Rental Arrangements

If the first goal was scored through individual ability, then the second one came from using his organizational skills to link up the team's front-line attack and finish the play.

"This goal... shouldn't have been conceded!"

On the sidelines, the coaching staff applauded the reserve team but were somewhat dissatisfied with the main team's lapse.

"Tiki-taka is powerful, but it demands too much from the players."

"Exactly. The first team has Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, and a host of other elite midfielders. Even someone as good as Mascherano got squeezed out of position and had to play defender."

"Look at the youth team—aside from Lin Quan, our midfielders are a bit lacking. Without a strong midfield and no goal machine like Messi who can break through on his own, it's only natural we can't replicate the main team's Tiki-taka."

The main team didn't lack chances. In fact, during the period when they were besieging the reserve team, they took three shots, two of which were on target.

Unfortunately, the youth team's forwards were far behind Messi in individual ability. Their shots either got blocked or saved by the goalkeeper.

So the situation played out where the main team dominated possession but couldn't score.

This made the youth coaches involuntarily think of the Spain National Team.

Spain's internationals were star-studded—just their midfield maestros could form an entire team!

Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Fàbregas, Alonso, David Silva, Mata, Cazorla, Navas—almost every one of them was the midfield core of their respective clubs.

Such a powerful midfield lineup allowed Spain to easily control the center of the pitch.

But the awkward part was that Spain lacked a super striker, a finisher like Messi.

So Spain's matches often saw them dominate without scoring. Against strong opponents, they struggled to break through.

Two years ago at the South Africa World Cup, Spain faced Portugal, Paraguay, Germany, and the Netherlands in the knockout rounds, scoring only one goal in each match.

It looked efficient and economical, but it exposed their lack of firepower up front.

Even though every one of those midfield maestros had the ability to score, none of them were top-tier finishers—they fell short compared to proper forwards.

So you'd often see them squandering golden opportunities in matches.

If Messi had chosen to join the Spain National Team, that squad, built around Barca's core, would have been tailor-made for him.

How terrifying such a Spain team would be on the world stage—you wouldn't dare imagine it!

But unfortunately, there's only one Messi, and he chose to join the Argentina National Team.

"There's no easy fix. Even the national team's midfield is that strong, and they still struggle to score, right? Our problem is similar, but our players are far weaker, so scoring is naturally even harder."

The coaches frowned. The issues in the youth team made them vaguely uneasy:

Once those midfield maestros in the first team retire, given the current quality of the midfielders in the club's pipeline, they'd struggle to take over.

When that time comes, can Barca keep playing Tiki-taka?

This crisis was actually more serious than the youth team's current problems, because the first team's performance determined the club's survival.

Fortunately, they still had one promising talent: Lin Quan.

Lin Quan was already decent, and this match had earned unanimous praise from the coaching staff.

Even though his position today was a bit odd—more like an attacking midfielder than a defensive one—

His performance in this match was so eye-catching that the coaches subconsciously overlooked that issue.

Besides, young players' positions on the field were never fixed.

Training matches were also about finding the best position for them, to fully develop their potential.

So the coaches didn't criticize Lin Quan. Instead, they told the main team's defenders to watch their tackles and not injure him.

He was the youth team's treasure—they had to protect him well and make sure nothing went wrong.

Barca's midfield banner was waiting for him to carry it forward!

Meanwhile, in the youth team head coach's office, Enrique pulled out a thick stack of loan applications from his drawer.

He was searching for a suitable loan destination.

Barca was one of the hottest Giant Clubs in football right now, and La Masia Youth Academy was overflowing with talent.

So many teams—especially smaller, poorer ones that couldn't afford transfers—liked to borrow players from them.

Spanish players were known for their technical finesse and produced plenty of midfielders.

And Barca just happened to have a deep midfield pool. Many youth midfielders couldn't break into the first team and had to go out on loan to gain experience.

When the loan period ended, if Barca still had no place for them, they'd usually choose to transfer away.

And when they did transfer, the team they'd been loaned to often became their first choice.

After all, after adapting and gelling during the loan period, they'd already fit into that team's tactical system.

If they transferred to another team, they'd need a long adjustment period.

And for young players, if they couldn't deliver satisfactory performances in limited playing time, they might lose the head coach's trust and get benched.

After all, professional football was brutal.

The capable rise, the mediocre fall. If you get a chance and don't seize it, you'll pay the price.

That was Enrique's plan. He intended to loan Lin Quan to a team in a decent league, one that wasn't strong but needed results.

Such a team has little patience for young players. If he doesn't perform well in his matches, it's likely that after just two or three games, the opposing Head Coach will lose faith in him.

If he ends up warming the bench for a whole season at that club, even if Lin Quan has some talent, it would probably go to waste.

Moreover, with no standout performances throughout the year, Barca would have ample reason to refuse his contract renewal.

That way, the task President Rosell assigned would be completed.

Following this logic, he eliminated any teams outside the Top Five Leagues.

The leagues those clubs belonged to were too weak; Barca's youth players could easily secure starting positions there.

But the Top Five Leagues were far more competitive. Even someone from La Masia Youth Academy, at his age, couldn't become a starter.

Among the Top Five Leagues, the teams that submitted the most loan requests to Barca were obviously from La Liga.

However, Enrique had no intention of loaning Lin Quan to other La Liga clubs, because those teams would face Barca at least twice a year.

When those teams played Barca, the media would naturally bring up the loaned Barca players on the opposing side, which would only deepen Lin Quan's presence in the minds of Barca fans—counterproductive to fading him out.

So he ruled out La Liga first.

The Premier League teams were actually quite good, with plenty of physical intensity.

But young players, especially Spanish ones, had an inexplicable aversion to playing in England.

The cold, damp weather of the British Isles, the fierce physical battles, rough fouls, and the lenient refereeing standards were all very unfavorable for Spanish players who relied on technical play.

Thus, Lin Quan would likely refuse a loan to the Premier League.

After weighing all the options, Enrique finally settled on a league he thought was the most suitable and one the player wouldn't easily reject—the Bundesliga!

And over in the Bundesliga, there happened to be a team that had submitted an application!

With that, it's settled—you, Werder Bremen!