"Who's the second pivot alongside Milivojević?" Sarah asked.
"Nya Kirby," I said. The name landed in the room with a quiet authority. "He's fresh, he's energetic, and he's been trained in this system from day one. He understands the pressing triggers, the defensive shape, the transition. He's ready."
Sarah nodded slowly, a smile forming. "He's going to be incredible."
"And Eze?" Marcus asked.
"Eze remains our secret weapon," I replied. "He's the perfect impact substitute. He comes on in the second half against tired legs and changes the game with a moment of magic. His role doesn't change."
Later that afternoon, I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop to deal with a matter I had been putting off.
I had an email reminder about my upcoming UEFA A Licence session two sessions per week, a slow, methodical pace that had been perfectly adequate when I was managing the U18s. Now, it felt completely inadequate.
