The last day of training camp concluded, and Real Madrid, after a brief period of adjustnt, awaited the start of the second half of the League.
During the winter break, Real Madrid also brought in so players.
The most significant transfer was Diego López; Real Madrid traded for Sevilla's Goalkeeper to serve as a replacent after Casillas' 'injury.'
Adán's performance was unsatisfactory, so a Goalkeeper was needed to fill that position.
As for Casillas, Real Madrid publicly stated he was injured and unable to play, but everyone knew he was being suppressed by Mourinho.
As soon as Mourinho left, Casillas miraculously recovered.
Real Madrid also stated that Casillas would serve as the starting Goalkeeper in the second half of the League and continue to play for the team.
The only awkward thing was that Casillas could not regain his captaincy and continued to be given the cold shoulder by Real Madrid; it is estimated that so people have already guessed that Real Madrid was using Casillas to squeeze out his last value and sell him for a good price.
But no matter what, Casillas returned; judging from recent adjustnts, although his form has declined sowhat, his fighting spirit is high.
As for Diego López, he beca Real Madrid's second-choice substitute Goalkeeper, and Adán moved down to the third-choice substitute Goalkeeper.
In fact, Real Madrid intended to acquire Navas, the Costa Rica Goalkeeper from Levante.
This would allow for alternating Goalkeepers for half a season, serving both to integrate him into the team and to sell Casillas for a good price.
However, Navas is currently performing exceptionally well, and Levante did not accept Real Madrid's offer, while Navas himself wished to finish this season before considering, so the matter was dropped.
Of course, Real Madrid also put Courtois, the Goalkeeper from Atletico Madrid, on their radar, but he was even more determined to stay at Atletico Madrid.
Courtois is cunning.
If he were to join Real Madrid now, he would not be able to be the primary Goalkeeper and would certainly be suppressed by Casillas.
It would be better to take this opportunity to please the club and the fans.
As expected, Courtois's statent made him a fighter for Atletico Madrid, greatly boosting his reputation and popularity.
Most importantly, Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid at ho in the first match of the second half of the League.
This is the first ti Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have t in the League this season.
At the beginning of the season, they played in the European Super Cup, where Real Madrid narrowly defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 to win the championship.
However, that match was not easy, and Atletico Madrid also felt the signal that Real Madrid could be defeated.
Furthermore, with Atletico Madrid's excellent performance before Christmas, their morale was greatly boosted.
They have ambitions for this match.
Unlike before, they are not coming to the Bernabéu with the intention of a draw but to secure three points away from ho.
"As everyone knows, Real Madrid is currently facing many problems; their form is unstable, and with the interim coaching change, all of these provide us with an opportunity.
Now is the best ti for us to defeat Real Madrid, and we will put on a sufficiently exciting match to reward our fans!"
Facing the cara, Sione, nicknad 'El Cholo,' answered the questions with a serious expression.
In the afternoon match, in the morning, in the Real Madrid training base's locker room, Suker and others saw Sione's interview.
"Atletico Madrid is not easy to play against; their defense is very difficult to break through."
"We can use new tactics! Atletico Madrid won't be able to react to such deceptive tactics."
"Use them now? Shouldn't we wait for a more important match?"
"Use them directly! What are we waiting for? Besides, we haven't tested them yet, so it's a good opportunity to try them out!"
Everyone quickly finished their discussion, almost without asking Leidup for his opinion.
Of course, he had no opinion!
He was just a figurehead!
A concept!
In terms of speaking power, Zidane was even higher than him.
"Alright, we'll give it a try," Zidane clapped his hands and said, "Guys, rember, you are the best!"
Zidane's signature motivational style.
So players had a simple lunch at noon, but so players did not eat at all to maintain their condition.
Suker ate two bananas to tide him over, then packed his gear and got on the bus.
The bus, filled with Real Madrid players, drove towards the Bernabéu.
The second half of the League is a watershed; the upcoming matches will all be tough.
Other teams had almost completed their adjustnts in the first half of the League.
Real Madrid, however, had been embroiled in internal strife throughout the first half of the League, so their form was worse.
However, a lean cal is still bigger than a horse; with their heritage and squad strength, they still retained great combat power.
The current problems were rely tactical arrangents and Zidane's on-the-spot command.
After Christmas, the Bernabéu was still extrely lively.
The intense cheers swept away the slightly cold temperature, and a hint of warmth could even be felt inside the stadium.
During the warm-up, Suker turned to look at Atletico Madrid's half.
He could feel the strong fighting spirit and confidence in victory emanating from their gazes.
This group of Atletico Madrid players indeed had the right to show such eyes, as their performance had been excellent.
However, they had forgotten how he had once suppressed them.
If they forgot, then let them forget!
He would make them rember again!
Regarding Atletico Madrid, Suker still adhered to his previous policy: suppress them all the way!
The warm-up session ended, and after the final preparations in the locker room, they entered the field through the players' tunnel.
The starting lineups for both teams are as follows:
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Casillas.
Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo.
