THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The day after winning the game against Sampdoria, all Juventus' players, coaches, board members, and technical staff turned their attention to the UEFA Champions League Round of Sixteen Draw. They were all anxious to know which team they would face during the next stage of the top European football competition. So, when the clock hands around Turin pointed to the midday mark, most of them settled in front of their screens, eager to find out the results from the draw.

The draw was pretty transparent and straightforward, with two UEFA representatives drawing the seeded teams against the runners-up from the group stages. The officials worked quickly to pick the teams from the pots, and in just twenty minutes, they came out with the list of fixtures for the Round-of-Sixteen knock-out stage, which were as follows:

17 February & 11 March 2014

Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Chelsea FC (ENG)

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v FC Bayern München (GER)

18 February & 10 March 2014

FC Schalke 04 (GER) v Real Madrid CF (ESP)

FC Basel 1893 (SUI) v FC Porto (POR)

24 February & 18 March 2014

Manchester City FC (ENG) v FC Barcelona (ESP)

Olympiacos FC (GRC) v Borussia Dortmund (GER)

25 February & 17 March 2014

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) v Juventus (ITA)

Arsenal FC (ENG) v AS Monaco FC (FRA)

"This is wonderful!"

Zachary, who had been attentively following the draw from the comfort of his bedroom, let out a breath after learning that Bayer 04 Leverkusen was Juventus' opponent for the round of sixteen. As far as he was concerned, it was a blessing to battle the German-based club rather than facing off against sides like Man City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal, which were relatively stronger teams in their respective leagues.

As such, Zachary's heart was finally at peace since he was sure that if the Juventus players performed as usual, they would thrash the German-based side home and away and qualify for the quarter-finals. Then he would be a step closer to achieving every player's dream of winning the UEFA Champions League.

After learning the results of the draw, Zachary and his teammates returned their focus to the team training. Under the strict supervision of the coaches, they held full-day sessions at the Vinovo on Tuesday and Wednesday as they prepared for Thursday's away Serie A game against Cagliari Calcio. And when evening arrived on Wednesday, they answered Coach Allegri's summons and headed to the tactics room for the pre-match tactical meeting.

"Good evening to you all," Coach Allegri said when all the players had taken their seats around the tactics room.

"Good evening, coach," the players replied more or less in unison.

"I hope everyone is already here," the coach said while glancing around. "Is there anyone who hasn't arrived yet?"

"We're all here, coach," Gianluigi Buffon, the captain, answered on behalf of everyone else. "Except Patrice Evra and Claudio Marchisio, the injured players, the rest of us are all here."

"Good!" Coach Allegri smiled and continued, "Tomorrow evening, we'll face Cagliari Calcio away in Sardinia. It's another tricky game that will test our winning spirit as a team since we'll be playing in front of a very hostile crowd of Cagliari supporters. It's also a game that will test our discipline, character, and ability to focus in the face of all adversity since there's no doubt that the opponents and their supporters will use every means possible to throw us off our rhythm."

"They will intimidate us. They'll play a rough game against us. They will even haul insults at some of our teammates. But no matter what happens, we must not bring ourselves to their level. We must instead remain composed and only focus on winning. We must persevere through whatever they put us through and show them that we're Juventus, a team that can overcome all with the footballing spirit. Are you guys with me?"

"Yes, coach," the players roared back in chorus.

"Good, I like the spirit," Coach Allegri said and then started presenting the tactics for the game against Cagliari Calcio. He explained how the team would utilize a 4-3-1-2 formation instead of the usual 3-5-2 setup before assigning roles to individual players. He also talked about player movements, pressing techniques, and marking strategies before ending his one-hour address by reading out the match squad.

All the usual suspects, including Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fernando Llorente, and Carlos Tévez, made the starting eleven. The only missing names on the squad were, of course, the injured Patrice Evra and Claudio Marchisio.

