Chapter 455: Final battle
In the history of La Liga, only Real Madrid and Barcelona have achieved three consecutive league titles. The last time the Galacticos achieved this feat was in the 1990s, and now the glory has been revived.
But at this moment, the players cannot relax because they still have one final battle to fight, aiming for the goal of winning the Champions League for the third consecutive time!
Before the restructuring, Real Madrid was the king of the Champions League, achieving a great feat of winning five consecutive titles. Since the restructuring, no team has been able to win the title three times in a row. Naturally, they want to be the first to do so.
To this end, Florentino offered huge bonuses to inspire the team. As long as they win the Champions League, each player's share of the money will be no less than seven figures. "This season, we have defeated Barcelona three times already, and considering their internal unrest, victory will surely belong to us!"
Indeed, there is a lot of tension within the Catalan team, as if a powder keg is about to explode, affecting not only the players and coaching staff but also the management.
According to "AS" reports, the Champions League will be Barcelona's last chance. If they fail, significant changes will occur. Elections may be called early, and many people will be dismissed, especially Laporta's various confidants.
After the final round of La Liga matches, Guardiola gave an interview to the media. He admitted the team's loss in the league and considered it very unfortunate. "We won almost every game, except for the most crucial El Clásico."
But he emphasized that Barcelona will give their all in the Champions League final. "The players are full of fighting spirit, and this is our last chance for revenge. I believe anyone with courage will want to seize it."
When asked about his conflict with Eto'o and whether he would arrange for him to play in the final, the Spaniard refused to answer the question with a straight face. "Tactical arrangements will not be revealed before the match."
Speaking of their opponents Real Madrid and Wang Feng, Guardiola sighed, "Their overall strength is very strong, and more importantly, they have been consistently stable from start to finish, with Wang Feng's performance being crucial."
"The Chinese superstar has become the backbone of the team, and I rarely see players maintain such a good form for a long time."
At the same time, he also praised his disciple Messi, "In fact, I believe Messi also has the potential and qualifications. What he lacks is only experience and growth."
Both teams arrived in the Italian capital of Rome almost simultaneously. With the arrival of the big game, the city gradually became more lively. Not only did fans of the two La Liga giants flock in, but many Italian fans who used to adore Wang Feng also wanted to witness their idol's brilliance on the scene again, not to mention the presence of Chinese faces.
The generous Real Madrid club had long rented a whole five-star hotel near the Olympic Stadium as accommodation for players and accompanying staff.
Barcelona, on the other hand, chose a more remote but better-equipped resort to stay, not only to avoid the dense media but also to conduct the final training and reinforcement.
Only four days were left for both sides, which seemed like a lot, but was actually very tight. The coaching staff needed to design tactics specifically, players needed to train together and adapt to the venue, and even the weather conditions on the day of the match had to be predicted and analyzed, not to mention the necessary pre-match media interviews and other tasks.
Guardiola even sent someone to coordinate the watering of the pitch because Barcelona's possession-based style relied heavily on ground passes. The moisture of the grass would directly affect their performance; it shouldn't be too dry to increase friction nor too wet to be slippery.
Everything that could be thought of and done, the Spanish coach did. At this point, all he could do was pray for a chance for them to defeat Real Madrid and not let their arch-rivals ascend the throne at their expense.
On the day of the final, Guardiola and the others boarded the bus to the stadium. Eto'o was still nowhere to be seen among the crowd. Since his public defiance of the coach last time, he had no place in the first team.
No player spoke on the way, and the atmosphere was as heavy as if heading to an execution ground. Some closed their eyes to rest, some gazed out the window, only Messi clenched his fists with his head bowed.
He was unwilling! After all the hard work to get here, could they only accept another defeat? He wanted to loudly question his teammates' fighting spirit and deliver an impassioned speech to inspire them, but in the end, he said nothing.
A little distance away, Puyol looked at the Argentine helplessly shaking his head. Leo was great in everything except for being too introverted; he never showed off.
As the core and best player of the team, he must shoulder the role of the team's soul, whether it be calming nerves in victory or boosting morale in defeat, both were indispensable.
In this regard, Wang Feng and even Cristiano Ronaldo did much better than him. The Chinese superstar, needless to say, was disciplined while often wearing a smile, which was very infectious to his teammates. No matter the adversity, just seeing him could bring a sense of calm to everyone.
More importantly, the media revealed that he always promised his teammates during critical moments, "Trust me," "Leave it to me." Such a sense of responsibility, which player wouldn't want to cooperate with him?
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he was flamboyant and always full of confidence. In interviews, he often stated astonishing goals, but even if he failed to achieve them, the fans wouldn't blame him. Who wouldn't want to see a player who was always energetic and competitive?
"Perhaps failure is also a kind of tempering for Leo; I hope he can step forward for the team in the face of adversity in the future." Puyol silently thought to himself.
After the final warm-up training before the match, both sides submitted their starting line-ups. Real Madrid continued to use the 4-4-2 formation, with Casillas in goal.
The defense consisted of Pepe, Ramos, Ashley Cole, and Marcelo. Fortunately, several injured players had recovered and would not miss the final battle.
The midfield included Diarra, Gago, Robben, and Sneijder.
The forward line was led by Wang Feng and Raúl.
Barcelona, on the other hand, changed their style from the usual three-pronged attack to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Valdés in goal.
The defense line consisted of Puyol, Yaya Touré, Piqué, and Márquez.
The two defensive midfielders were Xavi and Alves, while the three attacking midfielders were Iniesta, Busquets, and Messi.
Henry was pushed to the front as the lone striker. With Eto'o gone, Guardiola could only have Messi drop back to organize and Henry act as a pivot.
This lineup was somewhat unexpected for Real Madrid coach Schuster. When he learned that the Cameroonian had no room for negotiation with Barcelona at the moment, he thought the Spanish coach would use Pedro or Bojan as substitutes instead.
Unexpectedly, Guardiola chose to stick to the midfield, going all out both defensively and offensively, relying on the single forward pillar with Messi hidden behind as the killer.
This setup made the attack more concealed and versatile, also in line with Messi's comprehensive technical characteristics. However, such a tactic was rarely seen from Barcelona before.
To be able to change tactics on the stage of the Champions League final, Guardiola was taking a desperate gamble, but Schuster was equally confident in his team's lineup. Making history by defeating Barcelona was happening today.
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