God Of football

Chapter 150: New Year’s Resolution

”3”

”2”

”1”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The night sky over Valencia erupted in a breathtaking symphony of colour and light as the New Year was welcomed with a grand display of fireworks.

Golden streams shot upward, trailing sparks before bursting into cascading showers of brilliance. Reds, blues, and greens painted the heavens, their reflections shimmering on the city’s waterways.

The crowd gasped and cheered with each explosion, the deep booms and sharp crackles echoing through the historic streets.

Silver comets streaked across the sky, followed by fountains of glittering gold that seemed to hang in the air.

Spirals of fire spun outward like celestial pinwheels while multicoloured bursts formed dazzling patterns, lighting up the faces of the onlookers.

The city seemed to come alive with each burst, the air charged with celebration and the scent of smoke and revelry.

Bells tolled in the distance, blending harmoniously with the thunderous fireworks, as Valencia greeted the New Year with awe and joy.

....

”Happy New Year, everyone. Hopefully, things will get better than last year. Since I’ve been forced to do this, I’ll reluctantly display my New Year’s resolution.

● Qualify for European football with Valencia

● Win the Assist Leader Trophy

● Win the Pichi chi (Hopefully)

● Find a girlfriend for Mark.(Interested Parties should DM)

After Izan’s list came out, it set off a chain reaction among others, with other players also joining in on the fun.

....

Santa Jones57: Izan’s list looks promising. I’ll be happy if he gets the assist leader spot, but the Pichi chi sounds hard. Especially with New year, New Lewandowski incoming.

443res: Why is Izan finding a girlfriend for Mark? Why not himself or does he already have one???

ItsMark: Thanks Izan but you didn’t have to announce it publicly

As the comments flooded Izan’s Instagram, the business of the January transfer window had already begun.

Having a match in two days, Valencia spared no effort to prevent their players from being poached, especially Izan, whose agent, Miranda, was having a tough time as a few clubs bypassed the club to talk to her.

Miranda however declined, citing Izan’s reluctance to leave the club. This, however, didn’t deter them as they continued to push on.

In the transfer news, Tottenham was said to have completed a deal for Dragusin from Genoa worth 25 million euros, while Eric Dier left for Bayern Munich in a loan deal.

Borussia Dortmund was also said to be pushing for a loan return of their star, Jadon Sancho.

With his move to Manchester United not going exactly to plan, the winger was open to it but it remained to see if Manchester United would let him go on loan.

Tottenham hotspur, not satisfied had already started sniffing around timo Werner looking to bring the German into the club.

A few other decent moves, both permanent and on-loan were also being made around the top leagues.

While the transfer news bloomed here and there, Valencia prepared to meet Villareal for their second meeting of the season.

With the first one having both teams settle for a draw, both teams looked to take all three points away in this encounter. For Valencia who was looking to qualify for europe, this match was crucial as there was no better way to start a new year with a win.

For Izan, enjoying the new year meant having a go at it in training as their match with Valencia was on the 2nd of January.

”Whoever made those schedules need to lose their jobs. Who plays a match the day after New Year?” Izan said as he sent a ball zooming towards Marmadashvili.

The Keeper tensed before putting up a great hand to save it. ”Hahahaha, Hermano, you’re getting rust-” he tried to say but Izan sent another rocket towards him.

Marmadashvili suddenly pulled another great hand to save the ball, but it still ended up in the back of the net.

Looking like a wronged dog, Marmadashvili stood up before heading to one of the medics to stop his bruises from worsening.

”Gather around guys,” Baraja said after his whistle sounded. The players who were busy with their balls(not what you think) stopped and approached the Coach.

”Since we’ve just returned from the winter break, let’s play a small scrimmage to lighten up,” Baraja said.

The players nodded in approval. Under the direction of Baraja, the players were divided into two teams of fairly equal strength after Baraja mixed the starters with the substitutes.

After the players were selected, they all looked at the coach like he had done something bad.

Baraja, under the questioning gazes of the players, understood what they meant with their eyes.

He just shook his head at his players before blowing his whistle, signalling the players to move into position.

Ruben Baraja, the sharp-eyed and thoughtful coach, stood next to Izan on the sidelines of the training ground.

The new year’s sun cast long shadows over the field as the players in the scrimmage darted about, calling for passes and jostling for position.

Baraja, dressed in his training jacket with the club’s crest proudly displayed, leaned slightly toward Izan, his arms folded across his chest.

”So, Izan,” he began, his voice calm but carrying a weight of curiosity, ”you’ve got a good eye for the game. What do you think we could tweak here?”

Izan looked at the Coach, a bit surprised that he was asking for tactical inspiration from him. However, after pausing for a bit, Izan decided to answer.

Izan, standing with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets to shield them from the cold, observed the game intently.

His sharp mind worked quickly as he noticed the gaps in the defensive line and the lack of cohesion in the midfield transitions.

”I think the midfielders are too far apart,” Izan said confidently, glancing up at Baraja. ”If they stayed closer during transitions, they’d recover possession quicker and have more options going forward.”

Baraja nodded, a faint smile crossing his lips. ”Good point. What about the wingers? Anything you’d adjust there?”

Izan’s eyes flicked to the flanks, where the wingers were attempting to cut inside too often, leaving the full-backs isolated. ”They should stay wider at first,” he suggested. ”Stretch the defence, create space for the strikers, and make it harder for the opposition to press.”

”For some games, when I get the ball, the striker just gets crowded because we don’t play in a way that makes our wingers threatening enough.

Maybe less on for Diego and Fran are in order so they could learn to cut back curl the ball since they don’t do it much and falter most of the times they try to do it.”

Baraja’s smile deepened as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. ”You’ve got a natural sense for this,” he said. ”We might have to test out your ideas in the next session.”

The compliment made Izan smile but he still stayed composed. The exchange left an impression on Baraja, who realized that this teenager’s potential extended beyond his feet—his tactical awareness was just as extraordinary.

”I don’t know if you haven’t noticed but we mostly play around you. In games, I would like to see you act as a sort of captain for the attackers.

Show them your ideas and instruct them in the way you deem fit. Your position in this team is huge but I’ll still talk to them so that nothing goes awry.”

After Baraja’s word Izan just stood there, frozen in place as he stared at Baraja back with the latter walking away.

After sounding his whistle, Baraja replaced a midfielder on the first team, which had the likes of Gaya, Mark, Fran and Pepelu, with Izan.

Immediately after the swap, the flow of the game changed with Izan setting the pace, choosing when to attack and when not to.

The 2nd team that was doing better before the arrival of Izan could feel as if the opponents were playing with an extra man.

Izan was all over the pitch, intercepting passes and going for tackles. Izan introduction proved fruitful as the first team put a goal in the back of the net.

After their goal, Baraja put Izan on the second team and this time, the results were more overwhelming.

Even though the first team had more experience, under the instructions of Izan, the second team played differently.

Setting up passes and playing long ball. This was what Izan had been doing since he entered the second team.

Faster and more agile than their older counterparts, the second team ousted the formers, scoring 2 goals, with one coming from a thunderous shot by Izan.

After the scrimmage, Baraja could be seen taking a few notes with his coaches. ”Freshen up and head to the canteen,” Baraja said as he walked towards his office.

The players followed his words and went to their locker room before heading to the dining area where the players joke around, sharing a few stories among others.

After dining, the players took their notebooks and pens as they headed towards the Video room.

A/n: Second of the day. See ya