CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 27: COMPETING FOR VICTORY

Almeria is a team with only an 18-year history.

In the face of Real Madrid’s long history, Almeria is like a newborn baby.

No one thought they could be reckless at the Bernabeu. Most Merengues viewed this match with a relaxed attitude, even expecting another "slaughter" from Real Madrid.

It was unclear who first started singing Hala Madrid in the stands, but soon the entire stadium was echoing with this fan-chorused song, a truly impressive momentum.

Schuster stood on the sidelines, indifferent and emotionless. In a relaxed tone, he said, "If I win this match, wouldn’t it create the best start for the team in 16 years?"

In the last 16 years, Real Madrid has never had a three-game winning start, but this record is very likely to be rewritten today.

"Yes." Francisco, looking at the relaxed Schuster, said, "But I must remind you that they won 3-0 against Deportivo La Coruña in the first round and only narrowly lost to Valencia in the last round."

Super Laco, the Bat Team, these two teams are strong contenders in La Liga. That Almeria could defeat them means their strength cannot be underestimated.

"No need to worry," Schuster waved his hand and said, "I’ve led small teams, I know the mentality of small teams."

"How is Saviola’s condition?"

"Pretty good," Francisco replied honestly, "He cherishes this opportunity."

Last week, quite a few Real Madrid players went on international duty. Van Nistelrooy picked up a minor injury in the match, so he wasn’t starting and was sitting on the bench instead.

In this match, Schuster didn’t use a 4-4-2 formation; instead, he opted for a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Saviola and Raul up front, Robinho as the attacking midfielder, Guti, Sneijder, and Diara as midfielders, Metzelder and Cannavaro as center-backs, Ramos and Heinze guarding the flanks, and Casillas as the goalkeeper.

This selection and this formation made Almeria’s then-head coach Unai Emery smile.

He was a gentleman, with shiny black hair neatly combed, dressed impeccably, and deep eyes with dark eyebrows that gave him an instantly trustworthy appearance.

Emery’s playing career was not outstanding, but his short coaching career was remarkably brilliant. In just four years, he was regarded as the most promising newcomer in Spain, and he led the fledgling Almeria to promotion to La Liga.

"This is too good," Emery’s eyes crinkled with laughter, but the gleam inside was intimidating: "To think they would underestimate me like this; it seems my time to make a name for myself has come."

"To defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu."

After losing to Valencia in the previous match, Emery already knew the limits of this team; their limits wouldn’t realize his ambitions.

Regardless, Emery had already decided to conduct a symphony of madness this season, as a stepping stone to his next team.

Maybe I can’t lead the team to any championship, but if I defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, it would be enough for fans to boast about.

"This is the third round of the La Liga."

"Schuster has achieved victories in the first two rounds of the league."

"In the first round, they turned the game around from Atletico Madrid, and in the second round, they defeated Villarreal."

"After achieving two consecutive victories, the voices of doubt against Schuster have decreased significantly."

"Real Madrid also reached the top of the standings, and as long as they win this match against Almeria, they can firmly secure their position."

"We can see the starting formations of both sides."

"Real Madrid used the 4-3-1-2 formation for the first time, seemingly aiming for short passing infiltration in the middle."

"Almeria, on the other hand, set up a 4-3-3 formation. What are they trying to do?"

"Could it be that they intend to go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium?"

The commentator’s voice was somewhat surprised, as no one believed that Almeria had the guts, but as the match began, fans were astonished to find Almeria, at the Bernabeu, adopting an offensive strategy against Real Madrid.

They drove forward with long runs from the flanks, and Ortiz delivered a precise cross into Real Madrid’s penalty area far post. Negredo, wearing a deep blue jersey with the Almeria crest prominently on his chest, leapt high to overpower Metzelder with a powerful header.

"Bang!"

The ball shot towards the goal.

If not for Casillas’s heroic performance.

If it weren’t for Casillas standing at the goal.

