Chapter 14

The new kit reveal had been a huge event that was attended by the associated press, the kit was modelled by George Hall and Jobe Bellingham and had made quite a splash. The decision to use the players as models was intended to demonstrate how important they would be to the team, in recent weeks there had been some quiet murmurings of discontent at the number of young foreign players that were being signed. This was most likely due to some people feeling that they would prevent the development of the young academy players. The people doing it were mainly jealous rival fans hence the club had not engaged with it, but it was good to cut their arguments at the knee. The kit was very interesting and had been a hit with the fans despite the low uptake so far. The kit was the traditional royal blue complete with a faint paisley pattern on the torso. The Gymshark logo was also integrated into the pattern making it very artistic and original. The company had wanted to produce a stylish kit that stayed true to the image of the club while also contributing a new concept. The shorts also carried the paisley pattern in a thin strip on the side of the legs to complete the motif. The usual technology such as sweat wicking and cooling had also been integrated and the company swore, they were in no way inferior to their more established rivals.

The reveal of the football kits meant the social media strategy could start in earnest and the next few days were very intensive. The photo sessions were particularly gruelling with each player needing to take multiple photos in different poses. They also needed to take little walk up videos that would be used by the league when they showed the line up for the game. The squad also took many photos for the varying media campaigns including the whole squad photo with all the staff. The players had to sign many autographs which would be given out and also record interviews and the like for the social media channels so the fans could get to know each of them. Yusuf stepped in when he felt that their energy levels were lagging and informed the staff the more fun and humanizing videos would only work if the players had some life in them. The last part of the process involved the facial scans that would be debuted in FIFA 23. The EA staff had been particularly eager as the majority of the team had been replaced and they felt that they didn't have any photos for the expected main team. The players had cheekily showed off a little in the hope they would manage to improve their ratings for the following season. This was especially important as the players living in the accommodation which had been officially dubbed the Blue House had become really competitive around the game. A league had formed and though most of them didn't speak the same language, it appeared that losing translated perfectly irrespective of background. The players that didn't live in the Blue House had also gotten into it and were there as often as they could, this made Yusuf happy as they were bonding off the pitch and was the effect he was hoping for when he placed them together.

The training had also ramped up in intensity, the theory lessons continued in earnest, but the new manager wanted to make sure that the lessons were drilled into them through hard work. He was also aware that throughout the season with the compactness of the fixture list it would be difficult to push the players till their limits which was what the preseason was for. He also knew the players had come from different levels and were used to different intensities of training and this would be the one opportunity he had to bring them all to the same level.

The day had started much like any other and the players had warmed up nice and calmly. It was at that point that they were taken into the gym for measurements to occur. The measurements were intended to build a starting point for each player which could be monitored against to see how they were developing. This was especially important for youth players as they would change very rapidly and a baseline to judge them against was important. The league was very physical, and this meant that the players would need to adapt to it before they were able to fully demonstrate their skills. The tests measured body fat through the skin fold method using callipers; flexibility through sit and reaching tests; and strength testing through vertical jumping exercises and max strength on specific weight machines. This built a preliminary bank of information and was quite enjoyable for the players as they saw it as a competition and were keen to come out on top. The fun came to an end when they faced the next set of tests which started with sprint and agility testing to understand their movement. Then it became time to understand the extent of their aerobic fitness through a lactate test. The lactate test involved progressively quicker laps around the course in which they would have the level of lactic acid in their blood measured. The group went from walking to jogging and then running around the course until they dropped out of exhaustion. The players tried to hold on as long as they could but the difference in the levels soon begun to show, and it was clear who would need extra work. The importance of fitness could not be overstated as when a player became tired, they would make worse decisions, give up on pressing and become a liability to the team. The pressing game only worked if everyone was entirely committed and hence Yusuf would need to get them all to the same level.

The testing had gone well and had given the coaches a lot of information about each player with which to personalise the training for them. The physical attributes of the player and the requirements of each position dictated the type of coaching they would receive. The training schedule was hence divided into smaller individual exercises and the whole group ones where the players improved their teamwork. Looking across the training field, Yusuf could see Emegha undergoing a finishing exercise with four goals surrounding him in which a coach would call out one of them and he would need to quickly receive the ball and finish. This trained his finishing and reaction time which would be needed as a striker. Ravil was working on jostling in the box to improve his performance in set pieces and also had a slightly more intense strength training to build the strength required for the position.

A group of players were taking part in a four versus four plus three rondo exercise which was a personal favourite of his. The entire team would routinely use this exercise to help develop positional play and it was very effective at getting the concepts across without being unnecessarily confusing. The exercise involved a team of four players in a rectangle around another team of four. The former would need to pass the ball between them without it being intercepted by the latter while roughly maintaining their positions in the rectangle. A further three players would be considered as neutral and would stand in a line bisecting the rectangle with one of them directly in the centre of the space. The neutrals would support the team in possession of the ball and offer more passing options for them. When the ball was intercepted by the inner team the two would switch roles and the outer team would need to counter press them quickly to get the ball back while the inner team needs to maintain possession. The exercise helps players develop technically through improving their passing, body orientation, ball control, team pressing. The tactical area is where the real gain is though in line breaking passes, defensive shape and blocking passing lanes. The team has already improved so much when it comes to how to move when they are in transition either from winning the ball or losing it. The effect of all this training would only be seen in their upcoming match against Charlton Athletic and the new manager was looking forward to unveiling his new team.

Author Notes:

The kit design was inspired by a kit that Man City had which was universally reviled, but I was thinking much more subtle so as to be almost unnoticeable. Imagine the paisley pattern in royal blue and dark blue on the BCFC shirt. I've put a link to both below.

https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2020/0929/r752934_864x1296_2-3.jpg

https://www.footballshirtculture.com/images/2021/birmingham_city_2021_2022_home_shirt.jpg