The All-Around Center Forward
Chapter 909: Kidnapping-style hype
"Real Madrid defeated Racing Santander 4-0, and Suker completed a hat-trick in this match!"
The 90-minute match ended, and La Liga Round 24 concluded, but Real Madrid continued to show excellent performance, and Suker was still the forward who struck fear into all of La Liga and even Europe.
After the final whistle, Racing Santander's Head Coach faced the camera, his expression extremely bitter, expressing his helpless feelings.
"No one can stop Suker! We tried our best, but he always manages to score goals."
Towards the end, the Head Coach became slightly agitated, rubbing his hair, his eyes red: "No one can stop Suker, at least in this era, no person or team can stop him!"
Compared to a post-match summary, the Head Coach seemed to be more focused on venting his emotions.
Mourinho was indifferent beside him, though he felt some sympathy for him.
This coach, had served as technical director for Real Madrid during the Calderón era, and He was one of those who strongly pushed for Suker to join Real Madrid at that time.
However, Suker at that time had to wait until Florentino took office and did not join during Calderón's tenure, so it naturally wasn't considered an achievement of Calderón.
Although Calderón later stated multiple times in front of the media that Suker's joining was more due to his groundwork, and Florentino merely reaped the benefits.
But regarding this issue, Suker also responded directly, giving a harsh slap to the opponent's face.
After leaving Real Madrid, Portugal Vicario rested for a period, and then this season, he coached Racing Santander.
But the season hasn't ended, and their impatient Indian owner can no longer accept the current dismal results.
Portugal's situation is very dangerous; he might not even last until the end of the season.
And the end of this match further accelerated his risk of being fired.
His two departures, though not directly because of Suker, were intertwined with him in countless ways.
Therefore, after Suker shattered his defense in this match, his emotions naturally became agitated.
He even stated that Racing Santander's loss was not because they played too poorly, but because Suker was too strong!
Even if it were other teams, the result would be the same.
And when the media asked for further questions, Portugal, clearly giving up, stated: "Barcelona was already collapsing, so it's normal that we couldn't defeat Real Madrid!"
This response completely enraged Barcelona and Racing Santander fans.
Racing Santander fans believed Portugal was too weak; even if it was 'fact,' he shouldn't have said it, as it brought negative emotions.
If everyone maintained this mentality, how would future matches be played? They might as well forfeit directly!
As for Barcelona, they felt Portugal had offended them; although they did lose, every match was a back-and-forth battle, not the 'collapse' Portugal described.
Portugal's topic quickly became a hot discussion across the world.
"Who can defeat Real Madrid after all?"
This question became a dilemma for many fans; they considered many teams but couldn't find a definite choice.
In this situation, they couldn't even begin to figure out how to limit Suker.
Reporters also based on this question, tried to get information from famous Head Coaches, hoping for a definitive plan.
However, Head Coaches like Sir Alex Ferguson and Wenger all avoided this topic.
Guardiola even stated that these involved tactical key points and therefore would not respond.
Only one Head Coach commented on this.
That was Ancelotti.
When facing reporters, Ancelotti responded forcefully: "It's unreasonable to talk about limiting Suker without considering the team. Actually, the problem of limiting Suker shouldn't be approached from Suker himself, but by finding weaknesses in his team and using the team to limit Suker!"
At this point, Ancelotti shrugged: "Of course, this is only if Suker's team has obvious shortcomings. If not, then there's almost no way!"
A reasonable tactic can certainly limit an opponent.
But looking at Suker's performance, he has clearly entered a crazy peak period.
Suker himself provides too much of a bonus to the team; limiting this kind of Suker is truly too difficult.
At the same time, Suker, at his Madrid villa, also saw these reports.
"They're endless, all trying to target me!"
Suker shook his head, looking at the reports.
Srna: "Studying opponents is what they need to do, and so far, they haven't figured out anything!"
Suker also nodded.
In football, there have been many unsolvable players.
For example, Messi and Ronaldo in their prime; their all-around ability gave many teams headaches.
And then there's Robben's cut-in shot in the Robbery duo.
It's like the saying, 'The world knows Robben is going to cut in and shoot, but they just can't stop him!'
Suker's current situation is similar, even more severe.
The world knows Suker is dangerous, and they all want to limit him.
Even many team coaching staffs have created special archives for Suker, attempting to find his weaknesses through data analysis.
But so far, they have found nothing.
They did see some 'data-related shortcomings,' but these shortcomings were relative to Suker's crazy performances.
In other words, these shortcomings, if placed on ordinary players, would be considered super strong abilities.
With such comprehensive and all-around versatility, they simply cannot find a way to limit Suker.
"But I'm also curious, how do you limit him?" Kaka pointed at Suker and said; "Does it have to be as 'the boss' said, starting from the teammates!"
The 'boss' Kaka referred to was Ancelotti, the only person he called 'boss'.
