Chapter 74

Schuster never imagined that in the fourth round of the league, he would encounter a Málaga that ranked higher than his Real Madrid on the points table.

Simply looking at the first three rounds, Real Madrid's opponents were Deportivo La Coruña, Numancia, and Santander, while Málaga faced Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, and Almería. The quality of Málaga's three consecutive victories cannot be underestimated. In terms of competitive form, Málaga even outperformed Real Madrid. Real Madrid lost their first match, struggled to win 4-3 against Numancia, who had upset Barcelona in the first round, and although they won 2-0 in the third round, both goals came from set pieces, indicating that Real Madrid was far from their best form.

In contrast, Málaga's three matches followed a consistent pattern: solid defense and sharp counterattacks. Apart from a slightly tense finish against Atlético Madrid in the first round, the subsequent two wins were almost uneventful, showing no signs of the typical fluctuations of a promoted team. Local media began to celebrate the team's excellent start.

However, Real Madrid was not just a paper tiger. Historically, they had a significant advantage over Málaga. Since the late 1990s, the two teams had met 14 times, with Real Madrid winning 10 and drawing 4, without a single loss. Therefore, it wasn't that Schuster was deliberately underestimating Málaga, but his evaluation of the three-match winning Málaga had only risen from "just a promoted team" to "not to be underestimated."

Of course, this didn't stop Schuster from praising Málaga at the pre-match press conference, and he also lavished praise on Lin Sen, who had teased him the previous season.

"As a promoted team, Málaga's performance has been perfect. We must be fully prepared for Sunday's match; the La Rosaleda Stadium is never an easy place to play."

"Lin's performance has been excellent. He demonstrated his coaching abilities at Atlético Madrid last season, and I believe he has the potential to do even better this season at Málaga."

Lin Sen, of course, wasn't naive enough to believe that Schuster was genuinely afraid of Málaga. A weakened camel is still bigger than a horse. Although Real Madrid was currently behind Málaga, if Málaga got too complacent, they would be in serious trouble. Therefore, at his own pre-match press conference, Lin Sen, while reciprocating the compliments to Real Madrid, also released a smokescreen.

He directly announced the starting lineup for the match against Real Madrid.

---

"Is that really the starting lineup for tomorrow?" Tapia asked casually, his eyes on the screen.

"What do you think?" Lin Sen frowned, his eyes fixed ahead, seemingly answering casually.

"I think you're setting a smokescreen."

"Knowing that, why ask?"

"… Isn't that a bit… unethical?"

"Football is above ethics!"

"…"

"Besides, most of what I said is true."

"…"

I guess so, Tapia thought, feeling a bit helpless. He found himself increasingly unable to keep up with Lin Sen's thinking. Could this be a generation gap? But why was he getting more and more used to it?

"Antonio, do you want to know my prediction for the next match?" Lin Sen asked, still frowning.

At the sound of Lin Sen's words, Tapia's hand trembled. He turned to look at Lin Sen; the word "prediction" had almost become a sensitive term for him.

"Goal…"

Tapia didn't get a response from Lin Sen but heard an enthusiastic voice from the TV. He turned to see the score on the screen: Real Madrid 1-1 Málaga.

Tapia couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. This was too much, even cheating in a game.

Seeing Lin Sen's calm expression, Tapia could only shake his head helplessly.

Inviting Lin Sen to his home for dinner was Tapia's idea, as he had disturbed Lin Sen several times, either actively or passively. Lin Sen happily accepted the invitation, and after training, they went to Tapia's home. It was Lin Sen's first visit, and since he came directly from the training ground, he didn't bring any gifts. He offered to help in the kitchen, but Tapia's wife wouldn't let him. Lin Sen had to wait in the living room for dinner.

Suddenly, Tapia brought out a PS3, and the two FIFA game enthusiasts quickly got into a heated match. Initially, they both chose strong national teams, and Lin Sen, with his quick reflexes, won several games, making Tapia's face turn black. Later, they switched to club teams, and Tapia, without hesitation, chose Real Madrid and assigned Málaga to Lin Sen, saying, "As Málaga's coach, how can you use any other team?"

Thus, Lin Sen began a painful process of being dominated.

"Dinner is ready."

