Super Wingstorm

In the thirty-seventh round of the Eredivisie, Ajax played away against Alkmaar.

With several key players resting, the Eredivisie giants scored first in the sixty-fourth minute of the second half through Wesley Sonck. However, their opponents equalized in the final stages of the match, and it ended in a one-one draw.

Vermaelen started and played the entire match. His performance was mixed; he was partly responsible for the goal they conceded, but he was steady overall.

But Eindhoven’s situation was clearly worse than Ajax’s.

Hiddink’s team played away against William II. The first half ended in a goalless draw, but shortly after the restart, William II took the lead. Hoffland was then sent off with a red card for a malicious foul. Although Eindhoven managed to score, they ultimately suffered a bitter three-one away defeat.

After this round, Ajax’s lead widened. Eindhoven had more or less given up the chase, but Head Coach Hiddink remained stubborn, refusing to concede defeat. He repeatedly insisted that his team still had a chance to turn things around.

As April began, the Eredivisie entered its twenty-eighth round.

Eindhoven played a day before Ajax, traveling to face Vaalwijk. They secured a clean four-nil victory, with Kezman scoring a brace and Park Ji-sung adding another goal.

In this round, Ajax hosted Groningen. The two sides were locked in a stalemate, and the first half ended in a goalless draw.

After the break, substitute Van der Vaart was the first to score, but Groningen quickly equalized.

Yang Yang came on as a substitute in the eightieth minute and forced a corner after a powerful run down the right wing. Sneijder took the kick and assisted a goal by Heitinga, securing the two-one victory.

This victory brought Ajax one step closer to the Eredivisie title and gave the team a significant morale boost.

After the Groningen match, Ajax began to focus all their preparations on the midweek Champions League knockout stage.

...

...

"Right now, everyone out there thinks we’re guaranteed to lose."

In the quiet tactical meeting room, Ronald Koeman looked at the players before him with a solemn expression.

Yang Yang sat opposite him, and he could read one thing on the head coach’s face: determination.

In truth, Ajax had no path of retreat. The two-four away loss meant the team had to burn their boats and go all out. It was their only chance for a comeback; otherwise, elimination was certain.

Technical Director Van Gaal also attended the tactical briefing. He had apparently just concluded an hour-long meeting with the coaching staff, where they seemed to have reached a consensus. Ever since entering the room, he had stood silently by Ronald Koeman’s side, a clear expression of his support for the head coach.

"As I’ve said before, I take full responsibility for the loss two weeks ago. You all performed exceptionally well—the fault was mine. Now, I hope you can continue to trust that I can lead you to victory here at home."

Ronald Koeman was highly respected within the team, and everyone nodded in unison.

"The away loss seemed devastating, but those two goals gave us hope. From them, we can see several things: the weakness of Real Madrid’s defense, their poor cover for the backline, and the fact that we have several advantages going into this match."

At this point, Ronald Koeman changed the slide on the screen behind him. It listed Ajax’s key advantages, the first being Real Madrid’s list of absent players.

Raul Bravo had been injured by Yang Yang’s Pendulum Move—an incident that was now widely publicized. The Real Madrid left-back’s injury was not looking good. It was reportedly an ankle injury, and it seemed unlikely he would play again this season.

However, he was just a substitute. Roberto Carlos, who was suspended for the last match due to an accumulation of yellow cards, would be returning. But no one knew what kind of form the Brazilian left-back would be in; after all, his recent defensive performances had been far from reassuring.

"The player I really want to talk about is Beckham."

The screen behind Ronald Koeman switched to display some of Beckham’s statistics.

"A lot of people focus on Real Madrid’s attack, but I want you all to remember that the midfield is the most crucial area in modern professional football. As the saying goes, ’He who controls the midfield controls the game.’ Whoever wins the midfield battle, wins the match."

"Ever since Makelele left Real Madrid, the holding midfield position has been their weak spot. They lack a player who can provide adequate protection for the area just outside the box. Beckham covers a lot of ground, and his passing—especially his long balls—is a clear strength. His conversion to a deep-lying midfielder has been highly effective."

"However, he picked up a yellow card in the last match, which means he’s suspended for this game. This will be a massive blow to Real Madrid’s midfield defense. We predict Queiroz has only two possible responses."

"First, push Elgara forward to partner Guti in the midfield. But if he does that, their defense will be left exposed. Without Elgara anchoring the back, Real Madrid would have to field a central defense pairing of Pavin and Mejia. That would be our opportunity."

