Real Madrid's schedule is tight.
Especially after entering the second half of the season, the overall adjustment for match preparations has become tense.
Whether it's the League or the Champions League, the club needs to coordinate everything.
There's no talk of giving up; Real Madrid will not abandon any competition when fighting on multiple fronts; they disdain such an act.
This is also thanks to Real Madrid's deep bench, but in the adjustments of various competitions, the Champions League takes a larger proportion.
In the Champions League, Real Madrid had just defeated Borussia Dortmund away, which also served to consolidate their morale to a certain extent.
However, they also encountered some problems in that match, such as conceding the first goal, which was an extension of the problem and required Real Madrid to make some minor adjustments.
Ancelotti's adjustments in this regard are more player-centric, analyzing their psychological state and providing more encouragement.
For Ancelotti, he believes that Real Madrid players no longer need extensive tactical and technical training; they only need to be provided with more emotional value.
This way, the players' condition can be guaranteed, and their performance will be stable.
To this end, after entering the second half of the season, Ancelotti has become more lenient in his supervision, and daily training has incorporated more fun interactive games, allowing players to fully release their pressure, which is more conducive to the upcoming matches.
In the League, Real Madrid is also steadily advancing; Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are fiercely competing, and with Real Madrid leading the two teams by approximately six points, they are relatively more secure.
After all, only by defeating their opponent can they begin to threaten Real Madrid.
However, it seems that Barcelona and Atletico Madrid currently have no intention of bothering Real Madrid; both are fixated on the second spot in the standings, fiercely battling each other.
As for the Copa del Rey, only one final needs to be played, and everything is progressing steadily, not deviating too much from the planned scope, so Ancelotti is relatively calm internally.
However, Ancelotti still feels pressure.
His pressure comes from results!
Regardless of how Mourinho left Real Madrid, his achievements at Real Madrid are undeniable.
Two Champions League titles in three years, and a Champions League consecutive win.
Having such a predecessor is immense pressure for any successor.
Of course, Ancelotti does not seek too many honors; after all, he is just starting and is a pragmatic person.
Ancelotti's goal for this season leans more towards the League or the Champions League!
Winning either of these two competitions would be acceptable!
Winning the Copa del Rey would be the icing on the cake!
If he wins all three, Ancelotti is confident that he can embark on an even more ambitious transformation plan next season.
Of course, these are all hypotheses; how they will specifically proceed still needs to be seen based on the current development.
On April 9th, the Champions League Quarter-Final, second leg, began.
The first match was Manchester United hosting Bayern Munich.
After losing the previous leg, Manchester United intended to launch a desperate counterattack at Home.
Manchester United playing at home should not be underestimated, but Bayern Munich's overall cohesion is strong, and they have many tactical variations.
At 30 minutes, the score was tied 1-1.
In the second half, Bayern Munich quickly made a tactical change, with Robben coming on as a substitute, becoming the decisive player of the match.
Ultimately, at 71 minutes and 79 minutes, he completed an assist and a shot.
Cristiano Ronaldo also scored two goals at Old Trafford.
Finally, Bayern Munich defeated Manchester United 3-1 away.
For Manchester United fans, watching Cristiano Ronaldo contribute to their own goal filled them with helplessness.
This 'Little Ronaldo' who they once had high hopes for, left his homeland for his dream, and when they met again, he was already an opponent.
They felt very sad about this situation but couldn't express too much; facing Cristiano Ronaldo's final departure, they could only give applause.
The camera happened to capture Sir Alex Ferguson in the stands.
Sir Alex Ferguson, after retirement, appeared much calmer; he was also applauding along with the fans, and his face revealed a sense of helplessness, but more so, a sense of relief.
His choice was not wrong; he said this child deserved a Ballon d'Or.
And Cristiano Ronaldo did not disappoint his expectations; after joining Bayern Munich, he lifted the Ballon d'Or in just one season, proving his ability.
No matter how reluctant, there will always be a farewell.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bayern Munich still left this land; they returned to Germany to continue preparing for the match.
And in Spain, the Champions League was also in full swing.
Bayern Munich became the first team to reach the Champions League Semi-Final.
And the Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund match would determine the second Champions League semi-finalist.
Based on the previous leg, Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1 away, which gave Real Madrid more room for error.
Moreover, this was their home, making it even more difficult for Borussia Dortmund to make a comeback.
However, Borussia Dortmund does not lack the fighting spirit to push forward; they are still full of fighting spirit.
On June 10th, the city of Madrid became exceptionally lively at night.
As April progressed and the World Cup drew nearer, even ordinary citizens began to pay attention to football in advance, preparing to welcome this grand event.
