Chapter 124: We're Still Growing—Real Madrid Is Still Growing!
"Leon is keeping a clear head. He hasn't forgotten his defensive responsibilities despite the new tactical role. Real Madrid's backline needs to find their footing faster—Nacho and Carvajal especially need to pay more attention to their defensive duties."
Today's lone commentator for Real Madrid's season opener, He Wei, couldn't help but speak with a tinge of concern in his voice.
Mourinho's pre-match smokescreen regarding the starting lineup had clearly disrupted Emery's tactical planning and earned Madrid some advantages early on. But Real Madrid's starting full-backs, Nacho and Carvajal, had looked shaky defensively so far.
In the midfield, Real Madrid had the upper hand in both possession and physical duels, forcing Valencia to adopt a more reactive approach and rely on counters.
But because Nacho and Carvajal had both pressed up past the halfway line to join in the attack, they failed—twice—to retreat in time, giving Valencia solid chances on the break.
In an instant, Real Madrid's initial advantage had flipped into a glaring defensive vulnerability.
It was only because Leon stayed deep from the beginning and Matuidi tracked back especially aggressively that Valencia's quick counters were repeatedly shut down.
Essien, seeing the shift in momentum, had already dropped back from the attacking third.
After being loudly barked at by Leon a couple of times, Nacho and Carvajal finally snapped out of their excitement-induced haze.
It wasn't that they were arrogant or out of form.
They were just too hyped up.
It was, after all, their first time starting in a La Liga season opener for Real Madrid.
By comparison, Varane, who was also making his La Liga debut start next to Albiol, was much calmer and more composed.
Luckily, Leon's sharp yelling came at the right time.
With their heads cleared, Nacho and Carvajal gradually began playing at a more controlled level.
At least now, after focusing more on defending, Valencia was no longer slicing through Madrid's flanks with ease.
From the sideline, Mourinho's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
With Leon, Essien, and Matuidi anchoring the defensive half, Valencia's probing attacks were constantly meeting a solid wall.
The trio quickly cut off any meaningful link between Valencia striker Soldado and his midfield providers.
Soldado—a product of Real Madrid's youth academy and a striker who had scored 72 goals over the past three seasons—could only drift further and further from the action.
With Jonas and Feghouli both tightly marked, Soldado had to keep dropping back outside the penalty area to link play and try to spark something himself.
But no matter how Valencia's midfielders tried to rotate possession and seek out openings—
As long as they couldn't break through the midfield wall led by Leon, there was no way to deliver quality passes to Soldado.
They could try whipping in crosses.
Real Madrid had no problem letting Valencia swing balls into the box.
But after a couple of attempts, when it became clear that Soldado had no aerial advantage against Albiol, Valencia gave up on that route.
And just like that, Real Madrid had weathered Valencia's initial three-pronged opening assault.
Leon made Guardado and Jonas suffer mightily when they tried to carry the ball forward.
In terms of agility, strength, acceleration—they had no edge over Leon in any category.
And technically?
Leon was genuinely grateful for all the times he got "bullied" by Messi last season.
After experiencing Messi's dazzling changes of direction and lightning-quick footwork, going up against players like Jonas didn't seem all that stressful anymore.
Unless they could isolate him in a multi-man overload, there was no way Valencia was going to beat Leon 1v1 and break through Madrid's lines.
Leon was confident.
Mourinho was confident.
The 70,000 fans in the Bernabéu were confident!
"Dani," Leon called out to Carvajal during a stoppage, "Look for chances to push up. We'll get the ball to you, and you send it to Álvaro when he drops back."
Nacho, not being as strong offensively, would now stay deep to help secure the defense.
With his rhythm stabilized, Carvajal could now start showing his ability to overlap and join the attack.
Today, Madrid's front three consisted of Morata, Lucas Vázquez, and Callejón.
Any of them dropping into midfield could link up with Carvajal to keep progressing possession.
But Leon preferred Morata as the main engine.
In terms of technique and pace carrying the ball forward, Morata was the most dangerous of Madrid's backup strikers.
And in counterattacks, it's all about speed and clean finishing.
Rather than having Callejón or Vázquez push the ball up and rely on Morata to finish,
why not flip it?
Let Morata drive forward and let Callejón take the shot.
Carvajal quickly understood what Leon was suggesting. Essien also took a moment to pass the idea on to Morata, who had just dropped back to the center circle.
Valencia, still trying to break Madrid's midfield setup, had spent the last ten minutes pushing higher.
Their backline had started to lose its shape—not dramatically, but Leon had seen enough.
That tiny opening was all the opportunity Real Madrid needed...
At this moment, Lucas Vázquez was actively pressing higher up the pitch, on the left side of the opponent's half, slightly ahead of Matuidi.
