Nicholas Marjan, known as Niels, was an Asian football-obsessed loner in the modern world. A master of FIFA Career Mode, addicted to YouTube tactics videos, and followed every twist of the transfer window like it was life or death, he lived the beautiful game from behind a screen.
Until the day he died.
And woke up in the late 2000s, in the body of a once-promising young player at a lower-league English club. A player whose career had been cut short by a brutal ACL injury. With his playing career over before it could truly begin, his second life offers no glory on the pitch.
But Niels still has one weapon: his mind.
Armed with future knowledge of football's evolution, and guided by a mysterious, almost cheat-like instinct for scouting raw talent, Niels steps into the world of coaching. As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.
His methods are unorthodox. His instincts, uncanny. And soon, whispers about the "young coach with a gift" begin to spread.
This isn’t the story of a player chasing glory. It’s about someone reborn to change the game from the sidelines. From forgotten training grounds to Europe’s biggest stages, Niels is on a mission, 
not just to win, but to rewrite what it means to lead.
He once dreamed of lifting trophies as a player.
Now, he'll do it as a coach.

Two days had passed since the squad's last tough session, and Broadfield Stadium buzzed with energy. The training pitches baked under the hot late-July sun, making the air in Crawley thick and sticky.


Niels arrived just as morning light touched the training ground, his pickup sputtering to a stop by the chain-link fence.


The smell of warm turf and bacon rolls from a nearby food truck filled the air. His chest tightened with a mix of focus and nerves, the season opener was only days away.


The whistle hadn't blown yet, but Niels felt the game already pulsing beneath the surface like thunder behind glass.


He scanned the pitch. Max Simons paced like he couldn't wait to crash into someone. Thiago bounced on his toes, all coiled speed. Dev Patel smiled like he knew a secret the others didn't. No speeches. No slogans. Just this: a team on the edge of ignition.


Chapter 121 - Tactical Preparation