Chapter 81

**Chapter Pre-Thank You:** Thank you to book friend flygao_yz for the reward.

---

Guardiola soon received Costa's report on the match between Málaga and Mallorca.

The brief match report, which was only a few hundred words, took Guardiola nearly half an hour to read. When he saw Costa's final personal evaluation, he couldn't help but laugh.

Although Costa was indeed sent by him, in reality, Guardiola was a very self-reliant head coach. In other words, Costa's match report could not influence his judgment for the next game. Guardiola had great confidence in his tactical system, or more precisely, in the football philosophy of La Masia. Therefore, even after a loss and a draw at the start of the season, Guardiola still firmly believed in his tactics.

And this blind trust of Guardiola's was soon rewarded: in six matches, they scored twenty-three goals, averaging nearly four goals per game. In such a situation, would Guardiola change his tactical strategy for Málaga because of Costa's report? The answer was obvious.

Málaga, nothing more. This evaluation by Costa was actually a comment on Lin Sen.

This was also the main reason why Guardiola sent Costa to observe the match, and more importantly, to observe Lin Sen.

Costa believed that Lin Sen's tactics in this match were purely reckless.

This view was echoed by the media after the match. They believed that Málaga's loss in the Copa del Rey was entirely due to Lin Sen's suicidal attack, and that Málaga had chosen to abandon the Copa del Rey.

Because everyone knew that Málaga's current league success was largely due to their solid defense. In eight league matches, Málaga had only conceded four goals, making them one of the teams with the fewest goals conceded in La Liga. Three of those goals were conceded in the match against Real Madrid. Beyond the defense, the team's efficient counterattacks were also a key factor.

But in this match, Málaga raised the flag of attack.

Guardiola never underestimated any opponent, whether it was Málaga or his arch-rival Real Madrid. Therefore, he laughed at Costa's final evaluation: the head coach who led Málaga to the top of the league after eight rounds, nothing more?

Guardiola knew that this was definitely due to Costa's "beautiful football" mindset. Like many Spaniards, Costa was biased and believed that all teams that relied on defense were ugly, even if they won, they were still ugly.

Guardiola did not entirely agree with this view.

Although La Liga favored open and attacking football, there were still many teams that played a defensive counter-attacking style. However, no team could play this style as well as Málaga. Moreover, for the "unconventional" Málaga, very few media outlets in Spain dared to mock their defense as destroying Spanish attacking football. Even the As, which had a somewhat adversarial relationship with Lin Sen, did not dare to provoke him in this aspect.

Why?

Because it was too easy for Lin Sen to counterattack.

If a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona played poorly, the media could criticize them because they had the conditions to play so-called beautiful football. But for Málaga, the poorest promoted team in La Liga, whose budget for this season was less than a fraction of Barcelona's summer budget, winning was already a good result. If they were also expected to win beautifully, it would not be a tactical issue, but a question of the questioner's intelligence.

To put it bluntly, I have a rifle and a few grenades, and you have planes and artillery. Do you want me to engage in a direct confrontation with you? Do you have any shame?

The media likes sensational headlines, but no one wants to invite humiliation.

Therefore, in Guardiola's view, Lin Sen was at least a very practical head coach. He did not follow the trend of La Liga but cleverly hid under the identity of a promoted team, decisively implementing his tactical philosophy.

However, why did Lin Sen suddenly change his tactical strategy in this match?

Guardiola touched his head, thinking. It wasn't difficult to figure out the reason.

He imagined under what circumstances he would change his tactical strategy. There were only two possibilities: one was the pressure of results, which clearly did not apply to Lin Sen. The other was pressure from the management.

Does Little Sánchez want beautiful football?

Guardiola smiled. If that was the case, Lin Sen's days would be tough.

---

Lin Sen did not know that his tactical experiment would lead Guardiola to so many speculations, and so accurately.

However, while Guardiola's line of thinking was correct, it was off the mark.

