Chapter 99: The Winning Streak Ends After the Storm Subsides, and the Burden Is Removed and the Battle Begins [with Locker Room Content]

CSKA Moscow is also a frequent visitor to the Champions League.

Although their best result in the Champions League is only the quarterfinals, there is no doubt that no matter which giants, they would not want to meet them in the first round of the knockout stage.

It is because the giants will only have the debuff of fatigue from the journey when playing against teams from other second-tier leagues.

But the teams in the Russian Premier League and the Ukrainian Premier League are different. They are all tough guys with their own "magic attacks".

If you go to their territory to play in February, you have to spend half of your energy to fight against the severe wind and snow, and the remaining half of your energy can be used to play against them.

Therefore, the local strong teams in these two leagues can often get good results at home.

This year, there are two teams in the Russian Premier League that have made it to the top 16 of the Champions League, CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg.

Real Madrid and Benfica, who were drawn against them in the first round of the knockout stage, naturally became the unlucky ones in the eyes of fans.

However, compared with Benfica, which is generally looked down upon by fans, Real Madrid is at most teased that there may be a reduction in the first round.

Most fans and media do not believe that CSKA Moscow can cause a lot of trouble to Real Madrid on the field.

Real Madrid has just won its 20th consecutive league game, and its game state is so good that it can burst, and its bench thickness is also the best in Europe.

It is a piece of cake to beat CSKA Moscow.

The media is more interested in seeing how much performance Real Madrid can bring out in the first round of the snowstorm in Moscow.

Let's see whether Ronaldo can continue to score goals and continue to compete with Messi in the Champions League scorer list.

Well, the atmosphere in Real Madrid is as confident and optimistic as described by the media.

Especially after the main players defeated Espanyol 5-0 in a battle on the evening of January 31, almost declaring that they had entered the King's Cup final.

The inflated atmosphere inevitably filled the training ground and the locker room.

After Mourinho noticed that something was wrong, he went directly to Casillas and asked him to help calm the players' impetuous emotions in the locker room first.

Casillas naturally agreed, but after he held a player meeting, the effect was not significant.

At least it did not meet Uncle Bird's expectations.

Li Ang saw all this, but he is now a weak person. Let him replace Casillas to make a more severe warning speech?

Then Mourinho really doesn't need to think of a way, because the Real Madrid locker room will explode at the first time.

This phenomenon is actually very normal.

There are too many stars in the Real Madrid team. Everyone usually communicates and chats happily and trains hard.

But when it comes to the serious management of this kind of locker room, Real Madrid lacks a big boss to hold the team.

This is not to say that Casillas is not qualified enough.

Casillas's qualifications and reputation are actually sufficient, but his own temperament is destined to make him more suitable to be a "harmonious" vice-captain, rather than a captain.

If Raul or Hierro were in the team, now with a shout, all the Real Madrid stars, including Ronaldo, have to restrain their arrogance.

No matter if you are convinced or not, no one dares to jump up and down. If you are asked to reflect on your own thoughts, you must reflect on them.

Like Puyol in Barcelona and Gattuso in Milan, they are all real big men in the team.

With big men like them standing up for the coach, the coach can save a lot of trouble in the locker room management.

Unfortunately, Real Madrid is just missing such a person now.

Casillas held a player meeting and talked about this matter. Seeing that his teammates all promised to reflect on it, he just ignored it.

Li Ang likes Casillas and respects him, but he really disagrees with his way of handling things.

At least we have to find a few of the most "confident" players in the team to have a private talk and open their hearts to persuade them, right?

If we just leave it like this, the other players in the team will not take it seriously.

And what Li Ang is most worried about now is that Mourinho will go out in person.

The team has been winning before, and Mourinho has proved that he is capable of leading Real Madrid to defeat Barcelona, ​​so Mourinho currently has a high prestige in Real Madrid.

But it is not easy to consume one's own prestige to forcibly control the big stars in the team and make them low-key and calm.

How many coaches have failed in this matter? There are too many cases in the football world before.

The scene that Li Ang was most worried about happened in reality.

