Chapter 647: Chapter 77: The Root of Everything, Chen!_2

Back then, Schuster refused to strengthen the team during the winter window, and ultimately, after losing the match against Barcelona, he spoke rashly.

But clearly, Mourinho is wise. He began, "After spending six months here, I believe I can finally talk about my life as the coach of Real Madrid."

"Everyone has the right to express different opinions, and I want to protect my players. But if I were to list the referees’ mistakes one by one to you, I wouldn’t be able to sit on the bench in the next match. And for others, it’s always easy to hide behind a coach."

Francisco’s expression was somewhat subtle, and the press officer beside him was even more animated. If it weren’t for Francisco tightly gripping his hand, the press officer might have rushed up directly.

Mourinho even talked about the fans, those who sing for him at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium: "I hope the fans can give us more support, but I have no right to demand anything from them. They always fill the stadium..."

"Perhaps it’s a cultural difference, a stadium difference."

"But people aren’t foolish. They understand football and know that this team has given its all."

The press officer almost fainted. He nearly thought Mourinho would criticize the fans, but fortunately, it was just some mild complaints. Even Francisco breathed a sigh of relief.

After saying so much, Mourinho finally held back and began to praise his players.

"They have given their all. I stand with my players."

"In the past six months, we’ve had work and dedication, historic breakthroughs, sacrifices, high-level football, and proud achievements. For me, being the coach of these great players is a tremendous honor."

"As for tonight’s match?"

"I won’t talk about any match because such a match doesn’t exist. Everything was so ugly. If I were a fan, I wouldn’t spend even one Euro to watch such a game. If I were watching TV at home, I’d switch channels to Eurosport to watch the Vietnamese league."

"Clearly, today was the perfect opportunity for Barcelona to catch up. As a result, those who thought the gap between the two teams would widen are definitely furious."

"After all, we won the match."

On this night, Mourinho did not stand out as usual. Instead, he used a seemingly ambiguous tone, making it almost difficult to discern which of his statements were sarcastic.

But no matter how he spoke, many could distinctly feel one signal—Mourinho has many things bottled up at Real Madrid that he cannot say to the public.

About the higher-ups? About the referees? About the fans? Or about something else? Perhaps only Mourinho himself knows.

Mourinho’s remarks attracted extensive media coverage after the match.

Spain’s "World Newspaper" believes Mourinho elevated his tone aggressively, seemingly eternally being at odds with the world, challenging his own club this time.

However, his "enemies" do not include the players.

The "World Newspaper" sees this as a clever move.

He’s rallied his players to form a fighting unit, and now, anyone opposing him is opposing the team.

It’s an extremist approach but carries strategic significance.

Of course, there are risks involved.

Because Real Madrid’s style has now come to represent Mourinho’s style, and history tells us that Real Madrid’s style is vastly different.

Another critical point is Chen Zhong, who scored a crucial goal in this match. When most recognized the draw, Chen Zhong inspired his teammates to continue attacking and scored a beautiful goal, using his weak foot, which made many exclaim that Chen Zhong has progressed again.

Mourinho did not single out Chen Zhong, which has been interpreted by the "World Newspaper" as a signal of wanting to "humanize" Chen Zhong.

He seemingly does not want Chen Zhong to dominate over the team.

The "World Newspaper" says that at the post-match press conference, Mourinho spent most of his time talking about the referees and the club’s insufficient protection of the team, but rarely, or did not talk about Real Madrid’s crucial goal from Chen Zhong in this match, that small-angle goal, that weak foot goal. Once again, he successfully diverted media attention.

Still, at a time when the Ballon d’Or results are about to be announced.

Of course, Mourinho’s penchant for theatrics and Florentino’s theory of "creating a sensation to draw public attention, and attracting attention to expand Real Madrid’s influence" are not conflicting.

Mourinho consistently manages to capture people’s attention.

However, "World Newspaper" points out that Mourinho now should not overshadow the main event but should emphasize Chen Zhong’s performance more.

Despite Chen Zhong being a top contender for the Ballon d’Or, there has never been a precedent for a non-World Cup champion winning the Ballon d’Or in a World Cup year, Xavi and Iniesta still have a high chance to win the Ballon d’Or.

Many admire Mourinho’s distinct personality and his successful transformation of the team, but his recurrent conflicts with Camp Nou and referees have seen Real Madrid regress.

Under his leadership, the current Real Madrid is like Barcelona in the 1980s, always considering themselves victims. Five years ago, Real Madrid made a similar move, posting a notice on their official website listing seven accusations against referee González-Vasquez, ultimately paying a hefty price as it enraged the Spanish Football Association’s higher-ups.

And now, Mourinho seems to be treading that old path again.

Even Santiago, the head journalist for "Marca," believes that Mourinho criticizing his own club is only a matter of time. Previously, his ambition to take over the Portugal National Team exposed some of his headstrong personality.

Mourinho’s personality is overpowering; he possesses immense wisdom. He wants to control not just Real Madrid but also the opponents, football, journalists.

Florentino is a man filled with the desire for power, yet unusually he has delegated many powers to Mourinho because Real Madrid needs rapid success urgently, and Florentino lacks the patience for long-term waiting. Trusting Mourinho is because the Portuguese’s records testify that he is the guarantee of success.

But there are rumors that during his tenure at Real Madrid, Mourinho promised Florentino that he would build the team around Chen Zhong, ensuring Chen Zhong performs exceptionally well this season.

Moreover, rumors have emerged that the plan to bring in a center forward this winter, which got rejected repeatedly, was because Florentino was satisfied with the team’s performance but not with Chen Zhong’s stats.

Some even say, "If Mourinho were a bit smarter, he could tell Florentino, I want to boost Chen’s stats, I need players to deliver balls for him, and then Florentino might be willing to open the coffers for Mourinho to spend lavishly."

Mourinho acquired powers at Real Madrid that previous coaches did not have, but there’s a precondition—that his powers would not affect Chen Zhong and might even enhance him.

Yet, in terms of results, Real Madrid’s performance has improved, and the style is gradually becoming clear.

But Chen Zhong’s performance has been somewhat suppressed and has only recently started to improve.

Santiago believes that if Mourinho wants to maintain a good relationship with Real Madrid, he needs to make Chen Zhong shine even more.

"Mourinho needs to realize one thing."

"At Real Madrid, anyone can be replaced."

"Whether it’s Cristiano, Kaka, Ramos, or Casillas."

"But Chen is irreplaceable. He is Real Madrid’s finest youth training player in recent years and matches Barcelona’s Messi as a fitting existence from all aspects."