Chapter 987: I Really Saw a Ghost!

Perhaps it was the influence of the swearing-in meeting at the Christmas banquet, or the temptation of the huge winning bonus offered by the management, or the potential attraction of fame and fortune. After a week of Christmas holidays, when Real Madrid players returned to the team, the team's situation was obviously better than in previous years.

Every long-term holiday like this is the biggest headache for the coaching staff, because some players will maintain enough self-discipline even if they are on holiday, such as Yang Yang, and some players will take the opportunity to take a good rest and relax, but there are also some players.

In the past, the last type of players was not uncommon, so every time the team re-trains, it is the hardest hit area for weight loss.

But what is surprising is that when the Real Madrid players returned to the team after the Christmas holiday, the team doctors were generally satisfied with the physical condition of the players after testing. Although they were not in the best condition after a week of rest, they were obviously still in good condition.

At the very least, there was not even a case of fattening caused by indulgence in eating and drinking in the past.

Obviously, this is not only from various incentives from the management, but also from the fierce competition within the team.

Everyone is holding back their energy and wants to compete for the main position, so naturally they dare not slack off in the slightest.

After Ramos returned from Japan, he strained his left hamstring, which also triggered a competition in the defense. Vermaelen and Varane both tried their best to compete for the main position. Everyone wanted to be Pepe's partner.

As for Ramos, he is also actively receiving treatment and is expected to return as soon as possible.

After resting for a week and returning to the court, the state of Real Madrid was still affected after all.

On January 4th, at the Bernabéu Stadium, in the first round of the knockout round of the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid played against Malaga at home. In the opening ten minutes, Malaga took the lead in scoring with a corner kick.

Vermaelen replaced Ramos and Pepe in this game, but Real Madrid missed when defending a corner kick.

Not only is there a flaw in the defense, but the offensive end is also in poor condition.

Ancelotti's second half is to fight on the third line. The first game against Malaga in 2012 was undoubtedly a good start. He attaches great importance to it, but he did not expect that everyone in the team was seriously out of shape in the first half.

Even Yang Yang, who has always been in a stable state, frequently missed good opportunities in the first half and failed to grasp them.

However, Real Madrid's defense was well organized and Malaga was not given any more chances. Vermaelen and Pepe's partner played a powerful role, ensuring the defensive quality of Real Madrid's defense.

After the running-in and adjustment in the first half, Real Madrid gradually found the feeling in the second half.

In the 68th minute, after receiving a pass from Robben on the right, Ibrahimovic crossed into the penalty area and was cleared by Malaga defender Demichelis with a header. But outside the penalty area, Javi Martinez followed up with a long-range shot, piercing Malaga's goal and successfully equalizing the score.

Just two minutes later, Malaga made a pass error under the pressure of Real Madrid's frontcourt. After Yang Yang received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, the pendulum swung past Malaga goalkeeper Caballero.

In the 78th minute, it was Yang Yang who forcibly broke into the penalty area after taking the ball from the left and then made a direct pass. Zlatan Ibrahimovic pushed and scored on the right side of the penalty spot in the penalty area before Demichelis, 3-1.

In the end, Real Madrid relied on the explosion in the second half at home, and Yang Yang's one pass and one shot, reversed Malaga 3-1.

Pellegrini's team played a wonderful first half at the Bernabeu, especially the No. 2 player Isco and the No. 12 player Cazorla, who left a deep impression on people.

...

While Real Madrid struggled to beat Malaga 3-1 at the Bernabeu, Barcelona beat Osasuna 4-0 at home.

Guardiola's team faced the opponent with a three-four-three lineup and achieved a hearty victory. Messi scored twice and Harvey contributed three assists. The performance of the whole team is remarkable.

This victory not only rekindled Barcelona's fighting spirit, but also caused reflections from the outside world, that is, if Guardiola adopts three defenders to deal with Real Madrid in the Derby of the Century, does he have a chance to win?

…………

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On the evening of January 7th, the Bernabéu Stadium.

La Liga rekindled the flames of war, and Real Madrid played against newly promoted Granada at home in the eighteenth round.

Granada is aiming to avoid relegation this season, and they are currently performing well, ranking fourteenth in La Liga, even higher than Real Sociedad, Villarreal, Zaragoza and Racing Santander.

In the first ten rounds of the league, they even had a draw with Atletico Madrid, an upset victory over Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao, and they only lost one goal against Barcelona, ​​​​and almost upset.

It is precisely because of the previous outstanding performance that Granada is a guest at the Bernabéu Stadium. Naturally, they hope to be able to earn points from Real Madrid just like they did against strong teams such as Valencia and Athletic Bilbao before.

