Chapter 24 The Most Elegant Killer
"Wow!"
Martin's excited shouts came from the next box.
Even amid the crazy cheers of the Bernabeu fans, Martin's excitement could be clearly felt.
This made Florentino's expression a little complicated.
As a Real Madrid fan, he was happy to see Real Madrid score goals, but he still felt awkward and even a little resistant when he saw Real Madrid score in Martin's first game as president.
This was once his Real Madrid!
The Carlos sat quietly in a corner of the box where no one was paying attention. They almost stood up with excitement the moment Raul scored a goal, but fortunately they suppressed their inner impulse.
Celebrating in front of Florentino, what is the purpose of this?
However, Carlo's feelings were more complicated than others.
Especially when he saw that after Raul scored a goal, he kissed the ring and rushed to the sidelines to interact with the fans, and Real Madrid players also rushed out and surrounded Raul on the sidelines, which made Carlo very touched.
Raul hasn't scored a goal for a long time!
I still remember that when he just took office as the head coach of Real Madrid, he once said that he hoped to help Raul regain his scoring skills, because Carlo has always believed that Raul is the spiritual leader and symbol of Real Madrid.
Ironically, all of Raul's goals this season were scored during the coaching period of Carlo's predecessor, Luxemburg. During Carlo's coaching period, Raul did not score a single goal.
Why?
Carlo knew this because he was always compromising when designing and arranging tactics.
The one who is sacrificed is often Raul, who takes the overall situation into consideration.
Raul scored again tonight.
Just in the first game after he was fired, Raul scored again.
At this moment, Carlo's inner feelings were so complicated that they could not be described. He felt like he was about to collapse.
More importantly, after Raul scored the goal, Zidane, Beckham, Gravesen, Woodgate... everyone in the starting lineup, even a few players on the bench, ran over to celebrate the goal with Raul.
Not only Carlo was stunned by this scene, but also Florentino and even all the senior executives of Real Madrid in the box were all stunned.
Why was Florentino fired?
The fundamental reason was the superstar strategy and Real Madrid's poor performance, but the last straw that broke Florentino's back was the infighting in the locker room and the pressure on him by the Brazilian gang headed by Ronaldo. Florentino felt that Ronaldo and others were spoiled.
Why is there infighting in the locker room? Ronaldo and others called the chairman to put pressure on him?
The reason lies in the long-standing conflict between the Brazilian gang and the local gang, but this time the fuse was that Ramos scored a goal in the match against Real Mallorca. As a result, except for a few local players, no one ran over to celebrate with him.
Ramos also has a bad temper. After the game, he directly fired at some of his teammates. He thought he had scored a goal, but some teammates acted as if Mallorca had scored the goal. He felt this was unreasonable and that the Real Madrid locker room should be more united.
The game was lost, and Ramos's firing directly triggered infighting in the locker room.
The feud between the Brazilian gang and the local gang has a long history. Not long ago, Ronaldo blasted Real Madrid fans, and Raul stood up to support the fans, criticizing Ronaldo for playing too selfishly and only thinking about scoring goals for himself. Baptista and others also quickly stood up to support Ronaldo, and the conflict between the two sides was completely open.
This time, Ramos's attack once again escalated the conflict, settling new and old grudges together, and the situation completely got out of control.
Carlo, Florentino, Butragueno, Valdano and others all watched the goal celebration in the stadium silently. They all saw Raul's long-lost smile and felt extremely complicated.
I guess they all ask themselves a question in their hearts: Why is this happening?
…
…
Pepe Murcia was a little panicked.
He was a temporary recruit from the second team and he longed to be promoted to a regular member.
The match against Real Madrid has always been the most important battle for Atletico Madrid. If he wants to become a regular, he must win this game.
Not only him, everyone in Atletico Madrid knows this.
Real Madrid's internal strife, the sudden change of coach, and especially the farce of replacing Carlo with a 25-year-old rookie, were seen as a godsend. Atletico Madrid united as one, hoping to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and avenge their previous defeat.
But unexpectedly, the development of the situation was completely beyond their expectations.
what to do?
Murcia hesitated.
He really wanted to take this opportunity to continue attacking and try to score a goal so that he would have a chance to turn the situation around in the second half, but on the other hand, he found that Real Madrid's defense tonight seemed different from usual, and the offense was also gradually gaining strength.
Not only was head coach Murcia hesitating on the sidelines, but the Atletico players on the field were also hesitant.
This caused conflicting ideas among Atletico players on the field, and the feedback on the field seemed a bit torn, with the players' ideas not unified.
…
Woodgate was a sharp man.
All good central defenders have this sense.
The Englishman felt very good tonight, he knew clearly what the head coach wanted and how the team was going to play. This clear feeling made him play exceptionally well on the court, even excited. He was also clearly aware of the division among Atletico players. The most intuitive manifestation was that Atletico's counterattack after stealing the ball was no longer as consistent as at the beginning of the game.
Some people no longer dare to move forward blindly.
