"Quick! Get back on defense!"
Monreal shouted loudly at his teammates, but before they could retreat to the halfway line, Real Madrid's counterattack had already surged into the penalty area.
"What a fast counterattack!"
Monreal was filled with terror.
He immediately searched for Suker.
But at that moment, Kaka suddenly made a diagonal run from the side, and Suker abruptly stopped near the top of the box.
Benzema kept pressing forward.
On the wing, Srna had already completed the cross.
"Control it!" Monreal rushed toward Benzema and shouted, "Clear it!"
Benzema jumped with Osasuna's defenders.
But the ball bypassed the middle and flew toward the far post.
"Damn it!"
Monreal quickly turned around.
He saw Kaka already winding up for a shot.
Monreal immediately sprinted and slid in to block.
At that exact moment, Kaka gently pulled the dropping ball back.
A fake shot – but a real pass!
A reverse cut-back pass landed perfectly in front of Suker.
With nearly no one marking him, Suker easily tapped the ball in.
The ball slipped through the crowd and flew accurately into the bottom right corner of the goal.
"Gooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!"
Gonzalez roared excitedly with his trademark Spanish rolling accent.
"Real Madrid's counterattack! The speed of this break was insane. Osasuna's defense had no time to regroup, and Real Madrid kept things simple during the counter but lethal!"
"Kaka made such a calm decision. He didn't force a shot but pulled the ball back perfectly to Suker."
"Suker didn't let his teammates down either. His finishing was as steady as ever!"
"31st minute of the first half, Real Madrid 2–0 Osasuna! Goals by Alonso and Suker!"
The stadium erupted in cheers—the entire Bernabéu was boiling.
La Liga Round 2 – Real Madrid vs. Osasuna at home.
By the 31st minute of the first half, they had already taken a huge lead.
With two goals ahead, Osasuna basically had no room left to fight back!
On the sidelines, Mourinho nodded slightly.
He was very satisfied with the speed of this counterattack.
Of course, he was also pleased with the decisions made by his players:
Srna's pass, Benzema drawing defenders, Kaka's unselfish play, and Suker's clinical finish.
Everyone did their job well, leading to this goal.
On the other hand, Osasuna's players were drenched in sweat.
It was only the 31st minute, but they felt exhausted.
This Real Madrid felt completely different from last season.
Last year's team was also strong, but opponents felt like they could find weaknesses, maybe even win with a good performance.
But this match? They barely had a chance.
At least for Osasuna, the first 31 minutes had been a nightmare.
Not only were they down two goals, but their play had also been chaotic.
True, Osasuna usually had a poor start to the season, but they'd started surprisingly well this year. Still, no matter how good their form was, facing a well-organized and star-studded Real Madrid left them with no answers.
55th minute of the second half, Real Madrid made substitutions.
Suker and Alonso were taken off.
Di María and Carvalho came on as substitutes.
These changes were clearly in preparation for the Champions League match three days later.
It gave Di María and Carvalho a chance to warm up and get into rhythm before the big match.
Suker and Alonso left the field to a round of applause.
Suker grabbed an energy drink and took a big gulp.
The icy chill helped cool his overheated body.
"Here."
He tossed a fresh bottle to Alonso.
Alonso opened it and drank deeply.
"It's getting hotter and hotter."
Spanish summers were like ovens. Without proper hydration, heatstroke was a real threat.
Suker took another sip and said, "Just hang on. Once we're in the second half of the season, it'll get better."
Alonso nodded. "I feel like we can speed up the tempo during transitions."
Suker looked over.
Alonso continued, "Like that last counter, there was no need to go through midfield. I mean, I love getting touches too, but honestly, playing that way is too mechanical. Srna could've taken a few more steps and just played a diagonal behind their fullback. He's got the technique."
Suker nodded. "That's true, but we've just started using this new tactic. A lot of things haven't meshed yet. It's okay to be a bit mechanical for now. At least during this period, we're familiarizing ourselves with the system and training our movement into muscle memory. The day we can make those runs and passes instinctively is when we simplify things again on top of the tactics."
Every tactical system requires a progression—from learning to mastery. During this process, it's best to follow a formulaic pattern to speed up integration.
That's exactly what Mourinho was doing now.
Everyone knew some passes didn't need to go through midfield. But that link acted like a support pillar for the entire system's stability.
