Saturday morning arrived with the kind of grey English sky that made floodlights necessary even for afternoon kickoffs. Cruyff stood at his modest lodging's window, watching raindrops streak down the glass while his mind ran through Leicester's likely formation for the hundredth time.
[Pre-Match Analysis Available]
[Leicester City U18s - Predicted Formation: 4-2-3-1]
[Key Threats: James Morrison (CAM) - Pace and dribbling]
[Key Weakness: Slow center-backs vulnerable to through balls]
[Weather Conditions: Light rain, slippery surface - favor short passing]
The system's analysis was helpful, but Cruyff knew that youth football was often less about tactics and more about individual moments of brilliance or error. Players this age were inconsistent, unpredictable. That could work in his favor.
At the training ground, the atmosphere was different from their usual sessions. Parents had arrived early, claiming spots along the touchline. A handful of older men in dark coats stood apart from the families—the scouts Williams had mentioned.
"Right, lads," Williams addressed the team in the changing room thirty minutes before kickoff. "This is what we've been working toward. Leicester are a good side, well-organized, but they put their trousers on one leg at a time like everyone else."
Some nervous laughter rippled through the room.
"Jensen," Williams' eyes found him. "You're the playmaker today. That doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself. Pick your moments, keep it simple when you need to, be ambitious when the opportunity arises."
Cruyff nodded, though internally he was fighting the urge to give a team talk himself. In his previous life, he'd captained Arsenal in crucial matches. The natural leadership instincts were still there, but trapped in the body of the team's newest and youngest member.
As they walked out for warm-ups, Jamie Torres jogged up beside him. "You nervous?"
"A bit," he admitted honestly. Even with all his experience, debut matches always carried weight.
"Good. Means you care." Jamie paused. "Marcus has been talking to the lads. He's proper behind you now. Wants to prove you two can link up."
That was encouraging. In youth football, team chemistry often mattered more than individual talent.
The warm-up felt routine—passing drills, shooting practice, stretching. But Cruyff noticed Leicester's players watching him closely during possession exercises. Word had clearly spread about Nottingham Forest's new creative midfielder.
[Match Preparation Complete]
[Team Chemistry: 73% (Improved from training ground work)]
[Pressure Level: Medium-High (First competitive start)]
[Recommended Strategy: Patient build-up, exploit space behind Leicester's high line]
When the referee called both teams to the center circle, Cruyff felt the familiar surge of adrenaline. This was what made all the training worthwhile—eleven versus eleven, ninety minutes to prove yourself.
The match began exactly as the system had predicted. Leicester pressed high, looking to force mistakes in Forest's defensive third. But their aggression left space in behind, exactly where Cruyff liked to exploit.
For the first fifteen minutes, he was hardly involved. Leicester's midfield duo were clearly tasked with marking him tightly whenever Forest had possession. Every time he dropped deep to collect the ball, one of them followed. When he drifted wide, they tracked him.
It was intelligent defending, but it created opportunities elsewhere.
In the eighteenth minute, Cruyff received a pass from Danny Walsh with his back to goal. As expected, Leicester's defensive midfielder closed him down immediately. But instead of trying to turn or play forward, Cruyff simply laid the ball back to Danny and continued his run.
The Leicester player hesitated for a split second—should he follow Cruyff or stay with the ball? That hesitation was enough.
Danny played a simple pass to Alex Hartwell, who had pushed forward from center-back. Alex looked up and saw Cruyff in space for the first time all match. The pass was slightly overhit, but Cruyff's first touch brought it under control perfectly.
Now he had options.
Marcus was making a diagonal run across the Leicester defense. Jamie Torres was wide right, calling for the ball. Ben Crawford, their left winger, was drifting in from the left, looking for a late run into the box.
But Cruyff saw something better.
Leicester's left-back had pushed high to deal with Jamie's wide position, leaving a massive gap behind him. Danny Walsh had continued his forward run after the initial pass and was now unmarked, thirty yards from goal.