Srna pouted; he didn't like hearing that sentence very much.
What does it mean that limiting Suker has to start from his teammates?
It sounds as if he is very weak!
However, as unpleasant as it was, it seemed to be the only way.
Currently, Real Madrid has truly reached its peak in all aspects, and with Suker's boost, it's too difficult to defeat them.
Undoubtedly, the current Real Madrid is definitely a historic team.
And facing a team of this caliber, it's too difficult to crush them head-on.
They can only wait for Real Madrid to collapse on its own, and then strike hard.
The outside world didn't know, but Srna and others were well aware that discordant factors within Real Madrid were continuously fermenting.
It was only a matter of time before conflicts and clashes erupted.
"What are you guys thinking of doing?" Suker said unhappily: "This isn't something you should be concerned about. Are you waiting to defeat me later?"
"I've defeated you!"
"Me too!"
Srna and Kaka both said.
Kaka: "You were at Dinamo Zagreb, and I was at AC Milan."
Srna: "I defeated you when I was at Inter Milan!"
Suker rolled his eyes; this guy remembered it very clearly.
"Stop thinking about useless things, adjust your condition well, and wait to play the match!"
In the next round, Real Madrid will play Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.
Athletic Bilbao has performed exceptionally well since the second half of the season.
And their star striker, Fernando Llorente, has shown incredible scoring efficiency.
In the past four matches, he has scored a total of six goals.
And with these six goals, his ranking on the top scorer list has soared.
Currently, Suker and Messi have an overwhelming lead in the La Liga top scorer list.
Atletico Madrid's Falcao, in third place, has only half of Suker's goals, which is 20 goals.
In the past, this number of goals would have been enough to compete for the La Liga golden boot award.
However, Falcao encountered the incredibly prolific Suker and Messi this season, so the golden boot award is basically out of reach.
Besides Falcao, Valencia's Roberto Soldado and Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente are tied for fourth place, both with 14 goals.
Compared to the consistently stable David Soldado, Fernando Llorente is more of a streaky player.
After Athletic Bilbao's 7-1 victory over Granada in Round 20, Fernando Llorente's form seemed to suddenly open up.
After that, Athletic Bilbao defeated Valencia 2-1 away.
They defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0 away.
Especially in Round 23, they successfully drew Barcelona 5-5 at Home.
In this match, Fernando Llorente scored a hat-trick with both his head and feet, repeatedly helping his team take the lead.
If it weren't for their leaky defense, Athletic Bilbao might truly have defeated Barcelona at Home.
Even so, Athletic Bilbao continued to win matches in what was dubbed a devilish schedule, and their points soared.
Athletic Bilbao fans even declared that they were now the Grim Reaper's scythe, ready to kill all enemies standing in their way.
A small portion even became so overconfident that they believed they could defeat Real Madrid away from Manchester United!
Of course, this was also based on Fernando Llorente's current explosive form.
They believed that Fernando Llorente, in this state, was no less impressive even when compared to Messi and Suker.
As long as their defense improved, they would have a chance to defeat Real Madrid.
Amidst this atmosphere, La Liga's 25th round arrived.
At Bernabéu Stadium, waves of boos erupted.
These Real Madrid fans had naturally seen Athletic Bilbao's arrogant actions in the media and online.
For them, you can be proud, you can be confident, you can even be overconfident, but you cannot be so overconfident as to believe you can defeat Real Madrid.
Real Madrid fans, thanks to their excellent performance over the past two seasons, already consider themselves 'invincible'.
What's more, Real Madrid's confidence wasn't built on empty talk, but earned through match after match, victory after victory, and championship after championship.
Therefore, they believed Real Madrid players would severely teach Athletic Bilbao a lesson in this match.
As for Fernando Llorente.
Real Madrid fans looked down on Fernando Llorente, dismissing his performance as just a few explosive rounds, noting that his goal statistics were too far behind Suker's.
And he dares to challenge us?
"Hey! Fernando Llorente! Let these Madrid people know how good you are!"
"Show them what you're made of!"
"Go for it! Buddy, you're the best!"
"Win the game! Shut up Bernabéu!"
Athletic Bilbao fans continuously encouraged and cheered for Fernando Llorente, but Fernando Llorente's own expression wasn't very good.
His teammates also had bitter expressions.
Compared to the fans' overflowing confidence, they were more aware of the gap between themselves and Real Madrid.
How could they win?
Especially at Real Madrid's Home.
They, of course, understood that they shouldn't have such a mindset, and they didn't show it, but every face looked like a bitter gourd.
"They've been hyped up by the media!"
Suker looked at the opposite half of the field and couldn't help but sigh.
"Not the fans?" Srna inquired.
Suker: "Why would Athletic Bilbao fans have such a mentality? Isn't it because they were provoked by the media?"
"Fernando Llorente's excellent performance, including defeating Valencia and Atletico Madrid, and then drawing with Barcelona, naturally caught the media's attention. This is the media's independent hype, using Fernando Llorente as a point of hype. If I win, they can get the news material they need!"
