Free Web NovelChapter 776: Chapter 42: Chen, Turning on the Charm
Estadio Vicente Calderón
The red and white crowd mingled with the pure white one; the rivalry between the fans of the two teams started even outside the stadium.
They held banners, chanted slogans, and sang team songs, all having full confidence in their own team.
Under the leadership of Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid is showcasing its own brilliance. They have remained unbeaten for five consecutive matches, an impressive achievement for Atletico Madrid.
Meanwhile, under Mourinho’s leadership, Real Madrid has also achieved several glorious victories, holding championship hopes across multiple fronts. They have reached the finals in the King’s Cup, the quarter-finals in the Champions League, and remain leading in the league.
The encounter between the two teams has garnered significant attention from fans.
Especially the formations of both teams.
Atletico Madrid has accumulated quite a few talented players: Aguero, Forlán, and Diego Costa up front; Reyes, Thiago, Koke in the midfield; the defense featuring Juan Fran, Godin, Filipe Luís, and the Spanish genius goalkeeper De Gea, who saw his market value skyrocket before and plummet after facing Chen Zhong.
Real Madrid naturally boasts a star-studded lineup, and this match features a surprising 3-defensive-midfielder formation.
Khedira, Alonso, and Parejo form the three defensive midfielders, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, and Chen Zhong in the front. The backline trusted by Mourinho is Marcelo, Cavaleiro, Pepe, and Ramos, with the indisputable Casillas as the goalkeeper.
Mourinho’s choices for this match are intriguing, with the Portuguese player, thought to be a bench player, starting the match. Di Maria, Callejon, and Kaka, the skilled wingers, aren’t in the starting lineup, and the winter signing "Little Magic Beast" Adebayor is replaced by "Benzecat" Benzema.
The players from both teams had a brief exchange in the player tunnel.
The veteran Forlán looked somewhat apathetic. During his peak as the Uruguayan forward, Chen Zhong had just joined the first team. Back then, Forlán was emerging from his low point at Manchester United and was beginning to shine.
After Chen Zhong’s move to the Apennine Peninsula, he scored 32 goals in a single season, winning the La Liga Golden Boot and the European Golden Boot.
Furthermore, Forlán was the first player after Ronaldo to score more than 30 goals in a single La Liga season.
This season, Forlán’s scoring efficiency in the league was low, but he performed excellently in the UEFA Europa League and other competitions. Now 32, the old timer couldn’t adapt to Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone’s "high-intensity" tactics. He knew that leaving would be the best choice to continue playing for a few more years.
And Atletico could also gain a transfer fee, making it a win-win situation.
When Chen Zhong encountered this "old rival" in the locker room, Forlán’s eyes no longer had the sharpness of the past; instead, there was a hint of disinterest.
For an old player who is determined to leave, perhaps this match, unrelated to championship contention, even if it is a derby, is not that important?
The two nodded briefly to each other, and soon, Chen Zhong felt two intense stares.
One was from Aguero, the other from De Gea.
Both were geniuses; before meeting Chen Zhong, they were dazzling figures.
When Chen Zhong first emerged, Aguero’s efficient scoring overshadowed Messi. After scoring the fastest goal in the first league match at the start of the season, he was seen by countless Atletico fans as a symbol of revival.
But all this changed after Chen Zhong’s debut. Chen Zhong was like a mountain pressing down on him, making him breathless. Even his companion Messi was overshadowed for a season by Chen Zhong’s presence.
De Gea’s experience was a bit different. He took charge amidst a crisis and performed excellently.
Amidst the praise, he clashed with Chen Zhong head-on.
At that time, many scouts from various teams had noted De Gea down in their books, and his value as a goalkeeper had tripled.
But then he met Chen Zhong.
A heavy cannon strike nearly halved De Gea’s value.
That heavy cannon shot, along with the media’s afterward mockery, almost shattered De Gea’s resolve, but he got back up, only to face Chen Zhong again, and again be shattered...
Eventually, after being shattered repeatedly, he somewhat got used to it.
Sometimes, De Gea would ask himself.
Is it that I’m too weak, or the opponent is too strong?
Every time he made a great save, he felt his strength, but the next time he faced Chen Zhong, he realized once more Chen Zhong’s improvement!
What a terrifying man!
Reyes greeted his former teammates from Real Madrid, and the players from both teams walked out of the tunnel, embracing the fans’ cheers, feeling the feverish atmosphere.
Mourinho and Diego Simeone exchanged glances across the distance before looking at the players emerging.
Mourinho already understood Atletico Madrid’s defensive tactics, with their players concentrating more in the center. This time, Mourinho deployed Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, and Chen Zhong, three hard hitters, not believing they couldn’t penetrate Atletico Madrid’s center.
