Chapter 54: The Trouble of Fame

What Mourinho never anticipated was that José's tactics in this match were actually a subtle imitation of Mourinho's later defensive counter-attacking strategy with Inter Milan. It was a style that sacrificed possession, played mostly on the ground, and used small-area combinations between players to create scoring opportunities. At the back, it relied on tight defense and coordination to neutralize the opposition. Although this Mallorca team certainly wasn't as strong as Mourinho's treble-winning Inter, today's Barcelona also couldn't compare to the dream-team Barcelona of the past.

In defense, this Mallorca side performed even better than Mourinho's Inter. The fact that José didn't stress over the result of the match meant he could approach it with a more relaxed mindset, and combined with Barcelona's impatience, the outcome was truly extraordinary.

José raised three fingers to signal that he intended to take all three points from the Camp Nou. However, he didn't anticipate that just two minutes after he made this flashy gesture, Mallorca would score again.

Barcelona's next attack posed little threat, and the shock of conceding a second goal left the players momentarily stunned. Eto'o seized the ball and began a reckless sprint toward Barcelona's half.

This action completely angered Barcelona's players, and Reiziger, almost like a man on a mission, chased him down, eventually fouling Eto'o near the sideline. In the process, he earned a yellow card and also gave Mallorca a prime opportunity with a free kick in their attacking half.

Without needing José's instructions, Mallorca's two central defenders surged into Barcelona's penalty box. Barcelona's defense began to tense up. While their average height wasn't particularly short, most of their tall players, like Rivaldo and Kluivert, were in the attack. The tallest defenders and holding midfielders barely measured above 1.80 meters.

Faced with players like Nadal (1.88m), Nino (1.86m), and Tristan (1.87m), Barcelona's defenders felt the pressure.

"Mallorca's free kick… after taking a two-goal lead, they've earned another one. The momentum is clearly with them. It's truly surprising. While they've already mostly escaped relegation, leading Barcelona by two goals at Camp Nou is no easy feat. Let's see what happens with this one… N'Gonga takes the kick, sending it into the penalty area. It's crowded in there! Nadal, under de Boer's pressure, can't leap high enough. Nino and Koku collide and neither can reach the ball. The far post... Diego? Tristan!"

As the commentator yelled, Tristan rose high in the air at the far post, using his body to knock aside the defender Avellado and, with a powerful flick of his head, sent the ball toward goal.

The ball flew past Heisler before he could even react, landing in the net.

As Tristan landed, he stumbled a bit before opening his arms and letting out a triumphant roar.

Just like Eto'o, Tristan also longed to score at a prestigious venue like Camp Nou to prove his worth. Now, after Eto'o had already scored twice, Tristan added a goal of his own—his sixteenth of the league season. For a striker playing in La Liga for the first time, this number was nothing short of astonishing.

This season, he had scored against teams like Deportivo La Coruña, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Valencia, as well as middle-tier clubs, proving that Diego Tristan was indeed an exceptional striker.

At 24, Tristan, having matured late, was finally making a name for himself in La Liga.

"What a great center forward, especially the way he displayed dominance on the field…"

Countless people must have thought this to themselves.

And as they remembered José raising three fingers just two minutes ago, most people were left wondering—did this young coach José predict another goal, which is why he raised three fingers in anticipation of victory?

Could it be...?

José was stunned. His original intention was simply to show that he intended to take all three points home, but by sheer coincidence, the moment he raised three fingers, Mallorca scored their third goal.

But José quickly regained his composure. Whether it was a coincidence or not, at this point, he decided it was better to play it cool, leaving a deep and mysterious impression on everyone around him—it could only benefit him in the long run.

Mallorca's third goal had completely demoralized Barcelona's players. Facing a Mallorca team that already had six or seven players back in their own box before Barcelona even kicked off, Barcelona's players felt deflated.