After the training session on the afternoon of February 2, Mourinho did not disband the team as usual, letting the players choose to practice more or drive home.

He summoned all members of the coaching staff and all the players in the first team.

On the training ground, Mourinho issued a stern warning to everyone, including members of the coaching staff.

"Before we win the final championship, I ask you to forget all the previous results! If we fail and fall at the last step, all the previous victories will be meaningless! Do you understand? Meaningless!

We were second only to Barcelona in the league last season and also made it to the final four in the Champions League, but tell me, do you feel good?!

The outside media and fans all say that we are losers! Have you forgotten? Do you think Barcelona won the double championship last season by relying on arrogance and arrogance?!

Block out the flattery from the outside world! Be clear-headed. You can be as arrogant and celebrate as you want when you win the championship, but before you win the championship, remember your identity.

loser!

We must have this kind of consciousness, climb up the Champions League and the league again with the consciousness of a loser, and take every step we take steadily."

Mourinho's speech still has a strong personal flavor, Li Ang can listen to it, and he also understands what Mourinho means.

But obviously some players in the team have been stimulated by the phrase "loser".

It's just that they didn't speak out now and endured listening to Mourinho's "preaching".

At the moment when they finally disbanded, Li Ang saw the ugly faces of several teammates.

For example, Casillas, who may feel that his captain's dignity has been offended, and Ramos, who does not like Mourinho's "loser" statement.

The only thing that makes Li Ang happy is that Ronaldo was not stubborn.

Ronaldo is a little unhappy, but he is now in the upper hand in the competition with Messi. He also wants to see the team's progress in the Champions League go smoother.

So he still listened to Mourinho's advice.

Of course, Li Ang guessed that the more important point is that the current Uncle Psy has not suppressed Pepe and Kaká.

Without touching the friends around Ronaldo, Ronaldo would not be incompatible with Uncle Psy.

But with Casillas and Ramos, the leaders of the Spanish-speaking gang, feeling dissatisfied, how long can the superficial calm situation in the Real Madrid locker room be maintained?

Li Ang feels that this is hard to say, but one thing he knows is that if Pepe, Alonso, and Ronaldo don't react, then this Mourinho-style Real Madrid will not have big problems.

If the victory on the field continues, the dissatisfied players will continue to tolerate it.

Even if they are dissatisfied with Mourinho's management style, as long as Lafayette can see the hope of successfully winning the club's tenth Champions League trophy, then he will never allow anyone to interfere with it.

This is considered a safety rope.

Li Ang, who has the memory of later generations, fully understands the current problems within the Real Madrid locker room.

To say it is easy to solve, it is actually easy to solve.

As long as Casillas' loud-mouthed girlfriend doesn't blow up what's going on inside the Real Madrid locker room.

If this woman doesn't behave like a monster, Casillas and Mourinho will not break up, and the small problems within Real Madrid will gradually be healed by the attraction of the championship.

Therefore, the top priority is to solve the problem from the root, or to delay the explosion in the Real Madrid locker room. How to persuade Casillas to be more strict with his mouth.

Last season, Li Ang still had the idea of ​​"staying out of the matter", but now he is completely unable to let the explosion in the Real Madrid locker room happen.

Because he already has feelings for this team, he is a member of Real Madrid's youth training, and he also likes the current Mourinho-style Real Madrid.

He didn't want all the regrets from his previous life to happen again.

So he took action.

When he found Uncle Psy in private, Li Ang was very candid.

Liang didn't need to beat around the bush with Mourinho. He spoke directly about his concerns and his solutions.

"I will find time to chat with my teammates again. Boss, if there are any rumors that really spread to the outside world, I hope you can give me a chance to communicate with them first."

"What are the rumors? Have you heard some rumors? Also, if there is anything, I will tell them personally, so you don't have to worry about it."

Mourinho didn't care much at first and wanted to get rid of Li Ang so that he could go to practice more without worries.

But seeing Li Ang's serious look, Mourinho also felt that something was wrong.

"Are they dissatisfied with my speech today?"

"A little bit, so I'll come find you now."

"Who is there?"

"You should have been able to tell when the disbandment was announced."

Mourinho's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously held the pen in his hand hard.

"Do you believe me? Do you believe that I will be 100% on your side?"

Li Ang asked again without waiting for Mourinho to speak.

Of course, he got a positive answer from Uncle Psy.

"Of course I believe you understand me, little lion."

"Then, let the problems within the locker room be resolved internally. Boss, I will try to bridge the relationship between the players and the coaching staff in the way that is most satisfactory to you. Do you believe me?"

"Of course I believe you, but"

"Then let me make this attempt. If I fail, no matter what your subsequent decision is, I will stand firmly by your side!"

Li Ang used proactive communication to temporarily stabilize Mourinho, and his sincerity became the key point in convincing Mourinho.

After all, facing a player who firmly says "No matter what, I am on your side," the head coach really has no reason to refuse his reasonable request.

When it comes to communicating with Casillas and Ramos, Li Ang is not so straightforward.

He first invited a few big guys from the Spanish-speaking gang, and then a group of youth training brothers from Castilla, and went to a private restaurant for dinner together after the training on February 3.

First of all, it creates an atmosphere of "all those who come to eat today are real people".

Then Li Ang turned the topic to their excellent record this season.

Twenty consecutive wins in the league, six consecutive wins in the Champions League group stage, and the Copa del Rey is about to reach the final, defeating Barcelona.

After a passionate exchange, the atmosphere was extremely warm, and Casillas and Ramos were extremely comfortable listening to it.

They had always regarded Li Ang as their own, and now they were even more open to Li Ang.

They said that Real Madrid would achieve more successful results this season than Barcelona before, and Li Ang agreed loudly!

They said that they wanted to revive and restore Real Madrid's reputation and glory in Europe, and Li Ang slammed the table and said yes!

They complained that Mourinho's rhetoric was too ugly, and they firmly disagreed that they had failed in the past few seasons. Li Ang even shouted "That's right, brothers! I think so too!"

Well, the brothers chatted directly with red faces. Obviously, they didn't drink, but the atmosphere was already here, and they were a little proud.

But Li Ang then changed the topic and denounced that there are always some reporters outside who have evil intentions and don't want to see the revival of Real Madrid.

Ramos couldn't stand it when he heard it, and immediately slammed the table and asked Li Ang to talk about which reporters were so mean.

Li Ang also slammed the table and told the story he made up.

"Didn't you win 5-0 at Espanyol's home stadium a few days ago?

When I went to the base for extra training the next morning, I was stopped by a group of reporters. One of them handed me a note and asked me to reveal some "interesting" things in our locker room and help us promote it.

I tore up the note in front of him. Isn't this going to harm me and our team?

He said he wanted to help us promote it, but when I told him something, he would definitely exaggerate it and promote it to the outside world.

Then the boss would definitely scold me, saying that I leaked the inside of the locker room. Privacy, then I will be miserable at that time! "

As soon as Li Ang finished speaking, Nacho was the first to wave his hand and said confidently:

"That must be a reporter from Mundo Deportivo! Seeing that we are going to overshadow Barcelona this season, they deliberately came to make trouble!"

"I think so too!"

"Damn it, don't let me catch these reporters, if I catch them, I will definitely smash his camera!"

"Little Lion did a good job, and his mind is very clear! We can't make this kind of mistake!"

Amid the echoes of the crowd, Li Ang heard Casillas' praise for himself, and his heart was immediately at ease.

"Captain, don't blame me for setting a trap for you, you love-brained person, if I don't set a trap for you now, your girlfriend will have to set a trap for Real Madrid later, so I can only strike first."

After complaining in his heart, Li Ang finally imagined with his "own people" the beautiful prospect of finally winning the treble this season.

Everyone was satisfied with the chat, and finally left the restaurant with each other on the shoulders and backs to go home to rest.

The reporters who were waiting on the spot watched the Real Madrid players happily hugging each other and saying goodbye, and they also repeatedly expressed their feelings about the good atmosphere and unity in the Real Madrid team.

The next morning, the news of the Real Madrid players' dinner was widely publicized by various media.

Mourinho couldn't help but ponder for a long time when he got the morning newspaper.

