The All-Around Center Forward

Boom!!!!!!!!

The entire stadium erupted in cheers!

The sudden counter-attack goal ignited the Bernabéu.

Fans rose to their feet, shouting excitedly.

It might have been an ugly game, but at least they scored!

Although a few fans expressed dissatisfaction, the goal still brought them a sense of exhilaration.

After scoring, Bale excitedly pointed at Suker, laughing as he rushed over.

Suker also got into position, and when Bale jumped, he hugged him tightly.

"I knew you could make it!"

Suker was very happy.

Currently, in Real Madrid, Bale is the only one who can keep up with Suker's speed.

Kaka's speed has declined; he can no longer burst with the same pace as before.

But Bale is still at his peak speed!

He even subtly seemed to be on the verge of surpassing Suker!

When Suker passed, he didn't even look to see if Bale was running, but he was confident Bale would make the forward run and get to that position.

Forwards have a natural keen sense for such open spaces.

If Bale couldn't make it, he wouldn't be able to play for Real Madrid!

Mourinho on the sidelines also clenched his fists tightly and waved his arms.

That's right!

This is the counter-attack!

After one season, Real Madrid's two 'hundred-million-euro' players finally showed their power.

The value of one supercar in a counter-attack is incredibly precious, let alone two.

But the moment Benzema successfully distributed the ball.

Real Madrid had already set up a runway for Suker and Bale, enough for them to soar through the sky.

"This counter-attack was too decisive, too brilliant!"

"Benzema's distribution was just right, and Suker passed the ball to the far post before the opponent could tackle."

"Borussia Dortmund's entire defensive line was leaning to the left; by the time they reacted and tried to block Bale, it was too late!"

"Borussia Dortmund's high pressing and offense are certainly threatening, but the players on the field are still too young; in terms of experience, Real Madrid is more seasoned, they know how to break the deadlock and seize the advantage!"

"This goal is the best answer!"

From the steal to the counter-attack, a total of five touches, all one-touch passes, ultimately led to many Real Madrid goals.

This fast counter-attack was too swift, leaving Borussia Dortmund completely unable to react.

Some players had not even retreated to their own half before Real Madrid had already scored.

"They're really tough!"

Klopp shook his head and sighed.

He truly didn't expect Mourinho to set up his tactics this way.

Of course, he also knew Mourinho was a defensive master, with everything centered on defense.

But this is Real Madrid, and deploying such a tactic still requires courage.

The last Head Coach who played an ugly game at Real Madrid was Capello, and because of the ugly play, he was boycotted by Real Madrid fans and eventually left Real Madrid.

Presumably, Mourinho, holding ten championships, felt he had nothing to fear!

Regardless of entertainment value, this tactic truly hit Borussia Dortmund's weak spot, making them very uncomfortable.

"Shut up!"

Seeing his team discussing the conceded goal, Kehl immediately shouted, then said, "Don't worry! Our offense is still effective, slowly look for opportunities, distribute the ball more to both sides, and at the same time, pay attention to Real Madrid's counter-attack, especially on the left wing; once Suker poses a threat, foul him immediately!"

Listening to Kehl's words, everyone then shifted their attention back to the game.

Piszczek slightly pursed his lips; he also wanted to foul, he also wanted to bring Suker down.

But Suker simply didn't give him the chance.

By the time he arrived, Suker had already passed the ball.

But he couldn't just not make a defensive move for that; once Suker breaks through, the consequences are even more severe.

"Sven!" Piszczek shouted to his defensive midfielder teammate: "Stick to Suker immediately, I can't defend him alone!"

The latter nodded in understanding.

Piszczek showed his weakness, but he didn't think there was anything embarrassing about it.

If he can't defend alone, he can't defend alone!

Moreover, this is Suker, not being able to defend him alone isn't embarrassing, is it?

World-class full-backs who are better than him, weren't they also beaten by Suker? It's normal for him not to be able to defend him.

