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August 8, 2015 – King Power Stadium
..
The media room wasn't built for drama, but tonight it buzzed with it. Not just because Leicester had scored five—but because some still didn't believe in the man sitting behind the mic.
Claudio Ranieri entered with quiet dignity. Dark suit. Blue tie. The faintest smile.
He didn't fidget. He didn't rush. Just took his seat, adjusted the mic once, and waited.
The Leicester press officer gave a small nod.
"We'll begin with questions for Claudio. Please state your name and outlet."
A hand shot up immediately.
"Mark Chapman, BBC Sport. Claudio, congratulations. Five-one win. What did you make of the performance overall?"
Ranieri nodded once. "Thank you. I think today, we showed the best version of our idea. We defended together, we pressed well, and in attack... we were fast, we were clever. It was a team performance. Everyone contributed. This is how we must continue."
Another hand.
"Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports. Tristan looked much freer today. Was that part of the game plan, or something you adapted mid-match?"
Ranieri's smile flickered. "We adjusted. Sunderland made the middle crowded, too tight for Tristan to create. So we changed the shape. Put N'Golo next to Danny. Gave Tristan the freedom. And... well, you saw."
Laughter rolled across the room.
"Tom Burrows, The Athletic. What does Kanté bring that lets Tristan push so high? And is that a system we'll be seeing more of?"
"N'Golo covers three players. Maybe four," Ranieri said without pause. "He wins the ball, gives it simple. This allows Tristan to stay higher. Create. Attack. As for the system? We will see. But yes, it is a strong option."
"Alex Scott, BT Sport. The free kick—his first in the Premier League. What did you think when he lined it up?"
Ranieri leaned back. "Before the start of the game, Tristan received a call from a young fan. I'm sure some in the media already know who that is, but he wanted a free kick, and I learned in the short time managing Tristan that he doesn't like to disappoint his fans. Because Tristan was not just taking a free kick. He was answering a promise."
The room fell quiet for a second.
Then the questions turned sharper.
"Simon Hughes, The Independent. You went from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 midway through the half. Was that a pre-planned option, or reactive to Sunderland's shape?"
Ranieri nodded. "We were ready. We trained both. But we hoped to play our shape longer. Sunderland were clever. Their midfield pressure was strong. So we switched. Paolo called it perfectly. And the players—especially Kanté and Drinkwater—they executed it."
"James Ducker, Telegraph. You talk about execution, but is it sustainable? Many are wondering this after his historic season. He had a brilliant match—but can you ask this of him every week?"
Ranieri shrugged slightly. "I ask only that he plays with purpose. He has more quality than many teams can prepare for. But no—he cannot score two goals every week; actually, I don't know, maybe, but that is not the job. The job is to give everything. And he always does."
"Rory Smith, New York Times. A tactical one—was there a pressing trigger today? It looked like the front three only pressed after backward passes?"
Ranieri smiled a little wider. "Very good. Yes. We did not want to chase shadows. Only when Sunderland went backwards, we pressed. When they turned, we dropped. Control the tempo—that is the goal."
A few nods from tactical writers in the room.
"Simon Stone, The Guardian. Vardy looked sharp again today. What do you make of that front four's chemistry?"
"They understand each other," Ranieri said. "Jamie makes runs, Tristan finds them. Mahrez is... Mahrez. Albrighton crosses with precision. This is a group that trained together, fought together. The trust is there. And I can't stress just how good of a striker Jamie is. I think he will surprise everyone this season. And this is with sacrificing how many touches he gets in the box. He's a true team player."
Then came the edge.
"Neil Custis, The Sun. Claudio, some pundits—Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher—have questioned your appointment. Called it a step back. Do you think this win proves a point?"
Ranieri didn't blink. "I do not need to prove anything to anyone. But the players? They are the ones who speak. And tonight, they answered with five goals."
"So you're not bothered by their criticism?"
He smiled gently. "If everyone agreed with me, football would be boring."
A ripple of laughter and camera shutters followed.
