I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 916: Chapter 18: A Hard-Fought Battle Awaiting Chen Zhong

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are about to begin their Champions League Round of 16 knockout stage matches.

Both teams participated in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this season.

However, compared to Bayern Munich’s bright start, Real Madrid’s performance has been rather difficult to describe succinctly.

With a prize pool of 1 billion dollars, the FIFA Club World Cup initially had ”high” ticket prices, but attendance was less than desirable as the tournament went on. Nevertheless, Real Madrid’s closing match was still very appealing to enthusiasts.

Especially with the debut of their new signing Arnold.

Real Madrid’s debut attracted over 60,000 spectators to the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, surpassing the attendance of the FIFA Club World Cup opening match played by Messi-led Inter Miami here.

It was the highest watched match since the start of the FIFA Club World Cup.

In this match, it was also the debut of Real Madrid’s new coach Alonso, but against Al-Hilal from the Saudi League, Alonso only managed a 1-1 draw.

Many people thought that Alonso’s start would be challenging, and the main reason for not securing a victory was not putting Chen Zhong in the starting lineup.

At the same time, many people began to understand why Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t win a championship in Saudi Arabia.

After all, in this match, Al-Hilal actually dominated Real Madrid for a while.

In this match, Arnold, who was highly anticipated, only played for 65 minutes and lost possession 12 times.

Many people sighed, saying Arnold’s departure gave Liverpool a sigh of relief...

In the 34th minute of the first half, Rodrigo assisted, and the 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia tapped in the goal.

In the 41st minute, Raul Asensio’s foul on Leonardo in the penalty area led the referee to award a penalty, which Ruben Neves converted.

After the sides changed, substitute Juleer hit the crossbar briefly, but Real Madrid couldn’t score again. In the 88th minute, Fran Garcia was struck in the face while competing for a dropped ball in the penalty area, earning Real Madrid a penalty.

At this time, Valverde, taking a penalty for the first time in his career during regular time, saw his shot saved by the opposing goalkeeper Bounou.

At that moment, many Real Madrid fans screamed in frustration, thinking that if Chen Zhong were there, he would’ve certainly scored the penalty with ease.

In that instant, countless Real Madrid fans had this thought pop into their minds.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving many fans disappointed, especially since they anticipated Real Madrid could easily defeat Al-Hilal before the match.

Al-Hilal couldn’t pull off an upset against Real Madrid, showing they were just an ordinary team.

The result is destined to leave Real Madrid fans and new coach Alonso frustrated. After the match, Alonso stated, ”There are areas to improve, but also positives. We responded in the second half. We’ve only trained three times, and there’s demand for results, but it takes time to become what we want.”

”Certainly, Chen’s absence did have some impact on the team.”

”I have to admit, when Chen is on the pitch, the players are more motivated.”

Clearly, Real Madrid’s new coach is explaining the team’s current state with the most common rationale. In this game, Real Madrid indeed didn’t deploy their strongest lineup due to certain reasons.

Mbappe couldn’t play due to fever, staying at the hotel room in Miami, unable to participate in event activities and not even able to eat. Gonzalo Garcia, who performed well, replaced him.

In defense, Heisen, Fran Garcia, and Arnold started the match, which showed significant difference from the usual lineup from last season.

Official data shows Real Madrid’s starting XI for this match had an average age of 24 years and 300 days, the youngest since the 2009-2010 season in the first match under a new coach.

Despite this, Real Madrid’s performance was still disappointing. Aside from the scoreline, Real Madrid had 52% ball control, with 19 shots compared to 13, and corners were 5 to 6. Simply put, this match didn’t prove any substantial difference between La Liga’s second-place team and a strong team from the Saudi League.

Know that in the 20th minute, Al-Hilal almost scored first through a quick counterattack, only to be ruled offside, saving Real Madrid from danger.

The performance of the new signing was also a focus. Arnold was the biggest signing for Real Madrid this summer, playing for 65 minutes, with only one successful tackle out of four, creating one chance, one successful dribble out of two attempts, two clearances, and one interception on defense. However, Arnold lost possession 12 times, most on the field, with post-match ratings showing his score just higher than the underperforming Asensio among defensive players.

After the match, Arnold stated that he still needs to adapt to new teammates and the team’s new system. To some extent, his condition is a reflection of Real Madrid’s current state — the season just ended, and the team rushed to the FIFA Club World Cup, leaving players under the new coach somewhat lost.

In terms of specific tactical play, Courtois, as one of the team’s most stable players, made remarks worth noting after the match: ”Four days can’t complete all adjustments. After all, we’ve been executing another coach’s system for the past four years, and the previous muscle memory might still be present.”