I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 222: Chapter 84: Madness

His goal was to score at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and help Valencia secure victory.

Besides Villa, there were also attacking talents like David Silva and Juan Mata. David Silva, who joined Valencia’s youth team in 2000, is a versatile midfielder just like ”The Clown” Emar.

Juan Mata is Valencia’s biggest find this season. Both of them are strong players with bright futures and potential for growth.

After a burst of noise, the media seemed to finally come to their senses.

They finally turned their attention to the stage set for the Bat Legion against the ”Galaxy Battleship.”

Real Madrid, hosting Valencia at Bernabeu, entered this match fully alert and with their main squad in full force!

For Real Madrid, the question of who would replace the surgery-absent Van Nistelrooy became a significant issue.

This match, also gaining widespread attention among local fans, would be broadcast live on CCTV-5, Guangdong Sports, Shanghai Sports, and other channels.

”Doesn’t it feel like Real Madrid has lost almost half of 2008?”

”In the last match when Chen Zhong played, the team seemed to have lost too.”

”Without the Small Penalty Box King, it just doesn’t work.”

”Soldado is really useless.”

”I feel like Raul could be swapped out.”

...

Fans had varying opinions, and when Van Nistelrooy was on the field, everyone felt his form was declining, and his finishing ability was decreasing.

But after Van Nistelrooy couldn’t play, the team lost about 3 out of their last 5 league matches.

However, there was good news, as the red-card suspended Ramos was about to return, replacing the underperforming Torres at right-back.

The media first reported, surprisingly, that Van Nistelrooy chose to undergo surgery not considering the club’s performance but rather to catch up with the European Cup.

This made Madrid’s media start to focus on the matter, while also using somewhat aggressive language.

This series of events made Schuster have to come forward and explain, ”The decision for surgery was made by all of us together. Without surgery, we couldn’t clearly determine when he’d return. He’s very concerned about playing more games for the team and hasn’t mentioned the European Cup. If recovery goes smoothly, he hopes to participate in the last four league matches.”

Van Nistelrooy’s recovery period after surgery will last up to a month and a half, and playing in the second round against Barcelona would already count as a rapid recovery.

Schuster’s only options for replacements were Baptista, Higuain, and Soldado.

The Brazilian Beast stood at the front line.

However, whether in training matches or games, the results were not satisfactory.

Recently, Valencia eliminated Barcelona in the King’s Cup, ending a streak of 5 matches without a win, and in the league at this moment, they were only 4 points away from the relegation zone. The match against Real Madrid was an intense clash both emotionally and in reality.

”Marca” even wrote, ”The matches between these two teams in recent years have been full of controversial penalties, controversial goals, and the utmost hostile atmosphere... but considering the excellent players on both teams, this may be a good game.”

...

”Here is the team’s starting lineup.”

Francisco announced the team’s starting lineup in the locker room, as Real Madrid unprecedentedly changed their formation for the match against Valencia.

The team shifted from a 442 formation to a 4231 formation.

”Chen Zhong, Baptista, Robinho, Sneijder, Guti, Diara, Marcelo, Cannavaro, Pepe, Ramos, Casillas.”

Francisco slowly read the starting lineup in the locker room, and as he finished reading, everyone was petrified, many looking towards Raul unconsciously.

Raul, the team’s captain, Real Madrid’s emblem, and Bernabeu’s darling.

Lately, he has been caught in some media storm due to his poor performances in recent matches, with some suggesting he should be taken out of the starting lineup for Higuain, Soldado...

But no one took this seriously.

Yet now, Schuster’s starting lineup made everyone think of the same idea.

Could Schuster be crazy?

Switching the team from a 442 to a 4231 formation could have been ordinary since it was practiced in usual training.

But directly placing Chen Zhong at center forward and removing Raul from the starting lineup seemed too strange, didn’t it?

In Schuster’s 4231 formation,

Chen Zhong was positioned as the center forward.

Behind Chen Zhong was Baptista.

And to the left and right were Robinho and Sneijder.

At defensive midfielder were Guti and Diara.

There were too many aspects that puzzled people, leading them to wonder if Schuster was trying to prove himself because the media accused him of poor formation and deployment skills by creating a flashy lineup?

The players looked at Francisco, seemingly hoping for some explanation, but Francisco said nothing.

In fact, Francisco initially thought this was a crazy decision too.

But soon, he realized Schuster’s cleverness in this setup as Chen Zhong has an extremely tall stature with strong ball protection and aerial duel abilities, making him ideal for being a supportive high point.

In the football world, when in doubt, utilizing a target man has become a ”golden rule.”

Since Van Nistelrooy’s injury, Real Madrid has missed a focal point in the front, leading to monotonous attacking means which became easy to restrict. But now with Chen Zhong, they could perfectly use high balls when facing compact defenses.

Besides Chen Zhong, Higuain, Soldado, and Raul couldn’t deliver such an effect. Soldado and Raul are both 180 cm, and Higuain is 184 cm, but their body physicality isn’t as strong as Chen Zhong’s.

There was also the midfield setup.

Baptista could play the second forward role or drop back to central midfield allowing Guti to move forward, and Robinho and Sneijder could be the two wingers.

The team’s formation could switch directly to a 433.

...

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Fans dressed in white converged outside the stadium, singing passionately, their eyes filled with anticipation and fervor.

Valencia fans, clad in orange jerseys, arrived on site, firmly believing their team, having just defeated Barcelona, could defeat Real Madrid too.

No matter that it’s Bernabeu Stadium!

They needed to beat them at home to wash away the shame of last time’s 5-goal defeat.

Thirty minutes before the match, both teams released their starting lineups, with Valencia deploying their strongest formation while Real Madrid’s formation sparked widespread controversy.

”Is Schuster insane?”

”From defender to midfield, and then to forward?”

”Maybe Chen should just be the coach, how dare Schuster.”

...

Real Madrid fans talked in a flurry, with some who followed Chen Zhong in youth team games knowing he was a versatile talent who had shone even as a forward, but youth and first teams aren’t the same!

In contrast, Valencia fans were laughing.

”Haha.”

”Last matchup, 2 goals, 1 assist.”

”You really think he’s that strong, huh?”

”Real Madrid should lose this game.”

...

In the last matchup between the two teams, Chen Zhong scored 2 goals and made an assist at Valencia’s home ground, leaving an impression on Valencia’s fans.

This time, with Van Nistelrooy injured, Raul under heavy criticism, Soldado barely useful, and Higuain’s poor shooting skills, Chen Zhong was thrust into the center forward position.

This inevitably upset some sensitive Valencia fans.

Meanwhile, many fans back home were bewildered.

Wasn’t he originally a center-back, then became a midfielder, and now he’s playing as a center forward?

Is the world crazy,

or am I crazy?