Chapter 178: Chapter 63: End of the Winning Streak

“His active running was rewarded.”

“Of course, this time the credit for the goal also goes to Chen.”

“After all, the defender who should have been in this position was attracted by Chen.”

Robinho’s goal effectively killed the game, and Villarreal’s morale was completely deflated, sending the game into garbage time.

If we had to say who in Villarreal was still active.

It would be Diego Lopez.

In the 58th minute, when Diego Lopez deflected Baptista’s powerful shot, even the commentator couldn’t help but praise, “This is his 9th successful save in this match.”

Returning to his dream sanctuary, this youth-trained player from Real Madrid might want to show his ’family’ that he’s doing fine out there!

In the 73rd minute, Sneijder replaced Baptista, and at this time Villarreal, perhaps inspired by Diego Lopez, launched another attack.

Unfortunately, Real Madrid’s defense was very tight, and they gained nothing.

In the 75th minute, Guti was replaced by Gago, and as he left the field, applause erupted from the stands.

Guti’s expression was somewhat desolate; he always wanted to create opportunities to score or assist, but unfortunately his teammates Raul and Van Nistelrooy seemed to find his passes not to their taste, often chewing them over and then spitting them out, making Guti quite unhappy.

Compared to the unhappy Guti, Sneijder had much better luck.

In the 79th minute, after Chen Zhong received the ball in the middle and back-heeled it to Gago, Gago made a lob pass, Sneijder successfully beat the offside trap and, facing Diego Lopez alone, made a light push to break Villarreal’s goal.

“Beautiful!”

“A beautiful goal.”

“Sneijder secured the victory!”

“This is his 6th league goal of the season.”

“He was very calm facing the goalkeeper.”

“Scoring not long after coming on, he must be very excited.”

This goal snuffed out the briefly reignited spirit of Villarreal, and their actions turned rougher. In the 83rd minute, Chen Zhong, after gaining control of the ball, surprisingly used a clumsy Marseille Turn to shake off a defender and then passed the ball to Robinho.

Goding’s foul on Robinho earned him his first La Liga yellow card of his career.

And in the 85th minute, the aging Sergado got injured in defense, and Drenthe came on to replace him.

The match ended with Real Madrid achieving an impressive eight consecutive wins, extending their point advantage to 9, while ending Villarreal’s winning streak. As the final whistle blew, the cheers from the stands grew louder and louder.

Robinho earned the MVP of the match, and this genius, heavily favored by Real Madrid, seems to be living up to his talent.

At the post-match press conference, Schuster praised the team’s performance in front of reporters. When asked about Robinho and Van Nistelrooy interfering with each other in their eagerness to score, Schuster laughed, “This is a good thing.”

“It shows that both have a strong desire to score.”

“They both want to go all out for the team’s victory.”

Then reporters inquired about Guti and Sneijder’s performance and discussed the issue of the main midfielder position of the team. To this, Schuster smiled and said, “They are all excellent players.”

“However, the combination of Chen and Baptista is very stable, and we keep winning.”

“So, for the time being, I won’t consider making adjustments in this regard.”

In the world of football, a winning lineup generally isn’t changed unless there’s a rotation. Everyone agreed with Schuster’s response, and Schuster didn’t criticize Alvarez after this match, surprising the reporters a bit.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Pellegrini, while being interviewed, emphasized the name of Chen Zhong.

“He’s very young, very talented, and very smart.”

“I’ve studied Real Madrid carefully, and if he maintains this momentum, he can definitely become a world-class midfielder.”

“To be honest, I really admire players like him. If I had such a player under my wing, he would undoubtedly be the absolute main force of the team.”

Pellegrini spared no effort in showing his appreciation for Chen Zhong. Although Chen Zhong still has various deficiencies, such as his passing and shooting, which still need improvement, his role in the midfield, his ability to recover the ball, and his exceptional football intelligence and vision make him extremely valuable in that position.

…

After a day of matches, Chen Zhong returned to the dormitory after showering, called his family, and then chatted with his agent about recent plans.

Then a call from Negredo came through.

“Hahaha!”

“Chen! I just want to ask if you’re scared! We’re going to face each other again in the next match.”

After defeating Villarreal, Real Madrid will meet Almeria in round 22, and Negredo is now the main center forward for Almeria.

Emery has also refined Almeria’s tactics during this period, which originally simply revolved around Negredo, but now have developed more variations.

“Get lost!”

“Just don’t mess around, and we’ll still be good friends.”

“Mess around? You call that messing around?” Negredo’s voice suddenly heightened as he said, “That’s tactical harassment. After so many matches, you still don’t understand this?”

After having a playful banter, they then discussed some recent events, getting straight to the point.

“The coach values me greatly.”

“But Real Madrid wants to buy me back.”

“Chen, do you think I would have a position at Real Madrid?”

“I don’t want to end up like Solgar, always on the bench.”

Negredo’s voice was somewhat heavy, clearly showing his genuine hesitation. At Almeria, he was an absolute starter and arguably the key to their offensive lineup.

But going back to Real Madrid, that’s not a certainty.

In attack, there’s Raul and Van Nistelrooy, two giants looming over him, pressing heavily on his mind.

“Van Nistelrooy’s form hasn’t been great lately.” Chen Zhong didn’t directly answer Negredo but instead described the recent state of the team’s front line.

Van Nistelrooy’s ability to capitalize on opportunities at the front has declined significantly. In many matches, if he had the efficiency from the start of the season or his old brilliance at Manchester United, things would be different.

At least in the recently concluded match with Villarreal, if Van Nistelrooy had stronger finishing abilities, he could have scored at least two goals.

And those two goals could be the difference between a top-tier striker and an ordinary one, the difference between a world-class star and just a star. Nowadays, Van Nistelrooy feels like just an ordinary star, and his decline is quite alarming.

“Got it!” Negredo replied, “You can’t simply shut the door you’ve opened!”

After chatting a bit more, they ended the call.

Among friends, one can give advice, but it’s best not to give a direct ’answer.’ Just like you shouldn’t randomly matchmake friends—in case the other side is a…

Then you’d end up caught in a difficult position.

Chen Zhong created more opportunities for Real Madrid’s young players. With his example, Real Madrid is more willing to give young players a chance. But if the successors don’t seize them, the door could close just as a movie can open and then shut it again.

Nonetheless, Chen Zhong still looks forward to fighting side by side with his friends.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep