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?"