Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: No Turning Back

For Mallorca fans, they didn't care whether the new head coach was a young man or the president's son. They only cared about one thing—that the team could turn things around under the leadership of the new head coach. For a team that had already suffered three consecutive losses and gone eight games without a win, nothing could lift morale more than a solid, genuine victory.

Rayo Vallecano arrived on the island of Mallorca with high spirits. For this newly promoted La Liga team, the season had been nothing short of a dream. Under the leadership of head coach Vasquez, the team had stayed in first place on the standings for the first ten rounds of the season. This also boosted the morale of the entire team, especially since Rayo Vallecano was the only team in Spain led by a female president. Teresa Ribero, president of Rayo Vallecano, was the only female president in all of La Liga and the top five European leagues.

Teresa herself was an extremely legendary figure. Originally, Rayo Vallecano was the property of her husband, Matheos. However, in 1992, Spain went through a financial crisis, and Matheos was forced to resign due to poor management. With no knowledge of football, Teresa stepped into the role of president. When she took over in 1994, Teresa was already 59 years old, and the club was in dire financial straits. However, with her strong leadership, she managed to save the club from the brink of bankruptcy and guide them back into La Liga.

At first, the "women-run team" was ridiculed by everyone. However, Teresa persevered, and after last season's promotion back to the top flight, this season's performance had been exceptional. It not only made Rayo Vallecano proud but also gave Spanish women a sense of pride—so much so that Rayo Vallecano almost became the most popular club among women in all of Spain, something Teresa hadn't anticipated.

Alemani still had great admiration for this female colleague, who was older than him by more than a decade. So when Teresa arrived at the VIP box at the Son Moix stadium, Alemani greeted her with elegance.

"Mrs. Teresa, I hope today's match is a pleasant one!" Alemani smiled and gave a slight bow to Teresa.

"Let's hope so, Mr. Alemani," Teresa replied with a smile. "This season, our luck has been quite good... By the way, I hear that Mallorca's new head coach is your son? Quite a young talent, it seems."

"Well, yes. I'm always proud of my son. Actually, at the end of last season, Antonio was already planning to have him take over Cooper's position. But he felt he needed more experience, so he turned it down! Now, with Mallorca in trouble, as a Mallorcan, it's only natural he steps up to help. He's told me, though, that he's just here to temporarily save the team. If he can help us avoid relegation this season, he'll return to the youth team where he belongs!" Alemani chuckled.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Teresa's eyes. Alemani's response was quite subtle—first, it made it clear that José's appointment wasn't due to his father's position, and it subtly pointed out that José just wanted to help Mallorca...

"Well, let me see if young José can surprise us with his performance!" Teresa said with a smile.

Alemani chuckled warmly, looking as kind as a Buddha.

Rayo Vallecano's success this season, as a newly promoted team, was not only due to the coaching skills of Vasquez, who had built an impressive team that played as a unit, but also because of the performance of the midfield star, Luis Sembranos. The player, who had just been called up to the Spanish national team for the first time, was a surprising talent. Originally from Barcelona's youth academy, he had never been able to secure a starting spot at Barcelona, but after transferring to Rayo Vallecano, he had been reborn. This Swiss-born, Spain-raised player, who was in the same batch as Guardiola at Barcelona, was the heart of Rayo Vallecano's midfield and the soul of their attack. Although Rayo's goals were spread across many players, most of the attacks were initiated by him.

José's adjustments to the starting lineup were specifically aimed at countering this.

In Mallorca's starting eleven, five players were over thirty years old. Among them, Nadal, Miguel Soler, and Ngonga were all around thirty-five, making it an undeniably aging team. Facing a Rayo Vallecano team made up mostly of younger players was certainly not ideal, but the experience of these older players was what José needed to rely on now.

The tactic was simple: tighten up the defense, avoid Rayo's strong central defense, and use Stankovic and Ibagaça—two players with good technical skills and speed—to attack from the wings. Then, they would utilize Tristan's strength in the penalty area. Simple tactics, but with clear intent.

