CHAPTER 618: CHAPTER 618 LISBON (2)

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[12/08/2020 | Time: 08:45 AM | Team Bus to Estádio da Luz]

The morning air was already thick with heat as the team bus wound its way through Lisbon’s streets toward the stadium. Players were quieter than usual, most with headphones in, mentally preparing for the upcoming training session. Rakim watched the city pass by, noting the increased security presence, police motorcycles escorting their convoy.

Despite the fact that fans wouldn’t be at the stadium they those in the city had gathered on the streets in hopes of seeing one of the teams. To them, it was an odd situation as well, having a major tournament in their city and not being able to attend. "First time seeing it in person?" Lars Bender asked from the seat behind him.

"The Estádio da Luz? Yeah." Rakim responded with a light smile on his face. "Though I think the Bay looks better."

"That’s true, but it must be mad having sixty-five thousand fans watch you when it’s full. Too bad we won’t get to experience it." Volland, sitting next to Lars, lamented as they rounded the final corner, the stadium coming into view.

A massive oval structure with a distinctive red and white exterior, the UEFA Champions League banners draped across its facade, fluttering in the breeze. "There she is," Bailey whispered. "The Cathedral of Football."

[09:15 AM | Estádio da Luz - Training Session]

The moment the Leverkusen players stepped off the team bus and through the tunnel into the Estádio da Luz, they promptly went through their tour. They found their designated changing room and immediately git set for their training session. The moment the players dressed in their training kits stepped out past the tunnel, the open expanse of the stadium hit them like a wave.

Even empty, the ground emitted an energy begging to be played upon. Maybe it was the deep red seats rising in layers around them, or perhaps just the knowledge that in less than 36 hours, this pitch would host one of the most important matches of their careers. Rakim jogged onto the turf with the rest of the squad, his boots biting into the manicured grass.

It felt fast beneath his soles, exactly as Bosz had described the night before. The lines on the pitch had been freshly painted, glowing in the morning sun. All around the perimeter, UEFA staff and cameramen were scattered, testing broadcast angles and equipment, while masked journalists perched in the upper tiers, sketching out their pre-match headlines.

"Five-a-side warm-up!" the assistant coach called. "Yellow bibs, red bibs — let’s go Tempo tempo!"

Training started with a light rondo to loosen up, but it didn’t take long for the intensity to ratchet up. Rakim found himself in a triangle with Wirtz and Demirbay, exchanging sharp passes while dodging Lars Bender’s flying lunges. The ball zipped along the grass with a satisfying hiss, like a blade through silk.

"Over here," Rakim called out, and Wirtz fed him a disguised backheel, which he latched onto on the move.

"Over here," Amiri called out from the edge of the square, prompting Rakim to skip an Ozil-style bounce pass past Wendell.

