Chapter 28

Lin Sen couldn't be angry, or rather, being angry wouldn't help.

It was understandable for Atlético Madrid to look for a new head coach, both emotionally and logically. Lin Sen had nothing to say about this. Perhaps this was the tragedy of being an interim coach. If possible, Atlético Madrid could even hold a public recruitment, without caring at all about Lin Sen's thoughts as the interim coach, even though Lin Sen had stopped the team's losing streak and started leading them to victory.

However, Lin Sen still felt disappointed, deeply disappointed. It wasn't because Atlético Madrid was looking for a new coach, but because they didn't even have the patience to wait until the end of the season. This meant they didn't even intend to give him a chance.

"Any good news?" Lin Sen sat up, rubbing his face hard with both hands, as if trying to wake himself up.

"The good news is that there's no worse news than this." Dina was still as heartless as ever, completely disregarding Lin Sen's feelings.

"True. But Mourinho won't come to Atlético Madrid."

"Yes. Mourinho has already politely declined Xiao Hill's invitation. It's said he has already reached an agreement with another club, but it's unknown which one."

"Inter Milan." Lin Sen suddenly felt a bit dispirited and said it offhandedly.

"Inter Milan? How do you know?" Dina was a bit curious.

"How do I know? You can say it's rumored, but I can't know?"

"What? Are you upset about being a backup? Not happy?" The perceptive Dina immediately noticed the change in Lin Sen's tone.

"What do you think?" Lin Sen said irritably.

"Really ambitious." Dina sneered.

"Do you also think I'm not qualified to coach Atlético Madrid?" In response to Dina's sudden sneer, Lin Sen fell silent for a moment before slowly asking.

"I don't know if you're qualified. But don't you think you're being too sensitive now? You're not like the Lin I know. In this world, there are many people who think they are qualified for something. Even if you are indeed a talent not recognized, it doesn't make much difference whether you are there or not. You can wallow in self-pity like a jilted woman, but reality is harsh and won't accommodate anyone. I thought you understood this better than me.

The Lin I know, even if the sky falls, he can use it as a blanket. That's not being carefree; it's just that if the sky falls, what else can you do? Talking about changing the world is easy, and if you shouted to go argue with Serezo today, I wouldn't look down on you. But the way you are now, what kind of attitude is that?"

Alright.

Being scolded by a woman.

A few words made Lin Sen feel utterly embarrassed.

Indeed, when Lin Sen returned to this familiar world, he once thought he was just replaying a game he had already played, just retracing his steps. He knew where the monsters were, where the surprises were, when to take shortcuts, and where to level up quickly. No one knew better than him. However, Lin Sen forgot that even if he was replaying the game, it wasn't a single-player game but a multiplayer one.

The world was still the same, but the players were completely different. Lin Sen always thought he could change the world, but he never asked if the world was willing to be changed. He charged at the BOSS with a wooden sword given by the system, shouting, hoping to get legendary gear. The wish was beautiful, but the only possible outcome was a miserable death. It was laughable that he was disappointed that the BOSS didn't cooperate at all.

"I'll go and fight Serezo to the death!" With the gloom in his heart dispelled, Lin Sen gritted his teeth and said.

"I'll wait." Dina snorted and hung up the phone.

Lin Sen stared at his phone for a long time, then couldn't help but laugh bitterly: After being harassed in the middle of the night, he had to apologize?

Putting down the phone, Lin Sen lay down again, planning to sleep a bit more, otherwise, he would look terrible the next day. But he couldn't find any sleep, so he got up, washed his face, poured a glass of red wine like a literary youth, and sat in a chair, staring at the floor-to-ceiling window, contemplating life.

The banner outside the window was long gone, and now he could only see the vague outlines of trees under the streetlights. Lin Sen couldn't help but imagine what the fans must have looked like when they hung the banner for him. He smiled, thinking about how unbearable it must have been for them to do such a thing. Fans are an easily satisfied group, but they are also a never-satisfied group. They always want their team to be better, to be even better. When there's no championship, they want a championship. Once they get the championship, they start to pursue a beautiful playing style. When the playing style is beautiful, they start to pursue other things. Otherwise, why would it be said that every fan has their own perfect team in their heart?

