"I hope you all are aware of our opponents tomorrow. With only 2 matches remaining, Rangers FC has already qualified for the summer tournament, just like us. Is there anyone who thinks that it'll be a breeze tomorrow?!", barked out James, pausing to make eye contact with each member.

Content at the dead silence that greeted him, he resumed, "Good. I hope you've not forgotten that a finish at the top gets the team seeded directly into the tournament. As the second-ranked team, they will no doubt go out with all guns blazing, so I want you all to prepare yourselves for one of the toughest matches of this season"

Finished with his passionate speech, James took a moment to compose himself, as he let the stakes sink in.

'I forgot how passionate he could get. Might be part of the reason I stuck with football for so long', I reminisced as he spoke again, now in a much calmer tone.

"Now, Rangers FC has won every match since the third round, meaning that they're playing on the back of a 5-win streak. So, what changed after their second match?", he inquired, not expecting an answer.

Finally deciding to use the whiteboard, he drew a rough formation before continuing, "They have a new number 10. But, unlike a classic playmaker, he barely uses his feet, instead using his enormous vertical advantage to feed assists to their number 9"

He circled one of the central strikers, before drawing numerous lines connecting him to the rest of the team before resuming, "They've continued to polish this strategy, and have evolved it into a form of kick and rush, organised in a (4)-(4)-(2) diamond. With accurate passing and a clinical number 9 playing the role of a small striker, Rangers have convincingly beaten every team they've faced", he finished, providing us with basic information on our opponents.

'Gotta respect Coach James, many other coaches wouldn't bother explaining tactics to 10 and 11-year-olds'

Wiping the board, he got started on our instructions for tomorrow, drawing an unusual formation on the board.

'Is that a (3)-(1)-(4)-(2)? Haven't seen that in a while'

"Their enormous success with this strategy has resulted in them developing a one-track attacking mindset, rarely choosing to stray from it. We will crush their kick and rush by completely abandoning the flanks in defense, instead focusing on defending the centre and having the midfield apply intense pressure on their defensive line in collaboration with the strikers", James explained, drawing many looks of concern, especially from the midfielders.

'Since they tend to skip much of the midfield by using aerial passes directly to the attackers, there's no point in occupying the midfield. Still, that's a bold decision'

"You will start in a (3)-(1)-(4)-(2) formation with Ethan and Gary starting as the left and right central defenders", he announced, drawing looks of confusion from everyone as they were our full-backs.

"Although you don't have much experience playing in the centre, your role will be much the same, use speed to cut off any passes to the midfielders", he reassured the two before continuing.

"Harry, you'll play as the central defender and man-mark their Number 9. Use your body to bully and harass him, make him work for the ball, understood?", asked James, receiving a nod from the smiling Harry, giving off a maniacal aura.

'Rest in peace, number 9', I offered a silent prayer while gawking at Harry's astonishing physique, 'That'll never not be scary'

"Oscar, your role as the defensive midfielder is crucial, make sure to take advantage of any passing lanes available for the number 10 to win the ball back from him", he explained to Oscar, who gave him a nervous nod.

'His original position was a defensive midfielder and he was quite good at it too. A solid choice'

"Everyone, you are prohibited from competing for headers with number 10 under any circumstances, we will completely cut off any passing lanes instead", cautioned James for the umpteenth time.

'Honestly, all this is just making me more curious about the guy. I mean how tall could he be?', I thought just as Harry questioned, failing to hold back his curiosity, "Sir, how tall is he?"

James smirked at the enquiry, before answering in a grave tone, "Tall enough to make me feel he belongs in the under-15 instead of under-11", evoking a collective gasp from the crowd.

'That means he's at least as tall as an average 15-year-old. Damn, why do I not remember this dude?'

"Moving on, Alex, Barry, Max and Arthur will make up the four midfielders. Alex and Barry, since you won't receive as much support from the full-backs, expect to put in more activity at the start. If all goes well, I plan to substitute you after the first half. While defending, help Oscar by marking their full-backs", instructed James, gaining nods of understanding, before turning to Max and Arthur.

"You will be playing a little bit differently when trying to regain possession. After losing the ball, apply pressure on their defensive midfielder. Almost all of the long passes originate from him", he clarified before turning to Rick and me.

"Finally, Rick and Nick, you'll be responsible for the attack and while on the defensive, apply pressure on their central defenders"

Pausing for a moment, he made eye contact with every member and summarised, "Everyone, I just want two things while defending tomorrow. First, make it hard for them to lob passes to the front and second, isolate their number 10 by cutting off any passing options. Do this reliably, and you'll be able to witness how quickly a one-trick pony crumbles"

Letting his declaration sink in, James erased the packed whiteboard and drew the formation again before resuming his explanation,

"Now for the attack, the overall process will be as usual. Some things will have to be changed to better accommodate the formation. Ethan and Gary, I want you to move up into the midfield and play the role of an inverted full-back during attacks", he instructed them before turning towards our midfielders.

"To make up for the lack of support from the full-backs, Max and Arthur, you will spread out a little wider, Ethan and Gary will fill up the space left behind in the midfield"

"One final thing, take your time to build up as it will take a little longer for Alex and Barry to get into advanced positions. That's all. Any questions?", he finished.

While most of the kids were in deep thought, Jack enquired in a hopeful tone, "Coach, who's playing as the goalkeeper?"

Pausing at the question, a slightly embarrassed smile appeared on James' face before he replied, "Oh, Ivan will be the keeper", disappointing him.

'Honestly, he's just as good as Ivan. Too bad, Ivan has better chemistry with the defenders'

"Coach, you banned any header competitions with their number 10, but what about set pieces?", questioned Ivan.

"Ah, good question, Ivan. During those, I want Harry to team up with another defender to harass him. Make it difficult for him to be accurate with his headers", answered James, bringing an end to his explanation.

Author's Notes:

I have tried my best to explain in a form that'd be easy for someone who has a very vague knowledge of football to understand. I'm trying to get better, so sorry if that all went above your head. I've included a drawing to supplement the tactics above:

***********************

              Rick      Nick

Alex      Max     Arthur      Barry

                Oscar

     Gary     Harry      Ethan

                  Ivan

**********[Goal]********

Number 10 - Jersey No. typically worn by the playmaker

Number 9 - Typically worn by the main striker

Kick and Rush - A popular tactic in the late 90s to early 00s in England, where a defender would give a aerial pass directly to a tall striker who would reliably drop the ball in front of his teammates feet, resulting in a "efficient" attack.

Hope you enjoyed reading :)