Chapter 7: New System (Tactic)

More than a month has passed since Henry officially signed with Rome. During this month, he has been doing nothing apart from learning Italian.

Communication is something that's very important between a coach and a player. If you can't even communicate, there will be a huge invisible barrier.

Apart from that, he has also initially adapted to his current role and to life in a new country. He even has a new favorite place in this country now.

"Good morning, Mr. Henry," said a waiter at my favorite place, the Bar Stella d'Oro, or the Golden Star Bar in English.

It's near Trigoria, AS Roma's training ground. Don't misunderstand—bars in Italy aren't like those in England or other countries, where they're synonymous with nightlife.

Here, bars are more like cafés that serve coffee, pastries, snacks, and light meals during the day. They also serve alcoholic drinks, but they are not primarily focused on nightlife like British pubs.

What Henry likes the most about the Bar Stella d'Oro is its outdoor seating, its English tea, and the relaxed vibe. Especially today, he has to be relaxed.

Today was an important day.

Preseason was officially starting, and that meant it was time to truly impose his ideas on the squad and officially meet the players.

He took a sip of his tea while watching the crowds coming and going.

He didn't know why, but he has always liked this feeling, as it makes him feel more and more calm and reflective.

The only thing missing is music, but due to his age, Henry wouldn't wear headphones outside, as every time he did, he would receive strange looks.

The waiter, a middle-aged man named Marco, smiled at him as he placed a small plate of biscuits next to the tea. "Big day today, Mister Henry?"

It was well known that AS Roma would start the preseason today, and as a fan, he knew that Henry was the new head coach. During this month of getting along, he had gotten to know Henry and his personality.

"Yeah. Preseason starts today," Henry nodded, smiling a little. From being unfamiliar to now being able to speak Italian, although not fluently, it's been a big step forward.

Marco sighed. He knew what kind of pressure Henry must be bearing now, but that's just how it is. No matter the work or business, at the start, you always have to bear pressure. Only after some results can one relax a little bit.

Henry took another sip, then glanced at his watch. He still had time. The players were scheduled to arrive in a couple of hours, and he planned to be there early.

Henry stood up, leaving a few euros on the table for Marco. "Grazie, Marco. Wish me luck."

Marco nodded, giving him a thumbs-up. "Buona fortuna, Mister Henry. You can definitely do it. I believe in you."

Henry walked towards the training ground while thinking about the preseason. In football, it's the period before the official start of a new season when teams prepare physically, tactically, and mentally. It usually lasts four to six weeks.

There would also be many friendly games during the preseason, and Roma's schedule has already been decided.

The first game is on July 8 in Italy, followed by the second on July 14, also in Italy. The rest will all be played in the United States.

To be honest, Henry didn't really like the opponents in the friendly matches.

Apart from the game against Liverpool, all the other teams are very weak—not even one from the top five leagues. But there's no way around it; he doesn't have a say in this schedule. That's what the club had already decided beforehand.

It took Henry only about 10 minutes to get to Trigoria. When he arrived, the staff were already there, setting up equipment for the day's tests.

He quickly spotted the man he was looking for. "Morning, Paul."

The man he greeted wasn't like the rest of the staff. He was wearing the club's sportswear. As soon as he heard Henry's voice, he turned and greeted him. "Man, why do you always take your time?"

This is something Paul never understands. He has been Henry's friend since their time in England but is also Henry's assistant. He naturally followed the latter to Rome.

What he doesn't understand is why Henry is always slow. It seems as if nothing could make him change his pace, no matter the pressure, even if today is very important in Henry's life.

Henry smiled helplessly at Paul. "How many times have you asked me this question? Come on, it's not like I was late in the first place."

In fact, Henry, although he rarely has this kind of time in his profession, likes to enjoy his free time without having to worry about anything, separating work from home.

Paul chuckled, shaking his head. "You're right, you're never late. But you're always cutting it close, and once you are, it would be a catastrophe. Anyway, let's get to work. The players will be here soon, and we've got a lot to do."

Henry nodded. He didn't really take things casually but was actually serious—though unless you know him well, you can't tell.

The meeting with the players, the impression they have of each other, etc., would determine how the whole season goes.

Thanks to the system that gave him the most complete details about each player, he already knows their current status, their baseline status, their strengths, and weaknesses.

He not only spent the entire past month learning Italian, but he also completely studied the team and devised a tactical approach that would maximize their potential, especially taking into account the skill Never Say Die.

Now, it was time to put those plans into action and start practicing and instilling them into the players.

They returned to the side of the training pitch. Paul handed Henry a clipboard with the day's schedule. "We'll start with fitness tests this morning.

The medical team will assess everyone's condition after the break. Then, we'll move on to some light drills and tactical discussions in the afternoon."

Well, this was the routine. It's not like he would tell them it's not necessary; he already knows everyone's situation thanks to the system.

He could only nod in approval. "Good. We need to know where everyone stands physically. And I want to see how they respond to the new system. Communication will be key today, especially with the language barrier."

Speaking of the new system, Paul took another look at Henry. "Are you really determined to go with this system? It's not like the usual you. You know that you don't have time to experiment, right?"

"If the media were really to catch wind of what you are doing, I can assure you that you'll be done."

Henry didn't say anything. Had he not had the Never Say Die skill, he would never use such a tactic. It was adapted from Marcelo Bielsa's Chile tactics from 2007-2011, and he used it at Athletic Bilbao last season.

You have to know that Bielsa is called the madman, and his style was called Bielsa-Style Chaos. Let alone the fact that Henry has added some modifications to it.

In this way, Paul could only follow behind Henry, who appeared somewhat confident, and said nothing.

END OF THE CHAPTER

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