O'Reilly stood up, anxiously watching the situation unfold on the pitch.
He hadn't anticipated that Mallorca's attack would be so aggressive, especially the short right-winger. After getting past the opposing defender, he didn't cross the ball for Tristan, who was in the prime position for a first touch; instead, he boldly dribbled inward into the penalty box—if crossing posed some threat, this dribbling inside was far more dangerous...
José, similarly focused on the situation in the Leeds United penalty box, was familiar with these players. After all, when Leeds' youth revolution had taken Europe by storm, he had been a fan of the club himself. He knew that this season, Leeds' defense wasn't particularly strong. Radbe was diligent and loyal, but his skill was subpar. Woodgate, on the other hand, had been performing decently, though he still exhibited the typical flaws of an English center-back—rashness. This issue only began to subside after the costly signing of Ferdinand, but in the case of defenders, a single mistake often weighed heavier than nine successful clearances...
Seeing Ibágaça charging into the penalty area, Woodgate indeed made an impulsive decision. Though Radbe was still doing his utmost to mark Mallorca's most dangerous forward, Tristan, Woodgate had abandoned his own assignment of Eto'o and rushed forward to intercept Ibágaça...
"Damn!" O'Reilly thought to himself.
Meanwhile, José wore an expression of anticipation. Woodgate's attempt to cover was reckless. Ibágaça had indeed entered the penalty box, but his shooting angle was limited—after all, he was cutting in from near the byline, an area with almost no angle for a shot. Though Ibágaça was adjusting his path to widen the angle slightly, it was still far from ideal for a direct shot. Baty had already retreated to block his path. Given the situation, there was no need for Woodgate to abandon his mark to stop Ibágaça, since the latter could not take a direct shot. Eto'o, however, was right in front of the goal...
Despite Baty's desperate dash to cover Eto'o, a massive gap appeared in the Leeds defense at that very moment!
Without hesitation, Ibágaça struck the ball with his right foot, sending it low and hard toward the goal!
Eto'o appeared exactly where he should have been—at the edge of the small penalty area, receiving Ibágaça's pass before volleying it with his right foot!
It was an irregular shot, but the quickest and most timely one!
The ball curved directly toward the near post. Even as Eto'o took the shot, he remained calm. José had reminded him before the match that Leeds' goalkeeper Martin, despite being the third-choice for the England national team, was tall and experienced. However, he was often slow to dive for low shots...
Eto'o's shot was precisely a low one!
Though Martin made an effort to dive, he was a step too slow. The ball skimmed the near post and sped into the net!
As soon as Eto'o took the shot, José had already raised his arms high. At the same time, the stands erupted in cheers!
"GOAL! It's in! Eto'o's clinical finish at the far post! Ibágaça's brilliant dribble set up the opportunity for Eto'o to score. This is Eto'o's fourth goal in the Cup, and his performance has been exceptional! He, alongside Stankovic and Tristan, is Mallorca's top scorer in the Cup. Mallorca's loan signing has been an absolute success! For little money, they've secured a striker who has scored eight goals in the Cup and the league. His presence has given Mallorca another reliable source of goals, aside from Tristan!"
Eto'o stretched his arms wide and sprinted toward the stands. When the cheers reached a crescendo, he turned and embraced his teammates who had rushed to him!
"We can't forget Ibágaça here," the commentator continued. "The Argentine midfielder was Mallorca's best performer in the center last season. However, this season, it seems he has suffered from the 'second-year syndrome,' having failed to score in the first half of the season with just two assists, a sharp contrast to his eleven assists and seven goals in his first year. Yet, since José took charge, moving Ibágaça to the wings has revitalized him. He's now scored three goals and assisted seven times, and if he keeps this up, Mallorca's fans will be thrilled to see the Ibágaça from last season back on the pitch..."
After a few fist pumps, José motioned for his players to pull back—now it was time to consolidate the lead. They would press forward again after a few more attacks!
After conceding the goal, O'Reilly didn't realize the issue was with his tactics. After all, it was just one goal, and being away from home, this deficit wasn't too alarming.
What he didn't realize was that, on the pitch, Leeds' players had split into two mindsets.
