Chapter 639
Real Madrid is getting into form, Barcelona is unstoppable.
With the start of the new Champions League season, Real Madrid has gradually entered a phase of competing on two fronts.
The first round of the Champions League group stage kicked off on September 16.
Real Madrid will travel to Sweden to face Swedish Allsvenskan champions Zurich.
The opponent was not strong, but Real Madrid did not underestimate them.
Mourinho fielded key players such as Lin Feng and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Faced with the fully-equipped Galacticos, the Zurich team surrendered after only half a game.
The match ended with the score settling at 5-2.
Real Madrid's two stars are both in excellent form. Lin Feng contributed 2 goals and 1 assist, while Ronaldo scored a goal and provided an assist.
This marks the third consecutive match in which the two players have scored!
After getting through the initial adjustment period, Ronaldo gradually regained his form and his performance on the field improved.
In this round of group stage matches, all the top teams performed well, and there were basically no upsets.
It is worth mentioning that Mourinho did not go to Inter Milan.
In their first group stage match, Inter Milan, playing at home, failed to draw with Barcelona and were instead thrashed 3-0.
While the result was not unexpected, it was still a shock to see Inter Milan, a once-dominant powerhouse in the Champions League, being completely dominated by Barcelona.
Some longtime fans still felt a little sorry for the team. Although they knew that Serie A had declined, they didn't expect it to have declined to this extent.
Anyone who watched the game simply couldn't compare the two teams.
Inter Milan, looking old and decrepit, is like a rusty old car compared to Barcelona, a powerful supercar, completely unable to keep up with the opponent's pace.
If Barcelona hadn't been mindful of their match against Atletico Madrid three days later and had eased up in the second half, the scoreline of this game would likely have been even more lopsided.
After all, he spent two years at Inter Milan, although there were some conflicts over the transfer.
Lin Feng still has some affection for Inter Milan. After learning of the result, he felt a little heavy-hearted and immediately called his old teammates Zanetti, Materazzi, and others to comfort them.
Inter Milan is having a really tough season. After he left, the team still had Torres to rely on.
But now that even Torres has left, Inter Milan's attacking strength has been severely weakened.
The fact that players like Eto'o and Milito, who should have historically transferred to Inter Milan, did not join the team because Mourinho did not go, has severely weakened Inter Milan's overall strength.
The fact that they only lost by three points to Barcelona was thanks to the hard work and dedication of the veterans in the back line.
When they go to Camp Nou for the next leg and face Barcelona playing at home, who knows how lopsided the score will be!
……
Real Madrid's Champions League group stage draw was favorable, allowing them to focus more on the league.
The third round of La Liga kicked off on September 19.
Facing the challenge from newly promoted side Real Madrid, Real Madrid thrashed their opponents 5-0 at home, earning a heavy lesson.
Poor Zarez, since being promoted to La Liga, he has not only failed to win a single game in the first three rounds of the league, but he has also failed to score a single goal.
Including the five goals Real Madrid scored in this match, they have conceded eight goals in three games, firmly securing their position at the bottom of the table.
This performance makes them arguably the weakest newly promoted team in the last decade.
If things continue like this, they might only be able to stay in La Liga for one year, and then they'll have to go back to the Segunda División next year.
Because the opponent was too weak, Lin Feng was substituted after only 60 minutes, just like in the previous match.
Mourinho has clearly learned from the lesson of the team's tactical collapse after Lin Feng's injury last season, and this season he pays extra attention to protecting Lin Feng. If the outcome of the game is already decided, he will substitute Lin Feng as soon as possible if there are substitutions available.
This resulted in Lin Feng's playing time decreasing compared to last season, and his statistics also declined.
Even so, he still delivered an impressive performance with one goal and one assist.
As for other Real Madrid players, Cristiano Ronaldo, who played the full match, scored a goal in each half, completing a brace.
Higuain scored a goal, and Lin Feng's substitute Modric also scored in the second half, showing a very impressive performance.
Compared to Real Madrid's easy wins against weaker teams, Barcelona's match will be a tough one.
The highlight of this round of the league is the match at Camp Nou – Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid.
