The final whistle brought a mixture of relief and celebration. Forest had held on for a 2-1 victory after Leicester pulled one back through a well-worked set piece in the seventy-third minute. More importantly for Cruyff, he'd completed his first competitive ninety minutes without any major mistakes.
[Match Complete - Victory Achieved]
[Final Statistics:]
[Passes: 47/52 (90% accuracy)]
[Assists: 2]
[Chances Created: 6]
[Dribbles Completed: 3/4]
[Rating: 8.5/10]
[Special Quest Rewards:]
[Vision: +5 (69/100)]
[Passing Accuracy: +3 (78/100)]
[Through Ball: +4 (62/100)]
[New Ability Unlocked: "Clutch Performer" - Performance improves in high-pressure situations]
As the players shook hands and began walking off the pitch, one of the scouts approached Williams on the touchline. Cruyff couldn't hear their conversation, but he noticed the man gesturing in his direction several times.
"Bloody hell, Jensen!" Jamie Torres threw an arm around his shoulders as they headed toward the changing rooms. "Two assists on your debut! You're mental!"
"Team effort," Cruyff replied automatically, though he was pleased with his performance. It had been exactly what he'd hoped for—impressive without being overwhelming, effective without drawing too much attention to the gap between his ability and his supposed experience level.
In the changing room, Williams addressed the team with typical understatement.
"Good result today. Leicester are no mugs, and you handled the pressure well. But remember—this is just one match. The real test is consistency over a full season."
After the formal debrief, Williams pulled Cruyff aside.
"Walk with me."
They stepped outside into the car park, where most of the parents and scouts had already dispersed. Williams lit a cigarette and took a long drag before speaking.
"You know that scout I was talking to? Dave Morrison from Leicester. He's worked with their first team for fifteen years, seen hundreds of young players come through."
Cruyff tried to keep his expression neutral. "What did he say?"
"Said you were the most mature sixteen-year-old he'd ever watched. Technically excellent, but more than that—you see the game like someone with ten years' experience."
A moment of panic. Had he been too obvious? Too advanced in his decision-making?
Williams continued. "He asked if we'd be interested in a permanent scouting arrangement. Leicester keeping tabs on your development, first refusal if you ever want to move up a level."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him to get in line." Williams smiled. "You're going to have plenty of interest, lad. The question is whether you can handle it without letting it go to your head."
That evening, back at his lodgings, Cruyff reflected on the day while the system updated his profile.
[Career Progression Analysis]
[Current Path: Nottingham Forest Youth → Potential First Team (18-24 months)]
[Alternative Paths: Leicester City Interest, Other Premier League scouts likely to follow]
[Recommendation: Continue steady development, avoid rushing to higher levels]
The system was right, as always. His previous life had taught him that talent alone wasn't enough—timing, development, and gradual progression were just as important. Moving too fast could be as damaging as moving too slowly.
But two weeks later, his steady progression hit its first real obstacle.
It started during a routine training session. Forest were preparing for their next match against Birmingham City, and Williams had set up a tactical exercise focusing on breaking down organized defenses.
Cruyff was operating in his usual role, dropping deep to collect the ball before finding space to create chances. But something felt different. His teammates' movements seemed predictable, almost sluggish compared to his expectations.
In the thirty-fifth minute of the practice match, he spotted Jamie making a run behind Birmingham's mock defense. The pass was on—a simple through ball that would put him clean through on goal.
He played it exactly as he'd visualized, but Jamie was three yards away from where he'd expected him to be. The ball rolled harmlessly to the goalkeeper.
"Jamie! You needed to time that run better!" he called out, frustration creeping into his voice.
Jamie jogged back, looking confused. "I thought I was in the right position."
"You were too late. When you see me receive the ball, that's when you should be making the move, not after I've already—"
"Jensen!" Williams' voice cut across the training pitch. "Over here. Now."
Cruyff jogged to the touchline, already knowing he was in trouble.
"What was that about?"
"Jamie mistimed his run. I was just trying to help him understand—"
"No, you were trying to coach him. That's my job, not yours." Williams' expression was stern. "You're sixteen years old, been at this club for five weeks. What makes you think you know better than players who've been here for years?"
Cruyff felt the familiar frustration of being trapped between his adult mind and teenage circumstances. "I just saw the opportunity and—"
"And you acted like you were the manager. That stops now." Williams softened slightly. "Look, you're talented. More talented than most players I've worked with. But talent without humility is worthless. You need to trust your teammates to learn and improve at their own pace."
The conversation stung because Williams was right. In his eagerness to recreate the level of understanding he'd enjoyed with world-class teammates, Cruyff had forgotten that these were developing players, not finished articles.
[Warning: Team Chemistry Decreasing]
[Cause: Perceived arrogance, excessive criticism of teammates]
[Recommendation: Focus on leadership through example, not instruction]
The warning hit home harder than Williams' lecture. Over the following days, Cruyff noticed subtle changes in his teammates' behavior. They were still friendly, but there was a distance that hadn't been there before. Jamie was particularly quiet around him, and even Marcus seemed less enthusiastic about their partnership.
Ben Crawford, normally one of the more outgoing players, had started making fewer adventurous runs when Cruyff had the ball. Danny Walsh was playing it safer in his distribution, avoiding the kind of progressive passes that had worked so well in matches.
The problem came to a head during Forest's next match, away at Birmingham City.
Cruyff started again, but from the first whistle, something felt off. His teammates were making runs, but not the ones he expected. When he found space to create chances, the movements around him were conservative, safe.
In the twentieth minute, he received the ball in a promising position with Birmingham's defense stretched. Marcus was making a run, but it was predictable—straight toward goal rather than the diagonal movement that would have created a better angle.
For a split second, Cruyff hesitated. Should he play the pass Marcus expected, or try to guide him toward better positioning?
The hesitation cost him. Birmingham's midfielder closed down the space, and Cruyff's eventual pass was intercepted.
"Unlucky, Cruyff!" Marcus called out, but there was something hollow about the encouragement.
[Team Chemistry: 61% (Decreased from 73%)]
[Effect: Teammates less likely to make advanced runs, increased conservative play]
Birmingham scored first through a well-worked set piece. Forest equalized just before halftime when Cruyff's corner found Alex Hartwell unmarked at the back post, but it felt like a consolation rather than a triumph.
The match ended 1-1, and while a draw away from home wasn't a bad result, Cruyff knew his performance had been below his usual standards. Not because of his technique or vision, but because of the disconnect with his teammates.
On the bus ride home, Williams sat down beside him.
"Feeling the difference?"
Cruyff nodded silently.
"Football's not played by individuals, no matter how talented they are. It's played by teams. And teams are built on trust, understanding, respect." Williams paused. "You're learning that the hard way, but at least you're learning it."
[Lesson Learned: Team Chemistry Critical]
[New Objective: Rebuild teammate relationships]
[Focus: Leadership through encouragement, not criticism]
That evening, Cruyff made a decision. The next day at training, he would apologize to Jamie and the others. Not because he'd been technically wrong about their positioning, but because he'd forgotten that being right wasn't always the same as being helpful.
His journey back to the top was going to be more complicated than just improving his stats. He needed to learn how to lead players who weren't at his level without making them feel inferior.
It was a humbling lesson, but an important one.