I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 801: Chapter 54: Air Supremacy_2

Crouch’s back‑to‑back flying tackles were a reflection of how overhyped he was mentally; from this kind of behavior, you can even glimpse some of the fatal knots that have plagued the England Team for years: if you dump the fighting spirit, mentality and tackle range forged in the Premier League straight onto non‑British pitches, you’re the one who’s going to suffer.

Crouch’s challenges might only earn him a yellow and a verbal warning in the league; in the Champions League they can only be a red. Looking back at the England Team’s showings on the international stage, haven’t they paid this kind of price often enough?

Real Madrid also play fast and are fierce in the key areas; that’s a basic element of modern football. But if you want to rise to a higher level, you absolutely don’t do that unless the opponent has driven you to the edge of madness; this is also where Spanish football differs completely from British football.

Controlling the range of your tackles, and seeking efficiency in the battle for control of the game, all of it is for your own sake—so that you have enough men to keep your attacking play smooth, instead of being stretched thin, with one player forced to cover an even bigger attacking and defensive area after you’re a man down.

This was also a major reason Tottenham faded later on.

In the United Kingdom, this match also triggered widespread discussion.

The Guardian, talking about this game, lamented: "The real gap between the two sides wasn’t the referee, bad as he was on the night, but the details. Why was Jenas marking Adebayor? Why does Crouch never learn? Tackle, tackle, challenge, challenge, tackle again—Tottenham’s Defense did all it could, but it just never gave you any hope they could score an away goal."

There’s a very simple line of play that might leave British journalists baffled: with Marcelo attacking so aggressively, why did Tottenham never seriously think about targeting the space behind him? Why insist on playing the left‑footed Bell on the right flank, sending him at the Ramos‑Pepe defensive axis? Did they really think Bell’s ability could solve everything?

Of course, Lennon’s absence might also be one reason.

If Lennon hadn’t pulled out in the pre‑match warm‑up with an injury, he could have attacked the gap behind Marcelo.

Compared with the somewhat straightforward Tottenham side, Real Madrid were unquestionably playing with more layers. Marcelo at left‑back played an absolutely crucial role. Around the halfway line he was looked after by Alonso and Khedira; once he pushed into the vital central areas, the attacking players ahead of him worked with him and covered him, allowing Marcelo to become a full‑time auxiliary attacker, or even a direct attacking option at any time.

At the same time, Chen Zhong, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo constantly swapped positions, and with Adebayor they formed an organic combination. The patterning of their passing routes there can’t be fully explained in a few sentences, but what’s beyond doubt is that Real Madrid’s multi‑player, multi‑lane attacking structure in the final third was dazzling, in stark contrast to Tottenham’s approach of simply relying on Bell’s individual brilliance.

With it being 11 versus 10, and the opponent having burned too much energy in the first half, Real Madrid basically opened the floodgates after the break.

Once it got to the stage where Mourinho could rotate in substitutes, Di Maria led a new wave of attacks; Real Madrid’s forward play in this match really offered too many highlights.

By contrast, even Tottenham’s most effective outlet, Bell, struggled to make a real impact under the combined squeeze from Ramos and Pepe. All he could produce was "the shape of a threat", without ever turning it into "a truly lethal attacking blow".

Still, some Tottenham fans refused to accept it and kept discussing what might have happened if Crouch had stayed on the pitch.

But that kind of speculation is now pointless anyway; Crouch is suspended for the next leg as well. For Tottenham, the priority in the upcoming game is to fight for the dignity of Premier League clubs, and the hefty win bonus on offer is more than enough incentive for the club to focus on preparing for this seemingly hopeless match.

For Real Madrid, the top priority in the second leg is to avoid any unexpected personnel losses. The stage they really need to prepare for is the semi‑final. And who will be the opponent?

It looks certain to be the team they’ll meet several times in April and May—Barcelona. Mourinho won’t say it out loud, but he must be thinking it: fine, then let Barcelona come!

...

Because of Chen Zhong’s outstanding display in the home win over Tottenham, Real Madrid’s official Facebook account posted a special message in Chinese to thank Real Madrid fans in China.

The official Real Madrid account wrote: "To all Real Madrid fans in China, thank you for your great support for Real Madrid in last night’s match against the Ironmen (Tottenham). Hala Madrid! (Forward, Madrid!)" In this short message, everything except the final Spanish slogan was published in Chinese.

Any Chinese‑language Facebook user who followed the official Real Madrid account could see this note of thanks.

But this message was aimed only at Chinese‑language users; fans whose language settings were English, Japanese, etc., wouldn’t see it. In addition, the Real Madrid official account also sent out a similar message of thanks to fans in Indonesia.

Real Madrid’s note of thanks to Chinese fans shows on the one hand that the club values its huge number of supporters in China, and on the other that Real Madrid indeed has a massive following there.

Even though in many parts of China you can’t normally access Real Madrid’s Facebook page, the message of thanks to Chinese fans quickly drew a large response from Chinese netizens.

But amid all this good news, there were also some things that upset Real Madrid supporters.

Namely that Chen Zhong had once again become an object of desire for AC Milan Club owner and Italy’s Prime Minister, Berlusconi.

According to reports, yesterday the old man handed AC Milan vice‑chairman Galliani a "blank cheque", authorizing him to negotiate with Chen Zhong’s agent.

Milan Sports Newspaper reported that Berlusconi told Galliani: "Go and sign Chen."

After Real Madrid’s 4–0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, Real Madrid coach Mourinho responded to the reports.

He said: "In football anything can happen. If Chen leaves Real Madrid, I’ll leave too—but I won’t go to AC Milan."

Italian media say AC Milan’s interest in Chen Zhong goes way back.

As early as 2009, Berlusconi personally told Chen Zhong that he hoped Chen could stay in Milan and play there forever.

According to Milan Sports Newspaper, after the 2009 UEFA Europa League final awards ceremony, Berlusconi hugged Chen, who was still playing for Milan at the time, and told him: "One day I will make sure you stay in Milan forever."

But from Mourinho’s words you can see that Real Madrid have no intention of selling Chen Zhong.

In fact, there was no need for Mourinho to say much. Real Madrid’s official media had already pushed out multiple messages, including but not limited to a video of Chen Zhong declaring his love for the club, as well as some stories from his days in the youth team.

People’s attention, however, soon shifted.

After the next league round, Real Madrid will face Barcelona twice.

Once in the league, and once in the King’s Cup final.

Right now, Chen Zhong and Messi’s supporters are evenly matched; which of the two will come out on top will largely depend on the results of these two matches.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s away game at Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid head coach Mourinho plans to rotate some players, so that those who have just recovered or whose Body is fatigued can get some rest.

In the near future, Real Madrid will face a run of key fixtures.

In addition to the away leg against Tottenham and the home league clash with Barcelona, they’ll play three do‑or‑die games in the King’s Cup final and the Champions League semi‑finals. These matches have already fired up the fans’ enthusiasm.

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