The training continued in full swing as they went through their training menu. The best way to get a feel for the field was to play on it, and the coaches had the players do just that, from small rondos to possession games to simply passing and shooting exercises. They did everything except work on their formation and tactics, as they had been doing that for the past month.

~~~

[10:00 AM | Sky Sports Champions League Studio]

While the players were acclimating themselves to the pitch, the Champions League talk show was in full swing. All week, they had been building up the audience for this unusual final stretch of the tournament. Now that they were so close to actual games, they decided to push hard for the final stretch.

The Sky Sports studio was bathed in blue light, the Champions League logo spinning slowly on the massive LED wall behind the panel. Jamie Redknapp sat at the centre of the curved desk, flanked by Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard, with Alex Scott rounding out the quartet.

"Welcome back to our Champions League coverage," Redknapp began, shuffling his notes. "We’re just two days away from the quarter finals, and let’s start with tomorrow’s opening fixture, RB Leipzig versus Bayer Leverkusen. Rio, you’ve been watching Leverkusen closely. What are your thoughts?"

Rio Ferdinand leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. "Look, I’ll be honest, when the draw was made, I thought Leipzig would cruise through this. But after watching that DFB-Pokal final? I’m not so sure anymore. Leverkusen showed serious character coming back twice against Bayern. That’s not luck, that’s mentality."

"But this is different, though, isn’t it?" Alex Scott interjected. "Leipzig is built for this high-intensity, one-off format. Nagelsmann’s system is designed to overwhelm teams early. Can Leverkusen handle that press for ninety minutes?"

Steven Gerrard nodded slowly. "That’s the question. Leipzig will come out flying, trying to force mistakes in the first twenty minutes. If Leverkusen can weather that storm, if they can stay compact and not panic under pressure, then they’ve got the quality to hurt Leipzig on the counter."

"Let’s talk about individuals," Redknapp said, clicking a remote. The screen behind them switched to highlight footage. "Rakim Rex. The recently turned seventeen-year-old will want to put on a show for his first game back."

"He’s a special player for sure," Rio said immediately. "We have seen him do some incredible things for any player, regardless of age, but he’ll be hoping that with maturity, his game continues to evolve."

"He’s raw, though," Scott countered. "Still makes mistakes. Against Leipzig’s press, if he takes one heavy touch in the wrong area, they’ll punish him."

"Let’s be honest, when is the last time you’ve seen him take a heavy touch?" Gerrard argued. "He has an uncanny ability to draw the game in creating room for his teammates, and lest not forget his ability to punish any little mistakes." He made an explosive gesture with his hands.

The screen switched to tactical diagrams—Leipzig’s 3-4-3 press versus Leverkusen’s 4-2-3-1 build-up.

"Tactically, this is fascinating," Redknapp said, pointing to the graphics. "Leipzig’s wing-backs will push high, trying to pin Leverkusen’s fullbacks. But that leaves space in behind. If Leverkusen can find their wingers in those channels with one pass, they’re in business."

"True, I could very well see the game unfolding in that manner." Rio agreed. "Nagelsmann versus Bosz. High risk, high reward on both sides. But I’ll tell you what, if Leverkusen get an early goal, this could get very interesting."

~~~

[15:35 AM | Tivoli Avenida Liberdade - Tactical Walkthrough]

Back at the hotel, the team had lunch and then proceeded to have a light gym session in the afternoon. Following the break, they gathered in the conference room for the final item on their agenda. Munching on their snacks, the players settled into their seats, waiting for the tactical meeting to begin.

They didn’t have to wait long as Peter Bosz walked in with his assistant manager, Fredrick Bauer, files in hand. "Alright, gentlemen," Bosz began, his voice cutting through the casual chatter as he moved to stand beside the projector screen. "Tomorrow at 21:00, we step onto that pitch for real. No second chances, no second legs. Win or go home."

The room fell silent as the players who’d been scrolling their phones pocketed them immediately. "RB Leipzig," Bosz continued, clicking to bring up their formation diagram. "We expect them to show up in their best lineup in the 3-4-3 formation. Upamecano, Konaté, and Klostermann at the back. Angeliño and Mukiele as wing-backs. Sabitzer and Kampl in the double pivot. Nkunku, Poulsen, and Olmo up front."

He let that sink in before continuing. "Nagelsmann is predictable in the best possible way. He’ll press us high, force us into mistakes in our own third, then punish us on the transition. Their statistics speak for themselves—they’ve won possession in the final third more than any other team in the competition."

Lars Bender raised his hand. "How aggressive are the wing-backs?"

"Very," Fredrick Bauer interjected, stepping forward with a laser pointer. "Watch this." He clicked through several video clips showing Angeliño bombing forward, leaving huge gaps in his wake. "They commit numbers forward, but it leaves them exposed in the channels. Especially here,"—he circled the space between centre-back and wing-back— "and here."

"So our strategy," Bosz said, "is simple in theory, difficult in execution. We absorb their initial press—stay calm, don’t force passes, don’t panic. When we win the ball, we go directly. One or two passes maximum into those channels we just showed you."

He clicked to a new slide showing Leverkusen’s counter-attacking patterns. "Rakim, Moussa—you’re our primary outlets. When we win possession, you need to be already moving into those spaces. Not waiting, moving. Kai, you’re the link. You drop, you receive, you turn and release them immediately."

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To Be Continued...