Football Dynasty
Chapter 240: The Scrimmage

Chapter 240: The Scrimmage

Richard, Dr. Schlumberger, Robertson, and the entire coaching staff present, overseeing the players as they went through a series of early-season drills.

The first goal of the day was to track player workload, distance covered, and movement patterns.

To do this, each player was equipped with pedometers and accelerometers—either clipped to their waistband or their shoes, depending on their comfort.

These devices tracked step count and approximated distance based on each player’s step length. Pedometers were used to estimate total running volume, especially in straight-line running drills and accelerometers analyzed short bursts, directional changes, and movement quality.

"No need to push them to the limit—60 minutes is enough," Richard said as he watched the session. "We’re in the middle of a packed early fixture schedule, so make sure they don’t get too exhausted."

"No problem," Schlumberger replied. "Back when I was at Nuremberg, we’d run this kind of session either in early pre-season or mid-winter to rebuild fitness quickly—without affecting their match performance. The goal here is simply to identify undertrained players."

Richard nodded and left it in the hands of the experts.

After the running drills, the focus shifted to jump tests and lower-body power assessments.

Due to equipment limitations, players were divided into four groups. The club had access to only a few force plates from their rehabilitation labs, so basic jump mats and DIY timing pads with pressure sensors were also used.

The running and jump test phase lasted approximately 30 minutes. Once completed, the physical test results began coming in.

Top Contenders for Prime Form (Jump & Power Tests)

Henrik Larsson – Strong vertical leap and explosive pace. Excellent in aerial duels despite average height.

Javier Zanetti – Exceptional stamina and quickness. High physical output and vertical power. In one sprint drill, he sprinted back and forth six times at the same pace without pause.

Gianluca Zambrotta – Outstanding stamina and powerful jumping.

Robbie Savage – High-energy, endurance-focused. Not the most explosive, but consistent.

Mark van Bommel – Impressive lower-body strength and solid vertical power.

William Gallas – Strong and athletic. Great spring and mobility for a central defender.

Thierry Henry – Unexpectedly ranked high, with elite acceleration and vertical power. Among the best in the group.

Neil Lennon – Agile and hardworking, though not outstanding in raw power.

Jackie McNamara – Similar to Lennon; great energy but limited explosive power.

Andriy Shevchenko – Quick and powerful. Great acceleration and sharp movement.

Ronaldo – Unreal acceleration and vertical, but could only maintain intensity for 6 minutes before collapsing on the grass, gasping for air.

"This data is still raw," Schlumberger explained to Richard. "There are two more tests to go before we can draw real conclusions."

As the drills wrapped up, Jimmy Rouse, the team liaison officer, came over to collect the equipment, while the players moved indoors toward the gym — now transformed into City’s temporary sports science lab.

Inside, Dave Fevre, the head physio, was already waiting.

"What is this?" asked Ferdinand and Gallas, curious, as he entered the gym first and saw the lab setup.

"This is our temporary lab," Fevre replied. "We’re testing your cardiorespiratory endurance and lactate threshold. Since you’re the first one here, let’s start with you."

"..."

Ferdinand and Gallas turned to look at each other.

"You first," Ferdinand said, taking a small step back.

Gallas raised an eyebrow. "No, no. You first. You’re English. Home advantage."

"What the fuck? What does nationality have to do with this? Then you’re older—seniority."

"Shit, we’re only a year apart!"

The back-and-forth continued until Fevre, half-laughing, held up a coin. "Alright, settle it like gentlemen—or schoolboys. Heads or tails?"

Ferdinand pointed at himself. "Heads."

Gallas shrugged. "Fine. I’m tails."

Fevre flipped the coin. It spun in the air, hit the floor, bounced once... and landed tails up.

Gallas burst into a wide grin, flashing every one of his perfectly white teeth. "Ah, look at that! Science has spoken. You’re up, Rio."

Ferdinand groaned. "Unbelievable."

The setup included four treadmills, each connected to a metabolic cart used to measure oxygen uptake during running.

"How do I use this?" Ferdinand asked, holding up the respiratory mask.

"Like this," Fevre said, helping him secure the face mask and attaching ECG leads to monitor his heart rate. He adjusted the straps and checked the seal carefully.

"Just relax, Rio," Fevre said calmly. "We’re measuring how efficiently your engine runs—not how fast it drives."

"Is it safe?"

"Of course. Don’t worry."

The treadmill started slowly, and Ferdinand began with a light jog.

Every three minutes, the pace increased. Dave Fevre monitored the VO₂ values, heart rate, and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Soon, Ferdinand was sweating under the mask, breathing heavily.

"Hang in there—almost at your peak. This is where we find your limit."

The paper graph printed sharp peaks. His oxygen uptake hit 60 ml/kg/min—a remarkable figure for a teenage center-back.

As the treadmill slowed, Ferdinand finally removed the mask, gasping but composed.

"For a centre-half, those are good," Fevre remarked. "Massive aerobic engine. You’ll play 70 minutes all day long."

Ferdinand nodded, still recovering from the treadmill test, and sat down as Fevre prepared a small sterile kit.

"Alright, Rio. This one’s about how long you can stay efficient before the burn kicks in," Fevre said.

Ferdinand then stepped back onto the treadmill, this time following a submaximal running protocol, with the speed increasing every four minutes.

