CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 9: SPROUTING

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The hearts of the Merengue fans finally settled, after Raul scored his 15th goal in 21 Madrid Derbies.

Real Madrid gradually found their rhythm in the match, and the pressure from Atletico Madrid eased. Through the coordination on the right side involving Ramos, Diara, Guti, and Van Nistelrooy, the team began to show their sharpness in attack.

However, Atletico Madrid’s coach Aguirre quickly made tactical adjustments by letting the experienced Fernando and the young Aguero switch positions more frequently.

This sudden change created many challenges for Real Madrid’s defense line.

"Maniche has the ball."

"He passes it to Rodriguez."

"Without stopping, he directly feeds it to Aguero."

The Argentine repeatedly failed in confrontations against Chen Zhong. This time, without much thought, Chen Zhong stuck close, intending to rob Aguero immediately. If Aguero didn’t "cooperate," then tackle him!

The [Anticipation] badge greatly benefited Chen Zhong in this match, most notably by enhancing his defensive instincts and increasing his challenge success rate due to quicker footwork. He repeatedly managed to intercept the ball, leaving it under his control.

Everything seemed smooth until a sense of foreboding arose as Chen Zhong closed in.

What is he planning to do?

Chen Zhong noticed Aguero positioning himself as if ready to stop at any moment.

Is he going to execute a sudden stop to shake him off? Or is he planning a stop-and-go acceleration?

Aguero dribbles diagonally, with Chen Zhong pressing closely, blocking Aguero’s advance while preparing for a potential interception or tackle. Aguero seemed to want to use the outside of his foot to stop the ball as if planning an inside cut.

Or is he going to nudge the ball in the initial direction for a quick escape?

No, it’s neither!

Chen Zhong’s pupils slightly dilated as he quickly tackled sideways, originally suspecting Aguero would attempt a toe cut to quickly maneuver past him.

But unexpectedly, Aguero didn’t plan to surpass Chen Zhong this time; instead, Chen Zhong fell into a cognitive trap.

Everything had been going too smoothly. When Chen Zhong attempted to tackle and intercept Aguero’s pass, he didn’t entirely make contact with the ball.

"Quick reflexes," Aguero was slightly surprised, but he still managed to complete his task by passing the ball to Fernando, who incisively dashed past Chen Zhong’s back.

However, due to Chen Zhong’s interference, Fernando had to take a couple of extra steps, disrupting his plan to break the offside trap and face the keeper directly. With Cannavaro shadowing him, Fernando resorted to diagonally running, looking for an opportunity.

Eventually, Fernando could only unleash a powerful shot from the top of the penalty arc, attempting to penetrate Real Madrid’s goal, but Casillas showcased an outstanding performance.

As the game proceeded, Aguero, freed from obsession, coordinated well with teammates. Chen Zhong made a few crucial interceptions, but also got "played" by the cooperation between two, even three or four players. He lost the composure he had at the start, as both teams attacked and defended alternately.

"Not bad." Schuster nodded continuously on the sideline. He turned to Francisco and said, "Chen’s performance exceeded my expectations, but he still lacks experience against top-level attackers. Also, his tackling needs improvement."

Francisco nodded in agreement with Schuster’s observation. In one of the recent attacks, Chen Zhong was outplayed by Fernando during the defense.

Why call it outplayed?

Because Chen Zhong initially intercepted Fernando’s ball but didn’t cleanly win possession. Fernando anticipated, positioning himself quickly, intending to draw a penalty, but Chen Zhong held his ground wisely, not falling for it.

Fernando didn’t force it either and made a back-pass to Garcia in a better position and with a better angle. Garcia’s long-range shot was of high quality, and if not for Casillas’s save, any other goalkeeper might have let it in.

"Actually, his best position might not be as a central defender." Hesitating for a moment, Francisco continued, "His anticipation ability, physical confrontation, and passing ability could be better utilized as a defensive midfielder or in midfield. During his time in Castilla, he often played a B2B role."

All-Powerful Midfielder, abbreviated as "B2B"

B2B stands for "Box to Box," meaning from one penalty area to the other. So, as the name suggests, a B2B midfielder refers to those in football who roam between their own and the opponent’s penalty area, contributing at both ends of the pitch.

They cover a vast area, are technically adept, and have decent stamina. In modern football, B2B midfielders are very scarce.

During his youth team days, the third evaluation of Chen Zhong stated: "A player of defensive wisdom and strength, with energy and determination in attack."

Schuster did not respond to Francisco, just blankly staring at the rising offensive play of Real Madrid.

Initially dazzling, after being promoted to the first team, Chen Zhong felt he made a foolish decision. At Real Madrid, especially during transfer periods, player issues were hardly a worry.

Developing players isn’t Real Madrid’s primary task; they need stars who can contribute immediately.

Even the dazzling Robinho didn’t find stable playing time at Real Madrid.

Therefore, when Schuster saw Chen Zhong reporting, he was annoyed and even considered loaning him out.

But seeing Chen Zhong’s performance in the Russian Railways Cup, Schuster first entertained the idea that Chen Zhong might have a small niche as a central defender.

And in the Spanish Super Cup, Chen Zhong’s fearless and impressive display placed him fourth or even third in the central defender lineup for Schuster.

This match also pleasantly surprised Schuster, even showing leniency towards Chen Zhong’s occasional errors.

Facing the striking duo of Aguero and Fernando, mistakes are inevitable. Even Cannavaro had lapses, so Chen Zhong’s would have seemed out of place.

However, what gave Schuster the biggest surprise was Chen Zhong’s rapid progress.

"Beep..."

The whistle blows, ending the first half. As Schuster walked into the locker room, he was struck by a thought.

Could the team play a 4-3-3 formation, allowing Chen Zhong to move forward a bit, taking up a role as a defensive midfielder?

This thought sprouted and took root in Schuster’s mind.