Chapter 322: Constantly changing, forging ahead
On January 8, 2007, La Liga resumed with the 17th round as Real Madrid hosted Deportivo La Coru?a. The former "Super Depor" had gradually declined and currently ranked only 10th in the league.
Coach Schuster fielded the starting lineup from the beginning of the season, with injured players Carlos, Ramos, and Emerson all returning, but their performances did not fully recover, especially Carlos committing fatal errors one after another.
Despite Wang Feng scoring twice in the match, Real Madrid's sieve-like defense conceded three goals, suffering a surprising 2-3 home defeat to Deportivo La Coru?a.
Fortunately, in another focus match, Barcelona drew 1-1 away to Getafe, narrowing the gap with Real Madrid to just 1 point but failing to reverse the situation.
On January 12, in the fifth round of the Spanish King's Cup, Real Madrid faced Real Betis away. Schuster made seven changes to the starting lineup, with players like Pepe, Marcelo, Gago, and Iguain making their first appearances.
Without Wang Feng's attacking firepower upfront, Iguain clearly couldn't shoulder the responsibility alone. Real Betis scored one goal in each half, handing Real Madrid a 0-2 defeat.
Although the media heavily criticized the Galaxy Battleship's defense after the match, the Germans saw a glimmer of improvement.
On January 15, in the 18th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Zaragoza away. Schuster decisively replaced Carlos and Cicinho with Pepe and Heinze in the backline. With the adjustments, the Galaxy Battleship's defense became much more stable, thwarting the home team's early onslaught and gradually gaining momentum.
In the 17th minute, Gago launched an attack from midfield, chipping the ball into the penalty area, where Reyes crossed it to the far post. Wang Feng, lurking there, leaped up and volleyed the ball into the net, giving Real Madrid a 1-0 lead!
In the 34th minute, Wang Feng and Guti cooperated in the midfield to tear apart Zaragoza's defense. Inside the penalty area, he passed the ball to Raul, who easily tapped it in.
In the second half, the Galaxy Battleship continued to dominate, with Guti scoring a world-class goal to seal the victory. The home team pulled one back in the 82nd minute, but the final score remained 3-1.
In another match, Barcelona faced Espanyol at home. Coach Rijkaard surprisingly benched Ronaldinho due to poor form and started with Van Nistelrooy.
His decision paid off as the Dutchman scored twice, leading Barcelona to a 2-1 victory, keeping the pressure on Real Madrid in the standings.
After this game, the Catalan region's sentiment towards Ronaldinho became even more unfavorable. Some newspapers even suggested that Messi, Eto'o, and Van Nistelrooy could form a new attacking trio, rendering Ronaldinho unnecessary for Barcelona.
On January 18, in the second leg of the fifth round of the Spanish King's Cup, Real Madrid hosted Real Betis. Despite losing the first leg, coach Schuster still chose to rotate the lineup, determined to give up on this honor.
With Wang Feng watching from the sidelines, Real Betis quickly took the lead. However, Iguain showed a glimpse of brilliance and equalized for the Galaxy Battleship in the 67th minute with a smart run, helping them draw 1-1.
This was the first goal the Argentine youngster scored for Real Madrid. With a final aggregate score of 1-3, the Galaxy Battleship's King's Cup journey came to an end.
After being knocked out of the King's Cup, many media outlets wrote that Real Madrid shouldn't have given up on this honor so early. With Barcelona closely trailing in the league and tough opponents in the Champions League, winning either of these honors would be challenging. It was feared that the Galaxy Battleship might end the season empty-handed despite their ambitious rebuilding efforts.
"The club is being overly cautious with Wang Feng's usage. From his experience at Inter Milan, it's clear his body can handle multiple competitions, but Schuster insists on rotating him," commented a journalist from El Pais.
They specifically interviewed Schuster about this, and the German said, "With the many new players we brought in last summer and this winter, I need to adjust the lineup through games to find the best combinations."
He said that although Wang Feng is a strong player, his presence alone doesn't guarantee victory. "The loss in the King's Cup brought us a lot of experience and lessons, which will be very helpful for us in the upcoming league and Champions League matches."
Wang Feng himself had no objections to the coaching staff's rotation policy. Although he was eager for honors, he respected the coach's decisions. However, he occasionally expressed his willingness to take on more responsibilities during discussions.
"That's for sure," Schuster said. "When the Real Madrid lineup truly takes shape, we will launch an assault on the great historical achievements. By then, we will need you to show your full strength."
On January 22, in the 19th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Mallorca.
Wang Feng appeared exceptionally active as soon as he stepped onto the field. Mallorca kicked off, and center-back Brazilianas passed the ball back to defender Barera. The Chinese star pounced on the Spanish defender like a cheetah.
Barera was flustered and tried to pass the ball to a nearby teammate after feinting with his right foot to his left, but Wang Feng saw through his move completely, extending his right leg to intercept.
Wang Feng then broke into the penalty area and, with a wide swing, evaded goalkeeper Moya, easily slotting the ball into the empty net.
"Goooooooal! The ball is in! Less than a minute into the game, Wang Feng caused the opponent's defender to make a mistake through high pressing and opened the scoring for Real Madrid!"
"I haven't had the chance to introduce the starting lineups of both sides; it's just too fast. Let's take a look at the video replay. Wang Feng was very excited at the start, and Barera, who just touched the ball, obviously didn't expect him to suddenly make a move, leaving him in a state of confusion."
"Most importantly, he shouldn't have made that feint. If he had passed decisively, the ball wouldn't have been intercepted."
"With only one victory in the last four games, it seems that Wang Feng is really anxious. How will the situation on the field develop next? Let's wait and see."
This goal completely disrupted the visitors' plans. They had intended to secure their defense while seeking opportunities to attack and secure at least a draw, but now they were behind. Should they press forward more aggressively, and what about their defense?
Taking advantage of Mallorca's disarray, in the 11th minute, Emerson intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to Wang Feng, who then made a solo run down the flank. After shaking off two defenders with consecutive feints, he charged into the penalty area.
Seeing the goalkeeper rushing out, Wang Feng immediately chose to go down and shot, the ball passing through Moya's legs and rolling into the net, making it 2-0!
Real Madrid continued their smooth play and created another chance in the 34th minute. This time, Wang Feng moved to the left, feinted a breakthrough to draw defensive attention, and then passed to Raul in the middle. Raul volleyed into the net from 8 meters out, making it 3-0!
Before halftime, Wang Feng took a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, piercing Mallorca's goal for the third time, completing a hat-trick!
In the second half, Reyes scored the final goal of the match, ending the game with a resounding 5-0 victory for the Galaxy Battleship.
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