章 14: Change
Byron stood there in front of the door thinking about what to say to Paul in hopes of changing his mind about the position swap. Does he go in hot? no that could backfire. Does he go in soft? no that would be too weak.
"Just come in," Paul said from inside the office and Byron almost screamed in fear.
Byron walked into the office and Paul was typing something down on his computer, probably the team sheets and formations.
"Why did you change my position? does this have to do with what you and Joseph were talking about earlier?" Byron stood in front of the chair, purposely not sitting down.
"You too, come in." Paul said again and Byron was confused.
"What are you a bat," Joseph walked into the room. "Hey, Byron."
Byron looked at Joseph with beaming eyes of anger, he wanted a very good explanation for the position change and he would stand here while he does it.
"Sit down," Paul said while still clacking away on his keyboard.
"Yes sir." Byron sat down.
The atmosphere in the room could be explained almost perfectly by the word "AWKWARD" Paul tapped away on his keyboard, Byron rubbed his palms together and Joseph coughed.
"Byron. What qualities do you think a striker should have." Joseph finally spoke.
"A striker." Byron thought about it for a sec before continuing. "A striker needs speed, control and finishing."
"Okay." Joseph smiled. "Now, which one of those qualities do you possess."
Paul stopped typing after Joseph spoke, he looked at the A-team coach before continuing seconds after.
"I know I'm not the fastest player out there but I have decent control and if given space I can finish."
"I'm gonna be raw with you here kid. I don't think you have what it takes to be a striker."
"Why?"
"Strikers like Ronaldo, Benzema and even Maridan all have one thing in common. Instinct, intelligence and confidence. The ability to touch the ball and know immediately how to make it end up in the back of the net, the intelligence to find creative ways to dribble past a defender and beat the keeper and the confidence behind each shot they take."
Byron knew what Joseph was talking about, his doubts, his overthinking, his control and his first touch. He highlighted his faults once more and it hit even harder this time. "I can train and gain all of these things."
"You don't train what you don't have, that's a waste of time and talent. Byron, I want to ask you something."
"..." Byron looked at him.
"When you look at the pitch from the sidelines what do you see."
"The players?"
"How many do you see in a match, you can tell me what you saw in the Tenzin game."
"What do you mean what I saw..." Byron thought about the match and it was now he realized what Joseph was asking him. "At any given time I could see all 22 players.
"Your vision is outstanding and with each passing day it gets better, you have a photographic memory, your game sense is decent and you have amazing positioning but your talents are your weaknesses."
"What do you mean?"
"Your field of view is limited when you're in the front, a striker barely sees his defenders or keeper because half the time they're in the opposition half awaiting a pass and due to that your vision is being diminished."
Joseph grabbed a small notepad off Cory's desk and drew on it. He drew a boy on a page as well as two rocks coming at him from separate directions. He covered one rock with his finger and showed Byron the book. "This is you in 20 yards to 25 yards of the opposition's goal."
"The rock in front of you is the defender and you have to dribble past him to score, the ball is at your feet and you manage to get passed the defender and set yourself up for a goal." Joseph covered the rock in front and removed his finger uncovering the second rock that was behind.
"I can't see the defender anymore because I've passed him."
"Yes, that's if you were any other player." Paul uncovered both rocks and then drew ten more rocks on the page. "I confirmed this in the little 3v3 scrimmage, at first I thought you just couldn't shoot but after watching the replays of your two goals in the tournament. I fully realized it."
"I always saw what was behind me unconsciously."
"Exactly, you see every danger on the pitch and your brain forces you to pass." Joseph threw the book away and Paul shrieked.
"You scored in those two preliminary games because there was no one behind you." Joseph looked back at Paul and mouthed the word 'sorry'.
Headers, volleys, tap-ins. If he would pass each time a defender was near him, then he truly wasn't fit to be a striker but his resolve wasn't that weak. "I'll fix all my problems and I'll shoot."
"Byron, if a rock is thrown at you horizontally and another is thrown at you in an arc. Both will hit you at the same time, which rock will you defend against." Joseph hadn't realized it but Paul's keyboard was going off anymore.
"I'll step to my side and defend against both."
"Your vision allows you to do that and because of it you'll pass more than you shoot."
"I'm a striker, that's all I ever wanted to be. It's what I am."
"Okay, you'll play in the spring tournament as a midfielder and if you still want to switch after that. You're free to, just try playing in the middle for a while. You might learn something from it." Paul chimed in.
"Paul." Joseph looked at the B-team coach.
"It's his decision, whether we like it or not."
"True." Joseph laughed.
"You can leave now Byron," Paul continued typing. "Show me what you've been developing in our game against Luthervale."
"Yes sir." Byron exited the office and saw Cory at the entrance along with someone else he had never seen before.
"Oh hey By, training hard?" Cory asked cheerfully before knocking on the office door.
"More or less."
"Good." Cory opened the door and the man entered leaving Cory and Byron outside.
"Who was that?" Byron tried to picture the man's unhappy face.
"A relative of a player here." Cory started walking toward the staircase.
"Umm Cory." Byron followed behind him. "I just got my position changed, so I might need midfielder training."
"That's what you've been doing."
"What?"
"Joseph informed us of his plans from the beginning so I decided to make for you a midfielder's plan so you'd be ready for the spring tournament." Cory went up the stairs and Byron watched him go.
"Volleying, making full use of my vision and passing. How didn't I notice that was the midfielder package." Byron face palmed and someone ran past him. "Nagisa?"
Nagisa ran past Byron and even though Byron called out his name, he didn't respond or slow down. He just made a beeline for the coach's office. "Weird."
Byron kicked the ball into the net and went to return it, anytime he felt sad or didn't know what to do he trained. It had to do with his father's advice but it was also a habit he picked up in his old school.
"I heard you got demoted." Annabel sat down on the descending steps that were used to come down to the pitch.
"Annabel." Byron set the ball and kicked it again. "It's not permanent."
"Why are you always here?"
He went to pick up the ball but stopped after she asked him a question. "In Marion? I go here if I remember correctly."
"The pitch, or training. Anytime you feel bad or something you always kick a ball."
"Stalker?" Byron walked back with the ball.
"I'd rather stalk Benjamin."
"Fair." Byron set the ball. "It's a habit."
"One you don't want to stop?"
"It helps me think, clear my head. That kinda stuff."
"I see."
"Top left," Byron shot the ball and it went into the top left directly.
"Showboating doesn't work on me." Annabel chuckled.
"Had to try." Byron went to pick up the ball.
The two talked for a while before heading back to their respective dorms, the girls had their own dorms and the boys weren't allowed in it so they parted ways. He enjoyed her company while he trained but from here on out things would only get harder. He had never played before as a midfielder and he was starting the match against Luthervale. "Gotta talk to Liam tomorrow."
Byron looked at the ceiling of his room and thought about all that had happened. From making the selections to becoming a starter for the spring tournament. "Time sure does go by fast." He yawned as he counted sheep till he fell asleep.
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