My Ultimate Gacha System

"Friday, you start. For this block, you’re with Declan and Jude."

Demien stopped with the Australia bib still balled in one hand, his eyes moving from Rice at the base of midfield to Bellingham several yards higher, then over to Phillips already jogging toward the group he’d just left.

He didn’t say anything.

He’d already been told he was starting against Australia — that much wasn’t in question — so whatever this was, it belonged to Tuesday, not Friday.

Southgate walked onto the grass and moved three plastic markers by hand rather than explaining it from the sideline, Rice’s staying deepest and slightly left, Demien’s sliding in a few yards to Rice’s right and higher, Bellingham’s pushed up close to where Kane stood waiting.

"Declan holds the centre and covers in behind the full-backs," Southgate said. "Demien, you give him the angle when they press, then you move past the first man instead of sitting deep all match. Jude, you’re free to attack the space behind their midfield and get inside the box with Harry."

The first repetition ran against a reserve unit told to squeeze narrow like Italy.

Stones carried the ball forward, Rice dropped to meet him, and Demien drifted in close enough to offer the safe option, which was exactly the problem — the simulated midfield shifted together and shut both central lanes at once, leaving Stones only the pass to Demien, who could do nothing but knock it straight back with Rice standing in the same patch of grass and Bellingham stranded alone up front.

England kept the ball, but the whole thing crawled, and Kane dropped deep to find it because nobody had come through the middle, dragging a center-back with him and flattening England’s shape completely.

Southgate blew one short whistle and walked out himself, physically shifting Demien several yards toward the right half-space.

"Dropping to help Declan is an action, not a postcode," he said. "Once he releases it, you move. Make the next midfielder choose between following you and leaving Jude alone."

Demien looked back at where he’d been standing, then checked the distance between Bellingham and Kane. "Outside the presser or straight behind him?"

"Outside first. Then behind him once the ball’s moving," Southgate said.

They ran it again.

Stones found Rice.

Demien held his position only long enough for the simulated presser to start closing Rice down, then dropped into the right angle, took the release, and returned it first time rather than trying to turn through the contact, spinning away from the midfielder who’d followed him out.

Stones found Kane between the lines.

Kane shielded it and laid it toward Demien, already clear of the first presser.

The second midfielder stepped out to close him.

Demien played it first time into Bellingham, free now behind that exact movement, and Bellingham drove at the box and finished past the training keeper.

Southgate didn’t celebrate it.

He reset the drill immediately and kept the same three midfielders together.

The defensive side of the same shape showed itself minutes later, the simulated Italy side intercepting near their own box while Bellingham was still high from the last attack.

Rice stepped toward the ball carrier, and a second opponent broke into the channel he’d just left open.

Demien saw the runner before the pass was even played and turned to recover beside Rice instead of chasing the ball itself, stepping across the passing lane, shielding it with his body, and knocking the next ball out toward the touchline.

Southgate let it run, because England had their shape back.

"Get in the right lane," Demien told Bellingham, pointing him back into position while Rice dropped in behind them both.

Bellingham obeyed without arguing, because the transition had just shown him exactly how exposed he left the team whenever he stayed forward too long.

「NATIONAL TEAM PREPARATION MISSION ACTIVATED」 「MISSION: Two Midfield Roles」 「Complete 5 pressure-release actions」 「Create 3 chances from forward movement」 「Stop 3 midfield transitions」 「Maintain 90% pass accuracy」 「Reward: +20 TP」 「Bonus Objective: Protect the right defensive channel」 「Bonus Reward: +10 MP」

The closed tactical block continued with Walker holding the right, Colwill filling the opposite side, Foden pulled into the right slot after Saka had been assessed and sent back to Arsenal on Monday, and Kane central against a simulated Italy defending narrow, funneling England toward the touchline.

On the first pressure-release action, Rice received with his back to the press.

Demien moved outside the nearest midfielder, took the pass, and released it first time to Walker before the second man could close, then kept moving, took Walker’s return, and found Bellingham inside.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Pressure-Release Actions: 1/5」

The reserve side shifted its angle on the next repetition and cut off Walker entirely.