Midfielders: Bale, Casemiro, Kroos, Khedira, Suker.
Forward: Benzema.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2):
Goalkeeper: Courtois.
Defenders: Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe.
Midfielders: Turan, Mario Suarez, Gabi, Koke.
Forwards: Diego Costa, Falcao.
"We cannot underestimate these two Atletico Madrid forwards," Srna said with a solemn expression.
Falcao and Costa are different types of forwards.
But both have efficient goal-scoring abilities.
Currently, Atletico Madrid's offense is still more geared towards Falcao, advancing with Falcao as the focal point, trying to score goals.
But once Real Madrid stifles Falcao's performance, Atletico Madrid will imdiately switch to another set of positional play.
That is the famous Costa 'back-to-goal isolation.'
With his beastly physique and ability to hold off defenders, Costa poses a formidable threat when he holds off an opposing defender and then turns to shoot.
Real Madrid's defense must be wary of this offensive pattern.
In this match, Real Madrid was still playing with the tactical system left by Mourinho.
Leidup and Zidane did not interfere in this regard.
They knew their current abilities were insufficient, so they naturally continued Mourinho's tactics.
However, compared to Mourinho himself, they did not utilize it thoroughly enough, but fortunately, they also developed so new things that they could try out in the match.
Zidane nervously rubbed his hands.
It was clearly the sa scene; he had stood here many tis as a player, but his identity was different.
Now, as a coach, he was entering the stadium to begin his new challenge.
"Let take a good look!"
Zidane took a deep breath.
At this mont, on the field, the players from both sides had taken their positions.
Atletico Madrid kicked off first.
The whistle blew.
Falcao kicked off, Costa passed back, and the match began.
"This is the 18th round of the 2012/2013 La Liga season, Real Madrid at ho against Atletico Madrid!"
"This is also a match between the second and third-placed teams in the La Liga standings, with only one point separating the two teams; the outco of this match will also determine the ranking in the standings!"
"Before Christmas, Atletico Madrid received great praise for their excellent performance, while Real Madrid, due to so internal issues, suffered a loss of form.
We are all curious about what kind of match these two teams will play; let's wait and see!"
As comntator González spoke, Real Madrid's players surged forward, initiating a high press.
Atletico Madrid was also very experienced; when pressed to a certain extent, center-back Godin suddenly launched a long pass to Costa, attempting an attack.
Atletico Madrid does not want possession!
Especially when competing in the midfield and with players against teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, they would die without knowing how they died.
Therefore, they leverage their strengths and avoid weaknesses, attempting simpler attacks.
However, Real Madrid seed to have anticipated this, as Casemiro had already interfered with Costa before the ball landed. Although he couldn't completely restrict him, he had the effect of disruption.
Ramos suddenly charged forward, jumped to contest the header, and once again headed the ball into the opponent's half.
Kroos used his forehead in a challenge to flick the ball to Suker's feet on the side.
Three figures suddenly appeared next to Suker, but his reaction was quick. He imdiately passed the ball away without hesitation.
"Mark him!"
Godin shouted from behind.
When playing Real Madrid, marking Suker is the key.
If they let Suker play freely, they would ultimately be riddled with holes.
Possession fell to Real Madrid, and Kroos once again passed the ball to Suker.
Suker made a horizontal pass to Benzema.
This left the Atletico Madrid players scrambling, but they still didn't relax their defense.
Benzema continued to pass back, and the rhythm was also moving towards a stable, probing direction.
This was no different from previous matches.
Fans and comntators were also patiently waiting for the mont of a change in tempo, as after probing, Real Madrid would inevitably suddenly change the tempo.
Sure enough, after about 10 minutes, Real Madrid ended their probing and began to attack from the flanks.
Interestingly, Real Madrid did not choose the left wing but launched an attack from Bale's right wing.
Bang!
Bale took a deep touch, using his speed to gain half a body length lead.
While sprinting, he paid attention to Benzema's positioning. As he neared the byline, he suddenly swept his foot.
Godin appeared in the ball's rolling path and headed the ball away.
The ball landed in the right rib area, and Atletico Madrid's midfielder Gabi rushed to the landing spot, but soone was a step faster than him.
Srna appeared in the rib area, turned with the ball, and once again transferred the ball to Bale on the wing.
Bale attempted a few feints and passed back to Srna in the rib area again.
Srna received the ball, turned, and looked at Kroos and Suker.
When he felt that Gabi had been drawn away by him, he pulled the ball and turned again, still passing the ball to Bale.
Bale attempted to lob the ball towards the center. Suker and Benzema contested the header, but the ball was cleared by Miranda's header.
The ball's landing spot was still not good, and it was first controlled by Kroos.
Kroos t the ball and directly pushed it forward to Suker.
Imdiately, Atletico Madrid's defense was on high alert.
But Suker made a light back pass, once again taking the ball out.
After taking the ball, Suker slowly retreated.
So far, Suker has only had five touches, and all of them were one-touch passes.
"Suker didn't stick to the ball or dribble. Is this Real Madrid's new tactic?" González was sowhat surprised.
