Chapter 120: Holiday Training

Season 2003/2004 Croatian League Mid-Season Summary. After 20 rounds of the league, Dinamo Zagreb leads the standings with a record of 16 wins, 4 draws, and 0 losses, crowned the half-season champion. Lokomotiva Zagreb and Hajduk follow closely behind. Apart from consecutive losses to Dinamo Zagreb, these two teams have performed excellently in the other matches. As for Dinamo Zagreb, after half a season of intense competition, many say the Croatian powerhouse has returned to its former glory, and even stronger than before. Suker is the standout player this half-season. 20 league matches, 20 goals, and 10 assists. Including goals and assists, Suker has contributed to half of Dinamo Zagreb's total goals. This shows how fierce his firepower is. Now Suker is a household name in Croatia and even recognized by the official Croatian News Agency as the "successor of Suker." His fame has even surpassed Modrić's. Of course, Modrić has also performed excellently, but compared to Suker's form, he still falls short and cannot overshadow Suker. But Modrić does not mind this; his personality values team victories more than individual honors. With the winter break starting, the league paused. Players entered holiday mode. After 20 rounds of matches, their bodies were indeed tired. But for Dinamo Zagreb's players, young as they are, their recovery ability is good, and they started physical training from the first day of the break. The training ground was filled with loud shouts. Suker and others kept sprinting and running on the field. Repeatedly sprinting, they felt their bodies getting tired, legs heavy like lead, breathing labored, and chest burning. Yet despite this, they gritted their teeth and persisted. "One last set! Run!" Fitness coach Losperic clapped and shouted loudly from the sidelines. As the fitness coach, he volunteered to stay and train these players. Perhaps inspired by the young players' fighting spirit, Losperic also felt he should do something. Before training, he had already drafted a complete holiday physical training plan. This was a high-intensity interval training program. Overall divided into four areas: anaerobic endurance, aerobic endurance, strength training, and injury-prevention stretching. On the training ground, Suker reached the far baseline, turned his head and shouted, "Last set! Charge!" "Charge!" "Ahhh!" "Ahhh!!!" "We're gonna die!!!" A group of young men yelled wildly, sprinting and charging forward. Though their movements became distorted, their running weak and unsteady, and their bodies full of pain, they still persisted. Thump!Thump!Thump!They reached the finish line. One by one, they fell backward, gasping to inhale oxygen, but the burning in their lungs caused grimaces and continuous coughing. "Cough cough, this... this is only the first day!" Šrna felt dizzy. He had never felt physical training so painful. Mandžukić gulped water fiercely, but soon choked and coughed uncontrollably. Šrna helped him up, patting his back to relieve him. "Hard work pays off!" Suker was gasping heavily, but didn't sit or lie down; relying on willpower, he kept standing. "To compete in the Champions League, where strong teams abound, their skills are better, experience richer, and chemistry possibly stronger—if you want to play against these guys, you have to run more! Fight harder!" Suker took a deep breath and shouted, "This afternoon we will do coordinated pressing training!" Everyone grimaced but no one objected. At first, some complained, but once into training, no one slacked off. "Rest three minutes, then strength training. Everyone except Suk, meet in the gym!" Fitness coach Losperic announced. Suker felt a bit troubled. To grow taller, he couldn't do strength training. While everyone rested, Šrna suddenly shouted, "Why are you back?" Everyone turned to look. They saw Vuković had actually come back — the guy who left on a train to his hometown last night, but returned early this morning. Vuković smiled and stretched. "My younger siblings were picked up by my parents; they told me to come back to train." Vuković asked, "What's next?" Duimović lay on the ground like a dead dog and pointed across the field, "Go! Do 20 sets of shuttle sprints, then talk to me." Not far away, a car was parked inside the training base. Boban and Davor Suker sat together, looking at the lively training ground, and laughed. "Duimović's fitness is really bad! When I was his age, I would have crushed him!" Boban joked. Davor Suker said, "Why don't you compare yourself to Suker and Modrić?" "No way! Those two are fitness monsters." After some teasing, Davor Suker asked, "Any news?" Boban sighed. "Looks like it's not going smoothly." Davor Suker read the situation. "They have submitted resumes, and the club agreed to send scouts." "You're really not doing well!" Davor Suk shouted. Boban rolled his eyes. "If it was the old sports director, I could have forced them in! But last season just changed people; the club now has no budget for transfers, and Ancelotti hasn't clearly stated a need for certain types of players, so it's tough!" "Looks like Arsenal is more reliable!" Davor Suker said. "Arsenal interested in them?" "The professor is interested in all young players." Boban was surprised, "Really?" "It's still just interest. Tomorrow I'm going to London to feel out the professor's stance." Davor Suker said."Munich 1860 is also interested, even willing to transfer during the winter break, but—" "You want them to go to a club with stronger competition!" Boban said. Davor Suker: "Not just competition. At a top club, they get better, more systematic training, and a more reliable coach. Most importantly, the players there determine what kind of player they become. The environment shapes a person. Of course, the risk is greater, but I believe in them." "I'm also contacting other teams in La Liga. If Arsenal doesn't work, then Spain!" Boban nodded. "Suker's style suits La Liga. I'm trying AC Milan too, seeing if I can contact Ancelotti directly." All afternoon, Suker and the others trained on tactics. Coordinated pressing, counterattack positioning, etc. Surprisingly, Mandžukić improved the fastest. Others often had problems during counterattacks. Thinking too much!Running too slowly!Observing too late! But Mandžukić didn't have these issues. He relied on muscle memory. Every counterattack was almost like following a formula, precise and almost subconscious passing, without hesitation. This trait made Mandžukić perform best in fast-paced matches. "We think too much!" "He thinks about nothing!" Šrna pointed at Mandžukić teasingly. Mandžukić responded, "Why think so much? Just follow the tactics. If I pass well and you're not in position, that's your problem." Everyone fell silent. Makes sense. But they never thought they'd be criticized by Mandžukić about tactics. "Execution and discipline are the keys!" Suker summarized. "If a team wants to perform, these two are crucial. Sometimes it may be rigid, but Mario is right: don't think too much!" Modrić said, "Don't think about showing off. We are a team. No one runs faster than the ball, so during counterattacks, make sure to move the ball!" Suker clapped his hands: "Come on, guys, let's keep going!" Everyone got up and started training again. For them, this was just day one of training. For the next month, they would repeat tedious training, and they were mentally prepared. The training ground grew lively again. In shouts and cheers, the sky gradually darkened. The first day of the winter break ended!