Chapter 139 Fair Competition
With Deportivo maintaining a solid defense, Real Madrid players became more active and seemed to completely control the pace of the game, but they failed to score again. Real Madrid's attacks were all thwarted by the defense directed by Aranzubia.
Granero's introduction did not have a positive effect on the situation. Fino even felt that it would be better to switch Granero and Kaká's positions. Although Granero's performance as a winger might not be good, at least Kaká's return to the center would be a more stable option.
But this is only the first game of the new season, and the head coach needs time to experiment with tactics repeatedly, which is understandable.
In the 72nd minute, Alonso launched an attack from midfield. Kaká dribbled forward from the left flank near the center, and after getting past Valerón, Kaká passed the ball directly to Fino in the penalty area.
Fino received the ball and immediately prepared to shoot, but was brought down by Deportivo's center-back Lopo.
Pushing an opponent inside the penalty area resulted in a penalty and a yellow card being awarded without hesitation.
Fino got up, grabbed the ball, and headed towards the penalty spot. At that moment, Ronaldo also came over and reached out to Fino for the ball.
Instead of passing the ball to him, Fino smiled and said to Ronaldo, "Cristiano, my penalty kick accuracy is also quite good."
Fino isn't particularly obsessed with penalties; he feels more accomplished scoring in open play.
But this is Real Madrid, it's different from when we were in Milan.
When he was in Milan, Kaká was the team's first-choice penalty taker. This was a rule that had been established when Fino was promoted to the first team and started as a substitute. Even after he made it big, he did not try to challenge Kaká's penalty-taking order.
When Kaká wasn't playing, Milan's penalty kicks were decided by the midfielders and forwards through discussion. Fino would often give them to Pirlo and Seedorf, as the midfielders had it tough, and Fino was willing to use penalties to appease them.
Coming to Real Madrid is different; it's a new beginning, and he must learn to fight for what he deserves.
Cristiano Ronaldo took the penalty won by Raul, but Raul had no objection. He couldn't figure out the reason for it yet, but he wouldn't easily give up the penalty he won himself to Ronaldo.
In the days that followed, he and Ronaldo were teammates who worked closely together, as well as direct competitors within the team. They were both new signings who joined with the aura of being the flag bearers of Champions League winning teams. They were both attacking players, and their transfer fees were very high. Inevitably, they would be compared in various aspects.
In this situation, the right to take the penalty kick carries too many implicit meanings, and he cannot simply give it up without understanding why.
Cristiano Ronaldo hesitated for a moment, then covered his mouth and said, "But..."
He wanted to say that he was the team's first penalty taker, but then he remembered that this arrangement was made during the training camp in the United States. Fino's transfer was relatively late, and he did not participate in the training camp in the United States.
Pellegrini off the field and the players on the field were also aware of this.
Pellegrini slapped his forehead. Since returning from the United States, the team had not specifically emphasized penalty takers during training, and Fino was unaware that Ronaldo had been designated as the first-choice penalty taker.
He began to feel annoyed.
When he took over Real Madrid, Florentino's confidants gave him some instructions, one of which was to remove Raul from the starting striker position. So during a friendly match, he hastily handed over penalty and free-kick rights to the new signing Cristiano Ronaldo, forgetting that Fino's transfer was in progress.
What if Fino causes trouble? Fino is a superstar that Florentino bought for a high price; he can't afford to offend him!
Raul and the others quickly stepped forward, fearing that Fino and Ronaldo would start arguing on the spot.
The broadcast cameras also focused on Fino and Ronaldo.
"It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo and Cabrini, these two prodigies, are arguing over the penalty kick. We can see Kaká and Raúl, among others, rushing over to break it up..." the commentator exclaimed excitedly!
A fight must break out! A fight would absolutely shatter viewership records!
The commentator's wish was dashed. Ronaldo said "but" but didn't continue. He hesitated for a moment, then patted Fino on the shoulder with grace and turned to leave the penalty area.
Fino scored with a single shot, adding another goal for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are leading 4-2 at home.
After scoring, Fino went to hug Ronaldo, and Ronaldo didn't seem unhappy at all.
Raul breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, as he was genuinely worried that the two high-priced attacking stars Real Madrid had acquired would clash in their first official match of the season.
He suddenly realized that he had misjudged Fino's personality. Fino's daily demeanor was very calm and sensible, but that did not mean he was a timid and agreeable person.
Indeed, a player who could shoulder Milan's attacking burden and lead Milan to a league and Champions League double while Kaká was constantly injured must have high aspirations and a strong competitive spirit.
After hearing the whistle to score the penalty, Pellegrini immediately used another substitution, replacing Fino with Higuain to avoid another penalty shootout and to give the team's top scorer from last season a chance to shine.
The score remained 4-2 until the end of the match, and Real Madrid secured a winning start to their La Liga campaign at home.
Even though they secured 3 points, the problems Real Madrid exposed during the match still sparked a great deal of discussion online.
The biggest problem is the lack of variety in attacking tactics. Most of the attacks in the midfield and forward areas are concentrated in the middle, while the attacks on the two flanks rely on the full-backs. This arrangement does not put enough pressure on Deportivo's defense, which is why Real Madrid's attack was once blocked.
Pellegrini's tactics were met with a barrage of criticism.
Then comes the midfield and forward lines.
The 4-2-2-2 formation places high demands on the two attacking midfielders. They need to be able to quickly move wide and coordinate with the full-backs to link up the attacks down the flanks, while also needing to track back in time to prevent the flanks from being exploited by the opponent.
Pellegrini values the attacking abilities of Ronaldo and Kaká. This was evident in the match, where Pellegrini assigned Ronaldo and Kaká the task of creating goals in the middle of the field, but didn't assign them much defensive duties. Real Madrid's lineup in this match was somewhat top-heavy.
