I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 239: Chapter 93: End of the Season

”This is the gap between the coaches.”

”Lord Ferguson has completely seen through Schuster.”

”Schuster is still too inexperienced, and his shortcomings have been thoroughly exposed in this match.”

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Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the fans are discussing the first half of the match.

Real Madrid, aside from slightly suppressing Manchester United at the beginning, was completely led by Manchester United as the game progressed. Even their rising star Chen Zhong was like a headless fly under such circumstances.

He suffered small setbacks with C. Ronaldo and Rooney one after another.

So, what about the second half?

How will the second half turn out?

Rooney, Ronaldo, and Park Ji-sung frequently switch positions in the front, coupled with Scholes’s forward insertions, making Chen Zhong struggle to cover all areas as the lone defensive midfielder, even in the absence of Tevez.

If it were Tevez, Rooney, and Ronaldo, Manchester United’s attack might be even more ”flexible” and ”sharp.”

During halftime, Schuster made minor adjustments to the team. He came to terms with reality, having Sneijder and Chen Zhong anchor the back line, with Sneijder positioned slightly ahead.

Chen Zhong was dragged back, preventing the opponent from penetrating the middle, and becoming a point for ball distribution, controlling and transitioning the ball during the opponent’s attacks.

Casillas sat in the locker room, his gaze flickering. It’s not his first encounter with Manchester United.

In the 02-03 season’s Champions League match, Casillas was one of the players on the field. That team’s roster included stars like Ronaldo, Zidane, Carlos, Figo, Yeluo, and Makelele.

Reportedly, Abramovich, the current Chelsea owner, was so inspired by the atmosphere in the stands that he eventually decided to purchase Chelsea, ushering in the era of ”money football.”

The players filed out, returning to the pitch. Real Madrid fans in the stands were still eager to see their team’s performance in the second half, but only Casillas and the players in the locker room knew their primary task was to maintain the score and seek a chance to overturn it at Old Trafford.

No one knew for sure if they could succeed, but that’s what Schuster said.

The second half of the match seemed ugly. The Merengue fans waved white handkerchiefs in the stands, and the booing filled the stadium as if it would drown the players, while Schuster remained expressionless on the sidelines.

He looked at the stars of Manchester United, contemplating next season’s matters. As the team’s coach, just one match directly caused him to feel ”utterly hopeless” about the team’s progression in the tournament.

Originally, Schuster was somewhat arrogant and complacent due to breaking numerous records, but he gradually began to face reality.

”The second half of the match is over.”

”The score remains at 0:2.”

”Manchester United secured victory with goals from C. Ronaldo and Rooney.”

”Real Madrid was very passive in the second half, and C. Ronaldo exerted significant pressure on their defense.”

”This is evident from the statistics.”

”In this match, C. Ronaldo had an 80% passing success rate, 3 shots with 1 goal, 3 threatening passes creating scoring chances, and notably, 9 breakthroughs winning free kicks!”

”In this match, Real Madrid’s rising star Chen Zhong seemed rather overwhelmed defending C. Ronaldo, nearly earning a yellow card.”

”In this match, there were at least 4 one-on-one battles between C. Ronaldo and Chen Zhong, though Chen Zhong never allowed a breakthrough, each time conceding a free kick to Ronaldo.”

This match was an absolute nightmare for Real Madrid, and it caused all the fans to start questioning Schuster. Whether this inexperienced coach can truly carry the flag for Real Madrid.

Following this match, everything seemed to go as fans predicted. Real Madrid seemed to focus all their energy on the league. In their first league match in April, Real Madrid played with a full lineup, disregarding their second leg against Manchester United a few days later, narrowly winning 1-0 against Mallorca away, while in this league round, Barcelona surprisingly drew with Getafe.

Following in the Champions League quarterfinals, Real Madrid lost 1-0 to Manchester United away. The recovered Tevez scored the decisive goal, and in the absence of Van Nistelrooy, Real Madrid’s forward line was powerless, while Robinho and Robben struggled to penetrate Manchester United’s ironclad defense.

Real Madrid could only halt at the Champions League quarterfinals. Schuster frankly accepted this reality during post-match media interviews.

Compared to Real Madrid, Barcelona, whose performance fluctuated this season, successfully entered the semifinals. In two legs, both home and away, they scored a total of 2 goals to eliminate Schalke 04.

In the semifinals, they will face Manchester United, which eliminated Real Madrid, disappointing some fans who were looking forward to a Barcelona vs. Real Madrid encounter in the semifinals.

Having been eliminated from the Champions League, Real Madrid put all their energy into the league. In the 32nd round of La Liga, Real Madrid defeated Murcia 1-0, while Barcelona was once again unexpectedly held to a draw away against Villarreal.