I Am Jose-Chapter 19 - : The Three-Game Winning Streak is Within Reach

"In the 22nd round of the 1999-2000 La Liga season, Mallorca defeated Numancia 2-0 away, securing their first consecutive league wins of the season... Since José Alemany's appointment as the new head coach, Mallorca's performance has been completely revitalized! In the last two matches, they scored five goals and conceded none. This is already quite an impressive achievement, especially considering that Sevilla, currently second to last, managed a draw this round, giving them one point. However, Mallorca's 18 points leave them only one point behind Sevilla. With Mallorca's current momentum, they may soon escape from the bottom of the table... It must be said that the Mallorca management made a brilliant move when they decisively replaced the coach Gómez, who was no longer able to lead the team, with the youngest coach in La Liga, José Alemany. This move has a certain nepotistic feel, as José Alemany is the son of the club's president Mateo Alemany. This father-son duo running the club and the team at the same time is unprecedented in La Liga, and José has indeed performed well. In just under half a month since taking charge, he has stabilized the defense and boosted the attack. Young forward Diego Tristan, who had performed decently in the first half of the season but had only scored five goals, has netted three goals in just two games under José's guidance. This young forward, playing his first La Liga season, has already attracted attention from top teams. A new star is rising..."

Since returning from Numancia, reports about José and his Mallorca team have increased significantly. It's natural: a team that won only three games in the first half of the season and was virtually certain to be relegated, now winning two consecutive matches after a coaching change, creates a huge buzz. Add to that the shock of the Alemany father-son duo running the club, and the media's increased attention is understandable. Of course, if José's results start to falter, the media's enthusiasm will quickly fade.

José is well aware of this. The media is always quick to latch onto anything trending, but they also forget things just as fast. A coach can get a lot of attention for a short time with a gimmick, but if that coach doesn't consistently deliver results, the attention will fade. To keep the spotlight, the only way is to keep winning, so the reporters know the coach is capable. That's when the media swarm in like flies.

Thanks to Gómez, who lost the King's Cup matches in the first half of the season, José can focus more on the league and the UEFA Cup. The league is the most important—securing survival is the most urgent task. The UEFA Cup is a nice bonus, but its importance in José's mind doesn't compare to the league.

So, when the re-registration for the UEFA Cup started for the second half of the season, José didn't make any significant changes to the squad. The newly loaned Samuel Eto'o replaced the injured Biagini, who would miss the rest of the season. He also promoted forward Luke from the second team to replace a substitute forward unlikely to play. This was a precautionary measure; Luke, who had already surpassed 21 years of age, could participate in European competitions without being registered. José didn't put Mota on the UEFA Cup list—Mota would be his secret weapon for now, and he didn't want this secret to be exposed just yet.

With no King's Cup matches and the UEFA Cup still some time away, Mallorca's current schedule is one match per week, giving José more time to adjust the players' conditions and help Eto'o get familiar with his teammates.

In the second half of the season, the forward combination of Eto'o and Tristan is the foundation for Mallorca's survival!

Tristan is key in tough matches, and Eto'o can give Mallorca's counterattacks wings. Eto'o's value, however, isn't limited to counterattacks—his ability to find space and dribble past defenders is vital for breaking deadlocks. When the defense isn't contributing to the attack, a forward's individual abilities become crucial. Eto'o excels at creating opportunities, while Tristan is more about capitalizing on those chances.

Before his rebirth, José had a misconception about Eto'o—that he was simply a striker. Eto'o's stellar performances at Barcelona were built on the support of a strong midfield. However, Eto'o's two seasons at Inter Milan after his transfer made José and many fans reconsider his abilities—he can do much more than just score goals.

For the following week, José stayed at the training ground, watching the players' training and running tactical drills. Now isn't the time for physical conditioning; the upcoming league matches will mostly be weekly, with some UEFA Cup games mixed in. Even though Mallorca's main squad is getting older, they can manage their fitness without too many rotations.

Over the course of the week, Eto'o and his teammates built early chemistry, and José implemented several tactical variations, which made him confident about the upcoming victories.

On February 6th, the 23rd round of La Liga, Mallorca faces Real Sociedad at home!

Real Sociedad hasn't had a great season, currently ranked 10th, with slim chances of qualifying for Europe but no relegation worries. For Mallorca, winning this match is crucial.

José continued with the same starting lineup as before, with Eto'o on the bench, cautious about using him just yet.

Despite no changes in the lineup, the match played out much more smoothly than expected. After the two consecutive wins, the Mallorca players were full of spirit. Even though they're still at the bottom of the table, they were fearless!

Though Eto'o didn't play, the efforts of José over the past half month were clearly paying off. Mallorca's attack became faster—not in a team-wide sense, but through quick, small-area combinations that left Real Sociedad's defense struggling to adjust.

Mallorca's offensive efficiency was also impressive. In just 15 minutes, in front of over 20,000 cheering fans, they broke through Real Sociedad's defense!

The goal wasn't scored by Tristan, but he had a crucial role. In the 15th minute, after receiving a lob from Stankovic, Tristan made a run to beat the offside trap and entered the penalty area, taking a powerful shot!

Real Sociedad's goalkeeper Albert made a fantastic save, but the power of Tristan's shot sent the ball flying...

"Tristan shoots! Oh, Albert saved it... The ball's in! GOAL!!! It's... N'Gonga! Mallorca's veteran captain N'Gonga unexpectedly charged into the box and put the rebound in! This is a surprise! N'Gonga, after transferring to Mallorca, rarely gets involved in the attack, and his last goal was two seasons ago. José's arrival has brought N'Gonga new life! This is truly exciting for the fans!"

Amid the commentator's praise, José leaped in the air, then turned to face the stands, waving his arms enthusiastically!

The cheers from the fans grew even louder, as José's energetic gesture sent the Mallorca supporters into a frenzy!

"Hm, José is young, but he knows how to stir the crowd... In the first match against Rayo Vallecano, he didn't do anything like this when they were 3-0 up, which means he knew the fans hadn't fully accepted him yet. But now, this gesture gets a massive response, which will also inspire the players to perform better on the field!" said Idalgo with a smile.

Bernes, still with his cool demeanor, responded dryly, "Maybe he's just getting carried away after two wins."

"You might be right... But thankfully, José doesn't seem to be in danger of being fired just yet, and we'll have more time to observe this young coach. We'll see if he's truly outstanding or if it's just good luck so far..." Idalgo replied, laughing.

It's clear that Idalgo's judgment was correct in this case.

José's dramatic actions on the sideline and the roar of the fans had stirred even the older Mallorca players, making them feel younger and more energized...

Let alone the younger players like Tristan!

From then on, Mallorca dominated the match, playing with more intensity than ever before. As one stylish "cowboy" commentator put it, "They're practically about to explode!"

In the 32nd minute, Tristan's forceful dribble earned a free kick. As the team's main set-piece taker, Stankovic delivered a perfect cross into the box. With Tristan's screen, center-back Fernando Niño outmuscled the defender and headed the ball into the net!

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That goal was a perfect example of the set-piece tactics José had implemented—Tristan's presence in the middle distracted the defenders, while the ball was sent to the back post, and Niño's header finished it off. It was simple, but effective!

This reflected José's tactical philosophy—no need for overly fancy attacking play. Mallorca didn't have, nor did they need, flashy strategies. A few simple but effective tactics were enough to score goals in matches!