Chapter 80

When Mansano saw the starting lineup of Malaga, he was actually quite pleasantly surprised.

Because Lin Sen, as expected, made a large-scale rotation of the starting lineup, and he certainly did not think that this was a sign of Lin Sen's contempt for Mallorca. Everyone knew that Malaga's opponent in the league three days later was Barcelona.

In fact, Mallorca's luck was not very good. As the seventh-placed team from last season, Mallorca had a good chance of playing in the Europa League. However, no one expected that the two teams that reached the Copa del Rey final last season would be Valencia and Getafe, and neither of these teams qualified for European competition. Getafe aside, Valencia actually ended up in tenth place last season.

This season, Mallorca, having lost several key players in the summer, suffered a series of setbacks at the start. So far, they had only won three out of eight matches. Although it was too early to talk about relegation, they were not far from the relegation zone. This was also why Mansano did not intend to give up on the Copa del Rey, especially with a tough opponent in the next round.

It was quite normal for Mansano to feel pleased, but the truth was that his joy was a bit premature.

Because Lin Sen had not really given up on the Copa del Rey. For him, he had merely changed the lineup and planned to experiment with new tactics.

The goalkeeper was the captain, Arnau. The defense was lined up with Rosatto, Ranocchia, Bonucci, and Gamez. Gabi and Abono were the regular double pivot, while the attack was led by Reus, Isco, and Duda, with Rondon leading the line. If this lineup were to be fielded a few years later, who would dare say that it would definitely lose to the previous starting lineup?

The most obvious rotation was probably the Italian pairing of Bonucci and Ranocchia in the defense. Since the start of the season, Lin Sen had been cautious about using this pair, mainly due to their positions. Additionally, there was a deliberate intention to refine their skills. For young players, patience is one of the most important traits, especially for defenders, where this is particularly crucial.

The two young players performed well, even though they had not yet been given a chance to start. At least, they did not have any issues with their attitude. While their training was not exceptionally hard, they were still diligent and responsible. Of course, this could not be entirely attributed to their clear understanding of their positions in the team.

Bonucci was on a pure loan, and he was well aware that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Generally, such loan contracts come with recall clauses to ensure that the player gets enough playing time. Even if there were no such clauses, there would certainly be stipulations regarding playing time. Therefore, Bonucci did not need to worry about this. As for Ranocchia, his patience was easier to explain. As Malaga's most expensive summer signing, he had no reason to worry about being dropped after just one match.

However, their patience finally paid off.

Lin Sen could not keep using them conservatively forever. In fact, after the match against Real Madrid, he realized the necessity of bringing Bonucci and Ranocchia into the starting lineup as soon as possible. In that match, Malaga's defense worked hard but still conceded three goals in one half. The reason it was said that they worked hard but not brilliantly was because of the sheer difference in skill.

There are not many geniuses in this world, but they do exist. When a genius appears before ordinary people, they need to work hard to close the gap. However, sometimes, effort does not equal everything. Just like how the efforts of a million ordinary people might not match up to one Einstein, at such times, someone like Hawking needs to step in.

Apart from the two central defenders in the defense, the biggest change in Lin Sen's lineup was the attack, with Reus and Isco starting for the first time this season.

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Playing away first and then at home is a good draw for a knockout match, as even if you lose the away game, the home game still gives you some hope.

Mansano knew that Malaga's tactic was to play a defensive counter-attack, and their primary goal as the away team was to score an away goal. Therefore, Mallorca started the match without any hesitation, bypassing the usual probing phase and launching an attack.

Lin Sen did not care about Mallorca's aggressive approach.

However, there were two players on the field for Mallorca that Lin Sen was quite familiar with. The first was Jara, who played for Atletico Madrid last season, and the second was Gabi's future partner in the iron-clad Atletico Madrid, Mario Suarez. In fact, Lin Sen had considered bringing Mario Suarez to Malaga, but Atletico Madrid, knowing that Lin Sen would become Malaga's manager, completely ignored Livermore. In the end, Mario Suarez joined Mallorca for just 800,000 euros. Thus, Gabi and Mario, who were originally good friends, now had to face each other on the field.

