All the players began their training, and José started closely observing their progress.
José's three years of coaching courses hadn't gone to waste. He earned his amateur coaching certificate in just one year, and then spent time studying in Italy and Germany. Even though the glory of the "Mini World Cup" had faded, Italian coaches still maintained a higher average level than those from other countries. While Italian coaches might lack the ability to plan long-term for a club due to the characteristics of their domestic clubs, they remained ahead in tactical arrangements, training effectiveness, and targeted strategies.
The training sessions Cooper arranged were fine; José just planned to add a few extra things in the future. For now, continuing with Cooper's training wouldn't pose any problems.
At Mallorca's first team, José still had some influence—at least Ngonga was familiar with him, and Tristan was someone he had brought up from the youth team. With this "homegrown" center forward, José now had someone to rely on for the upcoming matches.
Anything else was irrelevant; the only way to build his prestige in the locker room was by winning the next match.
The next opponent was Rayo Vallecano.
This team, promoted this season, seemed like an ideal opportunity for José to make a mark—after all, they were newcomers. But anyone who had watched Rayo Vallecano's impressive performances this season would have a different perspective. This rookie team started the season on fire, ranking first for several rounds. Though their recent performance had dipped, they still sat in third place, ahead of Real Madrid and Valencia. They were not to be underestimated.
"A typical small-to-mid-tier team strategy—relentless pressing and a well-coordinated team effort... They don't have a standout goal scorer, but their center forward, Canaval, plays a key tactical role... Defensively fierce, with great team coordination, but they're not invincible. Now that we're in the second half of the season, their fitness should start to wane. Midfield will be key."
José thought to himself as he watched the latest Rayo Vallecano game footage.
Mallorca's midfield wasn't lacking in technical players. Ibáñez and Yugoslavian Ivan Stanković (not the one from Lazio or Inter Milan) were both very skilled. Ngonga, too, was a solid midfield conductor. These three players were top-tier in La Liga, and Mallorca's success last season couldn't have been achieved without them.
However, the original right midfielder, Miguel Soler, was 35 years old. Despite being the only player in Spanish history to have played for all four of the biggest Madrid rivals—Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, and Espanyol—his age had caught up with him, and he struggled with the pace of the game. This was an area José needed to improve.
After two days of training, José finally announced the starting lineup for the next match.
"Goalkeeper: Leo Franco," José read calmly.
The Mallorca players immediately murmured among themselves. Since the retirement of Roa, Mallorca's starting goalkeeper had been Bogus from River Plate. Despite his somewhat unremarkable performance, he hadn't made any major mistakes. But José, upon his arrival, had benched him in favor of another Argentine, Franco. This 22-year-old had only been with Mallorca's B team last season—much like Tristan, who had been promoted to the first team this season. Did this mean José would rely more on familiar youth players?
Franco, stunned, stepped forward at José's signal.
Bogus stood in the background, his face grim. No one would be happy about losing their starting position.
José didn't explain, simply continuing with the lineup.
"Left-back: Javier Olejoso, center-backs: Fernando Niño and Miguel Nadal, right-back: Miguel Soler."
This was a fairly standard backline. Olejoso had been with Mallorca for five years and had been their reliable left-back. Niño had been gradually becoming a starter since last season. Nadal was an absolute first-team regular this season. As for Soler—switching from right midfield to right-back—that was a surprise.
"Midfield, double pivot: captain Vicente Ngonga and Francisco Soler."
Another Soler—this one a Mallorca veteran. A typical defensive midfielder, he was energetic, aggressive in challenges, and had a solid work rate.
"Attacking midfield, left: Ivan Stanković, right: Ariel Ibáñez."
The players understood José's plan. Mallorca no longer had a dedicated right midfielder. Soler was now to protect Ngonga in the middle, while Ibáñez would take up a wider position on the right to provide offensive width. This wasn't an aimless switch, it had tactical purpose.
Up front, there was little to discuss. Aside from the injured Argentine forward Biagini, who had been out for the season after just seven games and one goal, Mallorca's forward line was lacking options. Tristan, who had scored five goals, would definitely start, while the second forward position would be shared between Carlos and Ginteros. José opted for Carlos, who had at least scored twice, whereas Ginteros' record was painful to look at—11 appearances, no assists, no goals.
"That's the starting lineup. Tomorrow, we face Rayo Vallecano. They're a newly-promoted side, but their performance this season has been impressive. We were third last season, but we've been awful this year. So, forget any misplaced sense of superiority. Even at home, we have no reason to be proud."
José's words left the Mallorca players feeling a bit disgruntled, but José spoke the truth. Last season's achievements were irrelevant. This season, Mallorca was last in the standings, while Rayo Vallecano was third. Mallorca had nothing to be proud of right now.
Seeing the varied reactions on the players' faces, José gave a small smile, as if reassuring them: "But, Rayo Vallecano isn't an unbeatable team... What we need to do is play to our strengths. That's how we'll beat them. Let them come at us. Francisco, protect Vicente, let him focus on organizing our offense. Defensively, Javier, Miguel—no need to join the attack, just defend. Especially at the beginning of the game, we need to withstand their initial onslaught. Rayo Vallecano has scored 30 goals, and 19 of them were in the first 30 minutes of the game. In their 13 wins where they scored first, they won 10 of them. So, we need to defend first."
The players nodded. José's analysis was spot on. Rayo Vallecano's strategy revolved around high-intensity pressing and a quick strike at the start of the game. Once they got ahead, they'd sit back and defend. Mallorca couldn't afford to let them dominate early on.
"As for our offense… Ivan, Ariel, you two will play as wingers, but not just on the wing. Rotate into the middle, let Vicente handle the distribution, but the real threat will still come from the wings—get to the byline and cross for Diego! Get Diego to put the ball in their net! Rayo Vallecano's defense is aggressive, but their two center-backs are only about 1.83 meters tall… Carlos, your job is to be ready for the second ball, and if you can score, score!"
"No problem, boss!" Tristan slapped his strong chest confidently. It was clear José understood him—he was happiest when he was up front, scoring goals. Anything else, like supporting or dropping back to assist—he couldn't care less. Just give him some good crosses, and he'd finish the job.
"Understood the tactics for the game? Now, dismissed!" José clapped his hands and ordered.
And now, José waited for his first official match as a professional coach.
It was thrilling—his debut as a first-team coach!