Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Because Chelsea and Aston Villa, as well as Arsenal and Liverpool, had played their FA Cup semifinals on April 26th, the much-anticipated Premier League clash between Chelsea and Arsenal—originally part of Matchday 34—was postponed.

But Chelsea still couldn’t escape the scheduling grind.

Three days later, on April 29th, they played their rescheduled Matchday 27 fixture against Leicester City.

Technically, Chelsea had already wrapped up the league title.

So, in theory, these remaining matches were just formalities.

However, the coaching staff had loftier goals: to finish the season undefeated.

So they didn’t dare field a full youth squad just yet.

Instead, Mourinho put out a rotation-heavy starting XI, anchored by a few mainstays to keep things stable.

Leon, Hazard, Matic, and Thiago Silva were all included to ensure control and professionalism.

The rest of the lineup rotated in substitutes.

Leicester, having just secured their Premier League survival, were cautious but not overly aggressive.

At home, they sat deep in a conservative 5-3-2 and focused on counterattacks.

Both sides entered the match with muted ambition.

Chelsea’s only aim was to avoid defeat.

Leicester? A draw would be more than enough.

The match had no real bite.

Leicester’s defense was firm but uninspired.

Seeing that the opposition wasn’t pushing the pace, Mourinho adjusted tactics and instructed Leon to control possession with the midfield.

Leon looked across at Drinkwater and Cambiasso.

The former was still developing, the latter well past his prime.

Leon was confident he could dominate this midfield pairing—easily 80% certain he could run riot through Leicester’s lines.

But when he looked into Leicester’s box and saw Huth and Morgan, he shook his head.

That center-back duo was tough.

Ibrahimović would struggle to move them today—let alone Torres, who was out of form.

Leon had no desire to crash head-first into that brick wall.

So both teams poked and prodded without real intent.

Leicester were the first to show sincerity.

Strikers Vardy and Ulloa dropped back into their own half—parked just outside the center circle.

Chelsea’s offense devolved into a solo show from Hazard.

Leon handed over possession and let him freelance.

Hazard actually looked close to breaking through a few times.

But Torres wasted both of Chelsea’s best scoring chances—misfiring in each half.

And so the match ended in a quiet, content 0–0 draw.

Everyone was happy enough.

Three days later, Matchday 35 kicked off.

Chelsea, away to newly safe West Brom, fielded another heavily rotated squad.

Leon rested—he wasn’t even in the 18-man matchday squad.

He spent the day relaxing at home.

Lukaku scored in the second half, but West Brom equalized in stoppage time through a set-piece.

A small blemish, but Chelsea maintained their unbeaten league run.

With the league on pause, the stage was set—Champions League semifinals were next.

Chelsea and Bayern Munich would meet first, on May 6th.

Both had already clinched their domestic titles and were fully focused on Europe.

Chelsea wanted revenge for last year.

Bayern, confident in their dominance, saw no reason to fear.

After all, they had beaten Chelsea in both legs of last year’s semifinal.

Despite acknowledging Chelsea’s improvements, Bayern players still believed they were the favorites.

Under new manager Pellegrini, Bayern stuck to their attacking DNA.

They won the Bundesliga with four games to spare, scoring 92 goals in 31 matches and conceding just 16.

Their offensive power and defensive efficiency made them terrifying.

Even compared to last year’s triple-winning squad, this version was just as good—

Two more goals scored. One more goal conceded. Same early league title.

The numbers were undeniable.

Neutral fans agreed: Chelsea were strong—but Bayern remained in the top tier.

And as defending champions, they were still the team to beat.

On May 5th, Bayern arrived in London.

A mob of reporters swarmed them at the airport.

Sky Sports even ran a bold headline for the next day’s paper:

”The Kings of Europe Land in London.”

And who could argue?

Bayern’s five-year run, second only to Mourinho’s Madrid in terms of success, had earned them that title.

But amid the storm of headlines, Chelsea remained eerily silent.

Even Mourinho avoided comparing squads or talking tactics at the pre-match press conference.

Many neutrals interpreted this as a sign of weakness.

A lack of confidence.

But Chelsea fans?

They were brimming with fire.

Online and off, they went to war with Bayern supporters.

Leon, for once, kept his social media quiet.

No teasing, no provocations.

The team was focused.

In the end, it was Kroos who stepped up and made the bold statement:

”We’ll take care of Bayern at home—clean and simple.”

He had reason to say it.

After all, it was Bayern who had wronged him during his contract talks last summer.

And now that he was a Chelsea man, it was payback time.

Bayern fans, however, were livid.

Some supporters even vowed to ”welcome him home” in the second leg—with jeers, not cheers.

The war of words escalated.

By the afternoon of match day, small skirmishes between the two sets of fans broke out near Stamford Bridge.

No serious injuries were reported.

But it was enough to make it clear:

This wasn’t just a football match.

This was a war.

Neither Mourinho nor Pellegrini revealed their starting XIs before the match.

So it wasn’t until one hour before kickoff that the media finally got their hands on the team sheets.

