James Pearce looked at Ethan as if he'd just suggested they play with no goalkeeper.
"A 4-4-2, boss? Now? We'd be taking off a midfielder. They'll overrun us."
"They're already overrunning us, James," Ethan countered, his eyes fixed on the pitch, his mind working faster than it ever had.
"Look. Their wingers are pushing high, pinning our full-backs. Their new midfielder is man-marking Emre. We're pinned in our own half. Sitting back and praying is a slow death. We need to create a new problem for them."
He pointed towards the Bradford defense.
"Their center-backs have had an easy day against Sargent. What happens when we put another body up there? Someone physical, someone annoying. It forces them to split their attention. It gives Emre more space to operate in the channel between their midfield and defense. We fight fire with fire."
James looked from Ethan's fiercely determined face to the pitch and back again. He saw the logic. It was risky, aggressive, and completely unorthodox. He broke into a slow grin.
"Ashley Barnes it is, then. He was born to be a new problem."
"Get him ready," Ethan ordered.
The fourth official's board went up. The player coming off was the hard-working but less creative winger. Coming on was number 10, Ashley Barnes, a veteran striker known for being an absolute pest.
As Barnes waited to come on, Ethan grabbed his shoulder.
"Ash, listen. Your job is simple. Make their center-backs hate you. Challenge for every high ball. Don't give them a second's peace. You and Josh up top. Be a nightmare."
Barnes just grinned, a feral look in his eyes.
"Don't have to tell me twice, gaffer."
"And here is the change from Ethan Couch!" the commentator's voice boomed.
"It's an incredibly bold move! With the game on a knife-edge, he's switching to a classic, two-striker 4-4-2 formation. He's rolling the dice! Can this aggressive change pay off for Apex United?"
The moment Barnes stepped onto the pitch, the entire dynamic of the game shifted. On the first long ball forward, both Sargent and Barnes attacked it. The Bradford defenders, used to only marking one man, got in each other's way.
The ball broke loose, and suddenly Apex had possession in the final third.
"Get on him! Don't let him turn!" Barnes yelled to Sargent as a defender recovered the ball, his voice a gravelly bark that echoed across the pitch.
"I'm on it, I'm on it!" Sargent grunted back, pressing with renewed energy.
The change had an immediate effect on Emre Demir. No longer the sole focus of the attack, he found pockets of space opening up. In the 65th minute, he received the ball on the left side of the midfield four. He wasn't a traditional winger, and he didn't act like one.
He drifted inside, dragging the Bradford full-back with him and creating a massive overlap for his own full-back, Giannoulis.
Emre slipped a perfect pass into the space, and Giannoulis's first-time cross was met by the head of Josh Sargent, forcing another good save from the keeper.
Ethan clapped furiously from the touchline.
"Yes! That's the space! Good work, Emre!"
The game became a frantic, end-to-end affair. Bradford, spurred on by their own changes, threw players forward. Apex, energized by their new formation, met them head-on, launching quick counter-attacks the moment they won the ball back.
In the 78th minute, Bradford had their best chance.
A quick passing move cut through the Apex midfield, and their striker found himself one-on-one with Angus Gunn. The stadium held its breath.
Gunn stood tall, spread himself wide like a starfish, and the powerful shot cannoned off his outstretched leg and away to safety. It was a world-class save.
"Unbelievable stop from Angus Gunn! He keeps Apex United's lead intact! What a match this has turned into!"
The clearance from that save was a long, hopeful punt upfield by Grant Hanley. It wasn't a pass; it was a desperate hoof. But with two strikers to aim for, it became a weapon.
Sargent, being the taller man, went for the header. "Mine!" he yelled.
He leaped, getting just enough of the ball to flick it on behind the defense. Ashley Barnes, anticipating the flick-on perfectly, was already on the move. He chased the bouncing ball down, shoulder-to-shoulder with the last defender.
He wasn't going to win a footrace, but he used his experience, getting his body between the man and the ball, shielding it brilliantly. He was a wall of pure nuisance.
He couldn't get a shot away, but he had drawn two defenders to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blue. It was Emre, who had busted a gut to sprint the length of the pitch to join the attack.
Barnes, falling off-balance, hooked the ball back into the space he had just vacated. It wasn't an elegant pass. It was gritty, desperate, and absolutely perfect.
Emre arrived like a freight train. He didn't even take a touch. The ball was rolling across his body, and he met it with a thunderous, side-footed strike.
The keeper had no time to set himself. The ball rocketed into the roof of the net before he could even move.
2-0.
"..."
The stadium erupted into pure bedlam.
Emre slid on his knees towards the corner flag, screaming with pure, unadulterated joy. The entire team, including Gunn from his goal, sprinted to join him in a massive pile-on.
On the sideline, Ethan turned and grabbed James Pearce in a fierce hug, lifting him off the ground. "THAT'S a new problem!" he roared over the noise.
The final ten minutes were a victory lap. The fight had gone out of Bradford. Apex United passed the ball with a confident swagger, the "olés" from the crowd growing with every completed pass.
The referee blew the final whistle.
It was over. A 2-0 victory. The first match in club history was a win, sealed by two moments of genius from their wonderkid and a tactical gamble that had paid off spectacularly.
The players walked around the pitch, applauding the ecstatic fans. Ethan shook hands with a gracious Mark Hughes. "That move at the end… very brave, son," the veteran manager said with a respectful nod. "You deserved the win today."
As Ethan turned to walk down the tunnel, soaking in the incredible atmosphere, three notifications appeared in his vision, glowing with a golden light.
[Match Victory! +£25,000 Prize Money]
[Player Development: Emre Demir has gained +500 XP]
He grinned. The prize money was nice, the XP was even better. But it was the third notification that made his heart stop.
[SECRET OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: Win your debut match with a tactical change that directly leads to a goal.]
[REWARD: Unlocking 'Managerial Instinct' Trait (Passive)]
[Trait Description: During matches, you will occasionally receive a flash of tactical insight, highlighting a potential opposition weakness or an opportunity for your team. Your gut feeling just got an upgrade.]