Rayo's strength lay in their movement off the ball. While they were the team with the most headed goals in La Liga this season, their defensive height was relatively average, and the youthful energy of the team made them prone to overconfidence. José's tactics were designed to exploit these weaknesses.

Of course, whether these tactics would work depended on the players' on-field performance.

"This is my first match as a coach. I don't want to say how important this match is, because, after all, no matter how important it is, it's still about me personally... But I have to say, this match is incredibly important for the entire Mallorca club!" José said, turning and pulling down a roll of paper that had been pre-prepared and hung on the wall in the locker room. The true face of the paper was now revealed to all the players.

When the Mallorca players entered the locker room, they had noticed the paper but weren't sure what it was...

It wasn't some secret weapon, just a league standings table that José had asked the club staff to make.

"Mallorca, 20th in La Liga, 12 points."

José took a pen and circled the name "Mallorca" at the bottom of the table.

A few Mallorca players immediately felt their faces burn. This summer, there had been changes to the squad, but not too many. Most of the players were from last season's squad, who had experienced the excitement of finishing third in the league... and now, to be facing a season filled with continuous losses—it was like night and day!

"Sevilla, 19th in La Liga, 18 points."

"Numancia, 18th in La Liga, 24 points."

"Real Betis, 17th in La Liga, 26 points."

"Atlético Madrid, 16th in La Liga, 27 points."

"These are the teams we need to catch up to. There are still 18 rounds left in the league, and these teams are our targets. If we defeat them and step over them, we can achieve our most basic goal—survival and securing our place in La Liga!" José said, raising his fist.

"We are an island team, a mid-table team. Our most immediate goal is to survive, to earn the right to stay in La Liga! Today's opponent is Rayo Vallecano! A newly promoted team! Their goal is also survival! But they've almost achieved that already. As for European competition, that's just a bonus for them. But we're fighting for survival! What could be more motivating than that? Nothing! Our strength is absolutely not worse than this newly promoted team, and right now, our determination and desire exceed theirs. And it's our home ground... I don't think there's anything that could give us more confidence in winning... Here, I'll say this: despite it being my first game as head coach, if we don't win today, I'll immediately leave my position and go back to coach the youth team! Because if we can't win under these favorable conditions, then I'll have no right to lead any team to victory!" José's words... were nothing short of crazy!

Although it was just said in the locker room, with so many people around, there was no turning back. If they didn't win this match, José might really have to return to the youth team, because if he didn't fulfill his promise, no one in the football world would ever trust him again!

Yet José said it boldly and decisively—there was no room for doubt!

The words struck different chords in the ears of Mallorca's players.

"This guy is crazy... but he's got guts!" Nadal and Ngonga, the two oldest players, thought.

"Our coach really means it... This match, I must score and make sure he stays!" Tristan, a more straightforward thinker, thought similarly. So did goalkeeper Franco. Both were considered José's direct disciples, coming from the youth team.

Others had different thoughts, but they all shared one thing in common: this young head coach didn't seem as kind-hearted as he appeared. When someone is tough on themselves and leaves no escape route, they're usually not too gentle with others!

"That's the way it is... Now, let's go. I have only one request: follow the tactics I've laid out and give your all on the field. If you can't do that, I'll substitute you. As the new head coach, I don't believe in starters and substitutes... Now, let's go!" José waved his hand.

Mallorca's players clapped in unison, then walked out one by one. Tristan stayed behind and gave José a firm nod after everyone else had left. "Coach, I'll score today! I won't let you return to the youth team!"

José smiled happily, patted Tristan on the back. "Go ahead, Diego... Do you remember when we fought in the youth team?"

Tristan felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head. "Coach, you still remember that? But you actually won... I still haven't forgiven you for that!"

"Is that so? You really gave me a tough time back then... Use that energy to play today, and you'll score... Go ahead, Diego!" José patted Tristan's back and pushed him out of the locker room.