During this period, the Champions League viewership also soared, especially for matches involving favorites like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, based on their first-leg advantage, were relatively relaxed.
This situation could be seen from the relaxed attitude of the fans.
Although the match atmosphere was still lively, the overall mood of the fans was one of relaxation.
They believed that Borussia Dortmund could not pose a threat to them, and even away, facing a disadvantage, Real Madrid could make adjustments and complete a comeback.
Not to mention playing at home, at home, with the stands full of their own people.
The cheers in the stands were deafening; although the match atmosphere at Westfalen was lively, the atmosphere at the Bernabéu was equally impressive.
Under waves of cheers and shouts, the atmosphere on site gradually reached a climax.
Both teams' players completed their warm-ups in such an environment and returned to the locker rooms for final preparations.
"Based on the last match, we have made relative adjustments, but to defeat Real Madrid, you need to show even greater fighting spirit and determination; if we cannot disrupt Real Madrid's rhythm, it will be very difficult for us to win, so you need to fight even harder than usual!"
Klopp's tone was heavy, conveying the importance he placed on this match.
It was a do-or-die battle!
Last season, they reached the Champions League, unfortunately finishing as runners-up, and had intended to make a comeback this season.
However, due to the departure of many key players and various circumstances, their combat strength was diluted significantly, but that doesn't mean they are without a fight.
Klopp firmly believes that with the right tactics, this Borussia Dortmund team also has the ability to overturn Real Madrid.
"Hummels!" Klopp patted Hummels's shoulder forcefully: "Suker is yours!"
In the previous match, Hummels single-handedly defended Suker for half the game, and despite losing the match, Hummels indeed became a hot topic and was praised by many as the best center-back currently.
There was no way around it; after all, any defender facing Suker was in a very disadvantageous position.
Let alone holding their own, even maintaining a semblance of defense was extremely difficult.
And in such a situation, Hummels's single defense appeared particularly valuable.
It can be said that the previous leg's match made Hummels, and at the same time, made him a focus of media attention.
Many people were looking forward to whether Hummels could single-handedly defend Suker in this match, just like in the last one.
Hummels also felt very confident about this.
To be honest, after playing the last match, he also felt that he had grasped some tricks and could impose some restrictions on Suker.
"In today's match, you don't need to coordinate with anyone else; just play well on the left wing!"
Ancelotti patted Suker's shoulder and said, "No one can stop you!"
Suker nodded, his expression still showing little change.
He had also heard some comments about Hummels defending him one-on-one, which brought Hummels a lot of attention and popularity.
However, Ancelotti knew that the away game had been a more conservative tactical approach, and he had instructed Suker to cooperate more with others, which resulted in Suker's impact on the left wing not being as obvious.
But in this game, he was going to let Suker explode without reservation.
Every season, there were all sorts of comments about Suker, which was the treatment for a top star; too many eyes were on him, and any slight difference in performance would be magnified.
And in this game, Ancelotti wanted to remove all the shackles from Suker, to let the world understand that Suker was still that century-long problem!
"Here! Here!"
In a corner of the Bernabéu stands, two men in casual suits found their seats.
Van Stoyak, with his large belly, took a big gulp of beer and let out a sigh of relief, saying, "This stadium is really hard to squeeze into!"
As a giant, Real Madrid's Bernabéu stadium facilities were also extremely complete.
However, the passages were a bit crowded during entry, and his large belly made it difficult to squeeze through the crowd.
He felt that Real Madrid's entrance could be made larger, which would better reflect the club's heritage.
"Didn't you bring a notebook?" Bešić turned to Van Stoyak and asked.
Before every major competition, the two of them would tour Europe to observe the status and performance of National Team players.
Videos were videos, but they couldn't capture and reflect the full performance.
Only by watching live could they more vividly perceive the players' condition, so at this time, they would come to watch a game live.
Of course, they wouldn't just watch Suker's game; they had just arrived from London.
Facing Bešić's question, Van Stoyak pointed to his head and smiled, "I never take notes!"
Van Stoyak had a habit of not taking notes, but he was quick-witted and had an excellent memory, able to remember many things and data in his head.
Bešić had experienced this before, so he didn't say much.
"In Luka's game, Manchester United was still slightly inferior to Bayern Munich overall, especially in terms of finishing, where Bayern was clearly more proficient, and Luka's performance was also suppressed; Manchester United couldn't provide him with much support in the midfield."
"Manchester United played too hastily; they wanted to score, so they put their chips on the frontline, but ultimately the midfield couldn't deliver enough ammunition, causing the offense to falter, but there was no other way, as their squad was indeed a bit thin."
