Chapter 635
Cristiano Ronaldo is benched, and hidden worries emerge for Real Madrid?
Contrary to the common perception that Cristiano Ronaldo only knows how to finish chances and lacks dribbling skills, before his major injury and subsequent transformation, Ronaldo actually possessed dribbling and ball control abilities, and his footwork was quite good.
During this period, Cristiano Ronaldo also had a nickname: "Golden-edged Ronaldo".
However, he couldn't be as dominant on the wing as Messi, and his success rate in one-on-one duels and dribbling was not high.
In the last match, Ronaldo was almost completely neutralized by Barcelona's full-back Abidal, and he almost never won in one-on-one duels.
Wingers in the Messi era are inevitably compared to Messi.
Just like midfielders of the same era, they are inevitably compared to Lin Feng.
Compared to the incredibly strong Messi, Ronaldo, who also plays on the wing, is completely outclassed.
The contrast is especially striking when the two compete against each other.
Every time Messi gets the ball, Real Madrid's defense becomes extremely tense, and all the defenders have to be on high alert.
But when it's Real Madrid's turn to attack, when Ronaldo has the ball, Barcelona only needs one full-back to mark him, which not only prevents him from posing a threat, but also delays him by making him take possession of the ball, thus ruining the scoring opportunities created by other Real Madrid players.
So it's no wonder that he's being criticized like this, and even his teammates are gossiping about him behind his back.
The intensity of the Spanish El Clásico is completely different from the previous warm-up matches. If you still use the same playing style as when you were at Manchester United and treat Barcelona like you would a warm-up opponent, you will naturally be taught a lesson.
No one knows what Mourinho said to Ronaldo in his office, only that Ronaldo was placed on the bench for the second El Clásico.
"It seems that Ronaldo needs some time to integrate into his new team."
The Sky Sports commentator phrased it rather tactfully, but Premier League fans weren't so forgiving.
[Haha, there's a saying that goes, "You'll know if it's a mule or a horse once you take it out for a spin." Turns out, the mule was exposed as soon as it left Manchester United!]
[With this kind of performance, he thinks he can compete with Lin Feng and Messi? I think Kaka is better than him!]
[I told you long ago that Ronaldo isn't that good; his stats at Manchester United were all inflated by his teammates carrying him!]
As the most prominent team in the Premier League over the past decade, Manchester United is arguably the number one enemy of other teams in the Premier League.
As Manchester United's star player, Cristiano Ronaldo naturally faces hostility from fans of other teams. This hostility will not disappear immediately after he leaves Manchester United and will continue for a long time.
As for Manchester United fans, they didn't mock Ronaldo much. Although many Red Devils fans were somewhat disgusted by Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United to join Real Madrid, Ronaldo's situation was similar to Henry's departure from Arsenal to join Barcelona a few years ago.
Both players have made significant contributions to their respective clubs, especially after transfer rumors surfaced, their decision to stay for another year to ensure the team's performance earned them considerable credit.
After leading the team to the Champions League final for two consecutive years without success, he chose to leave to pursue a higher level of championships. This can not be considered a betrayal.
Of course, Manchester United fans won't say anything good about Ronaldo, because they now have their new favorite – Kaká!
Cristiano Ronaldo was naturally very angry about Mourinho's decision to bench him.
However, being new to the club, he didn't dare to fall out with Mourinho. Although Real Madrid spent a lot of money to sign him, it was hard to say whether the club's management valued him more or Mourinho, the championship-winning coach.
As a newcomer, he had a falling out with the head coach as soon as he joined the team. Not only did he not receive support, but he was also regarded as a troublemaker by the club's management and fans.
Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't want to be labeled like that, as it would severely damage his reputation.
Right now, all he wants is to prove as soon as possible that the team's loss has nothing to do with him.
They even hope that Barcelona will defeat Real Madrid, preferably in a crushing defeat, so that they can demonstrate their value.
This will allow Mourinho and the club's management to value him and reinstate him to important responsibilities.
But... the course of the game doesn't seem to be going as he expected?
"Goal! An assist from Lin Feng!"
"The goal scorer is Real Madrid's captain, Raul!"
