Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

”I told you guys earlier this season—Atlético’s only going to get stronger. And you laughed at me back then.”

It was the afternoon after their win over Zaragoza. The Real Madrid squad was doing recovery training, and Li Ang, as usual, kicked off the banter with another bold claim.

Modrić, stretching beside him, burst out laughing.

When he had first transferred to Madrid and they were about to play Atlético in the Super Cup, Li Ang had been talking big—saying Atlético was no threat. And now here he was, making a total U-turn with full confidence.

Still, no one in the squad refuted him.

Because Li Ang had, in fact, said this during preseason training. At the time, a few teammates had even teased him for it.

Truth be told, there was no contradiction between ”Atlético is no threat” and ”Atlético is getting stronger.”

In just two and a half months, Simeone had overhauled the team again.

He’d started to fulfill the promise he made to Atlético fans after losing the Super Cup—to forge a team of iron.

Their now-established 4-4-2 lineup had seen Diego Costa promoted to the starting XI, where his physicality and hold-up play had completely unlocked Falcao.

Ten La Liga rounds in, Falcao had ten goals and one assist. Averaging a goal per game.

Madrid still had the edge in overall strength. But no one thought another match against Atlético would be as easy as that Super Cup win.

Of course, difficult or not, Madrid’s players still believed they would win.

Li Ang wasn’t about to argue.

To him, the relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and Atlético had always been a bit of a mystery—one that favored Madrid.

Ronaldo, already in peak form, always found another gear against Atlético. He always scored.

It was almost a given: before the match even started, Real Madrid were up 1–0.

So, as long as Mourinho didn’t overthink things, another season sweep of Atlético was within reach.

After wrapping up their discussion on Atlético’s rise, the Madrid players went back to training in earnest.

There wasn’t much time left to prepare.

With only two and a half days before they faced Dortmund again, every rotation player who hoped for minutes was pushing themselves even harder.

While Mourinho weighed his tactical options, over in Germany, Jürgen Klopp was doing the same.

Last time, they’d lost to Madrid. And while they understood that Madrid had started conservatively, they still hated how it had ended.

Madrid’s full-pressure attack had blown them off the pitch once it was unleashed. They felt the difference. They accepted it.

But that didn’t mean they were content.

This was a young team. They had pride. They wanted a rematch.

Klopp loved that fire. So his tactical dilemma wasn’t about balance anymore.

He was wondering whether to go all-in. Full aggression. From the lineup to the first whistle.

Classic Klopp.

Why?

Because honestly, defensive upgrades weren’t on the table.

Their back line was fine. The real issue was the pivot.

Kehl was too old. Sven Bender wasn’t elite.

And they didn’t have the funds to fix it.

So instead of trying to build a brick wall, Klopp chose the sledgehammer approach: go full offense.

If you can’t stop the opponent from scoring, just score more than them.

Simple.

And crazy.

And very, very Klopp.

He made his decision.

Time to go mad again.

On November 6, when Dortmund’s starting lineup was announced an hour before kickoff, even the German press was stunned.

Gündoğan was starting. Kehl was benched.

Klopp had paired Gündoğan with Sven Bender, and ahead of them sat Götze.

It was Dortmund’s most aggressive midfield trio yet.

Even Mourinho and the Madrid players looked surprised.

At the Bernabéu, Klopp and Dortmund were stealing the spotlight.

Florentino Pérez, seated with VIP guests and sponsors, could only sigh.

He’d hoped to show off Madrid’s elegance. A dominant, beautiful home match.

Now?

He was terrified Mourinho would go full defensive mode in response to Klopp’s risky setup.

Florentino feared a boring tactical grind, devoid of flair or star moments—bad for business, bad for branding.

He had no idea he was about to be pleasantly surprised.

Because as both teams emerged for kickoff, Mourinho hadn’t set up a defensive block.

Madrid lined up with only Xabi Alonso sitting deep in front of the back line.

Li Ang and Modrić both took advanced positions.

”This isn’t 4-2-3-1! Real Madrid isn’t using their usual formation! They’ve come out in a full-blown 4-3-3!”

Commentator He Wei could hardly contain his excitement.

He had a hunch this would happen. That Mourinho wouldn’t sacrifice style just to counter Klopp.

Because Mourinho was a proud man.

And a man who had won five trophies this year didn’t bow to anyone—not even to Klopp’s theatrics.

Letting Dortmund steal the show at the Bernabéu? Unthinkable.

And He Wei was right.

Mourinho was going to fight fire with fire.

No retreat. No compromise.

If Klopp wanted to go toe-to-toe, then Madrid would meet him in the center of the ring.

The Bernabéu erupted.

The fans, sensing blood, roared to life.

Across Europe, viewers tuned in. Phones buzzed. Fans scrambled to switch channels.

This was going to be a firefight.

Last season’s top-scoring team in Europe had just gone all in.

TV ratings soared.

The match hadn’t even started, and media outlets around the world were already pushing out live coverage.

Then, the whistle blew.

Madrid kicked off.

And they immediately surged forward, formation blooming like a wave crashing toward Dortmund’s half.

