Bab 539: Tit for tat
After a period of rest, Real Madrid faced a challenge in the 4th round of La Liga, hosting Santander Athletic at the Bernabeu.
This is a team located in Santander, Cantabria Autonomous Community, in the northernmost part of Spain, adjacent to the Bay of Biscay and facing France across the sea.
After the last round's disastrous defeat to Atletico Madrid, head coach Juanjo made significant adjustments, focusing on defensive strategies to avoid another humiliating loss in Madrid.
As a result, the entire game was lackluster. Despite dominating possession, Real Madrid struggled against the opposition's defensive setup, especially facing the aggressive interceptions in the midfield and defense from the away team, who received several yellow cards.
Wang Feng had two chances from set pieces just outside the box, but one hit the post slightly and the other was saved by the goalkeeper Ivan.
Just when everyone thought the Galacticos were heading for two winless rounds, in the 87th minute, the Chinese superstar received the ball with his back to the goal about 26 meters out from the penalty area. He immediately laid it off to Alonso nearby and then spun away from the defenders behind him.
At this moment, a short pass from the Spanish midfielder arrived at his feet. With two defenders closing in, Wang Feng didn't hesitate and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot.
"Boom!" The ball flew like a cannonball towards the left side of the goal. Although Ivan got a touch, the ball's speed was too much, and it grazed the inside of the post into the net, making it 1-0!
The fans, who had been somewhat lethargic, erupted in excitement. Their patience was rewarded, and Wang Feng rushed to the sidelines, gesturing and shouting towards the stands, igniting everyone's passion.
With this goal, the Galacticos defeated their opponents and took all three points.
Similarly, Barcelona faced trouble in this round. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Valencia away, and if not for Soldado missing a chance to tap in from 2 meters out, the Catalan team might have tasted their first defeat of the season.
Bilanowa's level was clearly not up to Guardiola's. When Messi was off-form, he didn't know how to adjust tactically.
Adding insult to injury, the newly acquired star Neymar was controversial. He exhibited a somewhat arrogant attitude on the field, often making flashy moves that seemed offensive to the opponents and lacked practicality.
As a result, the Brazilian was fouled heavily multiple times, forcing Bilanova to strictly control his playing time to prevent injuries, leading him to complain, "I don't quite understand how the referees judge the game. But Neymar often faces some very dangerous defensive actions."
However, the media didn't buy this argument. AS commented that his frivolous actions were provocative, sometimes not even for attacking purposes, but merely to toy with the opponent.
"Perhaps this 19-year-old is just eager to show off, but the stage he's on is the most competitive league in Europe, not some circus."
"Samba football is not like this. Learn from predecessors Ronaldo and Ronaldinho; they earned respect from their opponents on the field."
Although the Catalan media defended Neymar, Mundo Deportivo believed that the Brazilian might have landed in Europe too early. He should continue to hone his skills in Brazil for one or two more seasons; it would be better for him to temper his impulsive nature.
Currently, La Liga seems to have a tit-for-tat dynamic. While the top two teams secured big wins in the first round, both the media and fans expected the situation to develop as it had in previous seasons, with continuous victories establishing their lead.
However, reality proved otherwise. Valencia's consecutive victories followed by a draw against Barcelona, and newly promoted Real Betis winning all four matches and leading the table with 12 points, overshadowed the top two. It's worth noting that the last time Betis topped La Liga was a decade ago.
Head coach Pepe Mel advocates enjoying football. The players play relatively relaxed on the field, even when facing adversity, they maintain an optimistic attitude.
Last season, Betis, still in the Segunda Division, faced Barcelona in the Copa del Rey knockout stage. After being completely dominated with a 0-5 loss in the first leg, they resisted the pressure and won 3-1 at home in the second leg, defeating the Catalan team unexpectedly.
This victory boosted the morale of all players and indirectly led to their promotion.
From the past two matches, it can be seen that Real Betis players have a big heart. Facing Athletic Bilbao, they came from behind to win 3-2 after trailing by two goals, and against Zaragoza, they alternately led, ultimately winning 4-3.
Of course, they also have many problems, such as an unstable defense and insufficient depth in the bench lineup. These issues will be exposed in the later stages of the league. Leading the points table now seems to be only temporary.
Pepe Mel joked in an interview, "We are still 30 points away from relegation. Well, it feels good to achieve the goal ahead of schedule."
On September 25th, in the 5th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Balacano away. Since there was a Champions League match midweek, head coach Ancelotti did not field all the main players. However, learning from the previous lesson, Wang Feng still led the lineup.
As it turned out, his decision was very wise. Just 5 minutes into the game, the home team capitalized on a defensive mistake from the Galacticos' backline, with Guinean forward Bangura opening the scoring. The defense of Nacho and Varane is still too young.
However, three minutes later, Wang Feng broke through from the right and stopped abruptly, using his dribble rhythm to shake off Galves and cut inside the penalty area. Then, he passed to Morata for a powerful shot to equalize.
Later, Wang Feng scored twice more, first with a back-heel finish after a through ball, and then with a header from inside the penalty area, securing the victory. After he was substituted, Callejon, Granero, and Alten Top scored again, completely overwhelming the opponents.
Before the final whistle, Terasolas pulled one back for the home team, bringing the score to 6-2, a resounding victory for the Galacticos over Balacano.
Barcelona, on the other hand, seemed to be in sync with Real Madrid. In a match that ended slightly later, they thrashed Atletico Madrid 5-0 at home, with Messi scoring a hat-trick, expanding his league goal tally to 8, still closely following behind Wang Feng.
Currently, the performance of the Catalan team relies entirely on the Argentine superstar, while the underestimated Villa was even snatched of his starting position by Fabregas, and Sanchez failed to live up to his talent.
Atletico Madrid's heavy defeat was within the expectations of head coach Manzano. In preparation for the Europa League showdown with Rennes, they fielded mostly substitute players, with stars like Falcao watching from the sidelines.
Apart from that, they also adopted a 4-3-1-2 formation at the last minute, fielding three defensive midfielders and the injured Diego. As expected, the defense didn't show any promising performance.
"The players' performance was not bad. In the second half, Salvio played with his characteristics on the wing. The team's morale will not be affected by any means."
"Except for Real Madrid, there aren't many La Liga teams that can gain much benefit from playing at the Camp Nou. I think this game isn't significant. What's more important is to look forward."
"Next weekend's match against Sevilla is the top priority. They are our main rivals for the Champions League spot, and in that game, we will strive for all three points."
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