Valencia instinctively shifted their attack to their left flank, which meant Real Madrid's right side.
Up to now, Leon had stayed deep, so this side of the midfield had largely been covered by Essien's sweeping and pressing.
Guardado, who had played the previous season in the second division and had never faced Leon before, felt quite confident in casually laying the ball off to Jonas, who had dropped deep to receive it.
He had no sense of danger—perhaps lulled into complacency by Leon's previously "quiet" presence.
So, in that moment, Guardado's pass was relaxed, slow, and lacking any real pace.
From Jonas' perspective, there was nothing wrong with the situation—until Feghouli's sudden cry rang out from the far side, causing every hair on Jonas' body to stand on end!
A natural sense of danger surged through him, but it was already too late—
Before he could react, a white-shirted figure had already lunged in with a slide tackle!
The figure flashed past his side, and Jonas, unable to stop his own momentum, crashed into the opponent and tumbled to the ground!
The ball had already been poked free and slid into Essien's path.
The referee gave no indication of a foul—play continued!
Valencia's defensive midfielder Costa immediately moved in to pressure Essien.
But Essien had no intention of turning with the ball or progressing it himself—
Instead, he simply shielded it with his back and swept a diagonal pass out to the right flank!
Carvajal was off to the races!
With a clean first touch, he powered down the sideline at full speed!
Costa's attempt at cutting off the counterattack had crumbled like paper—
And at that moment, the stark contrast between Leon's decisive interception and Costa's failed pressure attempt highlighted one thing:
This is the difference in defensive awareness. This is the gap in quality!
From the sideline, Mourinho slammed his fist into his palm and roared at Lucas Vázquez on the opposite flank to speed up his overlap!
Carvajal charged past midfield, keeping in mind Leon's earlier instructions, while Morata made the timely run to join him.
After a quick pass to Morata, Carvajal continued his run down the sideline, dragging Mathieu with him.
Now in possession, Morata began pushing into the final third.
Gago, who had been loaned back from Roma but then permanently sold to Valencia, chased him with all his might!
Ahead of Morata, center-back Víctor Ruiz came charging forward to confront him.
There was no doubt—if Ruiz got close enough to Morata, he wouldn't hesitate to commit a tactical foul.
But Morata gave him no chance.
Just as they were about to clash, Morata changed direction explosively, practically bending his whole body mid-stride as he pushed the ball through!
A full-speed cut inside sent him barreling into Valencia's penalty area!
Ruiz's outstretched arm grabbed at nothing but air.
Morata had done his job, and now he delivered the final ball.
Just as Mathieu abandoned Carvajal to intercept, Morata sent a well-weighted through ball into the space behind him!
José Callejón kept his cool.
During his earlier run, he had stayed composed, constantly surveying the unfolding situation.
Morata had just torn through Valencia's defense—he'd broken them open.
Callejón's job now was simple.
After receiving the ball and bursting into the box, he fired a shot in stride—without hesitation.
Neither Ricardo Costa nor Diego Alves reacted in time!
Because the shooting angle was tight, Alves had been sure Callejón would square the ball to the far post where Vázquez was lurking.
That would have matched Callejón's style last season—calm and selfless.
But today, Callejón was channeling his inner Cristiano Ronaldo—
Brimming with confidence in front of goal!
He aimed for the far corner, striking the ball low and hard across the grass, sending it skimming past Ricardo Costa...
Diego Alves leapt with gritted teeth, diving for the bottom corner!
His reaction was sharp, his speed not bad—but today, Callejón's shot was even faster!
The ball slammed off the inside of the far post and bounced over the line—a perfect goal!
Callejón clenched his fists, charging toward the corner flag without even stopping to celebrate.
He leapt high into the air, spun mid-air, and pumped his fists with a triumphant roar!
Carvajal and Morata caught up and wrapped him in a tight embrace, followed by Vázquez, Essien, Leon...
Callejón wasn't the most talented player.
But he genuinely cherished his return to Real Madrid, and he trained tirelessly—tirelessly.
The media always talked about how much Leon trained on his own.
But that was because Leon had the spotlight, the media traffic, and fan attention.
Within the Real Madrid squad, however, everyone knew—
Callejón and Leon were the two hardest-working players on the team.
He practiced shooting. He drilled crosses.
He might never become the flashiest player in Madrid...
But he would always be the most reliable teammate.
The kind of teammate who was always there when it mattered,
The kind who gave you confidence just by being on the pitch beside you.
Leon waited patiently for the others to finish celebrating before finally approaching, smiling, to wrap Callejón in a solid hug.
This admiration didn't need any more words.
Mourinho felt the same.
So did Leon.