This was no trap.

It was a declaration.

”You want war? You’ve got it.”

A deafening roar erupted from both sets of fans as the match began, the tidal wave of noise crashing down on the pitch as players from both sides clashed in the middle third.

Alonso launched the first long pass, aiming for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo broke past Reus, then dished the ball centrally and instantly sprinted to the flank to continue his run.

But Benzema didn’t return the ball. Gündoğan intercepted it with a timely challenge, and just like that—the flow of play flipped.

Li Ang was the first Madrid midfielder to sense danger and began tracking back immediately.

Modrić was a beat late. By the time Gündoğan had sent a powerful through ball forward, Götze had already surged ahead and left Modrić behind.

Li Ang shifted toward Reus, trying to contain him, but Götze’s pass found Großkreutz sprinting down the opposite wing.

Lewandowski charged into the box. Großkreutz delivered a dangerous cross, but Pepe, well-prepared, beat everyone to it and cleared with a header.

Alonso, shielding the ball, came under pressure from Götze and even Lewandowski, who had tracked back to press.

But Li Ang showed up just in time to offer support, allowing Alonso to safely offload the ball.

Li Ang took off again, pushing forward with long strides from Madrid’s own half.

The Madrid fans in the stands exploded in applause. The intensity of the game had cranked up from the first whistle, and they could feel it.

The referee was letting them play. No whistles for minor contacts to maintain flow. The result? A brutally high-tempo, high-contact slugfest.

Li Ang tugging Götze’s jersey, Sven Bender body-checking Modrić—no whistles.

Not until the fifth minute, when Di María was tripped from behind by Großkreutz during a sideline run. That earned the game’s first foul.

No one complained. Both teams were getting the same treatment.

No malicious fouls, just heavy play. Even Di María didn’t argue—he popped up and whipped in a quick free kick to restart the attack.

With both teams focused on pressing and transition, the wingers became the center of attention.

Großkreutz might not have been elite, but his stamina and willpower were top-tier. Alongside Reus, he was giving Madrid’s defense plenty of headaches.

On the Madrid side, it was naturally all about Ronaldo.

But the standout wasn’t just Di María—it was Marcelo.

The Brazilian was a chaotic wildcard.

When he pushed forward like a winger, and did it well, Ronaldo’s movement—cutting inside or bursting wide—became more dangerous than ever.

The only downside? Li Ang had to work his lungs out.

When Marcelo went forward, Li Ang had to follow to support. When Marcelo couldn’t track back, Li Ang had to cover for him and chase down Reus.

He was becoming a true all-field free man.

From his own box to Dortmund’s final third, from the left wing to the center—you could find him everywhere.

He was clearly focusing more on defense than attack.

But that’s also why, despite Madrid ramping up their left-side offense, Dortmund couldn’t break through with Reus.

Li Ang’s endless running kept Madrid from exposing a weak flank.

So while Götze and Reus tried to hammer down Madrid’s left, Madrid found joy on Dortmund’s right.

In the 16th minute, Marcelo shook off Piszczek thanks to Ronaldo’s off-ball pull and cut inside.

He drove all the way to the arc before slipping the ball to Di María, who had cut into the right side of Dortmund’s box.

Marcelo’s X-factor run split open Dortmund’s defensive shape.

Di María, swarmed and off-balance, realized he didn’t have time for a proper switch-foot shot.

So instead, he lashed a low, fast cross across the box.

Benzema, slightly ahead of the ball, smartly chose not to reach. He drew Hummels away instead.

Ronaldo, waiting at the back post, needed no adjustment. He opened up his body and side-footed a shot with his left.

Weidenfeller dove, legs stretched—but just a second too late.

GOAL!

Mourinho raised his fist confidently on the sideline.

This was offense versus offense, but Mourinho had a secret weapon at the base of his spear:

Li Ang—the steel shield.

Unfair? Maybe.

Klopp had emptied his hand. He had no more cards to play.

But Mourinho?

He could let the game loose and still rely on Li Ang to hold the line.

Li Ang didn’t need to win every defensive duel.

But when Ronaldo and Marcelo successfully launched five attacking sequences, and Reus and Götze managed only three or four, Madrid had already won the numbers game.

That early goal nearly doomed Dortmund’s entire tactical setup.

They did fight back—equalizing in the 37th minute—but still trailed 1–2.

Madrid kept exposing the gaps left by Dortmund’s high press.

They scored four.

And Dortmund?

To their credit, they kept swinging.

They grabbed one more during stoppage time—their third—by which point Li Ang had been subbed off.

4–3.

That was the final score in a game where both teams unleashed everything.

Mourinho subbing off Li Ang in the final three minutes seemed cocky in hindsight.

But it didn’t matter.

To the fans, this was an instant classic.

Seven goals. Champions League Group Stage. Big names. No brakes.

Over in the other match, City and Ajax drew 2–2.

Now?

City had 2 points.

Ajax had 4.

Dortmund had 4.

Three teams. One spot.

All still alive.

But from this point forward?

Everyone would be watching Real Madrid.

Because they held the key to who made it through.

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