Chapter 842: Before the Game Begins
They chatted for quite a while, and even after a little bit of provocation from Yuya Osako at the beginning of the conversation, Higo felt like he got along quite well with the man.
Yuya Osako was somehow an experienced man, having already been in this country since 2014. That meant he was here for about 7 years so far, starting when Higo had just entered middle school.
The man was also a regular in the national team, having played for the Samurai Blue even in the World Cup in Russia two years ago. He had a lot of stories that Higo felt that Kumiko would definitely be interested in, so he listened to what the man said carefully.
Unfortunately, after chatting for a while, Yuya Osako had to go back first with the team, leaving Higo and Morita standing on the sideline while also watching the man’s back until he disappeared from their sight.
"What a nice guy, right?" Morita smiled a little bit. "His agent is the same as me, so we know each other quite well. He is the first guy who congratulated me the first time I arrived here, and honestly, I like to think that he starts to treat me as his little brother, you know?"
Higo arched one of his eyebrows lightly, not expecting to hear Morita being so somber like this. It was at this point that Higo realized that he didn’t really know the midfielder quite well, not knowing what he was thinking right now.
Still, there was no way he would let his friend get into a bad mood like this right before the game began, so the goalkeeper patted Morita on his back quite hard.
"Well, it is good to have a deep relationship like that, but make sure it doesn’t affect your performance, okay? I don’t know anything about you and Osako-san, but if you lowered your standard just because of him, you would face Frohling-sensei directly; I am sure you know of that." Higo couldn’t help but warn him.
In return, Morita just snorted amusedly; the somber atmosphere was gone in a snap. "Don’t worry about me. Also, I will only start from the bench, so I am allowed to get distracted for now."
"Well, just make sure that you will be ready when Sensei asks you later, okay? I would hate to see you getting punished in your first game after three months."
They still chatted for quite a moment while also doing their warm-up to get ready for the game. Soon enough, though, they went back to the locker room with the other players, changing into their home jersey as the game was about to begin.
Higo himself cringed a little bit when he looked at his own jersey. Honestly, the boy hated how ugly it was, with the bright orange color that made him stand out like a sore thumb.
Unfortunately, this was the team’s home goalkeeper jersey, so he had to accept it while looking in envy at the rest of the team who wore their proud blue jersey.
"Okay, everyone! First home game of the season! Focus!" Frohling suddenly stepped into the spotlight, snapping everyone out of their thought. "We are going to control the game from the very first second! Midfielders, you will have to work hard today, so don’t make a mistake!"
Omar Mascarell nodded solemnly at this. Still, unlike the last game where his partner was Suat Serdar, today, he would be holding the midfield together with Nabil Bentaleb, a Frenchman who had just arrived back at the team after being loaned out last year.
The man was definitely a great addition to the team, since he was also a creative player who possessed the ability to distribute the ball even to the frontline. Not only that, but he was also quite experienced, having played for Tottenham Hotspur for so many years in the past.
His composure would be a great help for Omar Mascarell to maintain control in the midfield.
"Strikers! We will also need you to be sharper than before! Getting the first goal is the key here, so try to be more decisive!"
Goncalo Paciencia and Mark Uth nodded simultaneously, feeling determined to bag the first goal of the season for the team.
Honestly, other than Suat Serdar, who got sidelined today, the coach didn’t make any change in the lineup. The man truly believed that this was the best roster he could pull, and the failure in the last game couldn’t be used to measure the team since the opponent was Bayern Munich themselves.
This time, with the opponent being equal or even slightly weaker than them, this would be the best chance to see how good his current lineup was to fight for the entire season.
Once all the instructions were given and the fourth referee came to warn them that the game was about to begin, Frohling clapped loudly, getting everyone pumped up.
"Come on! Let’s get our first three-point of the season, everyone!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Five minutes later, Higo had already found himself standing between the posts again, tightening the gloves on his hands. In front of him, Benjamin Stambouli and Timo Becker were chatting with each other, probably setting up a line of coordination so that things didn’t go chaotic just like in the last game.
On the center circle, two of the Werder Bremen were ready to start the game as well. Just like the usual, Omar Mascarell lost the right to the kick-off, so Schalke had to be satisfied with this passive start.
Not that Higo minded, of course, as he was ready to face anything today.
On Werder Bremen’s side, Higo couldn’t see Yuya Osako on the pitch. No, the man was sitting on the bench just like Morita, probably being prepared to be the team’s super-sub in the second half.
’Well, let’s not think too far ahead...’ Higo took a deep breath, trying to put his focus on the pitch first. ’Their two strikers, Niclas Füllkrug and Leonardo Bittencourt... They are going to be troublesome to deal with. I cannot lower my guard, or they will definitely punish me. Come on! I can do this!’