I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 820: Chapter 63: Until Next Time! (2)

When they realized what had happened, the Spanish journalists made a somewhat childish "retaliatory" move. Led by several major newspapers, followed by radio stations, and joined by many journalists from France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, a large group of people withdrew from the press conference hall in grand style, leaving Kalanca awkwardly responding to the confusion and questions of the remaining few foreign media outlets.

Mourinho watched it all expressionlessly, from start to finish, without saying a word. But not commenting doesn’t mean he doesn’t care.

The "Special One" saved his "revenge" for after the match. It wasn’t just Diario AS that hit a snag, but also reporters from Marca. Mourinho dismissed them with the same phrase: "I will only talk with your directors." He repeatedly emphasized one sentence: "Yesterday, you did not respect Kalanca enough." Only the business TV channel’s reporter received different treatment from the Real Madrid coach. "The Magic Bird" answered his questions thoroughly and clearly, adding a lot of praise: "This is a truly good media." The reason? Because yesterday, they were one of the few Spanish media outlets that stayed in the press conference hall.

When had the reporters from Madrid’s two major sports newspapers ever received such treatment?

As soon as Mourinho left, the Real Madrid press officer became the focus, surrounded and protested by the crowd.

The Marca reporter, who regularly follows Real Madrid, felt more and more uncomfortable after the match and went to reason with the players. It happened to coincide with Alvaro, who defended Kalanca on Twitter Saturday morning, saying, "I am glad Real Madrid did not bow to blackmail and pressure, and I am glad to see the fans support us. I am happy because they (Mourinho and Kalanca) are equivalent to Real Madrid."

He then posted two more tweets explaining, "Is it controversial for Mourinho not to hold a press conference? Of course. But boycotting Kalanca’s speech because of it is disrespectful, and giving a warning before doing so is just blackmail and pressure. At least for me, that’s what it is."

Now, facing the questions from the Marca reporter, he still calmly stood by the coach’s side, sticking to his point of view: "The coach was not wrong, nor was I. You did lack respect for Kalanca, and in my opinion, your behavior was nothing but blackmail."

The reporters quickly found Chen Zhong, but Chen Zhong’s attitude was also tough. He was clearly maintaining the stability of the locker room and said in response to the reporters’ questions: "I can understand the coach’s anger because this is his assistant."

"We will also support the coach."

"We are a team."

No matter who is right or wrong in all this, the Spanish reporters have truly experienced Mourinho’s "eye for an eye" this time, witnessed his "protectiveness," and clearly felt the full team’s support and loyalty towards their coach at Real Madrid.

The "Special One" has always been unkind to his enemies but has consistently earned the respect of his people. From the assistant coach to the players, everyone follows Mourinho’s lead, listens to him, and protects him fully, and of course, there are reasons for this.

Kalanca’s anger indirectly proved the "Magic Bird’s" other side of "gentleness"— unfortunately, this might be a side that journalists and the "Special One’s" opponents will never enjoy.

People initially thought the matter was over, but it was clear that the Real Madrid issue was over, but Barcelona’s wasn’t.

El Clasico left a previously unseen image in people’s memories: Messi, the superstar who plays like an angel, reacted like a devil to Pepe’s tight marking.

As the match neared the end, Messi, unable to get the ball on the flank, angrily kicked the ball towards the Real Madrid fans in the stands.

Barcelona teammates defended Messi, saying: "He just wanted to kick the ball towards the advertising board, but it went high."

Referee Fernandez did not card Messi, but Messi’s action led to Pepe’s accusation, with the Portugal international pointing at his head and asking Messi: "Are you crazy?" Messi rarely loses his composure, but that night, he lost his calm due to Pepe’s persistent harassment. As a defensive midfielder, Pepe was one of the best performers of the evening, and Mourinho constantly instructed Pepe from the sidelines.

Pepe’s strong body separated Messi from the game, causing Messi to be unable to cooperate with his teammates most of the time.

Barcelona players stated: "Real Madrid’s tight defense made Messi feel helpless."

Barcelona players complained, saying Real Madrid committed constant fouls; Pepe alone committed five times but was not shown a yellow card, whereas on Barcelona’s side, Pique, Valdes, and Xavi were all carded for complaining to the referee.

For Barcelona, the Bernabeu that night was like a hell, and the Real Madrid players, who usually set a model performance, were exceptionally hostile this time.

A Barcelona player declared: "They have never offended us as they did in this match."

After Pepe accused Messi, players from both sides joined in the verbal dispute, which was eventually eased by the referee’s mediation. However, when they reached the tunnel, the conflict flared up again, with Pepe as the main character.

According to the Daily Sports, after the match, Barcelona’s Busquets and Pique encountered Real Madrid’s Pepe, and friction immediately arose. The two Barcelona stars accused Pepe of being too rough during the match, and Pepe retorted. Fortunately, with persuasion from other players on both teams, things didn’t escalate.

Guardiola didn’t want his players to clash with Real Madrid players. He told Busquets and others: "Real Madrid is one of the giants of Europe; if you let them lead you by the nose, they will destroy you."

Last Sunday, Guardiola began preparations for the King’s Cup final.

Aside from tactical details, Guardiola emphasized the psychological aspect, saying the most important thing for Barcelona is to stay true to their football traditions and not deviate, and also to respect the opponent, being careful not to fall into their traps.

He said: "If you fall into Real Madrid’s trap, you are sure to lose more than you win. Barcelona does not need to respond to Mourinho nor to C. Ronaldo and Pepe. Barcelona must do their own thing. This is not easy, especially in such important events, but we must strive. Otherwise, we will only harm our team. Barcelona only needs to participate if we play our style; we can win. There is no doubt about it."

After the match, Guardiola immediately attended the press conference, and then Barcelona returned to Barcelona overnight, leaving no time for Guardiola to have a good talk with the players that night.

But the next day, before training started, Guardiola gathered the players on the field for a meeting. Guardiola congratulated the players on their performance at the Bernabeu, without blaming anyone, but also reminded the players not to accept provocations from Real Madrid.

Guardiola said the next few games will be as tough as the one at the Bernabeu, and the King’s Cup final is the first test. Players must not be proud or underestimate the opponent, although a draw with Real Madrid means Barcelona still has a chance to win the championship,

but Barcelona must not relax their vigilance.

"Humility, respect, caution, wisdom," this is the "prescription" Guardiola gave the players, and while preparing earnestly, the Barcelona players also vowed to Guardiola: "We will secure the King’s Cup trophy in the upcoming games!"

Messi also silently vowed in his heart that he would not be like in this match in the upcoming King’s Cup games.

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