I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 713: Chapter 13: Rookie: Little Magic Beast 2

Mourinho is also concealing his tactics, but various signs indicate that Benzema will appear on the front line, Marcelo will still play as left-back, and Khedira will pair with Alonso as double defensive midfielders.

Some people believe that the Pizjuan Stadium will become a volcano, but experts say that the winner will only be the team that scores more goals, not the team that is wild and frantic on the field.

After all, this is football, not a boxing match.

Sevilla chairman Del Nido and coach Mansano tend to incite fans to use violence, but Real Madrid players will retaliate only with football goals.

Currently, Real Madrid is leading Barcelona by 4 points in the league; in the Champions League, even if they have met their old foe Lyon, the previous Real Madrid nemesis has already lost its magical power, and no one believes Lyon can stop them, but after breaking through Lyon, there are even stronger opponents ahead for Real Madrid.

Many people feel that this season, in La Liga, only two teams have a chance to win the championship, one is Real Madrid, and the other is Barcelona.

And they are direct competitors whether in the league or in the King’s Cup.

On the field, Chen Zhong and Kaka wore strange smiles on their faces.

The outside world is speculating that Benzema will start, but the formation they are practicing now is the 4-3-2-1 formation.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Chen Zhong, Kaka

The Portuguese serves as the arrowhead, while Chen Zhong and Kaka serve as attacking midfielders.

Mourinho uses this formation, clearly having his own ideas. At least on the training pitch, Kaka at the attacking midfielder position seemed to relive his youth, exhibiting unparalleled power.

The days passed by, and the King’s Cup semi-final against Sevilla is drawing nearer.

After finalizing Adebayor’s signing, the relationship between Mourinho and the club’s top brass, especially with general manager Valdano, seemed not to improve much, rather it deteriorated with each passing day.

Today, the rift between Mourinho and Valdano was laid bare.

When the entire Real Madrid team boarded the plane to face Sevilla, general manager Valdano did not travel with the team as usual.

After the team departed, Valdano took Florentino’s private jet to Seville.

The official explanation given by Real Madrid is that Valdano stayed in Madrid because he needed to handle matters related to the loan of Adebayor.

In fact, this is a retaliatory tactic by Mourinho, who feels deeply wronged against Valdano.

Mourinho seems to be someone who makes enemies everywhere, finding targets against him every day.

When Florentino opposed him temporarily taking charge of the Portugal National Team, Mourinho was furious; when UEFA punished him for urging players to apply for red cards, Mourinho was very dissatisfied; when Real Madrid was unfairly treated on the field, Mourinho vehemently criticized the referees’ enforcement...

In short, in Mourinho’s view, almost everyone is against him, be it the referees, opponents, colleagues, enforcement agencies, even team doctors.

The latest addition to this ”blacklist” is Real Madrid general manager Valdano.

Due to publicly mocking the procurement of forwards, Valdano immediately became Mourinho’s ”enemy.”

When two weeks ago Valdano remarked about Real Madrid’s number 9 sitting on the bench, Mourinho privately told players that the club must choose between him and Valdano.

”I will stay at Real Madrid until the end of the season, we’ll see what happens after,” Mourinho said threateningly.

A senior official at Real Madrid revealed yesterday that Mourinho’s words are a threat to the club. If by the end of the season Real Madrid’s promising situation falls apart, the Portuguese will use the lack of forwards as his excuse for championship failure.

Another official believed that from a team structure perspective, Mourinho’s demands are reasonable; Real Madrid indeed needs a forward.

Yet another official figuratively said, ”Buy him a forward, so we can take the gun out of his hand.”

Real Madrid president Florentino attaches great importance to Mourinho’s emotional shifts. Although initially opposing the introduction of a forward, after several of Mourinho’s ”outbursts,” Florentino eventually rented Adebayor from Manchester City.

However, obtaining the number 9 did not calm Mourinho. He immediately found a new target: the provocative video Sevilla Club used to mobilize fans to the scene to watch the game.

As a victim, Mourinho did not step forward directly but instead let his assistant Kalanca demand relevant departments to punish Sevilla.

In the press conference, reporters also asked Kalanca about Mourinho refusing Valdano approaching the team.

In this regard, Kalanca ambiguously replied, ”I do not know about this matter, anyway, I do not have the power to stop Valdano from doing things.”

Last Sunday, Mourinho bluntly stated, ”I only discuss work matters with Florentino and Jose Angel Sanchez (the marketing director, a friend of Mourinho’s agent Mendes).”

Since then, there has been no intermediary in the struggle between Mourinho and the club.

Mourinho doesn’t like people close to the chairman appearing on the plane the players take because their presence makes him uncomfortable, feeling his authority is challenged.

In his view, if the team needs someone to report work to the chairman regularly, it should be no one else but himself.

He even mentioned this casually to Francisco several times.

Francisco also didn’t have much of a solution to this.

He only cited Schuster as an example, hoping Mourinho could restrain his ”sharpness.”

To this, Mourinho didn’t care, he just responded, ”I am not like him, what has he brought for the club, and what have I brought for the team.”

Now Mourinho is at the peak of his life, eager to replicate his dominance at Chelsea and Inter Milan.

He only remembers that at Inter Milan, even the chairman had to accommodate him, but forgot that at Chelsea, it was because his ”prestige was too high” that he was opportunely let go by Russian tycoon Abramovich.

Since yesterday, Mourinho acquired the forward he wanted, and Valdano also stopped interfering in team affairs, but the fissures emerged within the club still impact Real Madrid.

This midweek, Real Madrid will face Sevilla in the King’s Cup semi-final, and over the weekend, they will visit Osasuna (weather forecasts indicate snowfall in the area).

Both matches are crucial, and Real Madrid cannot afford to lose, so what they need least are distractions outside the field.

”CCTV, CCTV.”

”Now broadcasting live for everyone is the first leg of the Spanish King’s Cup semi-final, where Sevilla hosts the Real Madrid Team.”

”Here are the starters for this match...”

Sevilla: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Palop

Defenders: Sergio Sanchez, Alexis, Escude, Fernando Navarro

Midfielders: Navas, Zokora, Romaric, Perotti

Forwards: Kanoute, Fabiano

Real Madrid: 4-3-2-1

Goalkeeper: Casillas

Defenders: Ramos, Pepe, Cavaleiro, Alvaro

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Granero

Attacking Midfielders: Kaka, Chen Zhong

Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo

Referee: Marinko

This is Chen Zhong’s fourth official season, in La Liga he is already a ”veteran,” and in Sevilla’s lineup, Chen Zhong can spot many familiar faces.

And when players from both teams shook hands and hugged, Kanoute, who once had far greater renown than him, is now rarely compared to him.

After all, whether in terms of honors, data, or strength, they are no longer players of the same level.

Seeing Chen Zhong, Kanoute’s expression was somewhat complex.

This young player is one of the fastest-rising players he has ever seen.

The other two are Barcelona’s Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Aguero, both of whom elevated their fame in the season Chen Zhong joined the first team.

These days, what kind of monsters are there!

Kanoute shook his head with a wry smile, hoping God would bless this game!