I Am Jose

"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.