Chapter 9 - Opponent Team

"Both of our opponent"s u-12 national team players are strikers. So Helder, you know you"re going to have a lot of work, right? "

"Yes, coach, I will not let them score. I will do my best."

The strikers of the opposing team were nationally famous players.

Someone was playing in Fenerbahçe"s u-12 team. His name was Emre.

The other was playing in Galatasaray"s u-12 team. His name was Arda.

The future for both of these children was seen as bright.

But most people did not know that Turkish youth with a bright future could not reach the expected level due to inadequate coaches and training styles.

"We can"t just leave them to Helder." said defender Yusuf.

He was confident.

"If we"re going to leave everything to Helder, why are we here?"

This sentence was spoken by other defenders Mert, who was sitting next to Yusuf.

They were aware that there was too much burden on Helder.

They wanted to show themselves.

At least they were thinking of easing the burden on Helder.

"Yes, this is a team game, I believe we will succeed together." Helder said.

It was very important to trust your friends and say sentences without making them feel under too much pressure.

"So should we just pay attention to these two?"

"Is there anyone else?"

"If this is it, I think we can beat them easily." said the striker Burak.

Helder stood up.

He walked towards Burak.

Helder looked a little nervous.

"What did I say? If you belittle an opponent, that is the moment when you are defeated. Never underestimate and never overestimate an opponent. We must play our best against everyone. "

Burak was scared and somewhat timid.

"Oh, you"re right my friend…" he said.

Helder put his hand on Burak"s shoulder.

"Look bro, never get me wrong. I know you still feel guilty that you missed the position in the last game. But with the final whistle of the match, that match is a thing of the past. You have to focus on your front, okay? "

Burak was relieved by these words.

"You"re right, captain. But how did you know that I was feeling guilty? "

"Hahahaha…" laughed midfielder Eray.

"Is there anyone who doesn"t understand this, buddy? You have been depressed since yesterday. You have to recover. So relax. "

Others also supported Eray.

They wanted Burak to get rid of his morale.

"Then let"s continue." said the coach.

"Yes, coach."

"I think we should pay attention to the midfield playmaker rather than the two strikers. If we stop him, we will cut the pass link with the strikers. "

"Is it really that good?" Helder said.

"Unfortunately. It was a big surprise for everyone that he was not selected for the u-12 national team. "

"What"s his name?" Helder said.

"His name is Melih. He wears a size 10. A left-footed player. As I said, we must be very careful with their rust. "

"Yes, coach!"

"Oh, there is one more thing. Helder, I am telling you this specifically. He can shoot at unexpected moments and his team has scored many goals in this way. You have to watch him. "

Helder started to tremble when he heard this.

But this was not a shiver of fear.

He was trembling with excitement as he thought he was going to make matches with strong players.

How long had he been playing against really strong players?

"After all, I am only 12 years old. I have to lower my expectations. " he thought.

Football players were talking among themselves.

"So how should we do it?" asked the defender Kaan.

"That"s exactly what I"m going to tell you about. We will use Eray to stop him. " said the coach.

"Whaaat? Me?"

Eray was overreacting, which made his friends laugh.

"So how am I going to do this, coach?"

"You"re going to play man-to-man and you"ll almost stick to him. But remember, I want you to keep an eye on it while we have the ball. You can do that, right? "

Eray looked at Helder.

It was as if powered by Helder.

"Yes, I can do it, I am confident."

"That"s good to hear. So tomorrow we will play with the 3-3-1 tactic. Is that clear? "

"Yes, coach!"

"Then I"ll leave the rest to you, Helder."

Coach walked away from the field.

Helder had a few ideas.

He spoke about it with his teammates.

They were all nodding.

"I trust you all."

"Yes, captain."

It was time for the semi-final match for Helder and his teammates ...