Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

February 19th, the Round of 16 in the Champions League continued to burn hot.

Following yesterday’s high-profile appearances from Manchester City, Barcelona, and Chelsea, today it was AC Milan, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich’s turn to step onto the battlefield of Europe’s most brutal knockout stage.

Compared to the fast-paced tempo of their respective leagues, most teams playing tonight took a far more cautious approach.

Even City, who were at home, only lost 1–2 to Barcelona—hardly a blowout.

What Chelsea had done the previous night—beating PSG 4–0—was something rarely seen in Champions League knockout rounds.

Tonight’s match between Milan and Atlético Madrid, for example, was a tactical war of attrition.

Had it not been for Diego Costa’s winner in the 88th minute—bullying Bonera to score—it would have ended in a goalless draw.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Bayern’s match was a clash of disciplined midfield battles, intense pressing, and defensive resilience.

Despite both teams being known for their fast and fluid attacking styles in their domestic leagues, the Champions League pressure had tamed their wild flair.

Still, Bayern’s superiority in midfield couldn’t be denied. They controlled possession, created more chances, and held firm at the back.

In the end, Bayern claimed a 1–0 away win at the Emirates.

But what really caught fans off guard was a glimpse captured by the live broadcast cameras during the Arsenal–Bayern match—Leon and De Bruyne sitting in the stands at the Emirates.

TV audiences were stunned.

After the match, Müller and Kroos posted pictures on social media of themselves dining with Leon and De Bruyne at an Italian restaurant in London.

The reason for Leon’s appearance at the Emirates became clear.

But the real comedy began online.

Fans flooded Müller’s comment section asking if it was Leon who paid for the dinner.

Müller replied:

”Yes, Little Lion wanted intel on us. Don’t worry, I won’t sell out my team for a meal!”

But when fans took the question to Leon’s account, his reply had a completely different tone:

”Huh? He told me if I treated him to dinner tonight, he’d spill all of Bayern’s secrets. Wasn’t that the deal?”

Leon even tagged Müller’s account in the reply.

What followed was a hilarious back-and-forth, with each accusing the other of being a liar.

Then, half an hour later, Kroos posted a new photo—not of himself, but of Leon and Müller sitting in an arcade, shoulder to shoulder, playing FIFA together.

At that moment, fans from both Bayern and Chelsea couldn’t stop laughing.

Kroos, they joked, was clearly the most honest of the three.

Müller remained the cheeky joker, while Leon, whenever he hung out with Müller, turned into one himself.

The mood among Bayern and Chelsea fans was joyous that evening.

But for Manchester City and Arsenal supporters, the past couple of days had been rough.

Losing their first Champions League knockout matches was bad enough.

But with the Premier League heating up again, both fanbases were haunted by the memory of their teams being held to frustrating draws last weekend—while Chelsea, of course, had won again.

Just a few weeks ago, they had hoped for a Chelsea stumble, ready to pounce and close the gap.

Instead, Chelsea had surged ahead in both domestic and European competitions.

After 26 rounds of the Premier League, Chelsea had 66 points—eight ahead of second-place City, and nine ahead of third-place Arsenal.

Even Liverpool, now in fourth place after leapfrogging Spurs, sat on just 53 points—four wins behind Chelsea.

The lead Chelsea held was commanding.

By February 21st, at the pre-match press conference for Premier League matchday 27, Guardiola faced a swarm of reporters.

Asked about the current state of the league, he smiled wryly and said:

”Well, I don’t think the gap between City and Chelsea is that big. Maybe Chelsea are just a bit more consistent?

But I have to say—did you watch that comeback win Chelsea had against Everton last week?

God bless them, they lost one starting center-back before the match, another during the match. And yet they still turned it around—because they have Leon.

I told my staff right after we watched it: don’t mention his name to me for the next few days. I won’t sleep.”

Guardiola didn’t shy away from comparisons between City and Chelsea.

In fact, he openly admitted that Leon—and Chelsea—were giving him a serious headache.

His honesty earned him praise from journalists and fans alike.

But it also reignited media hype around Chelsea, who had just begun to settle back under the radar.

Mourinho attended his own press conference at roughly the same time.

Reporters couldn’t hit him with Guardiola’s quotes directly due to timing, but they were more interested in something else anyway:

Would Leon start again as a center-back alongside Cahill?

