Chapter 547: Dimming fame
The most important match of each La Liga season, the Derby of the Century, is about to unfold! Before that, Real Madrid has one more league match and the final round of the Champions League group stage to play.
At home against Sporting Gijon, Wang Feng scored a goal, and the Galacticos effortlessly secured a 3-0 victory. Away against Ajax, with no particular ambition, they ultimately shook hands with a 0-0 draw.
After this match, the lineup for the Champions League round of 16 was completely determined. In Group A, Bayern Munich and Napoli advanced together, with Manchester City narrowly ranking third and only able to compete in the Europa League.
This result was unacceptable to many Sky Blue fans, who criticized coach Mancini for squandering a good hand. Over the past three years, the club had invested hundreds of millions of pounds in the transfer market, yet the Italian could only promise to do his best to bring back the club's first Premier League title since restructuring.
In Group B, it was undoubtedly Inter Milan and CSKA Moscow who broke through. Group C was even more explosive, with Benfica taking first place, Swiss Basel narrowly beating Manchester United to take second place, leaving the Red Devils in third and unable to advance, while Romanian side CFR Cluj finished bottom.
When the draw results were announced initially, many people thought this matchup was simply handing Manchester United a ticket to the knockout stages, but they unexpectedly squandered their future for no reason.
A deluge of criticism and condemnation poured in, engulfing the entire city of Manchester in lamentation. Ferguson and the Manchester United executives became even more determined to separate Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
In Group D, Real Madrid and Ajax advanced together. Group E saw Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen securing spots, while Valencia ultimately failed to turn the tide. Their poor performance in the early rounds, although they made a comeback later, was futile against consistent opponents.
Genk, who had lost De Bruyne and Huang Hu, couldn't gain any advantage in the Champions League, struggling to secure even a single victory in six matches.
Group F saw Arsenal and Marseille advance, with Borussia Dortmund finishing bottom, surprising many by not even securing a place in the Europa League.
Group G also saw upsets, with Zenit St. Petersburg and Olympiacos taking the top two spots, while Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk finished third and fourth respectively.
The final Group H was quite normal, with Barcelona and AC Milan advancing to the knockout stages, BIF securing a Europa League spot, and BATE bidding farewell to European competition.
Although Ancelotti didn't field his main lineup when traveling to the Netherlands this time, he still brought all the first-team players along for training. The day after the match, they boarded a plane and headed to Barcelona.
On the plane, the Italian reminded everyone, "Although we have had the upper hand in league matches against Barcelona in recent years, they are still one of the most powerful teams in the world. Don't forget our defeat in the Spanish Super Cup at the beginning of the season."
"Of course, there's no need to be too nervous or anxious. After all, we still have the initiative in our hands, and the Catalan team seems to be in a somewhat unstable state."
"Yeah," Pepe interjected, "I really can't understand Barcelona's performance. They lost to Getafe in the last match, but then they swept Levante 5-0. And in previous league matches, they've been forced to draw immediately after big wins. The fluctuations are too great."
"It's mainly a problem of integrating old and new players," calmly analyzed Wang Feng. "Villa's decline in level has been too rapid, Neymar can't keep up with the overall team, and Fabregas can't replace Iniesta's role."
"Speaking of which, Wang, you've dismantled their three lineups at least, right? It seems like Barcelona fans would shudder even dreaming of you," Alonso teased.
The Chinese superstar shrugged. "Regardless, I don't want to lose at Camp Nou. It's up to you guys. Let's rely on you to completely deflate those arrogant fans."
Everyone echoed their agreement, and a sense of determination filled the air.
Meanwhile, at La Masia training base, Vilanova was also encouraging his players. "Real Madrid is not invincible. Don't forget that we snatched the Spanish Super Cup from them, and even Levante and Atletico Madrid have put them under great pressure."
"The biggest problem plaguing the team is mentality, it's the winning belief in the heart of each of you players. Leo, tell us about your recent feelings."
Messi took a deep breath and slowly stood up. His gaze met with each player one by one, and then he spoke slowly, "Nowadays, whether it's online or traditional media, there are voices criticizing me, questioning me."
"So I feel lost, indecisive, sometimes even losing confidence during matches. But doing so will only make things worse."
"Therefore, starting from this match, I've decided not to think about anything outside, to work hard in every game. Come with me, everyone. You know what the real Barcelona is like. It will never submit to Madrid!"
"Barcelona never surrenders!"
On the evening of December 11th, at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, the 15th round of La Liga, the Derby of the Century was about to begin.
The two teams had already lined up under the guidance of the referee team, and the team captains, Xavi and Wang Feng, stood at the forefront of the teams. Since the former captain Puyol gradually faded out of the starting lineup, Xavi had taken up the flag of Catalonia.
The players were silently warming up their bodies, without speaking to each other. The air was filled with seriousness and tension, even the referee team was slightly intimidated, involuntarily lowering their voices.
Vilanova still employed Guardiola's tactics, lining up in a 4-3-3 formation. In goal was Valdes.
The backline consisted of Alves, Pique, Abidal, and Adriano, with all but the Brazilian being familiar faces.
This Adriano was not Wang Feng's former Inter Milan teammate but a defender who debuted at Sevilla. Due to consecutive injuries among teammates, he had become a frequent key defensive player.
The midfield was composed of Busquets, Iniesta, and Xavi.
The front line consisted of Fabregas, Messi, and Neymar.
It had to be said that at this time, Barcelona's lineup had strong depth, including players like Puyol, Mascherano, Keita, Villa, Sanchez, and Pedro, who were all sitting on the bench ready to play.
Real Madrid's starting lineup chose a 4-4-2 formation, with Casillas in goal.
The backline consisted of Ramos, Pepe, Varane, and Marcelo.
In midfield were Alonso, Khedira, Di Maria, and Modric.
Up front, Wang Feng partnered with young Morata, as Iguaín had injured himself during training. Although not very serious, he could only reluctantly miss this important match.
The long wait finally came to an end. After receiving the signal, the main referee, Lahoz, slightly breathed a sigh of relief and signaled both teams to walk out from the player tunnel, stepping onto the turf of the Camp Nou.
Looking around, the formidable reputation of the devil's home seemed somewhat dimmed. Although the attendance rate was still high, the proportion of Barcelona fans visibly decreased, while the number of Real Madrid fans and some neutral spectators increased.
Many Catalonian fans of the team didn't want to see their arch-rivals rampage at the Camp Nou, so they chose to sell their tickets at high prices. This approach undoubtedly made Barcelona even more resentful.
They were one of the biggest and oldest giants of La Liga! Even the fans were gradually losing confidence in them, and the situation was on the verge of collapse.
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