Tapia's wife's call rescued Lin Sen, who was already distracted by the game. Lin Sen pushed away, and Tapia had no choice but to stop.

At the dinner table, Lin Sen praised Tapia's wife's cooking, not just out of politeness. The mixed rice that Tapia had raved about was indeed delicious, and Lin Sen, who had lived in Spain for several years, found it particularly tasty. Perhaps because he was focused on eating, Lin Sen and Tapia tried to chat a few times but were stopped by Tapia's wife.

After dinner, Lin Sen and Tapia finally discussed the next day's match.

The opponent was Real Madrid. According to many people's predictions, Málaga's goal was to lose as little as possible, a common mindset for most La Liga clubs facing Real Madrid or Barcelona. The term "Spanish Super" was not a joke; these two teams were on a different level from the rest. Therefore, many thought Lin Sen would be under immense pressure, but in reality, Lin Sen felt almost no pressure. Regardless of the result, the club and fans wouldn't be too concerned.

Málaga would continue to use a defensive counterattacking strategy against Real Madrid, a point on which Lin Sen and Tapia agreed. However, they had a disagreement over the starting lineup. Tapia's previous questions about Lin Sen's lineup were not just casual talk.

In the first three matches, Málaga's starting lineup remained largely unchanged, except for occasional changes in the forward line. The seamless integration of the two forwards surprised Lin Sen. Rondón scored in the first round, and Lewandowski, starting in the second round, also scored his first La Liga goal. Lin Sen originally planned to have the Pole start and Rondón as a substitute, but now, the two forwards, with similar builds but different styles, could rotate based on the opponent.

The best-performing part of the team was the defense, which had conceded only one goal in three matches. Central defender Rosario even helped secure the win in the last match. However, Lin Sen was most satisfied with the midfield, especially Gabi, who was outstanding. No longer fixated on being the "playmaker," Gabi's defensive abilities were fully unleashed, with impressive statistics in running distance and key tackles over the three matches.

So, it was more accurate to say that the team's defensive work in the midfield and attack was excellent. Lin Sen wasn't ignoring the efforts of the defense, but he knew that against Real Madrid, the midfield and attack might not be able to alleviate much pressure on the defense. The defense would face its biggest challenge. Therefore, Lin Sen planned to make changes to the backline.

This was where Lin Sen and Tapia disagreed.

Lin Sen planned to bring back the recovered Rosato to the starting lineup, push Alba to the wing, and replace Koke with Carrion, who had stronger defensive capabilities and often played as a right-back last season. In a sense, Lin Sen was preparing to play with "four wing-backs," a strategy he had used at Atlético Madrid.

Tapia didn't think Lin Sen was being overly conservative but rather overly risky. Strengthening the defense was fine, but he had two points to argue. First, Rosato had just recovered, and his form might not be guaranteed, especially against a team like Real Madrid. Second, Koke and Eliseu had each scored a goal in the first three matches, showing excellent form. Real Madrid's two main wingers from last season, Robinho and Robben, were either in the Premier League or injured. Was Lin Sen overreacting?

Tapia's arguments were well-reasoned and backed by evidence, leaving Lin Sen with no counter. So, he nodded in agreement but didn't change his mind, giving reasons that Tapia couldn't refute.

Lin Sen's decision to play Rosato wasn't just based on the Brazilian defender's experience but also on his skill: free-kicks. Rosato was Málaga's top free-kick taker last season, and Lin Sen had been closely observing his free-kicks in recent training, with satisfactory results. For a team that relies on defensive counterattacks, set pieces are a crucial scoring method. Lin Sen had been troubled by Málaga's lack of a good free-kick taker, as Isco and Reus, though future free-kick experts, were not yet at that level. Rosato's return filled this gap.

Secondly, while Koke and Eliseu had performed well, Koke was still too young. Although he had proven his mental strength against Atlético Madrid, his physical condition couldn't be ignored. The fitness report from Rui was not to be dismissed, and Koke, who had started three consecutive matches, needed a rest. Eliseu, who scored in the last match, had a minor injury, which, though not serious according to the medical team, was a concern for Lin Sen. Against Real Madrid, Málaga had to give their all.

Thus, with neither able to convince the other, Málaga welcomed their strongest opponent of the season, Real Madrid.