Chapter 623: The Rest of the Pre-Season

Well, that grand ambition had to wait, because Higo didn’t even get a minute to play in the next two games. Hell, the coach didn’t even take a glance at him, as if the mere thought of putting the boy in the goalkeeper position would destroy the whole team instantly.

Fortunately, Frohling had already explained this matter beforehand, so Higo didn’t feel anxious about sitting on the bench.

"I have already secured a spot for you in the regular season, so it will be a waste to put you on the pitch for the next two games." The coach said. "Instead, I will use this chance to test your backup and also prepare one that will be ready when you leave for the first team. After all, you will not be here forever, right?"

That question was basically Frohling’s way to say that Higo was too good to stay in the second team forever, and this subtle flattery was enough for the boy to let the coach do anything he liked in the next two games. Hell, even if he was asked to just sit at home quietly, the boy would agree in a heartbeat.

Fortunately, things didn’t develop in such an extreme way. Higo just needed to stay on the bench, and he wasn’t the only one here. Some key players like Morita, Fabian Reese, or Luca Schuler also didn’t have any playing minutes, observing from the bench how the rest of the players fought for one spot on the team next season.

Unfortunately, those two games didn’t end well for the team. In the first game, they failed to beat Rot-Weiss Essen, a mediocre team that would be their opponent in the Regionalliga when the season started.

Somehow, even though Randy managed to steal the first goal with his rapid pace, the opponent flipped the table in the second half, getting two goals in the 82nd and 87th minutes to secure the win against them.

This game also exposed so many weaknesses on the team, like how they relied too much on the combination of Jonas Hofmann and Morita in the midfield to dictate the tempo. Without those two, everything suddenly became too chaotic, and no one really knew where or when to send the ball to keep the flow of the game.

While they still maintained possession for so long, it was just a passive one where the players were just playing around in their territory before finally letting the goalkeeper clear the ball and repeat the process again. No one could progress the ball further, which also made it difficult for the front line to create something.

Then, in the next and also last game of the pre-season, the team fought against SV Rodinghausen, a powerhouse team in the west. Last season, they were so close to getting promoted to the 3. Liga, the third division in Germany, being only 3 points behind Victoria Köln, who secured that spot. This year, they would try to go further, so even in the pre-season, that team treated the game way more seriously than it should be.

This time, though, even if most players on the pitch were bench warmers, Morita and Jonas Hofmann were also getting a chance to play. This time, Frohling wanted to see how those two midfielders would lead a bunch of players whose qualities were far below them, curious whether they could lead the rotation or not.

Somehow, those two didn’t disappoint.

Jonas Hofmann truly showed what it meant to be a Schalke man by fighting and bleeding for the team. Even if it was just a friendly game, he still sent so many great tackles, killing everyone in the midfield. The captain also shouted a lot, even scolding one young player who tried to slack off by strolling around during the team’s defense.

Morita also fought in so many roles here. With less competent teammates around, he decided to play it safe, always making sure that the others could react to his intention. No crazy and innovative passes were sent, but the safety sense built in the midfield was enough to keep everything flowing flawlessly for the team.

In the end, they even managed to fight tooth and nail against this powerhouse team, dragging them to a 0-0 draw until the end of the game. It was a pity that not a lot of chances were created in this game. Some key passes to dangerous areas were still made, but the strikers from both teams failed to put the ball on the back of the net.

Still, Frohling was satisfied with this game. Not the result, per se, but the game itself and how his players adapted to the situation here. Besides Morita and Jonas Hofmann, the boys he put on the game today were basically the same as in the last game, and yet, the rotation players who seemed to be so clueless before managed to fight well alongside the two core players of the team.

’Yeah, as long as they have a leader that can guide them, they can still contribute perfectly in the game. At least, we don’t have to worry about the rotation squad.’ The man nodded in satisfaction.

Overall, the team’s pre-season ended with a balanced result: a win, a draw, and a loss. However, Frohling had already had an idea of how capable his team was, and that was his initial aim for this schedule.

After this was over, they had at least a week without any games, and during this time, the man also tried to perfect some tactics and combination plays that the players hadn’t mastered yet. The intensity of the training also started to decrease. The holiday was over, and once the tight schedule hit them, being in high-intensity training would be a recipe for injury.

Higo also followed the plan accordingly. He obeyed the team’s arrangement, doing his daily training that consisted of his physical conditioning and distribution training. Even though it was mostly just repetition, the boy himself didn’t mind, enjoying every moment he improved.

Time passed by, and without the boy noticing, they were finally on the very first day of August. This only meant one thing for the team: The Regionalliga would start soon, and their fight would also begin this year.