Robin walks onto the pitch, jogging to the right-wing position. Lazaro's out, he's in. 2-1 down.
Minute 70.
"And the substitution is complete. Robin Silver, the Northport loanee, is on the pitch. He's taken up a position on the right-wing, which is interesting, we've seen him on the left before. Northwall need some magic from him. 2-1 down, twenty minutes to go."
To his surprise, the ball comes to him immediately. A simple pass from the fullback, Kurtis. Robin takes a touch, looks up, and... nothing.
"Silver gets his first touch... and he is walled off immediately! Carlos, the center-back, has come all the way out, and the left-back, Taylor, is right there with him. He has absolutely nowhere to go."
Two defenders are on him instantly. He's completely boxed in. He stops, shields the ball, and passes it straight back to Haruto in the midfield.
"A smart, safe pass back from Silver. He wasn't going to try and take on two men by himself. But Northwall will need more than that."
Haruto holds it. Passes to Doyle. Doyle takes a touch, looks around, and passes it back to Haruto. They do this again. And again.
"This is... not what Northwall needs right now," the commentator says, his voice flat. "They're just passing it around the back four. Haruto to Doyle, Doyle back to Haruto, now all the way back to the captain, Louis Mendez. The home crowd here at Oakminster is loving this, whistling and jeering every pass. There is no urgency at all from the visitors."
Robin is jogging on the spot, trying to find space. Are they even trying to score? Pass it forward!
Finally, Doyle passes it to Louis, who finds Mateo. Mateo, the only one looking forward, splits the line with a sharp pass to Tobi on the left wing.
"And at last, a forward pass! Mateo finds Tobi Ajayi. He's 1-v-1 with his fullback. Robin Silver is on the far side, on the right..."
Tobi tries a flashy step-over. Nothing. He fakes back, then suddenly explodes forward, using his raw pace. Two defenders try to close him down, but Tobi is faster.
"Oh, that's a fantastic burst of speed from Ajayi! He's beaten his man! He's beaten the second! He's in the clear on the left flank! He's got space, he's looking for the cross..."
Robin sees it. He bursts forward, cutting between the two center-backs. The gimmick. He's found the perfect pocket of space, right in front of the goal. He's open. Now! Cross it now!
"Silver is making a darting run between the center-backs! He's found a pocket, he's calling for the ball... Tobi crosses it..."
The cross comes. It's high. Way too high.
"...but oh, that's a poor, poor ball. He's overhit it completely. It sails miles over Robin Silver's head, past Hugo Mendes, past everyone. That's not even close. Goal kick. A real, real waste of a brilliant run from Tobi."
Robin stops, hands on his hips, and turns. He looks at Tobi, then looks at Hugo, who is five yards behind him.
Where the fuck was he aiming? And why isn't our striker in the box? Useless.
Minute 77.
"Oakminster are happy to let Northwall have the ball in their own half. But as soon as they cross the halfway line, the trap springs."
The ball comes to Robin again. He's marked instantly. Two of them. Again.
"And it's the same story for Robin Silver. He gets the ball, and he is immediately swarmed. Carlos and Taylor are doubling him up. He has absolutely no daylight."
Robin sighs. He tries to use his pace, but they've cut off the line. He's trapped. He stops. He tries to freestyle. A few useless step-overs. He's just dancing on the spot.
"He's trying to jiggle his way out, but they aren't buying it. He's just tying his own feet in knots. Martin Langford is on the sideline, and he looks... less than pleased."
Robin can feel Martin's glare. Fuck it. He tries a trivela, an ambitious, outside-of-the-boot through-ball. It hits the first defender's shin and bounces away. Possession lost.
"And it's easily intercepted. He just gave it away. A very frustrating start for the young winger, who has been completely nullified since coming on."
Robin doesn't even react. I can't beat them. Not 1-v-2. Not like this.
He starts walking, observing. The two defenders, Carlos and Taylor. Why are they both on him? Carlos is a center-back. Why is he following him all the way to the sideline? Isn't he supposed to be in the box, marking Hugo?
He watches as Oakminster moves the ball. Carlos drops back... but he stays wide. Taylor, the left-back, is pushing high up the field. And in the middle... there's another center-back. And... another one next to him.
Wait.
One, two... three.
They're playing with three at the back._ Taylor isn't a left-back, he's a left wing-back. That's why Carlos can follow him. They have the cover.
Martin never told me. He never said they switched tactics. Why the hell wouldn't he tell me?
Robin stops. The thought hits him.
...why didn't I see it?
He was on the bench for seventy minutes. He should have seen it. He was too busy being pissed off that he wasn't playing.
He replays the match. Minute 32, they score. Minute 44, they score again. That's when they did it. At halftime. They got the 2-1 lead, and they switched from a 4-4-2 to a 5-2-3. They're parking the bus. And Martin just let him run straight into a brick wall.
A slow, cold smile spreads across Robin's face.
Okay. So that's the game.