In this regard, Piszczek's mentality was still very stable.

"Suker's pass was beautiful!"

"Gareth, what a great shot!"

"Come on! Win the game!"

As Suker and Bale retreated, the fans cheered and applauded them.

Suker could feel Bale was very excited.

In fact, this tactic was most suitable for Bale.

Retreating to defend, trying to push Borussia Dortmund's defensive line higher, providing Bale with a longer runway.

And under this tactic, as long as the defense holds steady, Suker and Bale can continuously pose a threat to Borussia Dortmund.

The game resumed.

After the kickoff, Borussia Dortmund immediately launched an attack.

After all, they are young players, and the most difficult emotion to suppress is impatience; they can hold it in for a bit, but enduring and wearing down Real Madrid's defense is simply impossible.

Mourinho accurately targeted the impetuous nature of these young players, thus deploying a defensive counter-attacking tactic.

As long as Borussia Dortmund cannot breach Real Madrid's defense, Borussia Dortmund's goal will always be in a threatened state.

For example, in these few counter-attacks, Borussia Dortmund paid the price of two yellow cards.

Benzema and Suker each caused a yellow card.

Sven Bender and Subotić each received a yellow card.

This also made Borussia Dortmund's defense even more precarious.

At this point, the game time also reached 40 minutes.

With the first half about to end, Borussia Dortmund became even more anxious.

They became impetuous once again!

"Steady! Steady!"

Kehl shouted desperately, and actively pushed forward, forcefully demanding Götze to pass back.

When Götze passed back, Real Madrid's encirclement did not continue to press forward.

Phew~~~

Kehl couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief; if Real Madrid had stolen the ball again and launched a counter-attack, it would have been truly dangerous this time.

Götze also had lingering fears.

He was also playing a bit too eagerly, failing to observe the changes around him.

Of course, the most anxious was Piszczek.

He saw Suker trying to make a sneaky run, and all his cells were alarming, shouting 'danger' the loudest.

Fortunately, Kehl, as captain, observed this in advance and stabilized the situation.

Kehl passed the ball back, and Real Madrid's players, seeing this, no longer had the desire to continue pressing.

Although they didn't score again to widen the lead.

But a one-goal lead was still enough to maintain their advantage.

Soon, the first half ended.

Thanks to Bale's goal, Real Madrid led Borussia Dortmund 1:0.

Halftime break.

Inside Real Madrid's locker room.

"I feel Borussia Dortmund's midfield is a bit too rough!"

As Kaka spoke, others also nodded in agreement.

Götze, strictly speaking, is a forward.

The true midfielders are Kehl and Sven Bender.

The technique of these two is not up to par; Kehl, as captain, is fierce in defense, but he is not a ball-carrying defensive midfielder who can bring offensive attributes to the team.

In an era where deep-lying playmakers are being used and attacking midfielders are being phased out, except for a few Head Coaches who still use the attacking midfielder position, the rest utilize defensive midfielders for organization.

Deep-lying playmaking, with transition and organization happening more completely in one's own half, is the current mainstream.

"They give a strange impression, as if they want to quickly transition to the front, just like their immediate counter-attacks, completely without midfield possession to look for opportunities; both offense and defense are direct!"

Khedira also expressed his opinion.

"This puts a lot of pressure on Götze; although it gives him a lot of space to play, it also makes him easily targeted!" Kroos said; "Just like our goal, we knew they would look for Götze, and then we used that to complete the steal and launch a counter-attack!"

Kaka pursed his lips; "I always feel like the tactics aren't perfectly complete?"

Suker showed a slight smile.

This judgment is correct!

Klopp's tactical thinking has not yet been fully established.

Klopp's tactical philosophy was only complete during his Liverpool period.

Klopp doesn't need creative midfielders; their organization doesn't rely on the midfield.

Many people complain that Klopp prefers rough-and-tumble midfielders, that his offense is all about brute force, full of spirit, but ultimately superficial.

