Chapter 543: Blame and questioning
On October 19th, Real Madrid hosted Lyon at the Bernabeu Stadium for the third round of the Champions League group stage.
The two teams had met several times on the European stage in recent years. Perhaps before Wang Feng joined the Galacticos, there was some fear of their opponents, but since the Chinese superstar became the captain, their dominance over Lyon was very evident.
This game was no exception. Right from the start, the home team pressed forward relentlessly amidst the cheers of the fans, leaving no space for the visitors.
"Lyon seems completely powerless to fight back," assistant coach Sanior laughed, and Ancelotti's lips curled up, "Yes, home advantage is one thing, and the pressure from the frontline led by Wang Feng is too much for the opponents."
"He's just turned 28, right?" Sanior nodded, "It's unbelievable. The more we interact with the Chinese superstar, the more we feel that he contains boundless energy within him. People often comment that he's a football king, but I think he has surpassed that title."
"If he can maintain his peak for a few more years, I believe Real Madrid will definitely shock the world!"
As they were talking, there was a change on the field. In the 12th minute, Di Maria received a diagonal pass from Alonso on the right, dribbled past two defenders, and then entered the penalty area, shooting with his left foot.
The powerful shot hit the post and rebounded into the field. In the blink of an eye, Wang Feng, like a god of war, was the first to react, volleying the ball into the net, hitting the top corner of the net.
"Goooooooooooooooal! The goal is in! I said Real Madrid would score sooner or later!"
"They've been attacking Lyon fiercely since the start of the match. After missing several chances in a row, they finally got results. Di Maria's breakthrough shot hit the post, and Wang Feng followed up in time to score."
"It has to be said that the Argentine's technique is good, but his ability to score at crucial moments needs more practice. The reason why the Chinese superstar scores so many goals is that he hardly ever misses good opportunities in front of the goal."
"This not only means superb technique but also signifies strong confidence. As long as I have the chance to kick, I can score, and no one can stop me!"
Although Real Madrid dominated the game, luck seemed to be against them. First, Alonso twisted his ankle in a header duel with the opponent and was substituted. Then, Sahin, who replaced him and played for less than 3 minutes, also got injured.
Two consecutive forced substitutions dealt a blow to the team's morale. Wang Feng could only shuttle among his teammates, encouraging them loudly, "It's okay, cheer up, we're still in the lead!"
During this chaotic period, Lyon organized several attacking opportunities, but the likes of Gomez, leading the front line, lacked the ability to seize chances, and Casillas kept the goal safe.
It wasn't until the 35th minute that the Galacticos expanded their lead. The away team's counterattacks were completely halted, with the Chinese superstar dropping back to midfield to defend, seizing the opportunity to intercept the opponent's cross.
Then, he dribbled all the way, dribbling past two defenders and teasing the goalkeeper before shooting into the empty net, 2-0!
This goal, like a divine intervention, shattered the dreams of the French team and brought the Galacticos back on track.
At the moment of the goal, Ancelotti leisurely sat back on the coach's seat and took a sip of tea. He knew everything was settled!
As expected, in the second half, Pepe scored the third goal from a corner opportunity, and in the 71st minute, Wang Feng scored his third goal from outside the penalty area, piercing Lyon's goal for the third time, 4-0!
Two minutes later, Ancelotti made his final substitution, replacing the Chinese superstar with Morata.
All the home fans stood up and applauded him, with shouts of "Dios" echoing in the stadium, the highest tribute to the god of football.
On October 23rd, still at the Bernabeu Stadium, in the 8th round of La Liga, the Galacticos faced Malaga as scheduled.
As expected, shortly after the start, Wang Feng opened the scoring for the team. However, conceding early would put great pressure on the opponents.
Then, Khedira, Granero, and Morata successively contributed brilliant goals to widen the lead. During this process, the Chinese superstar also harvested two assists.
4-0! The "Spanish Manchester City" was completely torn apart by the Galacticos.
As a Barcelona fan, the most heartbreaking thing wasn't that Real Madrid won, but that while Real Madrid won, Barcelona didn't. In front of more than 70,000 fans at the Nou Camp, the Catalan team was held to a 0-0 draw by Sevilla.
"Valverde, get out!" While the Bernabeu was filled with sighs of admiration, the Camp Nou was cursing their team's coach with all kinds of words.
What's wrong with Barcelona? Everyone wanted to ask this question. Although they haven't lost a game in 8 rounds, they have had 3 draws, allowing Real Madrid to open up a 3-point lead. With Levante's 3-0 victory over Villarreal, they were overtaken by the poorest team in La Liga and dropped to third on the points table.
No one would deny that the Catalan team would definitely regain the second place in the following matches, but what about the title? A 3-point gap is like a chasm, and they've stumbled here many times.
Moreover, being suppressed by Levante is also a great humiliation for Barcelona. The opponent's budget this season is only 22 million euros, one twentieth of Barcelona's, and the total team salary is only 6.5 million euros, not even one player's salary in Barcelona.
After blaming Ronaldinho, Rijkaard, Eto'o, Ibrahimovic, Kaka, Guardiola, and now Valverde for several years, fans finally turned their attention to Messi.
Why can't he score in every game? Why can't he step up in crucial moments to save the team?
It's quite a coincidence that in three draws this season, Messi didn't score, but in other winning games, he scored in all of them. So, it's easy to associate that it's because the Argentine cannot score that the team cannot win.
ABC used an exaggerated headline to attack him, "Messi is Barcelona's Biggest Cancer!"
The article stated that since the Argentine won the La Liga title in the 04-05 and 05-06 seasons like a leg-hugging man, he hasn't led the team to any honors in the league and Champions League.
"He occupies absolute control over the ball, seemingly omnipotent, with beautiful on-field performances and post-match ratings, but the team loses the game."
"People often compare him with Wang Feng, but in the author's opinion, it's like heaven and earth. If he's really so powerful, he should at least win crucial games and lead the team to win three consecutive league titles or three consecutive Champions League titles."
With someone taking the lead, the overwhelming questioning towards Messi swept in, even Mundo Deportivo and Sport did not defend him anymore, but instead, faintly expressed reproach.
Cruyff wrote in his column, "Messi is already 24 years old this year. As the core, he needs to bear the responsibility for the team's results. Whether it's winning or losing, he's the first person to bear the brunt."
Faced with public pressure, the Argentine felt overwhelmed, and even considered fleeing Barcelona. Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, and other good friends have been comforting him.
"This is too extreme. It's everyone's responsibility that the team didn't win the game. Why blame it all on one person?" Iniesta said indignantly.
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