Lin Sen's experiment was not due to pressure but more of a demonstration. There was indeed a bit of stimulation from Old Sánchez's words, but more importantly, he wanted the players to understand the team's current position. Although Málaga had not shown any signs of complacency so far, it was necessary to prevent potential issues.

Just like the previous case with Gundogan.

Gundogan, who had been out with a back injury for nearly a month, had been declared fit by the medical team twice, but each time he felt discomfort during training. Lin Sen kept him on the injury list until before the match against Sevilla, when Gundogan finally joined the team's training.

The reason, of course, was that Lin Sen once again used his "cheat."

Gundogan's problem was ultimately determined to be related to his spine. Due to the sensitive location, Lin Sen did not expect Gundogan to accept the treatment immediately. However, to Lin Sen's surprise, unlike the pain-averse Agüero, Gundogan was extremely cooperative with his treatment, perhaps because he knew Lin Sen was a former doctor.

Of course, cooperation did not mean complete trust.

However, after a few treatments, Gundogan had no choice but to believe. The reason was simple: the conservative treatment recommended by the medical team made him feel uncomfortable on the training field, but after Lin Sen's intervention, he felt completely revitalized.

However, even after recovering, Gundogan did not return to the starting lineup.

In the match against Sevilla, Lin Sen still started Duda, and the left-sided Cesc Fàbregas took over Gundogan's position. In the league match, Gundogan could understand Lin Sen's choice. However, in the match against Mallorca, Gundogan did not get even a minute of playing time, which made him anxious.

He had to be anxious. In the four league matches he missed, Málaga seemed unaffected, with three wins and one draw. More importantly, Duda, who got the opportunity due to his absence, performed well, scoring one goal and providing one assist in four matches. Cesc Fàbregas, who took over his position, also effectively covered for his absence, with no obvious mistakes.

In such a situation, it was not surprising if Lin Sen continued to keep Gundogan on the bench.

So, when Lin Sen found Gundogan in the gym, the color of Gundogan's head surprised him a bit.

For nearly a week, Gundogan had been doing an extra half-hour of training in the gym after each team session to strengthen his back muscles, followed by Lin Sen's acupuncture treatment. When Lin Sen entered, Gundogan was about to greet him, but Lin Sen waved him off and found a piece of equipment to wait for Gundogan while he trained.

Ten minutes later, Gundogan finished his training, and Lin Sen began his treatment.

Before starting, Lin Sen noticed that Gundogan seemed to want to say something but held back. He smiled and asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"

Gundogan was surprised that his hesitation was noticed. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm not questioning your decision... Boss, but I want to know if I have a chance to play in the next match."

Lin Sen didn't care much about how the players addressed him. Whether they called him "Coach," "Boss," or "Boss," as long as they met his requirements, the title didn't matter. However, a change in title often represented a change in the relationship.

Most of the team members now called him "Boss," while before, except for Cesc Fàbregas, they mostly called him "Coach." This was in Spain. The change from "Coach" to "Boss" represented more than just recognition on the pitch.

Before, Gundogan had always called Lin Sen "Coach."

Gundogan's mindset was similar to Lin Sen's. He didn't think changing a title would make him more respectful to the coach, and his personality made him stick to the original title.

Of course, this did not mean he was rebellious. On the contrary, Gundogan was very satisfied with the current atmosphere in Málaga.

On the training ground, everyone's face was filled with smiles, even when they were being pushed to their limits by the coach. In the dressing room, there were no significant factions or conflicts among the players, and the initial gap between the new and old players had disappeared as they got to know each other. Before each match, the team was always full of confidence, and the pre-match dressing room was far from the oppressive atmosphere one might imagine.

Gundogan considered himself not as lively as Rondón, not as likable as Reus, and not as steady as Gabi. His introverted personality made him less noticeable on the training ground. He quietly completed the training tasks assigned by the coach and, in his free time, quietly watched his teammates joke around, occasionally smiling.

This atmosphere reminded Gundogan of the atmosphere when he was in the youth team, where there was no pressure, and playing football was purely for the dream.

But back then, the dream sustained this atmosphere. Now, what sustained this atmosphere?

Gundogan could only think of one answer.