On the way back, the neon lights reflected in Mourinho's eyes, which looked a bit dazed and full of longing.
After watching that video, his mind was flooded with detailed data about Suker.
The feeling was like tens of thousands of ants crawling all over him, making him restless and uneasy.
After seeing Suker's ability to seize opportunities,
Mourinho instinctively put Suker into his own system, and the results of further deductions shocked him.
Mourinho liked defense, but that didn't mean he was a complete turtle shell.
Defense was just a means, a utilitarian tool, but it didn't mean he didn't crave goals.
For counterattacks,
Defense was only a process; to win the match, you had to score.
This was the key moment to demonstrate the value of a striker.
Moreover, Suker's goals were scored with almost no system support.
If Suker were given a proper system,
If a squad was built according to his ideas, what kind of fighting power could Real Madrid unleash?
After returning to the hotel, Mourinho went straight to his room.
But he almost didn't sleep all night, his mind full of scattered ideas, unable to calm down.
The next day, Inter Milan's entire team returned to Milan, greeted by enthusiastic Inter fans.
Since Mourinho took over the team, Inter's fighting spirit had exploded, making the fans extremely excited.
They believed Inter would reach the top someday—and that day was not far away.
"Everyone, gather in the tactics room!"
Arriving at Inter's training base, Mourinho immediately gave orders.
Today was a review day; although he lacked sleep, work could not be delayed.
In the tactics room, Mourinho conducted the review.
He explained in great detail, starting from the smallest details, pausing to provide targeted explanations each time.
Mourinho put a lot of effort into his explanation.
But the Inter players below had strange expressions.
Many were even whispering to each other.
"Quiet!"
Mourinho suddenly shouted loudly.
He disliked being disturbed during his review, especially when seeing such a careless attitude.
"I want a reason!"
Mourinho coldly stared at Milito.
Milito grinned and raised his hand: "Sir, I'm Milito."
"Yes! I know, you're Diego Milito from Argentina. Is there a problem?" Mourinho looked somewhat angry.
At this moment, Zanetti helplessly said, "You've been calling Milito 'Suker' all along!"
After saying this, Zanetti awkwardly scratched his head.
Mourinho froze for a moment, then looked around—the others all nodded.
Mourinho felt embarrassed.
He wiped his eyes to hide his awkwardness.
"Sorry, I didn't get enough sleep yesterday. Let's end here today."
Mourinho waved his hand and dismissed everyone.
Before leaving, Zanetti specially approached Mourinho to comfort him not to feel too pressured.
They believed that Suker's outstanding Champions League performance was putting a lot of pressure on Mourinho.
"Mourinho has been calling Milito 'me'?"
Suker was surprised while talking on the phone with Še\\rna.
Šerna smiled broadly and nodded: "It's really awkward. Milito's expression was about to lose control. How much pressure are you putting on Mr. Mourinho?"
Suker: "What does that have to do with me? We haven't even faced each other yet."
"However, Mr. Mourinho must have studied you—that's why this happened," Šrna laughed. "Damn you guys!"
"Who's damn who is still uncertain!"
Suker was just as unyielding.
After a brief call, Suker hung up.
Mourinho's behavior was somewhat abnormal, but could Suker really be putting that much pressure on Mourinho?
Before even meeting, he made Mourinho unable to stop thinking about him?
If Mourinho couldn't handle this kind of pressure, forget about competing with peak Barcelona this season.
Suker didn't think it was the case; as for the exact reason, he didn't know.
Back at the training base, Suker also had to start preparing for the league.
Real Madrid now felt like they were being tailed closely by Barcelona.
The points gap kept staying tight.
Madrid didn't lose!Barcelona didn't lose either!
Competition between the two giants of La Liga was this fierce.
Moreover, both teams had to juggle La Liga and the Champions League, so their pressure was naturally even greater.
Other La Liga teams had also entered a critical stage.
Especially those hovering near the relegation zone—they did everything they could to escape relegation and stay in La Liga.
