Chapter 82

**Preface: Thank you to the book friend Polangxing for the reward.**

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Lin Sen held a needle as fine as a hair in his hand, his gaze intently focused on the spot where he was about to insert it, as if carefully measuring the angle and force needed. He then said, "Don't talk," and began the acupuncture treatment. Jingduan, who received no response, remained motionless, lying face down with his head hanging low, showing no expression.

After a moment, Lin Sen finished the acupuncture and gently massaged his eyebrows, his eyes slightly closed.

Acupuncture is a technical skill, but in Lin Sen's hands, it became a test of precision and eye control. Normally, if he just wanted to observe the emotional colors of people, it was easy and had no side effects. However, once he needed to concentrate and see through things, it was like overusing his eyes, and the soreness was inevitable.

After massaging his eyebrows, he sat down beside Jingduan, who was silent, and smiled, saying, "You'll start in the next game."

Hearing Lin Sen's words, Jingduan seemed to want to lift his head, but as soon as he moved, Lin Sen pressed him down, reminding him that he still had needles in his back.

Seeing Jingduan calm down, Lin Sen stood up and added, "Also, the title doesn't matter. I still prefer you to call me Coach, which is just fine."

Like any profession, head coaches vary from person to person. In Lin Sen's view, the most successful coaches can be categorized into three types, each of which can be described by a different profession.

The first type is the military type, often referred to as iron-blooded coaches. The most outstanding representative of this type is the Italian coach Fabio Capello. Capello's coaching style is consistent with his tactical style; players are like chess pieces to him. As long as victory can be achieved, no piece is irreplaceable. When this type of coach reaches its peak, they become legendary coaches because they always win.

The second type is the scholar, represented by none other than the current Arsenal manager, "The Professor" Arsène Wenger. This type of coach usually places great emphasis on tactical cultivation, viewing each player as a student. There are no unqualified students, only unqualified teachers. Naturally, the pinnacle of this type of coach can only be described as legendary. Once they achieve success, they often establish a new school of thought.

The third type is more down-to-earth, the nanny. The representative figure is Sir Alex Ferguson, Wenger's arch-rival. For the old manager, his players are like his children. He is meticulous in his requirements for his players, both on and off the field. There is almost nothing he doesn't manage. This type of coach may seem relaxed, but only such a coach can become a great coach destined for greatness—the father of football.

Interestingly, the biggest difference among these three distinct types of coaches is not their tactical styles but how they treat their players.

Pieces, students, children.

Three different directions.

Therefore, Lin Sen originally did not want to answer Jingduan's question because he had already said that players can only compete for a starting position, not demand it. He did not want players to think about this issue outside the field. However, he finally answered Jingduan because he confirmed that he was not one of the three types of coaches, or rather, his personality determined that he could not become such a coach.

Lin Sen had thought about which type of coach he should strive to become, but in the end, he felt that none of the three types suited him. The first type easily offends people and often works hard without getting the desired results. The second type can easily become obsessed, leading to an inability to extricate themselves. The third type is simply not something an ordinary person can handle. Therefore, Lin Sen had to become a fourth type of coach.

An amateur coach in the eyes of many.

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After completing the treatment, Jingduan left the gym with a smile, and Lin Sen saw Tapia walk in.

"Is the treatment over?" Tapia asked. He knew about Jingduan's treatment and did not oppose it because he was aware of Lin Sen's other identity. Although he was curious, he was not worried about any problems.

"Yes. This is the last time." Lin Sen nodded while packing up his things. "How long did you wait outside?"

"About ten minutes. Your treatment method looks scary. I'd better stay away." Thinking about the first time he saw Lin Sen perform acupuncture, Tapia felt a chill run down his back.

"You'll know when you try it. It's not that scary." Lin Sen smiled.

"Absolutely not." Tapia waved his hands, then changed the subject. "Do you really plan to take Jingduan to Barcelona?"

"Of course." Lin Sen affirmed. "His status is no longer an issue, and we really need him against Barcelona."

"Do you plan to deal with Messi the same way you dealt with Aguero?" Hearing Lin Sen's words, Tapia quickly associated it with the match against Atletico Madrid.