In this match, Barcelona demonstrated their terrifying attacking firepower to the world.
Facing a formidable team like Atletico Madrid, who ranks among the top four in La Liga, they thrashed them 5-2, scoring five goals in total.
Atletico Madrid's two star strikers, Aguero and Forlán, are strong, but they still can't compete with Barcelona's stars.
However, the fact that Atletico Madrid managed to score two goals against Barcelona is enough to demonstrate the quality of their attacking line, especially since Barcelona hasn't conceded a goal in either the league or the Champions League since the start of the season!
After three rounds of matches, the La Liga standings have quietly changed.
The title contenders have shrunk further. Currently, besides Barcelona and Real Madrid, only Athletic Bilbao remains undefeated. The other teams dropped out early and were out of the title race from the very beginning.
The biggest question right now is how long Barcelona and Real Madrid's winning streaks will last, and which of these two teams will be the first to falter.
The second-generation Galactic Battleships are full of star power, boasting two super-powerful figures, making them incredibly strong on paper.
After a year of refinement, Barcelona's possession-based tactics have unleashed an even more terrifying power, often delivering breathtakingly dominant performances in matches.
Despite Barcelona's loss to Real Madrid in the Super Cup, the outside world has not drawn conclusions easily. Instead, it is believed that Barcelona may be able to defend their league title.
Guardiola's possession-based tactics are incredibly reliable against mid-to-lower-tier teams.
Ordinary teams would barely touch the ball a few times in a game against them, so how could they possibly pull off an upset?
On the contrary, Mourinho's counter-attacking strategy was not as effective against mid-to-lower-table teams for Real Madrid.
Forced to attack, they risk being caught off guard and suffering an upset by a weaker opponent. However, these are just external analyses. Barcelona may not be as secure as they seem, and Real Madrid might be able to thwart the danger of a counter-attack with a stronger attack.
On September 24, after a four-day rest, Real Madrid set off for Villarreal to prepare for their fourth league match.
The situation is exactly the opposite of the last round. This round's match between Real Madrid and Villarreal is the focus of the league, while Barcelona's match against Racing Santander is more like a bullying game.
The result was similar: Barcelona, who started the game first, swept Racing Santander 4-1 away from home, securing their fourth consecutive victory and topping the league table ahead of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's match was a day later than Barcelona's, and they encountered a tough challenge from Villarreal away from home.
Neither side managed to score in the first half. It seemed that Real Madrid's forwards had collectively forgotten their shooting boots, failing to find the net despite the opponent's tight defense.
Villarreal, seeing a chance to score in the second half, fought harder and harder with the support of their home fans.
They not only displayed extreme toughness on defense, but also made some noise on offense.
But all of this came at a price. In the 66th minute of the second half, Villarreal's captain fouled Lin Feng, received his second yellow card, and was sent off, completely shattering the balance of the game.
Real Madrid seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack. First, Lin Feng opened the scoring with a free kick. Then, during a wing attack, Ronaldo cut inside from the left and beat two players before firing a low shot with his right foot from the edge of the penalty area to score again.
In just five minutes, the score went from 0-0 to 2-0!
Villarreal had a wonderful dream for sixty minutes, but Real Madrid shattered it in just five minutes!
Many Barcelona fans, whose dreams were also shattered, also had their hopes dashed:
[What a pity! If it weren't for that yellow card, Villarreal might have actually managed a draw against Real Madrid, and then Barcelona would have been in first place!]
[No, Villarreal were able to withstand Real Madrid's attacks earlier only because of their high-intensity pressing, which exhausted them. Their pressing forced Real Madrid to combine in their midfield and attack, thus stifling their attacks. But in the second half, as their stamina declines, they will eventually break down!]
Yes, Gonzalo's red card was also because he was exhausted while defending, which led to a distorted movement and a second yellow card. It was only the 66th minute, and they couldn't hold on any longer. Do you think they can last the remaining 30 minutes?
[If we want to win the league title, we can't rely on others' help; we must rely on our own strength. Only by defeating Real Madrid ourselves and crushing them will this championship trophy have any real value!]
