Monday morning dawned gray and windless at La Turbie. Demien gazed out from his office window as players trickled onto the training pitch in small groups—some still basking in the satisfaction of Saturday's victory over Auxerre, while others were already focused on the challenge ahead. Deportivo. Champions League. A match that could define their seasons.
He made his way to the tactical room where Michel was setting up the video equipment. Three separate screens displayed highlights of Deportivo's recent matches—their patient possession against Real Sociedad, their swift transitions against Valencia, and their defensive discipline against Barcelona.
"They rarely give the ball away," Michel remarked, fast-forwarding through sequences of Deportivo maintaining possession for long stretches. "Valerón is the linchpin. Everything flows through him."
Demien nodded, analyzing the patterns. "We don't press him directly. We cut his options and force him backward, not sideways."
