I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 443: Chapter 72: Chen: King of Stat-Padding? (A Long Stretch)

The fans of Real Madrid are undoubtedly happy this new season.

The team has already reached the final in the King’s Cup, is leading Barcelona by 7 points in the league, and even defeated former nemesis Lyon in the Champions League, proudly advancing to the quarter-finals.

Many fans feel that these achievements symbolize the rise of the team.

At this moment, Real Madrid’s top management held a meeting about the choice of the team’s new coach.

The possibility of Pellegrini staying on was also discussed, after all, if he can win two or even three titles this season, what reason would Real Madrid have to dismiss Pellegrini and choose Mourinho or Ancelotti?

The biggest ”joke” during Calderon’s era at Real Madrid was when Capello helped Real Madrid win their first league title in four years, only to be dismissed while on vacation.

Though this isn’t Real Madrid’s first time dismissing a championship-winning coach.

Yet, clearly, Pellegrini is doing a good job, even though he has communication issues with Florentino and is privately in contact with other clubs.

But if he could achieve the Triple Crown this season, keeping him on would become an issue that must be discussed.

If Pellegrini were to step down, the replacement would be either Ancelotti or Mourinho, with current Real Madrid management favoring Mourinho.

One reason is that talks between Mourinho and Real Madrid’s ”bridge,” Mendes, have gone well, and also because Mourinho himself and his recent achievements are satisfactory.

In the recently concluded Champions League round of 16, Mourinho’s Inter Milan defeated Ancelotti’s Chelsea.

In the first leg, Inter Milan won 2-1 against Chelsea, and in the second leg, they defeated Chelsea 0-1 again, clearly showing that Ancelotti, who suffered from idealism in Milan, is no match for Mourinho’s pragmatism.

In the end, Real Madrid’s management did not reach a specific conclusion.

Pellegrini seems to be aware that Real Madrid is considering his retention, and he has shown his stability in the upcoming matches.

In the league, under his leadership, Real Madrid easily defeated their opponents in the 26th, 27th, and 28th rounds, and Chen Zhong’s goal count has reached 30.

Against Sevilla, he scored his third hat-trick of the league, bringing his goal count to 27, and within these three rounds, he scored three more goals, expanding his count to 30, which has caught the attention of many fans.

In the Champions League, Real Madrid won the first leg 9-0 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium against Bordeaux, almost assuring a spot in the semi-finals. No one believes Real Madrid would be thrashed when visiting Bordeaux’s home ground.

After all, that’s a 9-goal difference.

Chen Zhong also holds the position of top scorer in the Champions League with 12 goals.

Currently, Chen Zhong is the top scorer in the league, Champions League, and King’s Cup, and is even leading the European scoring chart.

This has sparked much discussion, with some fans arguing: ”Chen Zhong has scored too many of his goals against weak teams.”

For instance, in the league against Santander Athletic, Chen Zhong scored five goals, and in the King’s Cup against Alcorcon and other teams, he has increased his stats significantly.

The Champions League results don’t even need to be mentioned.

In the recently concluded match against Bordeaux, Chen Zhong scored plenty of goals.

Of course, some choose to support Chen Zhong, because his goals are essentially all from open play, without penalties, whereas other players scored some of their goals from penalties.

Isn’t this kind of performance enough to prove Chen Zhong’s strength?

Yet there are always people labeling Chen Zhong as a ”flat-track bully,” and some have even criticized him for ”hurting the team with his goals.”

The main victims here are the two Ballon d’Or winners, Kaka and C. Ronaldo.

They ignore the fact that C. Ronaldo and Kaka have been out due to injuries this season, stubbornly comparing this season’s stats with their peak performances, and the result is naturally a decline for both players.

In response to such voices, Chen Zhong did not respond.

Instead, he is earnestly preparing for the upcoming Derby de Madrid.

Real Madrid’s two most important league matches are against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid; one is the El Clasico, and the other the Derby de Madrid.

These two matches also draw a lot of fans’ attention.

This season marks the third encounter between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid’s recent performances have been commendable, especially their consistent progress in the UEFA Europa League.

However, clearly, there are those who won’t let Chen Zhong off the hook easily – Barcelona fans. They have recognized who the real key player of the current Real Madrid team is.

A group of Catalonia fans opened an online T-shirt store, producing a batch of T-shirts printed with anti-Real Madrid slogans.

This originally self-entertaining action has unexpectedly turned into a lucrative business, as those T-shirts are selling very well.