In previous Real Madrid gas, Mourinho always used Suker as a fierce general to charge into battle.
The left wing was also Real Madrid's main attacking route.
But in this match, Suker seed a bit nonchalant?
Atletico Madrid players were also a bit confused; Suker played too casually.
As if he hadn't woken up, he always played with one touch, completely lacking his previous sharp breakthroughs.
However, they still dared not relax their vigilance against Suker.
In the 14th minute, Kroos suddenly made a horizontal pass to the wing.
Suker stood in the rib area, with only one defender next to him.
"Left side!" The most update n0vels are published on novel✶fire
"Transfer it over!"
"Quick, quick, quick!"
Atletico Madrid suddenly rushed to the left; they couldn't let Suker break through along the rib area.
Real Madrid fans also looked up in pleasant surprise.
They were looking forward to Suker's performance!
But the next second, they were greatly disappointed.
Suker stood still, just staring straight as the ball swept past him.
The ball was even less than a ter from Suker; he could have reached it with a stretch of his foot.
But Suker had no intention of receiving the ball and just let it go past.
"Suker, this is..."
González was about to speak when Marcelo suddenly appeared on the left wing, eting the ball Suker had let through, and directly lofted a cross into the penalty area.
"Damn it!"
"What is this?"
Godin and Miranda quickly retreated; they wanted to catch up with the forward-running Benzema.
Benzema suddenly fell to the ground, sliding diagonally. He lifted his right foot, and the ball struck his instep, flying towards the goal.
"Benzema!!!"
González exclaid.
But a pair of large hands suddenly appeared, swatting the ball away.
"Ah~~~ Courtois pushed the ball out, this ball..."
González saw the ball roll towards the middle of the penalty area line, and there, a white figure appeared like a ghost.
eting the bouncing ball, he fiercely shot with his right foot.
The ball skimd the grass, forming a straight line, and drilled into the bottom right corner of the goal.
"Oh oh... Oh~~~ My God!!! Goal!!!!!!!—"
Due to his extre astonishnt, González was a bit slow to react, but he clearly saw the goal.
Suker appeared like a ghost at the rebound spot and completed the shot with exquisite shooting skills.
"Goal! Goal! Goal! Suker!!"
"One second ago, we were wondering why Suker's performance wasn't active enough, but the next second, he still scored!"
"I don't know what happened, why did Suker appear there?"
The replay appeared, focusing perfectly on Suker.
Everyone watched with wide eyes.
They saw that after Suker let the ball through, he suddenly started when Marcelo lofted the cross.
Using his explosive power to shake off Mario Suarez, he happened to appear near where the ball rebounded, and then he scored with a tap-in.
The entire goal process was strange!
It was a bit like a fluke!
A bit of luck involved!
But Real Madrid indeed scored the goal.
Suker smiled as he ran to the corner flag to celebrate, feeling a sense of emotion in his heart.
Sure enough, Inzaghi and these clumsy defenders are a perfect match!
He always finds the mark!
With his predatory instinct in front of goal and sharp positioning, Suker also has the explosive power and speed that Inzaghi lacked, making him simply a PLUS version of an assassin!
With this, how can you stop him?
Zidane on the sidelines also clapped in approval, while sighing:
"I feel that Suker without the ball is even more terrifying than Suker with the ball!"
If Suker has the ball, at least you can target him and know he can pose a threat.
But if Suker doesn't have the ball, it's impossible to predict when and where this guy will shoot.
Furthermore, with Suker's explosive power and speed, his off-ball movent ability is extrely strong.
One step and the opponent is already behind; what can stop him?
Suarez received slightly resentful glances from his teammates.
But he felt aggrieved too!
Who knew Suker would suddenly run there? He did have a brief mont of distraction, after all, watching Marcelo's pass, anyone would subconsciously follow the pass with their eyes.
But Suker used this timing to shake him off.
But even if his attention had been on Suker the whole ti, could he have stopped Suker?
Unless he fouled!
Suarez knew he couldn't keep up with Suker's acceleration.
Unless he fouled, he couldn't stop Suker.
And the most crucial issue was that Suker ran there before Benzema even shot. Who knew that would be the second landing spot!
But a mistake is a mistake!
Not marking him is not marking him!
Suarez wouldn't make excuses either.
The match quickly resud.
Next, Real Madrid's attack beca a bit chaotic.
"Bale! You should have passed that ball!"
"What kind of pass was that from Benzema?
Marcelo, why did he run here, what is he doing? Good ball!"
Watching Marcelo suddenly sweep a pass that almost helped Benzema score with a sliding shot, González suddenly changed his tune.
Although it was played very roughly, or rather illogically, it seed to be very effective.
"However, I feel that Real Madrid's players need to calm down. They are playing too chaotically, sotis even overlapping, with two people running to the sa spot! This is sothing that must be watched out for."
González frowned.
He felt that this Real Madrid team was playing a bit erratically.
There was no sense of stability, as if they were floating, swaying left and right, feeling like they could fall at any mont, which made him anxious.
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