God Of football

Chapter 102: Rift

”Izan’s Rift with Valencia: Frustration Brews After Real Betis Stalemate”

”Problems arise for Valencia after draw with Betis”

”Real Madrid are top of the league after Valencia slip”

”Newly promoted player plays while Izan sits on the bench. What is wrong with Valencia”

”Haaaaaah”. Izan sighed before throwing his tablet on his bed. Covering his face with his hands, Izan fell beside the tablet.

After the match, a few media bodies began releasing news about a supposed rift between Izan and the Valencia club after Izan left before the match ended.

”The referee had blown his whistle when I got up from the bench” Izan muttered. Izan stared at his bedside clock.

It had been a few hours after the match and he still couldn’t sleep.

Izan heard his tablet buzz as he lay down.

He turned to his side and picked up the tablet. ”Another one” he uttered. Izan sat up as he read the news.

”The Villamarin was abuzz with frustration and questions after Valencia’s 1-1 draw with Real Betis. The game, which should have been an opportunity to consolidate their position in La Liga, ended in disappointment.

But the frustration was not limited to the result—it also centred around the new tensions between Valencia and their prodigious midfielder, Izan.

Considered the heart of the club after his performances, Izan’s game time this season had become a flashpoint, and the draw against Betis brought matters to the fore.

The match against Betis had all the makings of a thriller. Valencia took the lead in the 50th minute through a brilliant strike from their forward, but Betis equalized well after stoppage time, thanks to a well-executed magical run from Isco.

After Valencia took the lead, fans were eager to see Izan brought on to inject creativity and energy into Valencia’s attack.

The fans wanted to see their team consolidate their lead and were looking forward to Izan helping them do so.

But Izan remained on the bench. Instead, manager Ruben Baraja opted for a defensive substitution, bringing on a holding midfielder in the 75th minute.

The decision was met with audible boos from the home crowd. Television cameras panned to Izan on the bench, his expression a mixture of indifference.

The fans thought maybe he’d be coming on late because of a knock he took in the Real Sociedad match. The fans saw Izan warming up and were ecstatic but their joy was killed after Izan returned to his seat and put on his jacket.

”Izan left before the match ended” was what some majority were saying but the referee had already blown his whistle when Izan left the pitch.

Post-match interviews revealed the growing tension. Ruben Baraja defended his decisions, saying, ”We needed to maintain balance in the midfield. Every player must be ready to contribute when called upon.” But for many fans and pundits, the exclusion of Izan after such an avoidable draw was inexplicable”

”At least this has some truth,” Izan thought.

...

The morning after the draw, headlines across Spain were dominated by speculation about Izan’s situation at Valencia.

Sports dailies like Marca and AS questioned whether the star midfielder’s reduced game time was tactical or personal.

One commentator on a popular football show stated, ”If you have a player like Izan and don’t use him in a game like that, something deeper is going on. One might use his age against him, but come on, at this stage of the game, if you can play, you’re old enough.”

Social media erupted with theories. Some fans speculated that Baraja was punishing Izan for a rumoured disagreement during training.

Others suggested that the club was attempting to diminish Izan’s value ahead of the January transfer window to avoid losing him to a rival and this seemed the most plausible.

Valencia’s management was quick to issue a statement, claiming there was no rift between the player and the coach, but the damage had been done.

Izan himself remained silent in the immediate aftermath of the match, but supposed sources close to the player revealed his growing frustration.

A friend of Izan at the club, speaking anonymously to the media, claimed, ”Izan loves Valencia. He’s given everything to this club, but he feels undervalued. Watching from the bench when he knows he can help the team is tough.”

An anonymous source read that frustration boiled over in training sessions, with reports of a heated exchange between Izan and Baraja just days before the Betis game.

According to insiders, Izan confronted the coach about his role, questioning why his game time had been reduced, but the latter just spoke vaguely about how they needed to manage him to avoid injuries.

Valencia fans, already unhappy with the team’s 2 draw performances, were divided. Many sided with Izan, arguing that his creativity and skill were exactly what the team needed to unlock stubborn defences.

”Izan is the new Valencia,” read a banner displayed during a subsequent home match. Others, however, defended Baraja, insisting that no player is above the Coach and Club.

The rift became a frequent topic on fan forums, with one supporter writing, ”If Valencia can’t find a way to use arguably the best player this season, maybe they are the problem. Come to Atlético Madrid kid, we’ll cherish you”

Another countered, ”Nobody is bigger than the club and why are you even on Valencia’s forum trying to poach our player.”

The draw against Betis and the media storm that followed marked a turning point in Izan’s relationship with Valencia.

For the first time, transfer rumours began to feel less like speculation and more like an inevitability.

Reports linked Izan with a move to Atlético Madrid, while others suggested interest from Serie A giants Juventus as well as Premier League teams Chelsea and Tottenham.

The Valencia management was caught in the wrath of their own decisions. ”What do we do now” a board member asked during a meeting.

”We have to make the kid clear things up. All we did was ask Baraja to reduce his game time to diminish his value and keep those clubs away” a man with a black spot under his eye answered.

”The chairman was angry about us not informing him of our decision first. Although this wasn’t our intention, the damage had still been done, so we needed to appease him,” another man spoke.

”Okay, then organise the interview and Inform Izan’s agent about our intentions to curb this supposed rift, okay?” the man at the head of the table spoke.

...

3 days after the Betis match, Izan finally broke his silence in an exclusive interview with a leading Spanish sports network.

Speaking calmly but candidly, he said, ”I have always given everything for Valencia. This is my club, my home. I don’t have any problem with the Coach as some media bodies claim.

I understand that the Coach does what is best for the team. I already spoke with Coach and we both agreed that reducing my game time was for the best since I’m still very young and could get seriously injured if not managed well.

Although I was a bit sad after our draw, I’m still with the club and I’ll do everything to help the team win if the Coach calls upon me.

So I’d like to tell the media bodies to stop spewing those false news. It’s distracting and is causing a lot of harm to the club”.

After the interview was released, the fans finally understood what was up and the problem at hand.

”At least he doesn’t want to leave”, a fan said in the comment section of the interview.

”Yeah, for now. I think it’s the club’s greed that has caused this situation. They were looking to cash out on a huge transfer fee in the summer window, but the interest ahead of the winter window made them rethink their decisions.

It’s only a matter of time before Izan leaves, and at that moment, he could come to our AC Milan,” another person commented.

As Valencia prepared for their next match, the rift between Izan and the club remained seemingly resolved.

Some fans still weren’t convinced because of how quickly the issue was resolved but they just had to wait and see.

The January transfer window was approaching, and speculation about Izan’s future continued to dominate headlines.

The Media bodies were having a field day with the news. The week was a gloomy week for the club, which was going to face Mallorca next.

They needed unity, and they also needed to get rid of the gloomy atmosphere that was over the club, or it should cause problems for the next game.

The fans weren’t comfortable with the news about Izan’s possible transfer, but what could they do if the club decided to sell their wonderkid?

They were powerless if that was to happen.

For now, the situation was a reminder of how delicate relationships in football were and what a bit of misunderstanding between 2 parties could do.

A/n: Bonus chapter 2. Have a nice read. Be back in a few hours with the chapter for the day.