Suker disagreed with such comments.

Klopp's teams are organized, but unlike other teams where defensive midfielders organize, their focal point of organization is the full-backs!

The future Arnold and Robertson are the best proof.

In the traditional sense, full-backs are defensive players, which gives the impression of a lack of organization, but on the contrary, the versatile full-backs became the most effective ammunition supply line for that Liverpool team at the time!

However, Klopp's tactical thinking still seems a bit muddled at the moment.

Or, he hasn't found a suitable full-back to serve as a creative hub, so he can only rely on midfield transitions.

But he doesn't want to slow down the attacking tempo, so it gives the impression of a rapid transition to the front of the pitch.

Inside the Borussia Dortmund locker room, Klopp sighed softly as he looked at Piszczek and Schmelzer.

The latter had already shown some signs of being a creative full-back, able to assist in attack.

But the former was still a traditional full-back, unable to bring true attacking value to the team.

It was also based on this that Klopp had no choice but to substitute Sven Bender and have İlkay Gündoğan play as the right defensive midfielder.

This also created a safe area for Götze's back passes.

In an ideal scenario, the right full-back should push forward, receive the ball, and organize the play.

Klopp coveted Real Madrid!

He didn't covet Suker; although Suker was very strong, he knew Borussia Dortmund couldn't buy Suker, and they couldn't afford Suker's salary.

He coveted Srna!

This player, suppressed by Mourinho, a creative full-back, was playing as a traditional full-back.

If Srna were in his lineup, he could go up and down, organize and break through, and had impressive speed, making him the perfect right-back template.

If they had Srna, their overall strength would advance another level.

"The tactics have been set! Strictly follow the tactics in the second half."

Klopp sighed to himself.

After losing the initiative, it would be too difficult to score a goal against Mourinho.

Moreover, in the second half, Suker's burst also needed to be watched carefully.

Everything seemed to tell him that this match was not far from defeat.

But Klopp was also frustrated!

Who would have thought that Real Madrid would employ a compact defensive tactic!

In the second half, both sides switched ends.

When Mourinho saw Borussia Dortmund's lineup changes, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Using İlkay Gündoğan to increase the rhythm changes in the back?"

Mourinho immediately understood Klopp's idea, but while the changes were sufficient, they still couldn't stop Suker's attacking impact.

Suker was Real Madrid's all-rounder in attack!

When the situation was stagnant!

When the attack couldn't get going!

When the attack was blocked, etc.—

Suker could solve it all!

His formidable individual ability was the most threatening weapon.

Klopp clearly didn't have a sufficient understanding of Suker's threat.

After all, he only analyzed through data and videos, but Suker's threat couldn't be explained by these superficial statistics alone.

Real Madrid still used the defensive counter-attack tactic.

Mourinho did not change his broad tactical philosophy.

Of course, this also made many fans dissatisfied.

They came to watch the match, not to see their team passively take a beating.

Although they scored a goal, the entertainment value of the match also needed to be maintained.

One-touch passing, they tolerated it!

Using Suker as a counter-attacking sword, they also tolerated it!

But being pressed and played against at home, they couldn't tolerate it!

"What kind of trash is this? Attack!"

"Why defend? Are we worse than them?"

"We are Real Madrid! Why defensive counter-attack? This is the choice of the weak!"

"Attack! Attack! I want to see attack!"

"Don't restrain Suker, let him play, let him dribble!"

Listening to the fans' dissatisfied shouts, Mourinho was unmoved, but sneered inwardly.

They don't know anything!

When there's an easier, safer way to win, why should I cater to you?

At this moment, the ball was passed to Suker's feet, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers.

"Suker, dribble!"

"Suker, don't pass! Dribble past him!"

"We want to see you dribble!"

"Dribble past him!"

Suker had intended to pass, but the sudden shouts made him pause.