Just a few minutes into the match, Mansano realized something was wrong, and so did someone in the stands.

Pepe Costa.

A Barcelona scout.

The Barcelona scout was present not to evaluate any specific player from the two teams but because Barcelona's next league opponent was Malaga.

In fact, Costa was puzzled as to why Guardiola had sent him to watch the match. Malaga, although currently at the top of the table, was still a dark horse. Even if they were taken seriously, it was not necessary to watch the match in person. The technical style was popular in La Liga, but Malaga's defensive counter-attack was not uncommon. After all, Barcelona was currently dominating La Liga.

But what he saw before him was a Malaga that was playing an attacking game.

Malaga's current attack was extremely patient, unlike the previous team that focused on efficiency. The passes were methodical, and the young players in the front were particularly active. Just a few minutes into the match, Isco had already performed a few skillful moves, eliciting cheers from the stands. The first goal also came from Isco.

Malaga scored first. Isco's breakthrough won them a well-positioned free kick, which Rosatto converted.

Mansano's head was immediately filled with a rainbow of smoke.

Is this going to kill me? Malaga is not playing a defensive counter-attack anymore? They are playing a possession game?

The match quickly fell into Malaga's rhythm. Not only was Isco outstanding, but the breakthroughs by Duda and Reus on the wings were also threatening, forcing Mallorca to abandon their attacking stance.

However, Mansano, being Mansano, did not disappoint. Having brought Mallorca to seventh place last season, he quickly adapted to the changing situation. Breaking the usual rule of not making substitutions in the first half, he replaced a forward with a midfielder to strengthen the midfield, and this change had an immediate effect.

Near the end of the first half, Mallorca scored an equalizer through Arango on a counter-attack.

Lin Sen did not mind conceding an away goal, but he was a bit frowning at the recent goal. In that defense, the Italian pairing, who were making their first appearance, still lacked chemistry. Both chose to press, allowing Arango to exploit the gap.

"This is the price to pay."

Lin Sen sighed inwardly. Just like how a goalkeeper's maturity comes with conceding goals, perhaps a defender's growth also comes with each mistake.

In the second half, Lin Sen made no changes, maintaining the same lineup. Costa, in the stands, shook his head. From the first half, he could see that the current Malaga was trying to emulate Barcelona's tactical philosophy, at least in attack, always attempting to break through the opponent's defense with passing.

This could not help but make Costa sneer inwardly: Can anyone imitate Barcelona?

As if in response to his sneer, Malaga's passing in the front broke down again. The ball was quickly intercepted by Mallorca, and the Malaga defense, which had performed poorly in the first half, made another mistake. The offside trap failed, and Arango scored his second goal.

1-2.

Mallorca took the lead away from home.

Even so, Lin Sen did not make any changes to the defense. He used all three substitutions on attacking players, and the tactics remained unchanged. In contrast, after taking the lead, Mansano focused on defense, using his remaining substitutions to bring on defensive players and take off attacking players.

The match became one-sided, at least in terms of the situation.

Mallorca held onto the score.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the celebration of the Mallorca players made the Malaga fans feel both heartbroken and relieved.

Heartbroken because, after a match that saw Malaga play some of the most beautiful football of the season, they realized that they had lost. This was also the first defeat for Malaga in the new season.

Relieved because Malaga had finally become a team that, when defeated, would make the opponents ecstatic.

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The experiment failed!

Lin Sen did not want to over-analyze the defeat. Beautiful football was not something that just anyone could play, but he was not without gains. At least, the defeat proved to all the players that the current Malaga was still best suited to play a defensive counter-attack.

Leaving the La Rosaleda Stadium, Costa, already in his car, wrote a strongly personal evaluation in his match report.

Malaga, nothing special.