Chapter 4

**The Free Press**

The Free Press is a sports newspaper in Spain, not a small one, but of course, it cannot compare to the famous Marca and As. The newspaper mainly reports on football matches, supplemented by other sports news. In Spain, where football is prevalent, although it cannot compete with the other major newspapers, it still has its own place.

The headquarters of the Free Press is located in the capital, Madrid. Like other major European leagues, the football geography of each league also determines the media's public opinion. For example, the As, headquartered in Madrid, is always biased towards Real Madrid, even earning the nickname of "Real Madrid's team newspaper." The Catalan region's Sport always cheers for Barcelona. The rivalry between teams in the league is often directly reflected in the newspapers representing their regions.

From this perspective, the Free Press's stance appears more objective. Although its headquarters is in Madrid, due to the presence of As and Marca, even if the Free Press wanted to cheer for Real Madrid, it would lack the weight and seem insignificant. Perhaps realizing this, the Free Press wisely positioned itself as "neutral."

This stance has its pros and cons. The advantage is that it doesn't offend fans of either side, ensuring the newspaper's sales. The downside is that it lacks a core group of loyal readers.

Rodrigo Gonzalez is the deputy editor of the Free Press. Although the Free Press is not a large newspaper, Rodrigo has a considerable network in the industry, including many fans. For example, Cesk Bal, the head of the largest fan organization of Atlético Madrid.

"Do you know?" At that moment, in a bar, Rodrigo looked at Bal with surprise.

"I just found out." Bal took a sip of beer, looking somewhat dejected. He had invited Rodrigo out to confirm the news about the mass departure of coaches following the resignation of head coach Aguirre, and Rodrigo had confirmed it.

Clearly, there's no smoke without fire.

"Damn." Getting a positive answer, Rodrigo was even more surprised. "Your information is better than mine. This is internal news. Weren't you not reading the newspapers recently? Where did you hear it?"

Newspapers...

Bal snorted. What newspapers? Watching others praise the rivals of his favorite team and mock his own team, he had no mood for it.

"Don't ask. Tell me, do you have any news about a new coach?" Bal looked at Rodrigo, ignoring his surprise, and asked casually.

"Yes!" Rodrigo answered without hesitation. "And it's explosive news."

"Oh?" Bal took another big gulp of beer. The explosive news Rodrigo mentioned was nothing to him. At this point, discussing who would lead Atlético Madrid was meaningless.

Glancing at the dejected Bal, Rodrigo chuckled and said, "The new coach is a team doctor!"

"Spit..."

That was explosive.

Bal spat out the beer he had just swallowed, not caring that his beard was covered in foam, and stared with wide eyes. "A team doctor?!"

"And he's Chinese."

Rodrigo watched Bal's reaction with satisfaction and added another sentence.

This time, Bal's face turned pale.

---

Two days later, Atlético Madrid's official website announced that Lin Sen, a former Atlético Madrid staff member, had become the interim head coach. The young Chinese man would lead Atlético Madrid through the last seven matches of the season. The contract was short-term, ending at the end of the season, with the possibility of renewal depending on the situation.

The news caused a stir worldwide.

"GIVEUP!"

The front page headline of Marca, which rarely placed Atlético Madrid in such a prominent position, used huge black letters for the title.

"GIVEUP" has two interpretations: one is to give up, and the other is to surrender. Regardless of the interpretation, it was filled with heavy sarcasm. It wasn't just Marca; almost all the media used similar words in their reports. Aguirre's resignation was unexpected but understandable. Atlético Madrid had no goals left in the season, a fact known to everyone. However, no one expected that Cerezo would choose a completely inexperienced amateur coach as the interim head coach.

It was reported that Atlético Madrid fans, upon learning the news, organized protests at the club's headquarters. Some extreme fans held various signs and verbally abused the club's management, and a few even attacked the headquarters with stones and other objects. Fortunately, the police arrived in time, and no one was injured.

