Chapter 131: First Match of the New Season

At Dinamo Zagreb's training base. Besic held thirteen offer sheets in his hand. Suker had received offers from clubs like Arsenal, AC Milan, 1860 Munich, West Ham United, Ajax, Lyon, and Valencia. Modric had also drawn attention from Arsenal, Valencia, Lyon, Ajax, 1860 Munich, and West Ham. "So lively, huh?" Besic gritted his teeth. "Those two brats really stirred things up!" Although he was furious, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This meant that both Suker and Modric had caught the attention of clubs from the top five leagues. Besic could now cash in on them. "Reject all of them." Besic threw the offers aside. Jategenic grinned. "You've got to give them a reason." Besic calmly said, "Not for sale." On July 10th, Dinamo Zagreb returned from Switzerland. Rakitic was in a bit of a daze. In a friendly match the day before, Dinamo Zagreb had actually managed to suppress Basel throughout the game. That was Basel — the Swiss Super League powerhouse! And it was also the first team of the academy Rakitic had come from. He had always been proud of his Swiss academy background, believing he was a cut above these Croatian "hicks." But in the friendly, these guys — who weren't much older than him — completely dominated Basel in the first half. The relentless high pressing sent Basel's defense and midfield into chaos. Throughout the entire first half, Dinamo had Basel firmly under control. They even scored the opening goal thanks to this relentless pressure. In the second half, both teams made wholesale substitutions, and Dinamo's backups took the field — which allowed Basel to score three goals and make a comeback. After this match, many of the bench players began looking at the starters with new eyes. Especially players like Subasic and Strinic, who came from Hajduk Split. They used to think Dinamo was only dominant in the domestic league. But now, seeing the way the team performed in international friendlies — against serious opposition — they were shocked. Nobody could keep possession under such organized high pressing. Rakitic and the rest of the bench had their pride shattered. They realized just how incredible players like Suker and Modric truly were. On the team bus back from the airport, Suker turned to Modric. "In the first half, our counterattack rhythm was off." Modric nodded. "I didn't play the role of the metronome well." "It wasn't just you. Everyone, including myself, was playing too hastily," Suker said. At that moment, someone interrupted, "You guys played well enough. Leading at halftime against Basel? What more do you want?" Suker turned to see Rakitic staring curiously at them. Suker glared, "What do you know, punk?" Rakitic puffed his cheeks in frustration. Suker always looked down on him. Ignoring Rakitic, Suker turned back to Modric. "High pressing is about taking the initiative. It tests the opponent but also challenges our own discipline. We tried to pile on too much pressure in the first half when we still had fresh legs. That led to overcommitting." "We need to manage the tempo better," Modric added. "Sometimes my head gets scrambled too. In those moments, you should drop deeper and help with organization." Suker nodded. "If I'm locked up on the wing, you need to make more forward runs." The two continued discussing and analyzing the match as the bus rolled on. The game against Basel had given them a rough benchmark of their current strength. Even though it was just a half, and neither side revealed all their cards. After all, besides being a friendly, both teams might face each other in Champions League qualifying — no need to show too much. Back at the training base, Besic gathered the squad in the tactics room. "The two friendlies are done. In about a week, the league will kick off, and the Champions League qualifiers too. During this period — no drinking, and no high-intensity training," Besic said seriously. "The new season is starting!" July 16th: 2004/2005 Croatian League Season Opener As last season's champions, Dinamo Zagreb would host Hajduk Split in the opening match. Last season, Dinamo crushed Hajduk four times in four meetings. In the final match, they even slaughtered Hajduk 6–0 at their own stadium. That defeat planted deep resentment and a thirst for revenge in Hajduk's players and fans. This season, Hajduk had made some adjustments. They hoped to take revenge in this opening match. But hopes are one thing — the reality was they still lacked the strength. "Dinamo Zagreb continues to control possession. Hajduk looks completely passive under their patient buildup." "Mitic steps up to challenge! He targets Suker! Suker — stays on his feet!" "Suker's physicality has improved significantly this season." Suker passed the ball and turned smugly to glance at Mitic. Can't knock me down now, can you? Mitic glared back and resumed his defensive position. Suker felt the surge of strength in his body as he ran. During last season's lottery draw, the system gave him three attribute cards. He used all three to boost his strength stat. Now, his Strength had reached 79 points. Not exactly a powerhouse yet — but enough to hold his ground in a physical challenge, rather than getting knocked over easily like before. Aside from those three attribute cards, nothing else of note came from the draw. But those cards had helped him immensely. He'd even begun to see the outline of abs forming on his stomach. Still, Suker was a little worried — would too much strength training affect his growth? So far, he felt no issues. In fact, he'd grown another centimeter. He now stood 171 cm tall. Standing next to Modric, Suker had finally overtaken him — by just a hair. The Match Continues. Suker dropped into the half-space, and Srna got ready to make a run. Hajduk's fullback, Kart, was sweating bullets trying to mark both of them. You couldn't afford to leave either one unmarked. Suker's threat needed no explanation. Srna's crosses were pinpoint accurate, and with the physically dominant Mandzukic in the box, it was always dangerous. Just then, Modric passed the ball to Suker in the half-space. Suker controlled the ball — no challenge from the opposition. He looked up toward the penalty area and lightly chipped the ball forward. Right on cue, Mandzukic made his run. "Offside!" Shumelotic raised his hand, but the linesman remained silent. When he turned his head, Mandzukic had already adjusted and met the ball with a powerful volley. Swoosh! The ball rocketed into the net. Dinamo Zagreb scored in the 12th minute of the first half. "Mandzukic!! He opens the scoring for Dinamo in the season opener!" "A beautiful volley!" "Of course, Suker's lobbed assist was sublime. The two showed incredible chemistry to unlock the defense." WHOOOOOOOAAAAAA—— The stadium erupted in applause. Fans were thrilled with the team's performance in the season opener. Before the match, Hajduk had talked a big game about revenge. Now they were behind — making the fans feel even better. After the first goal, Dinamo's attacks kept coming like waves. Especially Suker — that assist had lit a fire in him. He launched wave after wave of attacks down the left wing. Dribbling runs. One-twos with teammates. Even curling shots from the edge of the box. After nearly 10 minutes of relentless pressure, Suker finally found the net himself — a curling shot during a lateral dribble. The ball soared into the top-right corner. Hajduk's keeper, Ljantovic, gave everything to reach it — but came up short. The shot was just too precise. "Suker!! A brilliant goal after a dazzling dribble!" "He remains the focal point of Dinamo's attack — a lightning rod on the left wing! Hajduk has no answer for his skill and pace. Thanks to him, Dinamo now leads 2–0!" Suker!!!!—— Suker!!!!—— Suker!!!!—— The crowd chanted his name in waves. Last season, they'd said goodbye to the legendary Davor Suker. This season, they had a brand new Suker! Standing at the front of the stands, Suker spread his arms wide — as if to embrace the whole stadium. The fans roared in return. The entire Maksimir Stadium was set alight. "So strong!" Rakitic stared, eyes wide. He's only two years older... He's just barely taller than me... So why is he this good!? "Top scorer in the Croatian league! Best rookie! Player of the Year!" Strinic looked at Suker's back and said with a grin, "You think he won all that just because of hype?" "This guy tore up every left-side defense in Croatia last season!" Strinic shook his head in awe. "He's the one guy — besides Srna — that every left-back in the league dreads facing!"