Chapter 73

Lin Sen found himself struggling to make the headlines. Malaga's away victory over Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 scoreline seemed like a great story, but soon he realized that he was still not the focus of the major newspapers. Moreover, this time, even he had to admit that the headlines of others were indeed more appealing.

**Marca's Headline:** 2-1! No longer super, Deportivo La Coruna crushes last season's champion Real Madrid.

**Sport's Headline:** Upset! New Barcelona suffers a shocking 0-1 away loss to promoted Numancia.

**The Independent:** A day of disaster for the giants! In the first round of the league, none of last season's top four teams won.

...

It was as if they had all agreed to start the season with a big promotion. Not only Real Madrid and Barcelona, but also last season's third and fourth-placed teams, Villarreal and Sevilla, did not start the season with victories. However, their losses were less severe, as they did not lose any matches. Misery loves company, and soon these teams found comfort in each other's misfortunes.

In a post-match interview with As, Xiao Hill not only supported the head coach, Luis César Sampedro, but also found an excuse for the team's defeat: due to the impact of the European Championship, Atletico Madrid's summer training was not ideal, and many players had not yet recovered to their best form. In contrast, Malaga had no such concerns, so the team's loss was entirely understandable. As for many people viewing the match as a showdown between Atletico Madrid's former and current head coaches, he believed that one match could not decide anything. He was confident that Sampedro would lead the team to a proper response in the return match.

Lin Sen naturally did not care about what Xiao Hill said. Malaga's smooth acquisition of three points and his own vindication against his former self were what mattered. As for Xiao Hill's claim that it didn't hurt at all, that was his own business, just like the journalists' speculation about his gestures at the press conference. He couldn't control or care about such things.

What he could control was his own team.

Malaga performed well overall in the match against Atletico Madrid, but it would be unrealistic to say that Malaga had no issues. After all, Lin Sen's brief tenure at Atletico Madrid had a significant impact. While analyzing a football match can be done through data and video, the insights gained from personal coaching experience are entirely different. One key reason Malaga could defeat Atletico Madrid was their effective control over two core players of Atletico Madrid.

One of them was Raul Garcia. Raul Garcia, though not a standout player in Atletico Madrid, has been an indispensable midfielder since his transfer from Osasuna. He has played under three different coaches, including Lin Sen, and the reason is simple: he is a midfielder with almost no weaknesses. Raul Garcia started as a forward but excelled as a defensive midfielder, and the coach often placed him in an attacking midfield role. People often refer to players who can play all positions on the wing as "wing wizards." In this sense, Raul Garcia is a "central wizard." However, the difference in scope between the wing and the center is evident. Sampedro's decision to withdraw Assunção and leave Raul Garcia to support the midfield alone was a risky move, but it also highlighted his high regard for Raul Garcia.

During his time at Atletico Madrid, Lin Sen also valued Raul Garcia, even using him as a focal point in the attack, appreciating his ability to judge opportunities. Therefore, his strategy against Raul Garcia was not to closely mark or focus on him, but to deliberately give him space, allowing him to control the ball, while focusing on blocking his passing routes. As a result, in the previous match, Raul Garcia had a lot of possession time but a very low passing success rate.

The other player, of course, was Aguero. In the previous match, Lin Sen instructed Gundogan to closely monitor Aguero but not to mark him closely, knowing that it would be no challenge for the technically gifted Aguero. You also couldn't defend him like a kite. Therefore, the distance was crucial. If you were too far, you couldn't catch up with him; if you were too close, he wasn't a cumbersome forward. Malaga's late goal conceded was a result of the improper distance in marking Aguero. If they had controlled the distance better, Aguero wouldn't have had the chance to form a one-two with Forlán, let alone create a goal.

However, regardless of everything, the defense against Aguero in the previous match was still successful, as it's unrealistic to expect to mark him for the entire 90 minutes.

