Chapter 91

Lin Sen once again made the headlines in the media.

This time, the headline was not about the local media in Malaga, for if it were, Lin Sen's presence in the headlines would never stop. After all, this was already the eighth victory in ten matches for Malaga, an unprecedented feat in this small place that held little significance in the Spanish football landscape. As the local newspaper put it, Lin Sen was creating a miracle. Now, Lin Sen had become a well-known figure in Malaga, known to every household.

Lin Sen's first real headline of the season appeared in Marca, when Malaga was on a seven-game winning streak, and Lin Sen had just been named the best coach of September by the Spanish Football Association. The second headline came the previous week when he appeared on the front page of the Sports Daily as a "reckless rogue," with a "head-up" photo almost taking up half the page. This time, it could be considered the third headline, albeit a minor one, as it appeared in the Free Press, which had a much smaller circulation than Marca.

"Winning at home against Valencia, Malaga has for the first time instilled a sense of fear. When this Chinese coach, whom Atletico Madrid did not want, arrived in Malaga, no one expected him to achieve anything here. Some even predicted that he could not lead Malaga to safety. When Lin Sen avenged himself at the Calderon, some thought it was just luck. When Malaga defeated Real Madrid at home with a thrilling score, some said it was due to Real Madrid's underestimation. When Lin Sen led Malaga to seven consecutive victories, some still said it was because of Malaga's favorable schedule. Losing to Barcelona seemed to prove this point, but now, Malaga has defeated Valencia again, ending their nine-game unbeaten run.

What should we say this time? There's nothing to say.

Because after Valencia, we suddenly realize: Malaga has almost passed their toughest period. In the past ten matches, their opponents included Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla... and Lin Sen's answer is eight wins in ten matches!

Although a phrase has been mentioned more than once this season, we still have to ask again: Atletico Madrid, do you regret it?"

The one who could praise Lin Sen and Malaga so wholeheartedly could only be Luo De.

Does Atletico Madrid regret it? Of course, no one would really answer Luo De, but he knew that Bal, a die-hard Atletico fan who had always looked down on Lin Sen, now avoided mentioning his name. Avoiding the name, isn't that another form of being unable to let go?

Is what you have the best?

Guardiola is a positive example. As a player, he was a symbol of Barcelona, and as a coach, he is becoming a legendary figure of Barcelona. Unfortunately, Atletico Madrid is not Barcelona, and Xerez is not Guardiola. In ten matches, Xerez has already lost half, including a humiliating 1-6 defeat to Barcelona. But Xerez is still holding on, and the Atletico hierarchy is still enduring. However, the Atletico fans are beginning to lose patience... They are starting to miss Lin Sen, who has undoubtedly achieved success in Malaga, and even Aguirre is being reconsidered.

You only know the value of something when you lose it. This saying is not always true. It should be: You only know the value of something when you start to suffer after losing it.

---

It wasn't just Lin Sen who was in the spotlight. In fact, there was someone in the Malaga team who was even more prominent.

This person was Robert Lewandowski, who had just completed a hat-trick.

Compared to the various intangible praises, the significant increase in Lewandowski's value on the famous German website Transfermarkt was more eye-catching. His latest valuation is 8 million euros. This may not seem like a huge number, but considering that the Pole's transfer fee to Malaga was only 400,000 euros, this means that in just a few months, Lewandowski's value has increased twentyfold.

Notably, in the latest list of the top ten players with the fastest rising values on the website, Malaga alone occupied four spots. Besides Lewandowski, the other three were Gabi, Reus, and Gundogan.

Gabi: 2 million euros at the start of the season, now 6 million euros.

Reus: No value at the start of the season, now 2 million euros.

Gundogan: No value at the start of the season, now 2.2 million euros.

The surge in player values has also made Malaga the team with the fastest overall value increase in all of Europe, without a doubt.

---

The significant increase in Malaga's value did not change Lin Sen much. He remained the same, sharp and unyielding in public, seemingly unafraid to face the world alone. But when he returned to his private life, he seemed to become a recluse, indifferent to the outside world and the troubles he had brought to it.

Malaga's tough schedule was not over yet. Lin Sen still had one more opponent, and an old one at that, Pellegrini. However, before facing the Engineer, Lin Sen encountered the same problem again: the Copa del Rey. Three days later, on November 13th, Malaga would travel to Mallorca for the second leg of the Copa del Rey.

In the first leg against Mallorca, Malaga lost 1-2, giving the opponent two away goals. This meant that if Malaga did not want to give up on the Copa del Rey, they had to win by at least two goals at the Estadi de Son Moix.

Unlike the last time, this time, after defeating Valencia, Malaga's morale was high. Lin Sen did not want the team's morale to be affected by an early exit from the Copa del Rey, so he issued a must-win order.

Thus, in the midweek Copa del Rey match, Mansano, who had expected Malaga to give up on the Copa del Rey, was surprised to find that he was facing a team almost identical to the one that had played against Valencia three days earlier.

Lin Sen made only a minor adjustment to the starting lineup: Gabi, who was suspended against Valencia, returned, and Gundogan rested.

From the start, Malaga, who played a completely different style compared to the previous match, gave Mallorca a tough time. The in-form Lewandowski reenacted his second-half performance against Valencia, scoring with a spectacular volley just three minutes into the game, setting the tone for the match.

In the 31st minute, Reus broke through on the left flank. The German, who had become a fan favorite in Malaga, selflessly passed the ball to Duda, who was following up on the other side, and the Portuguese scored an easy goal. By halftime, Malaga had already put the pressure of advancing on Mallorca.

In the second half, with no pressure to score, Malaga played more freely, while Mallorca, who had suddenly switched roles with Malaga, lost their composure. Mansano's substitution of three players in five minutes did not change the outcome. In the end, Malaga won 2-0 away, advancing to the Copa del Rey round of 16 with a 3-2 aggregate score.

After the match, Mansano's disappointment was evident: "I don't know what magic Lin used. This Malaga is completely different from the one two weeks ago."

Lin Sen secretly smiled: "Of course, they are different. The last time, Malaga was just putting on a show, a poor man pretending to be rich. This time, it's the real deal, a wolf in sheep's clothing. How could they be the same?"

Successfully advancing in the Copa del Rey was not what made Lin Sen the happiest. What made him the happiest was the consistent performance of the new central defensive partnership of Bonucci and Ranocchia. Although they were not yet outstanding, they had improved significantly from their first appearance. If this partnership could maintain this level, it would be difficult for Rosario, who had not yet secured a new contract from the club, to return to the starting lineup.

Besides Bonucci and Ranocchia, Reus's improvement also delighted Lin Sen. The young man seemed to be adapting better to the starting role. Initially, he could only last half a game, but in this match, he only showed signs of fatigue after 70 minutes. For Lin Sen, this was a positive sign. Once Reus could start, he would transform from a special weapon to a regular one, making Malaga's attacking options more diverse. Additionally, it would free up Gundogan.

In Lin Sen's mind, the best central midfield partnership was not the current Gabi and Apoño, but Gabi and Gundogan. Apoño, Gabi's current partner, was somewhat a "weaker version" of Gabi, willing to participate in defense but lacking in attack, especially in the crucial transition phase. In contrast, Gundogan, with his superior vision and passing, was a better fit. However, since Reus was not yet ready to start and Isco was still far from mature, Gundogan had been playing as a playmaker.

After defeating Mallorca, Lin Sen could not rest, as three days later, the final leg of the tough schedule awaited: Villarreal.