In the last pre-match training that morning, the atmosphere in the Real Madrid team was obviously high again, which also made Karanka and other members of the coaching staff feel relieved.

Mourinho looked at Li Ang meaningfully during the training, but Li Ang still followed Alonso happily as if nothing had happened.

But Mourinho knew that Li Ang must have done something at the dinner last night.

He felt a little itchy in his heart and always wanted to know the truth of the matter, but when he thought of Li Ang's frankness when he came to him the day before yesterday, he gave up the idea of ​​asking.

In any case, the atmosphere of the team was back, and Mourinho was too lazy to delve into the changes in the locker room.

He knew that Li Ang was thinking about him, and Li Ang also proved with practical actions that he was capable of helping him stabilize the situation in the locker room, that was enough.

After the locker room storm came to an end, Real Madrid continued to advance on both fronts.

On February 4 and February 8, Real Madrid's main players won in the La Liga and the King's Cup.

In the 22nd round of the league, Real Madrid beat Getafe 2-0, and in the second round of the King's Cup semi-finals, they beat Espanyol 3-1.

After this round of the King's Cup, Real Madrid did not need to worry about the tight King's Cup for the time being.

On February 12, Mourinho once again used a rotation lineup, with Ronaldo and Li Ang, who were in good form, sitting on the bench, and facing Levante, the opponent in the 23rd round of the league at home.

Levante is not a soft persimmon at present, and it has a black posture to the end, surpassing Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao to rank fourth in La Liga.

Mourinho's final choice of using a rotating lineup to fight Levante was also a helpless move.

Regardless of whether the main players in the King's Cup match on February 8th take turns to rest, the tough battle with Levante on February 12th will not be easy to fight.

Although Real Madrid is still very likely to win in the end, the physical consumption will also increase accordingly.

At the critical moment of playing the Champions League knockout match with CSKA Moscow on February 14th, Mourinho is unwilling to let the main lineup play two tough games in a row.

Therefore, it is most appropriate to send a rotating lineup to play against Levante in this round of the league. It is actually a bit risky to bring a Ronaldo.

But Mourinho could not resist Ronaldo's strong desire to play, and finally agreed to let him get a chance to play in the second half.

That night, Levante relied on a single-line battle to fight with Real Madrid recklessly.

Li Ang and Ronaldo sat on the bench, watching their team fall behind 0-1 in the first half and 0-2 in the 51st minute of the second half.

To be honest, they were both a little anxious, but Mourinho didn't speak, so they could only continue to sit on the bench.

In the 60th minute of the second half, Mourinho finally signaled them to warm up.

In the 64th minute, Real Madrid made substitutions, replacing Vasquez and Sahin with them.

As soon as the two came on the court, they took over the rhythm of the game and led the entire Real Madrid team to launch a fierce offensive against Levante.

And the presence of Li Ang also stabilized the midfield defense line that had been repeatedly penetrated by Levante.

In the 82nd minute, under siege, Callejon broke into Levante's penalty area and created a penalty.

Ronaldo did not waste the opportunity created by Callejon, and the penalty was scored in one fell swoop, tying the score to 1-2.

However, there was still too little time left for him and Li Ang to perform.

Real Madrid failed to create a miracle to equalize the score again at the last moment, and also stopped the league winning streak this season at 21 games.

This is a pity for all Real Madrid players.

But Mourinho and the coaching staff had expected this result long ago.

In the face of realistic choices, Mourinho had no choice but to prioritize the team's smooth progress in the Champions League knockout round.

From another perspective, the Real Madrid players who had been under pressure to win the league before were also "relieved" at this moment.

This is a psychological relaxation.

The main players of Real Madrid, without the psychological burden, went into battle lightly.

After regretting it, the Spanish media and Real Madrid fans also set their sights on the evening of February 14.

In Moscow with wind and snow.

Ah, the pit of the big explosion in the locker room this season has finally been filled.

The protagonist is still a small figure in the locker room now, and this is a relatively good way to fill the pit that I can think of.

Then, I am short of words today, it is hard to keep up.

I will make up for it tomorrow, I will definitely~