Chapter 62

On July 1st, for the top European club managers, it was like the Chinese New Year for children at home, with various red envelopes, big or small, to be received. For the managers of the stronger teams, their role became that of a parent, constantly giving out red envelopes, but as long as they had their own children, they would inevitably have to take them back. The most unfortunate were the managers of the weaker teams. For them, this day was not the Chinese New Year, but rather a year-end crisis. Those in better situations only needed to consider how to get through the year, while the most unfortunate ones, who were heavily in debt, had no choice but to sell their pots and pans to pay off their debts.

At this time, naturally, some were happy while others were worried.

Málaga was also struggling to make ends meet, but as a promoted team, they had at least transformed from poor peasants to tenant farmers. Lin Sen meticulously planned and calculated, and with the help of Livermore, who worked tirelessly, they barely managed to put together eleven dishes for the New Year. On the first day of the New Year, they notified some friends, set off some firecrackers, and welcomed the New Year. As for red envelopes, they could only hope for the best.

As for the village's tycoon, Real Madrid, they began setting up a stage to perform a summer idol drama with Cristiano Ronaldo as the lead. At the other end of the village, the wealthy landowner, Barcelona, started recruiting troops to overthrow the tycoon. Lin Sen, however, was not particularly interested. Not only did this have nothing to do with Málaga, but he also knew the outcome. Real Madrid's stage would be set up for the whole summer, but the big stars they wanted to invite wouldn't come, and instead, one of their own pillars would be lured away by Manchester City. Barcelona would soon become a giant...

What Lin Sen was more concerned about in the coming days was the parent-teacher meeting: the return of the coaching staff.

Describing Málaga's coaching staff as "small but complete" would be the most appropriate. Including the head coach Lin Sen, the entire coaching staff consisted of eighteen members, including scouts and doctors. Compared to the streamlined Málaga management, the coaching staff was undoubtedly very complete, with a head coach, assistant coach, three first-team coaches, two fitness coaches, two goalkeeping coaches, two youth coaches, four doctors, and three scouts.

In name, the entire coaching staff was under the command of the head coach, but in reality, only half of the members were directly under Lin Sen's command. The youth coaches, doctors, and scouts either did not participate in the first team's daily work or had their own supervisors. For example, the head doctor was Juan Carlos, and the head scout was Sebastian Moreno.

Lin Sen was not surprised by this. Spanish clubs have always had their own youth training traditions, so it was natural that the youth coaches did not fall under his direct management. As for the doctors and scouts, Lin Sen was already very familiar with this model from his time at Atlético Madrid. If he had any matters to discuss, he could directly communicate with the respective supervisors.

What surprised Lin Sen was the relatively young age of his coaching staff. Assistant coach Tapia was the oldest, at forty-eight years old, while the other members were mostly in their thirties and forties. The youth coach, Kike Sarguero, was even in his twenties, younger than Lin Sen. This was a pleasant surprise for Lin Sen. Whether he admitted it or not, age was a factor that affected others' trust in him. Now, he didn't have to worry about others thinking he was too young, even though he was still one of the youngest in the coaching staff.

A few days later, accompanied by the team manager, Balcaza, Lin Sen formally met everyone in the club's reception room. The subsequent self-introductions were unremarkable. When shaking hands with Lin Sen, everyone smiled, and Lin Sen was not stingy with his own smiles, nodding in greeting. During this time, Lin Sen did not hesitate to use his special ability to observe the colors above their heads, but to his disappointment, he found no surprises. Almost everyone was calm, and the few with colors were within normal limits.

After the harmonious meeting, Lin Sen left the people who needed to participate in the team's preseason training plan. Then, in the surprised looks of the other coaches, he stepped aside and let Tapia take the lead.

Ignoring the gazes of the others, Tapia distributed the prepared materials to everyone and then began speaking.

"The document just distributed is a draft of the team's preseason training plan. I have already discussed it with our head coach. Please take a look, and if there are no issues, we will proceed according to the plan."

