THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Coach Johansen's face had already morphed into a frown by the time the fitness testing ended. He was really disappointed with his players' lack of professionalism. They'd gone on holiday and ignored their fitness. As a result, their fitness measurements were only so-so, even when only eight days remained to the first-leg of Rosenborg's game against Fiorentina.

Fortunately, not all his first-team players were in bad shape. The likes of Zachary, Nicki, Yerry Mina, Eric Bailly, Thomas Partey, and Mikael Dorsin had all maintained their match fitness, even during the off-season. Thence, Rosenborg could still put together a fairly-strong squad with some additions from the second team and the new signings. So, that was why the coach was not panicking even when he'd decided to expel twelve unfit players from the training ground.

"Coach Johansen!" Trond Henriksen, his assistant, called out from beside him.

"Yes, Trond," Coach Johansen replied without taking his eyes off the pitch. The two of them were still standing on the sidelines as they watched the remaining eighteen players going through passing drills under the glow of the winter setting sun.

"Do we really have to suspend those twelve players?" Trond Henriksen asked, creasing his brows slightly. "With them gone, the depth of our squad will narrow down considerably. So, can't we, at least, leave them on the bench?"

"Why should we?" Coach Johansen countered. "Their fitness is clearly lacking. So, why should we include them in our training plans?"

"Most of them are just barely below the mark," Trond argued. "With just four days of training, they might be able to get back into shape and help us against Fiorentina."

"Trond! You've forgotten one thing. It's not just them on the team. We have many reserve players who have been working hard throughout the off-season while silently hoping for a chance to play for Rosenborg. They're now in tip-top shape and ready to perform. Should I leave them on the bench and instead field players who can't be bothered to maintain their fitness?"

Coach Johansen's tone was sharp as he inclined his head slightly to face his assistant. Yes, he understood that he'd just suspended twelve regulars from the squad, and among them were three players who were often on the starting line-up. However, why the need to worry? With the new signings, Takumi Minamino and Karl Toko Ekambi, plus a couple of rising talents, like Paul Kasongo and Paul Otterson, the squad would remain strong, even without the suspended players.

"Coach, I was just considering the depth of the team," Trond said. "We might need more experience while facing a strong team like Fiorentina."

"We still have plenty of experienced players on the squad," Coach Johansen said with a smile. "There is Mikael, Tore, Nicki, and Zachary on the team. Adding on the likes of Yerry Mina, Eric Bailly, and Thomas Partey — then we have got enough depth in our squad. As long as we play our cards right, we'll be able to give Fiorentina a run for their money."

"Oh, okay," the assistant said, seemingly not convinced.

"Just relax," Coach Johansen said to assure him with a dismissive wave of his arm. "Everything will work out fine. Moreover, with the suspended players as examples, it'll be easy for us to establish team discipline later on—in the future. The players will also become more hardworking since they're now aware that they can easily face suspensions if they don't meet the team standards."

"I understand," Trond said.

"Good," Coach Johansen replied with a smile. "I'm glad we're on the same page. So, let's work well together to prepare the team for the game against Fiorentina during the next seven days."

"Coach, you have my support, no matter the circumstances," Trond replied, also with a smile. "You deserve that, at least for helping Rosenborg win a double last year."

"Thank you."

-----

Over the following four days, the team's progress elicited a sense of satisfaction within Coach Johansen. He was always in a good mood since the players worked harder than ever while preparing for the game against Fiorentina. They arrived early at the training ground and left late in the evening as they worked, day in and day out, on the various aspects of their in-game talents.

In particular, Zachary was as diligent as ever. Coach Johansen would always find him honing his ball skills whenever he arrived on the field early in the morning. And whenever there was a break in the team practice during the course of the day, the coach would see the boy prodigy move to the side to continue training. It was also the same during the evening after the team sessions.

Training, training, and training even harder, from early morning to late evening — that was how he spent the following four days.

Coach Johansen had more than once thought about advising the boy prodigy against overworking himself. However, after recalling how the boy prodigy could elevate his fitness to monstrous levels within less than three months, he decided against the notion. Since he could make such improvements while training by himself, he knew his body well from the inside out. So, there was no need to meddle with his training.

