Chapter 732: A Narrow Margin Makes a Huge Difference
In the visitors' locker room not far from the Real Madrid dressing room, Barcelona head coach Enrique frowned as he looked at the starting lineup note of the opponent. "I didn't expect Ancelotti to be so decisive. Wang Feng really knows how to cause trouble for us at every moment."
Assistant coach Robert approached to take a look and was surprised to see the names written on it: Navas as the goalkeeper, with Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, and Danilo in the defense line.
Double pivot with Wang Feng and Casemiro.
The midfield trio consists of Bale, Modric, and Kroos.
And Iguain as the lone striker.
"They are using the 4-2-3-1 formation for the first time this season, or even in the last few seasons. It seems the Italian is determined to challenge us in the midfield. Isn't he worried that the players won't adapt to such a sudden change?" Enrique said, rubbing his temples.
"The absence of Ramos and Marcelo due to injury is indeed a significant blow. Real Madrid's defense has weakened significantly. They surely don't want to directly face our front three, hence the heavy emphasis on midfield setup."
"Changing tactics so drastically before a big game like this could be suicidal for most teams, but Real Madrid is different. Wang Feng can definitely activate the entire midfield; he's the key figure!"
Enrique rubbed his temples again. Whenever it seemed like the Galacticos had no way out, they always managed to find a ray of hope, all thanks to the Chinese superstar. No wonder he was hailed as both the desire and nightmare of all coaches.
Desire to coach him—any tactic could be well implemented by Wang Feng, allowing coaches to fully display their talents. But standing opposite him, all tactics felt restrained, truly a nightmare.
"I don't think we need to worry too much. After all, it's been several years since Wang Feng had that excellent season as a defensive midfielder. Whether he can maintain that form is still uncertain," Robert reassured.
"This formation change is too radical for Real Madrid. If the core positions don't perform well, they will be at a complete disadvantage."
"We just need to stick to our cautious plan, let Messi actively retreat to the midfield to organize, create advantages on the field, and maybe we can penetrate their defense."
Enrique nodded in agreement, clearly endorsing Robert's judgment.
"Alba with a diagonal pass! Danger!"
"Beautiful! Wang Feng intercepted the ball just before Neymar could get to it and cleared it to the sidelines, although possession still belongs to Barcelona, Real Madrid has temporarily relieved the danger."
Once the game started, the away team, as usual, dominated possession, while Real Madrid patiently defended behind the midfield line, waiting for opportunities.
Soon both sides engaged in intense battles in the middle and front third of the field. It must be said that Barcelona's penetrating attacks were lightning-fast. This diagonal pass was already their third attempt.
The attack started from Iniesta in midfield, facing Kroos' block, he didn't waste time and immediately sent a lob pass to the wing.
Alba, who was making a run forward, tried to shake off Danilo, but the Brazilian defender was fast and kept close. So Alba stopped the ball near the edge of the penalty area to confront him.
Suddenly, he feigned a move inward, took a couple of steps to cut inside with the ball, and then delivered a diagonal pass, intending to find Neymar in the penalty area.
Wang Feng had already started his run when Iniesta played the ball to the wing. His main goal was to provide defensive cover on the outside of his team's full-backs.
So when Danilo was shaken off, creating space, Wang Feng quickly closed down to intercept the pass and immediately kicked it out of bounds.
Barcelona's previous two attacks were thwarted in the same manner. The Chinese superstar's positioning was very flexible and intelligent; he always appeared where needed.
Despite the setback, Enrique applauded vigorously from the sidelines to encourage the players. He shouted, "Excellent! Keep doing this! Continue to press forward with everything you've got!"
"Wide! Middle! Occupy and penetrate anywhere possible, apply a bit more pressure on the opponent!"
Soon the away team attacked again, advancing to the front with consecutive passes. Iniesta lofted the ball into the penalty area. Suarez had the upper hand in the aerial duel with Pepe, but it was difficult to directly threaten the goal.
So the Uruguayan forward headed the ball sideways, and Neymar burst forward to take it, with Danilo immediately marking him closely. Messi started his run in the middle, and Varane inadvertently failed to keep up.
The Brazilian star managed to break through Danilo one-on-one with his individual skill and then passed it sideways to Messi near the edge of the small penalty area.
"Danger! Real Madrid left a gap, Messi shoots!"
In the blink of an eye, Wang Feng, daring and skillful, slid from the side and tackled the ball before it reached the Argentine, disrupting the play.
The two players fell into a heap, and Barcelona players in the penalty area immediately raised their hands to signal a foul, but the referee gestured for a fair play to continue. Varane, arriving a bit late, then cleared the ball out of bounds with a big kick.
Such a close threat inevitably made the home fans at the Bernabeu hold their breaths. Varane rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically to Wang Feng.
"Stay focused. Messi is like a slippery fish; any lapse in concentration and he'll slip away," the Chinese superstar patted Varane's back encouragingly.
The Frenchman nodded and couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "Wasn't that tackle just now too bold? How did you manage to control it so precisely and touch the ball first?"
"It's still a matter of concentration. When you're completely focused, whether you're defending against the ball or the player becomes a choice rather than a gamble."
Continuous attacks boosted the morale of the away team. Enrique, full of passion, directed and shouted on the sidelines, as if he had already seen the team break the deadlock first, conquering the Bernabeu like crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.
He would be Barcelona's new heroic coach!
"Almost scored! Keep pushing forward, attack with all our might!"
Not far away, the Real Madrid coaching staff could naturally hear Enrique's bold statements. The assistant coach furrowed his brow, then turned to Ancelotti beside him and asked, "We're in a completely inferior position right now, unable to launch an attack. Shouldn't we make some adjustments?"
The Italian coach, hands in his pockets, remained calm and composed. Instead of answering the assistant's question, he asked in return, "Do you remember how many shots Barcelona had?"
"They must have had several chances. They've been attacking us constantly, and I remember several of their attempts were very dangerous."
"No, you're wrong." Ancelotti glanced at the big screen on the field. "Fifteen minutes into the game, Barcelona has only had one shot, and it was a long shot from outside the penalty area."
"Impossible! I remember several moments where we almost fell behind. My heart was pounding, and the fans in the stands were constantly gasping in shock."
The Italian coach looked at Enrique, who was dancing and shouting not far away, with a sly smile on his face.
Then he continued, "If you don't believe me, you can check the real-time statistics. Everything is very deceptive. Tatos, we may look precarious, but in reality, we're as solid as a rock."
"Wang has done his job very well. Barcelona has never managed to make the final breakthrough and deliver the decisive blow. So, although it seems threatening everywhere, it's just thunder without rain."
"How do they say that ancient Chinese saying? Wang once taught me that when it looks like Barcelona is just a hair's breadth away from scoring, in reality, it's a thousand miles away."
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