"Another document is the detailed information of the current team members. As everyone knows, the team's roster has been significantly updated this season, and we will have many new players. We need to develop individual training plans for them, and this document needs to be familiarized with as soon as possible so that we can be prepared when the players return."

"As usual, I hope to receive your work reports earlier this year, preferably within this week."

...

Watching Tapia confidently issue instructions one by one, and the other coaches nodding frequently, Lin Sen, who had been observing their emotional changes, knew that his efforts in the past to act as both an expert and a mystic had not been in vain. Whether Tapia was being underutilized or not, having him as an assistant coach meant that Lin Sen could hope to be a hands-off manager in training.

When Tapia finished all the instructions, and the others saw Lin Sen return to his original position, almost everyone thought they could guess what Lin Sen would say—something about working together, etc. However, Lin Sen only said two words.

"Meeting adjourned."

---

The reception room suddenly emptied.

Tapia couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He had been talking like an old butler for a long time, and Lin Sen, with a wave of his hand, had directly adjourned the meeting. If he hadn't already personally communicated with Lin Sen, he would find it hard to believe that he had lost the head coach position to Lin Sen. Was this the genius coach he imagined? Didn't he know that he should be boosting morale and winning hearts at this moment?

"Come on, come on..." Ignoring Tapia's expression, Lin Sen urged him, "Let's eat."

"Are you adjourning the meeting just because you're hungry?" Tapia said irritably, regretting the day he went to watch a game with Lin Sen and lost a bet, now having to treat him to a meal.

"How did you know?!"

Lin Sen's response almost made Tapia bang his head against the wall. Lin Sen, however, just smiled and walked out the door.

In fact, Lin Sen had not failed to consider what he should say at this first meeting. How could he not? After all, this was his first official job as a head coach, and at Atlético Madrid, he was just a temporary worker. From the simplest "please give me your guidance" to long, passionate speeches to inspire the team, Lin Sen had even watched some famous speeches, trying to make his first appearance as impressive as possible, hoping to win everyone over with a single glance or a single word.

However, when he stood there and saw Tapia's meticulous arrangements and the other coaches' meticulous note-taking, he suddenly decided to be concise. He realized that this was a professional team, a group of professionals. What they needed was not some inspiring brainwashing, but something more practical, like what Tapia had shown. Lin Sen didn't think Tapia was particularly good at inspiring people, but it was clear that everyone respected him. This respect might not be entirely personal, but more a trust in his abilities.

Words alone were not enough. Lin Sen knew that the only way to win their respect was through results.

The new season hadn't started yet, and there was plenty of time. First impressions were important, but this was not a one-time deal. Meetings were different from interviews. No matter what, Lin Sen was the head coach for the new season. He wasn't worried that a single meeting would make people think he was overshadowed by Tapia, because this concern was completely unnecessary. The simplest way to see if a coach had control over the team was to see if the team played according to his tactical style. Each coach had different tactical ideas, and once everyone saw the training plan, they would naturally draw their conclusions.

At the same place, ordering the same dishes, and chatting while eating, just like last time, but this time, it was Tapia's turn to pay.

"By the way, when will the new season's schedule be announced?" Lin Sen asked during the meal.

"It should be soon. Usually, it's announced in mid-July. Last season, it was announced in early July, but this year, due to the European Cup, it might be a few days later." Tapia took a sip of water and added, "Actually, you don't need to be too concerned about the schedule."

"I'm not concerned about the schedule, but the time it will be announced."

"That's true. Once the schedule is known, the training plan can be adjusted accordingly." Tapia nodded.

"Want to bet on who our first opponent will be in the new season?" Lin Sen suddenly said with a smile.

"No!"

At the mention of a bet, Tapia almost jumped up and immediately refused without hesitation.

"Don't be like that, let you guess first."

"Absolutely not." Tapia was firm, but soon, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "Can you really predict the schedule?"

"How could I?" Lin Sen shook his head.

"Then why are you betting with me?"

"What do you think a bet is?" Lin Sen gave Tapia a strange look.

"..."

Looking at Lin Sen's expression, Tapia barely suppressed the urge to vomit blood.

You call that a bet? Is that how you bet?!