I Am Jose-Chapter 186 - : What Does the National Team Need?

"In the first half, Mallorca secured a two-goal lead at home, with both goals coming from the same player. Cameroonian forward Samuel Eto'o, who had struggled this season, finally ended his five-match goal drought in the last round and is now back in form. His two goals have put Mallorca ahead 2-0! Mallorca seems to have regained their momentum, having defeated two consecutive third-placed teams. Will Celta be the next to fall?"

"Luke has been in astonishing form, setting a record for the longest consecutive scoring streak in La Liga over the past decade with goals in 12 straight matches. Now, with Eto'o rediscovering his touch, Mallorca's chances in the second half of the season have significantly improved. This is undoubtedly great news for Mallorca, as they no longer have to worry about Luke's form cooling off. But for their opponents, this is an absolute nightmare..."

"The World Cup is just over five months away, and national team coaches must be keeping a close eye on Mallorca's matches. Spain's head coach Camacho, Brazil's Scolari, Argentina's Bielsa... Luke, Capdevila, Rufete, and even Nadal all have a chance to be called up for Spain's 2002 World Cup squad. Engonga is less likely due to his age. Ronaldinho, on the other hand, is making a strong case for Brazil with his increasingly mature performances in La Liga. Scolari will have a tough decision to make, given Brazil's wealth of attacking talent—Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and the veteran Romário, whose contributions were crucial in Brazil's bumpy qualification campaign. Another Brazilian at Mallorca, Motta, has also performed well, but Brazil doesn't lack attacking players; they need strong defensive midfielders in the post-Dunga era. Besides, Emerson is already established as Brazil's starting defensive midfielder.

"Although there are fewer Argentine players at Mallorca now, goalkeeper Franco's solid performances have put him on Bielsa's radar. This match against Celta is also a showdown between Argentina's top goalkeepers—Caballero, currently Argentina's starting keeper, is competing with Bonano for the number one spot, but Franco has shown he has the ability to guard the net for the Albiceleste.

"Beyond Spain, Brazil, and Argentina, national coaches from Uruguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Paraguay are also watching Mallorca closely. Players like García, Van Buyten, Eto'o, George, and Gamarra are all national team regulars. Mallorca is a completely different team compared to a year ago. Under José's management, the squad has transformed from a team dominated by Spanish and Argentine players into a true multinational unit. While the number of Spaniards has decreased, their quality has improved. Never before has Mallorca had four players capable of making Spain's national team!"

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As the second half was about to begin, the players took the field—but something was off.

"Where is Luke? Was he subbed off?"

"No, Mallorca only has ten players on the field. José hasn't come out either. Did something happen in the locker room?"

The commentators, initially analyzing the first half, suddenly became excited. A locker room incident? That was the kind of drama everyone loved.

"Could it be that José was criticizing Luke for his performance in the first half? And even during halftime, it wasn't enough? That would be incredibly harsh!"

Just as speculation was running wild, José and Luke emerged from the tunnel, crushing all the rumors. José was speaking to Luke, who nodded attentively, looking like a student receiving valuable guidance from his mentor.

Some viewers were visibly disappointed.

"Oh... it seems José was simply giving Luke tactical instructions. We've heard that despite his young age, Mallorca's head coach José is a textbook 'academic' coach. He completed his professional coaching courses in just three years and then studied under Cúper. This kind of meticulous tactical planning is typical of Italian-style coaching."

After exiting the tunnel, José patted Luke on the shoulder and sent him onto the pitch before returning to his own spot on the sideline.

The second half kicked off.

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Celta immediately launched an aggressive attack, desperate to pull one goal back. A two-goal deficit was bad, but three goals down would be disastrous. Scoring once could shift the pressure onto Mallorca instead.

Catanha was particularly active. The Brazilian-born striker, who had obtained Spanish nationality, had been a prolific scorer for the past two seasons. Two years ago, he netted 24 league goals for Málaga. After transferring to Celta last season, he added another 16. This season, he had already scored 11 goals, keeping pace with forwards worth tens of millions.

Switching national teams wasn't unusual—Brazil had an abundance of attacking talent. Even top-tier strikers like Élber struggled to get a starting spot in the Brazilian national team, let alone Catanha. Every player dreams of playing in the World Cup, and after obtaining Spanish nationality last year, Catanha did manage to earn a few caps for Spain. However, he hadn't scored yet and remained a fringe player.

Catanha saw Luke as a direct competitor. Watching Luke's red-hot form must have made him anxious—after all, he switched nationalities to play in the World Cup. If he didn't make the final squad, it would be a crushing disappointment. It would be like Karl Malone leaving the Jazz, joining the Lakers on a minimum contract just to win a championship ring, only to get dominated by the blue-collar Pistons. A gamble for glory that ultimately failed.

Determined to prove himself in front of Spain's head coach Camacho—who was watching from the stands—Catanha pushed even harder in this game. He was a classic Brazilian forward: not tall, but technically gifted and quick. He continuously tried to break through Mallorca's defense.

However, Mallorca's center-back duo of Nadal and Van Buyten had excellent chemistry. Van Buyten was aggressive, while Nadal was steady. Catanha could dribble past Van Buyten, only to be intercepted by the ever-aware Nadal.

Watching from the stands, Camacho shook his head. If he wanted a pacey forward, he already had plenty of options—Munitis, for example. Luke, on the other hand, was the type of player he preferred. Even though Luke hadn't scored, he was constantly moving in attack, linking midfield and forward play. That was the kind of contribution Camacho valued.

Celta's attack relied on quick interchanges. Their three forwards were all agile players, and frequent positional switches were their main strength. After Catanha's solo attempts failed, Celta's coach shouted instructions from the sidelines, urging them to play more fluidly.

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As Celta's attack found its rhythm, they started creating more threats. The constant movement of their forwards began to trouble Mallorca's defense, but Nadal's composed interventions kept them at bay.

"Nadal might be aging, but his experience is still invaluable," Camacho thought.

Camacho was here to scout potential national team backups. With Spain's starting lineup mostly set—Raúl was a guaranteed starter, likely paired with Morientes or Tristán up front—he needed solid squad players. In midfield, despite Mendieta's struggles at Lazio, he was still in the mix. Young talents like Joaquín and Baraja were also in contention. The defense featured Real Madrid's Hierro, Helguera, and Salgado, with the versatile Puyol likely slotting in at left-back. Goalkeeper spots were occupied by Cañizares and Casillas.

With the core team already determined, Camacho wasn't looking for stars—he needed reliable backups who could follow tactical instructions and wouldn't cause problems in the squad.

José understood this well.

Camacho didn't care how many goals Luke scored. He cared about how much Luke could contribute as a team player.

As long as Luke maintained his hardworking style, seamlessly integrating into the team rather than chasing individual glory