On Sunday, just four days before the Europa League fixture, Coach Johansen organized a friendly match against Ranheim IL, a local club in Norway. He intended to get his team match-ready before facing off against the Italian side.

Coach Johansen didn't include Zachary and Nicki in the match-squad since he was aware that they were already match-fit. Be that as it may, Rosenborg still managed to thrash Ranheim with a score of 3:1 at Lerkendal, with goals coming in from Paul Kasongo, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund.

It was a commanding win that caused Coach Johansen to smile for hours.

All the Rosenborg players had worked perfectly together, like gears of a perfect machine, to overwhelm the Ranheim side. In particular, Paul Kasongo, a young player that graduated from the academy only the previous year, put up an incredible display that shocked many. He managed to score the first goal in the 10th minute and set up the third in the late stages of the second half.

The two new signings, Takumi Minamino and Karl Toko Ekambi, also left a deep impression on Coach Johansen during the friendly match. In addition to being hardworking, they were also skilled players who could handle the ball ingeniously on the pitch. Moreover, their passing, positioning and shooting skills were more than textbook perfect, making them ideal forward players for any team. They were simply that good.

Coach Johansen was once again overwhelmed by Zachary's scouting skills. The coach couldn't understand how such a training maniac had spotted those two talented players, even when they were playing for obscure clubs. Either Zachary was a genius when scouting players, or he had a team of top scouts working for him. But whatever the case, Coach Johansen was glad that Zachary had helped Rosenborg acquire two more talented players. So, he didn't spend time thinking about the issue for long.

-----

After the friendly game, the Rosenborg players continued training as they slowly by slowly honed their tactics for the upcoming Europa League fixture. Be it set-pieces, positioning, and player movements when on and off the ball — they worked on them with a one-track mind under the guidance of the coaches. In that way, the days flashed by — and soon, it was Wednesday, February 19, 2014, the eve of the match between Rosenborg and Fiorentina.

On that evening, when the sun was just about to sink below the horizon in the west, Coach Johansen announced the end of training and called the players to the tactics room.

It was finally the time for the pre-match tactical meeting. The players were all excited since they would be playing competitive football for the first time in more than two months. So, they didn't dilly-dally in the slightest as they headed to the tactics room to listen to their coach.

"Good evening to you all," Coach Johansen said after all the players had settled down in the seats around the tactics room. "For the last eight days, we've been honing our tactics for our Europa League game against Fiorentina. And tomorrow evening will be the day when we finally use those tactics to crush our opponents. Are you guys ready?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied with zest.

"Good." The coach nodded before going through a bit of the game plan for the following day.

For the next few minutes, he talked about the opponents and their weaknesses before explaining how to exploit those flaws for Rosenborg's own good. He was clear and very detailed as he spoke; giving an impression that he'd researched the opponents - Fiorentina to a great extent. The seconds flashed by in that way, and soon, he got to the part of announcing the squad.

"Let's move on to the squad," Coach Johansen announced with a smile. "As I already explained, we'll be playing with a 4-3-3 formation against Fiorentina. For those who don't understand formations, that means four defenders, three midfielders, and three attackers." He added seriously.

The players laughed at that.

"In goal, we'll have Daniel Örlund, our veteran keeper, while in defense; we'll have Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly."

"In midfield, we'll have Thomas Partey, Zachary Bemba, and Takumi Minamino in a triangular formation. Zachary and Takumi will play as attacking midfielders, while Thomas will be the lone-holding midfielder."

"The forwards will be Nicki Nielsen, Borek Dockal, and Alexander Söderlund. Nicki will play as the central striker, while Borek and Alexander will attack through the flanks. That's it for the starting eleven."

"Moving on," the coach continued after sweeping his gaze over the tactics room. "On the bench, we'll have a total of seven players. The names of the selected players are Lund Hansen, William Troost-Ekong, Cristian Gamboa, Ole Selnæs, Jonas Svensson, Karl Toko Ekambi, and Paul Kasongo. That is it for the entire squad."

"Any questions?" The coach asked while glancing around.

All the players remained silent.

"If there are no questions, then let's end today's tactical meeting here," the coach said. "Be sure to arrive at Lerkendal by midday tomorrow. That'll give us a few more hours to prepare for the game that is scheduled to commence at 7:00 PM. Otherwise, I wish you a good evening."

****    ****