Will spent the rest of the training session thinking about what David said. The basic summary of it was that he wanted Will to be able to impose himself into games, to control it and pull the strings. Like a deep lying playmaker or a regista controlled the tempo from deep, but in Will’s case, from a more advanced position.

In the first half, the game wasn’t open. It was end to end football, yes, but there wasn’t a lot of opportunities being created as while the two teams were looking to score goals, they were still tight defensively as they weren’t looking to concede either.

When the second half started, all formalities went to the wind and the game state was very chaotic. It became all about transition, which benefited Will immensely as his best two attributes was his vision, with the aid of the system overlay as well as his passing and his dribbling. But if the game didn’t open up, he would probably have remained quiet all game. He needed to fix that.

"You’re so shit dude, you play like shit!"

Will snapped out his reverie when he heard someone shout and saw everyone bursting into laughter. Liam was the person shouting.

"I put it on a fucking plate for you man and you skied it!" Liam shouted at Alex who was rubbing his nose awkwardly.

"Ahem, I’m just rusty is all". Alex said. "Give me a week, I’ll start cooking again".

"Whatever you say man". Liam shrugged and walked back.

The rest of the training passed without any hiccup. The other team managed to get an equaliser before the end of the match, making things to end 1-1.

David addressed the team after the training, and told them that the next day would be purely a tactical analysis session causing the majority of them to groan.

After David finished his talk, Will went to the locker room, freshened up and waited for Alex who was getting checked by the fitness staffs and the physios before leaving the training facilities.

"You did well today". Alex said as the pair started walking home.

"David said I could do better". Will replied.

"But you did well". Alex said. "One of your best games in fact".

"Are you telling me that one of my best games isn’t good enough?" Will raised an brow.

"Maybe you just have to accept that you’re a bum". Alex shrugged.

"Fuck off!" Will said while shoving Alex forward causing the pair to laugh.

They talked for a while before they split and went their separate ways. Will went back to his house and warmed up something for himself to take for lunch. Training finished quite early, so once again, he found himself being the only one being at home.

"System?" Will called out as he relaxed on the couch.

[Ding!]

"I need help in evolving my game". Will said. "By any chance, did you hear anything that David said to me after I was subbed off".

[Ding!]

[Affirmative.]

[I am intrinsically connected to your consciousness, sensory perception, cognitive processing, and subconscious pattern recognition.]

[I hear your conversations. I analyze your interactions. I monitor your decision-making both on and off the pitch.]

[When David spoke to you after you were substituted, he was not criticizing your technical ability.]

[He was criticizing your influence.]

[Currently, you are a reactive creator.]

[You perform best when games become chaotic because chaos amplifies your strengths.]

[Space opens.]

[Transitions increase.]

[Defensive structures weaken.]

[That allows your vision, dribbling, and passing to thrive.]

[However, elite playmakers do not wait for games to open up.]

[They force games to bend to their rhythm.]

Will leaned forward slightly.

"So how do I do that?"

[Ding!]

[Tempo Control]

[Right now, you play too fast.]

[You always look to attack immediately.]

[Sometimes you need to slow the game down instead.]

[Players like Luka Modric and Martin Odegaard constantly manipulate rhythm.]

[A pause.]

[A sideways touch.]

[A delayed pass.]

[Changing tempo destabilizes defenses.]

[Improve:]

[- Pass completion under pressure.] [- Possession retention.]

[- Decision-making speed.]

[Ding!]

[Positional Gravity]

[You move toward the ball too much.]

[Elite creators influence games through positioning alone.]

[Observe Lionel Messi.]

[Defenders shift simply because of where he stands.]

[Occupy dangerous spaces between midfield and defense.]

[Force defenders to make decisions before you even touch the ball.]

[Improve:]

[- Receives between the lines.] [- Turn success rate.]

[- Progressive carries.]

[Ding!]

[Scanning]

[Your vision is elite.]

[But you rely too heavily on instinct.]

[Players like Xavi constantly scan before receiving possession.]

[Every glance updates their mental map.]

[The more information you gather early, the easier it becomes to control matches.]

[Improve:]

[- Pre-reception scans.]

[- One-touch progression.]

[- Speed of forward passes.]

[Ding!]

[Manipulation]

[Right now, you improvise.]

[Elite controllers manipulate.]

[Observe Mesut Özil.]

[He conditioned defenders into expecting certain actions before exploiting the opposite space.]

[Move defenses intentionally.]

[Create patterns.]

[Break them.]

[Ding!]

[Authority]

[You adapt to teammates too much.]

[David wants your teammates adapting to you.]

[Point.]

[Demand runs.]

[Organize movement.]

[Players like Bruno Fernandes constantly control teammates through communication.]

[You must become the center of the game.]

The room became quiet.

Will stared at the ceiling.

"So basically..."

[Ding!]

[You are currently a talented attacking midfielder.]

[David wants you to become the player that controls the entire match.]

Will took his time reading everything that the system said after he asked the question. Basically, the system was steering him towards becoming an allrounder. A jack of all trades or some sorts, but with proficiency in all his trades.

That was a lot for someone like Will, or rather someone like what Will was thought to he. He barely survived staying in the academy for one more season and then David dropped this on his head. It made Will think for a moment, what exactly did David see in just a couple of games to think that Will was capable of such.

He was trying to mould him into becoming the Paul Pogba of attacking midfielders, a unicorn profile. Pogba was one of the most complete midfielders. He had the physicality and power as well as defensive prowess to play as a traditional 6. He had elite vision, passing, and ball carrying to play as an 8, and was creative enough to play as a 10. He was the perfect midfield stereotype, a unicorn.

David wanted him to be a Paul Pogba, but as an attacking midfielder!

"Damn". Will rubbed his head as he read through the information from the system.

"I have a lot of work to do". Will muttered under his breath.