July 17th, 2017
The training pitch at Geylang was a hive of controlled, purposeful activity. The Singaporean heat was already a thick, heavy blanket at ten in the morning, but the squad was working through it with a new, sharp focus that had been absent before the Atlético game.
The 4-2 win had been a confidence boost, but the video analysis session had been a necessary, cold dose of reality. The 18% pressing efficiency number had landed like a stone in the dressing room. They knew they had been second best for forty-five minutes. They knew the scoreline had flattered them. And they were working to fix it.
My coaching staff were a well-oiled machine. Sarah was running the main tactical shape drill on the main pitch, her voice clear and precise as she walked the two central midfield units through the pressing triggers.