As the broadcast began, commentators around the world quickly jumped into tactical previews of the long-awaited showdown.

In the PPTV studio, analyst Zhang Lu looked over Bayern’s starting lineup and immediately voiced his doubts.

”This is certainly the 4-3-3 Bayern have used most this season. But the Bundesliga and the Champions League are two very different beasts.

Starting Schweinsteiger alongside Thiago in central midfield tonight—could that be a little too bold?

There’s real defensive vulnerability there. I would’ve gone with a Schweinsteiger–Martínez double pivot for stability...”

As Zhang finished, the live feed cut to the players walking out onto the pitch with the referee crew.

Zhan Jun smoothly picked up the commentary as the team lineups and formations appeared on screen for Chinese viewers.

”Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper tonight is Petr Čech.

Across the back line: Bertrand, Terry, Thiago Silva, and Azpilicueta from left to right.

In midfield, Matic and Kroos sit deep with Leon pushed forward as the attacking midfielder.

Hazard starts on the left wing, De Bruyne on the right, and leading the line is the Swedish Tower—Zlatan Ibrahimović.”

”For Bayern, it’s Neuer between the posts.

Benatia and Boateng anchor the center of defense, with Bernat at left back and Lahm on the right.

In midfield, Pellegrini goes with Thiago and Schweinsteiger as the central duo, with Müller just ahead.

Ribéry and Götze play on the flanks, and up top it’s the Polish goal machine, Robert Lewandowski!”

Both teams had lined up in a 4-2-3-1—now familiar to Chinese fans from the on-screen graphics.

Compared to the ”galactic” Bayern of recent years, this season’s lineup had changed considerably.

Martínez and Robben had been plagued by injuries and dropped from the first-choice XI.

Their absences had opened the door for Thiago and Götze.

At the back, Dante had been sold, and Benatia now partnered Boateng.

Lahm, aging, rotated more often with Rafinha—but in big games like this, Pellegrini still trusted his veteran.

After making Thiago his midfield centerpiece, Schweinsteiger had been relegated to a supporting role.

It wasn’t exactly unfair—Basti’s form this season had been inconsistent, and it was time to transition.

Had Bayern not botched contract talks with Kroos, he would’ve been their undisputed midfield general by now.

But their ego got in the way—they shipped him to Chelsea rather than admit their mistake.

Thiago had done well, but he couldn’t match Kroos for durability or influence.

If Pellegrini had been in charge sooner, he likely would’ve fought to keep him.

Now, Kroos and Bayern were opponents.

And as fans remembered his rise in Munich, they couldn’t help but feel a twinge of melancholy.

At 19:45 London time, the first Champions League semifinal kicked off at Stamford Bridge.

Bayern, with kickoff, immediately surged forward in attack.

They had torn through team after team all season—their confidence was sky-high.

Both Thiago and Götze had once been outplayed by Leon.

But tonight, they were eager to challenge him again.

Winning can breed belief.

But sometimes, it also breeds arrogance.

Seeing Götze try to take on Matic one-on-one in the opening minutes, Leon couldn’t help but scoff internally:

”This kid—did he get kicked in the head before the match?”

If it were Robben, sure. That would make sense.

Robben had the pace to trouble Matic.

But Götze?

No chance.

He wasn’t faster than Ribéry or Robben.

He wasn’t an elite technician.

What gave him the confidence to try this?

Götze’s true value was in his versatility and incisive passing.

If he just stayed within the system as a wide playmaker, he’d get plenty of opportunities.

But to drift out of the system and try to emulate Robben’s solo breaks?

That was suicide.

Leon’s thoughts quickly became reality.

Matic wasn’t going to play nice at home, and he certainly wasn’t giving Götze an inch.

He bodied him cleanly, took the ball, and launched a counter.

Müller had already drifted into Chelsea’s half, waiting for Götze’s pass.

But instead, he turned around to see Matic already charging forward with the ball.

Frustrated, he could only shake his head.

Matic’s forward run was a feint—when Thiago stepped up to intercept, Matic pinged it diagonally to Leon.

And that’s when Leon hit full speed.

He squared up to Schweinsteiger—then just blew past him, shoulder-first.

This time, Schweinsteiger didn’t have Martínez covering his back.

Leon sliced through the midfield like a knife through butter.

Stamford Bridge erupted.

Bayern’s box lit up with sirens—Boateng and Benatia backpedaling in panic.

Boateng lunged forward to stop him.

But Leon lobbed it over his head—a perfect pass.

Ibrahimović, with his long legs, broke free of Benatia’s mark and unleashed a rocket without hesitation!

Only Neuer—famed for his sweeper-keeper instincts—could stop it.

He flew off his line and just barely got a hand on it, tipping it wide.

The stadium gasped.

Leon grabbed his head—so close.

But disappointment turned to confidence.

Because now he knew—Bayern were vulnerable.

Just like Mourinho predicted: they’d crippled themselves.

As for the ”real” heir to Heynckes’ tactical legacy?

That was no longer Bayern.

It was Chelsea.

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