"If Athletic Bilbao wins, the buzz will explode!"
There are many examples of media's 'kidnapping hype,' and Suker had encountered it before.
That was after Shevchenko left AC Milan, and Suker began to serve as AC Milan's offensive core player.
At that time, the Italy media hyped Suker, making him compete with Totti, the Wolf King, who was then the top scorer in Serie A.
Of course, this wasn't purely a bad thing.
At the very least, the media discovered his value and built a bridge for him to reach the top.
The question is, does one have the strength to capitalize on this wave of traffic?
Suker, back then, with his perfect performance, defeated Roma twice in the season, overcoming Totti. He firmly capitalized on this wave of traffic, officially embarking on his path as a top Serie A scorer.
But for Fernando Llorente, the challenges and difficulties he faces are even greater.
At the same time, the probability and consequences of failure are also greater.
However, once Fernando Llorente succeeds, the rewards he can gain will also be very surprising.
But this possibility is too low!
In fact, the difficulty of Fernando Llorente challenging Suker is more than ten times greater than Suker challenging Totti!
Although Fernando Llorente is indeed in a period of explosive performance, this is also a temporary burst based on form and confidence, and it can easily be lost suddenly in the face of setbacks.
The worst-case scenario is that his form is gone, the buzz is gone, and based on this wave of traffic, he might even face a media backlash.
It can be said that the more enthusiastically these media cheer now, the more fiercely they will criticize once Fernando Llorente fails!
This is the nature of the media!
To pull down the high and lift the low!
As for this situation, Suker could only say that Fernando Llorente was unlucky.
He ran into this critical moment and was used as a pawn by the media.
Soon, both teams' players returned to the locker room for final adjustments.
2011/2012 season, La Liga Round 25.
The starting lineups are as follows:
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Adán.
Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Carvalho, Marcelo.
Midfielders: Khedira, Kaka, Alonso.
Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Suker.
Athletic Bilbao (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Iraizoz.
Defenders: Aurtenetxe, De Marcos, Amorebieta, Iraola.
Midfielders: Ander Herrera, Iturraspe, Martínez.
Forwards: Gómez, Susaeta, Fernando Llorente.
"This is the 25th round of the 2011/2012 La Liga season, Real Madrid against Athletic Bilbao!"
"Suker has already scored 40 goals in 24 matches, still leading the golden boot award, and his excellent performance has become Real Madrid's confidence!"
"And for Athletic Bilbao, their top scorer Fernando Llorente has also performed excellently in the last four matches, scoring six goals, and is in red-hot form!"
"Can Athletic Bilbao, with Fernando Llorente in excellent form, secure these three away points for the team?"
"Can Real Madrid continue their excellent form?"
As commentator González spoke, Real Madrid kicked off first.
With the whistle, Real Madrid's players immediately launched into attack.
With almost no probing, when Alonso got the ball, he didn't even think, directly passing it to Suker diagonally ahead.
Suker, with the ball in the left rib area, did not cross it waiting for teammates to make runs, but instead passed to Benzema in the middle, then surged forward.
The moment he started, an Athletic Bilbao player immediately reached out, trying to pull Suker back.
But just as he was about to grab Suker, Suker deftly took a parallel step, escaping the opponent's pulling zone, and at the same time, flicked his hand to break free from their restraint.
"Watch out!"
Ander Herrera shouted, warning his teammates to mark Suker.
Athletic Bilbao's defensive line collectively shifted to the left, and at this moment, Benzema, while holding off pressure, lightly passed to the right.
Swish!
Bale, like a galloping steed, swiftly took the ball and surged forward.
Just a simple wall pass had broken through Athletic Bilbao's defense.
No matter how excellent Fernando Llorente's performance was, Athletic Bilbao's fragile defense simply couldn't withstand Real Madrid's two-pronged attack.
Bale burst into the penalty area, feigned a shot with his right foot, successfully drawing defenders, then suddenly stopped and chipped a pass to the far post.
The ball dropped towards the far post, and in that position, Suker leaped up like a spring uncoiling.
Amidst the interference, Suker remained unwavering.
Engaging his core, like a taut bowstring, he powerfully headed the ball with his forehead.
Bang! Swish!
The ball bounced off the ground and into the net, hitting the back of the goal.
Just 2 minutes into the match, Real Madrid scored on their first attack.
Suker opened the scoring!
"Suker!!!!! Goal!!!"
"It's that simple! Real Madrid and Suker together demonstrate what offense is. It's like following a formula, one link after another. Suker's run draws the defense, clearing the way for Bale."
"Bale's fake shot and pass also created shooting space for Suker. Facing Real Madrid's top-tier left-right offensive pull, Athletic Bilbao's goal was breached in just two minutes!"
"Real Madrid 1:0 Athletic Bilbao!"