For the next ten or so minutes, despite numerous attacks, Barcelona's offense seemed ineffective, as they feared another counterattack would result in another goal. Though losing 3-0 was embarrassing enough, losing 4-0 would be even worse.

Van Gaal made no adjustments, fully accepting that his team would fall behind Deportivo La Coruña by five points in the league.

At this point, Van Gaal began to wonder if he should focus solely on the Champions League, leaving the league title behind. After all, catching up by six points with only six matches left was nearly impossible. The Champions League, however, still offered hope, one match at a time.

José, watching Barcelona's diminished offensive effort, sighed in mild disappointment. He had hoped to use Barcelona's struggles as an opportunity to further develop his team, but it seemed there wouldn't be much chance for that now.

Still, the fact that Mallorca had managed to make Barcelona lose confidence at Camp Nou was something José could be proud of.

The remainder of the match played out, and José remained seated in the dugout, not bothering with substitutions. There was no need to at this point.

"In today's unexpected turn of events, Mallorca achieved a stunning 3-0 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou in the 32nd round of La Liga! This was Barcelona's heaviest home loss of the season, and ironically, it was inflicted by a Mallorca team that had only just escaped relegation. Since José took over, Mallorca has undergone a dramatic transformation. Not only is relegation no longer a concern, but they're also making waves in the UEFA Cup! The youngest coach in La Liga, José, is currently the talk of the town!"

After the match, media outlets focused heavily on Mallorca's 3-0 victory at Camp Nou. While it wasn't Mallorca's first win over Barcelona, the manner in which they triumphed—away from home, in such dominant fashion—was legendary.

The last time Mallorca defeated Barcelona for the Spanish Super Cup under Cooper's guidance, people might have claimed it was just a fluke. But this time, the 3-0 result was undeniable.

Mallorca's fans greeted their returning heroes with the kind of celebration usually reserved for legends, and José was showered with praise. Mallorca's fans were easily pleased; a couple of good victories were enough to keep them satisfied.

The Barcelona-supporting Marca and Sport newspapers fiercely criticized Van Gaal's reliance on Dutch players, especially when it was revealed that seven of Barcelona's starting players were Dutch, while only four were Spanish.

Meanwhile, Madrid-supporting Marca and AS newspapers took every opportunity to undermine Barcelona, happily noting Eto'o's two goals and triumphantly pointing out that even a player discarded by Real Madrid could score twice at Camp Nou.

With all the media attention, interview requests for José started piling up. But José, not wanting to be in the spotlight just yet, refused all interview invitations. He knew that having too much fame at this stage could hurt his future ambitions, especially regarding the potential acquisition of Mallorca.

Once he truly controlled the club, that would be the time for José to make his name known to the world.

In the meantime, the tabloids turned to sensational headlines in a bid to fill their pages.

"José took a walk to Mallorca's only Chinese restaurant today; apparently, he's a regular there."

"A staff member at the restaurant revealed that José's favorite dish is braised lion's head."

"José had a mysterious visitor at home today, and it turns out he was just the delivery guy."

"José doesn't visit nightclubs; does this mean the youngest coach in La Liga has a peculiar sexual orientation?"

...

Such ridiculous and meaningless stories began appearing on the front pages, annoying both readers and José.

"Damn it, calling me gay? What kind of trash magazine is this? I'll remember this…" José threw the paper down and cursed loudly in his living room.

Though José was irritated, he couldn't do much about it. These meaningless tabloid stories didn't hurt him, just disgusted him.

For now, he had no time to deal with the gossip. Mallorca had no matches for the next week, so he could focus on preparing for their upcoming away match against Leeds United.

With this win over Barcelona, Mallorca had extended their lead over the relegation zone to eight points. With only six rounds remaining, their survival was virtually guaranteed. They had climbed to 14th place in the league. While a European spot remained out of reach, avoiding relegation was no longer a worry.

"Leeds away… seems like another good chance to test our defense," José mused, stroking his chin.