I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 398: Chapter 51: Ferguson’s Ambitions (C. Ronaldo, Rooney, Bell)

Standing on the sidelines, Emery’s hairline was slightly receding, and the heavy forehead wrinkles made him look as if he was deeply concerned.

The fans of both teams in the stands had already started quarrelling, but the players on the field hadn’t had a hard collision yet.

Emery couldn’t hold back any longer. He glanced at Pellegrini, who remained calm and collected, and decided to act first.

Valencia’s players, upon noticing Emery’s signals, quickly began to carry out their planned attack on Real Madrid.

”Valencia has the ball!”

”Mata!”

”Chooses to pass back again.”

”They’re trying to draw Real Madrid out.”

”But the Real Madrid players are very patient, no matter how Valencia’s players try to lure them, they’re unmoved.”

”Hmm?”

Valencia’s offensive play changed, with Mata and Silva switching positions, and Villa also leaving his predetermined spot, causing Real Madrid to be momentarily at a loss like bees swarming around.

However, Real Madrid’s defense in the middle was very tight, forcing them to shift the ball to the wings.

”Valencia makes a broad transfer!”

”The ball comes to the left side.”

”Pass towards the middle!”

”Chen Zhong heads the ball out!”

”Mathieu retrieves the ball.”

”Here we go again!”

The Valencia fans in the stands let out cries of astonishment as Real Madrid, under Chen Zhong’s calls, defended the key middle area, and Valencia’s attack ultimately needed to transfer the ball to the central Villa.

They attempted to send the ball into the middle, but Villa’s height was a disadvantage.

Chen Zhong jumped high and headed the ball away.

Valencia’s player Mathieu, after getting the ball, moved towards the wing, then delivered another cross.

Chen Zhong moved towards the ball’s landing point, which was Albiol’s defensive area, and facing his old teammate Villa, Albiol completed his defensive task admirably.

”Real Madrid’s quick counterattack!”

”Albiol completely read his former teammate’s movements!”

”The ball is at Chen Zhong’s feet.”

Once Chen Zhong got the ball, Valencia’s players immediately closed in on him, but Chen Zhong had no intention of holding onto it and quickly transferred it to Alonso nearby.

Alonso, after getting the ball, aimed for the sprinting Cristiano Ronaldo with a precise long pass, and at this time, Real Madrid players were also pressing up quickly, putting pressure on the Valencia players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, after receiving the ball, used a beautiful shoulder dip to bypass Mathieu swiftly. As Banega arrived, the Argentinian unhesitatingly slid in and took down C. Ronaldo.

The Valencia fans in the stands applauded Banega, while Real Madrid expressed their discontent with boos.

Pellegrini glanced at Emery, recognizing him as a difficult opponent.

He had once asked Negredo for his opinion on Emery, and Negredo gave Emery high praise.

During his time at Almeria, Emery would use a lot of video materials to help players repeatedly confirm what they needed to do and how to respond to opponents.

In training, the same drills were repeated continuously until the players could memorise their actions like clockwork.

Although this training method was exhausting and relentless, Emery’s players responded positively to the foresight he conveyed.

In this match, Pellegrini could clearly feel that Emery had brought this training method to Valencia as well.

They paid great attention to Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as to Chen Zhong in the middle, who always had one or two people hovering around him.

Yet Callejon was somewhat ignored by Valencia.

He is a coach with the ability to turn the ordinary into extraordinary. Even when Almeria sold off most of their main players in a season, he could still ”complete the mission,” and after he left the teams he coached, their results invariably plummeted!

Emery watched Chen Zhong with a somewhat tense expression, knowing that whenever Chen Zhong controlled the ball, it was the most threatening moment for Real Madrid.

This player from China possessed a strong body, an excellent sense of the bigger picture, and had a decent ability to make both long and short passes to drive forward.

This was the one aspect Emery couldn’t specifically target, given that Chen Zhong was ”pretty good” in every aspect.

”A quick free kick!”

”To Chen Zhong!”

”Carrying the ball forward!”

”Valencia is very cautious!”

Banega, who had been eyeing Chen Zhong for a long time, came sliding in from the side towards the ball, but Chen Zhong seemed to anticipate this, flicked the ball up, and leapt over Banega’s slide tackle.

The scene appeared as if Banega was cooperating with Chen Zhong in a performance!

”Beautiful!”

”Chen Zhong flicks the ball past his man!”

”The action is not fast, but very precise!”

”Gives off a sense of...”

”Confidence and assurance!”

The commentator praised Chen Zhong while also marvelling at Chen Zhong’s progress, knowing that in the past, Chen Zhong would often use his strong physique to charge through such situations!

But later, he slowly began using techniques such as the Marseille Turn and the Cruyff Turn to get past opponents.