My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 301 - 290: Roma Preparation II

Centro Bortolotti — Main Training Pitch 11:28 AM

After the session ends several players stay on the pitch for extra work and Demien walks toward the edge of the penalty area where a bag of balls has been positioned, and he begins taking shots from outside the box while a goalkeeper remains in position to provide realistic opposition.

The first attempt comes from twenty-two yards and the ball stays low but drifts wide of the left post by half a meter.

The second is placed better — right foot curling toward the top corner — and the goalkeeper has to stretch fully to tip it over.

Ten attempts total.

The third and fourth both reach the target but lack the placement to beat the goalkeeper who claims them confidently.

The fifth finds the top corner — right side — and the net ripples while the ball drops behind the goal.

The sixth is saved.

The seventh and eighth both go wide.

The ninth clips the crossbar and bounces back into play.

The tenth finds the top corner again — left side this time — and the placement is perfect because the ball enters just beneath the junction of post and bar where no goalkeeper can reach.

Six on target total.

Two in the top corner.

Demien collects the balls and returns them to the bag before walking toward the main building while his breathing is elevated but controlled, and the feeling of the fifth and tenth attempts stays in his muscle memory — the contact point, the follow-through, the trajectory that results when everything connects cleanly.

Thursday, May 8, 2023 Centro Bortolotti — Main Training Pitch 9:03 AM

Set-piece work dominates the morning session and corners are practiced first with balls delivered from both sides at varying heights and speeds, while defensive organization against aerial threats is drilled repeatedly because Roma’s center-backs are dangerous in the air.

Demien is positioned at the edge of the penalty area during defensive sets with instructions to read clearances and either recycle possession or close down opponents who collect the second ball, and his placement is specific because it creates a screen that prevents quick counters while maintaining enough distance to avoid being drawn into the congestion inside the box.

On attacking corners a specific routine is rehearsed six times — short corner to Koopmeiners who holds it, Demien makes a delayed run from deep toward the penalty spot, ball arrives low and hard across the six-yard box — and the timing requires precision because the defenders tracking Scalvini and Tolói create space in the corridor where Demien arrives unmarked if the run is delayed exactly three seconds after the initial delivery.

Gasperini stops the drill twice to correct Demien’s timing — once for arriving too early, once for drifting too wide — before the execution becomes clean and the ball finds him in space with enough room to finish.

"Again," Gasperini says after the sixth successful attempt, and the routine is walked through one final time before moving to free kicks.

Free kicks from various angles follow the corner work and each setup is walked through twice before being executed at speed, and Gasperini stops the drill four times to correct runs that aren’t creating the right spaces or defensive positioning that leaves gaps.

The session is meticulous and lasts two hours before players are released for lunch.

Friday, May 9, 2023 Centro Bortolotti — Recovery Room 10:16 AM

Recovery fills Friday and the work is light with passing drills at reduced intensity and stretching sessions that target specific muscle groups, while the atmosphere in the facility is quieter than earlier in the week because matchday preparation shifts from physical work to mental readiness.

Screens in the gym show the updated Serie A table and the graphic holds on screen for thirty seconds while the presenter discusses the race for Champions League qualification.

SERIE A — MATCHDAY 35

Inter — 35 | 71PTS | 3

Atalanta — 35 | 70PTS | 3

Milan — 35 | 68PTS | 3

Roma — 35 | 66PTS | 3

Atalanta fourth with seventy points.

Milan fifth with sixty-eight points.

Two points separate them now and the gap is growing but not safe because three matches remain for both teams and any dropped points could shift positions immediately.

Centro Bortolotti — Main Building Entrance 2:41 PM

A journalist appears at the facility entrance in the afternoon and a cameraman follows behind while security directs them toward the media room where Gasperini will conduct his pre-match press conference, and the setup takes ten minutes before the coach enters and sits at the table with the Atalanta crest positioned on the wall behind him.

The questions begin immediately after the opening greeting and the journalist’s first question is about Roma’s recent form.

"They’re a strong side," Gasperini says without elaboration. "Physical. Organized. We’ll need to execute properly."

The second question asks about the Coppa Italia final and whether the team is splitting focus between the league and the cup.

Gasperini’s response is immediate.

"Roma first," he says. "Then we think about Rome."

The statement is final and his expression makes clear that further questions about the Coppa Italia won’t receive different answers, and the journalist moves on to tactical questions about team selection and injury updates.

The conference lasts five minutes before Gasperini stands and walks out while the cameras are still recording, and the journalist packs equipment without complaint because brief press conferences from Gasperini are expected rather than unusual.

Saturday, May 10, 2023 Centro Bortolotti — Main Training Pitch 10:02 AM

Matchday minus one arrives with the final walk-through at Zingonia and the session is scheduled for thirty minutes of positional work without opposition or contact, while players move through their assignments at reduced speed to reinforce spacing and timing without accumulating fatigue.

The starting eleven has been decided and Demien knows from the tactical preparation throughout the week that he’s starting this time because Ederson’s full clearance means the double pivot will be Ederson and de Roon with Demien pushing into the attacking midfield role beside Koopmeiners while Lookman operates on the left.

The formation runs through its patterns — buildup from the back, transition through midfield, creation in the final third — and Gasperini watches from the touchline without intervening because the execution is clean and controlled without mistakes that need correction.

After thirty minutes he raises one hand and the session ends, and players jog toward the sideline where water bottles wait before heading inside.

Centro Bortolotti — Dining Hall 12:37 PM

The squad has lunch together in the dining hall and the meal is structured around pre-match nutrition protocols with lean proteins and complex carbohydrates dominating the menu, while conversations stay low and brief because mental preparation has begun replacing physical work.

Demien sits beside Ederson and they eat without extended conversation beyond practical exchanges about the match tomorrow, and when the meal finishes players disperse toward the exit while staff begins clearing tables.

The evening is free with no scheduled activities beyond rest and individual preparation, and players leave the facility gradually while the lot empties and the afternoon stretches toward evening.

Tomorrow is home.

Gewiss Stadium.

Champions League qualification tightens with a win.