"Hmm, maybe I should do like Xiao Ming and intercept Figo midway? For Barcelona, Figo coming to Mallorca would be way better than going to Real Madrid... but I don't know if Figo would even want to," José mused, rubbing his chin. For him, it wasn't hard to come up with a plan. All he needed was to use a few parties' thoughts and conflicts, creating space where he could work his magic. But...
"Dammit, over thirty million dollars in compensation, over fifty million dollars in transfer fees... half of my fortune's going into one person... Forget it. With that damn restriction, how could I even dare spend money…" José sighed inwardly, dropping the unrealistic thoughts and focusing on the match unfolding before him.
Earlier, Ibagasa's attack had caused a stir among the Barcelona fans in the stands, who immediately began chanting for their team to attack and give the opposition a lesson!
Barcelona launched an attack, but it wasn't quite the same as usual. With Cruyff as the "best center forward for a 4-3-3" and Rivaldo and Figo as powerful wingers, Barcelona's offense had once been unparalleled in Europe. At least, no team could rival them. Their weak spot was always defense, not attack. But without Figo, their attack felt incomplete. Dani was trying hard to prove himself in front of his old team, but his best position was as a forward or second forward. Playing on the wing wasn't his strength. Throughout the game, he unconsciously drifted into the middle, crowding Cruyff's space and disrupting Rivaldo's frequent moves into the center.
With Ronald de Boer organizing in the middle, Barcelona fans helplessly watched as four players crowded the center. Barcelona's attack grew more and more chaotic...
Taking advantage of the confusion in Barcelona's offense, Mallorca launched a counterattack!
Barcelona's defense was pushed high up the pitch, and in this situation, it was Samuel Eto'o's time to shine!
A mispass from Ronald de Boer sent the ball straight to N'Gonga. N'Gonga looked up and saw Tristan moving into the center, while Eto'o was already sprinting down the left wing. This was Mallorca's most effective counterattack method...
Without hesitation, N'Gonga swung his right leg and sent a long pass!
The ball flew perfectly towards the center circle. Tristan, keeping an eye on the ball's trajectory, used his body to shield off the incoming Avellado. Avellado had also anticipated the ball's landing spot, but in terms of strength, he couldn't compete with Tristan!
Easily holding off Avellado, Tristan leapt into the air, meeting the ball with his head and sending it flying towards Barcelona's penalty area!
The ball flew fast, and Eto'o sprinted up the left wing, closing the distance quickly!
The speed of a cheetah, once again showcased in the Camp Nou!
Although Reiziger was a fast defender and Barcelona's defenders were no slouches, they were all left behind in the sprinting race!
"Run! Run! Run!"
The over a thousand Mallorca fans in the stands shouted in unison. Though they were just a speck compared to the ninety thousand Barcelona fans, their voices still fought for their place in the Camp Nou!
The wind whipped through his ears as Eto'o ran, leaving everything behind. All he could do was run, pushing his speed to the limit, outrunning Reiziger, outrunning de Boer, and being the first to reach the ball!
Upon receiving the ball, Eto'o drove into Barcelona's penalty box!
Hesp rushed out of goal!
"Take it in, take it in!" José clenched his fists and shouted in his mind.
Mallorca was truly the nemesis of teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, whose attacks were fierce but whose defenses were weak. In the previous two seasons, Mallorca had had a high win rate against Real Madrid, and even defeated Barcelona in the Super Cup to claim the title, relying on their stubborn defense and sharp counterattacks.
Although this season, Mallorca had lost their old edge, under José's leadership, they had rediscovered their roots—defense was solid and counterattacks more deadly!
Because José had come on late, he hadn't had the chance to face Real Madrid yet. He had also forfeited matches against Deportivo La Coruña and Valencia for various reasons. Now, facing Barcelona, José was determined to show everyone that his Mallorca could challenge the giants too!
In José's eager gaze, with Hesp charging out, Eto'o feinted with his right foot. As Hesp fell to the ground, Eto'o quickly passed the ball to the side, avoiding Hesp's outstretched hand, before turning and sweeping his foot at the ball!
The ball zipped towards the empty goal, and a second later, it flew into Barcelona's net!
The breath José had been holding burst out in a jubilant cheer!
