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...
In Aragonés' 4-3-1-2 formation, there was no real need for a "target man" like Su Hang.
Sure, Su Hang had many other impressive qualities, but to the experts, he was still, at his core, a classic target striker.
His main scoring weapon was the header.
His greatest strength was his physical dominance.
He could serve as the team's forward anchor, receiving long passes from deep and helping his side establish attacking structure.
But Aragonés wanted a different style—more ground play, more possession, more precision, more control.
And that meant most of Su Hang's traits didn't fit into his system.
It wasn't that he underestimated Su Hang—no one in their right mind would look down on a striker who had just swept both La Liga and Champions League top scorer honors in the same season.
Do you know how insane Su Hang's stats were this year?
In the 2003–2004 season, he played just three matches.
Six goals and one assist—for a late-blooming academy product, that was already incredible.
In the 2004–2005 season, he featured in seven league games and fewer than fifteen across all competitions, including the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Eighteen goals and nine assists—twenty-seven direct goal contributions in a single season.
His efficiency wasn't much higher than the previous year, but not everyone can keep that kind of consistency while increasing their appearances.
It's like saying someone earns 100 an hour—does that mean they can make 2,400 a day?
Seventy-three thousand a month?
Do they not eat, sleep, or rest?
Can they keep working at peak performance every single hour?
Can they maintain that output even when others start targeting them?
Of course not!
And yet, this season, Su Hang's numbers were absurd.
Including the Super Cup, across four competitions, he had 39 goals and 16 assists—55 goal contributions in total.
That's brutally impressive.
Even stat kings like Henry and Ronaldinho couldn't match him.
Still, in terms of player profile, David Villa fit Aragonés' tactical setup better.
With Torres providing speed and penetration, Villa's job was to drop deep to link play, make late runs into the box, finish chances, or go solo when needed.
In all these aspects, Villa was at least as good as Su Hang—if not better.
Most of Su Hang's advantages were simply irrelevant to Aragonés' preferred system.
No matter how strong those traits were, they weren't what he needed.
After a long silence, Aragonés' assistant finally asked, "But what if Su Hang has all of it—ability, virtue, courage, and wisdom?"
Aragonés looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Then he'd be the perfect player I've been searching for all my life!"
"In that case, not only should he be captain—he should be our tactical core!"
"To help him truly understand and master the tactics, he should even participate in tactical design and team-building decisions."
"Make him a playing version of me, and make me a more experienced version of him—handling everything off the pitch."
Aragonés looked out the window. Sunlight streamed across his face.
"That's the kind of player I've been waiting for my whole life."
"No one wants Su Hang to be that man more than I do."
"No one!"
Aragonés had a grand vision—and if it worked, he believed he could finally lead Spain to a major international trophy.
...
Later, Raúl and several other players entered Aragonés' office one after another.
When it came to the captaincy issue, Raúl had no objections.
He had already considered this possibility back when he gave up the Real Madrid captain's armband.
He just hadn't expected Aragonés to actually choose Su Hang as Spain's captain.
Casillas' reaction also surprised him.
When Aragonés asked for his opinion, Casillas said, "You made the right choice. Su is the best leader for this team."
That was a glowing endorsement.
But it made sense.
Casillas was a goalkeeper.
Su Hang, a forward.
They faced each other constantly, knew each other well, and yet—on the field—they were worlds apart, unlikely to ever clash.
A goalkeeper commands defenders, and that's where tension usually arises.
(Just look at the later clash between Tottenham's Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min—clearly, that one was on the Frenchman.)
And since Su Hang was a forward who always tracked back to help defend, the backline liked him even more.
Besides, Su Hang only threatened players' personal honors.
His two Player of the Season awards this year inevitably overshadowed Zidane, Figo, and Beckham.
But Casillas? He still got his Best Goalkeeper award—if anything, Su Hang's dominance made it easier for him.
Without that 5–0 Champions League Final win, Casillas might not have beaten Valdés for the Best Goalkeeper award.
...
When training camp began, Su Hang's test results were fairly ordinary.
Aside from his impressive physique, he didn't really stand out.
In truth, his shooting and acceleration were both excellent, but in relaxed, no-pressure drills, everyone looked like a sniper—there was barely any difference.
Explosiveness shows itself in one moment—the instant you beat an opponent within ten meters.
In short sprints of 30 to 50 meters, Su Hang's "72 speed" stat clearly held him back.
Overall, the Real Madrid captain gave everyone a rather plain impression.
But the next day, during the tactical briefing, that changed.
Aragonés asked, "So, what's our core principle in possession?"
Xavi replied, "Triangular passing. Through constant positional movement, the ball carrier always has at least two passing options."
Aragonés continued, "And how do we execute our pressing?"
Iniesta answered, "The player who loses the ball presses immediately. Others cut off passing lanes, then compact and swarm to regain possession."
The Barça players clearly knew these answers—they were used to this system.
Unsurprisingly, Aragonés' tactical philosophy with Spain was almost identical to Barcelona's.
Players from other clubs, however, struggled to respond.
Their main task was to learn the system quickly; true understanding would take time.
The same went for Real Madrid players—their tactics were the polar opposite of Barça's, two extremes on the football spectrum.
Aragonés asked, "Any additions?"
Su Hang stood up. "I have some personal thoughts on the triangular passing system. I've discussed its pros and cons with Simon and Zidane. In the Champions League Final, we managed to shut Barcelona down precisely because we understood their two primary passing outlets."
Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol: Damn it!
Su Hang continued, "In truth, there's nothing wrong with this possession structure. But when attacking, we should focus on the second passing option—that is, the third player who can receive the ball beyond the two expected outlets."
"This goes beyond typical player intuition. It's how you exploit defensive gaps and tear open the opponent's backline."
Aragonés nodded calmly, but his assistant's reaction gave him away.
Glancing at the coach's notebook, the assistant saw the words "second option" circled in red—it was clearly the next key point Aragonés planned to explain.
This Su Hang… was the Real Madrid tactical team really that sharp?
Tactical maestro Simon—truly living up to his reputation!
Simon: ???
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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