Chapter 180: Coache’s Trust
"Here’s what we’re going to do in the second half."
The words rang out clearly in the dressing room.
David sat up slightly, his eyes lifting toward Ten Hag, but his thoughts were a world away. His ears had heard the words, yes — but it was everything leading up to that moment that had him reeling.
Before the coach had spoken, Ronaldo had. The man, the legend, had stood up, pacing with that familiar, impossible energy, the fire in his voice somehow still as fresh as it had been a decade ago. He’d spoken passionately, not yelling, but not far from it either. Encouraging, calling for more, asking for fight. Making jokes to ease the tension — the kind only Ronaldo could get away with. And David had listened, watched, heart pounding. He admired him. Who didn’t?
Then Ten Hag stepped forward and interrupted with a calm but firm, "Okay, okay, Ronaldo. We understand."
Ronaldo turned to him, nodded, even grinned slightly. "Yes, sir," he said, offering a light quip. "We need those changes now. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect something different, right?"
The room chuckled lightly, but Ten Hag’s face remained stern.
"Thank you, Ronaldo," he said. "Help me sit, please."
And now, there they were. The boss standing in front of them, ready to speak. Ready to deliver the verdict. But David... David already knew what was coming.
He couldn’t stop his eyes from flickering down again. Couldn’t keep his hands from tightening into fists on his lap. He was trying to prepare himself for the words that would come next — words that, he feared, would cut deeper than any tackle on the pitch.
Yes, he had gotten in a good cross toward the end of the first half. But that was it. A single moment of clarity in a half drowning in disappointment.