I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 424: Chapter 63: Clash in the Spotlight

Barcelona once again fell three points behind Real Madrid in the league championship race, as Atletico Madrid delivered a crushing blow to Barcelona at the Calderon, with Aguero, Fernando, and Simao each scoring a goal.

These three players, who seemed somewhat bashful when facing Real Madrid, chose to strike hard against Barcelona, especially Simao.

After scoring a beautiful free kick against Barcelona, the veteran who once played for Barcelona even ran around the field in celebration, sliding on his knees!

Guardiola was also criticized by reporters after the match, with many believing that the loss was due to Guardiola’s tactical arrangements. Guardiola did not deny this and talked about the chaotic play aspect, where Atletico Madrid indeed performed better than Barcelona.

Barcelona’s focus is clearly not on the league but rather on the upcoming Champions League round of 16 match, where their opponent will be Stuttgart from the Bundesliga.

When everyone thought this would be an easy victory, Barcelona was unexpectedly held to a draw by Stuttgart in the away match!

No, saying Stuttgart held Barcelona to a draw is obviously inappropriate, as Stuttgart, having led by a goal in the first half, was closer to victory for most of the match.

Barcelona only managed to level the score in the second half.

Their performance has caused some people to start doubting Guardiola’s coaching abilities, with a saying circulating among fans that Barcelona’s current strength is unprecedented, and even a dog tied to the coach’s position could lead the team to victory.

And this saying has indeed confused quite a few fans.

Barcelona suffered a setback, while Real Madrid had a smooth affair against Lyon.

In this match, Pellegrini started Benzema, with Marcelo and Granero on the wings, and the midfield composed of Pirlo, Alonso, and Parejo.

Chen Zhong, C. Ronaldo, Negredo, and other players waited on the bench, clearly showing that Pellegrini did not regard Lyon highly.

In this match, Benzema showcased his ”White Ronaldo” strength, scoring twice in the first half, and nearly achieving a hat-trick in the second half.

The final score was fixed at 1:2, with Lyon recovering a goal in the last moments, preserving a shred of hope for their advancement. In the next round in Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, they need to score more than two goals against Real Madrid to stand a chance of advancing.

After this Champions League round of 16 match, Barcelona seemed to finally recover from their slump, obtaining a 3-goal lead against Santander Athletic in the first half and finishing the match 4:0.

On Real Madrid’s side, they are set to face Villarreal.

In recent years, the Yellow Submarine has weakened a bit, but with talented players like Rossi and Musacchio, along with strong players like Cazorla and Cadepu Vila, if listing La Liga teams that can compete with Real Madrid in the league, Villarreal would definitely be there.

This team is also an old friend of Chen Zhong.

In Schuster’s first season as coach, Chen Zhong came on as a substitute in that match, assisting Van Nistelrooy, and the team’s captain Raul even let Chen Zhong take a penalty.

That was Chen Zhong’s first goal in the league.

Villarreal completed a coaching change on February 1st, with club management no longer tolerating Valverde’s poor performance, promoting the second team coach Garrido to take over.

Garrido, in his forties, lost 0-1 to Mallorca on February 7th in his La Liga debut, but merely a week later, the Yellow Submarine began to rebound.

The team narrowly defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1, granting Garrido his first La Liga victory as coach.

After this match, many fans hoped Garrido could remain at Villarreal as the official head coach, but obviously, he needs a weighty victory to achieve that.

Defeating Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is clearly a good choice.

What happened to Real Madrid? Is Real Madrid unbeatable?

After seeing Atletico Madrid defeat Barcelona, beating Real Madrid doesn’t seem so difficult for Villarreal either.

On the other side, in Madrid’s office, Pellegrini hung up the ”unauthorized” phone call.

Manchester City expressed satisfaction with Pellegrini’s coaching at Real Madrid this season, willing to offer Pellegrini ample financial support without placing stringent demands on performance.

They sincerely invited Pellegrini to become Manchester City’s ”Guardiola” or ”Mourinho,” or ”Ferguson,” ”Wenger,” which made Pellegrini feel tempted.

Could someone like him also become a pioneer?

If he could win a championship, a Double Crown, or even a Triple Crown at Real Madrid, leaving might not be a difficult choice.

”If I could bring Chen Zhong to Manchester City.”