The next morning's training session arrived with an uncomfortable tension hanging over the squad. Cruyff arrived fifteen minutes early, as had become his habit, but instead of his usual pre-training routine, he found himself rehearsing an apology he'd never had to give in his previous life.
As captain of Arsenal, respect had come naturally—earned through years of consistent performance and leadership. Now, trapped in a sixteen-year-old's body with only weeks of shared history, he had to rebuild relationships he'd damaged with a few careless words.
[Daily Quest Available]
[Objective: Restore team chemistry to 70%+ during training]
[Method: Leadership through encouragement and support]
[Reward: +2 Leadership, +1 Team Chemistry boost]
[Warning: Failure may result in further chemistry decrease]
Jamie Torres was first to arrive, his usual cheerful demeanor notably subdued. He nodded at Cruyff but didn't offer his typical morning banter. Ben Crawford followed minutes later, barely making eye contact as he headed straight to the changing rooms.
"Morning, lads," Cruyff called out, trying to inject warmth into his voice.
"Morning," came the lukewarm responses.
This was going to be harder than he'd thought.
When the full squad assembled for warm-ups, Williams addressed them with his usual no-nonsense approach.
"Right, today we're working on defensive transitions. When we lose the ball, I want to see immediate pressure on the opposition. No standing around feeling sorry for yourselves."
The irony wasn't lost on Cruyff. He'd been standing around feeling sorry for himself for the better part of two days.
As they moved into passing drills, Cruyff made his first conscious effort to change his approach. When Jamie received a pass under pressure and played it slightly behind his intended target, Cruyff's first instinct was to point out the timing issue. Instead, he jogged over and clapped his hands.
"Good weight on that pass, Jamie. Next time, maybe just lead the runner a touch more, but the idea was spot on."
Jamie looked genuinely surprised at the encouragement, but his shoulders relaxed slightly.
[Team Chemistry: 62% (+1%)]
During the small-sided games, Cruyff found more opportunities to rebuild bridges. When Ben made an intelligent run but didn't receive the pass from Danny Walsh, Cruyff immediately called out: "Brilliant movement, Ben! Danny, did you see that run? That's exactly the kind of timing we need."
Ben's expression shifted from sullen to cautiously pleased.
But it was during a defensive drill that Cruyff found his real chance for redemption. Alex Hartwell, the center-back who'd been on the receiving end of praise for his overlapping runs, was struggling with a new tactical instruction Williams had introduced.
"Alex, you're dropping too deep when they press," Williams called out after the third failed attempt. "Stay higher, trust your pace."
Cruyff watched Alex's frustration mount as he failed to execute the movement correctly on the fourth try. This was the moment—he could offer constructive help without undermining anyone.
"Alex," he called during a brief water break. "Can I show you something I noticed?"
Alex nodded, though wariness flickered in his eyes.
"When their midfielder presses you, you're backing off because you're thinking about the space behind. But look—" Cruyff gestured to the pitch setup. "Their striker is already marked by our other center-back. You've got three seconds before any real danger develops. Use one second to receive, one to assess, one to play forward."
He demonstrated the movement at walking pace, showing Alex how to use his body position to buy time while keeping his passing options open.
"Try it again, but this time trust that you have more time than you think."
Alex nodded and jogged back into position. On the next repetition, he executed the movement perfectly, playing a crisp pass forward under pressure.
"Yes!" Cruyff shouted, genuinely delighted. "That's exactly it!"
Williams, who'd been watching the exchange, caught Cruyff's eye and nodded approvingly.
[Team Chemistry: 65% (+3%)]
[New Skill Developing: Constructive Leadership]
The breakthrough came during the final exercise of the session. Williams had set up a possession game—seven versus seven in a confined space, with the objective of keeping the ball for thirty consecutive passes.
Cruyff's team was struggling. The space was tight, their passing had been rushed, and they'd barely managed fifteen passes before losing possession. On their third attempt, frustration was beginning to show.
"Come on, lads," Marcus called out after another turnover. "We're better than this."
But Cruyff could see the real problem. They were all trying to be too clever, attempting difficult passes when simple ones would suffice. In his previous life, he might have taken control of the drill, demanded the ball, and shown them how it should be done.
Instead, he tried something different.
"Listen," he called out during a brief pause. "We're overthinking this. Jamie, when you get the ball wide, just give it to whoever's closest and move. Ben, same thing. Danny, you're the anchor—short passes only unless you see someone completely free."
He turned to Marcus. "And Marcus, you're our outlet. If we're under pressure, we find you, you hold it up, simple pass back. No hero balls, no threading needles. Just keep it moving."
The next attempt was transformative. Simple passes, constant movement, players trusting each other to make the easy choice rather than the spectacular one. They reached thirty passes with room to spare.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Williams shouted from the sideline. "Football's a simple game made complicated by people trying to be too clever."
[Team Chemistry: 71% (+6%)]
[Daily Quest Completed!]
[Rewards: Leadership +2 (New Stat: 15/100), Team Chemistry Boost Applied]
After training, as the players headed to the changing rooms, Jamie fell into step beside Cruyff.
"That was different today," he said quietly.
"How so?"
"You actually listened to us. Before, it felt like you already knew what we were going to do wrong before we did it."
Cruyff winced slightly. "I'm still learning too. Just because I can see the game well doesn't mean I know how to help others see it."
"Yeah, well, today felt more like a team. Like we were all figuring it out together."
[Teammate Relationship: Jamie Torres - Improved to "Growing Trust"]
Ben Crawford was waiting by the changing room door when Cruyff approached.
"Thanks for the advice during the drill," Ben said. "That thing about having more time than I think—I never thought about it that way."
"You're quick enough to buy yourself that extra second," Cruyff replied. "You just need to trust it."
"Maybe we could work on some stuff after training sometime? If you've got time, I mean."
[Teammate Relationship: Ben Crawford - Improved to "Eager to Learn"]
Even Danny Walsh, typically reserved, offered a nod of approval as they passed in the corridor.
"Good session today, Cruyff. Felt like old times."
[Teammate Relationship: Danny Walsh - Improved to "Steady Trust"]
Williams caught up with him in the car park.
"Better today," the coach said simply.
"I needed to remember that being right isn't the same as being helpful."
"That's a lesson some players never learn. Even some coaches." Williams lit his customary post-training cigarette. "You know what impressed me most today?"
Cruyff waited.
"You made everyone else look good. That possession drill at the end? Marcus thinks it was his leadership that got them through it. Jamie thinks his passing was the key. Ben thinks his movement made the difference." Williams smiled. "That's what real playmakers do—they make everyone around them feel like the star."
[Lesson Learned: True Leadership Through Empowerment]
[New Ability Developing: "Silent Captain" - Ability to lead without taking credit]