For them, every victory was incredibly precious.
In the Champions League, after beating Lyon, Real Madrid's morale further improved.
They focused all their attention on the upcoming next round.
Of course, before that, they also needed to secure the league.
However, Pellegrini made some baffling decisions again.
In the away match against Villarreal, Pellegrini put Suker on the bench; he did not start.
This put Real Madrid in a difficult position in the away game.
Facing Villarreal's attack, Real Madrid conceded a goal in the first half, and then lost two more goals between the 45th and 55th minutes in the second half.
Suker came on as a substitute.
But Villarreal had already fully contracted their defense.
At the 77th minute, Suker used his ghostly runs to score a goal, but it still couldn't reverse the situation.
Ultimately, Real Madrid lost 1-3 to Villarreal.
"I can't understand Pellegrini's tactical arrangement. Knowing Suker's importance, why would he make such a decision?"
"Although the Champions League is in three days, Suker's form is good, no need to keep him on the bench."
"Suker showed no obvious signs of injury; there was no need to substitute him on. I really want to know the reason."
González loudly questioned.
Pellegrini's baffling lineup also angered Real Madrid's fans.
Soon, the media's rumor-mongering teams came online.
They claimed Pellegrini gave away three points to his old club to help them enter La Liga's top four for European competition.
Of course, this claim was unfounded.
After all, Pellegrini would be foolish to risk losing the match and being overtaken by Barcelona.
But there were no further explanations.
Pellegrini faced tough questions from reporters and had a hard time responding.
The rhythm was intense, and criticism of him became stronger.
Even old tensions that had been suppressed nearly exploded.
But unlike the reporters, Real Madrid players knew clearly that Pellegrini had underestimated the opponent.
He thought even without Suker, Real Madrid could win with his tactics.
This way, Suker wouldn't face two matches a week for two consecutive weeks.
The intention was good, but the result was a loss.
In competitive sports, being weak is a sin!
Pellegrini faced his greatest risk of dismissal.
"Why did he make such a stupid decision?"
Florentino was rarely so angry.
Previously, when Pellegrini had conflicts with Casillas, Florentino hadn't gotten this angry.
But this time it was different—impact was too big.
Because of Pellegrini's poor performance, Real Madrid was labeled arrogant and presumptuous.
For Florentino, who valued the club's image greatly, this was very infuriating.
He had intended to endure and wait until the season ended to make plans.
But Pellegrini's series of terrible commands dragged him into trouble.
Now Real Madrid's executives were holding high-level meetings.
This was a complete show of distrust toward Pellegrini. The time left for Pellegrini was short.
Three days after the match ended, Real Madrid's executives finally made a decision.
Facing numerous reporters, Florentino spoke confidently.
"Based on all these factors, we have decided to terminate cooperation with Mr. Pellegrini. I am grateful for all he has brought us during this period."
In Real Madrid's locker room, everyone quietly watched the TV.
Pellegrini had been sacked!
They didn't know if it was good news or bad news.
Cutting ties decisively is straightforward.
But the problem was, the season was still ongoing; Champions League and league matches continued.
Changing coaches at such a critical moment is a taboo in football.
However, Pellegrini did not fit Florentino's vision and had a tense relationship with Casillas.
He also failed to win over Suker.
Eventually, he ended up isolated.
And the loss to Villarreal was the fuse that detonated the powder keg.
"He should have left earlier."
Casillas was blunt.
He had tensions with Pellegrini, but when thinking about changing coaches mid-season, Casillas felt helpless.
So then, what would happen to Real Madrid's Champions League and league matches next?
Suker returned to his villa.
Benzema, Di María, and Ramos followed.
They hadn't finished discussing the drama yet.
"I didn't expect the executives' decision to be so sudden!"
"Me neither, I thought it would wait until the end of the season!"
"But maybe it's a good thing. If it continued, who knows what worse problems we'd face."
"But who can guarantee the next coach will do better?"
They all sat chatting together.
