Chapter 125: Chapter 38: Chen Will Decide Everything

Compared to the clear-cut group leaders and advancement situations of the latter four groups, the first four groups of the Champions League group stage are much more complicated. Even a team like Real Madrid needs to wait until the last round to determine whether they will advance and if they can advance as group leaders.

“It was an exciting night.”

“Olympiacos made a comeback away and defeated Lazio.”

“Besiktas beat the Ligue 1 powerhouse Marseille at home.”

“This has completely turned Group A and Group C into unpredictable Groups of Death.”

“In these two groups, not a single team can ensure they will definitely advance.”

“Schuster has recently been in trouble both in the league and the Champions League arena.”

“After this match, the pressure on him is expected to be considerable.”

As the commentary explained, the scene shifted to the post-match press conference. Facing reporters’ inquiries, Schuster appeared very composed, first acknowledging Werder Bremen’s performance in this match, showing his demeanor: “I am a German, and before the match, I knew about their situation. It was bad, with many players injured or suspended.”

“But they weren’t impacted too much by this. Facing a German team, such situations are common, and wanting to beat a German team is not an easy thing.”

“Now the group stage situation is much more severe than we expected. We had many opportunities in this match, but we missed them. Initially, we needed only one point from two matches to advance, but we lost this match, so we have to fight Lazio at home. Home is our advantage, but Lazio is also a strong team.”

Reporters asked Schuster about the defense issues in this match, mentioning Marcelo and Metzelder.

Schuster paused briefly and then said, “In this match, they were tactically very targeted.”

“The attack points were chosen on Marcelo’s left side; all three goals were completed through combination play, wing moves, and crosses.”

“Marcelo is a very promising Brazilian player. His attacking abilities are what I admire, but in defending against Werder Bremen’s players who are tall, strong, and focused on impact, it’s very challenging.”

“This combination of Pepe and Metzelder was arranged specifically for their strong heading abilities.”

“Clearly, they made quite a few errors; Metzelder wasn’t at his best, somewhat unintegrated into the team’s system, while Pepe was very enthusiastic but also made some basic mistakes.”

“However, they have a lot of room for improvement; I believe they will become an important part of the team’s defense.”

After hearing Schuster’s response, reporters asked about Chen Zhong.

If Real Madrid’s defense was a curve, then when Chen Zhong was in the center-back position, Real Madrid’s defensive performance was the best.

So why not let Chen Zhong shine in the center-back position?

“This issue needs to be viewed in a larger context.”

“When Chen played as a center-back, our ability to defend against wing crosses was enhanced.”

“But the midfield lacked protection for the defense; many midfield penetrations and through balls allowed opponents to directly face our defensive line. Moreover, the hardness in midfield was also flawed, but when Chen moved to midfield, it significantly changed this point.”

“Placing Chen at center-back only addresses surface-level problems, and our midfield issues remain unsolved. We can’t expect Chen to block every time, slide tackle, and intercept the opponent, can we?”

“No coach would think the best defense is letting the opponent’s offensive players directly face the defensive line.”

“Of course, if we had two, or even three Chens, this problem wouldn’t exist.”

Schuster’s calm and composed talk also sparked some discussions online. Chen Zhong initially entered the fans’ sight at Real Madrid as a center-back, and his strong defensive ability was the first label fans attached to him.

Some seasoned fans agreed with Schuster’s statement and also explained to some newer fans who didn’t quite understand.

“That’s right, at the start of the league, we often lost out in midfield, almost always having to defend the backend; Chen Zhong had to block and slide tackle each match to save us.”

“Recently, many want Chen Zhong to return to the center-back position; do they want to see Chen Zhong firefighting everywhere! But in midfield, Chen Zhong strengthens us, providing a stable transit point and enhancing the defense line’s protection.”

“Now Real Madrid’s defense, the only issue is at center-back; Pepe is energetic but too rash, Cannavaro suffers from many injuries, Metzelder hasn’t integrated into the team system.”

