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171. El Clasico (1)
[This morning, the Real Madrid team arrived at the Juan Carlos Hotel in Barcelona for the El Clasico derby and were attacked by some Barcelona fans.
It was reported that the hotel parking lot was in chaos, and the windows where some players were sitting were broken.
There is currently a strong outcry, with angry Real Madrid fans calling the LFP secretariat.] As
articles like this spread around the world, they caused quite a shock to soccer fans.
[Hooligans are everywhere.]
└Still, they are gentler than England. They even killed a police officer by hitting him on the head with a brick during the French expedition.
└Compared to them, it's at a good level.
└Anyway, I'm curious how Real fans will turn out at the next El Clásico. Madridistas pretend to be nobles by saying 'moderation and dignity'.
└Nobility is a noble as well. I'll be lucky if Messi's head doesn't fly off.
It is said that it happens once in a while, but this time, the severity of the situation was greater than expected because soccer fans were more interested than ever.
In particular, the fact that there could have been injuries if we were not careful was not an issue that could be taken lightly.
Because of that, the press conference room at Camp Nou was also noisy.
"Director, something unpleasant happened this afternoon. "What do you think about that incident?"
"As a fellow soccer player, I feel sorry for this. "I hope Real Madrid's players can play in good health."
Guardiola answered in a husky voice.
There was nothing more to discuss about him.
I wanted to finish the interview quickly and go back.
I had already said that I would only spend 5 minutes on the interview.
Because of this, questions came in one after another without a moment of pause.
"These days, the attention of soccer fans around the world is focused on the coach. You are receiving so much attention. Barcelona currently maintains a 3-point gap with Real Madrid with 12 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. It is known that Barcelona was able to come this far thanks to the coach's efforts. What efforts have you made to change the team since taking charge of the club? Also, I would like to ask what preparations you went through for this El Clásico."
"Nothing special. Removing all beverage vending machines in the training ground, controlling vehicle access times, preventing players from drinking carbonated beverages and fruit juice, or keeping them away from pizza and hamburgers, etc. Most efforts are made to maximize the players' skills and growth. There is nothing particularly special about this El Clásico either. I prepared as I did and will do my best as I do. That is all."
"Ha ha ha ha ha."
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.
If this isn't special, what is special?
It is not common for coaches to control vehicles at training grounds for fear of losing players' concentration.
There were many reporters who wanted to ask about the story behind him, but due to time constraints, questions about the game followed immediately.
"This match is the manager's El Clásico debut. It seems like it would be a burden. Considering recent moves, the prevailing opinion is that Barcelona has an overwhelming advantage. So, will we be able to take home three points?"
Recently, Real Madrid and Barcelona have been at polar opposites.
Unlike Real, which has been going downhill since October, Barcelona has been on an upward curve since September.
In addition, there were many opinions that Barcelona was superior when considering objective power.
Xavi Iniesta, Messi, Henry Eto'o, etc….
They had many younger and more skilled players than Real Madrid.
"I think so too. We have powerful tactics. And we have the players who can make that a reality."
Guardiola didn't spin around and told it like it was.
The final question followed immediately.
"Barcelona's midfield line is evaluated as very good. But Real Madrid has Zinedine Zidane. Are you confident that you can surpass him?"
A symbol of Guardiola's core strategy, 4-3-3.
A midfield line centered around Xavi-Iniesta.
They were currently regarded as one of the best midfield lines in the world.
That was something Guardiola also agreed with.
"We are powerful. Of course, Zidane is without a doubt one of the legendary players. It's surprising that he's still active. But he is older now. Many people say that it is difficult to play as a starter. And currently, Woo Ho-young is taking that position. We will be prepared for that."
Guardiola never mentions tactics.
He left the press conference just in time.
I went out to the stadium and checked the condition of the grass.
'No problem.'
As soon as I confirmed that everything was going smoothly, I headed to the director's office.
And an hour before the game starts.
"oh my god."
When Real Madrid's lineup was announced, Guardiola furrowed his brow.
'This is crazy.'
A preemptive strike that catches Bernd Schuster off guard.
'What on earth is this old man planning?'
Woo Ho-young and Zinedine Zidane are on the starting list.
I couldn't help but be surprised because I thought the probability of the two appearing together was low.
But even then, Guardiola began to delve into Schuster's thoughts.
'There have been several instances in the past where Zidane was moved to midfield to take charge of the rear build-up and Woo Ho-young was moved up to the second line to play the role of playmaker. Otherwise, they will use Zidane and Robben as wingers and use Ho-Young Woo as an attacking midfielder, which will be an extreme attacking tactic.'
Guardiola is a perfectionist.
We had prepared countermeasures for all the tactics used by Real Madrid this season.
I can't tell you how much effort he and his technical team put into today's game.
The stiff face gradually relaxed.
As time passed, a relaxed smile appeared on my lips.
'Schuster. If you thought you could deal with us with just such tactics, you would be sorely mistaken.'
I was overflowing with confidence.
It seemed like they could avenge the humiliation of losing twice to Woo Ho-young's Castilla last year.
9:45 p.m. Camp Nou.
This, the largest soccer stadium in Europe beyond Spain, boasted extraordinary grandeur even before the game started.
Tickets for nearly 100,000 seats have been sold out for a long time.
When it was time to enter, numerous soccer fans came in like a flock of minnows and took their seats.
A fantastic card section was held, with yellow, red, and blue cards covering the stands.
And that visual tunnel.
Players wearing white jerseys lined up against the right wall.
They were Real Madrid's starters who came out first and were waiting.
Soon, the bench members and coaching staff went through the tunnel and out of the stadium, giving high fives to the starting players.
Next, players wearing blue jerseys walked down the stairs on the left.
The person who led the way was Barcelona captain Carles Puyol, who had impressive long, curly hair.
As soon as he came down the stairs, he gave a high five to Real Madrid captain Raul, showing off his close friendship.
It was an unbelievable sight for Hoyoung, who was standing right next to Zidane.
I thought there would be a heated battle of nerves because it was El Clásico, but that kind of atmosphere was nowhere to be found.
Everyone approached each other first and greeted each other in a friendly manner, giving high fives and patting their chests.
They may criticize and disparage each other on the field, but this is not the case at all in normal times.
Fans may not like this, but before they were rivals of the century, they were all the same soccer players.
However, Messi did not seem to have much of a rapport with Real Madrid players.
There was only one person who approached him first and shook his hand, and that was Zidane.
"I hope you have a good game."
"OK."
Two people shaking hands.
Hoyoung, who was watching the scene right next to him, stood with a confident expression.
I didn't want to look intimidated in front of Messi.
It was instinct.
The same goes for Lionel Messi.
The two never held out their hands.
Then the referees came down the middle and separated the two.
Players from both teams were busy shaking hands with the referees.
It was from then on that the solemn atmosphere took over.
Players from both teams opened their eyes and prepared to take the field.
A silent war of nerves ensued.
It reached its peak when players from each team shook hands as they entered the stadium.
"Whoa…"
Hoyoung felt like he was possessed by a ghost.
Numerous spectators waving blue and red flags.
I felt dizzy as I looked at this vast stadium and over 100,000 spectators.
'Let's focus. The goal is to score and secure points at the same time. If you achieve all of them, what you will get is Messi's talent. 'Let's put the rest on hold and focus on the game.'
Beep!
It was then that the game started.
[Real Madrid came out with 4-1-3-2 as their starting formation.]
[This is a model that slightly exceeded expectations. This seems to mean that they will play extremely aggressive soccer.]
Carlos-Cannavaro-Pepe-Ramos formed a four-back line and raised the line high.
Diarra stood tall in midfield.
And right above them, Robben, Ho-Young Woo, and Zidane played the second line, supporting the two-top team of Raul and Van Nistelrooy.
This brings the total number of attack resources to five.
[well. If things continue like this, I don't think we'll be able to move against Barcelona's powerful midfield line. We'll have to wait and see for sure, but the space in the back is too wide and the distance between the midfielder and the second line is too far. It looks like Diara needs helpers.]
Extreme attack tactics.
Everything went in the direction Guardiola expected.
Madrid, who took the lead, held the ball for a long time and were dragging the pace.
'The intention is not to give up our market share.'
At least that's what Guardiola thought.
'Schuster is a very temperamental director, but I can handle this.'
Guardiola twitched one corner of his mouth.
This is because by succeeding in matching the opponent's strategy, you gain a huge advantage.
'good. Just do what you do and you will win.'
I felt like my confidence would explode.
But that confidence sank back in about a minute.
It was the end of Real Madrid's play.
"what!"
Sudden change of ranks.
Real Madrid is finally starting to show its true colors.
It was at that time that Guardiola's once more relaxed face became very depressed.
'This is crazy.'
The formation that Real Madrid changed was something that was not in mind at all.
Not even a second line, but a midfielder.
Aren't Zidane and Woo Ho-young standing side by side there?
And below that was Diarra.
It was a direct confrontation with the best midfield line in football history, 'Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta', who would later be nicknamed 'The Three Idiots'.
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