Due to the two games a week, Ancelotti rotated the team lineup, but this did not affect the overall performance of the team.

Just thirty-eight seconds into the opening, Modric threatened Granada's goal with a long shot.

Then Real Madrid launched an offensive again and again, but they always followed the goal.

Until the 19th minute, Yang Yang picked a pass from the left, and when David Silva responded, he made a wonderful pass. Ibrahimovic scored from the edge of the small penalty area and opened the scoring for Real Madrid.

Only three minutes later, Real Madrid once again played a quick attack. Modric scored the ball to the right. Di Maria forced a breakthrough and made a pass from the right.

In the 34th minute, Real Madrid launched another attack from the left to win a corner kick. David Silva took a corner kick, and Ramos, who returned from injury, scored with a header, extending the score to 3-0 for Real Madrid.

Only 69 seconds into the second half, Yang Yang dribbled the ball in from the left, feinted a shot, and passed it straight to the bottom line. Marcelo made a back pass and made a pass to the back point.

In the 50th minute, David Silva performed a hat-trick of assists. After getting the ball from the front of the penalty area, he passed the penalty area. Zlatan Ibrahimovic blocked the defender with his body. After stopping the ball with his chest, he turned around and scored with a low shot.

When the game progressed to the 78th minute, Mascherano passed the ball, and Kaka, who came off the bench, sent a direct pass. Yang Yang hit a curve ball at the top of the penalty area, extending the score to 6-0.

In the end, this score was maintained until the end of the game.

Relying on Yang Yang and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's braces at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid beat Granada 6-0, marking their two-game winning streak in 2012 and getting off to a good start.

...

At the same time, in Barcelona, ​​Barcelona ushered in a city derby.

The Spaniards put up a tight defensive formation at the Cornea Eprat Stadium, and Guardiola's team just won the King's Cup 4-0 at home to Osasuna.

At the beginning of the game, the Spaniard used the advantage of the home court to launch a crazy press against Barcelona and frequently got opportunities.

In the 16th minute, Daniel Alves crossed from the right and assisted Cesc Fabregas with a header.

But in the vast majority of the time that followed, Barcelona had the advantage but was still unable to break the deadlock on the field, and was unable to create a goal for a long time. Instead, they were threatened by the Spaniard's sharp counterattacks again and again.

In the 85th minute of the second half, the Spaniard quickly counterattacked, Rodriguez made a cross from the right, Thievery headed the ball, and the unguarded Alvaro scored with a header from the edge of the penalty area, equalizing the score for the Spaniard.

This goal woke Barcelona up suddenly, and then launched a stormy attack, but they still failed to break through the Spaniard's goal again, and finally could only watch the game end.

In this way, Guardiola's team scored another draw in the away game 1-1.

And this draw also made Barcelona fall behind Real Madrid by as many as 13 points in La Liga.

Lost points again and it was an away game. Guardiola's team caused an uproar in Catalonia and even the Spanish media after the game. Everyone was thinking, what happened? Why did Guardiola's team lose consecutive points this season?

People or those people, last season was as stable as Mount Tai, with the best control in European football, but this season is so ups and downs?

According to statistics from the Daily Sports Daily, Guardiola's team has played eight away games so far this season, with two wins, four draws and two losses.

Compared with Real Madrid, such a report card can be said to be very different.

Daily Sports Daily believes that it is impossible for Guardiola's team to reverse Real Madrid with such an away result.

"Guardiola argued after the game that the reason why he selected four defenders was because the team's away performance was not ideal, but it can also be conversely believed that it is precisely because he deployed four defenders that the away performance is not satisfactory?"

"You know, this team, with almost the same lineup, just beat Osasuna 4-0 at home and played a beautiful offensive football, but they drew 1-1 with the Spaniard in the away game. This is really hell!"

Before this game, Guardiola also vowed that as long as the team does its part and plays every game well, it will be able to catch up with Real Madrid, but 90 minutes later, his team lost three points that should not have been lost on the Spaniard.

After the game, Guardiola also changed his mind and said that with Barcelona's performance, it is very difficult to catch up with Real Madrid.

Although he still insisted that La Liga is not over yet, everyone knows that the championship seems to have no suspense.

Even some Catalan media said that this season's La Liga championship is the same as the Golden Globe Award at the upcoming FIFA Awards Conference, without any suspense.

After playing the eighteenth round of La Liga, Yang Yang and Messi both set off to Zurich, Switzerland.