The day they can remove that pillar without collapse is the day the system is truly internalized.
Back on the pitch, the match continued.
Real Madrid remained solid and structured.
Their defense stayed tightly coordinated—something Mourinho emphasized endlessly.
Osasuna tried to score, but against Real Madrid's defense and counterattacks, they had no way through.
Eventually, the 90 minutes ended.
2010/2011 La Liga, Round 2: Real Madrid 2–0 Osasuna.
Real Madrid secured back-to-back wins at the start of the season.
Including the Spanish Super Cup, they were now on a four-game winning streak.
"This is Real Madrid's second league win of the season. Mourinho's arrival has visibly stabilized the defense. Ramos and Pepe as the center-back duo performed very well—sometimes overly aggressive, but overall excellent."
"Srna, following Kaka, is another major surprise. Hard to believe he's just joined, yet he's become Real Madrid's most reliable defender."
In the past few matches, Srna's performance had been outstanding—holding his position well and contributing to the attack.
Sometimes, he even covered for Ramos's mistakes.
Of course, that reduced his attacking frequency, but for Srna, defense came first.
As for Suker, Gonzalez delivered another round of praise.
And how could he not?
Suker had been incredible.
Since joining Real Madrid, he had been their most reliable player.
After the World Cup, he seemed to level up again—an insane development.
Plus, Kaka's arrival made Suker harder to mark.
Previously, opponents only had to lock down Suker to stop most of Real Madrid's offense.
So they'd go all out with insane man-marking schemes.
Now? If they try that again, they're leaving the right flank open—and Kaka will tear them apart.
If you lock down Suker, you can't control Kaka.
If you mark Kaka, Suker is unguarded.
And currently, no team can mark them both.
That's the power of a dual-core system.
Not only is the attack stronger, but it also confuses opposing defenses.
"You're focusing too much on the ball's movement during defense. I've said before, watch the player's runs first! Passes can be deceptive—runs can't!"
"Also, your coverage when switching positions isn't fluid enough. After stepping out, your recovery is too slow."
Mourinho had a near-obsessive standard for defense.
He nitpicked every detail.
Honestly, the match had gone very well, but Mourinho still wasn't satisfied.
But that attitude was exactly why his teams always had such strong defenses.
After the post-match review, Mourinho dismissed the squad.
In just three days, the Champions League would begin.
Their focus now shifted fully to Europe.
First UCL Match: Real Madrid away vs. AC Milan.
"Playing Milan again, huh?"
Suker muttered while driving.
Last season, they'd also played Milan in the group stage. Same thing this season.
Milan had lost Kaka, but quickly reinvested in stars like Ibrahimović and Robinho.
However, Ibra hadn't fully settled into the team yet.
With Suker and Kaka gone, Pato surprisingly became Milan's new core.
Two Serie A matches: two goals and one assist—a strong start.
Pato was starting to resemble the old Kaka.
He could drive the ball forward, break lines, and pose a direct threat.
Still, Suker felt he was nowhere near his or Kaka's level.
Many Milan fans also felt that each new "core" was worse than the last.
But what could they do?
They had to make do.
"Milan's not doing great lately," Kaka said from the passenger seat.
Suker: "You mean Pirlo?"
Kaka nodded. "Things between Pirlo and Allegri are really tense. It was already bad when I left—now it's worse."
Allegri had purged the Eastern European clique to assert locker room control.
Then he turned on the veterans.
Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Inzaghi—none were spared.
Allegri wanted a younger Milan. That meant phasing out the aging stars.
To do that, he reduced the midfield's responsibilities.
Things got so bad that the front office had to step in and mediate.
Gattuso and the others reluctantly agreed.
But Pirlo refused.
That created a rift with Allegri, and their relationship deteriorated.
Suker could only sigh.
It was an inevitable process.
"Pato became the core?"
Suker didn't want to dwell on the heavy topic and changed the subject.
"He works hard!" said Kaka. "Especially after you left—he trained even harder. Sure, he had a brief dip, but quickly bounced back and became much more focused."
"Last season, Milan gave him a lot of tactical support. He did well. After I left, it was natural for him to become the core."
Suker didn't think Pato had fully realized his potential.
But compared to his "original timeline" self, this Pato had grown stronger.
