Capello's 50-day plan became another joke created by Real Madrid.
After losing the Madrid mini-derby, which was described by the media as being trampled, Capello began to have a crisis of trust at Bernabéu.
The reporter wrote: When are you going to retire?
Such a report would be supported by a large number of Real Madrid fans.
Just half a month ago, Real Madrid had four consecutive league wins and the Champions League massacre of Kyiv Dynamo. Bernabéu seemed to be in a state of prosperity. Half a month later, they only got one point in two rounds of the league. After giving the league leader's throne to Barcelona, Bernabéu fell into a precarious situation again.
This was Real Madrid. It was always a different world from the sunny and spring-like scenery of Spain. Thunder and lightning could strike in the next second after the wind and the sun shone brightly.
Qin Xiong returned to the team to participate in Steaua Bucharest's preparations and then boarded the plane with the team to the capital of Romania.
October 17th, 8: 45 p.m.
Real Madrid visited Steaua Bucharest's home ground.
Qin Xiong sat on the bench and calmly waited for the game to start.
He had just recovered from his injury and Capello did not include him in the starting list to be on the safe side. Instead, he planned to adapt according to the situation on the field and see if Qin Xiong was needed to play.
Although this Champions League game was important, they had not won in two rounds of the league. They would return to Bernabéu to play the game of the century against Barcelona on the weekend. Capello did not say it, but he knew in his heart that he needed Qin Xiong to play in the game of the century.
"The third day of the UEFA Champions League group stage is here. Steaua Bucharest will play against Real Madrid at home. Both teams have three points, three points behind Lyon, who has won both games. The two rounds of the third and fourth day of the game are very important for both teams. If they play well, they may be able to advance early. For example, if a team kills their opponent twice, then according to the home and away game record, they will naturally advance early if they are ahead of their opponent by six points.
Steaua Bucharest's starting lineup today: 4411.
Goalkeeper: Fernández.
Defenders: Saban, Goyan, Gionnea, Marin.
Midfielders: Nicolita, Palaszeff, Lovin, Bosina.
Forwards: Dica, Badea.
Real Madrid start 442.
Goalkeeper: Casillas.
Defenders: Ramos, Helguera, Cannavaro, Carlos.
Midfielders: Robinho, Diarra, Emerson, Guti.
Forwards: Raúl, van Nistelrooy.
Alright, after the kickoff ceremony, the match will begin immediately! "
Real Madrid showed their momentum from the start of the match. Their tackling efficiency was very high, and Steaua Bucharest did not have much of an advantage at home.
It was understandable that Elgua's performance in the last game had been out of practice for a long time. However, after he was called back to the First Team by Capello, the dedicated veteran gradually regained his strength. He dared not say that he had returned to the peak, but at least returning to a normal level was not a problem.
He and Cannavaro formed a center-back combination that worked well. Emerson and Diarra formed a barrier in front of the penalty area that did not cross the minefield, which also ensured the stability of Real Madrid's defensive line.
Ramos and Carlos worked especially hard shuttling up and down the flank. Guti and Robinho often went to the front waistline to create opportunities for Raúl and van Nistelrooy on the front line, but they were always submerged in Steaua Bucharest's dense defense.
Real Madrid's momentum was impressive, but unfortunately, their offensive tactics were slightly rigid, and it was difficult to break through the opponent's dense defense.
Qin Xiong sat on the substitutes' bench and quietly read the game. It was his habit and had nothing to do with whether he would play or not.
Capello did not smile on the sidelines, but he was a little anxious on the inside.
People always compared today's Real Madrid to Real Madrid ten years ago.
But in fact, ten years ago, Real Madrid did not even have to play in the UEFA Europa League. They focused on the league tournament and finally won the throne.
But today?
The Champions League was bound to be a heavy burden for Capello. While he had to take care of it, the demands on him also skyrocketed.
Perhaps he was a top manager who had won too many championships.
But his achievements in the Champions League, other than that one championship during the AC Milan dynasty, had no other achievements.
In other words, he personally had not won the Champions League for more than ten years.
It was impossible to define whether he was out of touch with the contemporary Champions League, but at least the reality was that he did not shine on this stage in the past ten years!
The first half of the game ended with 0: 0.
The lack of creativity in Real Madrid's offense was still an obvious problem.
Capello asked Qin Xiong to warm up before he walked into the locker room. Qin Xiong put on a singlet and warmed up on the field.
Qin Xiong did not know what happened in the locker room, and he did not want to know.
Capello was neither like Comain to give an impassioned speech to motivate the team, nor like Wenger to take the initiative to reduce the pressure on the players to reduce the manager's authority and oppression.
He was serious, rigid, and even preached his majesty all the time, so he sometimes made the big star players very disgusted. Qin Xiong was no exception.
No one wanted to be blamed before they made a mistake. They hated the atmosphere of being lectured and everyone kept quiet out of fear.
When they returned to the field in the second half, Guti was replaced by Qin Xiong and Robinho was also replaced by Beckham.
Before kickoff, Qin Xiong first walked to Diarra and Emerson and said to them with a normal expression, "Try to look at my position when you have possession of the ball in the midfield. Pass the ball to me!"
Diarra nodded silently. Emerson did not respond. Perhaps he was taking advantage of his seniority. He did not care to agree on the surface, but Qin Xiong could read his eyes.
He agreed.
This was not yielding to anyone. It was just cooperation that should be there.
If Qin Xiong had said this to them two months ago, they would not have been convinced!
But in the past two months, they had familiarized themselves with Madrid and suffered a lot of pressure from the Spanish media on their shoulders.
Whether it was arrogance or sharpness, they had all been suppressed to the point of disappearing.
Now that Qin Xiong had said this to them, it did not matter whether they wanted to throw all the responsibility to Qin Xiong or if they really understood the importance of Qin Xiong to the team's offense. As long as they cooperated, it was enough.
After a simple exchange with the two defensive midfielders, Qin Xiong walked to Beckham again and said softly, "David, you mainly support me on the flank. Try to pull the side as much as possible. If there is space, dribble the ball forward. If not, control the ball and pass it to me or the teammates behind me."
Beckham asked in return, "What's the purpose?"
"To create opportunities for the strikers. We can't just pass the ball to the strikers aimlessly and let them complete the two tasks of getting rid of the shot. Today, the opponent played a tight defense. If we want to create great opportunities, we have to be patient."
"Okay, I understand."
Qin Xiong patted Beckham's shoulder and walked back to the back of the center line. He had nothing to communicate with Raúl. The two of them had begun to form a tacit understanding over the past period of time.
It was just that he did not realize that after returning from the FIFA match, Qin Xiong gave outsiders the feeling that he had not yet stepped out of the role of a captain.
Beckham glanced at his shoulder from the corner of his eye, where Qin Xiong had patted him lightly. He felt a little puzzled.
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