating louder.

At lunch, while the players ate, the staff gathered in the conference room. Sarah had her laptop open, and on the screen was footage of Millwall U18s.

"I found three matches from the past month," she said. "And Gary was right, they're physical. Direct. They don't mess about with playing out from the back. Their center-backs just boot it long to their striker whenever they're under pressure." She played a clip showing exactly that. "They're good at set pieces. Aggressive in the tackle. They'll try to bully us."

"So our pressing system should cause them problems," Rebecca said, watching the footage.

"Exactly," I said. "If we can press them high, force their center-backs into mistakes, and win the ball in dangerous areas, we should be able to create chances. But if the lads panic or drop off, Millwall will dominate us physically."

"What's the game plan?" Michael asked.

I stood up and moved to the whiteboard, drawing out the 4-3-3 formation.

"We press high from the start. Connor leads the press as the striker, supported by Tom and Sam on the wings. When Millwall's center-back receives the ball with his head up, that's the trigger. Connor presses immediately, angling his run to cut off the pass to one side. Tom and Sam close down the wide options. The center-back has nowhere to go, so he either goes long or plays it back to the goalkeeper."

"And if he goes long?" Rebecca asked.

"We win the second ball," I said. "Nya, Jake, and Sam in midfield are positioned to win the knockdown. If Millwall's striker flicks it on, our center-backs Reece and Lewis are there to intercept."

"What about set pieces?" Michael asked. "You said they're strong there."

"We'll work on that tomorrow," I said. "Defensive organization, marking assignments, goalkeeper positioning. Michael, I'll need your input."

"No problem," he said.

We spent the rest of the afternoon drilling the tactical plan. Pressing triggers. Recovery runs. Transitions. The lads were sharp, focused, executing with precision. By the time the session ended at 4pm, I felt something I hadn't felt in weeks. Not confidence, exactly, but belief. Belief that we could do this.

That evening, I sat in my flat reviewing the Millwall footage Sarah had sent me. They were exactly as she'd described physical, direct, not particularly technical. But they were organized. They were aggressive. And they wouldn't make it easy.

The system notification appeared in my vision.

[SYSTEM] Challenge Accepted: First Match in 48 Hours.

[SYSTEM] Squad Morale: 79% (Nervous but excited). Squad Respect: 75%. Pressing Success Rate: 69%.

[SYSTEM] Leadership Skill: 62/100 → 64/100 (+2%). You chose to face the challenge. That matters.

I smiled. Maybe it did.

Tuesday morning started with another 6k run, this time with a focus on speed intervals. The system tracked it Fitness 46/100 → 47/100 and I felt stronger, faster, more capable.

At the training ground, the staff were already preparing for the day. Rebecca had set up a circuit for fitness assessments. Michael was on the pitch with Ryan, working on distribution drills. Sarah was in the video analysis room, preparing clips of Millwall for the tactical session.

The players arrived at 9 am, and we started with Rebecca's fitness assessments. Sprint tests, agility drills, endurance runs. She moved through them efficiently, recording data on her tablet, offering encouragement and corrections.

"Good work, Nya. Your acceleration is excellent."

"Connor, you're strong, but your agility needs improvement."

"Ryan, your explosive power is good."

After the assessments, we moved into the tactical session. I gathered the players in the video analysis room and played clips of Millwall.

"This is what we're facing tomorrow," I said. "Physical, direct, not particularly technical. They'll try to bully us. They'll go long to their striker. They'll press us aggressively. But if we execute our system, we'll dominate them."

I played a clip of Millwall's center-back receiving the ball and immediately launching it long.

"See that? No composure. No technique. Just boot it and hope. That's where we win. We press them high, force mistakes, and punish them in transition."

Nya raised his hand. "What if they win the aerial duel?"

"Then we win the second ball," I said. "You, Jake, and Sam are positioned to win the knockdown. If their striker flicks it on, Reece and Lewis are there to intercept. It's about organization and work rate."

We spent two hours going through the tactical plan, then moved onto the pitch for a practice match. First team versus reserves, playing the system we'd been drilling for seven weeks.

It was sharp. It was organized. It was effective. The first team pressed high, won the ball, and transitioned quickly into attack. Connor scored twice. Nya controlled the midfield. Reece marshaled the defense.

I stood on the touchline with Sarah, Rebecca, and Michael, and felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.

"They're ready," Sarah said quietly.

"They are," I agreed.

That evening, I announced the starting eleven for the Millwall match. Reece as captain, leading the defense. Nya anchoring the midfield. Connor up front. Ryan in goal. The players who'd bought in, who'd worked hard, who'd earned their places.

The system notification appeared as I closed my laptop.

[SYSTEM] Week 8 Begins.

[SYSTEM] First Match: Wednesday, 2pm. Millwall U18s (Friendly).

[SYSTEM] Squad Morale: 81%. Squad Respect: 75%. Pressing Success Rate: 71%.

[SYSTEM] Staff Cohesion: 89%. You've built a team. Now lead them.

I went to bed that night feeling ready. Not confident, not certain, but ready. The staff were integrated. The players were prepared. The system was sharp.

Tomorrow was Wednesday. Tomorrow was the test.

And I'd chosen to face it.

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