"Melissa Reddy, The Athletic again. We've just seen the official match ratings come in. Tristan Hale 9.5, Mahrez 9.0, Vardy 8.7, Kanté 8.4. Do you feel those reflect their performance?"
Ranieri nodded slowly. "Yes. But also—Schmeichel made two key saves. Albrighton had one goal, one assist. Drinkwater covered incredible ground. Everyone earned a number. But more important is the shape. The mentality."
"Last question," the press officer called out.
"Jason Burt, Telegraph. Where do you think Tristan has improved most this summer?"
Ranieri didn't answer at once. He looked down for a second. Then back up.
"His maturity. His strength. Maybe it was just me, but last season, it didn't look like he had the hunger he has now. Since the season ended—before I was even hired—he trained. And trained. There's a new sense of responsibility around him. Like he knows what he represents now. He plays with purpose. You cannot teach that. He chose it."
He stood.
"Thank you."
As Ranieri left the stage, the numbers flickered on the side wall for the media to log:
🔵 Leicester City Player Ratings – August 8, 2015
Player Rating ⚽ Goals 👟 Assists
Kasper Schmeichel 7.0
Danny Simpson 7.0
Wes Morgan 7.5
Robert Huth 7.0
Christian Fuchs 7.5
Danny Drinkwater 7.5
Gökhan Inler 6.5
N'Golo Kanté 8.0
Riyad Mahrez 8.5 ⚽ 1 👟 1
Marc Albrighton 8.5 ⚽ 1 👟 1
Jamie Vardy 8.0 ⚽ 1
Tristan Hale 9.5 ⚽ 2 👟 1
📊 Final Score: Leicester City 5 – 1 Sunderland
As Matchday 1 wrapped up, in the studio, the pundits were already sharpening their takes.
..
SkySports
The LED screens behind the pundit panel glowed with vibrant replays and heat maps. The studio was alive. Animated. A bit chaotic.
Gary Lineker turned to the camera, his tone tight with excitement.
"Welcome back. Full-time at the King Power Stadium, Leicester City 5, Sunderland 1. What a statement. Jamie, we were in this same studio hours ago when you said hiring Claudio Ranieri was a step back. Have you changed your mind tonight?"
Jamie Carragher leaned back, arms folded.
"Look, I'm not going to act like one match changes a season. But credit where it's due. That was brilliant. That second half? That's some of the best football I've seen Leicester play in years. And I'll be honest, I sat here when they signed Kanté and said, 'Who the hell is this guy?' But... he's a monster."
Thierry Henry smiled.
"Welcome to the club."
Carragher pointed at the big screen behind him.
"Can we get the heat map up?"
The screen shifted.
A sea of blue glowed across the midfield and final third.
"Look at that," Carragher said, standing now. "This is Kanté. Every blade of grass. Wins the ball here, here, here. Look at how many recoveries he had on the right side even though he's a central midfielder. And that's what unlocked Tristan."
Gary nodded. "Tristan Hale with two goals and an assist. Let's pull up his touch map."
The screen changed again.
This time it was a splash of red and yellow across the attacking third. Carragher stepped back.
"That's what happens when you let him roam. None of that deep-lying stuff from last year. This was fluid. Now last season he was a bit deeper at times, helping Leicester control the midfield, which limited his offensive creativity at times, but man, today he was something else."
Paul Scholes chimed in.
"And it helps that he's stronger now. He was taking hits from Cattermole and just brushing him off. And that free kick..."
The studio switched to a high-res replay of Tristan's goal. The ball curled in slow motion. Top bins.
"That's the best goal of Matchday 1," Thierry said without hesitation. "Not even a debate. The way it dipped—pure technique."
Roy Keane raised an eyebrow. "You lot sound like he's already won the Ballon d'Or."
Laughter.
"He's had one good game."
Henry grinned. "Roy, even you enjoyed that goal. Admit it."
Roy stayed silent.
Gary turned the conversation.
"Alright, let's zoom out. League standings after Day One. Leicester top the table on goal difference. Five goals scored. Man City second with their 3-0 win earlier."
