Chapter 20: Another Jab
The rest of the week passed and once again, it was time for the pre match press conference. Alex had been left impressed by the new additions to the team and why he was sure that they’d definitely get involved with the team, he didn’t think it was time for them to get added to the matchday squad.
Alex stood before the mirror in the manager’s office at the training ground, straightening the collar of his dark jacket. The room was quiet, only the faint hum of the hallway’s fluorescent lights leaking in through the door. He let out a small breath, the kind that steadied the nerves but didn’t quite kill them.
His reflection stared back at him, eyes tired but determined. He looked older than he remembered, though not in a bad way. More... seasoned. Experienced. A man who had seen the heights of the Bernabeu and Old Trafford and was now sitting beneath the humble lights of Lecce’s press room.
As he stepped into the corridor, Marco gave him a nod. "You good?"
"Fine as I can be," Alex replied with a small grin. He walked the now-familiar path down to the press room.
Inside, it was the same crowd. Same murmurs. Same click of camera shutters. But today felt different. Today, they weren’t asking what kind of coach he was. Today, they wanted answers about Monza.
He took his seat behind the table, nodding politely as the club staff introduced him. The club badge sat in front of him like a reminder. This was Lecce. His Lecce now.
"Alright, let’s begin," the media officer said.
The first reporter to stand was, unsurprisingly, Luca Benedetti from the Italian Sports Daily. A man who liked to smile before he poked.
"Good morning, Alex. Luca here again. Another crucial match ahead. You drew against Cagliari last week. What has the mood been like in the dressing room since?"
Alex leaned forward, fingers threading together. "We were disappointed. Very disappointed, actually. It was a game we should have won by a large margin, and we know it. The boys created chances, played with intensity, and for the majority of the match, we controlled the tempo. But sometimes football doesn’t reward you just for playing well. We lacked precision in the final third. That was the lesson."