"Although many people say that Raul is old and his form has declined, he is no longer worthy of being Real Madrid's starting striker.
But the Lord of the Rings proved with his actions that he was still the omnipotent striker, still the sharpest weapon in Real Madrid's attack!
After scoring, Raul once again performed his signature ring-kissing celebration and waved to the fans in the stands who were supporting him.
In recent years, as Real Madrid has brought in a large number of young and talented strikers, Raul's position has begun to be challenged.
Starting in the second half of last season, Raul started fewer and fewer games and came on as a substitute more often, resulting in a significant drop in playing time compared to the previous season.
At 32 years old, he doesn't have much of an advantage over these younger players in terms of playing time.
With the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in the new season, Raul almost lost even the jersey number he had worn for Real Madrid for fifteen years.
If Ronaldo hadn't respected his senior and hadn't tried to compete with him for the number 7 jersey, the club's management might have actually forced Raul to give up the jersey to Ronaldo.
That's just how Real Madrid is.
Older players past their prime are practically worthless here.
Most of his old teammates who fought alongside him back then have passed away over the years.
Of the original Galacticos, only Casillas remains, a teammate whom Raul considers a junior captain.
Even so, Raul still wanted to spend his final years at the Bernabéu and dedicate everything to Real Madrid.
In order not to drag the team down, he trained and played with a more serious attitude than the younger players, trying his best to squeeze out every last drop of fuel from his tank.
Raul's efforts have been seen by the coaching staff. Real Madrid underwent such a large-scale purge this summer, with five players being let go of the forward line alone, but Mourinho never thought of sending Raul away.
A madman can sometimes appear cold and unapproachable, but at other times he can be incredibly humane.
But his gamble of choosing to drop Ronaldo in such an important match under immense pressure and giving veteran Raul a second chance seems to have paid off!
Without Ronaldo, Real Madrid seems to have found its comfort zone again.
They completely suppressed Barcelona's attack in the first half, and even Messi was frozen in front of Real Madrid's impenetrable defense.
The tactics centered around Lin Feng have been perfected after two seasons of testing, and the players on the field are very comfortable with them and play with great ease.
Especially after taking the lead, they played with even more composure.
They remained calm and composed when defending, standing firm against Barcelona's relentless attacks.
Their attacks are lightning fast; with just a few passes, they can easily break through the opponent's defense, rendering Barcelona's defense useless.
After watching the first half of the game, many fans had a question in their minds:
Real Madrid is already so strong, why would they bring in a superstar like Ronaldo to disrupt their tactical balance and locker room unity?
Is it simply because they want to build a Galactic Warship, and they're buying it just for the sake of buying?
Although it's just a fan's guess, it's very close to the correct answer! In fact, you can guess Real Madrid's transfer strategy just by looking at Beckham's transfer.
With the team desperately needing a defensive midfielder, they signed Beckham, a midfielder who is clearly more suited to attacking play.
Regardless of whether he is a talent the team urgently needs, they buy him simply because he is famous, good-looking, has high commercial value, and is strong.
What if it doesn't fit after you buy it?
That's the coach's problem. Anyway, I've bought the player for you, so if you can't use him well, that's your problem!
What can the coach do?
The only option is to make a sacrifice for Beckham and convert him into a defensive midfielder!
It's just that Beckham is easy to talk to; someone else might not be willing to make that sacrifice.
After all, we're all big-name players, so why should I be the one to sacrifice?
……
In the Spanish El Clásico, Real Madrid is unlikely to win so easily.
After the first half ended, Guardiola had already figured out Mourinho's hand.
In the second half, he brought on Pedro, allowing him to constantly attack Real Madrid's left flank.
Marcelo is not a top-class defensive full-back; his attacking ability outweighs his defensive skills, which often leads to him being out of position.
In situations like this, Thiago Silva is needed to fill in for him.
Once the sister-in-law leaves the penalty area, it becomes a one-on-one battle between Ibrahimovic and Pepe inside the penalty area.
With Ibrahimovic's large physique, he fears no defender in one-on-one duels.
Any coach seeing this situation would instinctively send the defensive midfielder or the full-back on the other side to assist in the defense.