Mourinho laughed and dodged the question.

The answer didn’t come until one hour before kick-off the next day.

Chelsea’s official lineup was posted, and with Kalas listed among the starters, the answer was clear: four defenders in place, Leon would not be playing at center-back.

In addition to Kalas, Van Ginkel was also back in the starting XI.

With Van Ginkel and Matić providing defensive cover, Leon would clearly have more license to attack.

And with the media highlighting that Leon was just two assists away from hitting a 20+20 season, fans quickly pieced it together:

”Mourinho’s letting Leon pad his stats!”

Chelsea were playing against relegation-zone side West Bromwich Albion.

Even away from home, Chelsea were expected to control the match.

Neutral fans didn’t believe West Brom stood a chance.

Even though Chelsea had rotated the squad, their attacking trident was still Oscar, Lukaku, and De Bruyne.

That kind of firepower? Way more than any relegation side could handle.

Leon kept a calm attitude, but Oscar and Lukaku were bursting with confidence.

At 3 PM, under a rare patch of clear winter sunlight, the referee blew the whistle. Chelsea kicked off at The Hawthorns.

Lukaku nudged the ball to Oscar, who passed it back. Leon stood just outside the center circle and calmly received.

Then he began drifting left with the ball at his feet.

It had only been three and a half days since the Champions League match, but after using a recovery stimulant, Leon was already 90% back to full fitness.

He looked sharp.

More than 20,000 West Brom fans erupted into a chorus of boos, trying to disrupt Leon’s rhythm.

But facing Bissouma’s press, Leon stayed cool—shielded the ball and spun 360 degrees.

Bissouma lost him completely.

Leon burst forward.

Even West Brom manager Steve Clarke twitched slightly.

”Wait… did that kid just pull off a Xavi-style turn?”

TV viewers noticed it too.

That spin—fluid, graceful, confident—it was pure Xavi.

Fans often joked about Xavi’s iconic 360-degree turns, but there was a reason he used it so often. It worked.

Many midfielders tried to mimic it, but few ever did it as naturally as Xavi.

And now? Leon had pulled it off flawlessly.

Sure, he’d only spun past a striker.

But the move had been so smooth, so clean, that it left West Brom’s entire frontline stunned.

By the time the other attackers tried to surround him, Leon had already slipped the ball to Oscar on his left.

Leon’s clear-headed turn and pass gave Oscar a one-on-one chance against right-back Reid on the left flank.

Oscar didn’t hesitate. After a rhythmic buildup, he burst forward, cut sharply to his right, and easily shook off Reid, who had tried to block him directly.

West Bromwich Albion’s center-back McAuley quickly stepped out of the box, hoping to force Oscar back to the wing.

But just as Oscar looked up, Leon, who had quietly overlapped into the half-space, shouted to signal for the ball.

Oscar’s eyes lit up, and he fired a quick cutback pass into the left-side channel of West Brom’s box.

Leon adjusted his stride slightly and, without stopping the ball, chipped a forward pass into space.

Lukaku reacted instantly—timing his run to burst past West Brom’s other center-back, Craig Dawson.

He controlled Leon’s pass on the move and shot with his left foot toward the far corner.

Ben Foster, the West Brom goalkeeper, couldn’t get there.

The ball smacked off the inside of the post and into the net—but the linesman’s flag was already up.

”Ah, Lukaku went just a touch early. That’s offside!”

In the Sina Sports commentary studio, Jun Jian had already started shouting in celebration, only to groan in disappointment when the flag went up.

Beside him, Coach Zhang’s voice had been equally loud, helping drown out the awkward moment.

On the sideline, Mourinho rubbed his eyes and muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, West Brom manager Steve Clarke clutched his chest in relief, then barked at his defenders to focus.

”My bad…”

Lukaku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He raised his thumb toward Leon in apology.

Leon just smiled, pointed at him with a wagging finger, and motioned for Oscar to drop back with him.

”Good grief! That gorgeous sequence from Leon—so smooth, so precise—completely wasted by Lukaku. Is this guy just cursed when he plays centrally?”

”What a shame! Come on, Lukaku, wake up!”

”Leon’s way too nice on the pitch. Stop smiling—give him a proper glare!”

Chelsea fans flooded social media with complaints about Lukaku’s poor timing.