Is this a good thing?
On the contrary, this is a big taboo!
Because the formation is messed up.
Just like this time, when Torres retreated to receive the pass from Kežman, after the Atletico prince got the ball, he was like a Ferrari sports car, he stepped on the accelerator and rushed forward.
But at this time, Atletico's midfielder and Kežman and others obviously wanted to slow down and control the ball.
Woodgate keenly captured the signal, he quickly approached Torres, decisively committed a foul, and knocked the Atletico captain outside the 30-meter area.
No card was given, but Atletico's attack was stopped.
Woodgate received warm applause from the Bernabeu fans.
"Woodgate played very well tonight, which may be because he had Gravesen and De La Red to protect him, so he looked more comfortable."
"Torres complained to the referee that it was a foul and should at least be a yellow card."
"He looked a little impatient. Woodgate chose a very clever spot for the foul and it was difficult for the free kick to pose a direct threat."
…
Gao Shen also noticed this.
While Atletico was preparing to take a free kick, Gao Shen walked to the sidelines and called Felipe Luis who was nearby.
"The defensive pressure on your side is not too great. You should move forward more and participate in the offense. Be bolder. You can do it." Gao Shen encouraged.
At the same time, he gestured to Gravesen, indicating that he should pay attention to protecting Felipe Luis' left side.
The Danish bald man gave a thumbs up to show that he received it.
On the other side, Arbeloa was asked by the senior team to reduce the number and range of forward runs.
Opposite Arbeloa is Atletico Madrid's main attacking direction, the offensive combination of Antonio Lopez and Petrov. The offensive power is still very strong, especially Antonio Lopez, a Spanish international, whose strength is unquestionable.
Gao Shen’s strategy for this game is to maintain stability in defense, especially now that they are one goal ahead, they must first ensure that they do not lose the ball.
This is not being conservative, but because he doesn't want to lose this game, and he can't lose it.
Whether in the workplace or on the court, if you give it your all and risk your life regardless of the consequences, the final result is often tragic.
In fact, Benítez's double defensive midfielder tactics are more of a high-pressure approach. If Real Madrid can take advantage of Atletico's chaos and press forward at this time, they will have a chance to reap great results.
But Gao Shen didn't do that because Atletico Madrid has a counterattack weapon, Torres.
Real Madrid has not yet fully practiced this tactic, and the players do not cooperate well enough. If they blindly press forward at this time, the result may be counterproductive, allowing Atletico Madrid to seize the opportunity and counterattack to score a goal, which will completely lose the goal advantage they have worked so hard to get.
This is not conservative, but a wise choice.
…
The game starts again.
Just three minutes later, Real Madrid got another chance for a quick counterattack after intercepting the ball in the midfield.
But this time was different from the past. After Real Madrid advanced to the frontcourt, Gravesen passed the ball to Felipe Luis who came from the left. The Brazilian left-back was very fast and determined in his forward run.
When Felipe dribbled the ball to the outside of the penalty area, he tried to go to the outside, break through the bottom line and cross the ball, but was tripped by Atletico's right-back Velasco, winning Real Madrid a free kick opportunity on the left side of the frontcourt. Velasco also received a yellow card.
Beckham tried to kick the ball to the front post, Negredo cleverly grabbed the spot and headed the ball, but it was slightly higher.
The entire Bernabeu Stadium exclaimed in unison, the hearts of Real Madrid fans jumped into their throats, followed by a sigh of loss, but also accompanied by applause.
This was indeed a threatening attack.
Real Madrid is based in the midfield, especially the double defensive midfielders and the back line are gradually improving, making it difficult for Atletico Madrid to pass through the midfield effectively.
The biggest problem in the Colchoneros' offensive chain is the lack of creativity and the ability to pass the ball forward.
Unable to pass through the midfield effectively, Real Madrid's double defensive midfielders became a barrier.
In the 37th minute, Gravesen successfully intercepted the ball and passed it back to Elguera, who then passed it to De La Red.
De La Red stopped the ball and turned around in an unguarded position, took a look ahead, and immediately rushed forward with the ball. Before Lucin, he passed the ball to Beckham on the right.
Beckham still stopped the ball close to the right side. As soon as he stopped, he looked towards the penalty area and found that his three teammates Raul, Zidane and Negredo were all moving forward quickly, waiting for his pass.
Atletico's defensive players were also retreating quickly, but they looked a little hasty and their formation was a little messy.
Beckham only took a quick glance and saw the situation in the penalty area clearly. Without any hesitation, he almost instinctively drew his bow and arrow, made his signature passing posture, and sent a cross from the right with his right foot.
Negredo and Raul were at the front, one after the other, and naturally attracted the most defensive attention.
But Beckham's cross landed accurately near the penalty spot.
Zidane chased after it slowly, and after determining where the ball would land, he slightly turned his body, stopped the ball with his chest, then turned around and shot it directly into the air with his right foot.
What the French superstar is best at is using the most elegant moves to create the most deadly killing intent!
