Well, the meet-and-greet event with the fans sure enough was able to bring back the energy to the team. However, once it was over, it was time to get serious, especially since the game day was getting closer.
It was just three days away from the opening of the tournament, where the host, Poland, had to fight against a strong team from South America, Colombia. Then, as the team from group B, Japan would have to fight on the second day, which meant they only had around four days to prepare themselves for their debut.
Now, it was finally time to talk about their first opponent, the powerhouse of the tournament, the young Gli Azzurri team. Even though they were not the favorite to win it all, the Italy team was still considered to be the strongest team in the group, so it would be difficult for them to handle.
The atmosphere was quite heavy in the meeting room, as they knew this intelligence meeting would be crucial. Soon enough, Kageyama-sensei finally arrived at the meeting room together with the other four of his staff; no smile or giggle could be seen on their face.
"First match, a crucial game to set the tone for our tournament." The man spoke solemnly. "There are a lot of cases about teams that didn’t do well in the first match but could still advance further, but we don’t want to follow that case. We need a more stable path, one that gives us a chance to breathe in the next round. So, anything is okay as long as we don’t lose the game!"
As for the probability of winning, the man himself didn’t dare to say anything else about it. The team was quite young and inexperienced, so he was afraid of putting too much expectation on their shoulder.
"As for what to watch... Well, first of all, we know that their defense will be as solid as ever, but they wouldn’t drop so low against a team like us. No, they would reserve their best defensive tactic against a better team, and in this game, they will try to go all out in the beginning. So, we have some notable players for you guys to watch."
The moment the projector was on, showing footage of a game, all the boys in the room straightened their backs instantly, not daring to let out a loud breath to distract the atmosphere here.
"First, we have a prolific goal getter here, a formidable target man from Inter Primavera, Andrea Pinamonti."
Then, the screen showed a boy, quite tall and strong just like Tagawa from their team, who had curly hair and stood so imposingly on the pitch. The man wore the Inter Milan shirt, showing that he had already received guidance from the top team in Italy.
"He has several strong points that you need to take into account, so Ito, Kobayashi, listen to it carefully."
"Yes, Sir!" Those two nodded solemnly, with the latter one clenching his fists secretly. This was basically the way the coach told him that he was going to be the one who replaced Ayumu Seko, and while he had already predicted this, when the announcement came, he still couldn’t help but get excited about it.
"He is good at a surprise attack, so be careful. Once he gets a ball and faces the goal, it doesn’t matter how bad the situation is; he would dare to take a shot from anywhere, and his accuracy and power are top-notch. The reason he is dangerous is because of his boldness in decision-making, something that you have to take care of."
The defenders nodded once again, taking a note on the back of their heads.
"He is also tall, and his heading ability is good, so be wary of it." The man continued. "More than that, he is also able to hold possession on the front line without letting the ball get snatched easily. He is a perfect bait, allowing his teammates to open up space around him. So, the other players also have to be ready for everything on the back."
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Then, we have another formidable young man, someone from AS Roma Primavera named Davide Fratessi."
This time, the screen changed to a man with bright cerulean eyes and slight blonde hair, definitely a perfect Italian guy in the head of all the Asian boys here. However, he was quite thin, making them all think that one body charge would be enough to send him out of the pitch instantly.
Well, that illusion was destroyed by the head coach instantly, as the man said, "Don’t get deceived by his small posture. He is a strong person with an iron lung, holding the team’s midfielder with his grittiness. Midfielders, you will notice quickly that his presence is everywhere. He will be quite troublesome to handle later."
This time, it was Koki Morita and Naoya who turned serious. They still didn’t know what Davide Fratessi was capable of, but since the head coach highlighted him, that meant the boy was dangerous.
"He is a very mobile midfielder, willing to go all over the pitch to help his teammates. However, his most dangerous feature is his off-the-ball movement and frequent attempts to enter the opponent’s penalty box. Even though on paper, their striker is only Pinamonti, you will find him sneaking around often to steal a position or even a rebound inside the box, so Naoya, Morita, take a closer look at him."
This time, those two were quite surprised. "He is that good?" Naoya asked incredulously.
After all, he and Koki Morita were two excellent holding midfielders, the best in their generation. The fact that the coach wanted two of them to keep an eye on one person showed how dangerous he was.
Or... So that was what they thought.
"No, I just want Naoya to act as his primary defender." Kageyama-sensei shook his head. "As for Morita, well... He likes to insert himself in the box, so that would leave an open space in their midfield. Once that happens... You are a smart player, so you should know what to do in that situation, right?"