Demien received under contact, held the midfielder off with his shoulder, turned inside, and found Kane’s feet.

Kane laid it toward Bellingham, but the simulated center-back stepped out and cut the pass off before it reached him.

Southgate stopped Bellingham rather than Demien. "Start your run after Harry receives, not before. Go too early and the center-back sees both of you at once."

They ran it again, Kane taking it first, the defender committing to him, Bellingham waiting a beat before attacking the space behind, Demien supplying the return around the midfielder, and Bellingham reached the box ahead of the cover.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Chances Created From Forward Movement: 1/3」

England lost the ball moments later off a blocked Bellingham attempt, and the reserve winger broke immediately into the channel behind Walker.

Demien didn’t chase the ball carrier, dropping into the right channel instead, blocking the pass behind the fullback, and forcing the winger to turn back toward his own half.

Rice closed the receiver from the front, and together they won it back clean.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Midfield Transitions Stopped: 1/3」

"You’ve got to start that recovery half a step earlier when Walker’s already beaten," Rice told him as the drill reset.

"You stepped forward before the ball was even controlled," Demien said.

"That’s why you read me, not the pass," Rice answered, and on the next turnover Demien reacted a full beat sooner and beat the winger to the right channel before the ball had even left the reserve player’s foot.

Southgate kept the same three midfielders together through the rest of the block, and the only development that meant anything was that Phillips didn’t come back to join them.

At the drinks break, Demien walked over with Rice and Bellingham.

"You spent that whole first rep standing close enough to Declan to share his boots," Bellingham said.

"You’d gone so high you were basically playing beside Harry," Demien said.

"That first rep looked like England had one midfielder and four forwards," Rice said, and the three of them were still laughing about it when Phillips walked up.

Phillips took a bottle and looked at the group they’d just finished with. "Southgate planning to have you running two tactical plans all week?"

"He said I’d train in both," Demien said.

"He put you in the exact shape he’s used all week with Declan and Jude," Phillips said.

Demien didn’t pretend not to understand what that meant. "It was one block. Friday’s the match that matters right now."

"One block’s usually how it starts," Phillips said, then added, more careful, "playing beside them in training’s not the same as facing Italy’s midfield with qualification on the line, though."

"I know," Demien said.

Phillips gave him one nod and walked toward the next drill.

Southgate pulled Demien aside as the group broke for the second half of the session. "Friday’s a different role entirely — don’t mix the two up in your head," he said. "Jordan sits deep, you’re the more mobile one alongside him, James plays the ten. When Trent goes forward, you cover what he leaves behind. When their midfield steps to Jordan, you receive beyond the press and get it into Ollie early."

Demien nodded and jogged back toward the Australia unit.

The possession game that closed the pitch work used the likely Australia starters — Johnstone, Trent, Dunk, Tomori, Colwill, Henderson, Demien, Bowen, Maddison, Grealish, Watkins.

The first problem showed itself immediately.

Demien received in the right half-space, Maddison dropped into the same area wanting the ball, Bowen drifted inside off the wing, and three England players ended up crowding one lane while Australia’s simulated midfield closed around Demien and forced the ball straight back.

Southgate stopped it. "Bowen, stay wide till Trent overlaps. James, stay beyond their first line — don’t drop onto him." He nodded at Demien. "Your job is drawing one of their midfielders out and finding the space behind him."

Dunk found Henderson.

Henderson found Demien.

The simulated Baccus closed hard from his blind side, and Demien released it first time to Trent and spun beyond the presser before the challenge landed.

Trent returned it inside.

Maddison stayed high this time, pinning the simulated Irvine.

Watkins started between the two center-backs, then bent his run into the right channel, and Demien released him before either defender could drop off.

Watkins took it into the box and shot across the keeper, saved, but the route had worked exactly as drawn up.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Pressure-Release Actions: 2/5」 「Chances Created From Forward Movement: 2/3」

"Earlier next time," Watkins called over.

"Any earlier and you’re offside," Demien said.

"I’d have adjusted," Watkins said.

"Every striker thinks the offside line’s the midfielder’s problem," Maddison said, cutting in, and Watkins didn’t have an answer for that one.