In the past, Kicker’s and Sky attention had always been on the top Leagues; except for a few cup matches, they almost never paid attention to the second-tier competitions of various countries.
Scholz’s decision to let a 19-year-old Belgian student serve as the head coach greatly attracted the attention of Belgian football fans.
This fan base includes various groups from university students to office workers, all of whom have stable weekly time to watch football matches.
In terms of audience demographics, no country’s audience has more potential than ours.
If this broadcasting contract is viewed as an investment, and if Adrian Vandenberg can lead the team better and better in the future, then SKY and DAZN Belgium will achieve unprecedented viewership ratings from it.
Given this, both parties hit it off immediately, and Munich 1860 successfully secured the broadcasting contract with DAZN Belgium and Telnet.
…
“Boss, the final broadcasting contract has been finalized.
At least for this season, our financial pressure will be much lighter,” Gritsch reported the negotiation results to the boss.
“Gritsch, you did a great job.
Next season, if we can still stay in the 2.
bundesliga, I will continue to employ you as our director,” Scholz said.
Gritsch gave a self-deprecating smile and did not respond.
He knew what was on the boss’s mind, and he also roughly knew the fate of this team.
…
Adrian Vandenberg was currently in his office looking at the player data automatically entered by the system.
Regarding Ivan, who was mentioned at the press conference earlier, his stats were ridiculously low.
He is a 24-year-old young midfielder; although he is young, his stats are not pleasant to look at.
His long shot value is only 8, marking is 10, crossing is 9.
The only thing decent is his mental stats, but the problem is, what’s the use of that if he has no skill at his feet?
(Personal stats are on a 20-point scale).
“Ivan, transferred here last July, 0 goals and 0 assists.
With these stats in FM, I would have frozen you out long ago,” Adrian Vandenberg complained bitterly.
As of today, Munich 1860 has only scored 11 goals this season, 7 of which were created by the Forward Saša, who is an older player at 32 years old.
“The goal count is good, potential is average.
CA 125, PA 130 (Potential Ability).
His potential is almost fully developed, and his shooting-related techniques are passable.” Among all of Saša’s stats, only his shooting value is highlighted, reaching 17.
Most other stats are between 10 and 13, with a few in the single digits.
Although most players were quite underwhelming, some still had highlights.
For example, the 23-year-old midfielder Florian.
Adrian Vandenberg checked this player’s stats, and he stood out among the crowd of mediocre players.
“Shooting 13, off-the-ball movement 13, crossing 14, teamwork 15.
Although his CA is only 115, his PA is as high as 160, which proves he still has a lot of room for improvement.” In fact, this player did not disappoint later.
After Munich 1860 was relegated to the 3.
Liga, he joined Mönchengladbach by virtue of his own ability.
In 2020, Florian was even selected for the Germany national team; his ability was evident.
Besides this Florian, there was another Florian in the German team.
The other one was the attacking genius who burst onto the scene at Die Werkself in 2024, Florian Wirtz.
It’s only 2016 now, so he should be honing his skills in the youth academy.
Looking at the string of single-digit stats and 10+ values for the rest of the team, Adrian Vandenberg frowned.
Munich’s average squad age this season is only 25.
There are many players like Stojković who are young but underwhelming.
There is only one reason: they are all very cheap.
Such a lineup was basically the result of the Club’s tight finances and a garbage-tier youth recruitment and training system.
He continued to browse the player data.
If there’s any benefit to a Club in the second division, the most obvious one is that there are almost none of the “dressing room wars” common in top Leagues.
This is a lower-mid-table team in the second division.
All the players are basically equally underwhelming—low wages, poor skills.
No one is much better than anyone else, so the players and the coach basically don’t get into arguments.
…
Early the next morning, the players had begun to arrive at the training ground one after another.
“Boss, have you heard?
That new head coach is even younger than me, apparently only 19,” the winger Ivan said to the veteran Saša.
“Ivan, some issues aren’t for us to worry about.
He’s just a poor scapegoat.
I heard you’ve already contacted another team?” Saša asked.
“Yes, Philipp has also made contact.
We’re just waiting for the transfer window.” Ivan and Philipp are on very good terms; Philipp is the aforementioned Stojković.
