The July sun on America's East Coast was like melted butter, sticky and clinging to the training ground and every Bastia player.
Julien greeted his teammates as he walked onto the training ground.
More than half of last season's squad had been replaced.
Julien felt a slight pang of nostalgia, but this was professional football and people always left, new ones always arrived.
One day, it would be his turn to leave too.
"Julien, welcome back!"
Hadzibegic was the first to greet Julien, then turned to address everyone. "Take a break, then we'll prepare for team practice. Our ace is back!"
De Bruyne looked curiously toward Julien.
Perfect timing.
Julien's gaze also turned his way, and the two made eye contact.
De Bruyne, already wearing his Bastia jersey for practice, furrowed his brow slightly, his lips were parted, and he looked calm yet somewhat serious.
Julien smiled warmly at the young, greenhorn "KDB."
They didn't exchange words immediately.
The current De Bruyne was still just an introverted player.
From Genk in Belgium to the big city of London, then to Bastia, this Mediterranean coastal town—it would take time to adjust.
Their first meeting was unremarkable.
It was Lukaku beside De Bruyne, not yet sporting his signature bald head, who looked Julien up and down before saying to De Bruyne, "This kid looks skinny and weak. I could easily knock two of him flying."
De Bruyne withdrew his gaze and casually replied to Lukaku, "He won't give you the chance to knock him down. You'll just end up falling embarrassingly due to losing your balance."
Lukaku shrugged without responding, but silently he disagreed, thinking that if he really wanted to collide with De Rocca, how could he miss?
He wasn't impressed by De Rocca's flashy dribbling. On the pitch, he preferred to bulldoze through opponents.
The Belgian battering ram was no joke.
Julien was already familiar with Mané and Kanté. Both were quite introverted, and they hadn't yet integrated with the team since arriving at Bastia.
Julien made a conscious effort to help them bond with the original players.
After this period of training, Hadzibegic had formed general impressions of the new signings.
The day after tomorrow, they would face Montpellier in the French Super Cup final. He had already decided on the starting lineup for the new season's first match.
"Romelu, you're at center forward. You can drift wide or drop back, but try not to move to the right flank—don't crowd Julien's space."
"On the left, I'm leaving it to you two, Sidibé and Palmieri. I believe you can bring that flank to life."
Young Mané wasn't yet trusted enough by Hadzibegic for a starting role. Similarly, Kanté hadn't earned a starting spot either.
"In midfield, Kevin, you'll partner with Rothen and Cahuzac. You three can rotate positions flexibly, but Rothen and Cahuzac, focus on defense. Kevin doesn't need to track back."
Hadzibegic looked at De Bruyne. "You need to use more energy and stamina for forward passing. I want you to use your threatening passes to tear through the opponent's defense."
De Bruyne nodded.
Off the field, he was introverted. But once it came to matches, he became a different person. He craved victory, would berate teammates for mistakes, and would argue with coaches over unreasonable tactical arrangements.
"At right-back, Chioni, you'll start. I hope you show the form you've displayed in training, or I'm sure Clauss is eager for such an opportunity."
Chioni nodded, looking relaxed. He didn't really think some guy from the fifth division could steal his starting position.
Jonathan Clauss just smiled nervously. He had never aspired to be a starter.
When Chataigner signed him, they only promised a rotation opportunity, a possible chance to play in Ligue 1.
For this possible opportunity, Clauss didn't hesitate to join Bastia.
This was a Ligue 1 team, after all. Don't underestimate a newly promoted side, it was still Ligue 1!
"Then for center-back, Marchal and Angula, you're both old-timers who came up with me from the National League. I trust you won't disappoint me. You're the double-champion center-back partnership!"
"Of course!"
Both Marchal and Angula smiled confidently.
For the final goalkeeper position, it went to 29-year-old starter Novaes.
Hadzibegic actually wanted to change goalkeepers, but Chataigner hadn't found a suitable candidate.
Novaes might be adequate for Ligue 2, but for Ligue 1 and the Europa League, Hadzibegic always felt he wasn't quite enough.
However, the team's budget was limited, and summer spending had already been substantial. It would have to do.
The team's Portuguese goalkeeper coach António Costa had actually recommended a Benfica youth goalkeeper to Hadzibegic—Jan Oblak.
But Hadzibegic thought the kid was too young.
He was only 19 years old.
He didn't want to give a 19-year-old goalkeeper experience in such an important season.
As for right wing, Hadzibegic didn't even mention it, but everyone knew it belonged to Julien. As long as Julien wasn't injured, no one could take his starting position.
Soon, Hadzibegic had the players begin team practice. Since there weren't enough substitute players to form a complete team, he mainly conducted half-field attacking and defensive drills.
When Lukaku approached Julien, he said, "Hey, pass me the ball more. Give it and I'll deliver."
He also patted his chest confidently. Julien smiled and nodded, giving Lukaku a thumbs up.
Lukaku also smiled and gave Julien a thumbs up, delivering today's first "like."
The scrimmage began quickly. Since they were all teammates, no one went full throttle, it was mainly about tactical integration.
So, Julien didn't do much dribbling, instead focused on feeding balls to Lukaku. But since they weren't playing full field, his speed advantage couldn't be utilized. He also disliked physical battles with center-backs, so his efficiency was average.
It was De Bruyne who caught Julien's eye.
A master is a master!
His vision was incredibly wide, and his occasional long passes surprised even Julien. Most importantly, De Bruyne's adaptability was excellent—almost plug-and-play.
Watching this lineup's effectiveness, Hadzibegic looked forward to the match against Montpellier with anticipation.
Of course, defending champions Montpellier, while not as financially powerful as PSG, had made significant moves in the summer transfer market due to their upcoming Champions League participation.
With star striker Giroud transferring to Arsenal, the team first signed 23-year-old forward Gaëtan Charbonnier from Ligue 2 side Angers, then brought in defender Daniel Congré from Toulouse, and finally acquired striker Munier from Nice.
The team's strength had improved significantly.
This match wouldn't be easy.
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