The Coaching System

Jake Wilson leaned back in his office chair, staring at the tactics board. Two games. One draw, one win. 4 point points from a possible six wasn't bad, but something felt… off.

Bradford had looked dominant against Morecambe, but these last game games had exposed a new set of problems.

Against Walsall, they had drawn 1-1, struggling to deal with constant crosses into the box.

Against Morecambe, they had won comfortably 5-0, but it was only because the opposition team was not good.

Jake exhaled. This wasn't going to be easy.

His assistant, Paul Roberts, sat across from him. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jake didn't answer immediately. He tapped his pen against the desk, looking at the match reports.

"Walsall overloaded our full-backs and kept swinging in crosses," Jake muttered. "Fletcher and Barnes struggled in the air. We barely cleared anything cleanly."

Paul nodded. "Fletcher's only 18. He's great with the ball at his feet, but in the air? He got bullied."

That was a problem. If one League Two team figured this out, others would copy it.

"Then walsall," Jake continued. "They parked the bus. Ten men behind the ball. If their center-back didn't slip for the first goal, we might've been stuck at 0-0."

Paul scratched his chin. "Welcome to League Two. Half these teams don't care about playing football. They just want to survive."

Jake sighed. He couldn't afford to be stubborn. His tactics had to evolve.

[Ding! New System Function Unlocked – "Set-Piece Mastery"]

A sudden blue notification appeared in his vision.

[Ding! New System Function Unlocked – "Set-Piece Mastery"]

[Description: Improves the team's ability to attack and defend set-pieces. Allows for custom routines.]

Jake's eyebrows raised. Now this was interesting.

"Set-Piece Mastery," he muttered under his breath.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Jake shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking."

He clicked on the new function, and a detailed breakdown appeared.

[Set-Piece Training Plans Available]

Attacking Corners – Near Post Overload (Use against teams with weak aerial defenses.)

Attacking Free-Kicks – Second Ball Recovery (For rebounds and loose balls.)

Defensive Corners – Zone + Man Hybrid (Stops teams from winning easy headers.)

Jake studied the options carefully. The Walsall game had proven one thing—if Bradford didn't improve at defending crosses, they'd keep getting punished.

Paul noticed the way Jake's expression changed. "What are you thinking?"

Jake finally looked up. "Set-pieces. We need to work on them. Both attacking and defending."

Paul smirked. "I like the sound of that."

That afternoon, training was different.

Instead of running through the usual pressing drills, Jake called the squad into a huddle.

"Alright," Jake started, his tone sharper than usual. "We've played three matches. One dominant win, one draw, one comfortable win."

The players nodded.

"But," he continued, "we're already seeing teams adjust to us. Some will park the bus. Others will flood our box with crosses. If we don't evolve, we'll drop points."

His voice hardened. "That's not happening."

1. Fixing the Aerial Weakness

First, Jake pulled aside the defenders.

"Fletcher, Barnes," he called, making them step forward. "You both struggled against Walsall's crosses. It wasn't just you—it was the whole defensive line. But we need a fix, and fast."

Barnes nodded. "We were too slow to react."

Jake placed a ball down and pointed to the penalty box.

"We're switching to a hybrid system," Jake explained. "Half of you will mark zonally—you stay in your area, and you win any ball that comes there. The others? Man-marking. Stay tight to your man. Don't let them get a free jump."

Fletcher raised a hand. "Who's doing what?"

Jake gestured toward the goal.

Barnes and Fletcher: Zonal marking in front of goal.

Richards and Taylor: Man-marking the biggest aerial threats.

Lowe (CDM): Assigned to clear second balls.

"Simple," Jake said. "Now let's drill it."

For the next 40 minutes, the squad practiced set-piece defense relentlessly.

And slowly, Fletcher stopped losing headers.

2. Creating New Set-Piece Attacks

Next, Jake called over the midfielders and wingers.

"We need to score more from set-pieces," Jake said. "So we're adding some new routines."

He turned to Ortega. "You're delivering corners. I want low, whipped balls to the near post. Fast and dangerous."

Ortega nodded. "Got it, boss."

Then he pointed at Novak and Carter.

"You two attack the near post. Collins, you lurk outside the box for rebounds."

They ran through various corner routines—different movements, fake runs, and disguised deliveries.

Then, during one of the final drills, it happened.

Ortega swung in a fast, low corner.

Novak made a perfect darting run to the near post.

Boom. Goal.

Jake grinned.

"That," he said, "is how we score in the next match."

3. Experimenting with Tactics

Finally, Jake addressed the full squad.

"We're also adjusting our playstyle."

The players listened carefully.

"Some teams will park the bus," Jake continued. "Against them, we slow down. Keep possession, stretch them, wait for the right moment."

Carter nodded. "What about pressing?"

Jake smirked. "We don't stop pressing. But we do it smart. If a team is too deep, we don't waste energy chasing. Instead, we trap them—force them into mistakes."

The players nodded, understanding the shift.

Bradford was still going to be aggressive and high-energy. But now? They were becoming adaptable.

A New-Look Bradford City

As training ended, Jake watched his players walk off the pitch, discussing the new drills.

The system had been right to give him Set-Piece Mastery.

But the rest? That was all him.

Paul walked up beside him. "Feeling better?"

Jake smirked. "We were already good. Now we're going to be even better."

Paul chuckled. "I hope the next team is ready."

Jake exhaled, glancing at the fixture list.

The next opponent had no idea what was coming.