Suker felt he deserved some credit.
His "stray dog reform project" had worked!
"Pato, Ibrahimović, Robinho, Ronaldinho… plus Gattuso, Pirlo, Nesta—Milan's not going to be easy," Kaka said seriously.
Suker didn't seem concerned.
Sure, they were a threat. But not terrifying.
He had witnessed Milan's golden era—and helped write their back-to-back Champions League titles.
Compared to that team, today's Milan didn't stack up.
Back at the villa…
Srna and Kaka naturally stayed for dinner.
Di María went home—probably summoned by his wife.
Suker cooked a simple meal, and the three sat down to eat.
"Not bringing your family over?" Suker asked Srna.
The guy was still living alone.
"After this season. My wife doesn't want to come—she doesn't know anyone here and doesn't speak the language."
Srna replied.
Suker: "She's not afraid you'll cheat?"
"She trusts me!" Srna said righteously.
Suker raised an eyebrow: "You don't call her every night to report?"
"Bullsh*t!" Srna cursed. "Why would I need to report anything?"
But his flustered reaction wasn't very convincing.
"How's your Ballon d'Or prep going?" Srna quickly changed the topic.
Suker: "Zorancic is handling my promotion. Florentino said he'd help too."
All of Europe was pushing for Suker.
In interviews with national team captains and coaches, most had picked him.
The media was backing him heavily.
Even though he didn't win the Champions League or World Cup…
Xavi, Iniesta, and Sneijder each had flaws—and the Spanish duo split votes.
Combining all stats, Suker had a clear edge.
He'd won the Golden Boot in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup.
That said it all.
After dinner, Srna and Kaka left.
Suker took a shower and got ready for bed.
The next day, Real Madrid officially entered Champions League prep mode.
First opponent: AC Milan.
This season, Real Madrid had more hunger and ambition in Europe.
Last year, they'd finally broken their five-year curse of falling in the Round of 16, reaching the semifinals.
But due to coaching changes, lack of a tactical system, and poor structure, they lost the UCL.
This season, they were back with a vengeance.
Mourinho had brought a stable tactical framework.
Kaka, Srna, and others had strengthened the squad.
Fans wanted more—much more.
Playing away, Mourinho's cautious nature meant they'd focus on defense and counters.
And in a media interview, Mourinho openly declared that they were going to conquer San Siro.
He said he'd beaten AC Milan at home multiple times—and would do it again.
His remarks enraged Milan fans, who bombarded him with insults.
Even Suker and Kaka, former Milan stars, felt uncomfortable.
But they couldn't say anything publicly.
They knew Mourinho's character.
They couldn't exactly come out and defend Milan while contradicting their coach.
If they did, the media would have a field day.
"Real Madrid's locker room in turmoil!"
"Mourinho vs. team stars!"
That wasn't the outcome anyone wanted.
"He shouldn't have said that…" Casillas came to comfort Suker.
"But that's just how he is—don't take it personally. He's targeting the game, not the people."
Suker turned to look at Casillas.
He hadn't expected Casillas to defend Mourinho.
But he quickly understood—Casillas wasn't backing Mourinho.
He was protecting the team.
He didn't want any rift between Suker and Mourinho.
Right now, Real Madrid had a thriving atmosphere.
Suker patted Casillas on the shoulder. "I'm not that petty. And I know—he attacks situations, not individuals."
After all, Mourinho had gone after him before too.
Casillas smiled and nodded.
"That's a relief."
Still, he felt Suker's stare was kind of weird…
The day before the Champions League, the entire Real Madrid squad left Madrid and headed to Milan.
Upon arrival, many AC Milan fans came to greet Suker and Kaka—and curse Mourinho.
It was a weird scene.
Applause and cheers for Suker and Kaka… then immediate boos and insults once Mourinho appeared.
Mourinho didn't flinch at all.
Clearly, he was used to it.
If he couldn't handle heckling, he wouldn't be "The Special One."
After all, what made him "the Madman"?
It was the fact that he backed up his bold words.
Not like "Mini-Mourinho" André Villas-Boas—who talked big and got slapped by reality.
Most famously, he arrived at Chelsea vowing to "revive Torres" with his "Torres Activation Plan."
Claimed he was the only one who could bring Torres back to life.
In the end? Torres stayed dead, and he got sacked.