Chapter 1 All-Out Battle

All the post-match voices were pessimistic about Liverpool, but in the first training session after the game, Martin O'Neill made his determination clear to everyone—no matter the outcome, Liverpool would show a stronger fighting spirit and a more steadfast belief at the Bernabéu than they had at home.

Even if Liverpool were to be eliminated, they would not accept a cowardly death. At the very least, they couldn't be pointed at and scolded, "They deliberately gave up on the Champions League!"

When there was still a chance to enter the semi-finals, why would they deliberately give up?

Many people couldn't understand this question. They weren't the head coach; they didn't understand the price and hardship required to go further in the Champions League.

They just thought, "Since we're already in the quarter-finals, why can't we work hard to get into the semi-finals? We'd be satisfied just to reach the top four..."

When they really got into the semi-finals, they would think, "Since we're already in the semi-finals, why not grit our teeth and fight to get into the final?"

When the team really gritted their teeth and made it to the Champions League final, they would get greedy: "Since we're in the final... screw it! Since we've come this far! Did we work so hard to get into the final just to take second place!"

Most fans always think like this, which forces the team to constantly pursue victory.

Once they lose a game, they will be harshly criticized by the outside world.

These same people complain that football is becoming more and more pragmatic, but first they should ask themselves if they are willing to accept their team never winning a championship...

Even a team like Barcelona, which sticks to its traditional style of play, faces immense pressure on its players and coaches when they don't win championships. Their lovely fans don't say they understand and support them. If they are overtaken by Real Madrid in the title race, they can expect to be waved at with white handkerchiefs by their own fans, and then heavily criticized by the media...

This is reality. The pragmatism of football is not due to the tactical thinking of certain coaches, nor is it promoted by FIFA or UEFA officials, but it is the influence of the entire environment. Under the pressure of championships and honors, to not be pragmatic is to die.

Liverpool had been and were still enduring this enormous pressure.

They were truly driven to the brink.

※※※

After finishing a day of training, Martin O'Neill returned to his office. He would rest there for a while, sort through some materials, and then go home.

He recalled the speech he had given to the players that morning. He had spoken passionately, his saliva flying, and he had received a positive response from the players. Chen Hero and Gerrard had stood up one after another to express their support for the coach, promising to go all out at the Bernabéu and strive for a victory.

The scene at the time could be described as blood-boiling.

However, Martin O'Neill was not particularly happy. Now, back in his office, he still had a headache.

Because he himself didn't believe what he had said...

Winning at the Bernabéu? Easier said than done!

For two whole seasons, no team had been able to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.

Could his Liverpool do it?

Could this "defeated army," chased around by Manchester United in the domestic league and having lost all its advantages in European competition, do it?

He really wasn't sure.

Put his hopes on Chen Hero?

But the home game had already proved that when Chen Hero was surrounded, he wasn't always so effective.

Although he wasn't sure, Martin O'Neill didn't plan to surrender. Even a trapped beast would still put up a fight, and even when dying, it would still "struggle" a bit.

He felt that the focus of his work should be on finding a way for Chen Hero to break through Real Madrid's layers of defense.

But how to do it?

Let me think about it, hmm...

Hmm...

……

……

……

Damn it! Still no idea!

O'Neill grabbed his hair in frustration.

※※※

Chen Hero stood in the team supermarket and asked the shopping guide, "Do you have the freshest Real Madrid here?"

"I'm sorry, sir?" The shopping guide was an AI, but she still couldn't understand Chen Hero's way of thinking.

"Um, I mean... the latest version of the Real Madrid team. The one coached by Mourinho, with Benzema, Higuain, Ronaldo, and others... that Real Madrid." Chen Hero explained.

The shopping guide shook her head, giving Chen Hero a disappointing answer: "I'm sorry, sir, we don't have any current teams."

Chen Hero left the team supermarket mode in disappointment and returned to the training ground.

He had wanted to buy a current Real Madrid team, study his opponents carefully in the副本 (fùběn - copy/instance), find their weaknesses, and repeatedly experiment in virtual matches until he found the best way to win... but now it was impossible.

Chen Hero's teacher, Van Basten, saw Chen Hero looking unhappy and asked him, "What's wrong, Hero?"

"Oh... I've run into a little trouble..." Chen Hero told Basten and the other players with autonomous intelligence about what he was worried about.

But to his disappointment, no one could give him any useful advice.

Well, it made sense... None of these people had been successful as head coaches later in their careers. Van Basten's coaching level and results were not as good as his two Dutch Three Musketeers teammates, and Maradona was even worse. The talented Argentina squad was led by him to… well, that was something. As for Inzaghi, Juninho, Maldini, and others, they were still in the coaching world, although they had all obtained coaching licenses, they had not really become head coaches.

Chen Hero wasn't in the mood to train for a while. His mind was full of how to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.

How could he defeat them in their home stadium?

Chen Hero had a headache.

※※※

It wasn't just these two people who were troubled by this matter. The pro-Liverpool club media also wanted to offer advice to Martin O'Neill.

But when their editors, writers, commentary experts, and club legends began to pick up their pens to offer advice to Liverpool, they realized that this was really difficult.

Why could Real Madrid trap Hero? Because they had a large number of troops in their penalty area, and their tactical discipline was very strong. They knew what to do and what not to do, and they would never cross the line.

In this way, it was difficult to find their weaknesses and loopholes.

In the past, they could try to think of ways to use psychological warfare, such as publishing articles criticizing Real Madrid's conservative tactics, telling Real Madrid fans that their tradition was attacking, was beautiful football, and that Mourinho, as a heretic, should be tied to a stake and burned alive!

This tactic used to be quite effective. It could make Real Madrid's management have some opinions about Mourinho's tactics, and then force Mourinho to meet the challenge in the way his opponents liked. The most classic battle was Mourinho's first season coaching Real Madrid, the first El Clásico, when Real Madrid challenged Barcelona away. Before the game, there was news that Real Madrid would use three defensive midfielders to counter Barcelona's midfield, but after the news was exposed, it immediately aroused protests from the Madrid media and Real Madrid fans. They believed that Real Madrid's practice of taking the initiative to show weakness was unacceptable and did not conform to Real Madrid's tradition.

Then Barcelona's Godfather Cruyff also came out to add insult to injury, saying that even if Real Madrid could defeat Barcelona, as long as they insisted on this pure defense and used barbaric crudeness to deal with Barcelona's beautiful football, they would be weak and losers, and they would never be able to lift their heads in front of the Barcelona people. Even if they won against Barcelona, Real Madrid fans would still have some regrets in their hearts—when can we fight Barcelona head-on with attacking football and defeat them?

It seemed that Cruyff was considering the problem from Real Madrid's perspective, thinking about Real Madrid, and loudly calling for Real Madrid to regain its former dignity and glory. Cruyff also said that he admired the former Real Madrid, and so on...

As a result, the Real Madrid people thought: Damn it, our mortal enemy is even more impressed by our past tradition, which shows how powerful our tradition is! No, Mourinho, you can't spoil our tradition like this. We don't want three defensive midfielders; we want to attack Barcelona! Even at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid people have never been afraid of anyone!

In this way, public opinion forced Mourinho onto that path. He gave up the prepared three defensive midfielders and instead attacked Barcelona.

Everyone in the world knew what happened next.

Real Madrid was thrashed by Barcelona with five goals at the Camp Nou, achieving the most painful defeat of Mourinho's coaching career.

However, through this game, many Real Madrid fans and club president Florentino realized that the current Real Madrid did not have the strength to attack Barcelona head-on. If they did so rashly, it would be self-defeating.

It was hard to say whether Mourinho was forced or did it on purpose. Anyway, from then on, Mourinho never lost a game because of such a mistake again. He gradually strengthened his control within the team, and the Madrid media no longer criticized Real Madrid for playing conservatively. Later, Mourinho even eliminated the resistance from the club's senior management. Within Real Madrid, apart from club president Florentino, he was the biggest.

Now, Real Madrid can play very beautifully and score a lot of goals when playing against weaker teams. But when they encounter difficult opponents and face key games, Mourinho will not hesitate to transform the team into his former Inter Milan, park a bus in front of the goal, and then eventually win the game.

At this time, no one would be ignorant and jump out to accuse Mourinho's football of being conservative and negative, and not conforming to Real Madrid's tradition.

What is Real Madrid's tradition?

Not attacking, not beautiful football, but victory, is the championship.

※※※

From a tactical point of view, there was no way to deal with that monolithic Real Madrid. From a psychological warfare perspective, Chen Hero had also proved that Mourinho had the ability to control the team's thinking and prevent them from being disturbed by the outside world.

How could Liverpool defeat the invincible Real Madrid at the Bernabéu?

Many people suffered from painful insomnia on this night...