I Am Scouted by Real Madrid-Chapter 422 - 62: Chen’s Championship Declaration
In the first leg of the King’s Cup semi-finals, there was a noteworthy scene.
Enrique Flores, standing on the sidelines, displayed an enigmatic smile upon seeing Chen Zhong’s powerful strike breach the team’s goal.
This also led to dissatisfaction among Atletico Madrid fans after the match, and several media outlets were already displaying banners of Flores’s "countdown to dismissal."
The first candidate to replace Flores, the media predicts, is Diego Simeone, who once played for Atletico Madrid, or Gregorio Manzano, a candidate for the Spain National Team coach position.
In terms of public opinion, Manzano is closer to the coaching position at Atletico Madrid. After all, this esteemed Spanish coach, nearly 70 years old, is known as the "Professor" of La Liga, with both prestige and experience making him more suitable than Simeone.
However, Flores scoffed at the prospect of his imminent dismissal. When reporters inquired about this, the coach faithfully asserted, "I have just become the head coach of Atletico Madrid not long ago."
"But the team has already undergone a new transformation."
"Our position in the league is not good right now, but I will still do everything to bring a championship to the team."
Some media outlets believe this coach, who was still promoting "defeat to Chen" yesterday, has lost his mind, given that the only championship Atletico Madrid could strive for now is the UEFA Europa League trophy.
The UEFA Europa League is not the King’s Cup. Currently, the two teams most likely to advance to the finals of the King’s Cup are Real Madrid, who defeated Atletico Madrid by 2 goals away, and Sevilla, who defeated Getafe by 3 goals at home.
Sevilla is gradually earning the title "King of Cups," but with Chen Zhong, who stole a Super Cup from them with a diving header in the 07-08 season, many think Sevilla, after a hard-fought battle to reach the finals, might just be a runner-up.
After all, reaching the finals, Real Madrid surely wouldn’t mind going one step further!
But in the UEFA Europa League besides Atletico Madrid, there are champion clubs like Liverpool, Juventus, Ajax, and Eindhoven.
Not to mention formidable teams like Everton, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Wolfsburg, Villarreal, Werder Bremen, Valencia, Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, and Rome.
Furthermore, Atletico Madrid’s section has been drawn, with matches starting in February, with the first opponent being Galatasaray. Then there will be another two-legged match against the winner between Sporting CP and Everton.
This is just the beginning; in this section, if they want to reach the finals, they might face Liverpool in the semi-finals, provided Liverpool doesn’t meet any unexpected setbacks.
Even if victorious against Liverpool, they might encounter Juventus in the finals.
This explains why many think Flores is crazy, even Pellegrini privately laments for this "colleague."
At the same time, he feels smug about his own luck, as under his leadership, Real Madrid is highly likely not to end this season empty-handed, and his career without trophies might conclude perfectly.
In such an atmosphere, Real Madrid faced the Spanish in the league.
This is already Spain’s 21st league round; 17 rounds to go and the season will conclude. Currently, Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied in league points, but Real Madrid is temporarily at the top due to goal difference advantage.
Barcelona nearly faltered against Getafe at Camp Nou in this round. Leading by 1 goal in the first half, they were equalized by Getafe in the second half. If it wasn’t for Messi’s brilliant performance, helping the team secure a 2:1 victory, they might have been forced to take a draw.
As for Real Madrid’s opponent, the Spanish, though strong, didn’t put up much resistance against Real Madrid.
After all, the Spanish are currently mid-table in the league standings and they hold a "sworn enemy" relationship with Barcelona. Rather than letting Barcelona take the championship, they are more anticipative of seeing Real Madrid claim the title.
After the 21st league round, the second leg of the King’s Cup semi-finals began. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Getafe, who nearly toppled the cosmic Barcelona at Camp Nou, exploded with fervent spirit, defeating Sevilla 1-0 at home, but was ultimately eliminated by Sevilla with a total score of 1-2.
Sevilla secured their ticket to the King’s Cup finals.
And in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, for the second leg between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, it was evident Flores had already given up on this match. He didn’t have the courage to "burn the ships" and chose instead to keep his ammunition for the UEFA Europa League.
Eventually, Real Madrid ended the match with a 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid, successfully securing their ticket to the King’s Cup finals, practically predestining the championship of the King’s Cup.
During the post-match interview, facing the anger of Atletico Madrid fans, Flores calmly stated, "Adults must understand the art of decision-making; it’s obviously a very simple choice now: either gain nothing or strive for a championship."
