Chapter 578: Defensive Midfielder Wang Feng Applies to Play!
After all the Champions League teams were drawn into their respective groups, there was a strange atmosphere lingering in the venue. Everyone's attention was focused on UEFA President Platini, with expressions ranging from doubt to deep meaning, or even anger.
Among them, one particularly fierce and sharp gaze came from Real Madrid's president, Florentino. He stared fixedly at the Frenchman, his chest rising and falling rapidly, indicating his inner turmoil at this moment.
Platini felt somewhat uncomfortable, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles. He couldn't explain the situation clearly even if he swore on oath that there was absolutely no interference in the draw within UEFA. The Galacticos were just unlucky, plain and simple.
Didn't they recently suffer injuries to four key players? Perhaps this was the will of the heavens! Achieving an unprecedented six consecutive titles was already impressive enough. It was time to give other clubs a chance to shine.
Barcelona was drawn into Group G along with Celtic, Benfica, and Spartak Moscow, presenting a promising chance to advance.
Valencia, on the other hand, found themselves in Group F with Bayern Munich, Bastia, and Lille. Performing well and vying for second place in the group seemed reasonable.
Another La Liga team, Malaga, landed in Group C. Their opponents included AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, and Anderlecht. It didn't look too favorable, but it was still much better than Real Madrid's situation.
The draw results quickly appeared on major news media websites, portals, and social media platforms, sparking heated discussions.
Some believed that Real Madrid was constantly unlucky, while others suspected UEFA of shady dealings. However, everyone seemed to reach a consensus: given the current state of the Galacticos, their Champions League journey was doomed.
No matter how dire the situation was, the team had to continue forward. On the last day of August, Real Madrid would face Atletico Madrid at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco to compete in the UEFA Super Cup.
Before the match, Ancelotti, Hierro, and Zidane discussed tactics together, feeling extremely troubled because no matter how they looked at it, there were significant flaws.
"Atletico Madrid is in great form. Although we want to give up this insignificant trophy, if we suffer a heavy defeat, I'm afraid the team will really collapse, never to recover," Ancelotti remarked.
"But we really have no one left in midfield!" Zidane said, "I suggest we field all the youth academy players and bench all the main players. This way, the impact of failure will be minimized."
"We can do that for this match, but what about the future?" Hierro raised a critical question. No one wanted to waste a year prematurely, especially since the situation for the next season was even more unpredictable.
At this moment, Wang Feng, who had been silent, spoke up. He was often invited to participate in tactical discussions with the coaching staff, and this time was no exception.
"Let me try. Let's use this match as an experiment," he said.
"What do you want to try?" Ancelotti asked.
Instead of answering directly, Wang Feng walked to the tactical board, took the piece representing himself, and forcefully placed it in the defensive midfield area. The three behind him were immediately stunned!
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is the sports channel. We are about to broadcast the 2012 UEFA Super Cup match between the Champions League winners Real Madrid and the Europa League winners Atletico Madrid."
"This event has a history of forty years. Initially, it was a match between the Champions League winners and the winners of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Due to the cancellation of the Cup Winners' Cup after the millennium, it was changed to include the Europa League champions."
The UEFA Super Cup match leans more towards being a performance event for fans and top executives, similar to an all-star competition in basketball or esports. In recent years, due to Real Madrid's participation every year, it has also been broadcast domestically.
"The players of both sides are entering the field under the lead of the main referee. Let's take a look at their starting lineups. Real Madrid is using a 4-2-3-1 formation, no longer the usual 4-4-2. Huh?"
Even though he was in the middle of a live broadcast, Zhang Jun couldn't help but exclaim, "How could Ancelotti field such a lineup? He has placed Wang Feng in the backline! My goodness, does Real Madrid really lack players to this extent?"
"The goalkeeper is Casillas, with Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, and Varane in defense, which is relatively standard."
"But what's with Wang Feng and Essien in the defensive midfield positions? Although the Chinese superstar often actively participates in defense by dropping back, he's still a forward after all. Pulling him back like this will significantly reduce the attacking threat."
"In the front three, there's Modric, Khedira, and Morata, with Higuain leading the attack."
"With four key players all injured, the Italian is somewhat at a loss. He seems to have resorted to desperate measures by deploying Wang Feng as a defensive midfielder. But can he really handle it?"
Not only were the television commentators from various countries surprised, but the Atletico Madrid players on the field and their coach Simeone on the sidelines were also puzzled. Falcao, who was preparing to kick off at the center circle, looked down at the ball at his feet, then glanced at Wang Feng in the distance, confirming that he wasn't dreaming.
Simeone, with his hands crossed in front of his chest, furrowed his brows. Ancelotti wasn't insane, was he? Could Wang Feng really pick up the pieces for Real Madrid's broken midfield? He had never shown any talent in this area before!
Simeone admitted that Wang Feng was unrivaled in organizing attacks and taking shots, occasionally showing some highlights in defensive interceptions. But this was completely different from the concept of assuming defensive responsibilities throughout the entire game!
Perhaps it was true, as the media reported, that the Galacticos were overly superstitious about Wang Feng from top to bottom. That's why they didn't pay attention to summer signings and wanted the Chinese superstar to plug the leaks. This was ridiculous.
Thinking of this, the Argentine's brow gradually relaxed. He realized that this was an opportunity to completely crush their city rivals and declare the rise of Atletico Madrid!
As the main referee's whistle sounded, Atletico Madrid kicked off first. Falcao passed to Adrian, who immediately played the ball back to organize the play from the back. On the Real Madrid side, Higuain and Morata quickly moved forward to press.
Wang Feng forcefully stopped the rapid forward movement, slowly moving forward with the defensive line. One of the main requirements for a defensive midfielder was not to lose defensive position easily.
In fact, his understanding of defense was higher than anyone imagined. After all, he had broken through countless excellent defenses over the years and had seen numerous brilliant defensive players.
The only obstacle was perhaps his strong desire to participate in the attack, but for the sake of the team's performance, the Chinese superstar could endure.
Soon, Atletico Madrid launched their first attack. Diaz sent a diagonal pass to Garcia in the forward line. Wang Feng immediately closed down, and the Spaniard protected the ball, attempting to break through forward.
But the Chinese superstar stood firm, and in the gap between his opponent's exertion, he reached out his left foot and poked the ball away, causing Garcia to lose control of it and forcing him to retreat.
Behind him, Wang Feng was faster than the Spaniard, pushing him aside to take the ball. Seeing this, two Atletico players immediately surrounded him. As long as they could steal the ball behind Wang Feng, there would be a large open space to directly attack the defense!
But unexpectedly, Wang Feng didn't entangle with them as usual, trying to break through. Instead, he quickly passed the ball diagonally back to Essien, who was under no pressure.
Another taboo for a defensive midfielder was mindlessly sticking to the ball, which could lead to being dispossessed. Once the opponent broke through this barrier, it was very likely that they would directly attack the penalty area.
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