That's right, we'll take back everything we lost last season this season!
Given the current dominance of the two giants in La Liga, it's somewhat unrealistic for them to rely on other teams for help.
The best way for them to win the title is to crush their opponents head-on in the El Clásico!
This six-point game, if won, will give us a huge advantage in the championship race!
……
Since La Liga is the league with the latest start date among the top five European leagues, its schedule becomes relatively dense after entering September.
Just two days after their match against Villarreal, Real Madrid had barely had a chance to catch their breath before facing another challenge from another team.
On September 26, Real Madrid will host another newly promoted team, Tenerife.
Although compared to Zaragoza, who have yet to secure a single victory and are firmly in last place in the standings, Tenerife, with two wins and two losses in the first four rounds, have performed slightly better.
But Real Madrid didn't see much difference.
Despite making extensive changes to the team's lineup, Mourinho still managed to defeat his opponent with a team consisting of half starters and half substitutes, without much effort.
In this match, Lin Feng and Cristiano Ronaldo, who had scored in the first four rounds of the league, were both benched.
Di Maria and Modric, who filled in for the two, performed very well. Di Maria provided two assists, helping Benzema and Raul score goals respectively.
Modric scored his second La Liga goal in the second half with a long-range shot.
Lin Feng, who watched the entire game from the bench, was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Seeing such a wonderful performance from my teammates, I couldn't help but cheer for them.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, seemed a little agitated.
He has scored in five consecutive matches, and if he scores again in this match, he will have the opportunity to equal or even break the Real Madrid record held by Lin Feng.
Previously, the record for Real Madrid's newest players scoring consecutive goals after joining the team was set by Lin Feng in the 2007-2008 season.
That season, Lin Feng, who had just joined Real Madrid, scored in the first five league matches and the first Champions League match, breaking Real Madrid's record that had stood for more than fifty years.
If Mourinho hadn't arranged for him to rest in the sixth round of the league, his record would likely have reached an astonishing 13 games!
Cristiano Ronaldo is just one game away from Lin Feng's record, and it will only take two games to break the record.
But with his absence from this match, he will never have the chance to achieve this record again in his lifetime.
Mourinho didn't think about these things at all when he arranged the rotation. Who knew that Ronaldo was so competitive and wanted to compete for every record?
After all, another superstar he knew didn't particularly care about personal data and records.
Even given Lin Feng's personality, if the team can win without him playing, he would rather rest for a few more games and save his energy for more crucial matches, rather than padding his stats by dominating weaker opponents in games where the outcome is already decided.
Although Real Madrid won easily, Malaga didn't pose much of a problem for Barcelona either.
Messi had a breakout performance in this match, drawing a red card in the first half with his unstoppable individual breakthroughs, completely disrupting the balance of the game.
He then transformed into a dribbling maniac, repeatedly executing one-two and two-two one-two passes with his teammates in the narrow areas of the attacking third, especially near the penalty area, leaving his opponents helpless.
After this match, Malaga's defenders will probably live in the shadow of being outmaneuvered by Messi for a long time!
I thought Messi was already strong enough last season, but this season he's even more formidable!
Is it really Eto'o who limited Messi's performance?
I think it's because Guardiola has given Messi more freedom to shoot and more autonomy. His position on the field is much more flexible now than last season!
It's a pity that Ibrahimovic's integration has been a bit slow, and he lacks chemistry with Messi. If he could integrate into the team as quickly as Ronaldo integrated into Real Madrid, Barcelona might truly be invincible!
When Guardiola set his sights on Ibrahimovic, he was drawn to Ibrahimovic's physique and exquisite footwork, wanting to acquire a focal point in the attacking third to further help Messi expand his space in the attacking third.
But he underestimated Ibrahimovic's ambition; Ibrahimovic wasn't there to be Messi's supporting player.
He's here for the team's leader position!
The problem is, with Messi's performance being so explosive, how could Ibrahimovic possibly replace him?
It's likely that, aside from Ibrahimovic himself, no one else in the Barcelona squad would choose him. (End of Chapter)