After speaking, Bešić turned and asked, "How do you see this game?"
Van Stoyak took another sip of beer, waved his hand, and said, "Real Madrid will win!"
He said disdainfully, "Those media outlets are too focused on hype. I admit Hummels's performance was good, but he's still far from completely limiting Suker. In that game, Suker clearly sacrificed some breakthroughs to cooperate with other routes. Once Suker goes all out on the left wing, Hummels will find it very difficult to withstand Suker's impact."
Bešić also nodded in agreement.
Although he didn't speak, he agreed with Van Stoyak's comments.
In his opinion, stopping Suker was truly too difficult; at least no defender currently possessed such ability.
Even with defensive support, it was difficult to limit Suker, let alone one-on-one defense.
He didn't know how the top defenders of the previous era would have fared, but at least no one could do it now.
As for comparisons with the previous era, there was no possibility of a horizontal comparison, so Suker remained a century-long problem.
At this moment, both teams' players walked out of the player tunnel, and the cheers from the crowd suddenly became fervent.
Bešić tapped his notebook with the cap of his pen, his eyes fixed on Suker's figure, and slowly said, "Let's see Suker's performance."
Suker was Croatia's absolute core.
Suker's performance also represented Croatia's upper limit.
It could be said that in this World Cup, whether Croatia could make a big splash largely depended on Suker's form.
Therefore, the assessment of Suker would be of paramount importance.
Suker appeared wearing Real Madrid's No. 9 jersey, and when Suker's figure appeared on the big screen, the stadium erupted in shouts of "Suker!"
Wave after wave of cheers seemed to want to lift the roof off.
"This is truly crazy!"
Van Stoyak couldn't help but grin; although it wasn't his first time, seeing this scene was still incredibly shocking.
The starting lineups for both teams were as follows:
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Casillas.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo.
Midfielders: Kaka, Casemiro, Kroos.
Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Suker.
Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Weidenfeller.
Defenders: Piszczek, Hummels, Friedrich, Durm.
Midfielders: Jojic, Mkhitaryan, Kirch.
Forwards: Grosskreutz, Aubameyang, Reus.
"Compared to Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund has more changes in their lineup."
"Jojic and Kirch started in place of Kehl and Şahin from the last game."
"In the center-back position, Friedrich also got a chance to start."
"These players all had excellent performances in the last Bundesliga match, helping the team secure a victory, and Klopp chose to trust the players in better form in such a crucial match."
"Real Madrid has no major lineup changes. Srna hasn't started this season, perhaps related to his delayed contract extension. Kaka has already confirmed his departure, but Real Madrid hasn't found a better replacement for now, though Kroos's performance has been very stable, which is good news."
"Of course, Real Madrid's frontline is still their trump card, and Suker is their ace!"
The pre-match introductions concluded, and both teams' players had already arrived at their respective halves.
Suker maintained his jumping warm-up movements.
But for some reason, for the Borussia Dortmund players, the pressure of today's game felt even greater than usual.
Perhaps it was psychological!
They could only think that way; they couldn't show fear in the match.
Borussia Dortmund kicked off first, and Real Madrid was already prepared to press.
In this game, according to Ancelotti, they were going to play more proactively.
This meant Real Madrid would implement high pressing, using this method to disrupt the rhythm, and then slowly operate when they had possession.
This was also one of Real Madrid's main tactics in the future.
Current football tactics place more emphasis on fast-paced play, with both sides constantly attacking each other's formation, not giving too much preparation time.
The situation where one side would get the ball and wait until they were ready to attack, as in the past, no longer existed.
Once possession changed hands, the team that lost the ball would immediately counter-press, emphasizing a rhythm that never gave the opponent a chance to breathe.
Therefore, how to pass and even set up attacks in a fast-paced environment became extremely important.
Of course, this also significantly increased the average running distance of players.
Compared to Suker's playing style when he first entered the Big Five Leagues and now, many players who slacked off or had poor stamina would be eliminated by this issue.
No matter how intuitive or skilled you were.
If you couldn't meet the basic physical fitness requirements, elimination awaited you.
'Running' was the key point that permeated the entire mainstream tactical system, and being able to run became a key attribute in evaluating a player.
Real Madrid would also absorb these mainstream tactics, but at the same time, Ancelotti's nostalgic heart was subtly stirring.
If there was anyone who still liked the playing style of a classic attacking midfielder in this era where they were gradually being phased out, it was only Ancelotti.
It could be said that Ancelotti used the attacking midfielder position until the very last moment, only actively abandoning it when it became truly unsustainable.
As long as there was any possibility, he still very much liked players with these characteristics.