I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 503: Chapter 7: Unbelievable

The match began, and Sevilla was operating exactly as Mourinho had predicted.

As soon as they got the kickoff, they decisively launched an attack, trying to score a goal at the start of the match.

But Mourinho was most adept at ”defense,” followed by counterattacks after defending.

On the sidelines, Sevilla’s coach Alvarez was expectantly watching the field, his attacking tactics still simple and concise.

The ball was passed through the flanks, eventually aiming for Kanoute in the middle!

Meanwhile, in the stands watching the match, a spectator was muttering to himself, ”I refuse to believe you can perform better than me on the field!”

On the stands, any fans watching the Sevilla match knew the nature of Alvarez’s team, and they focused their gaze on Kanoute.

33-year-old Frederic Kanoute was no longer young.

Three years ago, at his peak, when he was shining in La Liga, he couldn’t gain an advantage over Chen Zhong, let alone now.

Chen Zhong had his eye on this old friend early on, and in every physical contest, Kanoute would be pushed out of position.

When the ball descended, Chen Zhong had already taken the advantageous position.

At this moment, Kanoute didn’t lack options; if he were Ibrahimovic, he might turn and score a spectacular goal with a scorpion kick. But he wasn’t; he was just Kanoute.

Facing a player like Chen Zhong with physical talent, all he could do was watch helplessly as the ball was cleared.

Sevilla’s tactic was too simple, just like how everyone knew Bayern Munich’s Robben would cut inside; everyone knew Sevilla would cross to Kanoute.

The biggest difference is that Robben’s cuts are hard to defend.

But Sevilla’s crosses could always be easily cleared.

When Chen Zhong, like in past matches, completed a header clearance by overpowering Kanoute, Sevilla’s fans fell silent, and their coach Alvarez zipped his lips on the sidelines.

In his mind, maybe this was Sevilla’s most threatening attack in the first half!

After losing the ball, 33-year-old Kanoute didn’t stay put; he moved his legs to pursue Chen Zhong, but Chen Zhong had no intention to control the ball or contend with Kanoute.

”Chen Zhong jumped really high!”

”A beautiful header clearance, as always.”

”The ball quickly returned to Chen Zhong’s feet again.”

”Kanoute was actively pressing.”

”Chen Zhong showed no hesitation.”

”A long pass, finding the advancing C. Ronaldo!”

In this match, everyone saw Mourinho’s change; he abandoned the tactics that brought him success at Inter Milan, not recreating Inter Milan’s defensive formation for Real Madrid.

In the 4-2-3-1 tactic, there are four attackers up front, along with attacking fullbacks, Marcelo and Ramos.

Such an arrangement is very rare in Mourinho’s career.

Mourinho stood on the sidelines, looking a bit tense; others might not notice, but he knew clearly that every player’s position and responsibility for Real Madrid were linked to Chen Zhong.

Real Madrid concentrated the initiation and organization of their attack on Chen Zhong, while C. Ronaldo, Negredo, and Kaka positioned themselves to occupy the opponent’s defensive positions, maintaining ball control for the team while opening space for Chen Zhong to advance.

In a way, they were all sacrificing themselves for Chen Zhong.

And the most surprising thing is, whether it was Negredo, Kaka, or Cristiano Ronaldo, the man who argued with him about defending, none of them had any objections to this.

After all, Chen Zhong’s terrifying goal stats last season were enough to overshadow everything.

Cristiano Ronaldo was a left-winger, and recently, as per the coach’s requirements, the Portuguese clearly reduced his physical intensity, appearing more agile, making him more capable of moves on the wing.

Although he couldn’t control the pace of the game like Iniesta or Xavi, his excellent positioning, passing quality, and attacking ability were a headache for any team.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Kaka played a slightly strange role.

He wasn’t a pure winger; he was more like a midfielder or perhaps an attacking midfielder, somewhat similar to Robinho’s role under Schuster, a sharp short dagger.

Negredo, on the other hand, was a completely sacrificial object. At this time, he would often retreat to midfield to cover for Chen Zhong, Kaka, and C. Ronaldo when their advances left the midfield vacant.

Cristiano Ronaldo took the ball on the left wing, performed a few stepovers, and then made a ”soup train” to get past the defender but couldn’t completely shake off the opponent.

While wrestling with the defender, he kept a keen eye on the situation in the middle, making an unknown number of Manchester United fans nostalgic for the power of time, as if seeing the C. Ronaldo who first joined the team.

”A sudden stop.”

”Created some space.”

”Shoots again.”