Scholes added, "Leicester were top last season too after Matchday 1. We all remember how that ended. Sixth place."
Carragher nodded. "Exactly. That's the challenge. Can they sustain this?"
"Let's look at the Golden Boot race early on," Gary continued. "We've got Vardy, Tristan, Mahrez, Albrighton—all on the scoresheet."
"But Tristan leads in goal contributions," Henry noted. "Two goals, one assist."
Carragher leaned forward. "And let's not forget the tactical part. They switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1. That changed the game. Kanté allowed them to press with numbers."
Roy finally added, "It was a good win. But we'll see what happens when they face a real test. Let's not hand them the title in August."
Gary smiled.
"Plenty more to come this weekend. But Leicester City, for now, are top of the Premier League. And Tristan? He's already lighting it up."
The screen flashed:
Premier League Table (Matchday 1)
Leicester City — 3 pts (+4 GD)Manchester City — 3 pts (+3 GD)Crystal Palace —3 pts (+2 GD)
Goal of the Week (Sky Sports Fans' Poll) 1st Place: Tristan Hale — Free Kick vs Sunderland
The screen dimmed.
Tristan pressed the remote, letting the pundit banter fade to silence. He leaned back into the couch, head tilting toward the ceiling, exhaling through his nose.
Then—
A soft woof.
Biscuit's head popped up from under the coffee table, tail already wagging like mad.
Tristan blinked, then grinned.
"Oh, you want smoke?"
Biscuit barked once in reply.
That was all he needed.
He lunged forward, scooping her into his arms with exaggerated chaos. "Biiiiscuit!" he yelled like a wrestler entering the ring.
Biscuit squirmed with joy, pawing at his face, tail thumping wildly against his chest as they collapsed sideways into the rug. He gently flipped her onto her back and mock-pinned her down. "Count it out! One! Two—" Biscuit broke free, twisting and wriggling away, tongue hanging out as she leapt onto his chest like a fuzzy cannonball.
Tristan groaned dramatically, flopping like he'd been knocked out cold. "She's too strong…"
From the kitchen doorway, Barbara stood with a tall glass in hand, watching the chaos unfold with barely contained amusement.
"You done getting destroyed by a dog half your size?" she asked.
Tristan reached out a lazy arm from the rug. "Save me."
Barbara walked over, crouched down, and handed him the smoothie.
He sat up, taking it with one hand while holding Biscuit back with the other. "Peanut butter banana?"
She nodded. "Soma-approved."
He took a long sip, then glanced toward the front of the house. "Did Anita leave already?"
Barbara's smile softened. "Yeah. While you were still doing media."
Tristan paused, lowering the smoothie slightly. "She didn't want to say bye?"
"She did," Barbara said quietly, settling beside him on the floor. "But you were working. And I think she didn't want to make it harder."
Tristan nodded slowly. "She okay?"
Barbara reached for Biscuit, who had now decided Barbara's lap was the new battleground. "Yeah. She said she had a really good time."
There was a beat.
Then Barbara nudged him. "She also said next time, she's bringing pepper spray."
Tristan blinked. "Wait, what?"
Barbara grinned. "She said you're too good-looking and the fans scare her."
Tristan let out a snort. "Tell her I'll loan her John."
"She said John looks like he eats paparazzi."
"Exactly."
They both laughed.
Tristan leaned back onto his elbows, looking at her sideways. "You okay?"
Barbara tilted her head. "About Anita?"
He nodded.
She paused, then nodded back. "Yeah. I'll miss her. But this is home now as well."
Tristan reached for her hand without a word, fingers intertwining.
A beat.
Then—
"You wanna play something?"
Barbara raised a brow. "Like what?"
He gave her a look. "You already know."
"Is this the part where you make me your emotional support sniper again?"
Tristan grinned. "Cod. You. Me. Biscuit as moral support."
Barbara stood, offering her hand. "Loser makes dinner tomorrow."