That header would have most likely gone in.

In the stands, Almeria fans sighed with regret, while the Merengues, after a moment of stunned silence, erupted in boos.

Some of the Merengues were even discussing there: "If it had been Chen there, there wouldn’t have been such a header."

"Why do I feel like Metzelder isn’t as good as Chen!"

"I’m starting to miss Chen."

Of course, not all Merengues missed Chen; Metzelder still had supporters who argued for him: "It’s just a header. I think having an experienced, slightly older central defender is more reliable; Chen is too young."

"We need to give Metzelder a little more time; he just hasn’t fully adapted yet."

"Watch! Metzelder can do it."

Emery stood on the sidelines of the field, showing his white teeth, with regret written all over his face. In this match, Almeria’s playstyle was very simple: take the sides and then launch a header bombardment.

"Damn bastard!" Schuster stood on the sidelines with a flushed face: "What does that mean, does he also want to create a 55-second record? Damn, damn it."

Schuster recalled his first match coaching at Bernabeu, where Atletico Madrid’s Aguero took only 55 seconds to break Real Madrid’s goal. If it weren’t for a comeback, he would have been pinned to the pillar of shame.

He also recalled his second match, when Villarreal actually dared to take an offensive approach against Real Madrid!

And now!

Almeria, a little team with an 18-year history, dared to strut around Bernabeu stadium like this, what does this mean?

Is the Real Madrid I coach so weak and easy to bully?

Casillas threw the ball out, and Real Madrid was passing and controlling in the middle. They have passing masters like Sneijder and Guti. As long as they find the right moment, they can penetrate Almeria’s defense with a precisely timed through ball.

However, Emery had anticipated this, and they surrounded the middle tightly like an iron barrel. They contracted their defenses until they got the ball, then quickly spread out with a "boom."

Like a heavy punch swung after gathering strength, Almeria used space on the flanks to swiftly advance into the dangerous area. Negredo made a run back, first drawing Metzelder out, then at the moment he saw his teammate make the pass, he instantly left Metzelder behind.

Negredo received the long pass from his teammate, his eyes seemingly burning with fierce flames.

Raised his leg, explosive shot!

"Boom"

The sound of the shot struck the heart like a hammer.

The ball, like a cannonball, was blasted towards the goal.

Casillas tried to hit the ball out with both hands, but the ball rebounded off the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle and simultaneously pointed to the center circle, indicating that the goal was valid.

The Almeria fans in the stands were first startled, then realized that they had indeed scored first, and then erupted in a roar of cheers.

The Merengues wore faces of disbelief, and after a moment, many pulled out white handkerchiefs and waved them to express their dissatisfaction, while others "booed" the players on the field forcefully.

After scoring the goal, Negredo gave Metzelder a sharp look. He didn’t celebrate; he just put his hands together to apologize to the stands.

His lack of celebrating piqued the curiosity of some uninformed Merengues until someone nearby explained that he came from Real Madrid’s youth academy, which suddenly made them realize.

"We should use our own people more."

"What’s the use of that rabbit, if Negredo is here, it should be him on."

"He’s not worse than the rabbit, and certainly not worse than Van Nistelrooy. Damn, why play Metzelder? Wasn’t Chen better?"

"Hey? I remember you just said when you saw the starting lineup that you should use some experienced, older center-backs; what about now?"

"Did I? You must have heard wrong."

The Merengues in the stands were bustling with discussion, while on the sidelines, Emery was in a good mood, grinning broadly and enjoying both the cheers and the boos, all of which were a form of acknowledgment for him.

Compared to the cheerful Emery, Schuster’s expression was not so good, muttering curses under his breath and occasionally glancing toward the substitute bench at Chen Zhong.

This action was also seen by some Merengues standing relatively close.

One Merengue leaned half his body out and shouted loudly: "Schuster, put Chen on, put Chen on."

"Schuster 4-4-2!"