Chapter 163: You Mock Arsenal for Their Top-Four Obsession, but They're Really Not That Weak
Real Madrid were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Valencia.
It wasn't a surprise—but it wasn't an embarrassing defeat either.
At the Mestalla, Madrid's fully rotated lineup went toe-to-toe with Valencia in an open game, only narrowly losing 3–2.
Morata and Jesé both proved their worth, each scoring a goal and nearly dragging Valencia into extra time.
If Parejo hadn't buried that free-kick in the 79th minute to kill the suspense, Madrid might have actually clawed their way into the semifinals.
Despite the result, the media weren't in the mood to praise Mourinho's full-rotation tactical setup.
Instead, they found new fuel to reignite their criticisms—questioning Mourinho's decision to "strategically" sacrifice the Copa del Rey.
And yet, these same outlets didn't say a word about the fact that had Madrid advanced, they would've been forced to maintain a two-matches-per-week schedule.
Fortunately, this time, Madrid fans didn't get swept up by media narratives.
Like Mourinho, most of them had already made peace with the trade-off: sacrificing the cup to preserve energy and focus on the league.
Besides, the young guns really had given their all.
Losing 2–3 away to a red-hot Valencia side—currently sixth in La Liga—wasn't exactly a disgrace.
In fact, Madrid nearly went through on away goals.
With that in mind, Madrid fans were largely understanding. The team had done its best. The kids had fought hard.
And after the media's last smear campaign, Madrid supporters had learned to hold the line.
They might jeer their own players in frustration during matches, but when outsiders tried to cause trouble?
No mercy.
Within hours of the latest anti-Mourinho takes, the Twitter pages of several media outlets were flooded with angry comments from Madridistas.
Sure, "any publicity is good publicity," but Marca and AS wisely chose not to fan the flames this time.
Not out of sudden integrity, of course—but because they were waiting for a bigger moment, a loss with more narrative juice to squeeze.
If Madrid dropped a league match soon, they'd pounce. For now, they were biding their time.
With the Copa del Rey burden lifted and an extended rest window ahead, Madrid players prepared for the January 27th La Liga Matchday 21 fixture—home to Getafe.
A fixture that felt... comfortable.
A good-natured local derby, in a way. Both Madrid teams, after all.
In recent years, Madrid's loan pipeline to Getafe had slowed. But for a long time, Getafe had been nicknamed "Madrid's little brother."
Still, there were a few Castilla graduates on Getafe's current squad.
Notably, left-back Miguel Torres and winger Pablo Sarabia—now a solid rotational player.
With ties like that, unless the match impacted relegation or European qualification, it was never going to be a bloodbath.
Sure enough, by halftime, Real Madrid were already 2–0 up.
Essien opened the scoring, Benzema doubled it, and in the 56th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo finished it off with the third.
After that, Madrid coasted.
For Getafe, a 0–3 loss at the Bernabéu wasn't a disaster.
They had tried. They had fought. Their professionalism was intact—but no one expected them to overexert.
After all, they were still alive in the Copa del Rey.
Getafe had stunned Sevilla to reach the semifinals, and now they were set to face Valencia.
With a real chance of making the final, their priorities were clear.
Currently 10th in La Liga, they weren't worried about relegation—and Europe was out of reach.
So sacrificing a league match? Smart.
No wonder both squads were in good spirits post-match.
Several Getafe players asked Madrid stars for shirt swaps.
Li Ang and his crew, meanwhile, shared laughs and stories with Sarabia after the final whistle.
Yes—that Sarabia.
Another Castilla product, just half a year older than Morata.
Talented, but lacking physicality. He hadn't seen many first-team chances and, like Li Ang once had, decided to seek experience elsewhere.
Unlike Li Ang, Sarabia transferred permanently to Getafe. Madrid added a buyback clause, of course.
Whether he returned would depend on his development.
"Keep adding weight. You're still young. Stay at Getafe for two or three seasons, build up that resistance. Once you become a regular, look for your next chance."
As they said their goodbyes, Li Ang sounded just like he did back when he was Sarabia's protector in the U17 team.
"I know, I know. No rush. Thanks, big bro!"
Sarabia smiled, no longer the timid, skinny kid he used to be.
They hugged tightly—like true brothers.
That was the journey for most Castilla graduates.
Some, like Sarabia, carved out careers in La Liga. Others dropped to the Segunda or even lower tiers.
Sarabia was lucky. He'd found his footing at Getafe.
If he added muscle, refined his skills, Li Ang believed he could make it.
Could he return to Madrid like Callejón had? Hard to say.
Talent helps. So does luck.
After the Getafe win, Madrid had six days of rest.
Mourinho generously gave the squad two days off.
But what no one expected was that the best part of the day wasn't the announcement of time off.
It was dinner.
During their monthly team dinner that evening, they glanced up at the restaurant TV—
And saw breaking news: Barcelona had just lost their first La Liga match of the season.
Nobody had even been watching that game.
Most of Madrid had resigned themselves to the idea that changing coaches hadn't affected Barça's results at all.
But then—boom.
The TV said it all.
Phones came out. Heads turned toward the screen.
Barça had lost 2–3 to Real Sociedad.
The entire room exploded.
Li Ang blinked at his phone. The headlines emphasized Griezmann's stellar performance—goal and assist.
Well, well.
Griezmann had scored against Madrid... and now against Barça.
Most importantly—he and his teammates had ended Barça's unbeaten run.
Maybe, after losing to Madrid, the frustration had burned inside them.
Maybe they'd been saving up all that fire.
In the end, it was Barcelona who paid the price for Real Madrid's wrath.
Laughing, Li Ang fired off a congratulatory message to Griezmann, then joined his teammates in the wave of celebrations.
Barcelona fans, who had just been mocking Real Madrid for dropping out of the Copa del Rey, now found their own confidence shattered.
Their loss to Real Sociedad in this league round?
A huge part of that came down to the fact they had just slugged it out in a draining Copa del Rey match against Málaga.
And now, facing a physically robust, high-pressing Real Sociedad side, Barça's midfield and forwards were running on empty legs.
Messi managed to equalize once, and it took everything he had. But by the 70th minute, he was gassed.
When stamina runs dry, it's game over—no more sprints, no more explosiveness.
Eventually, Barça's backline broke under the pressure, and Real Sociedad stormed through.
In the 87th minute, when the home team scored the winner, every Barça fan felt their hearts sink.
Even worse?
Barça had no one left on the bench to change the game.
With Pedro and Tello injured and Villa starting up front, there simply wasn't anyone else.
Their bench had no reliable offensive rotation options.
And for the first time in a long while, Barça fans had to admit—
They envied Madrid's bench.
They envied their rotation squad.
Madrid had enough depth to fight even La Liga's top six with a B-team.
Barça? Not even close.
They had a powerful starting XI on paper, yes—but their bench was a patchwork of untested youngsters and aging veterans.
Playing only La Liga would be manageable.
But Barça wanted more. And now they were paying the price.
They had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill—and their fans, too, fell silent.
Because now, with one extra match played and one fewer goal in goal difference, Barça found themselves level on points with Real Madrid… but second in the table.
Spanish media wasted no time.
Headlines flooded in, painting a picture of Barça's slip and Madrid's rise.
Even Marca and AS, Madrid's infamous tabloid twins, jumped on the opportunity.
They hadn't managed to catch Madrid in a loss lately—but they had caught Barça self-destructing.
Traffic soared regardless.
And really, could anyone blame them?
As Madrid-based publications, why wouldn't they cheer on Madrid and roast Barça?
Come morning, Real Madrid fans joyfully flipped through newspapers full of Barça's defeat.
At Valdebebas, training sessions buzzed with laughter and banter.
Barça's mouthpiece papers tried to fight back, but their pushback was weak and half-hearted.
Because they had more pressing concerns.
Barça's next match?
A Copa del Rey semifinal, away against Atlético Madrid.
This was no walk in the park.
A true clash of titans.
Maybe earlier this season, a fresh Barça squad wouldn't have feared Atlético.
But now, drained and worn down?
Everything was up in the air.
On the night of January 30, Li Ang invited a group of single teammates over to his villa.
Grilling meat in the garden, cold drinks in hand, they watched the match live on TV.
At halftime, Barça were leading 2–1, and the group was a bit glum.
But in the second half, Atlético roared back with three straight goals, turning the garden into a scene of pure euphoria.
Diego Costa absolutely tortured Busquets and Piqué.
Falcao scored twice, triggering a full-on counter-offensive.
And Godín sealed the deal with a thundering header in the final minutes.
4–2!
Atlético overturned the deficit, won by two goals, and put one foot firmly into the Copa del Rey final.
As soon as the result dropped, the entire football world exploded.
Every media outlet that had previously questioned Mourinho's decision to drop the Copa?
Suddenly, they were falling over themselves to praise his "foresight."
While Real Madrid players kicked back at home, resting,
Barça's players were on the road, exhausted—and defeated.
Peak drama. Peak irony.
Vilanova took responsibility at the post-match press conference, claiming it was his tactical error.
He shielded his players from blame.
But the media weren't having it.
Even if Barça's players had truly given everything, the criticism still rained down.
Because in competitive sport, nobody cares about your excuses when you lose.
The players fell silent.
All they could do was lick their wounds, then gear up for the next match.
Only winning could silence the noise.
But even Barça fans were starting to doubt.
"Can we really win our next league game in three days?"
The pessimism spread fast.
Barça's downfall became a media frenzy.
Meanwhile, over in Madrid, Mourinho and his players, after all the celebration and fun, weren't naïve.
They weren't expecting Barça to keep tripping.
Barça's next opponent was Osasuna, a relegation-zone team.
Even in their current form, Barça would still have enough firepower to win with a few days of rest.
And they were right.
On February 2, Madrid, fielding a semi-rotated squad, defeated Granada 3–0 with ease.
Barça, also using a half-strength side, beat Osasuna 2–0.
That round finally gave Barça a chance to breathe.
La Liga entered a one-week break, no Copa del Rey matches in sight.
Madrid used the time to rest, then jumped right back into intense tactical prep.
Not for their next league match against Sevilla—
But for the upcoming Champions League Round of 16.
And this year's draw?
Not so lucky.
Once again, Li Ang's "cursed mouth" had struck.
Real Madrid had drawn one of the most difficult group runners-up:
Arsenal.
No joke.
Fans loved to clown Arsenal for their "top-four trophy" ambitions.
But this team? Not weak.
Yes, Arsenal had exited at the Round of 16 for two straight seasons.
But look at who they lost to:
2010–11: Barcelona (eventual Champions League winners)2011–12: AC Milan (almost knocked out Chelsea and reached the semis)
And they only lost by one goal on aggregate each time.
So sure, Arsenal might not be Europe's most dominant team.
But they were a strong one.
A club with over a decade of consecutive Champions League qualification, with experience and pedigree, firmly in Europe's top tier.
And for Mourinho?
This wasn't just another fixture.
This was Wenger.
An old foe.
He might talk smack in press conferences—call Wenger a "specialist in failure" or other insults.
But behind the scenes?
Mourinho prepared for Wenger more meticulously than almost anyone.
Because he knew:
This Arsenal team deserved Real Madrid's full respect.
It was time to go all in.
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 2, 2026.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10