Chapter 61: Ready
When José appeared in front of the assistant coaches with two black eyes, it startled them.
José had always been known for his good sleep quality. Although it took him a while to fall asleep, once he did, he stayed asleep deeply. For someone like him, five hours of sleep was often more effective than eight hours for someone who woke up in the middle of the night.
But now, after one night of poor rest, José had dark circles under his eyes, which showed how badly he had been sleeping...
"José, you look like a giant panda from China," Natal laughed, teasing him.
José grunted, applying a hot towel to his eyes to try and fade the dark circles. He was someone who cared about his appearance.
With the towel over his eyes, José closed them, savoring the relief from the heat that eased his fatigue. He asked Natal, "Have the players gotten up yet?"
"They're up. They've finished breakfast and are resting now," Natal replied.
José nodded. The UEFA Cup final was on a Wednesday evening, not in the afternoon, so even though José had only gotten up by noon, it wasn't that late.
"Let them stretch. Eat a hearty lunch... we'll have a light dinner starting at four, followed by an hour of light exercise, and we'll leave at five sharp," José said with his eyes still closed.
The assistant coaches nodded and went off to do their work, leaving only Natal with José.
"José... are you nervous?" Natal asked carefully, watching as José dipped the towel into hot water again and placed it over his face.