Along with his cheer, the over a thousand Mallorca fans erupted in joy, while the ninety thousand Barcelona fans fell into silence in that instant.
Eto'o stood tall, chest puffed out, running towards the sidelines. As a player still under contract with Real Madrid, scoring on this field filled him with immense pride!
Then, he opened his arms and embraced José, the coach who had brought him from Real Madrid to Mallorca.
If it weren't for José, he might still be sitting on Real Madrid's bench, just like the first half of the season, watching the stars run, score, and win...
A player's value could only truly be realized on the field.
"That was a lightning-fast counterattack… Mallorca's defensive counters are becoming more and more impressive. Besides Tristan, the center forward, Eto'o, loaned from Real Madrid, has become a crucial part of Mallorca's attack. His speed completes the final link in Mallorca's tactical chain... In fact, Mallorca's tactics aren't anything extraordinary, but they maximize the effectiveness of the current players. Mallorca's strength isn't bad. Otherwise, they wouldn't have finished third last season. As a young coach, being able to identify these details already proves his ability. This young man is not simple," said Bones.
Beside him, Idalgo nodded. "Xavier's right. Since José took over, Mallorca's performance has been like night and day. Solid defense, sharp counterattacks... they've done this with hardly any new players, just Eto'o loaned from Real Madrid. It's clear proof of José's coaching ability. Mallorca is lucky to have such an outstanding coach. I can't help but wonder—if José had taken over after Cuéper left, maybe now Mallorca would be fighting for a Champions League spot, instead of battling relegation. Maybe Mallorca's strength isn't enough to dominate La Liga, but they're definitely a team to watch. Luckily for Mallorca, other relegation teams aren't so fortunate. With Mallorca's recent momentum, they're likely safe from relegation, and could even challenge for the UEFA Cup!"
"Compared to Mallorca, Barcelona's situation is a lot worse. La Coruña already defeated Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona now trails by five points. If they slip up in this match, trailing by five with only six matches left... that won't be easy to overcome," added Bones.
As the commentators began discussing the goal and league standings, the Mallorca players had already finished celebrating and returned to their half—the match was only in the 14th minute of the first half, and there was still plenty of time left.
With the shouts of Barcelona's fans in the background, Barcelona resumed their attack. Dani realized his mistake and, under Van Gaal's orders, stuck to the right wing. However, his dribbling and crossing skills couldn't compare to Figo's, and he wasn't the type to break down the wing. His best position was behind the striker, looking for scoring opportunities.
Dani wasn't comfortable in his new position, and Cruyff was having a poor game. Barcelona's attack was now largely in the hands of their star, Rivaldo. However, under José's direction, Mallorca's defense tightened up, focusing solely on defending their half, temporarily abandoning the idea of counterattacks.
Rivaldo was highly mobile, frequently moving from the left to the center. He was a player who loved central attacking positions, and this often frustrated Van Gaal. Although Rivaldo had scored two goals while playing centrally before, Van Gaal had criticized him for it after the match.
In this match, Van Gaal gave Rivaldo more freedom, which pleased him.
However, facing Mallorca's defense, Rivaldo's movement couldn't create many scoring opportunities. On the left, Soler and Ibagasa combined to shut him down, while in the center, N'Gonga and another Soler kept him at bay. No matter how he moved, Mallorca's players maintained a firm defensive structure. The most dangerous thing for an attacking player was a defense that didn't budge—when the defense didn't get disrupted, there were few opportunities left. At this point, how effective the attack was depended largely on luck...
Unable to break into the penalty box, Rivaldo resorted to long-range shots from outside. His long shots were always a threat, and at Barcelona, his status allowed him to take as many as he wanted. As a result, the Barcelona fans saw their team trying to feed Rivaldo the ball, and once he had it, he kept firing rockets from outside the box, thundering shots one after another...
It was lively, but the actual results weren't so impressive.
Nothing is easier to defend than a single-minded attack. Under José's direction, Mallorca not only worked to cut off any passes to Rivaldo, but also made sure to pressure him whenever he took a shot. Another player was always ready to cover for him to prevent Rivaldo from faking a shot and dribbling.
With Mallorca's focused and unyielding defense, the rest of the first half passed without much more incident.