"The other option is to assign a partner for Guti in midfield, most likely Solari or Boerhaave. Solari isn’t an ideal defensive midfielder, so Boerhaave is the more probable choice. In that case, the space in front of their penalty area will be ours to exploit."

As everyone in the room listened to Ronald Koeman’s analysis, they realized that Ajax truly had a chance.

Judging from the first leg, Ibrahimovic was dominant in the penalty area. Neither Elgara nor Mejia could handle him. If Ajax could build their attack around him, they would definitely have opportunities.

Now, with Beckham absent, there would be a vacuum in front of the box. Whether it was Wesley Sonck, Van der Vaart, or Sneijder, all of them could create threats from that area. They were all skilled long-range shooters.

"Furthermore, let’s talk about the wings. Real Madrid’s full-backs love to push forward on the attack, which inevitably leaves space behind them. If we can exploit that space and counter-attack effectively, I’m confident we’ll create chances."

"Finally, as I emphasized two weeks ago, Real Madrid has no effective player rotation. It’s April, and their superstars are already exhausted. You all saw it. In the match at the Bernabéu, they managed to keep up in the first half and even started the second half well. But what happened after that?"

In the final stages of that match, Real Madrid truly had no stamina left.

Of course, part of it was because Ajax intensified their pressing, which led to frequent passing errors. But if they’d had enough stamina, they wouldn’t have had those issues.

"In the past two weeks, Real Madrid has played two matches, and their stars started in both. The first was a five-one home victory over Sevilla, where Roberto Carlos played seventy minutes and Zidane played eighty, with the rest playing the full ninety. Then, two days ago, they scraped a two-one away win against Albacete. Guti played sixty-seven minutes, Zidane eighty, Ronaldo eighty-seven, and again, the others played the entire match."

"Why?" Yang Yang asked in confusion.

His question made everyone in the meeting room turn to look at him, and a moment later, the room filled with laughter.

"Very good. It feels just like a classroom, doesn’t it?" Ronald Koeman asked with a chuckle.

Yang Yang felt a little awkward. For a moment, he really did feel like he was back in a classroom.

"The reason is simple. Real Madrid is currently only one point ahead of Valencia in the league—sixty-seven points to their sixty-six. And Valencia’s goal difference is thirteen goals better than Madrid’s. Considering Real Madrid’s attacking firepower, you can imagine just how poor their defense must be."

Hearing this, everyone immediately understood.

So that was it. They were exhausted from fighting on two fronts, with the league title race at a stalemate.

In comparison, Ajax’s situation was much more relaxed. With a comfortable lead in the league, Ronald Koeman had been able to rotate his squad, giving his key players plenty of rest. They were lying in wait for an exhausted Real Madrid.

"Lads, I want you all to understand that we are far from beaten. We have a real chance. As long as every single one of us works together, as long as we pressure Real Madrid from the very first minute and never let them settle into the game, I believe victory will be ours."

If the Ajax players had been suffering from low morale before, the coach’s in-depth analysis had restored their confidence. They were all starting to believe that, on their home turf, they were fully capable of taking down their opponent.

Even if that opponent was Real Madrid.

...

...

"Yang, I’m going to start you on the bench for this match."

After the tactical briefing, Head Coach Koeman and Assistant Coach Luther Carroll pulled Yang Yang aside for a private chat.

Yang Yang couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He was eager to start, just like he had against Arsenal, but he could accept being brought on as a substitute.

"Starting you on the bench was a unanimous decision among all of us, including Louis. We believe this match will be decided in the second half, and we need to save our sharpest weapon for that moment to launch our most dangerous attacks."

Yang Yang was only seventeen. Given his current fitness level, it would be difficult for him to handle ninety minutes of high-intensity pressing. The coaching staff had two options: either start him and go for an early advantage, like they did against Arsenal, or bring him on as a substitute in the second half.

But it was clear Real Madrid was not Arsenal. The second half was the Galaxy Battleship’s greatest weakness.

"In the first half, we’ll do everything we can to defend our goal and score if the opportunity arises. The main priority, however, is not to concede. The second half will be our prime opportunity to counter-attack, and that’s when I’ll send you in. So I need you to watch the game carefully, especially Roberto Carlos on that flank."

Yang Yang could feel how much the coaching staff valued him. He nodded seriously. "I know what to do."

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