Chapter 79: The Match Starts
The matchday air was thick.
Not with rain, or wind, or any tangible weather, but with something else entirely. A tension that could not be seen, only felt. It hummed through the walls of the locker room like static, as if even the bricks themselves knew that today’s match would be a test unlike any other. It wasn’t just another game on the calendar. It was Lecce versus Atalanta. A clash that had become the talk of the city, the whispers of fans in bars and cafes, the lingering suspense on every local news channel and football podcast.
And for the first time since Alex had taken charge, his players were not bouncing off the walls before kickoff.
No music. No dancing. No laughter or banter echoing around the changing room like usual. Just silence, profound and pressing broken only by the soft, methodical sounds of preparation. The sound of boots being laced. The occasional stretch-induced grunt. The gentle tap of shin pads being adjusted into place. Even the usual hiss of sprayed muscle warmers was absent.
Alex Walker stood in the center of it all. Arms folded. Shoulders relaxed but eyes sharp.
He didn’t speak right away. He watched them. One by one. Studied the little rituals. The quiet signs of focus. Banda leaned forward on the bench, eyes locked onto the floor, as if mentally sketching the pitch out in his mind and plotting his first sprint. Dorgu sat with elbows pressed into knees, hands clasped tightly as though mid-prayer. His eyes were closed, lips moving slightly, either speaking to a higher power or simply to himself.
Luca Ferretti had not said a single word since arriving at the ground. Not even his usual warm greetings to the staff or playful shoulder bumps with the squad. His normally bright, curious gaze had been replaced by something sharper. Something more calculated. Determined. Ready.
Even the more vocal personalities were muted. Krstovic was silent. Gallo, usually the spark plug of the group, hadn’t cracked a joke in over fifteen minutes. Each of them was caught in his own bubble, lost in thoughts of tactics, responsibilities, and maybe even dreams of glory.
But it wasn’t fear. That much Alex knew.
No, this wasn’t fear.
It was awareness.