“These conceded goals boil down to many injuries in the defense, no fixed pairings, and lacking form and understanding. It’s temporary, with obvious issues pointing in a fixed direction.”

“If Chen Zhong shifts to the defense, then who will cover his midfield position? Doesn’t this directly open the gate in the middle, allowing opponents to freely attack our defense line and goal, reverting to the era reliant solely on Casillas?”

As veteran fans spoke out, some new fans began to understand the protection Chen Zhong provides on the defense; they often felt moving Chen Zhong to midfield weakened Real Madrid’s defense.

But in reality, his protection of the defense has strengthened.

Moreover, his greatest role is not in the team’s attack but in organizational help, strengthening the midfield, providing an outlet point and a ball-handling point.

This gives Real Madrid a straightforward solution when facing difficulties in midfield.

Since Chen Zhong moved to the midfield, previous scenarios of quick turnovers and offside traps have nearly vanished, which turned the defense into more predictable challenges.

Occasionally, some daredevils attempt challenges in midfield, but the team then revolves with heavy retaliation around Chen Zhong, as seen in the match against Werder Bremen.

Chen Zhong was stationed in the middle, then Marcelo got the ball and swiftly passed to Chen Zhong, who then initiated a counterattack.

Several more times in midfield battles, Chen Zhong had the upper hand in 50/50 ball situations.

Of course, most importantly, with Chen Zhong in the middle, Real Madrid, which easily fell into deadlock before, now easily clears impasses.

At the season’s start, when the match just began, it was a meat grinder in the midfield.

The problem was Guti and Sneijder couldn’t endure physical confrontations and lost the ball often.

You bring Diara on, he intercepts the ball, but with so many players in midfield, he lacks dribbling skills, passing thought, and technique, putting Real Madrid on the back foot.

But with Chen Zhong in midfield, it’s not necessarily the same.

Chen will decide everything.

Once the ball is with Chen Zhong, it’s almost like having insurance.

Moreover, when he’s in midfield, facing offensive players, his defensive positioning and choice are also impressive, leading to a preference against centralized penetration, with teams loitering on the wings when confronting Chen Zhong.

Some fans were complaining about Schuster, thinking Chen Zhong’s defensive ability had weakened, but seeing the profound analysis by veteran fans and recalling match scenes, they understood the crux.

Chen Zhong is now the lubricant and gear of Real Madrid.

The fans quickly turned their focus onto Van Nistelrooy; in this match, Van Nistelrooy’s performance was lackluster, having at least 5-6 golden chances. If Van Nistelrooy was at his usual level, he would definitely net 2-3 goals for Real Madrid, but he didn’t in this match.

…

The fans’ movements didn’t affect the team, and as Schuster discussed with Francisco, they “reviewed” themselves, wondering if placing Chen Zhong as a center-back in this match might have been a better choice?

“In this match, our defense certainly had issues.”

“But you have to consider that it was an offensive game, with opportunities on both sides.”

“It’s just that our ability to capitalize on opportunities was slightly lesser, and players’ status suffered from the FIFA virus.”

Francisco’s words definitely enlightened some.

Both teams’ offense was fairly equal in this match, with Real Madrid actually having some more clear opportunities, mainly affected by the “FIFA” virus, with the core issue not lying in defense but rather in the attack.

Conceding 3 goals wasn’t the greatest problem.

The main issue was that we could have scored 5-6, possibly more.

Yet we only managed to net 2 in the end.

“Damn!” Schuster patted his head, looking at Francisco: “I almost became another Capello, yes, hoping for some surprises from the team in the winter window!”

“Actually,” Francisco hesitated before saying to Schuster, “we can give Soldado and Saviola some chances.”

“Van Nistelrooy and Raul were in poor form last match mainly because they played too many matches recently.”

“We need to place some trust in other players.”

“Or perhaps try Higuain as a center forward.”

Schuster looked at Francisco without saying a word…

Although Schuster is an “open” person, he appears somewhat “conservative” in player rotations, preferring to use players he favors while overlooking those he dislikes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep