I Am Scouted by Real Madrid-Chapter 323 - 18: Protests and Contradictions

Chen Zhong and Kaka hugging, and I don’t even get a mention.

Even though Cristiano Ronaldo only occupied a small corner of the screen, his "fierce" gaze caught the attention of the fans.

"Hey? Did you notice that?"

"No, why does C. Ronaldo’s expression look so funny?"

"He must be jealous of Chen Zhong hugging Kaka, right? That must be it, right?"

"Why can’t it be he’s jealous of Kaka hugging Chen Zhong? I think Chen Zhong is quite handsome! More in line with my tastes..."

...

The hug between Chen Zhong and Kaka also turned fans all over the world into "groundhogs," even some female fans showed a mysterious smile, imagining something in their minds.

The two ran towards the corner flag with their arms around each other, Kaka looked at Chen Zhong, then jumped up high to mimic Chen Zhong’s celebration, showing off his number 8 jersey and KAKA, while Chen Zhong’s "fond" gaze at Kaka made countless fans swoon.

C. Ronaldo, seeing this scene, felt like grinding his molars to pieces. The credit for this goal was clearly mine, if only I’d known Kaka was so good at buddying up, I should’ve just kicked it myself!

Damn, look at his smile! Clearly, he’s plotting something.

"The match started less than a minute ago."

"Chen Zhong assisted Kaka in scoring a beautiful goal."

"Real Madrid had a dream start right off the bat."

"With this attack, C. Ronaldo finally integrated into the team’s offensive system."

"He finally learned to rely on the power of the team to solve problems."

Pellegrini, on the sidelines, looked at Valverde, who succeeded him, and smiled kindly.

Valverde, seeing this, rubbed his chin, wanting to make adjustments but unsure where to start, ultimately choosing to remain silent.

Villarreal tried to level the score after the kickoff, but Real Madrid, with Chen Zhong guarding the defense, held firm and pushed their attack back.

In the following time, both teams attacked and defended, but Villarreal struggled to truly threaten Real Madrid’s goal.

Meanwhile, Villarreal’s steady play and concentrated defense made attack difficult for Real Madrid, earning Pellegrini’s respect for Valverde.

"Perhaps we could push Chen forward before halftime ends," Francisco suggested to Pellegrini, "so we can add an attacking point up front."

Granero’s distribution and organization were commendable in this match, but if Chen Zhong moved forward to partner with Granero, the team’s attack would be more dynamic.

Pellegrini considered it seriously but ultimately rejected Francisco’s proposal, simply because he believed that leading now didn’t warrant such a risk.

What if we concede a counterattack?

Then it wouldn’t be worth it.

Perhaps Valverde could accept a draw against Real Madrid at home.

But Pellegrini couldn’t, because that would mean Real Madrid fell behind Barcelona in points.

The first half ended with the score still at 0:1.

Before entering the locker room, Valverde glanced at Pellegrini, aware that after conceding a goal, Villarreal was like a fully drawn arrow, waiting to launch a fatal shot.

Still, Pellegrini remained extremely steady, preventing Villarreal from finding any opportunity.

This realization led Valverde to something absurd; that Real Madrid seemed to be investing all its energy into the league this season.

In the locker room, Pellegrini praised the team’s first-half performance and once again reminded Chen Zhong: "Chen, be careful in the second half."

"They won’t just easily accept a home defeat."

Chen Zhong nodded in agreement at Pellegrini’s serious expression, and in that moment, he suddenly missed the blond-headed Schuster, who would’ve urged them to be more aggressive and passionate!

He heard Schuster was still idle at home now!

Seeing Chen Zhong agree, Pellegrini breathed a sigh of relief; he was most worried about Chen Zhong losing control and rushing forward to aid in the attack.

Many believe he could let Chen Zhong run back and forth, covering the range from his side to the opponent’s penalty area.

But as the team’s head coach, Pellegrini had a clear understanding of Chen Zhong.

His stamina, his speed.

We’re not enough to support such high-intensity, large-range movement, nor can such play be sustained throughout the match.

More importantly, besides Chen Zhong, he couldn’t find anyone else to effectively protect the defense midfield. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Most coaches wouldn’t expose the defense directly to the opponent’s attack, as defense isn’t solely the backline’s responsibility.

The players filed out, and as Pellegrini exited the player tunnel, Real Madrid fans in the stands shouted loudly: "Let Chen move forward!"

"Damn, you should let Chen advance."