"I scored a free kick today," he said, smug.
Barbara smirked. "And I still made your smoothie."
The controller hummed to life in Tristan's hands as he dropped into the online lobby.
"Alright," he muttered, "I'll take left flank. You cover mid."
Barbara adjusted her headset beside him, tucking her legs under the blanket. "So I do your job and mine. Got it."
Tristan scoffed. "You're literally better at this than half my teammates."
"Better cheekbones too," she added.
"Low blow."
"Still true."
The match loaded. Guns cocked. A familiar urban map flickered on screen.
Biscuit let out a sleepy groan from her cushion near the TV.
Tristan glanced down. "Don't judge us."
Barbara squinted at her screen. "Someone's already camping the garage entrance. Top left corner."
"Copy. I'll—oh, wow. You just dropped him."
"Headshot," Barbara said sweetly. "You're welcome."
Tristan shook his head. "Every time I think you're gonna whiff, you suddenly turn into a Hungarian John Wick."
She leaned into his shoulder slightly. "That's your problem. You keep underestimating me."
"Yeah," he muttered. "Story of my life."
They played for another few minutes, shouting over killstreaks, throwing sarcastic callouts, losing and then regaining control of the match. At one point, Barbara accidentally flashbanged their own team.
"Babe," Tristan groaned. "You just blinded the whole squad."
"You said left!"
"I meant your left!"
"Oh my God, I am never playing sober again."
Tristan laughed so hard he nearly dropped the controller. "You're not even drunk."
"I'm emotionally drunk."
"I don't even know what that means."
"You will when I get my revenge."
Headshot.
Tristan stared at his screen.
"You—did you just—"
Barbara didn't even look at him. "Teamkill. You're welcome."
"Unbelievable."
"Still making you dinner tomorrow though, Felix can have a day off," she added, nudging his leg with her foot.
Tristan gave her a sidelong glance. "...You love me."
Barbara didn't blink. "I carry you."
He grinned, then set the controller down, pulling her into a sideways hug. "Best sniper I've ever had."
She kissed his cheek. "Don't forget it."
Biscuit let out a little yip from the rug.
Barbara looked down. "What, you want in too?"
Tristan grabbed the other controller and wiggled it in Biscuit's direction. "Alright. Next round, you're playing support."
Barbara leaned back with a sleepy smile. "Biscuit's better at reviving than you anyway."
Tristan stared at the screen, then shook his head slowly. "I'm getting roasted in two languages now."
Barbara grinned. "Technically three. Anita taught me a few new insults on the plane ride."
He blinked. "We're banning Hungarian from the house."
Barbara reached for the remote, resting her head on his shoulder. "Not a chance."
The screen faded to black between matches.
..
The bedroom was dim except for the soft glow of two phone screens lighting up the covers. Biscuit was curled at the foot of the bed, her tiny snores rising and falling like ambient noise.
Tristan lay on his back, scrolling with one hand, the other lazily behind his head. Barbara was tucked beside him, blanket pulled to her chin, phone tilted just enough for them both to see.
"Okay," Barbara said, voice low and amused. "This one might be my favorite."
She turned her screen toward him.
It was a meme:
A still of Jamie Carragher from the Sky Sports broadcast, mouth half open, captioned:
"When you slate Ranieri in the morning but Leicester drop five before dinner."
Underneath:
'Carragher Speedrun: From Doubt to Devotion – Any% World Record'
Tristan laughed through his nose. "He deserves that. Hate that arrogant prick. Can you still believe what he said about you?"
Barbara swiped. "Oh—wait, here's another."
It was a clip of Kanté chasing down three different players in the same sequence, edited with Yakety Sax playing in the background.
"N'Golo Kanté: Also plays left back, chef, and security detail."
Tristan barked out a proper laugh. "That's actually accurate."
Barbara scrolled again. "There's like twenty heatmaps. I think people are just making shapes now. Someone edited his coverage into a heart."
Tristan peeked over. "That's art."
"Here's one of you," she said, turning the screen again.
