“Alright, everybody, settle down. The faster we get started, the more questions y’all can ask. Alright, great. Ban’s here to take questions, but they have to prepare for the big match tomorrow, so they don’t have a lot of time. So, let’s get started. Ban, take it away.”
Avarn-Oxolt Ban, manager of Qusmo’s national football team, walks in, thanks the staffer, & takes a turn at the microphone. “Hello, everyone. Let’s jump into the thick of things right away; I’ll start with Zyn.”
“Thank you. Hynym-Grilt Zyn, Blip kujz Evarty Qanza.” It was the national newspaper of record; of course it would get a question. “What was the key to winning against Mytanar, & will it work again tomorrow against Cosumar?”
“I said one question; don’t you know the rules?” Avarn-Oxolt joked. “Anyways, I can answer that second question right away: I sure hope so,” Avarn-Oxolt chuckled. “In all seriousness, Lev, Lev Repin, they’re a great manager. They have a really great understanding of tactics, & they posed a lot of challenges for us. But tactics are just that, & just as Repin can use tactics to try to outmanoeuvre us, we can use tactics of our own to try to outmanoeuvre them. & I think that’s just what we did.”
“I think Jerat-Jonto Jan is a great player; they deserve a spot on this national team. Every single one of the twenty-five players with us is a great player & deserves a place here. & I am willing to call on any one of them, at any time, if I think it can help our team win. & I am confident that every player on our roster can help our team win; otherwise, I wouldn’t have called them up to the roster in the first place.”
“I know that a lot of people aren’t confident in our offense. I get it; we’re no Farfadillis. We don’t have the gaudy goal tallies. But we don’t need to score six every match; if our defense is playing the way it usually does, & the way I am confident it will continue to, we just need one. The match in Thessia was a great example of that; we neutralized the double false nines, & we had just enough firepower to earn all three points. This game isn’t about how pretty it looks; at the end of the day, it’s about the results. & that’s just what we were able to do.”
“As for Cosumar, they play some really great football. That’s beyond dispute. Just look at how they opened the campaign; on the very first match, they won six-nil. The talent on their squad is phenomenal. Even their bench players are world-class; just look at [Zoë] Aedelbrandt, who got a hat trick of assists in twenty minutes of play as a substitute. They have had the true luxury of being able to rotate players & still pick up great results; so, when they’re about to play the group leaders in an away fixture to earn the group lead, & control over their qualification, I would be shocked if they didn’t go with their first-choice XI, or something very close to it. & we have to be prepared for that.”
“Once of the best ways we can prepare for it, of course, is through our defense. Look, a draw against Cosumar is a result. It’s picking up a point against a team we’ve been written off against. It makes them drop two points they thought they had in the bag. I’d be happy with a draw. But whether we’re playing for a draw or for a win, in order to earn any points tomorrow, we need a fantastic match from our defense.”
“We’ve been studying that Velestria match to see how to stop Cosumar, & we’ve been studying that Mattijana match to see how to score. But if we can post a clean sheet - & if Velestria can do it, I have an abundance of confidence in our back line that, although it certainly won’t be easy, we can do it - all we need is one goal to pick up three points. So I think you can expect a very similar lineup tomorrow as the one we used in Mytanija, two false nines or not. We’ll see how well it will work.”
“Thank you. Cralt-Sylax Ixi, Spony Luq Television.” Spony Luq got the next question on account of being the top sports network in Qusmo. “How important for Qusmo’s chances to qualify would a win in tomorrow’s match be?”
Avarn-Oxolt paused. “Obviously, it’s important. We’re two points in the clear now, & a win here would put us five points clear. If Mytanija can manage to win at King William [VII National Park], we’d actually have a five-point gap ahead of second place, even, with a win over Cosumar. I know a lot of people think that a win is three points, no matter what, but I’d be lying if this match didn’t mean something more. Yes, it’s only Matchday Four, but having a five-point lead after only four matchdays would be an amazing boost for our confidence.”
“We led our qualifying group early on last cycle. We had a good start. But we were always tied with someone else on the top. We never had a gap. We never had a cushion. & to have a cushion of five points, after defeating Mytanija & then Cosumar in succession? Those are two teams that deserve to be in the World Cup, hands down. I think it’s clear that Mytanija is one of the top teams in Rushmore, & I think they can go toe-to-toe with just about any team out there in the Multiverse. But we went toe-to-toe with them, & we walked off their pitch with a win.”
“& after Turori finally broke their curse, I think Cosumar is competing with the Equestrian States for the title of the Audioslavia or the Krytenia of the quarterfinals,” Avarn-Oxolt quipped. “I think they’ll be dissatisfied not just if they don’t qualify - I think that’s obvious - but also if they don’t top the group. & they’re absolutely capable of doing that. They’re the favourites for doing that. We can’t count them out. They know the importance of this match just as well as we do. [Manager Alexander] Pearce has talked about that, & I know that they will treat the match very seriously, & they will play very hard. But it’s my hope that we’ll have that fire in our bellies that will push us to play even harder, & to get a result, & even to get three points.”
“I can tell you what: If we can manage to make this happen, we can do anything. We can keep this lead going, through the Vartugia & Velestria matches, & we can keep it going for a long time. We can even qualify to the World Cup.” Avarn-Oxolt paused, scanning the room. “& now let’s have - Oh, of course we need a question from Xyt.”
“Thanks, Ban. Wanar-Milor Xyt, Blip kujz Evarty Zwalla.” This was Avarn-Oxolt’s newspaper; NAME3 was the beat reporter who covered Avarn-Oxolt when they were still just the manager of a small, struggling club called KF Zwac. Avarn-Oxolt smiled, remembering those days. “If Qusmo, Mytanija, & Mattijana win, Qusmo will be on a perfect twelve, while the other teams in the top five pots will be in a four-way tie on seven points. Who would qualify to the World Cup alongside Qusmo?”
Avarn-Oxolt laughed. “Ah, that’s the tricky Xyt I know. Even if we have a lead, there’ll be fourteen matchdays after this one, & we’ll need to work very hard to keep it, with a target squarely on our backs. &, of course, we need to perform well in this next to even have a lead in the first place.” The Fuzpon Qusma aide who opened the presser walked up to the stand & whispered something in the manager’s ear. “I’m sorry, everyone, but I’m being told we’re out of time. I know you all wish we had the whole day to get good quotes & stories, but hopefully you’ll all have some very fun stories to write tomorrow. I’ll see you all then.” Avarn-Oxolt walked off the stage & headed for the practice field. There was work to be done.
