Touchline Rebirth: From Game To Glory-Chapter 232: Homesick

December 15th, 2010

By early afternoon, the training ground had grown quiet again.

One by one, the players had left after lunch, heading home to rest and recover as instructed. The parking lot that had been full in the morning now held only a few scattered cars belonging to staff.

Inside the office area, however, the lights in one room were still on.

Niels sat at his desk with his laptop open and a notebook beside him.

On the screen, the latest match footage of Bournemouth played.

He leaned forward slightly, elbows on the desk, eyes focused.

The clip showed Bournemouth building from the back. Their midfield pushed forward quickly, and their wingers stayed high and wide, stretching the field.

Niels paused the video.

He rewound ten seconds.

Watched again.

The right winger cut inside while the full-back overlapped aggressively down the flank.

Niels scribbled something in his notebook.

Wide overloads along with early crosses.

He leaned back in his chair for a moment, thinking.

Ellis would be facing that pressure.

But if the timing was right, the same aggression could be turned against Bournemouth.

He clicked forward again.

Another attack. This time Bournemouth lost possession near midfield.

Niels paused.

Their defensive transition was slow.

He tapped the pen lightly against the notebook.

"Space behind the full-backs," he murmured quietly to himself.

Quick counters.

Direct passes.

Max pushing forward at the right moment.

Dev supporting from deep.

He wrote down a few final notes.

After nearly another hour of reviewing clips and adjusting small tactical ideas, Niels finally closed the laptop.

He checked the clock and it was just after five.

Not late, but the day had already been long enough.

Niels stood, stretching his shoulders slightly before putting the notebook into his bag. He turned off the lights and stepped into the quiet hallway.

The training ground staff were already finishing up for the day.

"Heading out, coach?" one of them asked.

Niels nodded.

"See you tomorrow."

The drive home was calm.

By the time he reached home, darkness had fully settled.

Inside, the house felt warm and familiar.

He hung his coat by the door and headed straight toward the kitchen.

Dinner tonight was simple.

He prepared it without much thought. When the food was ready, he sat down with a plate and opened a bottle of beer.

The first sip was cold and refreshing.

For a few minutes, he allowed himself to simply eat without thinking about tactics, injuries, or upcoming matches.

After a moment, Niels reached for his phone lying beside his plate. He scrolled through his contacts for a second before pressing call.

The line rang twice.

"Hello?" a familiar voice answered.

"Hey, Elise," Niels said.

"Oh look who finally remembers he has a phone," his sister replied immediately, her tone teasing.

Niels chuckled softly. "I call once every few weeks."

Elise retorted, "That's not true."

Niels shook his head. "It absolutely is."

"So how are things?" he asked.

"I have been very busy and work's been chaotic," Elise said. "But still good. What about you? Still alive in football world?"

"Barely."

"That dramatic, huh?"

"You try planning two matches in six days," Niels said casually.

She laughed on the other end.

"See? You started the football talk, not me."

Niels smirked slightly. "Alright, fair point."

There was a brief pause before Elise asked, "How's Crawley treating you though? Settling in properly?"

"It's been good," he replied. "It's a quiet town and people care a lot about the club."

"That sounds nice actually."

"It is."

Niels finished another bite of his dinner before leaning back slightly in his chair.

"Oh, by the way," he said casually, "I heard mom telling me something the other day."

Elise immediately sounded suspicious.

"What did she say?"

Niels raised an eyebrow even though she couldn't see it.

"She said you're dating someone."

There was a moment of silence.

Then Elise groaned.

"Mom told you that?"

"Of course she did."

"She promised she wouldn't make it a big deal."

Niels laughed quietly. "So it's true then."

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

Elise sighed dramatically. "Fine. Yes, I am seeing someone."

Niels nodded to himself, amused.

"Well, look at that."

"Don't start."

"I'm not starting anything," he said innocently. "I'm just surprised you didn't tell me."

"You're always busy."

"That's not an excuse."

"It kind of is."

Niels smiled slightly.

"So who is he?"

Elise immediately responded, "I knew that question was coming."

"Well?"

"He's nice," she said simply. "Works in architecture. We met through a mutual friend."

"Sounds serious."

"It's not serious," she replied quickly.

"Sure."

"Stop judging me."

"I'm not judging."

"You're definitely judging."

Niels chuckled again, shaking his head.

"I'm just being a protective brother."

"You've never been protective in your life."

"That's not true."

"You literally moved to another city for football."

"That's called career dedication."

"That's called abandoning your sister."

"Come on, that was harsh," Niels said with a grin.

Elise laughed softly on the other end.

For a few minutes, they continued talking about random family updates, small stories from home, and things that had nothing to do with football.

Eventually Elise asked, "So when do you actually get a proper break?"

Niels looked at the empty plate in front of him.

"Probably… not until summer."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It's football," he said simply.

"Well, try not to work yourself into the ground."

"I'll try."

There was another short pause before Elise spoke again.

"You should come home sometime," she said. "We've been missing you."

Niels leaned back slightly in his chair.

"I was there not that long ago."

"Yeah, but that was what… a couple of weeks?" she replied. "Mom still talks about it like it was last year."

He smiled faintly. "That sounds like her."

"She keeps asking when you're visiting again."

"Tell her I will when the schedule calms down."

Elise laughed softly. "You said the same thing last time."

"And it's still true."

"Sure," she said. "But it wouldn't hurt to show up again. Even for a few days."

Niels glanced toward the quiet living room. "I'll try after this season."

"After the season?" Elise repeated. "That's a long time."

"Football seasons always are."

"Well, just remember you still have a family outside of that pitch," she said lightly.

"I know."

There was a brief pause, comfortable rather than awkward.

Then Elise spoke again. "Anyway, I should probably get going."

"Alright, goodnight, Elise." Niels said softly.

"Goodnight, Niels."

The call ended.

Niels finished the last sip of his beer, cleared the plate, and rinsed the dishes in the sink.

He dried his hands with a towel, then opened the refrigerator again.

His hand paused for a second before grabbing another bottle.

Niels looked at it for a moment.

"I thought I was only having one," he muttered to himself with a faint, amused shake of his head.

Still, he opened it.

The soft psst of the bottle cap breaking the seal sounded.

He leaned against the counter and took a small sip.

The conversation with Elise lingered in his mind about her teasing, the talk about home, the mention of their mother asking when he would visit again.

Niels stared at the bottle for a moment before letting out a slow sigh.

"Maybe I'm feeling a bit homesick," he murmured.

It wasn't something he admitted often.

For a few seconds, his mind drifted back to family dinners, the sound of plates clinking, Elise arguing with their mother over something trivial, the familiar noise of a house that was never quiet.

Then he exhaled slowly.

The feeling passed as quickly as it had appeared.

Niels finished the second beer more slowly than the first, set the empty bottle beside the sink and turned off the kitchen lights.

He then headed upstairs.

Tomorrow would be the final preparation session before Bournemouth.

And as always, football would demand his full attention again.

Within minutes of lying down, the long day began to catch up with him.

And slowly, Niels drifted into sleep.