In truth, those two were not the only dangerous players that Italy had. No, they still had some more talented players, like Luca Pellegrini from Lazio Primavera, Gianluca Scamacca as a backup striker, and even Christian Capone, their number ten in the team.
Those were creative players who could threaten the team’s defense, so Kageyama-sensei emphasized them more. However, it was clear that the team’s heart was on those two, Andrea Pinamonti and Davide Fratessi. The coach truly believed that stopping them was the key, having already said so many times what they needed to keep an eye on later.
As they were closer to game day, the atmosphere also shifted back to a tense and serious one. Even some of the players who were dropped by the coach a few days ago also changed their attitude, running more and working harder than anyone else.
Also, the team’s starting lineup had already been settled. Both Higo and Makino had to be disappointed since neither of them managed to get through the main roster in that first game. In return, Zion remained strong as the team’s main goalkeeper, while Yuki Kobayashi, the defender from Vissel Kobe, would be the one partnering with Ito on the back.
Other than that, the squad was basically predictable. Yukinari Sugawara and Miki Yamane were guarding the flanks, with Naoya, Koki Morita, and Saito Mitsuki going to fight in the midfield. Then, on the front line, the trio was still the same: Kawabe, Miyashiro, and Nakamura.
With the 4-3-3 formation, on paper, this was definitely the best one that the team Japan could pull.
Of course, Higo would beg to differ here, as he still complained to Kumiko secretly. "My performance in the training session is stronger than Zion’s; how could he be said to be the better goalkeeper?! This is so fucking unfair!" The boy couldn’t help but whine.
However, Kumiko just gave him a little amused smile in return. "Well, a better goalkeeper is indeed a little bit stretched, but Zion-kun’s ability as a progressive goalkeeper is something that Kageyama-sensei values more. He wants a goalkeeper who can play in the outfield, becoming the eleventh player to set up an attack. Unfortunately, you are not suitable for that system."
Higo could only grumble in silence as he heard that. Even he himself could admit that this was his weak point, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t curse that role at all.
"Who the hell invented that fucking ridiculous role?! A goalkeeper’s task is only one, and that is to stop the opponent from scoring a goal! No need to complicate things, goddamnit!"
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do, as everything had already been settled. Everything proceeded so quickly, with Ito also joining the press conference a day before the game as the team’s captain. Higo could see the man’s charisma overflowing even from afar.
"Italy is a strong team, but we are not here to play around. It will be difficult, but we are going to try to win it all here." The defender said with conviction in his tone.
That was such a bold word, especially since there were so many internal conflicts inside the team. However, this was crafted cautiously by the coaching team to push everyone toward the same goal here: reaching as far as possible in this tournament. This was definitely a way to keep the players motivated in this long tournament.
Well, this worked to some extent, because the players, mainly those who were going to fight tomorrow, were in their most focused state, all working for a common goal right now.
Once the press conference was over, the next main agenda was the game itself. Everyone spent the night restlessly, some even couldn’t sleep until late at night. Coincidentally enough, Naoya was also one of them, so Higo had to be dragged into this shenanigan unwillingly.
"Come on! You wouldn’t even play, anyway! Just stay awake and talk to me!" The defensive midfielder shook Higo’s body relentlessly, seeming to be so determined to bother Higo.
"Fuck off! Playing or not, I still need to sleep, okay?!" Higo groaned; his eyes were already half asleep. "Anyway, just count the sheep inside your head; who knows, maybe the trick would work!" He suggested randomly, having his consciousness slipping away already.
Unfortunately, whatever Naoya was doing right now worked perfectly, preventing Higo from sleeping right now. The boy had just checked the clock, and it was 10 at night already. The coach had already set the curfew at 9:30, so they should be asleep right now.
In the end, the boy just took off his blanket, turning around at his roommate with a fierce glare, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Fine, you win, you Bastard! Now, tell me, what do you want to do?!"
However, Higo choked instantly when he realized that Naoya had already fallen asleep here. Somehow, the boy who, a few minutes ago, was so anxious about tomorrow that he couldn’t jump into the dreamland, had already gone there first, leaving Higo alone, speechless on his own bed.
Now that he was awake and full of conscience, there was no way Higo could fall asleep directly. In the end, the boy just stared at the ceiling with an empty gaze, doing what any man would do in such a quiet night.
Overthink.
"Kumiko-chan has already said that a sweeper keeper is the trend in modern football right now, one that couldn’t just save the ball, but also play as an outfielder. Still, is that really necessary? I mean, if the end result is just me making more mistakes from controlling the ball, does that mean I am a bad goalkeeper?"
He also recalled his experience during the trial session with Schalke, when he was told that this was a weakness he needed to fix. It wasn’t like the boy didn’t want to learn, but playing as an outfielder didn’t really come naturally for him.
’What would happen if I couldn’t do that? Am I destined to always be a second-rate goalkeeper? Worse, will my future be that limited, cannot advance further in my career? Is this really going to be the peak of my career?’
With so many thoughts in his mind, Higo finally fell asleep, haunted by the fear and anxiety for the future.