"Why not?" Lin Sen did not deny it.

"But Barcelona is not Atletico Madrid. They have more than just Messi." Thinking about Barcelona's attack line, Tapia frowned.

Not just Tapia, but almost all La Liga teams felt this way about Barcelona. Whether it was Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Eto'o, or Messi, each one was a star who needed special attention.

"Don't worry. No matter how strong Barcelona is, they can only field eleven players." Lin Sen, having finished packing, walked over and patted Tapia on the shoulder, comforting him.

Tapia was at a loss.

Was this the emperor not being anxious while the eunuch was worried to death? Tapia couldn't help but think about the previous match against Real Madrid. It was only when he really needed to face Barcelona that he realized how terrifying the current Barcelona was. A rising Iguain could wreak havoc on Malaga's defense; what about Barcelona?

The confidence built on eight unbeaten matches, combined with blind trust in Lin Sen, made Tapia think he could be as fearless as the young players. But when it came to the real challenge, he realized he didn't have much hope for the trip to the Camp Nou. It wasn't that he didn't believe in his team or Lin Sen, but in football, sometimes it's a simple game of matching. With so many stars on the other side, tricks like the "Tian Ji's Horse" wouldn't work.

What was Barcelona's weakness? At least, Tapia couldn't think of any.

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The big match was approaching.

Before the game, unlike the small village temple of Malaga, Barcelona's media had already begun to cheer for the home team. This match was a great opportunity for Barcelona to surge in the standings. If Barcelona won at home against Malaga, regardless of whether Valencia, currently second, won or not, Barcelona would catch up to Malaga in points and definitely surpass them based on head-to-head results.

In interviews, Barcelona's players were brimming with confidence, and they had good reason to be. After a brief setback at the start of the season, Barcelona had won six consecutive matches, most of them by large margins. With the honeymoon period between Guardiola and the team, they couldn't think of any reason why Malaga could stop the current Barcelona.

Xavi: "I don't like Malaga's current style of play. It's not the direction of Spanish football. Regardless, we will give our all in the weekend's match."

Messi: "I respect Malaga, but we have the confidence to beat any opponent, including Malaga."

Henry: "This is the best Barcelona. I believe it will be a beautiful match."

...

In the face of Barcelona's aggressive stance, Lin Sen, who attended the pre-match press conference, appeared particularly relaxed. Even when answering a question from a reporter from the *Sport* about "what is beautiful football," he playfully mocked the concept of beautiful football.

"I know that playing defensive football in Spain is not easy, especially when it wins. However, I don't feel any discomfort. For me, beautiful football is very expensive. If one day my players can earn the same salary as Barcelona's players, I would be very happy to discuss beautiful football with you. For now, I'm sorry, we only choose the football that suits us."

The Catalan media, who had intended to provoke Lin Sen, felt like they were hitting a wall. They thought Lin Sen would flatter Barcelona's beautiful football like many other coaches, but instead, he brought up the salary issue. More importantly, Lin Sen was right. Not only did his players not earn the same salary, but even the combined salary of the entire Malaga team was not enough to pay one of Barcelona's top stars, let alone a privileged star like Messi.

Guardiola, who was also present, shook his head with a bitter smile. His media was good, but sometimes they were a bit too arrogant. Although Malaga was not a mortal enemy like Real Madrid, they were still the current opponent. Did they expect the opponent to praise their beautiful play? Especially after they had criticized the opponent's style through their players' mouths, wasn't this just asking for trouble?

However, Lin Sen's genuine relaxation left an impression on Guardiola, who was meeting him for the first time. After all, there were fewer and fewer coaches who could be so relaxed before a match against Barcelona.

Guardiola suddenly remembered Costa's evaluation and felt that this match would not be as simple as he thought.

However, he remained confident in winning.

This confidence came from his self-confidence, his confidence in the team, and his confidence in the La Masia football philosophy.

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*PS: The power was out all day, and I almost thought I would have to skip the update. I rushed to finish it, so it's a bit rough... please bear with me.*

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