The young attacking players wanted to quickly launch an attack to equalize and reverse the tide of the match, while the defenders, remembering O'Reilly's previous instructions, were more focused on defense. Even if they conceded a goal, they weren't to panic but maintain composure and prioritize stability in an away game...
With these conflicting mentalities, Leeds' response after restarting the game was a flurry of attacks, but they lacked the necessary support, and their attacks became increasingly ineffective...
Boyer, breaking through the middle, was stopped by Soler and N'Gonga. Trying to pass the ball back to Baty, he realized that Baty hadn't kept up. When attempting to pass to Buck on the right, Soler intercepted his pass!
After intercepting the ball, Soler immediately passed it to N'Gonga, who launched a long pass without hesitation. Eto'o made a near run for a clear chance, but Woodgate reacted swiftly, diving in to block Eto'o's shot from the edge of the penalty box.
A few minutes later, Leeds counterattacked, and the ball found its way to Kewell's feet. He was struggling to make progress, as Mallorca's defense was solid, and their two forwards were tightly marked. There was simply no clear passing option.
José smiled faintly on the sideline. Leeds' current team, when compared to the youth revolution of a year or two later, was still far behind. Without Ferdinand, their defense was shaky. Without Dacourt, they lacked a midfielder who could both attack and defend. And without Viduka, they were missing a powerful striker capable of smashing through defenses!
Smith was excellent, but not a player with strong attacking thrust. Bridges was a good center forward, but lacked the intimidation factor of Viduka. Even the physically strong Nino could freeze him out!
The ball was passed around again before coming back to Kewell's feet. Kewell still couldn't find a gap to pass. Normally, the fullbacks would be making overlapping runs to support him, especially Hart on the left. Though Hart wasn't a strong defender or fast, his left-footed crosses and free kicks were top-notch, and his overlapping runs often created threats.
But when Kewell turned to check Hart's run, he found Hart still standing at the center circle!
Kewell nearly lost control of the ball out of frustration, but then he remembered O'Reilly's instructions to the defenders—don't push forward unless necessary to maintain defensive solidity...
With no other choice, Kewell had to attempt a solo run down the wing. Under Soler's pressure, he managed to find space to cross, but his hurried cross lacked quality. Nino beat Bridges to the ball, leaping high to clear it away.
"Watch out for their counterattack!"
O'Reilly shouted from the sidelines, fully aware that Mallorca was a team that thrived on counterattacks...
However, he overlooked one thing. Mallorca wasn't just a counterattacking team—they were a La Liga team. What's the hallmark of La Liga teams? Refined technical ability, ground-based attacks. Even mid-to-lower-tier teams often string together several passes without error...
Though Mallorca wasn't typically known for this, their attacking play was still more technically sound than the Premier League teams—where the focus remained on traditional, aggressive play. Outside of Arsenal under Wenger, most Premier League teams still favored a high-ball approach, with players like Keane, Scholes, Giggs, and Beckham exemplifying typical English midfielders. Even though Manchester United won the Champions League the previous season, their lack of technical depth was still evident...
Despite being young and full of talent, Leeds was still a Premier League team, relying on tough tackling and running rather than technical finesse...
After receiving the ball, N'Gonga didn't play a long pass but instead controlled the ball to avoid Boyer's tackle. He then passed it to Stankovic, who advanced and passed to Eto'o, who, despite holding up the ball on the wing, didn't force a breakthrough but waited for support before passing it back to Stankovic—Mallorca was now playing a possession-based game in the attacking third.
"They run a lot, they press hard, so let's make them run even more. If we don't see a counterattack, we'll pass the ball back and forth, tire them out, and watch how long they can keep running in their fatigued state!"
José had told his players before the game—not to explain anything about 'spring lethargy,' but to let them know that Leeds' players would feel the effects of fatigue. Even if they fought for fitness, José's strategy was to conserve their own energy while draining theirs...
This tactic worked wonders against teams with weaker technical skills...
Watching his players pass the ball back and forth in the attacking third, José wore a satisfied smile.
The combined approach—exploiting the opponents' physical fatigue and tactically forcing them to exert more energy—would eventually wear Leeds down, no matter how fit they were.