Because the opponent's tactical intention was very clear: they wanted to cross the ball from the wing to find Ibrahimovic in the penalty area.
If Real Madrid can't shut down Ibrahimovic and he gets the ball, their goal will be under immediate threat.
Real Madrid used a three-defensive-midfielder formation in this match, and even if one of them was taken off, they still had enough players available.
Therefore, Mourinho chose to have Diarra drop back to the area between the midfield and the defense to provide support.
This adjustment may seem fine at first glance, but in reality, it has completely fallen into Guardiola's trap.
Losing a defensive midfielder might not be a problem when facing other teams, but Real Madrid's current opponents have Messi, a killer in the squad.
Messi was silent in the first half because he was effectively shut down by Real Madrid's three defensive midfielders, leaving him with almost no space to make an impact.
But now that Diarra has retreated, the space in front of him has suddenly increased significantly.
After a year of continuous evolution, Messi has become even stronger.
When such an opportunity arose, he seized it almost immediately and made the most of it.
In the 66th minute of the second half, Busquets received the ball and used a screen-like move to create space for Messi to break through from midfield.
The Argentine player swept through Real Madrid's defense like a rehearsal, passing almost the entire backline before finally sending the ball into the goal guarded by Casillas.
An uproar erupted at the Bernabéu, with all sorts of noise filling the stadium.
Real Madrid fans could hardly believe what they were seeing: the opposing team's number 10 player single-handedly took on their entire defense.
Apart from Busquets' assist that wasn't really an assist, only Messi and Ibrahimovic, who was holding down the ball in the penalty area, were involved in the attack.
However, the latter didn't touch the ball at all, and didn't even move its position much, so its restraining effect was very limited.
Staring at the ball rolling inside their own goal, the Real Madrid players on the field were dumbfounded, and Casillas helplessly spread his hands towards his teammates on the back line.
When faced with such an incredible shot, you don't even have the energy to blame your teammates.
Not only were the Real Madrid players stunned, but the Barcelona players were equally shocked.
When Messi scored, the Barcelona players swarmed towards him like madmen.
Busquets, who provided the assist for Messi, was completely shocked. No matter how vivid his imagination was, he could never have imagined that his pass would have such a result.
After scoring the goal, Messi's face was filled with a smile that was hard to describe, as if he had finally resolved a knot in his heart that had troubled him for many years, and his smile was exceptionally radiant.
Inside the penalty area, Ibrahimovic and the Real Madrid players reacted in the same way, all of them startled by Messi's goal.
He had originally wanted to compete with Messi for the title of team leader, but after seeing this goal, Ibrahimovic fell silent.
What the hell is this monster? How am I supposed to compete with it?!
"Yes! Beautiful!"
On the sidelines, Guardiola waved excitedly, as if he himself had scored the goal.
After adjusting the team's tactics, Guardiola anticipated a goal, but he didn't expect it to be such a spectacular one.
Messi's ability to seize opportunities is simply too strong.
Moreover, only he could seize such an opportunity!
On the other side of the coaching bench, not far away, Mourinho's face was ashen.
The promising situation was completely ruined by Messi's goal. If Real Madrid, who lost the first leg, draws this round, they will lose the Super Cup due to their aggregate score disadvantage.
Although the Super Cup trophy isn't particularly prestigious, the fact that the opponent was Barcelona gave the match greater significance.
If Real Madrid loses the Super Cup before the start of the new season, it will severely damage the team's morale.
What's more troublesome is that losing the El Clásico gives those who have always disliked him and want to pick a fight an opportunity.
With this in mind, Mourinho made a tough decision and immediately made a substitution, taking off a defensive midfielder and bringing on a striker, determined to go all out against Barcelona.
Seeing Mourinho preparing to make a substitution, Cristiano Ronaldo, sitting on the bench, was full of anticipation, thinking that his name would be called.
The current situation on the field is exactly the ideal scenario he envisioned.
If he comes off the bench and scores a goal, he can lead the team to victory in this match.
His image in the eyes of Real Madrid fans will immediately become much more impressive, and all previous criticisms and attacks against him will be rendered unfounded.
Unfortunately, Mourinho chose to trust the young Di Maria rather than give Ronaldo the opportunity. (End of Chapter)