And that pause caused him to miss the passing opportunity; Borussia Dortmund immediately swarmed him, Suker was forced to the touchline, and had no choice but to kick the ball off an opposing player's foot to make it rebound out of bounds, ensuring possession.

"Shut up!!!"

Suker didn't react, but Mourinho, enraged, shouted at the stands: "Idiots! Shut your mouths, don't interfere with my players' thinking!"

That fan was somewhat stunned by the scolding.

But the next second, he started arguing with Mourinho from a distance.

Suker was initially annoyed, but seeing this scene, he scratched his head and walked away helplessly.

In fact, Suker also understood the fans' thoughts.

After all, who doesn't want to watch an exciting match?

Brilliant dribbling!

Spectacular shots!

Precise passing!

Moreover, they were Real Madrid, and should inherently have more prestige than Borussia Dortmund, but now they were playing more passively.

No one likes to be passive, and fans even less so.

What's more, Real Madrid fans are picky; they are no longer satisfied with just winning, but winning beautifully.

And for Mourinho to play beautiful football?

That's simply impossible!

However, Suker's demand was to win, and as a player, he would obey the Head Coach's arrangements to the maximum extent.

Unless there was a type like Bilić, who was unyielding, why would anyone want to undermine the Head Coach and force him to submit?

These were all out of desperation!

Therefore, if Mourinho's tactics were reasonable, Suker would not oppose them.

If it's ugly, then let it be ugly!

As long as they win!

He's not picky!

Of course, if they could play beautifully and win, that would be even better.

While he was thinking, Marcelo had already thrown the ball to Suker.

Suker held off Piszczek, and immediately transferred the ball to Kroos.

Kroos passed it back to Kaka, further ensuring safety.

And Kaka looked towards Gareth Bale in the distance, and after finding no good passing position, he chose to pass back, drawing out Borussia Dortmund's defensive players.

But when Borussia Dortmund saw Real Madrid pass back, they immediately pressed forward, forcing Carvalho to clear the ball with a long kick.

Immediately, the Bernabéu stadium erupted in renewed dissatisfaction.

"What else can you do besides long kicks?"

"Transfer it to the wing!"

"Pass to Srna! Let him organize!"

"This is f***ing ugly football!"

The fans grew even more displeased, and Carvalho's face also looked bad, but there was nothing he could do.

In contrast, Klopp clenched his fists.

So annoying!

They just cleared the ball, not giving them any chance to steal and counter-attack.

Even if they gained possession, Real Madrid had already retreated and formed a compact defensive line, waiting for their attack.

However, this time, Götze had İlkay Gündoğan behind him, allowing for better ball control.

Just then, Klopp saw a young, muscular player emerge from the Real Madrid bench.

Seeing his physique, he knew immediately that this was a defensive player.

And most likely a defensive midfielder.

"Damn it!"

Klopp clenched his fist.

After missing the initiative, he truly wasn't given any chances.

Wouldn't this Portuguese man ever get arrogant?

He kept adding layers to his defense, repeatedly blocking their tactical changes.

Bang!

Götze's long-range shot grazed the goalpost and flew out of bounds.

During the dead ball, Real Madrid made a substitution.

For Real Madrid, Khedira and Marcelo came off.

Casemiro and Coentrão came on.

At the same time, Mourinho told Arbeloa to be ready to replace Srna at any time.

Mourinho's extremely high defensive tactical acumen was on display; with layer upon layer of defense, even though Borussia Dortmund was the attacking side, they were the passive side in terms of overall rhythm.

Even the Spanish commentator González couldn't help but exclaim: "Mourinho truly gives no chances at all; with his targeted substitutions, Real Madrid's defense is further reinforced."

"Perhaps Mourinho could be even more absolute, having everyone except Suker retreat to defend!"

No sooner had he spoken than González saw Benzema and Gareth Bale simultaneously retreat, while Suker moved to the foremost position.

Real Madrid had completely entered iron defense mode!

González: "Well... that's very Mourinho!"