When José appeared in front of the assistant coaches with two black eyes, it startled them.
José had always been known for his good sleep quality. Although it took him a while to fall asleep, once he did, he stayed asleep deeply. For someone like him, five hours of sleep was often more effective than eight hours for someone who woke up in the middle of the night.
But now, after one night of poor rest, José had dark circles under his eyes, which showed how badly he had been sleeping...
"José, you look like a giant panda from China," Natal laughed, teasing him.
José grunted, applying a hot towel to his eyes to try and fade the dark circles. He was someone who cared about his appearance.
With the towel over his eyes, José closed them, savoring the relief from the heat that eased his fatigue. He asked Natal, "Have the players gotten up yet?"
"They're up. They've finished breakfast and are resting now," Natal replied.
José nodded. The UEFA Cup final was on a Wednesday evening, not in the afternoon, so even though José had only gotten up by noon, it wasn't that late.
"Let them stretch. Eat a hearty lunch... we'll have a light dinner starting at four, followed by an hour of light exercise, and we'll leave at five sharp," José said with his eyes still closed.
The assistant coaches nodded and went off to do their work, leaving only Natal with José.
"José... are you nervous?" Natal asked carefully, watching as José dipped the towel into hot water again and placed it over his face.
José didn't answer immediately. After a while, he took off the towel, and his skin, reddened by the heat, glowed softly. "Nervous? How could I not be? To be honest, even after coaching the second team for a year, this is still my first real match as head coach... and here I am in the UEFA Cup final. If you were in my shoes, would you be nervous?"
Natal smiled wryly. If it were him, he'd probably be even more nervous. But José seemed calm on the outside, despite his tiredness.
"Actually, I'm not that nervous," José continued. Wiping his face, his expression became more relaxed. "In the end, if we lose, no one will blame me, right?"
Natal stopped and thought for a moment, realizing it made sense...
Making it to the final for the second year in a row was already an unexpected achievement for Mallorca. After almost being relegated, José had helped the team stay up and pushed them into the top ten, so his standing among Mallorca fans was nearly as high as that of the legendary Cooper. Mallorca lacked a history of legends, with Cooper's era being their most glorious. Now José, who had stepped in mid-season and turned things around, had earned the love of the fans. Reaching the UEFA Cup final meant that José had equaled Cooper's achievement. Even if they lost, the fans would feel regret but not blame José. He had already done well.
In terms of public opinion, most expected Arsenal to win, and no one would find it surprising if Mallorca lost. They wouldn't label José a poor coach...
"So really, I don't have any pressure, right?" José smiled.
"Exactly!" Natal nodded enthusiastically.
José laughed and stood up. "I remember when I was in the U.S., a Chinese guy in Chinatown told me a saying—'If you walk barefoot, you won't fear people with shoes because they have nothing to lose.'"
After saying that, José walked out the door. Natal pondered the saying for a moment and began to understand its meaning...
After all the preparations, at five o'clock sharp, Mallorca's entire team left to head to the final venue.
The bus rolled smoothly down the road, and the players sat quietly, each lost in their thoughts. At first, when they found out they were playing in the UEFA Cup final, the players were excited, even Nadal, who had already won numerous championships. The UEFA Cup was the only title missing from his career. But as time passed, the excitement gradually subsided, replaced by calmness. The closer they got to the match, the more subdued their emotions became.
Had they still been distracted by the league after the semi-final, they might not have thought too much about it. But with the league over, the players' emotions were easily caught between excitement and worry—after all, most of them had never won a European title! Arsenal's players, on the other hand, were a top team with multiple league titles and European trophies, so the UEFA Cup didn't excite them unless it was the Champions League...
Now, Mallorca's players were in the best mindset for the match.
José had secretly rehearsed a defensive strategy many times before—the most extreme defense possible. He was even willing to forgo attacking in order to prevent Arsenal from scoring!
José had spent over half a month preparing this strategy, a luxury most teams didn't have during mid-season. José aimed to use this time advantage to trap Wenger into a corner!
When they finally saw the white roof of Parken Stadium in the distance, despite the players having calmed down, their hearts still raced.
The UEFA Cup final was about to begin!
Parken Stadium, built in 1992 and formerly Denmark's National Stadium, had been rebuilt in 1990. Two years ago, it became the home of Copenhagen FC. UEFA rated it a four-star stadium, qualifying it to host the UEFA Cup final, though only five-star venues could host the Champions League final.
As the bus approached the stadium entrance, Mallorca's fans, who had been waiting outside, erupted in cheers. In addition to chanting the names of stars like Tristan, N'Gonga, and Nadal, Samuel Eto'o, who had joined recently, also received huge applause. Surprisingly, the loudest cheers were for José!
Poor Mallorca fans—there weren't that many stars on their team...
José waved back at the crowd from the bus, then turned and smiled at the players. "See? I'm more popular than you guys!"
The players collectively booed, and the bus filled with laughter.
It wasn't until they stepped off the bus that the smiles disappeared, and each player walked off with a serious expression, surrounded by a swarm of reporters, flashing cameras everywhere.
"José, what's your opinion on the match?" one reporter asked, squeezing forward.
"No comment," José responded briefly and quickly walked into the tunnel, with the players following silently behind him.
At this point, words were useless. Only a good performance on the field would give them the right to speak!
The locker room was quiet as the players warmed up under the assistant coaches' guidance. José sat alone, the only sound the ticking of the clock.
The locker room in Parken Stadium was quite nice. Though Mallorca was the away team, they weren't inconvenienced much. If they had been playing in an English stadium, it might have been different. José had experienced the poor conditions of an away locker room during a match in Leeds.
Finally, the final was here. José would lead Mallorca into battle, facing Wenger and his top-tier Arsenal team in the UEFA Cup final.
As a fan in his previous life, José had never cared much for the UEFA Cup, believing it wasn't as exciting as the Champions League. In China, it wasn't even widely broadcasted until later when online streams became popular. But now, as a coach in the final, he truly began to understand the grandeur of a European final!
With hundreds of journalists present and major European sports media in attendance, this was a significant event, even if it didn't have the same prestige as the Champions League.
The winner would receive one million dollars, and the runner-up fifty thousand. But at this level, money wasn't their focus. It was all about the trophy—only champions were remembered in history.
José sat quietly, adjusting his own mindset. The field was the players' battlefield; the bench was his.
It was time to challenge Wenger.
This was going to be a battle.
The door to the locker room opened, and the players returned, led by Natal. They sat down, ready. José looked at them, smiled, and then stood up.
He didn't need to explain the tactics; it was simple: defend. Extreme defense. Intense defense. Defend so well no one could say a word.
"Ready?" José asked.
"Ready!" the players answered excitedly.
"Then let's go out and surprise Arsenal!"