Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 552 The Madness of the Camenes Stadium

On the sidelines of Real Madrid's training ground, Ancelotti was also deep in thought.

He wasn't in a good mood either.

In fact, Real Madrid doesn't need him to make any arrangements. In most matches, Real Madrid can easily win the game by relying on the performance of its star players.

But this time, his opponent is Shan Yongzhuo.

That player left a deep shadow over everyone at Real Madrid.

Ancelotti was also feeling a headache coming on, as he needed to come up with some specific defensive strategies to prepare for the match against Granada.

Real Madrid's overall squad is indeed incomparable to Granada's. Granada's only notable player is Shan Yongzhuo. Even if Nainggolan came to Real Madrid, it would be difficult for him to compete for a starting position.

However, one Shan Yongzhuo is enough for the other side.

One player like Shan Yongzhuo is worth more than Real Madrid's entire attacking line, even if Real Madrid had Cristiano Ronaldo.

Moreover, Real Madrid's current problems are also obvious. After a major overhaul, the entire squad is somewhat chaotic.

Bell is one of the biggest problems.

Arriving at Real Madrid with a price tag even higher than Cristiano Ronaldo's has left some of the club's veteran players somewhat dissatisfied.

Especially for Cristiano Ronaldo, Özil's departure had already made him quite unhappy, and now another player with a higher transfer fee than him has arrived, which has made the always arrogant and self-important Ronaldo very resentful.

Having too many top superstars is actually a problem.

However, Ancelotti believed that with the team's superior lineup, scoring goals would not be a problem, but the key to the match was limiting Shan Yongzhuo.

Therefore, Ancelotti spoke directly with Pepe and Ramos.

However, it was clear that both of them were somewhat evasive, and obviously, the pressure that Shan Yongzhuo was putting on them was immense.

An even more important problem is that Khedira is still injured and unable to play in the defensive midfield position. Ancelotti doesn't have many good options for a defensive midfielder who can help with the defense.

"Then let's suppress their midfield!"

After much deliberation, Ancelotti ultimately decided to resolve the issue from another angle.

After some discussion, Ramos reluctantly accepted the responsibility of closely marking Shan Yongzhuo.

Ancelotti focused the game on the midfield.

He ultimately opted for a relatively conservative 4-3-2-1 lineup.

In defense, Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, and Arbeloa lined up in a row.

The three defensive midfielders are new signings Isco and Modric on the left and right respectively, with Alonso anchoring the center. This midfield configuration should be able to reliably suppress Granada, ensure the team's midfield control, and thus cut off Granada's midfield connection with Shan Yongzhuo.

At the same time, Alonso's role in defending Shan Yongzhuo also helps maintain the team's overall performance.

With two midfielders, Cristiano Ronaldo and Di Maria on the left and right, respectively, plus Benzema as the lone striker, this attacking group has a very strong firepower and can ensure a continuous impact on Granada.

Having arranged everything, Ancelotti felt a little more at ease.

On the other side, Pellegrini is also having a headache over the match against Real Madrid.

In La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona are like two mountains, making it hard for other teams to breathe.

Despite having Shan Yongzhuo in his squad this season, it suggests that Pellegrini is well aware that Granada's squad is not as strong as Real Madrid's.

Therefore, Shan Yongzhuo is the key figure.

However, in Pellegrini's view, Real Madrid also has its problems, namely the issue of teamwork, which is a problem they have never been able to solve.

In previous seasons, Real Madrid relied heavily on the individual performances of their star players, especially Mesut Özil, whose passing and distribution created numerous scoring opportunities for Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, with Özil gone and Gareth Bale joining, Pellegrini may not see this as a good thing.

Ultimately, Pellegrini settled on a defensive counter-attacking lineup.

This is a 442 formation, or rather a 451 formation.

In defense, four key players – Blind, Van Dijk, Shawcross, and Nyom – will start.

In midfield, Lucena, Nainggolan, Gunnarsson, and Rico are all players with considerable defensive capabilities. Nainggolan also possesses the ability to quickly transition between attack and defense, ensuring the ability to launch counter-attacks.

The forward line consists of Shan Yongzhuo and Flores, while Kane, who performed brilliantly last time, has been dropped from the squad.

It's not that Kane isn't good, but rather that Flores is often deployed to drop back into midfield to assist in defense, while also being able to quickly support Nainggolan on the counter-attack.

If you use Kane, the speed of retreating and counter-attacking is not enough.

All of this has been arranged; as for the actual effect, we'll have to wait until the competition to see.

However, Pellegrini still had some confidence. In his view, Shan Yongzhuo was the kind of player who could create miracles.

Therefore, he had no choice but to place the heavy burden on Shan Yongzhuo's shoulders.

"Shan, what are your thoughts on the match?"

"Don't worry, Manuel, I can guarantee that I will definitely score a goal. As for the outcome, that depends on our defense."

Hearing Shan Yongzhuo's answer, Pellegrini felt reassured.

As long as he can score a goal, even if they ultimately lose, he doesn't think it's a big problem.

After all, Shan Yongzhuo can still score goals, so the loss is not a problem of anything else, but rather a problem of the team's strength being simply inferior.

August 27th.

The competition has begun.

This match received far more attention than the first round.

Madrid media outlets have adopted the slogan "Revenge against Shan Yongzhuo".

In their view, Shan Yongzhuo, who joined Granada, will face a difficult situation against Real Madrid due to the team's overall strength, and Real Madrid has a good chance for revenge.

"Shan Yongzhuo's choice was a very risky move."

“We all know he is very strong, but the creation of the Manchester City dynasty is not solely due to his efforts. Manchester City’s overall squad is also among the best in Europe.”

"Granada is clearly much weaker now, and Shan Yongzhuo will be fighting alone against Real Madrid."

"This is Real Madrid's best chance to get revenge on Shan Yongzhuo!"

Marca reported this.

However, Granada fans don't see it that way.

On the day of the match, the Camenes Stadium was packed to capacity. The enthusiastic Granada fans gave their most passionate cheers and shouts during the warm-up, among which the Shan Yongzhuo cheerleading team was particularly eye-catching.

"Shan, you're the best!"

"Single, defeat Real Madrid!"

"Real Madrid, this is Granada."

The various slogans were very attractive, but Granada fans didn't seem to care about the difference in squad strength.

Many fans even think that with Shan Yongzhuo on the team, beating Real Madrid is nothing.
(End of this chapter)