Being able to effectively mark these two players was key to Atletico Madrid not losing, but Lin Sen was very clear that the season was long, and Malaga couldn't rely on man-marking to win every game. He also couldn't be as familiar with every opponent's players. Therefore, if Lin Sen wanted to win more convincingly, he needed to reverse the roles, making his players the ones that others had to mark.

Lin Sen knew that without his interference, many of the players now under his command would be considered "dangerous" by others, such as Lewandowski, Reus, Isco, and Koke. But now, these players were no longer on their original paths to fame; their destinies were closely tied to Lin Sen.

Once you marry a wife, you must treat her well and take on the responsibilities. At home, you must do your share of the housework, and outside, you must not engage in infidelity. Moreover, Lin Sen had married more than one "wife."

So, if Lin Sen's main focus before the season was on building the team's tactical system and instilling tactical concepts, then the next step would be to develop the talented players under his command, a process that would undoubtedly be long and arduous.

In fact, when the team first gathered for training, Lin Sen had a slight hope that a few of these future stars would shine brightly. However, after meeting them, he realized that no one is born a superstar.

Lin Sen's first target was Reus, the player that the current fitness coach, Ruiz, wanted to develop quickly.

The reason for choosing Reus first, rather than others, was multifaceted, involving both Reus's personal reasons and those of others.

Both Isco and Koke were younger than Reus. What they needed most in training were the basics, which Lin Sen did not believe he could teach better than Tapia and others. For now, Lin Sen's role was to provide them with the appropriate stage to showcase their talents, but it would take patience to see results. As for Lewandowski, from the moment Lin Sen first saw him, he knew that the quiet Polish forward would "evolve" into the future superstar who almost single-handedly led Dortmund to the Champions League final; it was just a matter of time.

Reus, at 18, was different. He was older than Isco and Koke but younger than Lewandowski, meaning he was at a critical age for shaping his playing style. Lin Sen did not want the future "Little Rocket" to be turned into a "dirt plane" by Ruiz, even though ball lightning is not impossible, but it is rare.

Moreover, in his memory, Reus always claimed he preferred the center over the wing. Many saw Reus's preference for the center, despite his physical disadvantages, as a sign of his stubbornness. However, Lin Sen knew that while stubbornness might play a role, it was not the main reason. The center meant more physical challenges, but it also meant more opportunities to touch the ball and more space to play. For Reus, the wing was too narrow.

Of course, playing on the wing or in the center was not just a matter of position; the requirements for each were entirely different. Lin Sen did not want to wait until Reus got tired of the wing before making preparations.

---

Schuster had a very frustrating summer. It was like he had gone to meet Xi Shi but ended up in bed with Dong Shi. His dreams were full, but reality was bone-dry. President Calderon had been trying all summer to get Cristiano Ronaldo from Ferguson, but in the end, Real Madrid only made headlines at the last moment of the transfer window when Robinho transferred to Manchester City as the most expensive player. If he could curse, Schuster wouldn't mind doing so.

But his frustrations did not end there. In the first round of the league, Deportivo La Coruna gave him a black eye. Fortunately, his competitors were all very considerate, none of them winning. Even Atletico Madrid, which had frustrated him last season, lost at home to promoted Malaga. It was said that Malaga's coach was Atletico Madrid's former interim coach, which was karma...

Schuster's schadenfreude towards Atletico Madrid was not without reason. Having played for Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid, he understood the rivalry between the two Madrid teams very well. Real Madrid never considered Atletico Madrid a rival, but Atletico Madrid always saw Real Madrid as a mortal enemy. This attitude made Real Madrid feel helpless every time they faced Atletico Madrid. Despite being the champions last season, Real Madrid did not gain any advantage against Atletico Madrid, who played with all their might.

As for Malaga, who defeated Atletico Madrid in the first round, Schuster did not take them seriously. They were just a promoted team.

Then.

In the second round of the league, Malaga won 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao at home.

In the third round of the league, Malaga won 2-0 away against Almería.

And then.

In the third round of the league, Malaga's opponent at home was Real Madrid.