The media and fans directed all their anger at the club's management. As for Lin Sen, he was just an innocent and pitiful victim, not even qualified to be a scapegoat.

Amidst the chaos, Lin Sen had already packed his personal items from the medical room and was preparing to move into the head coach's office. No one expected things to develop this way, and Lin Sen himself didn't either. The outside world was speculating about how this happened, but the truth was surprisingly simple.

He originally intended to report to Cerezo about Agüero's condition, but Cerezo asked if he had a coaching license. Of course, he did, and it was a high-level one. Without a passion for football, he wouldn't have become a team doctor. Being a head coach was once a dream, but that dream had faded over time. After all, in the coaching world, where seniority is highly valued, he was insignificant. However, Cerezo's suggestion made him see a glimmer of hope, and the rest followed naturally.

Why not be a head coach?

In terms of tactical knowledge and coaching experience, he might be a novice, but he had nearly a decade of advanced knowledge. If possible, Guardiola, who might bring a tiki-taka revolution to Barcelona next season, would be envious. In terms of talent scouting, what he considered basic skills. Lin Sen didn't plan to change his path, but now, with this opportunity and the most powerful "cheat" in the world, he felt he might not become the greatest coach in history, but he could certainly become a successful, if not the most profitable, coach. So, his only concern was how to gain the respect of the team.

The "team" here, of course, couldn't be the media or the fans who were venting their frustrations outside. It was the real team in front of him!

Even Aguirre couldn't know the current state of Atlético Madrid better than Lin Sen. In Lin Sen's eyes, the Atlético Madrid on the field, except for a few players, had no color above their heads. Yes, no color, meaning no state. The problem was: they were playing a match, not just walking around. The color they should have was green, preferably a deep green representing an excited state.

Hope is beautiful, but reality is cruel. Knowing the state doesn't mean Lin Sen could change it. How the players viewed the upcoming matches and their mindset was different from physical injuries, not controlled by medication, but by handling. Lin Sen didn't think he had Mourinho's personal charisma to make players fight for him, especially since Mourinho's charisma was built on real championships. So, he decided to play to his strengths: he planned to make a bet.

If he won, the world would have at least one more insightful football coach.

If he lost, the world would still be the same, but Lin Sen would have to slink back to his original path.

Thus, Lin Sen decided to hold a team meeting at 3 PM.

Lin Sen arrived at the meeting room at 2:30 PM and pulled up the league table and the fixtures for the next three rounds on the screen. Then, he sat on the stage and waited for the players to arrive.

At 2:46 PM, the first to arrive were Antonio López, who was on good terms with Lin Sen, along with the Italian goalkeeper on loan from AC Milan, Christian Abbiati, and Luis García. They nodded at Lin Sen and sat down without a word. Two minutes later, the Uruguayan star Diego Forlán, who had been carrying the attack alone since Agüero's injury, arrived alone, nodding at Lin Sen. After Forlán, no one else arrived alone; they mostly came in groups, young players with their own cliques, and older players with their own circles, which was common in any team.

At 2:59 PM, Lin Sen looked at the players. Atlético Madrid's first team had 26 players, not an excessive number. Excluding the injured Thiago Motta, who was in Brazil, 25 players were supposed to attend, and 15 had arrived, leaving 10 still missing. Just as Lin Sen was about to check who was still absent, the injured Agüero limped in, smiled at Lin Sen, and went to a seat in the back.

Alright, now 9 were still missing.

Five minutes later, five more players, led by the Argentine goalkeeper Franco, arrived.

Eight minutes later, the Spanish talent Antonio Reyes and the defender Pernia arrived.

Fifteen minutes later, the Portuguese winger Simão and the Portuguese midfielder Maniche were the last to arrive.

Lin Sen's face was calm, even with a hint of a smile. He didn't comment on the latecomers but quietly noted their names in his notebook. Then, he stood up and said to everyone, "Hello, I want to make a bet with you."