I Am Jose-Chapter 99 - : Discussion on the Sidelines

In the 16th round of the league, Mallorca once again suffered a setback. After drawing two consecutive away games, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Oviedo. In this match, the starting player Ronaldinho performed only moderately and was substituted by Luke after playing for over 70 minutes. After 16 rounds, Mallorca sat in 10th place with a record of 5 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses, totaling 22 points.

José appeared somewhat satisfied with this result on the surface. After taking over the team, his record was 4 wins and 2 draws in the first 6 games. This wasn't a bad result at all. The media's criticism was mainly because his performance this season was not as good as last season, even though he had only stepped in to help last season. This season, however, the task was much heavier.

To change a team, one must endure the pain of poor results, especially when Mallorca's current performance wasn't that bad—though victories were hard-fought and somewhat based on luck. Regardless of whether luck was involved, winning was still an accomplishment.

"During the winter break, I'll let everyone go home for Christmas," José said with a smile in the locker room after the match against Oviedo. Despite the draw, he seemed surprisingly calm.

However, those familiar with José could see the anger in his eyes—he was clearly not happy with the result.

"Today is the 21st. I'll give everyone a week... on the 28th, we'll meet at the training base to prepare for the games after the winter break. Any objections?"

The players shook their heads. Most of Mallorca's veteran players lived on the island, so going home for Christmas wasn't an issue. New players, though, had only recently joined and felt awkward about asking to go back home.

"Alright, then. You're free to leave, so you won't waste your time returning to Mallorca... By the way, I wish you all a Merry Christmas... Enjoy your holidays... but don't let yourselves get too lazy. This is still just a winter break."

These were José's last words. He waved his hand, and Mallorca's players left the locker room in a hurry. Most of them would still be traveling with the club back to Mallorca.

Few players left on their own. Karaze wanted to go back home for Christmas. Eto'o and Capdevila lived in Madrid. The rest of the players returned with the team.

José was a bit surprised when he saw that Ronaldinho was among the players returning with the team.

"I thought you were going to Brazil for the holidays," José said to Ronaldinho as they were heading back.

Ronaldinho shook his head. "No, I need to adapt to La Liga more quickly... Also, I didn't play well in today's match."

José smiled and patted Ronaldinho's shoulder, saying nothing further.

Once back in Mallorca, the team officially broke up for the break. The players returned to their homes, but José couldn't relax. As the coach, there were still many things for him to do...

The only thing that gave him relief was that his father was handling the club's operations. José didn't need to worry about those things. With Piri joining, José no longer had to worry about statistics or monitoring player performance.

José was a bit surprised by Ronaldinho's performance. He was still young, but he wasn't falling into a slump. He hadn't achieved any significant results yet, so there was no room for arrogance or complacency. Compared to top players, Ronaldinho was still a chaser rather than someone looking down on others.

"Looks like he's a bit confused... but not discouraged yet. Maybe now is the time to talk to him... Should I go now, or wait for the right opportunity? Or maybe I should discuss it with Piri first. He has a sharp eye and could offer some other perspective," José thought to himself in his office.

"José? Is there something you need?"

When José opened the door to the technical director's office, Piri looked up from his desk with a displeased expression, clearly annoyed at the interruption. But when he saw it was José, his expression relaxed.

"Did I disturb you?" José asked with a smile.

"No," Piri shook his head. "Please, sit."

José pulled out a chair and sat across from Piri. Unlike José's office, Piri's desk once had a computer, but Piri stubbornly refused to use it, preferring to write by hand. So, the computer was removed.

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José didn't comment on this. Everyone had their own habits. It might be hard for Piri to learn how to use the computer to input data again, so José let him continue with his method as long as the paperwork was properly kept.

"I heard you've been working late every day. You should take care of yourself. If others find out I've been letting you overwork, they'll say I'm not caring enough for my senior," José joked.

"Haha, it's fine. I've gotten used to it," Piri replied with a smile. "Besides, I just arrived. I need to familiarize myself with everything at Mallorca quickly, so I'm busy now. Once I'm more familiar with the team, it'll be easier. I'll only have to observe the new players."

José nodded. Piri always watched the training from an unobtrusive spot, taking notes in a small notebook. Just now, when José entered, Piri had been reviewing the notes and rewriting them in a more organized manner.

"Is there something you want to discuss?" Piri asked as he stood up to prepare tea, then handed José a cup as well. Since joining Mallorca, José had recommended Piri switch from coffee to tea. At first, Piri didn't see the point, but after a few times, he became fond of it. Compared to coffee, tea had a gentler effect and longer-lasting aftertaste. Although it was a diuretic, it was a good way to maintain health, especially for older people.

"I wanted to ask your opinion about Ronaldinho," José said, gently blowing on his tea before putting it down.

"Ronaldinho?" Piri paused for a moment, then closed his eyes, thinking. He then flipped through his stack of documents and pulled out a paper to hand to José.

José wasn't surprised and accepted the paper to read it. That was one of the reasons he had come to Piri.

"Ronaldinho has an extremely high talent and physical condition. Although he's not tall or particularly strong, he's solid, which allows him to maintain balance even when facing European players' challenges. He doesn't get injured easily. His technical style is typical of South American players—very flashy, with agile ankles and excellent ball control. He also has great vision, but he needs to improve his chemistry with teammates. He will become an indispensable player for Mallorca. As long as he stays healthy, in a few years, Mallorca might have to worry about other teams' interest in him," Piri's evaluation was concise, as always, but straight to the point.

José nodded slightly. His and Piri's views on Ronaldinho aligned, but there was still one more question he wanted to ask.

"Piri, what position do you think is the most suitable for Ronaldinho?" José handed the paper back to Piri.

Piri took the paper, placed it back on the desk, and said, "Sorry, José, I'm the technical director, not the coach... Evaluating a player's strengths and predicting their future development is my responsibility. But determining their role within the tactical framework and finding their optimal position—that's the coach's job."

José was taken aback but understood now. Piri had been the coach for Real Madrid's youth team, but it was clear he didn't feel he had the qualities to be a head coach. He was far better suited for his current role as technical director.

"That's okay, Piri. I'd still like to hear your thoughts—it'll give me another perspective. No worries, it won't affect my judgment. It's just for reference," José said sincerely.

After thinking for a moment, Piri nodded. "Ronaldinho is fast—not the fastest, but his explosive power is impressive. So, he needs to play closer to the front. He's strong in duels but not the type of player suited for the very front. He can score, but he's not a prolific goal scorer. If you play him as a striker, he might score more, but he won't be able to fully express his abilities. His passing vision and playmaking abilities are also excellent, and these need to be nurtured."

Piri added one more thing after thinking further. "If I had to choose, I'd say he's best suited for second striker, attacking midfielder, or the left-wing forward position in a front three. Any further back, and his threat diminishes."