I Am Scouted by Real Madrid-Chapter 328 - 20: He’s Still Young (A Wide Timespan)_2
In the 5th round of La Liga, Real Madrid easily defeated Tenerife. Callejon finally got the chance to play, and his performance on the field was excellent. His proactive attitude of fighting for every ball was greatly appreciated by Pellegrini.
Moreover, from the perspective of a winger, Callejon’s footwork and passing are even better than C. Ronaldo’s, at least in this match, where Real Madrid’s victory over Tenerife was largely thanks to him.
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona achieved five consecutive victories in the league, but Barcelona was temporarily at the top due to goal difference.
In the 6th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Sevilla. Before the match, Negredo talked to Chen Zhong about Sevilla matters. If Chen Zhong hadn’t returned to Real Madrid, he would likely have joined Sevilla and become a part of their team.
This match was fiercely contested by Sevilla, and they almost achieved a kill in the final moments.
Unfortunately, the player in front of the goal couldn’t seize the opportunity, and the final score ended in a 1:1 draw.
On Barcelona’s side, the team defeated Almeria 1-0 at home.
In the end, Barcelona, with six consecutive victories in the new season, accumulated 18 points and overtook Real Madrid, who had 5 wins and 1 draw, to sit at the top of the league table.
The Catalonia Region media rejoiced wildly, beginning to fantasize about defending their league title, even believing the team might achieve the Triple Crown for two consecutive seasons.
However, the Catalonia Region media were soon slapped in the face because Valencia held the formidable Cosmic Team to a draw at home, while Real Madrid won a resounding 6-1 victory over Valladolid at home. The points of both teams were leveled again, and Real Madrid, with the advantage of goal difference, regained the top position in the league.
The Madrid Region media launched a sweeping counterattack, filling the air with all sorts of ridicule.
However, Real Madrid’s next opponent, Sporting Gijon, declared that it didn’t matter, as they would take action.
Sporting Gijon is a typical "anti-Real Madrid" faction. They have shown scenes of going all out against Real Madrid with their full lineup while fielding half-reserve teams against Barcelona in several seasons.
In the 8th round of La Liga, Sporting Gijon parked a bus at home, leaving Real Madrid with a bitter draw and causing Alonso to leave the field with an injury.
It should be noted that the next day after this round, Real Madrid would face Milan in the group stage. As long as they could defeat Milan, Real Madrid could achieve a transcendent "status" in the group stage.
It was as if saying, I’ve taken first place; the rest of you can compete for second.
While Real Madrid was held to a draw, on the other side, Barcelona claimed a 6-1 victory over Zaragoza.
With a record of 7 wins and 1 draw in 8 league matches, they accumulated 22 points to stay at the top, while Real Madrid, with 6 wins and 2 draws in 8 rounds, accumulated 20 points to sit in second place. The two teams widened the gap with the third place, becoming the "sole contenders" in the championship race.
Spain, Madrid
Pellegrini sat in his office with a furrowed brow. Since the match against Sevilla, the team had encountered quite a bit of resistance in La Liga.
It seemed that all the teams had discovered the weaknesses on the wings of their defense and started to aim for crossing from the bottom to attack.
Of course, this wasn’t the only thing giving Pellegrini a headache.
There was also Alonso, the injury absences of C. Ronaldo, and pressure from Florentino, all of which added to Pellegrini’s headache.
Although Callejon performed well on the wing, was not ball-hogging, followed instructions, and was very active, he lacked the scoring hunger of C. Ronaldo.
And without C. Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s forward line always seemed a bit lacking, especially when facing tightly packed defenses, often appearing helpless.
It was as if introducing Kaka and Pirlo had also inherited Milan’s lack of skill against tightly packed defensive teams.
On the other hand, for some reason, Florentino placed high importance on Chen Zhong’s competition for the Golden Boy Award, presenting two requests: one was to give Chen Zhong more opportunities to perform in the league, especially in terms of competition.
The other was to certainly defeat Milan in the next two matches of the Champions League, allowing Chen Zhong to beat Milan in direct encounters, thereby gaining an advantage in the upcoming competition for the Golden Boy Award.
Now the two strong contenders for the 2009 Golden Boy Award are Pato and Chen Zhong.
Although Chen Zhong missed half a season due to Schuster last season, the Golden Boy Award is evaluated annually. Based on the honours and performances in 2009.
Helping Milan win the Serie A championship, UEFA Europa League championship, with 18 appearances, 10 goals, and 7 assists for Milan, Chen Zhong’s data clearly surpasses Pato’s, who made 30 appearances for Milan throughout the season, scoring 14 goals.
With honors equal, the evaluation criteria would focus on performances in the second half of 2009.
And the recent two direct encounters were crucial.
The Champions League group stage requires facing each team in the group twice, and Real Madrid and Milan’s two meetings are consecutive.
Pellegrini understood Florentino’s thoughts very well, but he did not support the idea of ignoring group needs for individual interests.
"He just can’t hear my opinion."
"Chen is still young."
"He hasn’t even turned 18 yet~"
"Even if he doesn’t win the Golden Boy Award this year, he will always have a chance." Pellegrini calmly looked at Francisco as he said, pounding the table.
He knew what kind of person Francisco was and was not afraid of him reporting to Florentino. He believed he was doing the right thing.
Pellegrini appreciated Chen Zhong.
For him, a player like Chen Zhong winning the Golden Boy Award is only a matter of course, a natural achievement, with no need to sacrifice the team for an award that is meant to be won. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"But..."
Francisco finally spoke, looking at the stubborn man before him with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, he was a competent and selfless man, wholeheartedly working for the team’s success, unwilling to compromise on player "relations" and "reputation" as long as it involved performance.
Francisco appreciated Pellegrini in this regard because he saw that previous coaches, like Schuster, Capello, and Ramos, would more or less make concessions and succumb to reality.
However, Pellegrini was very "thick-headed." He firmly devised tactics according to his own intentions.
A man who persisted without turning back once he hit the metaphorical wall.
Demonstrating with his actions time and again his unwillingness to submit.
However, Francisco also found a method to "manage" such a person.
"There is an agreement with Chen."
"He will follow your instructions entirely in the league, but in other competitions, you will grant him more freedom."
Pellegrini looked at Francisco, uncertain about what to say at first.
He was a "selfless" person.
He believed Chen Zhong was also a "selfless" person.
He wouldn’t let his "private affairs" affect the team’s "business." Pellegrini very much appreciated having someone like Chen Zhong, who could "sacrifice for the greater cause," serve as captain. Only such young (naive) individuals with ideals and beliefs could understand him.
"This can’t be blamed on me." Pellegrini insisted stubbornly, as he said to Francisco, "He is still young."
Although Pellegrini did not concede, Francisco knew that he had already accepted this view, and in some ways, Pellegrini was not wrong in saying it’s not his fault.
Because Real Madrid didn’t "respect" him in transfer matters.
He merely selected the most suitable players based on tactics.
Ancelotti: You’re not as good as I am in this regard; I devise the most suitable tactics based on the players.