"Tomorrow," Coach Allegri said with a smile, "we plan to set off from the Vinovo at 9:00 AM by bus. We'll head to the airport and take an eleven o'clock flight to Cagliari. So, I expect every player on the line-up to arrive in the parking lot of the Vinovo by 8:30 AM. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied in chorus.

"Good." Coach Allegri nodded. "Since we're on the same page, let me wish you a good night. But please remember to get ample rest today. I want you all at the top of your game tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"You can all go now," Coach Allegri said. "However, Zachary, please stay back for a moment. We would like to have a small chat with you."

"He doesn't speak Italian," Coach Trombetta reminded from the side.

"Oh, shit!" Coach Allegri exclaimed. "Okay, convey my words to him. We must chat with him before he departs."

"Okay, I'll do that," Coach Trombetta agreed before walking towards Zachary's seat.

Zachary, who was almost dying of boredom due to his non-mastery of Italian, quickly learned from Coach Trombetta that the coaches wanted to talk to him. Without hesitating, he answered their summons and followed them to Coach Allegri's office within the Vinovo. The three of them then quickly took their seats, and their meeting began.

"So, Zachary," Coach Trombetta said after exchanging a few words with Coach Allegri in Italian. "How far with the language studies? Are you close to mastering Italian?"

Zachary smiled ruefully and said, "Not yet. I can exchange greetings and speak a few sentences. But I still can't understand the meanings behind Coach Allegri's long pre-match addresses. Unless someone else translates for me, I won't comprehend anything."

"Baby steps are still steps," Coach Trombetta encouraged. "So, as long as you're making progress, no matter how small, that's fine."

"Thanks for the encouragement, coach."

"Anyways," Coach Trombetta said, "we wanted to chat with you about what you may have to put up with during the match tomorrow. Are you aware of the reputation of the Cagliari supporters?"

"There are reports that they can be racist at times," Zachary answered. As a staunch football fan during his previous life, he'd obviously heard about the famous incident between Romelu Lukaku and the Cagliari fans. So, he was vaguely aware of how the supporters from Sardinia could behave during matches.

"The bad news is that those reports are indeed correct," Coach Trombetta said with a sigh. "Some Cagliari fans will do anything to help their team win. At their core, they are really not bad people. They might also not be racist. But when their team is facing off against a player as incredibly skilled as you, they will use certain ways to help their team win. Those 'ways' can include hurling racial insults at you, hoping to make you nervous, or throw you off your rhythm."

"The reason we're telling you this is to prepare you for tomorrow," the coach continued. "Of course, we will do everything possible as a club to get a fair playing environment for you tomorrow. We're also working with the Cagliari officials to ensure that the match proceeds smoothly. But as you know, we can't control every supporter in the stadium. So, if the booing and racial insults begin, don't try to take on the fans, as that will encourage them to become more rampant with their abuse. You can force yourself to focus on the game and answer them by playing well against them. Or you could signal us to take you off, and then we'll handle the incident administratively. Is that okay?"

"Okay," Zachary said with a sigh. "To be honest, I've never faced racial discrimination before. The football community in Norway was very welcoming to all, and no one would go around hurling racial insults during football games. So, I don't know what to expect or how I'll feel when the scenario you've presented occurs. But I can still promise not to focus on the fans but on the game. I should be able to achieve that as long as the on-pitch Cagliari players don't join in on the hurling of insults."

"Good," Coach Trombetta said with a smile. "You should also understand that the best way to counter someone trying to offend you is to ignore them completely. For instance, when the Cagliari fans insult you, and you continue playing as usual, they'll realize that they are just barking up the wrong tree. And most likely, they'll stop the insults. But if you start throwing tantrums or hurling insults back at them, they will think that their strategy to throw you off your game is working, and they'll increase their booing. So, you have to try your utmost to ignore everything off the pitch. That's the way to go during tomorrow's match. Understood?"

"I understand, coach," Zachary said. "As I said, I'll try to focus only on the game. So, don't worry."