As soon as the players went back to the tunnel, the depressed atmosphere that had been lingering among them only grew stronger. Most of the Hakodate Nishi members fell on the floor immediately, not even caring about sitting appropriately on the bench.
Kazuyuki Toda, the team’s coach, just stood silently in the middle of the room. He observed the players one by one before finally muttering to his staff around, "Okubo-kun, keep an eye on the bench players. Ask them to warm up for later. Oiwa-kun, check on Sano-kun and Ishinori-kun. They are the ones who got battered the most in the first half."
Those two nodded immediately, going straight to the target to ensure that they would complete the task.
The moment the bench players were out, though, most of the main players there tensed immediately, realizing that a substitution was about to be made later. Even though they knew it was bound to happen, that didn’t mean they liked the prospect of them getting replaced later.
Toda looked at the players for a moment before finally starting his speech.
"You guys know that I don’t believe in hairdryer treatment, right?" He asked.
Some of them flinched, knowing full well that if this was the opening, things were really bad in the coach’s mind.
"Well, I wouldn’t shout or scold you, but I will point out some things that I think you guys didn’t do well in the first half." The man continued. "First of all, besides the first goal, I can see that none of you are connecting to each other. The frontline fight alone, the midfielders trying to take control by themselves, and the defense is in shambles, trying to cover everything on their own."
The players bowed their heads immediately, not daring to say anything else. Inwardly, they also saw the problem here, what with them having already had time to think about it thoroughly.
"You know, I don’t mind some players who want to show off, especially with so many scouts being around the stadium. However, you guys did the entire thing wrong, okay?" The man sighed helplessly. "All of your skills and actions will not matter that much if you lose the game. At the end of the day, the scout will also see how you work with your teammates, and if I were them, I would say that I am not impressed with how you guys played."
After that, the head coach started criticizing all of them one by one. He talked about Kazawa’s lack of effort in the middle, allowing some of the opponent’s attacks to get through him. He also mentioned how Usami failed to be the bridge in the middle, just running around like a headless chicken.
The defense, though, was the worst. Well, they conceded two goals, so it was no wonder their performance would be criticized the most. The entire defensive line just had their head down, their fists clenching so hard it turned white.
Toda-sensei didn’t even raise his voice here. His tone was still calm and steady as if he was talking about the weather outside. However, that was what hurt them the most, as every line struck hard into their heart.
"Lastly, let me tell you a secret here."
Once everyone was down already from all the criticism, Toda-sensei suddenly smiled conspiratorially, as if he held the biggest secret in the universe. This was definitely enough to pique the guys’ interest, making the mood at least better, even for a moment.
"You guys might not notice it because we have a lot of supporters coming here today. However, what you don’t know is that Shishida-san, Higo-kun, Makino-kun, and Kuroki-kun are all on the stand, watching you guys from the beginning of the game. So, you can expect their reaction after the first half is over, right?"
Everyone gasped in horror immediately. This was not the information they knew beforehand, and when it finally hit them, most of the guys couldn’t even hold back their groan here.
"What the hell am I doing there?! This is so embarrassing!" Kazawa covered his face in shame.
"Well, at least you are still better. What about me?" Ishinori retorted. "Makino-san watched the game live, and we conceded two goals that should never have been that close! He would kill us later!" He moaned, feeling a heartache coming.
This was exactly what Toda-sensei wanted to see. His words might not be able to reach the players, but the former members’ presence would strike directly through their hearts. Their pride would never allow them to show a weaker side of the team, so all the ego here would be suppressed immediately in the second half.
"Okay, we still have the second half to rectify the situation and at least show a decent game to our retired members, so let’s get back into our rhythm as quickly as possible." The man clapped hard to get everyone’s attention. "No more individual show-off again! I want you guys to fight like a unit! When defending, no one is slacking off around the pitch! When attacking, everyone has to be decisive in their movement! Keep your eyes on your target!"
Then, he began circling some of the names on the Sapporo Otani’s side.
"In the second half, we are going to target them! No need for meaningless pressure, just force the ball to go there before we strike them hard!" He slammed the whiteboard that he used to write on. "Don’t alert the snake before it realizes it got screwed! But always have at least two members around, getting ready to pounce him, okay?!"
"Yes, Sir!"
"For our attack, we will continue with our standard again! Hiroshi-kun, I will also need to have you drop back a little, providing more creative players in the middle! If you have a chance to do it yourself, don’t hesitate!"
"Yes, Sensei!" Hiroshi nodded solemnly, accepting the mission readily.
"We are still down by one goal, but Sapporo Otani is also not an invincible team. I truly believe that we have a chance to flip the table before the game ends, but I want you guys to follow my instructions, do you understand?!"
This time, no hesitation or depression could be seen, as all the members shouted simultaneously.
"YES, SIR!"