“That’s good.
You’re both still young; you need to make plans early.
You still have a long road ahead of you.” Saša nodded after hearing this.
On the training ground, a striking young man wearing a mid-length black trench coat over a full black tailored suit walked toward them.
The young man wore a black tie, looking both simple and sharp.
He was strikingly handsome—or perhaps one could say pale—with a well-defined European face and a tall stature of apparently 6’2″ or 6’3″.
His most defining features were his alabaster skin and those red eyes, which were a result of albinism.
Adrian Vandenberg had his hands in his trench coat pockets, coldly staring at the crowd entering the gate.
Saša was the first to lock eyes with Adrian Vandenberg, but he quickly looked away.
He didn’t dare to keep looking; this young man made him feel pressured.
Once gathered, the 27 men stood in two rows.
Adrian Vandenberg slowly walked up to them and spoke.
“I heard that Germans are the most rigorous people in the world, that Germans are the most reasonable and the most punctual.
But unfortunately, you are a full 20 minutes late.
Should I say you are not qualified Germans, or that Germans simply aren’t a qualified people?” As soon as these words were spoken, the already mediocre atmosphere instantly dropped to the freezing point.
“Coach, you can insult me, but you absolutely cannot insult our nation!
The temperature this morning is only 2 degrees…” The midfielder Florian couldn’t hold back and retorted.
“No one is insulting your nation; you are insulting yourselves.
My university professors were more punctual than you; he was already 63 years old, and for the first class at 8 o’clock, he always arrived before all of us.
He is a true Prussian.
Also!
In the future, when I haven’t finished speaking, you are not allowed to interrupt!
Florian, go run laps around the training ground now.
You need to warm up.” Adrian Vandenberg’s tone left no room for doubt.
“I won’t listen…” Just as Florian was about to talk back, Adrian Vandenberg stood in front of him.
Florian’s height was 184cm, while Adrian Vandenberg’s was 192cm; this difference was enough for Adrian Vandenberg to look down on him.
“Do you want a fight?
….I may not be the most experienced coach in Europe, but I am definitely the best fighter among coaches in Europe.
Believe me, the injuries you will suffer from me are something the police won’t even be able to see.
I’ll ask you one more time: are you going or not?” Florian got a little panicked.
“I…
yes.” After a moment of hesitation, he took off his jacket and obediently went to run laps.
“And you, Saša.
When Florian was talking back just now, you were right next to him.
Why didn’t you stop him?” Adrian Vandenberg pointed the spearhead at Saša, the core figure of the Forward line.
“I was going to…” “You are already 32 years old.
I don’t understand how you’ve planned your future.
If you are willing to treat this place as the final stop of your football career, then you can act as if I said nothing.
Although I am young, I am not stupid.
I know you are the head of the dressing room.” Adrian Vandenberg kept his hands in his pockets and didn’t move an inch, staring at Saša.
“Anything else to say?
If not, go run with Florian.” “Yes…” The scene was silent.
As the team’s veteran leader, being criticized like this in front of everyone was truly humiliating for Saša, but in the end, he obediently did as told.
“Listen to me closely.
I am nineteen years old and have never coached a professional side.
I know that in your eyes, I am nothing more than a convenient scapegoat.
But understand this: even Satan wore a sheep’s head, and I do not consider myself any worse than him.” A few players swallowed hard as they caught sight of his bruised, rugged knuckles which were loudly crunching.
“To put it bluntly, your combined market value doesn’t even match the funding for the research projects I worked on back in university.
Most of you arrived on free transfers; it is not that you chose Munich 1860, but that Munich 1860 took you in!
From today onward, not a single one of the twenty-seven of you has the right to speak or question my decisions.
There is only one boss in this dressing room, and that is me.
There is only one voice, and that is mine.
Is that clear?” Everyone lowered their heads.
These were easily the harshest words they had ever heard in their football careers, crushing what little dignity they had left beneath Adrian Vandenberg’s boot.
“Tell me!
Is that clear!” Adrian Vandenberg shouted loudly again.
“Clear!” everyone shouted.
It was a loud response, though tinged with a hint of defiance.
(Looks like I managed to bullshit my way out with these morons again…
well, what can I say?
