I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 917: Chapter 18: Chen Zhong in Tough Battles (Part 2)

”We tried hard to experiment with different tactics, such as pushing the defensive line higher and pressing more aggressively. We were a bit lax in the first half and more aggressive in the second. This is the way we want to play.”

To put it more bluntly, this is the way Alonso wants to play. Alonso wants to play a style different from that of his predecessor Ancelotti; this is no secret. At Bayer Leverkusen he already emphasized Ball Control and immediate counter-pressing, and at Real Madrid he will, in all likelihood, continue with that approach which has been proven effective in the Bundesliga.

To a certain extent, the fact that the head coach failed to win his debut has little substantive bearing on Real Madrid’s new season. After all, over the past 33 years Capello (1–1), Mourinho (0–0) and Benitez (0–0) all failed to win their Real Madrid debuts. The real key is what changes Alonso can make from here on; from this perspective, things do not look particularly optimistic.

This summer, Florentino’s recruitment has not gone as smoothly as the outside world imagined. Apart from Arnold’s deal being finalized, the latest news concerns the 17-year-old Argentina international Mastantono. At the post‑match press conference Alonso mentioned his name: ”Players of 17 or 18 like him can have a chance to start at Real Madrid.”

”After all, Chen was even younger back then, yet he still managed to establish himself in the first team.”

In the final minutes of the match, Alonso still had to send on 38‑year‑old veteran Modric, who is already confirmed to be leaving.

Alonso is clearly intent on promoting more youngsters during matches. In this game Gonzalo Garcia, Heisen, as well as Juleer and Dias all came on one after another. These young players who can contribute immediately would be coveted by most clubs. For Alonso, in the new season he not only has to compete with Barcelona and numerous heavyweights in the Champions League, but also has to overhaul Ancelotti’s old tactics and get the players used to a new system.

Last season, behind Ancelotti’s ”empty-handed” finish, aside from Chen Zhong’s dip in form, the main reasons lay in the threadbare squad, the wave of injuries and the utter inactivity in the winter transfer market, which ultimately led to Ancelotti’s bleak exit. Now that Alonso wants to impose a more aggressive approach on Real Madrid’s tactical play, he still needs reinforcements.

In fact, even now, among the new signings Arnold is undoubtedly the most questioned. The most high‑profile new arrival at Real Madrid enjoyed cheers throughout the stadium, but in a poor state he was substituted after only 65 minutes.

The English media pointed out that this defender, who has been dribbled past the most times in the Premier League since 2016, has continued his nightmare performances in Defense after joining the Galaxy. He became the primary target on Real Madrid’s right side, repeatedly being beaten by Al Hilal’s former Atletico Madrid full-back Lodi.

At the same time, he also lost the sharp assist threat he possessed at Liverpool. In particular, after Raul Asensio’s foul conceded a penalty, Arnold became even more fixated on a ”not making mistakes equals success” mindset on the right flank.

Of course, Real Madrid supporters have enough patience. Expecting Alonso to deliver high‑quality football with only 10 days of training and half a first‑choice lineup is unrealistic.

Marca wrote after the game that it is impossible for Real Madrid to change everything after just four full‑squad training sessions in four days, but failing to win in his debut will calm Alonso down: the current Real Madrid are still some way off their title ambitions and need to work harder.

Such patience also allowed Real Madrid, once the official season began, to gradually get on the right track.

And in a run of consecutive tough battles, for instance against Barcelona and against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid’s captain, the team’s flag and spiritual leader Chen Zhong came on to help the team secure victories.

A phrase began to spread among the fans: when it comes to tough battles, you look to Chen Zhong.

Alonso has clearly implemented this principle as well.

In the first leg against Bayern Munich, Chen Zhong will appear in the center forward position.

In fact, in Alonso’s debut game after taking charge of Real Madrid, the team already showed some signs of progress, though at that time there were obviously still many aspects in need of improvement.

Back then Alonso also reflected at the press conference: ”Who thought everything would work perfectly... We know which areas will function well and which areas we must keep working to improve.”

One major unknown before this match was what system Alonso would adopt.

The Athletic had reported that the plan was not to retain the three‑center‑back Defense system with which he had achieved great success at Bayer Leverkusen, a point that became clear once his starting lineup was announced.

About 90 minutes before kick-off, the starting eleven was confirmed.

This in itself was news. For most of Ancelotti’s four‑year tenure, the club used to release the starting XI two hours in advance or even earlier (as was the case for the 2024 Champions League final), in order to avoid the media doing it for them.

This starting lineup had its own peculiarities—for example, Heisen’s debut (his performance in Ball Control was impressive), as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold, still in his adaptation phase (with ”Trent 12” printed on the back of his shirt).

Since Endrick missed the entire tournament through injury, the natural solution was to use Real Madrid Castilla striker Gonzalo Garcia. Or perhaps not so natural, because the consensus was that even if Endrick were available, Ancelotti would not have picked him, let alone Gonzalo.

Alonso’s gamble meant that players such as Dias, Modric and Ceballos were relegated to the bench. And this choice paid off: Gonzalo scored to put the team ahead.

After the match, the man of the match said: ”I’m very happy that Alonso gave me this opportunity.”

Alonso used a kind of 4-3-3‑like formation, but the effect was far from perfect.

Al Hilal were able to enter Real Madrid’s penalty area with relative ease, while Real Madrid’s attacking buildup was not always smooth and sometimes looked disjointed in the final third.

Heisen said in the mixed zone: ”What did Alonso tell us at half-time? He said we should keep trying to control the ball; the chances would come.”

Raul Asensio, whose foul conceded the penalty that allowed the Saudi side to equalize, did not appear in the second half, as he had been on antibiotics for several days.

He was replaced by Juleer, whose performance supported those who argued he should start this season.

Juleer’s position was deeper than where he had previously played for Real Madrid, in line with Ancelotti’s recent usage of him.

With Rudiger and Alaba injured, Chuameni had to fill in at center back.

This is a position Ancelotti often asked him to play because of injuries, even though the Frenchman has said both privately and publicly that he does not like playing there.

A strange detail concerned Ceballos: he was the only senior first‑team outfield player (non‑goalkeeper) who did not get any minutes.

If Real Madrid’s progress did not bring them victory, it was because their star players were not at their best.

In the absence of Mbappe and Chen Zhong, Vinicius and Bellingham failed to step up, although it is true that the England player’s position was deeper than he usually plays in Spain, as he was moved into midfield.

Rodrigo did assist Gonzalo’s goal, but his efficiency was also below his proper level. This was the Brazil forward’s first appearance since the King’s Cup final (April 26).

Vinicius only showed flashes of the spark he can provide. It was a difficult match for him. He was booked for an unnecessary dive, had no shots on target, one shot off target, completed two of five dribbles, won no fouls, and lost possession 11 times.

As Alonso revealed, Vinicius was substituted in the second half because he had cramp.

Alonso is a coach deeply engaged on the touchline. He stood on the sideline from the start, and by the second minute, after Courtois made a save, he had already strayed far outside his technical area to give instructions.

This happened repeatedly during the match: talking to Bellingham while play was stopped after Valverde was fouled, helping other players during the hydration break, or speaking to Chuameni while the penalty decision was being reviewed.

He moved so much that, because of the heat in Miami, he had to ask for wet towels in the second half to cool himself down. After the match he immediately high‑fived his staff and went to console Valverde, who had missed what could have been the winning penalty.

In past years, when Chen Zhong was on the pitch—especially when he was needed—he simply would not make such mistakes.

This match against Bayern Munich is being seen by many as a touchstone to verify that ”truth.”