At each stage, Fevre pricked Ferdinand’s finger and collected a capillary blood sample, storing it in a refrigerated rack and labeling each with the time, speed, and heart rate.

"What’s the use of this?" Ferdinand asked.

"This blood tells us when your muscles stop using oxygen efficiently and start flooding with lactate," Fevre explained.

These results would allow the coaching staff to determine precise training zones—eliminating guesswork and outdated pacing methods. Later, the data would shape Ferdinand’s tempo runs, interval sessions, and recovery training, all tailored to his individual physiology.

After Ferdinand stepped off the treadmill and removed the mask, he turned around—and froze.

More than twenty pairs of eyes were staring at him.

For a moment, he looked down at his body, then touched his face, then his dreadlocks, wondering if something was out of place.

"What?" he asked, confused.

Almost instantly, a small group of players who had already completed their first and second drills swarmed him.

"How did it feel?"

"Could you breathe properly with that thing on?"

"Did your legs burn?"

"What was it measuring again?"

They spoke over each other, crowding around him like he’d just returned from some alien experiment.

Richard stood nearby, smiling at the scene. He didn’t need to say anything—he understood exactly what was happening. Of course they were curious. This was the first time anyone at the club had undergone such detailed performance testing. The mixture of awe and apprehension was natural.

Spending almost four million just to set up this equipment was no joke.

If only they knew that in the near future, this kind of data testing would become routine—mandatory, even—for every top-level footballer. But here and now, things were different.

Standard medical checks for transfers focused mostly on injury risk and medical history: X-rays, joint assessments, maybe an MRI if there were concerns about old knee issues.

VO₂ max and lactate threshold testing? That was cutting-edge. Optional. Exotic.

All these performance tests had taken up a significant portion of the day—by the time everything was completed, it was already well past lunchtime.

After a quick meal and a short break to recover, the players made their way back to the training ground. This time, the focus shifted: no more lab coats, no more machines—just football.

It was time for the afternoon scrimmage.

John Robertson, stepping into his role as interim caretaker manager, took charge. Though his position was temporary, his years under Martin O’Neill meant he naturally carried his own ideas about the game. At times, he would introduce tactical concepts to the players and discuss individual roles and technical development with each of them.

In every training session, Robertson included a short 15-minute scrimmage.

During those 15 minutes, there were no winners or losers; the game would immediately end with a penalty shootout.

This left many players feeling dissatisfied.

After each scrimmage, young players like Trezeguet and Henry would eagerly approach Robertson.

"Can we play for another half an hour?"

"How about just 15 more minutes?"

"Even 10 minutes would be great!"

Who could truly feel satisfied with only 15 minutes of play?

Even for an ordinary person, 15 minutes wouldn’t feel like enough.

But Robertson would simply shake his head.

This brief scrimmage was designed to maintain the players’ hunger for the game. If training left them exhausted and disinterested, their excitement for official matches would significantly diminish.

Football training also involves building anticipation—during training, you suppress the players’ desire to play so that, come match day, they can unleash that energy fully on the pitch. So, when players asked to extend the scrimmage, Robertson would always smile, shake his head, and—with the other coaches—begin collecting the balls from around the training ground.

All the players were disappointed by the short scrimmage, but their thoughts didn’t linger for long. From the corner of their eyes, they noticed Dr. Andreas Schlumberger and Dave Fevre emerging from the gym, carrying a thick stack of printed charts and handwritten notes—the results from their makeshift lab.

"Is it done?" Richard asked, immediately alert.

Both Schlumberger and Fevre nodded, but instead of announcing the results to everyone, they beckoned Richard and Robertson aside for a private word.

Curious, the two men stepped forward, their expressions tightening with anticipation.

"What happened?" Robertson asked, brow furrowed.

"Well... nothing bad, actually," Schlumberger replied. "The results are in—but they’re very unexpected, especially based on the last two tests. Please take a look."

Fevre handed them the summary sheet.

Surprisingly, the most striking aspect of the results wasn’t about who had underperformed—but who had outperformed expectations. Many younger players, some of whom weren’t even considered top performers in the earlier Jump & Power Tests, were now scoring above average—outpacing some of the presumed starters.

"Wait a minute," Richard said, pointing at the earlier test charts, "Weren’t the top performers in the first two tests basically our nailed-on starters?"

Fevre nodded. "Yes, exactly. They performed excellently early in the day—jump tests, basic sprints, VO₂ max... all great."

"Then what changed?"

"They peaked too early," Schlumberger explained. "Once their bodies had been active for over twenty minutes, their energy systems started to drop off. Meanwhile, some of the younger or less-experienced players actually maintained—or even improved—in the later tests."

"...Do you have any explanation for that?" Richard asked.

"...let’s just say that when their body temperature peaked and central fatigue kicked in, the real physiological story came out," Fevre explained.

"Or it could be burnout from their schedule—especially Larsson, Van Bommel, Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon, McNamara, and Zagorakis, who all played in the Euros," Schlumberger chimed in. "For now, it’s not too visible, but if we let it continue unchecked, the burnout will start to emerge as the fixtures pile up."

Richard nodded at the explanation before looking toward the names recommended by both of them:

David Trezeguet, Henry, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, Thuram, Joan Capdevila, Hidetoshi Nakata and Steve Finnan.

But Richard is not the manager or the head coach.

So now, what’s your choice for the Leeds fixture?

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