Chapter 11: Team Building
But obviously—
Not now.
This was only the first time Joshua Smith had truly seen his players gathered together as a complete unit.
During the past few days, he had already gone through every available player profile multiple times. Every youth promotion. Every remaining senior player. Every newly signed recruit.
But information on paper…
Was never enough.
He needed to see them move.
Train.
Struggle.
Only then could he combine reality with the one advantage no one else in the world possessed—
The Football Card System.
And—
The Eye of Insight.
Joshua stood quietly at the edge of the training ground, his eyes calm, but his thoughts racing.
In his previous life, he had been more than just a casual fan.
He had been obsessed.
And among all the teams he had ever studied…
One stood above the rest.
A miracle.
It was a revolt against the very logic of football itself.
Under Claudio Ranieri, a team that had narrowly escaped relegation had gone on to conquer England.
The Leicester City F.C. of the 2015–2016 season.
That team…
Was burned into Joshua's memory.
A single-game upset?
Anyone could get lucky.
But to win a full league season?
That required something deeper.
Something structured.
Something ruthless.
Joshua closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
The system of that miracle team unfolded in his mind.
Fast transitions.Relentless pressing.Compact defensive shape.Explosive counterattacks.
A classic—
4-4-2.
Two forwards.
One stretches the defense.
One linking play.
Midfield—
Hardworking.
Disciplined.
Aggressive.
Defense—
Narrow.
Compressed.
Forcing opponents wide.
Flooding the penalty box.
And once possession was won?
Long ball.
Forward immediately.
No hesitation.
Joshua's lips curled slightly.
Because now—
He had the core.
Jamie Vardy.Danny Drinkwater.N'Golo Kanté.Charlie Austin.
The same spine.
The same engine.
The same potential.
If Ranieri could do it…
Why can't I?
But Joshua didn't rush.
Because he understood something clearly—
Tactics meant nothing without execution.
According to his plan—
The team would first spend one week recovering from physical exhaustion.
After a long off-season, most players had gained weight and lost sharpness.
Then—
Ten days of high-intensity physical training.
Because no matter the tactic—
Fitness was the foundation.
"System…"
Joshua murmured internally.
The translucent interface appeared instantly.
He selected—
Training Card (Blue).
Equip.
A faint click echoed in his mind.
The card slid into the slot.
[Training Effect +15%]
Joshua instinctively glanced around.
No reaction.
No change.
No one noticed anything.
Only he could see it.
Only he could feel it.
He exhaled slowly.
Good.
Training began.
Running.
Strength work.
Recovery drills.
Ball control under fatigue.
The players groaned.
Complained.
Sweated.
Collapsed.
But—
Something was changing.
A week later—
The results came.
Inside the office—
Mel Donald looked stunned.
"This… this doesn't make sense."
Joshua leaned back slightly.
"What happened?"
Mel flipped through the report.
"Almost every player…"
"Lost excess weight."
"Improved recovery speed."
"And their training adaptation rate is unusually high."
He looked up.
Eyes wide.
"It's like they've been training for weeks, not days."
Joshua rubbed his chin.
So this is the effect…
It wasn't an effort.
It wasn't discipline.
It was The card.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"In that case," Joshua said calmly, "we move to the next phase early."
Pre-season time—
Was precious.
But Mel hesitated.
"There's… one problem."
Joshua raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"Sam Parker."
Joshua paused.
He remembered.
The striker with a low work rate.
Weak mentality.
And now—
It showed.
"Training reports say… inconsistent effort," Mel continued.
"Three days serious, two days lazy."
Joshua didn't even hesitate.
"Then ignore him."
Mel froze.
"…What?"
"If he's overweight, he trains alone."
"If he's not serious, he doesn't play."
Simple.
Direct.
No compromise.
Mel frowned.
"But he's one of our only experienced forwards—"
Joshua waved his hand.
A confident smile appeared.
"Mel."
"Vardy and Austin…"
"They're not just League Two level."
Mel clearly didn't believe that.
But Joshua didn't explain.
Instead—
He leaned forward slightly.
"If we put Sam Parker on the transfer market…"
"Would anyone take him?"
Mel thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
"He's played higher-level football before."
"Teams in League Two would be interested."
Joshua's eyes lit up slightly.
"Good."
"I want to trade him."
Mel blinked.
"For what?"
Joshua's voice became firm.
"A center back."
"Tall."
"Strong."
"Dominant in the air."
Because he had already seen the problem.
Over the past few days—
He had been quietly using Eye of Insight on different players.
One per day.
Carefully.
Strategically.
And the conclusion was clear.
Midfield?
Strong enough.
Attack?
Promising.
Full-backs?
Manageable.
But center-back—
Weak.
Too young.
Too fragile.
Only George Parker could hold the line.
The rest?
Teenagers.
Thin.
Inexperienced.
They would be crushed by physical strikers in the league.
Joshua tapped the desk lightly.
"I still have part of the transfer budget."
"If we add Sam Parker…"
"We can get the defender we need."
Mel slowly nodded.
"…I'll inform scouting."
Joshua stood up.
"Do that."
Then he looked out toward the training pitch.
The players were still running.
Still pushing.
Still fighting.
His team.
Not strong yet.
Not complete.
But—
Piece by piece—
It was taking shape.
Joshua narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Keep training going."
Because the real battle—
Hadn't even begun.
(End of Chapter 11)
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