Chapter 5: Just like Messi!
Chapter 5: Just like Messi!
On the training field, Rossell and Enrique were having a conversation.
"Guardiola has left, and next season Villanova will take over the team. However, Villanova's health isn't great, so he might not last long," Rossell said casually to the youth team coach Enrique.
It has been a tradition for Barcelona to promote talents and coaches from the youth academy. As the coach of Barcelona's youth team, Enrique had a great opportunity to become a coach of the senior team.
Upon hearing this, Enrique's eyes lit up, and he couldn't contain his excitement.
Barcelona is currently one of the best-performing and strongest clubs in football. For a young coach like him, being able to manage such a top-tier team is a dream come true.
Especially for a coach like him, with a strong Barcelona imprint, going to coach other teams may not necessarily yield good results.
Enrique had previously left Barcelona, but his coaching experience in Serie A wasn't successful. After a failed season with Roma, he was sacked and had to return to Barcelona.
Just as he returned, Guardiola resigned and left, which gave Enrique hope.
He learned that the club was planning to choose between him and Martino as the head coach.
Villanova was destined to be an interim coach and wouldn't stay as the head coach for long.
Therefore, all he had to do was defeat Martino, and the position of Barcelona's head coach would be his.
To win against Martino and gain the support of the club president was crucial.
"President, rest assured, I will fully cooperate with your work!" Enrique quickly responded, expressing his loyalty to Rossell.
For him, as long as he could spend a few years as the Barcelona head coach and achieve some notable results, he would have an impressive resume as a coach of a top club. This would greatly help him in his future job prospects.
If he could lead Barcelona to win the Champions League, he might even surpass Guardiola and become the new legendary young coach.
With these thoughts in mind, Enrique's gaze towards Rossell became eager.
"Well, very good, Luis. I knew I made the right choice with you!" Rossell nodded in satisfaction and casually said, "I heard there is a young player in the academy who has a close relationship with Guardiola. Is that true?"
Enrique quickly nodded and pointed to Luis, who was playing on the training field, and replied, "Yes, that young player wearing the number four jersey is Guardiola's protege!"
"Oh, I see," Rossell nodded lightly and ordered, "Since Guardiola is no longer with the club, we should get rid of players who are here because of their connections. Barcelona doesn't need such players!"
Enrique opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
Although he wanted to speak up for Luis, acknowledging his talent and the fact that he wasn't a player solely due to connections, he knew the club president didn't like him. More precisely, the president didn't like Guardiola, and since he had a foster father-son relationship with Guardiola, it was only natural for him to be affected.
"Yes, President, I know what to do!" Enrique nodded, understanding the situation.
Rossell also nodded, agreeing to handle the matter. "Handle it discreetly. I don't want people gossiping," he added, patting Enrique's shoulder before leaving.
Watching Rossell's departing figure, Enrique couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Just as Guardiola left, the club was already planning to send away his foster son.
If this matter were to spread, the consequences would be severe.
As the person responsible for handling this, if he didn't handle it well, he could end up taking the blame.
So, how could he fulfill the task assigned by the club president without facing criticism?
He quickly came up with a solution.
He would loan Luis to a weaker team, where he could play for the senior team. If Luis couldn't establish himself in the first team, Barcelona could terminate his contract.
In that case, no one could say anything. After all, if Luis couldn't even make it in a small team like that, how could he succeed in a top-tier club like Barcelona?
By doing so, even if he got rid of Luis, he wouldn't be blamed.
Pleased with his clever thinking, Enrique beckoned his assistant coach, Jordi Blanc, and said to him, "Blanc, where are the loan applications from other clubs?"
"They are in your office," Blanc replied.
"Alright, you stay here and keep an eye on things. I'll be back soon!" Enrique said and left.
As he turned away, Luis completed a brilliant breakthrough on the sideline.
Since he was placed in the substitute team, Luis was facing the defense lineup of the youth team's main players.
They had played together before, so the youth team players were well aware of Luis's characteristics.
His physical strength was not strong, and he lacked in terms of confrontation abilities.
Thus, when defending against him, they could aggressively press him, use their bodies to hinder his progress, and even steal the ball from him.
Normally, when faced with such defensive tactics, Luis would immediately pass the ball, minimizing his time on the ball and not giving the opponents a chance to physically confront him.
He was an organizing midfielder, relying on his excellent passing ability, awareness, and vision. As long as he had sufficient passing skills, good awareness, and a decent ability to intercept, he would be fine.
Expecting him to dribble like a winger was unrealistic.
However, today, when receiving a pass from his teammate, almost instinctively, he used the outside of his foot to push the ball to the outside while lowering his right shoulder, indicating his intention to break through from the right sideline.
Rafinha, who was defending against him, hesitated because this was a common move when wingers break through from the outside.
Was Luis trying to get past him?
He immediately stopped and moved laterally, intending to block Luis's path and force him out of the sideline.
But just as he made his move, Luis quickly controlled the ball, which was on his right foot. Because the ball was on his right side, Rafinha instinctively stretched his leg to intercept it.
However, he forgot that at that moment, his body was moving sideways, and as he lifted his right foot, his body twisted like a corkscrew, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Meanwhile, Luis successfully completed the breakthrough on the sideline.
Whoosh!
When Luis dribbled past Rafinha, all the players on the field, including the coaches on the sideline, were stunned.
They all had a thought in their minds: Why does Luis's playing style feel just like Messi's?