Chapter 44: A Foolish Move by O’Leary
"The weather here is really nice."
Standing on the training field and gazing into the distance, Ian Hart pulled his hand away from the makeshift shelter and mumbled to himself. He then lifted his foot and sent the ball flying over the field.
"Lee, catch it!"
Facing Hart's long pass, Leeds United's midfield dynamo, the troublesome boy Baoye Lee, who had been in great form this season, seemed a bit distracted. He reached for the ball but misjudged his touch, and the ball hit the side of his foot before bouncing away, intercepted by Miles, a right-back from the substitute team.
"Shit!" Baoye waved his hand in frustration, but his energy remained low. He even abandoned the training session, walked off to the side of the field, took off his shoes, and began massaging his calves.
"What's going on with Lee?" O'Leary frowned as he watched the training session and turned to ask his assistant coach.
"Maybe he's just tired..." the assistant coach yawned. "It's so warm here, and it's spring. This is the perfect time for afternoon tea—imagine a cup of tea and a couple of cookies. That would be heaven..."
O'Leary shot his assistant a stern look, effectively silencing the remainder of his comment.
However, he didn't reprimand his assistant coach. Looking around, he noticed that aside from the undisciplined troublemaker Baoye, the other Leeds players also seemed a bit fatigued. It was early April, right in the heart of spring, and the weather on the island of Mallorca was particularly pleasant. Having come from chilly England to the warmer climes of Mallorca, even O'Leary felt that the most comfortable thing was to find a quiet spot for a nap. It was no surprise the players, who had been battling fatigue for most of the season, were struggling to maintain focus.