I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 850: Chapter 77: All or Nothing

Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off at Camp Nou, during this period, various public disputes between the two teams have kept fans entertained.

In the league, Real Madrid will face relegation-threatened Zaragoza in the next match, and it’s expected that the opposition will fight hard for three points.

At the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid unexpectedly lost to Zaragoza.

In this match, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chen Zhong, and other players were not included in the squad.

After Real Madrid’s 2-3 home defeat to Zaragoza, Mourinho unusually admitted his mistake: "The responsibility is on me, it’s my failure to motivate my players." Regarding the match, Mourinho said: "The opponents fought fiercely, these points are crucial for their relegation battle, they’re almost succeeded. In football, mental preparation is very important. When one team is motivated and focused and the other is not, the difference between the two teams becomes apparent."

"Responsibility lies with the coach, it’s obvious," Mourinho said. "The team’s lineup was the same as against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, and we won those games calmly, playing effortlessly and brilliantly. But today I failed to fully motivate my players. In the first half, they played poorly, improved in the second half. But throughout the match, we gifted the opponents three goals. Real Madrid perhaps should have scored more. They defeated us, I have to congratulate Zaragoza. Zaragoza started to withdraw and defend when they had a favorable score, consuming time, and they had luck."

For next week’s Champions Cup, Mourinho still used the B plan in this match but he believes it was reasonable because the same lineup had won away against Athletic Bilbao and Valencia, "Today among our players who played, there were several who haven’t played much this season, I hope they can make full use of every minute they get. Besides, Pepe and Ramos will both be suspended next Tuesday—for criminal fouls."

It’s clear to hear that when saying "criminal fouls," Mourinho’s tone carries a hint of sarcasm. Mourinho also denied the ’throw the game’ theory: "Pepe and Ramos can’t play in the next match, I don’t have many defenders left. Albiol and Alvaro must play next Tuesday, if I let them play today, how would I explain to the club president and executives? I want to form a balanced team, in fact, today our lineup was stronger than against Valencia because I replaced Albiol with Ramos. We have enough quality to win the match. Clearly, the defeat wasn’t due to lineup arrangements. My intention is clear because I don’t want to gift Zaragoza, I don’t want to hurt those also fighting for relegation. It’s normal for some teams to feel upset because they didn’t expect Zaragoza to take 3 points here. If they criticize me, I can only keep quiet and accept the criticism, even though I tried to win. It’s conceivable that some coaches are very disappointed."

Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo not included in the squad, whether it was rotation or sidelining, Mourinho was evasive: "His omission was my decision because we have Higuain and Benzema ready to play, they are eager and prepared to play the full 90 minutes. Higuain really needs this match to regain form, and Adebayor is also on the bench." Mourinho once maintained a home unbeaten streak for 9 years, but this season at Real Madrid, he first lost at the Bernabeu to Zaragoza, yet he didn’t seem remorseful about his home unbeaten record being tainted: "That’s not a normal record, today we shouldn’t have lost, I don’t think today’s match was very dramatic. Clearly, I also hope not to lose to start a new unbeaten cycle, but failed. But in any case, I once achieved an unprecedented record in football history."

This match also clearly shows Real Madrid wasn’t in form, especially Chen Zhong not being in the squad, which made the players on the pitch seem like headless flies.

Real Madrid nearly gifted Zaragoza three goals, and surprisingly, Real Madrid’s usually reliable two warriors made some errors, they were Carvalho and Casillas.

In the 41st minute, Real Madrid conceded the first goal, at that time Real Madrid lost the ball in midfield, Zaragoza launched a quick counterattack with a direct pass, Uche and Lafita quickly pressed forward, Casillas rushed out of the box to clear the ball, however, his usually steady performance turned shocking as he tried to clear but missed, Uche took the ball, a left-foot touch to bypass the charging Carvalho, forming a cross, Lafita then pressed forward and scored with a push shot from 15 yards out into an empty net.

As for the latter two goals conceded, they both involved Carvalho, one was Carvalho gifting the opponent a penalty, the other was his pressing forward for an assist but completely out of position, creating an opportunity for the opponent.

Notably, this match was Casillas’ 418th La Liga appearance, making him the current player with the most appearances in La Liga, although he couldn’t gift himself a victory and even conceded a goal due to his own error, it doesn’t diminish Casillas’ status in the fans’ hearts, especially since this match’s outcome doesn’t affect the overall situation of the La Liga title race.

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