Chapter 62: What Kind of Team Is This?

For Arsenal, Mallorca's performance in this match was truly a surprise, and for the fans in the stands, it was also a "surprise"—though, in quotation marks...

In one of the private boxes on the neutral side of the park stadium, a young gentleman couldn't help but yawn. Though this action was quite impolite in a public setting, his group of young companions shared similar looks of boredom.

Most of them came from the Danish royal family. Some enjoyed sports, but most weren't football fans. They had been invited to watch the UEFA Cup final held in Copenhagen, an event that was a significant occasion for Denmark. Initially, they thought this important match would be exciting, full of twists and turns... but after watching for just a few minutes, they were disappointed to find it—well, boring.

Yes, boring. Extremely boring.

From the very first minute, Mallorca set up a tight defense. No one had expected that in such a final, José would deploy such an extreme defensive strategy right from the start!

Although the trend in football was for both teams to play conservatively in important matches, this was pushing it too far...

"Oh, this is such a dull football match," someone sighed, and soon, a chorus of agreement echoed from the royal family members around him.

The match commentators were aware that finals often turned out to be dull, but they had their own question—how long could Mallorca maintain this extreme defensive approach? Twenty minutes? The first half? Ninety minutes? Or even one hundred and twenty minutes?

It seemed unlikely... no player could avoid making a mistake, and no matter how strong the defense, a single mistake could ruin all the efforts of the game.

José knew this very well. However, he had no other choice. If he were to face Arsenal head-on, both individually and as a team, they would be completely outclassed. The only chance he had was to adopt this extreme strategy, which gave him the best opportunity to win.

No matter how others criticized, José was set on the path he'd chosen. He knew that if they won, everything would be fine. But if they lost, his tactics would likely be heavily criticized.

"Overmars has switched to the left, he's broken through Oleso's defense and crosses it! Oh, what a shame! Henry got to the ball first, but his shot is over the bar! Henry has already scored seven goals in this season's UEFA Cup, second only to Kovacevic from Juventus, who has ten goals. He's practically guaranteed to win the best scorer award for the season, though Juventus is no longer in contention for the UEFA Cup..."

A sigh of disappointment swept through the Arsenal fans in the stands. This was Arsenal's second threatening shot. The first was a shot by Bergkamp inside the box, blocked calmly by Nadal. This time, the attempt from Henry didn't even force Franco into making a save.

Ten minutes, and Arsenal had only two shots on goal. So far, Mallorca's defense had been successful.

Wenger stood with his hands in his pockets, silent, watching the match unfold. He didn't make any adjustments—partly because it was still early, and partly because Mallorca's defense had essentially conceded the midfield, allowing Arsenal to build up pressure. Wenger believed breaking down Mallorca's defense wouldn't be difficult.

Wenger was confident that no team could defend perfectly for an entire match without leaving a gap. As soon as a gap appeared, Arsenal would take their chance. Once they scored the first goal, the match would fall under Arsenal's control!

However, as the game progressed, everyone started noticing that Mallorca's defense, despite Arsenal's intense attack, wasn't showing any cracks. Instead, it seemed to grow even stronger.

Arsenal's corner kick was cleared by Nino with a header. After that, Stankovic collected the ball and sent it long, cutting Arsenal's attack short.

But Arsenal quickly regrouped and launched another wave of attacks. Without enough attacking players, Mallorca found it hard to counter. Though Tristan managed to get the first touch on a header from Dixon, Eto'o was quickly trapped by Petit and Winterburn in a double-team, losing possession.

A break in the midfield should have been a good chance to attack. But as Vieira picked up the ball, he looked at the sea of red shirts in front of him, clearly frustrated. In the previous attack, only two forwards from Mallorca had advanced, while the rest stayed back. He still faced a wall of eight defenders and one goalkeeper.

This was José's way of halting Arsenal's attacks—what you could call a "wall."

The first line of defense was the two forwards. Tristan and Eto'o were the only players able to participate in attacks, but they also formed the first line of defense. They were responsible for harassing Arsenal's ball control outside the central circle and thirty meters from the goal. Even if they couldn't win the ball, they had to disrupt Arsenal's possession.

Once the ball entered the 30-meter zone, they were met by the two defensive midfielders, Soler and N'Gonga, both of whom were known for their excellent running ability despite their age. Their task was to patrol the area in front of the penalty box.

On the wings, Stankovic and Ibagasa provided support, filling in the center when needed, and the four main defenders remained immovable, standing firm in the penalty area, blocking every Arsenal attack.

The defensive line never pushed up, never set offside traps. If you attempted a long shot, they closed you down—after all, they weren't worried about you breaking through. The penalty area was packed with defenders. Even Maradona would get dizzy if he entered. No matter how you tried to break through on the wings, it was either intercepted or fouled. In the penalty area, there were four or five defenders—could this defense last for ninety minutes? No! At least one hundred and twenty minutes, easily! A coach who plays with a "park the bus" strategy isn't concerned about an extra thirty minutes!

José had drawn inspiration for this strategy from the internet series he watched in his past life. In the show "The Champion's Godfather," the main character, Tony Dunn, used a similar extreme defensive strategy to win his first championship. Now, José hoped to do the same.

Though the difference between reality and fiction was vast, José knew that his Mallorca team was stronger and more defensively solid than the Nottingham Forest team in the show.

After two years of coaching by Cooper, this team had what it took.

With sufficient depth in strategy, fit defenders, relentless pressing, and a crowded penalty area, this defense could minimize the chances of any mishap.

Long shots? There's interference, blocking in the box, and a final goalkeeper. Breakthroughs? Four defenders will stop you. Crosses? Mallorca had height and numbers on their side...

By shutting down these factors, Mallorca could cut off the opponent's attack at its source.

As for short passes and penetrations? As soon as an Arsenal player entered the 30-meter zone, Mallorca would have someone there to cover him, and with the collective retreat, Mallorca had plenty of manpower. In this setup, short passes became a joke.

And Mallorca wasn't a team to shy away from rough tactics. Their defenders and midfielders were no strangers to using sneaky tricks—pushing, elbowing, or even subtly fouling during close marking...

With such a defense, Arsenal's attacks began to stall after fifteen minutes. This wide-ranging tactical shift drained Arsenal's energy, while Mallorca's defense was unsettling for the English side, who were used to a more straightforward approach.

This was almost the style of Italian Serie A teams, completely different from typical English or Spanish defenses.

This kind of defense was difficult for Arsenal to break through.

As Arsenal's attack stalled for a moment, Mallorca tried several counterattacks. But these were a bit comical, as Mallorca's midfielders didn't participate in the attacks—only the two forwards were involved.

Still, these counterattacks did create a few opportunities.

In the 27th minute, Eto'o broke through on the right and sent a ball into the box. Tristan, using his body to shield Adams, took a shot with a quick turn!

Adams blocked just a moment too late, but unfortunately, Tristan's shot went over the crossbar, not even close to the goal...

Mallorca's fans sighed, then gave a round of applause.

Arsenal's fans jeered—"How dare you applaud? Look at your team! What are they even doing?"

At the same time, Arsenal fans were confused—"What kind of team is this? What kind of fans are these?"

Some Mallorca fans were laughing, remembering how conservative Coach Cooper was just two years ago. Now, it seemed this defensive approach was actually getting them fired up!

Arsenal's fans, on the other hand, just couldn't believe what they were seeing.