My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 300 - 289: Roma Preparation I

Monday, May 5, 2023 Centro Bortolotti Training Complex, Zingonia Recovery Room 9:18 AM

Recovery at Zingonia begins with starters from yesterday moving directly toward the ice baths while the cold water sits waiting in four stations along the far wall, and Musso lowers himself in first with the same controlled exhale that comes every time while his shoulders tense against the shock before settling.

Scalvini follows in the adjacent bath and his entry is quicker than Musso’s because his body adapted to the routine weeks ago, and Tolói takes the third bath without hesitation while steam rises faintly off the surface where the cold meets the warmer air of the room.

Demien heads toward the bikes instead and mounts the nearest one before adjusting the seat height and setting the resistance at a low level, and his legs begin pedaling in smooth circles while his breathing stays controlled and his eyes track the wall ahead without focusing on anything specific.

Ederson takes the bike beside him and his movement is slower than usual — not injured but cautious — and a physio appears within thirty seconds holding a clipboard while his eyes move from Ederson’s face down to his left knee where a compression sleeve sits over the joint.

"How’s it feeling?" the physio asks while crouching beside the bike.

"Good," Ederson says without slowing his pedaling. "No tightness."

The physio’s hand reaches out and presses gently against the outside of the knee through the sleeve before moving to the inside and repeating the motion, and Ederson’s expression doesn’t change while the examination continues for ten seconds.

"Full range?" the physio asks.

Ederson stops pedaling and extends his left leg fully before bending it at maximum flexion, and the movement is smooth without hesitation or compensation.

The physio stands and makes a note on the clipboard.

"You’re cleared," he says. "Full training tomorrow."

Ederson nods once and resumes pedaling while the physio moves toward the ice baths to check on the other players.

Centro Bortolotti — Main Gym 10:42 AM

Screens mounted on the gym walls cycle through European sports channels and one shows Sky Sport Italia running highlights from yesterday’s matches across Serie A, while another displays the Premier League results and a third shows La Liga coverage.

The Coppa Italia final date flashes across the bottom ticker of the Sky broadcast in red text: COPPA ITALIA FINAL — MAY 14 — STADIO OLIMPICO, ROME.

Nine days away.

Demien’s pedaling rhythm falters for half a rotation before resuming at the same controlled pace, and his jaw works side to side once while his eyes stay fixed on the screen.

The ticker updates and new text appears: ATALANTA VS ROMA — MAY 11 — GEWISS STADIUM.

Six days.

Demien finishes his bike session and moves toward the water station while his legs hold the burn from thirty minutes of sustained pedaling, and he fills a bottle before drinking half of it in one continuous pull.

Across the room Lookman is on the rowing machine and his rhythm is steady while sweat drips from his forehead onto the machine’s display, and nearby Hateboer stretches on a mat with a physio guiding his hamstring through its full range of motion.

Tuesday, May 6, 2023 Centro Bortolotti — Video Room 9:04 AM

Tactical preparation begins with the video room filled and the lights already dimmed when players take their seats, and Gasperini stands at the front with the screen behind him loaded with footage from Roma’s last four matches.

The first clip plays without commentary and shows Roma’s defensive shape when out of possession — their 3-5-2 formation sitting deeper than Monza’s version with the wingbacks tucking in narrower and the three center-backs maintaining tight spacing between them.

Gasperini pauses the footage when Roma’s press is triggered by a specific pass pattern.

"They press when the ball goes wide to the fullback," he says while pointing at the screen where Roma’s forwards have started closing down immediately. "If you receive there—" he taps the screen where Atalanta’s fullback position would be "—two players arrive within three seconds."

The clip resumes and shows exactly that sequence — the ball going wide, two Roma players converging, the fullback forced into a hurried clearance.

Gasperini pauses again and the next clip loads automatically.

"When their fullbacks push high—" he points at the screen where Roma’s left wingback has advanced into the attacking third "—this space opens behind them."

The freeze-frame shows the gap clearly and Gasperini doesn’t elaborate because the visual information is sufficient, and the session continues for forty minutes with clips showing Roma’s transition patterns and how their defensive line adjusts when pressed aggressively.

Centro Bortolotti — Main Training Pitch 10:11 AM

The session on the pitch is sharp from the opening drill and quick combinations dominate the first phase while players execute overlapping runs with precision, and the tempo is higher than yesterday’s recovery work because matchday approaches and sharpness needs to return.

Demien and Ederson work in tandem during the central phases when the eleven-versus-eleven begins and their positioning creates triangles with Koopmeiners and de Roon that allow the ball to circulate through midfield without stagnation, and the connection between them is tightening with each session because repetition builds understanding that doesn’t require verbal communication.

A pass arrives from de Roon and Demien receives with his back to pressure before laying it off immediately to Ederson who has positioned himself two yards away at the correct angle, and Ederson’s first touch sends it forward into Koopmeiners’ path while the movement happens in under two seconds.

The sequence repeats with variations — sometimes Demien turns instead of laying off, sometimes Ederson plays long instead of short — and the quality improves with each repetition because muscle memory is being built through volume rather than instruction.

Wednesday, May 7, 2023 Centro Bortolotti — Main Training Pitch 9:37 AM

Intensity increases and the full eleven-versus-eleven begins with no restrictions on contact beyond what’s necessary to prevent injury, and tackles arrive sharp but controlled while challenges for fifty-fifty balls are contested properly.

Lookman receives wide on the left during one sequence and his first touch takes him past the defender with pace before his second touch sets up the cross, and the delivery comes dangerous toward the six-yard box where Scamacca has timed his run perfectly.

The header is clean and directed downward toward the bottom corner, and the reserve goalkeeper dives but can’t reach it before the ball crosses the line.

The attacking group resets without celebration while the defense reorganizes, and Gasperini watches from the touchline with his arms crossed and his expression unchanged.

The session continues for seventy minutes before transitioning to defensive shape work where the first-team defense practices compactness when the reserves build from the back, and the spacing between defenders is measured repeatedly until the lines are correct.