I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 651: Chapter 79: Do We Really Need a Center Forward?

As the captain of Real Madrid, Chen Zhong also defended Mourinho in front of the media, saying: ”I know being beaten 8-0 is something sad, but I still hope you can remain restrained, because we have the second leg.”

Chen Zhong’s remarks also upset the fans and players of Levante.

What do you mean, are you implying that you will score more goals in the second leg?

They wanted to act tough, but remembering the recently concluded match and Real Madrid’s luxurious lineup, they could only feel bitter and say nothing.

Time came to 2011.

On January 2nd, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) announced the 2010 World Club Coach Rankings.

After leading Inter Milan to clinch the Triple Crown, the Portuguese coach of Real Madrid, Mourinho, ranked first. In Spain, his biggest rival, Guardiola, came in second, followed by the Dutch coach Van Gaal, who led Bayern Munich to win a domestic double.

In the 2009 rankings announced by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the top three were Guardiola, Ferguson, and Mourinho. This time, Guardiola failed to ”defend his title,” while Mourinho successfully surpassed him with the brilliant Triple Crown at Inter Milan and his outstanding record after coaching Real Madrid, leaving Ferguson in sixth place.

The coaches of the traditional top four teams in the Premier League ranked in the top ten of the list. Although widely criticized during his time at Liverpool, Hodgson managed not to let the Reds suffer further embarrassment thanks to his brilliant stint at Fulham, where he reached the Europa League final.

The Brazilian coach Ros, who led the Brazilian powerhouse International Team to win the Copa Libertadores, ranked eighth in the 2010 club coach rankings.

N’Diaye may not be familiar to everyone, but in the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup, the Senegalese coach led African champions TP Mazembe to the final. Though they ultimately lost to Inter, they achieved another leap for African football, and he was included in the top ten of this list.

Additionally, the Italian coach Spalletti, who moved to the Russian Super League and led Zenit St. Petersburg to win the Russian Super League championship, and the coach of the newly-rising Premier League power Tottenham, Redknapp, also made it into the list.

The list also included the coaches of the two teams that reached last year’s Asian Champions League final — Zob Ahan and Seongnam Ilhwa.

Perhaps due to this ranking, which reduced the pressure from the recent period, along with the best coach of the year award snub, Mourinho once again spoke without restraint.

The Ballon d’Or announcement date is approaching, and the two players with the highest hopes are Iniesta and Chen Zhong.

In a World Cup year, there’s never been a precedent where the award winner wasn’t a member of the World Cup champion team.

And among the Spanish champion players also playing for Barcelona, Xavi found himself at a disadvantage in the competition against Iniesta.

In a recent interview, Real Madrid Team’s coach, the Portuguese Mourinho, considered it ”unfair” for Spain’s international player Iniesta to win the Ballon d’Or, mentioning that Iniesta ”missed five months.”

In this interview, Mourinho was passively asked about his views on the FIFA Player and Coach of the Year awards.

Mourinho first affirmed Iniesta, stating: ”He scored a goal in the final, which was a very crucial goal, but any left midfielder could have scored that goal, and most right midfielders could too.”

Then, Mourinho made it clear that the Barcelona midfielder should not win the Ballon d’Or.

”If Iniesta wins, I think it would be unfair. But it’s not a tragedy or an indispensable part of our lives because football is a team sport.”

Regarding Spain National Team coach Del Bosque winning the Coach of the Year award, Mourinho said: If Bosque wins, at least it’s someone he ”respects” and ”admires” receiving the award, but Mourinho also noted that leading a national team and a club are completely different.

”The club coach needs to lead the team for 11 months, playing more than 50 games, and is responsible for the team’s growth.”

”Evaluating club and national team coaches by the same standards is unfair because it’s completely different.”

”Of course, the results are out now, and I don’t want to talk too much. What I hope is that the future selections will be fairer and more just. At least, in my view, this year’s Ballon d’Or, Chen is the most suitable choice.”

After this interview, the match between Real Madrid and Getafe took place.

Parejo was included in the team’s roster for this match, but we don’t know what this football genius felt when he saw Getafe.

After all, Getafe always wanted to borrow Parejo on loan but never succeeded.

And Parejo hardly ever had the opportunity to perform at Real Madrid.

The players of both teams entered the field sequentially. In this match, Benzema was given the starting opportunity, indicating that Real Madrid’s management and Mourinho want to see if Benzema can find his way back.

Meanwhile, Kaka was given a rest in this match, replaced by Di Maria.

This Argentine genius, who has been waiting for opportunities since he joined Real Madrid, although not appearing often, brings change and help to the team every time he does.