I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 750 - 30: Isn’t Chen Supposed to Be a Villain?

The impact of Real Madrid’s victory over Lyon in the Champions League Round of 16 continues.Chen Zhong’s performance, averaging 2-3 goals in recent matches, makes teams that regard Real Madrid as potential competitors feel like they’re sitting on pins and needles.

Benzema’s substitution appearance against Lyon made some people exclaim "Wow!". Ever since he was involved in last season’s "PC Gate" scandal, his luck and form have been affected. But now he’s back on track, shedding his lazy demeanor, truly posing a threat.

Mourinho has a famous theory called the "Cat and Dog Theory."

Higuain and the substitute Adebayor are dogs, while Benzema is a lazy cat.

With Negredo’s departure and Higuain’s injury, Real Madrid’s forward line-up leans more towards a 4-4-2 formation that allows Benzema to perform.

In La Liga, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema have both played center forward roles. After Adebayor joined in early February, the Togolese forward quickly became a mainstay.

Even if Benzema starts against Levante, Mourinho soon changes it up by trying a 4-4-2 formation with both him and Adebayor as center forwards.

In this match, Benzema’s performance as a substitute stood out, breaking away from his usual laziness and fitting well with Real Madrid’s current front-line situation. This presented a dilemma for Mourinho but also provided him with enough tactical variations.

Benzema provides Mourinho with important tactical ideas. Between 4-3-3 and 4-4-2, Real Madrid’s pivot is the Frenchman. Mourinho once said he was most comfortable at Chelsea because he had suitable dual-reserve lines at every position, adapting from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 to 4-4-2.

From this perspective, Benzema’s existence is to provide tactical variations for Mourinho.

This variation is very significant for Mourinho. In the 2004/05 season, Robben brought him variation, but in Robben’s absence, he could only watch as they were eliminated by Liverpool’s "ghost goal."

At Inter Milan, the changes Mourinho expected came from Sneijder and Eto’o, with one linking the front line and the other altering the tempo.

This season at Real Madrid, the attack relies on Cristiano Ronaldo’s singular power, Chen Zhong’s forward runs, and long shots outside the penalty area as explosive points.

When Mourinho first coached Real Madrid, he valued Cristiano Ronaldo more, but over time, with pressure from the higher-ups and Chen Zhong’s impressive performance, Mourinho gradually shifted his focus more towards Chen Zhong.

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With a tight schedule, Real Madrid’s next opponent is Deportivo La Coruña. "Super Laco" has long lost the "intimidation" they once had. In La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona’s eyes are only on each other.

In a recent interview, Guardiola was asked about "reputation" or perhaps fame. The Barcelona coach stated that Mourinho’s reputation is above his, but the team’s performance isn’t determined by reputation.

At the pre-match press conference against Deportivo La Coruña, Mourinho talked about his understanding of reputation.

"In some of Europe’s major leagues, other teams can prepare for the Champions League more fully because their leagues are played as early as Friday," Mourinho said.

Mourinho complained that last week Real Madrid’s request to the Spanish Football Association to play La Liga on Friday was denied, resulting in Lyon having one more day of rest.

Now, after playing the Champions League on Tuesday, the La Liga match against Deportivo La Coruña is scheduled for Saturday night, followed closely by next Thursday’s match against Malaga.

"Malaga’s round was played on Monday, then just like us, they play the next round on Thursday. Whether it’s them or us, the schedule isn’t normal. Some teams look like they can play whenever they want, but we don’t have that privilege," Mourinho said.

Mourinho subtly hinted that the Spanish Football Association favors Barcelona. "Me? I keep talking and talking, but it’s useless because I don’t have the authority to decide these things."

Asked why this is the case, Mourinho simply said: "Because they have friends in the association."

Guardiola: ?

Wow, I just praised your reputation being higher than mine, and you’re insinuating that Barcelona has someone influential, huh?

It’s worth mentioning that Mourinho’s Real Madrid this season has received 72 yellow cards and 5 red cards, ranking second in the club’s history, only behind Capello’s Real Madrid in the 2006-07 season with 126 yellow cards and 10 red cards.

A journalist raised this issue at the press conference.

"Why is this?" Mourinho looked at the journalists and asked rhetorically, "In short, my players get yellow cards easily. The standard for issuing cards is different for us compared to other teams. Look at the match against the Spanish[Español], how was Casillas sent off, and then look at the Champions League, and you’ll have your answer. It was originally just a yellow card, but it ended up being a red card."

In the match against the Spanish[Español], the referee issued a red card to Casillas within two minutes of kickoff. Substitute Adan even twisted his ankle, making Chen Zhong temporarily play as goalkeeper.

Although after the game, some believed it was an impulsive mistake by the referee who wasn’t in the right state, Mourinho didn’t overly target the referee at that time.