They both liked—and trusted—Callejón.
And this lead, in that moment, was the most beautiful fruit of that trust.
Whether a team is united or not—every fan, every commentator can see it.
At this moment, He Wei was effusive in his praise for each and every player in Real Madrid's rotation squad.
"Maybe this rotation squad still has plenty of weaknesses and flaws, but they've blended their individual talents together with grit.
They're united, covering for each other's shortcomings, and growing under the weight of reminders and pressure.
They're young, yes—but they're already representing Real Madrid on the battlefield.
And that kind of youthful strength and growth story is what stirs the heart.
Maybe, one day, not too far off... every player in this squad will become a household name in world football."
His words resonated with countless Madridistas watching back home.
And standing on the sideline, Mourinho and Karanka clapped with a sense of pride in their eyes.
Because when they had made the decision to assemble this rotation team...
They hadn't been fully confident either.
Could a group of youngsters really be trusted to give Real Madrid's main squad enough rest during a three-trophy season?
Maybe last season's treble had already offered the answer.
This youthful, second-string Real Madrid squad had now shown signs of true transformation.
Mourinho didn't know what heights this rotation side might eventually reach.
But he was looking forward to it.
Maybe—just maybe—those Real Madrid fans joking at the end of last season had been onto something:
"Real Madrid A team for the Champions League and big matches,
B team for La Liga? Sounds about right!"
If they could actually pull that off and go for a full sweep of every title?
Then La Liga—and maybe all of Europe—would be seeing a true shift in power.
Once the match resumed, Madrid kept pushing the tempo in midfield—they refused to cede any ground to Valencia.
Unai Emery responded with a tactical reshuffle, switching Valencia to a 4-3-3.
But unfortunately for him, Mourinho immediately adjusted as well—Real Madrid shifted to a 4-2-3-1.
Watching this change from the touchline, Emery's expression twisted with frustration.
Was Mourinho mocking him? He had no way of knowing for sure.
But it certainly felt like a taunt.
"You can't handle the 4-3-3? Let me show you how it's done.
I'll beat your 4-2-3-1 with 4-3-3... and your 4-3-3 with 4-2-3-1."
Emery could almost picture Mourinho sneering as he said it.
The truth? Mourinho hadn't been thinking that at all.
His reasons were simple: Real Madrid was more familiar with the 4-2-3-1, and more importantly—he wanted to protect the 1-0 lead.
At halftime, Emery skipped the customary handshake and stormed straight to the locker room.
Mourinho only shrugged at the live broadcast camera.
When the second half kicked off, Madrid's ironclad midfield crushed any attempt by Valencia to build an attack.
Sure, this rotation lineup wasn't as strong on the back line or up front.
But the midfield trio of Leon, Matuidi, and Essien? That was elite-level defensive steel.
Across La Liga, they'd easily be one of the top three midfields in terms of pure defensive output.
Emery, refusing to back down, made another change—switching to a 4-4-2, going for aggressive wing play.
But Madrid adjusted again.
Leon sat deep, while Matuidi and Essien shifted wide, shutting down any wide attacking lanes.
Valencia's wingers started to suffer.
Still trailing 1-0 as the clock hit 70 minutes, Emery was out of ideas—and desperate.
He subbed off Gago and Costa, bringing on Parejo and Piatti.
Now Valencia was all-in—4-1-3-2, full attack mode.
Mourinho responded with his final substitutions.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso came on, replacing Callejón and Lucas Vázquez.
Real Madrid now lined up in a 4-4-2—but with four holding midfielders in the middle.
And up front, it was Cristiano and Morata, ready to wait for long balls.
They were going to counterattack to the bitter end.
And the final 20 minutes?
Well, they turned into an absolute battle of wills.
Because Real Madrid didn't sit back and park the bus—not even with four defensive midfielders on the pitch.
They still looked to score and kill the game off completely.
Meanwhile, Valencia went all out.
They pressed Madrid's half relentlessly.
Soldado and Jonas took every half-chance they got.
But with Leon and Alonso holding the middle, all they could really muster were speculative long shots.
Fortunately, Adán, starting today, was in excellent form.
He didn't try to catch everything, just punched the ball away safely when needed.
Cristiano played with a patience that came only after winning nearly everything the season before.
He waited for his moment, calm and composed.
And when that moment finally came in the 86th minute?
It was picture-perfect.
Morata, once again proving his aerial prowess, met Alonso's long ball with a solid knockdown.
Cristiano was off like a bullet, burning past Víctor Ruiz.
One-on-one with the keeper?
A delicate chip into the far corner.
Goal. Game over.
Real Madrid's young rotation squad had just beaten last season's La Liga third-place team.
They were still growing.
And so was Real Madrid.
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