Chapter 32: Opponent Bayern Munich
Santpedor, Catalonia Barcelona.
Guardiola was discussing with his girlfriend, Serra, about the locations for their wedding photos and the venue for the wedding.
After finally having some free time, Guardiola wanted to make it up to his girlfriend for all the years he owed her.
The two had been in a long-distance relationship for over 15 years. It would be a bit unreasonable after so long in a relationship and not marry her.
"This place isn't bad. It's near the sea and has an old castle. We can invite friends and relatives to the wedding without being disturbed by reporters!" Serra said, suggesting a location.
"That sounds good, but do you want to invite those relatives and friends?" Serra looked at Guardiola curiously.
She knew Guardiola had many friends in football, but she wasn't sure if he planned to invite them.
"I want to keep it quiet with less people, so I won't invite too many people. I don't want our wedding to be disturbed by a large crowd," Guardiola explained.
He had decided not to widely distribute the invitations and only invite those with whom they had the closest relationships.
"Alright, it's up to you. Just make sure to inform Lucas in advance.
I'm worried he won't be able to spare time to come to our wedding," Serra said.
"I will call him and discuss it with him. You don't need to worry," Guardiola assured her.
Lucas had been in the Bundesliga for two months, and Guardiola thought it was necessary to inform him about their marriage.
As Guardiola was about to call Lucas, his phone rang. He noticed it was an unfamiliar number but saw that it was a call from Germany, so he answered it.
...
At Werder Bremen Club, preparations were in full swing after accepting the invitation from the German Football Association for the Deutsche Telekom Cup.
The four participating teams for the cup had been determined, with only Hamburg remaining as the other team besides the two stronger teams that overshadowed Werder Bremen.
Coach Schaaf had prepared pragmatic defensive counterattack strategies, including chain-defense formations, to counter these stronger teams.
The plan was to rely on defensive counterattacks and seize limited opportunities to avoid high probabilities of defeat.
Coach Schaaf had made the decision to include Lucas in the starting lineup, as his excellent scoring ability would enhance the team's counterattack power.
However, before finalizing the decision, Coach Schaaf wanted to discuss it with Lucas himself.
He no longer worried about Lucas's mentality or lack of competition experience after observing him for several days.
The primary concern now was his physical fitness.
At the age of sixteen or seventeen, adolescents undergo critical growth and development, representing the second peak in their physical development.
Usually, boys at this stage tend to be thinner, with lesser physical endurance compared to adults, making it challenging for them to play a full 90-minute game.
But considering that the Telecom Cup games consisted of only 60 minutes (30 minutes each half with a 15-minute break), the physical demands were not as high. Coach Schaaf asked Lucas if he felt physically prepared for the challenge.
Thinking as a forward in a team that implemented defensive counterattack tactics, Lucas realized he wouldn't need to drop back too deep and could focus on exerting his efforts in the offensive zone.
This reduced the strain on his physical fitness, making him confident in playing the full game.
If, for some reason, he faced difficulties, he could always turn to the system and exchange a point for a stamina potion.
With determination, Lucas nodded and said, "Don't worry, coach. Leave it to me!"
...
That night, the draw for the Telecom Cup took place, and unfortunately, Werder Bremen was matched against Bayern Munich.
The players seemed disappointed by the result.
"It would have been great if we had drawn Hamburg. We would have had a good chance to advance. Oh well..."
Although Bayern Munich had a poor record in the past two Bundesliga seasons, their overall strength, including the depth of their squad, exceeded that of Werder Bremen.
Fortunately, this was just a cup game, where upsets were more likely to happen. Werder Bremen still had a chance.
"The probability of drawing Hamburg was very low. We and Hamburg were chosen to accompany the big teams—Dortmund and Bayern Munich—during this Telecom Cup.
It wouldn't make sense to arrange them against each other in the first round. So people won't be watching the final if that's the case. The sponsors wouldn't be happy!"
"That's right. We'll give these two teams warm up against each other in the first round, and in the final, we'll witness a battle between Champions and Runner up. A proper national derby, That would be ideal, script-wise!"
"Haha, true. We were only slightly better than Hamburg last season."
"But this season, we have Lucas and Kevin. It's not the same as last time!"
As the players chatted and laughed, the coaching staff felt relieved.
They had worried that the players might be intimidated by the strength of the opponents and lose their confidence.
It appeared they had been overly concerned. The players of Werder Bremen had a positive mindset for the season.
They understood their position as a team battling relegation and didn't feel burdened when facing stronger opponents like Bayern Munich and Dortmund.
Losing to them was expected, and causing an upset would bring tremendous rewards.
On Bayern Munich's side, their players were also pleased with the draw.
"Hehe, it seems we have decent opponents in the first round. They aren't too strong or too weak. It'll be a good warm-up match."
"Let's hope Dortmund doesn't get eliminated by Hamburg. If that happens, we can take revenge for last year's defeats in the final!"
The players were motivated and eager to avenge their previous losses against Dortmund.
As for Werder Bremen? Well, who cared about such a mediocre team! They are confident about their own strength.
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