I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 423: Chapter 62: Chen’s Championship Declaration

”We don’t have the squad depth like Real Madrid.”

”They can contend on three fronts, but we have to choose one front and then give it our all.”

Flores’s candidness received some recognition from Atletico Madrid fans, and the pit he dug during the interview was also keenly noticed by Pellegrini.

Facing the camera, Pellegrini hurriedly explained, ”The championship is every team’s pursuit.”

”It’s too early to talk about the Triple Crown now, we shouldn’t put too much pressure on the players.”

”What we need to do is to play every game we can play well.”

Apart from Pellegrini’s interview, journalists also interviewed the best player of the match, Chen Zhong, who bluntly stated, without knowing what Pellegrini said, ”We are Real Madrid, and for us, if the goal isn’t the championship, then it’s meaningless.”

”We only aim for first, we have the best fans, the most outstanding players, the most professional management.”

”I won’t shy away from discussing our goals because everyone knows Real Madrid only aims for the championship!”

Chen Zhong’s statement compared with Pellegrini’s instantly highlighted the gap between the two, with Pellegrini seemingly lacking the demeanor of a top club coach, and some petty matters became a topic of discussion among many fans.

Although Chen Zhong’s remarks were criticized by some Barcelona fans and others for being overly arrogant, thinking Chen Zhong was unaware of the situation...

Real Madrid fans were very satisfied with Chen Zhong’s statement.

Exactly, we are Real Madrid, we’ve spent 300 million euros this season, if not for the championship, then why spend so much money? To be funny?

Various rumors and public opinions were circulating, and Sevilla, the opponent in the King’s Cup final, seemed dissatisfied with their situation after sensing the public opinion and publicly stated, ”Real Madrid is a strong opponent, but we will go all out in the King’s Cup.”

At this time, the public opinion had turned into Chen Zhong’s bold statement: ”Triple Crown,” and Sevilla’s statement came out, Pellegrini had yet to respond!

Chen Zhong had already responded, ”Don’t worry about the King’s Cup champion, we need to win the league champion first!”

The King’s Cup final is on May 20th, and La Liga ends around the 16th, so the league champion will be clearly determined.

What Chen Zhong said clearly regarded the King’s Cup as something already in the bag.

From the current league situation, Real Madrid is stable in the league, Pellegrini, no matter what else, is very steady in league point collection.

The points they’ve gathered are almost among the top three of any La Liga champion around the same period.

If this trend continues, Real Madrid might even perform the miracle of a 100-point championship.

Time moves to the 22nd round of La Liga, which is a key league round before the Champions League round of 16.

In this round, Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona, and this season Barcelona has maintained an unbeaten record except for a loss to Real Madrid.

Even though Atletico Madrid often falls short against Real Madrid, they still have a good edge when facing Barcelona.

You should know that Barcelona has lost in their last two league visits to Estadio Vicente Calderón and has only won once in their last seven visits.

Barcelona faced a defensive crisis in this match.

Pique and Marcos were both suspended, and Alves, Toure, and Ziglinsky were unable to play due to injuries.

The lineup could only use young Hefron as a right-back substitute.

Such a lineup against a strong team like Atletico Madrid is clearly not enough, and Flores evidently values this league game, knowing that after losing to Real Madrid, they are not far from the relegation zone.

Plus, Flores’s recent statements have put his coaching position in jeopardy, so another solid win is needed to ensure his position stays secure.

The Real Madrid players also watched this match, and Real Madrid’s league opponent was Jerez, whom they easily defeated with a five-goal margin.

After defeating their opponent, while Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played, they chose to watch the live broadcast.

Atletico Madrid’s style remained simplistic and straightforward, starting by putting pressure on Barcelona. Aguero quickly posed threats on Barcelona’s defense, prompting some Barcelona fans to grumble, ”Why don’t you act so fierce when facing Real Madrid?”

Meanwhile, some of Chen Zhong’s fans commented, ”This shows the difference between Busquets and Chen Zhong.”

In this match, Barcelona’s defensive midfielder was Busquets, and his relatively slower pace and body evidently couldn’t overpower Aguero.

Soon, Atletico Madrid, having the attacking initiative, gained the lead in the ninth minute.

Reyes, in the match made a dash with the ball, and after drawing Barcelona players’ attention, succeeded with a through pass to help Fernando break the offside trap.

Fernando, successful in breaking the offside, scored at the edge of the penalty area, driving the ball into the lower left corner, scoring his 12th goal of the season for Atletico Madrid. In the current league top scorer list, Chen Zhong leads, followed by Messi and Villa.

These three have single-handedly pushed the league scoring to new heights, with many media claiming that an era of prolific scoring is imminent.

Barcelona was clearly not willing to easily accept defeat, as Ibrahimovic and Messi got several chances subsequently, but with the league’s top shot-stopper ”Door God” guarding Atletico Madrid’s goal, no goals were conceded.

In the 18th minute, Atletico Madrid seized another single shot opportunity via a counter-attack!

Aguero broke the offside trap successfully, and boldly delivered a low shot past the goalkeeper, defeating Barcelona’s defense, celebrating wildly at Estadio Vicente Calderón, while Messi watched on with a helpless look.

Ibrahimovic squinted at Messi, with a complicated expression.

Since the honeymoon period at the start of the league, Ibrahimovic felt increasingly sidelined; if he still didn’t score in this match, then it would be seven straight league matches without scoring, and the reason for not scoring was...

Messi!

In the 23rd minute, Atletico Madrid extended their lead again, as Puyol fouled Aguero outside the penalty area, allowing Atletico Madrid to earn a free kick opportunity, where the Portuguese player Simao demonstrated his free-kick prowess on the left at 25 yards, shooting directly into the far corner.

3:0

Atletico Madrid led by three goals against Barcelona at Estadio Vicente Calderón before halftime, with Guardiola wearing a gloomy expression, clearly somewhat incredulous at this result.

While Flores paced back and forth along the sidelines, running and jumping continuously, stirring up the emotions from fans in the stands, creating a sea of joy in Estadio Vicente Calderón.

Barcelona pulled one back in the 27th minute, with Xavi taking a corner kick, and Ibrahimovic scoring his first goal in seven league matches,

which turned out to be Barcelona’s only goal of the match, as Flores, realizing Barcelona was slowly regaining their momentum, began shifting the team to a defensive stance.

The final score was 3:1.

Barcelona stumbled at a crucial moment in their league title race with Real Madrid.

It should be noted that Pellegrini’s league stability is well-known, and this 3-point gap might ultimately end Barcelona’s championship hopes.

Chen’s championship declaration is becoming reality.

The league championship seems very much within reach, with the King’s Cup championship also in the bag.

The Champions League championship?

Pellegrini’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, remembering that in the round of 16, Real Madrid’s opponent was Lyon.

Lyon without Benzema!

After defeating Lyon, the opponent will be the winner between Olympiacos and Bordeaux, and whether it’s Olympiacos or Bordeaux, they can be easily handled!

That almost grants Real Madrid an escort to the semi-finals!

Three matches!

Just three matches needed!

Defeat the semi-final opponent, and they can reach the final to contend for the Champions League title!