I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 701 - 7: Specialty: Weak Foot

During the press conference, Mourinho spoke out in defense of the French forward Benzema, besides mentioning Van Nistelrooy.He pointed out that during the King’s Cup match against Atletico Madrid, the boos echoing through Santiago Bernabeu Stadium when Benzema was substituted were not directed at the Frenchman, but at the decision to make the substitution.

Mourinho believes that since he began managing Real Madrid, Benzema’s training performance and contribution to the team have been commendable; the only shortcoming is the Frenchman’s lack of scoring passion and luck.

During the press conference, Mourinho bluntly stated, "I’m satisfied with Benzema’s performance. He trains diligently and exerts great effort to transform himself, striving to play at a high level for Real Madrid."

"He lacks goals because he doesn’t passionately pursue the goal like other strikers do."

"As a forward, he must become nearly obsessed with scoring. We are considering bringing in a forward, and it’s not targeting Benzema, but because the team indeed needs an additional forward."

...

"CCTV, CCTV."

"We are now broadcasting the 19th round of La Liga."

"The match between Almeria and Real Madrid."

"Almería adopted a defensive stance right from the start, causing Real Madrid’s offense to come to a halt."

"In this match, Mourinho made some tactical changes."

"C. Ronaldo was positioned as the lone forward."

"Kaka appeared on the left-wing position, while Di Maria was on the right-wing position."

"Chen Zhong and Granero partnered to form a double midfield."

"Khedira was appointed as the team’s defensive midfielder."

Although Chen Zhong and Granero were teammates from their youth team days, Granero rarely had the chance to play for the first team, which challenged their synchronization during the match.

Moreover, Mourinho clearly came into this match against Almeria with the intention of grooming the players.

His goal was to instill some depth into Real Madrid, accumulating surprises for upcoming significant matches; however, Almeria was unexpectedly uncooperative.

In the first ten minutes of the match.

Both teams made no significant moves.

The only noteworthy event occurred in the 7th minute when Almeria’s Piyati broke into the right side of the penalty area, but after falling under Ramos’s defense, the referee did not give a penalty.

This decision caused dissatisfaction among the home fans, though it was merely discontent.

"The match has reached the 12th minute."

"Real Madrid has yet to make a single threatening shot."

"That’s quite rare!"

"Granero with the ball."

"Passed to Chen Zhong."

"The passing lanes were tightly sealed by Almeria."

"Using Weak Foot, he passed the ball out."

"Chen Zhong passed the ball to Di Maria!"

"Di Maria made a direct pass."

"Real Madrid has found the passing lane."

"C. Ronaldo with the ball!"

"Can it be a simple shot?"

"What a pity!"

The situation of Real Madrid going 12 minutes without a shot was quite rare this season; Almeria should feel proud to have achieved this.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s adept offensive coordination rang alarms for Almeria, and Chen Zhong’s level of vigilance was further heightened.

Originally, Chen Zhong’s passing was already excellent.

Now, he can still use his Weak Foot to accurately pass the ball; it undoubtedly increased the defensive difficulty for Almeria.

Even in the stands, some fans said, "When did Chen have such a good pass with his Weak Foot!"

Almeria made ample preparations before the match, knowing that Chen Zhong’s Weak Foot had some ability, but having the capability is one thing, using it is another.

In this match, Chen Zhong had already used his Weak Foot multiple times to touch and pass the ball.

It felt as if he was using them to practice his weaker foot.

"Real Madrid’s offensive."

"Chen Zhong, successful in aerial duels."

"Almeria attempted its first high pass in this match."

"Passed to Di Maria!"

"One-on-one!"

"Shot!"

Real Madrid’s first shot came in the 15th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo’s energetic efforts in midfield forced Almeria’s player to make a long pass.

However, Chen Zhong managed to force Almeria’s player aside and headed the ball towards the front for Di Maria, who took the ball and rushed into the penalty area.

But Di Maria’s shot before the penalty box did not trouble Diego Alves much.

He did not use his favored foot for shooting, and Di Maria’s Weak Foot practice seemed insufficient.

This shot seemed to ignite Real Madrid’s offensive passion, causing Almeria’s rigorously set defense to show cracks.

Physical and mental pressure made them embarrassed at their home ground.

"C. Ronaldo!"

"Cross run with Kaka."

"Cutting inside from the left to the penalty area."

"Trying a fierce shot."

"Diego Alves caught the ball."

Diego Alves was undoubtedly Almeria’s hero; if it hadn’t been for his save, Real Madrid could very well have scored a goal.

The two teams remained in a stalemate, one side defending fiercely, while the other attacking fervently.

During this time, Chen Zhong continuously tried to pass with his Weak Foot.

What can be passed with the strong foot sometimes leads to errors when attempted with the Weak Foot.

"Chen Zhong’s pass."

"It seems his condition isn’t very good in this match."

"The match has reached the 30th minute, and we still haven’t seen his signature Surgical Knife-like direct pass."

"Instead, there have been a few passing errors."

"It’s rare to see this with Chen Zhong."

"Weak Foot may be good, but don’t overindulge!"

Chen Zhong’s Weak Foot pass was once again defended by Almeria’s player, as Weak Foot lacked in ball speed, precision, and power compared to the strong foot, such a pass could easily be delivered if it were strong foot.

Cristiano Ronaldo looked at Chen Zhong with bewilderment after a wasted run, seemingly asking, "Brother, what are you doing?"

Meanwhile, Mourinho was watching Francisco from the sidelines and said, "Chen is an outstanding player, constantly seeking improvement."

"The Weak Foot indeed offers new passing angles, but he’s too absorbed in it."

"Do we need to remind him?" Francisco looked at Mourinho inquiringly.

"No!" Mourinho said with a relaxed smile, "It can wait until the halftime break; this scenario is too rare."

Chen Zhong is typically rational, unusually so for a young player; this somewhat deprived Mourinho of the joy of nurturing a unique talent, but now, does it seem feasible?

Chen Zhong once again passed the ball using his Weak Foot. After successfully executing this time, Chen Zhong said a number: "7"

This was his 7th successful pass using his Weak Foot; he was aiming for 20 more successful weaknesses.

Almeria’s defense was very tight, and Chen Zhong’s pass didn’t yield any particularly good effects.

"The first half is about to end."

"Did anyone notice how many times Chen Zhong used his Weak Foot for passes in this match?"

"15 Weak Foot attempts."

"9 successful."

"Hold on, the 10th attempt!"

"Real Madrid’s attack."

"Chen Zhong passed the ball to Kaka using his Weak Foot!"

"Kaka took the ball, shook off the opponent."

"Can they score a goal before the first half ends?"

Chen Zhong took the ball, faced Almeria’s players, and pushed the ball out using his Weak Foot; there was something he misunderstood.

Using the Weak Foot for passing, just succeeding is fine.

There’s no need for it to always be a threatening ball!

If it was Barcelona or a team like that, they may brush through 20 Weak Foot passes in just 10 minutes.

He also misunderstood himself.

Watching the team’s latest attempt at breaking through fail, listening to the main referee’s whistle signaling the end of the first half.

Chen Zhong glanced at the jubilant smile on Almeria’s player’s face and couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

Enjoy now!

You’ll see in the second half.