Lin Sen also had his own perfect team in his heart, though even if he were arrogant, he wouldn't dare to say he had the ability to build such a team. Of course, a perfect team might be out of reach, but a near-perfect one was not impossible. From the goalkeeper to the striker, eleven positions, even if he couldn't buy the best player for each position, buying eleven second-best players would still make the team the best in the world. However, this path seemed destined to be difficult, given that he was just an amateur coach.

Lin Sen certainly wouldn't really go to fight Serezo to the death. Not to mention fighting, Lin Sen wouldn't even contact him. Whether begging or pleading, the seemingly shameless but actually proud Lin Sen wouldn't lower himself to ask for a job contract. So, Dina was only half right. Lin Sen was indeed being sensitive, but not caring didn't mean he didn't mind.

Only saints repay grievances with kindness, and Lin Sen wasn't at that level. So, when the time came, there was only one phrase: As long as the hoe is wielded well, no wall is unbreakable.

Lin Sen drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and was immediately choked.

---

The next day, when Lin Sen arrived at the training ground on time, he noticed a face that was more unfamiliar than familiar.

It was Thiago Motta, still a "Brazilian."

Lin Sen's mood immediately improved. Since taking charge of Atlético Madrid, how to win the hearts of the players had always been a crucial issue for him.

The most orthodox method was the young talent development plan, like Koke, placing himself in the role of a "godfather." The method was simple: take away their various firsts: first official match, first assist, first goal... and ideally, the first championship. Once they have no more firsts, as long as you're not a terrible person, they will basically do whatever you ask. The most successful in this regard was Sir Alex Ferguson, who still held the position at Manchester United. However, this method, while orthodox, had a long time span, often measured in decades, and required a keen eye. After all, not everyone could easily find young talents like Beckham and Giggs, let alone a stable position.

So, for Lin Sen, another method was undoubtedly more suitable, risk-free, and painless, almost tailor-made for him.

This method, in simple terms, was to make the other person feel grateful. Lin Sen's method was very simple. A ready example was Agüero. It's easy to imagine that if Agüero were healthy, Lin Sen might still get along with him, but he wouldn't be able to invite him to dinner at home. The football field is a place where injuries are common, and the better the player, the more likely they are to get injured. Although it might seem a bit ruthless, Lin Sen didn't need to worry about running out of opportunities to win hearts. The reason Lin Sen kept thinking about Adriano was this. However, Lin Sen couldn't count on Adriano for now. If Mourinho hadn't gone to Inter Milan, it might have been possible, but now, Lin Sen believed Mourinho would have the same idea.

Of course, there were many ways to win hearts. The method Lin Sen used, "accepting the loss gracefully," was a quick way. However, quick methods often came with various drawbacks, as evidenced by Simão and Reyes.

So, when Motta saw Lin Sen looking at his legs with a "lecherous" gaze, his first feeling was a tightening in his stomach.

Motta, who was undoubtedly lost in life, both physically and mentally, had a career that could have made him a key midfielder for Barcelona. However, injuries kept him shuttling between heaven and hell. After several seasons of recurring injuries, Barcelona finally lost patience. The arrival of Yaya Touré this season made the talented midfielder, who could have occupied a place in Barcelona's crowded midfield, redundant. Atlético Madrid only paid a symbolic one million euros to sign him, but even so, they only signed a one-year short-term contract with Motta. The contract stipulated that if they renewed, Atlético Madrid would need to pay Barcelona an additional two million euros.

Would Barcelona have the chance to get this two million? The answer was almost certainly no. This season, Motta's injury situation seemed even worse. Since joining, Motta had only played four times for Atlético Madrid, which was already his lowest number of appearances in a season.

Now, Motta was once again recovered.

However, with only three rounds left in the league, it was more like Motta was returning to pack his bags and leave.

Lin Sen didn't know if Atlético Madrid had already informed Motta that they wouldn't renew his contract, but Motta clearly couldn't wait until the contract expired to consider his future.