After changing the formation, Pellegrini also had problems with the player positioning.
Although Ronaldo's coordination with Marcelo was excellent when he moved to the left, Pellegrini's tactics in this match involved him primarily operating in the center and on the right wing.
Kaká is more threatening in the middle than on the left, but Pellegrini has him drift to the left, leaving the middle to substitute Granero.
Granero's performance as an attacking midfielder has been mediocre.
It's not that he made any major mistakes, but he didn't show enough pressure in terms of speed, rhythm, and aggression. In other words, he wasn't amazing and was just average.
Next, let's look at the defense. Real Madrid's weakness in defense, characterized by a strong attack, was glaringly exposed. Countless times, their forward runs were cut short, leaving Casillas isolated in the penalty area. Center-back Garay, in particular, was too slow, a fatal flaw when Real Madrid's defense needed to quickly retreat after pushing forward.
At this point, Pepe's importance became apparent. His absence from the game only highlighted his indispensability to Real Madrid, which is ironic.
...
Fueled by some media outlets with ulterior motives, Real Madrid's debut as the second-generation Galácticos was thoroughly criticized online, to the point that some might have thought Real Madrid had suffered a crushing defeat against Deportivo La Coruña.
Among them, Pellegrini's tactics and personnel arrangements attracted the most criticism, and the Pellegrini who had never played for a top club was almost drowned in spittle.
He suddenly recalled the Champions League round of 16 last season, when his Villarreal team faced AC Milan. He was filled with envy for Ancelotti, dreaming that one day he could fly a plane for a top club and experience the feeling of winning with a dog on a leash.
Now he has finally taken the reins at Real Madrid, but what awaits him is the fierce competition that every manager of a top club must face.
In addition to these, he also has to deal with the meddling of management, manage the star players in the locker room, and wrestle with the business department to balance the pressure of commercial development and competitive performance...
He couldn't help but touch his heart; being the head coach of a top club is no job for just anyone.
There is one urgent matter that he needs to resolve right now: Fino clearly has objections to the penalty kick sequence within the team.
Logically speaking, before Fino won the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo was undoubtedly the best player in football. After Raul's position became unstable, there was no problem in establishing Ronaldo as the core of the attack.
However, Fino was brought in by Florentino Pérez, while Ronaldo was signed in advance by his arch-rival Calderón. There is a reason for this, and one cannot judge solely by the Ballon d'Or.
Even if we can only judge based on the Ballon d'Or, it's almost a certainty that Fino will win the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year. We can't force Ronaldo to hand over his penalty and free-kick rights at that time, can we?
Then he thought of another problem: he had secretly decided to give the penalty kick and free kick rights to Ronaldo without Fino's knowledge. Could this be considered supporting Ronaldo and suppressing Fino?
It's clear that Fino is unhappy; will he offend Florentino?
Thinking of this, Pellegrini broke out in a cold sweat.
While Pellegrini was struggling with the problem, Fino and Ronaldo had already solved it themselves.
After the match against Deportivo La Coruña, Kaká immediately told Fino about how Ronaldo had been given the right to take penalties and free kicks during their training camp in the United States.
"Is it a fair competition among everyone, or is it directly assigned by the coach?" Fino asked the most crucial question.
"Directly assigned by the coach."
Fino raised an eyebrow. Did nobody have any objections?
Kaka shrugged: "After Raul remained silent, no one else expressed any dissatisfaction either."
The "others" specifically refer to Kaká himself and Higuaín.
Apart from Raul, Kaká, and Higuaín, the others, considering their on-field position, personal prestige, and status in the locker room, are not qualified to compete.
Hmm, Fino thought for a moment. He hadn't expected that the others would give up without even competing. But since Kaka and the other two had given up, he only needed to compete with Ronaldo, which would be much easier.
He approached Cristiano Ronaldo, patted him on the shoulder, and thanked him, saying, "Cristiano, I just found out that during the training camp in the United States, the coach selected you as the team's first penalty taker. Thank you for letting me take that penalty myself."
Cristiano Ronaldo grinned and said, "You're welcome. You did take a beautiful penalty."
Fino then frankly stated, "I didn't participate in the summer training camp, and I wasn't there when the coach determined the team's free throw sequence. Are you willing to give me a fair chance to compete?"
No matter how much emotional intelligence is used to package it, this is still an attempt to directly compete with Ronaldo for the penalty kick slots; the purpose is obvious, and embellishment is meaningless. Moreover, in Fino's eyes, Ronaldo is an upright person; if he has thoughts, he should speak them frankly and openly, saving time on pretense.
Cristiano Ronaldo agreed without hesitation after only two seconds of thought.
When he signed his transfer contract with Real Madrid, no one could have predicted that Fino would lead AC Milan to a double title half a season later, while also winning both Golden Boots and quickly rising to the ranks of top stars. He certainly couldn't have foreseen that Fino would also join Real Madrid during the summer break, becoming a competitor for his position as the team's top player.
But that's alright. He's never been afraid of fair competition. If he rejects Fino's request now, he'll never gain Fino's genuine trust. If he wants to become Real Madrid's star player, he has to convince his biggest competitor, Fino.
Cristiano Ronaldo put his hand on Fino's shoulder and said with a smile, "How about we have a match after the World Cup qualifiers are over?"
Fino smiled and nodded, then put his arm around Ronaldo's waist and walked back to the locker room.
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The author says: Pellegrini has never been a manager of a top club, so sometimes he thinks too little and sometimes he thinks too much.
If Milan is your home, then Real Madrid is your company. At home, you can overlook many things, but at the company, it's different; reason must prevail over emotion.
Thank you everyone for your support! [Lop-eared bunny head]
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