Chapter 30

The coach's meeting is a weekly routine for every professional team. They study the tactical strategies of the next opponent, summarize the players' training reports, and sometimes even discuss personal matters that might affect a player's performance. For the head coach, the importance of the coach's meeting is self-evident.

There were six people attending the coach's meeting for Atlético Madrid: interim head coach Lin Sen, assistant coach Juan, two first-team coaches Gutiérrez and Arellano, fitness coach Dina, and youth coach Juanes. Notably, Lin Sen gained recognition from the coaching staff much faster than from the players. The players don't care if you have a coaching certificate or if you're a tactical genius; the only way to earn their respect is to win. Coaches, however, understand the significance of that coaching certificate. Although some were initially skeptical, after Lin Sen effortlessly handled some subtle challenges during the coach's meetings, they stopped creating obstacles for him. After all, Lin Sen wasn't a complete stranger; he had worked as a team doctor before, and everyone had some dealings with him. No one wanted to make things difficult for themselves.

"Good news on the fitness front. Since we've been playing one game a week and haven't had any other competitions, the team's physical condition has been excellent. Only Aguero, who has just recovered from an injury, and Motta, who has just returned from Brazil, might not have the stamina for a full 90 minutes," Dina's report was straightforward. Each player's playing time and physical condition were backed by detailed data, so she didn't need to elaborate.

"The youth team is doing well. Sadik is still the top scorer," Juanes' comment was more insinuating, making Lin Sen roll his eyes internally.

Since promoting Camacho and two other young players to the first team and giving them playing time, Juanes' harassment had become even more relentless. He often reported minor issues, and Sadik, who was dominating the youth league with his physical prowess, was the main target. Juanes seemed determined not to let Sadik join the first team. However, while Lin Sen was a "youth enthusiast," he had strict criteria. Who was Sadik? Lin Sen had no memory of him. Without a memory, he didn't want to tarnish his reputation as a future talent scout. So, he ignored Juanes' hints and moved on to the main agenda of the day.

Due to the international break, Atlético Madrid would face a double-header the following week: a midweek away game against Espanyol and a home game against Deportivo La Coruña on the weekend.

"Espanyol, who have already secured their safety, have performed well in their last three games, with one win and two draws. Their wingers, Albert Riera and Pablo Zabaleta, have been consistent in the second half of the season. Riera even scored twice in the last game. The most important player to watch is their midfield core, De La Peña, who has provided four assists in the last three games. As for their striker, Tamudo, he is in a scoring drought, having not scored in over 500 minutes. Their coach, Valverde, is a Cruyff disciple, but Espanyol's strategy is defensive, and their counterattacks are very efficient."

"Deportivo La Coruña has won two and lost one in their last three games. They are still fighting for a UEFA Cup spot, so their morale and form are better than Espanyol's. It's worth noting that Deportivo's coach, Lotina, was Espanyol's former coach last season. Lotina emphasizes defense, and Deportivo has the fourth-best defensive record in the league, having conceded only one goal in their last three games. This is directly related to the strength of their midfield, all of whom are balanced in attack and defense. Belelón is the leader and the key to Deportivo's transition from defense to attack. Effectively limiting his influence is crucial for us."

"The documents in your hands are the specific data of these two teams' last five games, as well as their head-to-head records against us over the past two seasons..."

Coaches Gutiérrez and Arellano gave brief overviews of the upcoming opponents, which would be the main focus of today's meeting. Lin Sen, sitting at one end, flipped through the analysis provided by the match analyst, Pacino. He was more familiar with Deportivo, but Espanyol had a player on his "future candidate list": the Argentine, Zabaleta. Lin Sen knew how rare a good full-back was, especially one who could play for a top club. Zabaleta, currently playing as a right midfielder for Espanyol, would later become a versatile player capable of playing almost any position in the back half, much like Inter Milan's captain, Javier Zanetti.

As for Deportivo, Lin Sen's memories were still of the "Super Deportivo" era. The team had changed, and it was a bit sad for Atlético fans to think that if not for the relegation tragedy, Belelón might have been Atlético's midfield core, and the Super Deportivo might not have fallen.

For the game against Espanyol, the coaching staff agreed to focus the training on offensive play in the front and strengthening midfield control. The reasoning was simple: if they could break through Espanyol's defense, there would be no counterattack. At the very least, they needed to stifle Espanyol's counterattacks in the midfield.

Lin Sen agreed with the coaching staff but added one more item: set pieces.

Breaking through a packed defense is a world-renowned challenge, and there are only a few effective methods. It's not that Lin Sen lacked confidence in Atlético, but he didn't want to put all his eggs in one basket. In his view, besides long shots, which rely on luck and character, the easiest way to score and completely ignore the opponent's tactics is through set pieces.

As for Deportivo, Lin Sen's suggestion was met with agreement from the coaching staff: learn from Espanyol's example...

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Rod didn't know why he was so fascinated by the young Chinese man.

In Spain, any sports journalist knows that the easiest way to get news is to focus on two directions: Real Madrid and Barcelona. For neutral readers, these two teams are the only keywords they care about. Exaggerating a bit, even if these two teams changed their doormen, the news value would surpass that of other teams changing their presidents. It's not because of anything else, but because the title of "Real Madrid" or "Barcelona" carries weight.

Perhaps it was Lin Sen's statement, "I will not apologize for my profession," that moved Rod. After that, Rod kept a close eye on Atlético Madrid, or more specifically, on Lin Sen, the interim head coach of Atlético Madrid. Since then, Rod noticed that Atlético Madrid's luck seemed to turn around. They staged a miraculous comeback to draw with the second-place Villarreal away, then easily defeated the relegation-threatened Huelva at home. And just yesterday, they won against Espanyol.

3-0!

A clean and decisive score.

Surprisingly, all three of Atlético Madrid's goals came from set pieces: one corner, one free kick, and one penalty. In one game, Atlético Madrid almost scored every type of set piece goal possible.

Two wins, one draw, and two losses in five games.

This was just a passing grade. However, considering the background of Atlético Madrid's four consecutive losses and Lin Sen's lack of head coaching experience, this result was clearly far beyond the expectations of the Atlético Madrid management. For this reason, Rod even initiated a poll on the Independent's official website: Should Lin Sen be given a contract extension?

Before the game against Espanyol, over 600 people had voted, with 70% against extending Lin Sen's contract. After the game, the number of voters increased to over 1,000, and the ratio changed to 60-40, almost 50-50.

The situation was still not optimistic, but it was easy to imagine that if Lin Sen could lead Atlético Madrid to victory in the next two games, he would almost certainly win the majority's support.

Of course, this wasn't what Rod found most interesting.

What puzzled Rod the most was that, to this day, no Atlético Madrid player had made any statement about whether Lin Sen should stay, not even the players he had promoted to the first team, like Camacho. In Rod's view, there were only two possible explanations: either Lin Sen had not yet won the players' trust, which seemed unlikely given the team's recent performances, or the Atlético Madrid management had privately instructed the players to remain silent.

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Rod turned the page, and the advertisement began.

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Rod turned the page, and the advertisement ended.