Most players would have ignored the defensive midfielder in favor of the more obvious attacking options. But Cruyff had learned long ago that the best chances often came from unexpected sources.
He clipped the ball perfectly into Danny's path. The defensive midfielder, clearly surprised to find himself in an attacking position, took a touch to control before striking the ball cleanly toward goal.
The Leicester keeper parried it directly into the path of Marcus Reid, who couldn't miss from six yards.
1-0 to Forest.
[Assist Recorded: Cruyff Jensen to Danny Walsh (Indirect)]
[Quest Progress: 1/2 assists needed]
As Marcus celebrated with the crowd, he ran straight to Cruyff. "How did you see Danny there? I didn't even know he was making the run!"
"That's why you're the striker and I'm the playmaker," Cruyff grinned.
The goal changed the match's dynamic. Leicester had to push forward more aggressively, leaving even more space for Forest to exploit. But they also became more physical, clearly frustrated by their inability to stop Forest's creativity.
In the thirty-second minute, Cruyff received a heavy challenge from Leicester's captain that left him on the ground for several seconds. As he got back to his feet, he noticed Williams gesturing from the touchline—a subtle signal to be more careful with his positioning.
The manager was right. At this level, referees were less protective of skillful players. He needed to be smarter about when and where he received the ball.
The rest of the first half passed without major incident. Forest were controlling the match without dominating it completely. Leicester had their moments—a shot from Morrison that whistled just over the bar, a scramble in the penalty area that almost led to an equalizer.
At halftime, Williams was pleased but cautious.
"Good first half, but don't get comfortable. Leicester will come out harder in the second half. They have to. Jensen, you're doing well, but I want you dropping deeper. Let them chase you around a bit more before you release the ball."
[Halftime Analysis]
[Pass Accuracy: 87% (23/26 passes completed)]
[Chances Created: 3]
[Key Passes: 2]
[Assessment: Solid but not spectacular - exactly what's needed]
The second half began with Leicester throwing more bodies forward. They switched to a more attacking formation, pushing their fullbacks high and adding an extra midfielder.
It was exactly what Cruyff had been hoping for.
In the fifty-eighth minute, Leicester won a corner. As the ball sailed toward Forest's penalty area, Cruyff positioned himself on the edge of his own box, ready for a quick counter-attack.
The corner was cleared by Alex Hartwell, who knocked it directly to Cruyff's feet. Leicester had committed eight players to the attack, leaving only two defenders and their goalkeeper back.
This was the kind of moment that separated good players from great ones.
Cruyff looked up and saw Marcus already beginning his run, anticipating the possibility of a quick break. But Leicester's remaining defenders were well-positioned to deal with a direct ball over the top.
Instead, Cruyff played a simple pass to Ben Crawford, who had also dropped back to defend the corner. As he received the ball, Leicester's players began their desperate sprint back toward their own goal.
"Ben!" Cruyff called, pointing to the space opening up on the right flank.
Ben played the ball perfectly into his path as he accelerated forward. Now Leicester were in real trouble—three Forest players running at two defenders, with fifty yards of space to work with.
As they approached the penalty area, Leicester's center-back committed to closing down Cruyff. It was the right decision tactically, but it left Marcus and Jamie both in excellent positions.
Cruyff's pass was inch-perfect, sliding between the defender's legs to find Marcus in the penalty area. The striker took one touch to control and another to slot the ball past the advancing goalkeeper.
2-0.
[Assist Recorded: Cruyff Jensen to Marcus Reid]
[Quest Progress: 2/2 assists completed!]
[Special Quest: WIN + 2 assists - COMPLETED]
The celebrations were more subdued this time—there were still thirty minutes left to play, and Leicester were far from finished. But Cruyff felt a quiet satisfaction as he jogged back to the center circle. Two assists in his first competitive match. The scouts would have taken note.