Truth was, if he’d been playing on the wing, he might not have gone offside.

But as a center-forward, Lukaku always seemed to make small mistakes.

Too early. Too late. Missed runs. Mistimed jumps.

These days, Chelsea fans smiled when he played wide, but frowned when he was in the middle.

Luckily, today’s opponent was weak.

After 26 Premier League matches, West Brom had only scored 19 goals—the lowest in the league.

If not for their decent defense, they’d be bottom of the table by now.

So even though Lukaku was wasting chances up front, Chelsea’s backline remained rock solid. West Brom never really threatened a counter.

That would be the rhythm for most of this match.

Chelsea’s attacking flow looked great, and they created plenty of chances. But apart from Oscar’s goal in the first half (off a Lukaku layoff), they hadn’t extended the lead.

Mostly because Lukaku missed three golden chances.

Leon alone gave him a one-on-one and a semi-breakaway.

One was shot straight at the keeper. The other hit the post.

Leon didn’t say much.

But when Lukaku missed a completely unmarked header from De Bruyne’s cross, he finally snapped.

Mourinho didn’t even need to speak at halftime.

Leon had already grabbed Lukaku by the collar as they walked off the pitch, gave him a hard whack on his smooth, shiny head, and let him have it.

Lukaku, who looked physically bigger than Leon, stood there sulking with his head down, not daring to talk back.

He followed Leon into the tunnel like a scolded puppy.

Earlier, Chelsea fans had complained that Leon was too lenient with Lukaku.

Now? Suddenly they felt a little sorry for him.

But once they were back in the locker room, Leon let it go.

Since he’d already chewed him out in front of the cameras, Mourinho only gave Lukaku a light warning and dropped the matter.

Before the second half began, Mourinho made a change—subbing Torres in for De Bruyne, who was given an early rest.

Torres went up front, Oscar stayed on the left, and Lukaku moved to the right wing.

With this adjustment, Chelsea shifted away from a one-sided attack to a full-scale dual-wing offense.

Oscar, playing as a winger against a relegation side, had no issues.

And Lukaku on the flank? Now that was a battering ram.

Leon, noticing the new dynamic, intentionally shifted the ball more often to the right wing.

West Brom’s left-back, Ridgewell, wasn’t exactly a pushover—1.88 meters tall, 82 kilograms, built like a tank.

But even with that frame, he had no answer for Lukaku’s power and speed.

In the middle, Lukaku got stifled. But out wide? He was a terror.

Chelsea’s entire attack soon tilted heavily toward West Brom’s left side.

In the 62nd minute, after a thunderous burst by Lukaku, he cut the ball back to Leon at the edge of the box.

Leon delivered a fierce cross into the far post—Torres smashed it home.

Goal number two.

Torres was thrilled. He hugged Leon in celebration.

Meanwhile, Chinese fans across the globe were holding their breath.

That assist was Leon’s 19th of the season.

Just one more to reach the legendary ”20+20” mark.

And maybe—just maybe—that was why West Brom started treating Leon differently.

They kept defending Chelsea’s other players the same way, but when it came to Leon?

They clamped down.

He couldn’t even get near the box without being fouled.

One after another, tactical fouls rained down.

Leon was annoyed.

First, he didn’t specialize in free kicks.

Second, his crossing from set pieces wasn’t particularly sharp.

Instead, the defensive attention on him created more space for others.

In the 79th minute, Oscar used Leon’s dummy run as a screen to break into the box.

He returned the favor with a cutback—Lukaku curled it in.

Lukaku finally scored.

But Leon, beyond that one earlier assist, never added another stat to his tally.

After the match, a Sky Sports reporter who had a good relationship with Leon joked:

”Looks like you’re becoming the Premier League’s public enemy. Everyone’s marking you like crazy now.”

Leon shrugged.

”I know I’m one assist away from 20+20 this season. It’s a big deal.

I checked—players who’ve done that in Europe’s top four leagues? Not many.

Messi did it in two different seasons after 2010. But the Premier League hasn’t had one since Fabregas came close.”

He grinned.

”It’s not easy. Maybe I still need to work on it a bit...

What do you say we make it happen in the next match?”

The reporter’s eyes lit up.

Because Chelsea’s next match?

Was the League Cup final.

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 40 Chapters In Advance: /johanssen10