His free kick—slowed down to 0.25x speed, the ball curling top corner, backed by My Heart Will Go On.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course they did."
"Wait," Barbara added, smirking. "Look at the comments."
The top one read:
"He can't keep getting away with this."
The second:
"Remember when they said he'd regress this season? Lmao."
Tristan stared at the screen a second longer, then glanced at his own phone. "Yeah…" he murmured, thumbing past post after post. "Still a few of those left, though."
He held it up—
"One good game doesn't erase the fact that Tristan's luck is running out. He's not Messi or Ronaldo or even close to Neymar. Let's see him get 35/40 again this season."
Barbara blinked. "Oh please."
He chuckled, not bitter. "It's fine. Part of the job."
"You scored a free kick, had two goals and an assist, and basically invented Sunderland's trauma. They can cope."
He laughed again—quieter this time. He liked hearing her defend him more than he'd admit.
Barbara leaned into his side, scrolling. "Kanté's getting so much love though. Someone made a fan cam set to Eye of the Tiger."
"Finally," Tristan said. "He deserves it. I don't even think he blinked the entire game."
Barbara sat up slightly. "Wait—this one's gold."
She tapped a clip and held it out. Vardy's header played normally—
Then cut to a full anime-style animation of him flying through the air with a rocket trail behind him.
"Jamie Vardy if you tell him Tristan is watching."
Tristan buried his face in the pillow. "I hate the internet."
"No you don't."
He pulled the pillow away. "Okay. I love the internet."
Barbara nudged him with her knee, sliding back down under the covers. "Can we agree though?"
"On what?"
"Best opener ever?"
"Yeah," he said softly. "Best opener ever."
Barbara smiled, then yawned. "Still not making dinner."
"Fair enough."
He reached over to plug in his phone, then turned onto his side, slipping one arm around her waist beneath the blanket. She was already scrolling again, her breath warm against his collarbone.
"Next match's away," he murmured, lips brushing against her temple.
"Mhm," she replied, not looking up.
"We should do something this week," he added. "Just us. You, me, Biscuit."
Barbara shifted slightly. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Maybe a day trip. Somewhere without cameras. Somewhere you can't beat me in Call of Duty."
She laughed under her breath. "So a fantasy world."
Tristan's hand slid a little lower, fingertips grazing the hem of her shorts. "I'm serious. No press. No football. Just you."
Barbara's eyes narrowed slightly, still smiling. "Is this your way of asking for a holiday, or just trying to get my pants off?"
He kissed the edge of her jaw lazily. "Bit of both."
She let out a sleepy chuckle, but reached down to catch his wandering hand and pin it firmly against her stomach. "Mm-mm. Not tonight."
Tristan blinked. "No?"
Barbara tilted her head just enough to meet his gaze. "You've got training in the morning. And don't give me the 'I scored a free kick' speech."
"I wasn't gonna—"
"You were absolutely going to."
Tristan sighed. "But I scored a free kick."
Barbara kissed his cheek sweetly. "And you're still not getting laid."
He flopped onto his back like he'd been shot. "This is a crime."
Barbara dragged the blanket over his face. "Go to sleep, love."
From under the covers, his muffled voice: "Just so you know, this counts as emotional abuse."
"You'll live."
"I'm filing a complaint with Biscuit."
"She already told me she's on my side."
Tristan peeked one eye out from beneath the blanket. "Traitor."
Barbara grinned, already closing her eyes. "She's a woman of standards."
Tristan let out a long, dramatic sigh, then reached out again—not for her hip this time, just to tangle their fingers together beneath the covers.
"I still love you," he mumbled.
Barbara's voice was soft, almost asleep. "Love you more."
And just like that, it was quiet.
..
3490 word count
Don't worry Barbara won't take much screen time this season. They still be here every few chapters.
And to everyone showing love to the Naruto story, thank you. It's a original fanfic so updates will be slow. And for the free patreon members who asked, I make the story public once there's 30 chapters or so on Webnovel and the other sites as well.