Chapter 347: Get ready ! Get ready !
Barcelona's Dream Team collapsed, while the Galactic Battleship sets sail again! The news of Real Madrid clinching the title in advance spread rapidly throughout Spain and even across the European football scene.
On the front page of "National Newspaper," two sets of contrasting photos were published: one showing the jubilant Real Madrid players celebrating victory, while the other depicted the despondent Barcelona players.
The article pointed out that this season, the La Liga championship contenders had been clear early on, with the ultimate winner likely to emerge from the two powerhouses, Real Madrid and Barcelona, as the competitiveness of other teams was minimal.
The Galactic Battleship relied on victories in two century derbies to establish dominance, disrupting Barcelona's internal situation and indirectly leading to the dismissal of their head coach, which was crucial for Real Madrid to stand out in the title race.
"Wang Feng is the most important figure in helping the Galactic Battleship reclaim the league title. He set a terrifying record of 50 league goals in his debut season in La Liga. It's believed that this record will be hard to break in the future."
"By abandoning the policy of star-studded signings and building the second phase of the Galactic Battleship around Wang Feng, it has been proven feasible. Real Madrid has clinched the long-awaited league title and successfully made it to the Champions League final, launching another assault towards the highest honor in Europe."
As for Barcelona's defeat, the "National Newspaper" believed there were multiple factors at play. The veteran core led by Ronaldinho gradually lost competitiveness, while the newly nurtured core, Messi, hadn't fully matured yet, leaving them in a difficult transitional phase.
"From Messi's performance, Barcelona definitely has the opportunity to relive its former glory, but he also needs more support from strong teammates."
"As for Real Madrid, it's not yet time for them to celebrate. The Champions League final against Liverpool on the night of May 24 is the biggest test of this season."
As reported by the "National Newspaper," Real Madrid officially announced that they wouldn't hold a championship celebration now, but rather wait until they lifted the St. Belay's Cup before celebrating together.
Florentino confidently stated in an interview, "We will definitely bring back the tenth Champions League trophy and receive congratulations from all the fans in the city!"
The time left for Real Madrid to prepare was very limited. On the evening after the match against Villarreal, they flew overnight to Athens and began training and adapting to the venue after half a day of rest the next day.
Their opponent, Liverpool, arrived three days earlier, thus having more time to prepare. Coach Benitez stated in an interview that the team was ready.
"Although many people think Real Madrid has relied on luck to get here, I believe their strength should not be underestimated. Liverpool will go all out from the beginning and won't have any lucky mentality."
Two years ago, he led the team to the Champions League final but ultimately lost to Chelsea led by Mourinho, which left Benitez deeply regretful. This year, he was determined to bring the fifth Champions League trophy to Liverpool!
Liverpool wouldn't be unfamiliar with Wang Feng either, as a few years ago, he snatched the league cup trophy from the Reds, leading to their failure to achieve the quintuple crown and indirectly causing Michael Owen to lose competitiveness for the Ballon d'Or that year.
Though Owen has since left for Newcastle, the shadow of that game still looms over some of the older players, who pass down the tales of the Chinese superstar's prowess, keeping the entire team on high alert.
This was also Benitez's arrangement. When he coached Valencia, he once fell to Wang Feng's hands, leaving a deep impression on the player. As long as he was given a chance, he could always create shocking achievements.
Benitez's coaching style has always emphasized balance, whether in tactical design, formation selection, or player rotation, all following this rule, ensuring balance between offense and defense.
In contrast, Schuster was limited by the personnel crisis at Real Madrid, relying solely on sharp offensive firepower to compensate for defensive shortcomings, making them top-heavy and often uncertain in matches.
The collision of these two completely different styles, who will emerge as the final victor, everything waits to be seen on the pitch.
With only a little training time left, Schuster arranged tactical drills and group confrontations. Intensive defensive arrangements and fully utilizing Wang Feng's counterattacking abilities were the focus.
The German understood that they could only play defensively and counterattack in this game, similar to the strategy in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Manchester United. Even if the team had low possession and few shots, as long as they ensured efficiency, they still had a chance to win.
During a break in training, a familiar figure appeared on the sidelines, his iconic bald head instantly catching the attention of the players. Raul and other veterans immediately went up to greet him, pleasantly surprised to see him.
The person was none other than retired French superstar Zidane. He still looked sturdy, not having gained weight like many retired players do. Wang Feng even felt he looked stronger than when he saw him at the FIFA annual awards ceremony last year.
Zidane smiled and hugged his former teammates one by one, then came to Wang Feng and embraced him warmly. "Wang, you've really done it. In less than a year, you've led Real Madrid back to the Champions League final. It's truly unimaginable."
Wang Feng scratched his head humbly and said, "This isn't just my achievement, Zizou, you know, our teammates are so excellent and hungry for victory."
The Frenchman nodded, looking at the Chinese superstar with some amusement. He could sense that Wang Feng's prestige within the team was very high now, no longer the faction-ridden environment of the past.
All of this was not only due to Wang Feng's past honors and demonstrated strength but also because of his amiable and humble personality, making interactions like a breath of fresh air. Therefore, no one would deliberately pick a fight anymore.
"How come you're here at the training ground?" Raul asked curiously. Usually, during major events, Real Madrid legends would receive invitations to watch the games, but rarely would they come directly to the training ground due to tactical confidentiality.
"President Florentino invited me to take a look and catch up with everyone," Zidane said. Since retiring, the Real Madrid president had wanted to hire him to participate in the club's operations and management.
Many Real Madrid legends maintained good relationships with the club after retiring, some even taking on roles within the team. They poured their love for this powerhouse club into their work, contributing to the club's development.
Now it seemed that Florentino also wanted to recruit Zidane to work for Real Madrid. However, the Frenchman's current desire wasn't strong. He wanted to rest for a while longer and, even if he returned to football, he preferred to move towards coaching.
With his current qualifications and abilities, he couldn't establish himself within the Galactic Battleship, so he politely declined Florentino's proposal. However, the Spaniard sensed the French superstar's intentions and invited him to visit the training ground, indicating his intention to nurture him.
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