Zachary returned to his starting position right outside the center circle after celebrating the goal with the rest of his teammates. His eyes narrowed when he noticed Conte subbing in Paul Pogba for Carlos Tévez, who'd been playing as Juventus' second striker.
He was a bit unsettled since the substitution was quite disadvantageous to his side, Rosenborg, especially since they'd just gained the momentum after scoring two goals.
From the bits and pieces he could recall from his previous life, he was mindful of the fact that 'the Paul Pogba of Juventus' was a beast of a player. He'd given hell to numerous opponents due to his tactical genius and incredible skill set whenever he played in the midfield for the Italian giants. Moreover, he was also defensively able. He was good at intercepting passes and could prevail in aerial and ground duels to win possession back for his team. During his younger years, he was a phenomenal player for sure.
"Things are about to get more complicated," Zachary thought to himself while observing the Juventus players arranging themselves on the other side of the pitch.
Pogba was about to team up with the other remarkable players, such as Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, to assemble a six-man midfield for Juventus. Thus, Zachary and his teammates would find it hard to break through such a compact midfield even when they already had a numerical advantage due to the red card. What would follow would be the tempo slowing down and Juventus settling into the game. And if that happened, Rosenborg would find it hard to score any more goals during the rest of the game.
But that was not what Zachary wanted. He was well aware that the Italian giants could inflict terror on their opponents if they managed to prepare well and play at their best. So, he wasn't about to let the result of the Europa League's round of sixteen be decided during the second leg.
He wanted to squash and destroy Juventus during that game when they were a man down. Then, they would never dream of launching a comeback when they traveled to Lerkendal for the second leg fixture scheduled for the following week.
*FWEEEEEEE*
The referee blew the whistle, and the game restarted after a few more seconds. As Zachary had feared, the Italian giants started playing more conservatively. Even with Pogba, a phenomenal attacking midfielder, present in their ranks, they still turtled up and rarely launched any attacks. Instead, they concentrated on playing with ten men behind the ball to deny Rosenborg from taking advantage of their numerical advantage and scoring the third goal.
Moreover, Zachary soon realized that three opposing midfielders were marking him. Pogba would follow him all over the midfield and block off the passing routes whenever his teammates showed intent to pass the ball to him. On the other hand, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, the two other midfielders, would block his possible running routes from a distance. Their tactical discipline was really commendable, and they managed to execute the perfect zonal marking system that denied him any opportunities to dribble the ball through the middle.
As the first half progressed into the late stages, Zachary found it harder and harder to make an impact on the pitch. He had barely touched the ball ever since he scored the penalty. It was as if the Juventus players were giving the 'special care' only to him while letting the rest of his teammates possess the ball for as long as they wanted.
With Zachary, the playmaker, out of the picture, the rest of the Rosenborg players found it challenging to launch any meaningful attacks on Juventus during the rest of the first half. As a result, the score remained 0:2 in favor of Rosenborg when the players headed down the tunnel for halftime.
**** ****
Among the people seated in the VIP booth at the very top of the Juventus Stadium were two gentlemen in black suits. Their expressions were grave as they watched the Juventus players walking down the tunnel for halftime.
"Say, Fabio," the more diminutive of the two men suddenly said while creasing his brows slightly. He was Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of the Juventus football club and a distinguished member of the renowned Agnelli family. "What's wrong with Conte's arrangements today? How come we're two goals down when facing a team from one of the lowest-tier leagues in Europe? Is Conte sleeping? What's going on?" He spoke rapidly in Italian without giving his counterpart a chance to respond to his questions.
"It might not be Conte's fault," Fabio Paratici, the sporting director of Juventus, answered, sighing. "That Zachary Bemba is a very talented and terrifying opponent. You must have realized that he's swift and decisive while on the attack. He managed to catch our players off guard and created the two goal-scoring opportunities almost out of the blue."
"Still, that's no excuse for us to be two goals down before halftime," Andrea said, shaking his head. "I'm not happy. First, we drop out of the Champions League after losing to Real Madrid and a small team like Galatasaray. And now, we're losing to an even weaker team and about to drop out of the Europa League. I'm really not happy."
"Relax and be patient," Fabio said in a placating manner. "There's still the second leg. We can surely overturn this deficit and win the leg if we prepare well."
"Hmmm!" Andrea shook his head slightly after hearing his colleague's words. "If they can surprise us and win against us when we're playing at home, don't you think that they might still do the same when we encounter them in Norway?"
Fabio, the sporting director, could only smile helplessly in response.
"Say, Fabio," the Juventus chairman continued after a few more seconds. "Don't you think we should bring in more skilled players to strengthen our side during the upcoming transfer window? I don't want to see the club performing this poorly during next season's European competitions."
Fabio's ears perked up slightly, and his expression turned somber. "We're already trying to get in touch with a few talented players from all around the world," he said. "We've already been in touch with the agents of Kingsley Coman, a young talented player currently playing for PSG. We've also initiated contact with Álvaro Morata, the Real Madrid man. Both players have a high chance of joining our ranks next season. They'll surely strengthen our striking force."
The chairman shook his head slightly after hearing his sporting director's response. "I think we should fire all the members of the scouting department for their incompetence," he said, tone sharp. "Fabio! You just mentioned that Zachary Bemba is a very gifted player. He has managed to singlehandedly destroy us with his sharpness and incredible skills during the first half. How come he's not on the list of priority players you wish to sign for next season? Are your scouting guys sleeping? What are they doing?"
A rueful smile immediately outlined the sporting director's face. "As you should know, we rarely focus on scouting talents from the Norwegian League. Moreover, we didn't catch him on our radar since we weren't looking for midfielders in the first place. We've got Pogba, Pirlo, Vidal, Claudio, and Isla, among other great midfielders, on our side. So, why would we go out of our way to search for another midfielder, especially from a low-tier league?"
Andrea sighed helplessly. "This is the problem of sports enthusiasts and retired athletes managing football. Sometimes, they look at the present and forget to plan for the future. If we had spotted this Zachary guy two or even one year ago, we would have bought him at an affordable price from Rosenborg. But after this game, his asking price will increase significantly. We really missed out."
"So, what are your instructions, Mr. Chairman?" The sporting director asked. "Should we go ahead and get in touch with his agent?"
"Yes, of course," Andrea hurriedly replied, seemingly exasperated. "Is there a need to ask? I can see this guy growing into a terrifying player who can compete with top stars like Pogba, Neymar, Cristiano, and Messi. So, why shouldn't we sign him? Please, do whatever it takes to acquire a verbal agreement from him as soon as possible."
"The way I see things," the sporting director said hesitantly, "he might be a bit expensive for us by the start of the upcoming transfer window."
"Really, Fabio!?" Andrea was surprised. "Money should be the least of our concerns when luring a player of such a caliber to our team. Instead, our focus should be on his attitude towards our side. As long as you notice that he has some interest in joining us, go in for the kill. Make him our priority target for the next transfer window and spend whatever you need to acquire his signature. I want to see him wearing the Juventus shirt next season."
"Okay, chairman."
**** ****