I was born with a devil’s face and mastered a deadpan seriousness.) After ten minutes or so.
“Saša, Florian, you two can stop.
Come over and gather!” Adrian Vandenberg called over the two who were running; he was going to arrange the training tasks.
Previously, the system had given him “Mo Farah’s Running Insights.” Who was Mo Farah?
Friends in the football world might not know, but friends in the running world definitely would.
He is an African-British middle-and-long-distance running star.
His specialties include the marathon, 10,000 meters, and 1,500 meters—a typical middle-and-long-distance runner.
He won many world-class honors for British athletics and was knighted by the Queen.
Friends in the running circle all call him Sir Mo.
The essence of his running insights lies in maximizing a runner’s potential while ensuring stamina and rhythm.
It couldn’t be more suitable for the football players in front of him.
Adrian Vandenberg combined Sir Mo’s running training methods with the relevant stats of each player provided by the system to formulate a training method suitable for them.
“Now everyone listen.
You have four training tasks today: interval runs, hill sprints, off-the-ball runs, and long-distance slow runs!
The interval runs are divided into 10 sprints + interval cycles, with a 2-minute interval.
No matter how tired you are, every sprint must be at maximum speed!
Hill sprints will be on that slope at the training ground entrance; the gradient is just right.
The sprint distance is about 30 meters, 8 sprints per set, with a 30-second interval between sprints and a 1-minute rest between sets!
Then comes off-the-ball running.
Everyone will be split into two groups.
The pace must be at least 5 minutes per kilometer.
Make your stride as large as possible and find a rhythm you feel comfortable with.
Finally, the long-distance slow run, commonly known as catching your breath.
The required pace for this is also 5.5 minutes per kilometer.
Since this is your first training, 8 kilometers today will be enough.
The Assistant Coach and I will record your paces together!” If Farah were present, he would probably think Adrian Vandenberg was a professional runner.
These training methods were like his, yet different.
Regardless, they were very suitable for the players at hand.
Listening to Adrian Vandenberg drone on about the training content, Florian had a look of utter despair.
Although he was a midfielder, he hated running training the most; it was too exhausting.
The expressions of the others weren’t much better.
Next, Adrian Vandenberg put down the notebook in his hand and stood before everyone.
“I’m going to teach you a new warm-up method.
Step one: preheat the knee joints.
It’s winter now; if you don’t want knee injuries, you must preheat them before activity.
Rub your knee joints with both hands for about three minutes until they feel warm.” Although the posture was a bit funny, the players present still obediently followed suit.
“Step two: activate the leg muscles.
Extend one leg Forward, bend over, and slide both arms down along the leg.
Remember to do this slowly and carefully feel the stretch in your legs.” This is a very simple movement, also used by many top track and field athletes, and the effect is quite good.
“Step three: hip joint mobility.
Five minutes back and forth, rotating the hips…” After Adrian Vandenberg’s teaching, the players obediently followed along.
After ten minutes or so, all the players had completed their warm-up.
At this point, Adrian Vandenberg called out toward the room behind him.
“Mr.
Heiko, you can come out now.” Heiko is the Assistant Coach of Munich 1860, an old man over fifty.
His way of appearing was quite special, showing up before everyone pedaling a mountain bike equipped with a speedometer.
“Today, Heiko is your pacer.
He is responsible for controlling your speed, and I am responsible for recording it.
I will summarize the final training results.” This training method was novel to the group.
At least before Adrian Vandenberg arrived, they had never taken running so seriously.
“A little spoiler: for those who perform well today, I will have a reward.
Alright, run!” With Adrian Vandenberg’s command, everyone went straight onto the track.
For athletes engaged in high-stamina-consumption sports, running is as vital as oxygen is to humans.
And the sport of football involves both the long-distance raids of a marathoner and the short-distance bursts of a sprinter.
The significance of running to football is no less than to any track and field event.
Adrian Vandenberg knew that these players’ technical and mental stats couldn’t be improved much in the short term, which is why he shifted their training focus to running.
There was one more crucial reason: the high-pressing tactic he was about to implement required players to have excellent running capabilities.
— T/N: Donate Power Stone boys, let’s do a fantastic job.