Chapter 18: A Decent Debut
Carlos quickly ran off the field, feeling a bit down. His performance in this match wasn't up to par. Even though the newly appointed head coach had given him two starts, his form was still poor. After the transfer window closed, the club brought in a young forward on loan from Real Madrid. Carlos feared that he would soon be relegated back to the bench.
Despite his frustration, Carlos, who had a good temperament, didn't show any dissatisfaction towards Eto'o. After exchanging a hug with him, Carlos went straight off the field, shook hands with José, and sat back down on the bench.
While Carlos felt a little down, Eto'o, who had just stepped onto the field, was in high spirits. It had been nearly two seasons since he last played in an official match, and he was eager to prove himself. The cheetah could only show its value when it was allowed to run freely across the grasslands; being confined in a cage made it no more than a common lynx.
Though excited, Eto'o didn't forget his tasks. First, he ran to N'Gonga's side to tell the captain that the coach wanted him to make more long passes. Then he ran over to Tristan.
"Hey, Samuel, didn't think we'd be partnering up so soon!" Tristan said with a smile.
Eto'o grinned and replied, "Diego, the boss wants me to tell you, if there's a direct long ball from the back, you should go for the first header and pass it forward. After that, it's my job."
"Oh, I see." Tristan nodded but then, as if remembering something, widened his eyes, "So that means I'm just setting you up? Hey, I'm the main character here!"
"It's the boss's instructions," Eto'o calmly responded.
"Uh, if the boss said so, then fine," Tristan agreed, but then puffed out his chest and added, "But if you don't turn my assist into a goal, I'm coming for you!"
Eto'o didn't immediately get a chance to touch the ball. By now, Numancia had pushed up high on the field. As a newly promoted team, they didn't need to worry much about the future; they just needed to focus on each match, taking three points when possible. If not, one point would suffice. Now that they were behind, they had to press forward. If they could equalize, great; if they couldn't, losing by one or two goals wasn't that different.
Facing Numancia's offensive pressure, Mallorca began to fall back—something they were good at, especially when leading.