Suker was on the sofa, silent.
Soon Benzema looked at Suker: "What do you think?"
Suker shrugged: "Does our opinion matter? As long as we can stabilize the league and the Copa del Rey, that's better than anything."
When Suker joined Real Madrid, the first season's expectation was league and Copa del Rey.
He never thought much about the Champions League—he could try, but no need to force it.
But Pellegrini's series of actions made Real Madrid more restless and uneasy.
In fact, Pellegrini wasn't that incompetent as a coach.
But he faced many restrictions at Real Madrid and lacked communication skills, ultimately causing this situation.
One mistake led to another!
Now Pellegrini was gone, which wasn't a bad thing.
If Pellegrini stayed on, who knew what other headaches might arise?
So this decision had pros and cons.
Pellegrini left.
Along with him went his coaching staff, leaving quietly without saying goodbye to the players.
Apparently, Pellegrini thought Real Madrid players wouldn't be sad about his departure, so no need to greet them.
After Pellegrini left, Real Madrid announced the interim head coach:
Real Madrid B team coach, Theo Ledep.
Suker hadn't heard of this coach, but he talked happily with Casillas, who came through Real Madrid's youth system, so he was obviously loyal to the club.
Ledep was a middle-aged man with a big beard, wearing a gray down vest, looking slightly stout.
He took the initiative to approach Suker.
"Hello, Suker!"
"Hello, Mr. Ledep!"
Suker smiled and greeted. Although interim, as a club loyalist, he needed to show respect.
"Just call me Theo," Ledep smiled.
"I've watched your matches. When I got the news that I'd coach the first team, I was overjoyed—though it might not last long."
Suker smiled and shrugged: "Nobody knows!"
Ledep smiled: "We'll be working together from now on. If you have any questions, just ask."
After that, Ledep went to talk with others.
The next day was the second leg of the Champions League.
Ledep had little preparation time; he hadn't even grasped the first team's situation or player data, such as personalities, form, and match performances.
To stabilize the team, he had to continue Pellegrini's tactics and lineup.
Before fully understanding, his main goal was to stabilize the team.
Of course, Ledep knew this well.
Florentino didn't bring him in to compete for honors.
Of course, honors would be a reward for his work, but the core task was to stabilize the situation.
Theo Ledep was well aware he was just a transitional coach.
After the season ended, Real Madrid would hire a new head coach.
On March 11th, Champions League Round of 16 second leg.
Real Madrid hosted Lyon.
Whoooooo!!!!!!! —
Bernabéu Stadium suddenly erupted in loud cheers.
In the 61st minute, during a corner kick, Suker headed the ball to Alonso, who shot directly and scored.
After 61 minutes of stalemate, finally a goal.
"Alonso! Receiving Suker's headed flick-on at the edge of the box, he unleashed a powerful shot through the goal!"
"Real Madrid finally broke the deadlock, once again created by Suker's key chance."
"After Pellegrini's departure, Real Madrid's new coach Ledep might lead Real Madrid to advance!"
Real Madrid players were celebrating.
Suker let out a long sigh of relief.
In the first half, Lyon's attacks were fierce, and Madrid barely held on.
Only in the second half did Madrid gain counterattack chances and score a goal.
You could say Madrid was strong at seizing chances.
But Madrid lacked a complete system to integrate these talented players into a cohesive whole.
At present, that hope was slim.
Ledep had no intention of building a system; obviously, he knew he was just a transitional coach and just needed to stabilize the situation.
After the season ended, he'd probably return to the B team.
So, Ledep didn't try any tricks or build systems; he got along well with the locker room players.
Gave chances to those who deserved them.
Encouraged those out of form.
The locker room atmosphere became a bit lighter, but lost some tension and competitiveness.
Ledep was essentially giving up.
Suker was somewhat helpless but had no choice to say anything.
He was just drafted as a transitional coach; Suker couldn't ask for more.
Ledep probably had no ambition or thoughts to compete for head coach.
Real Madrid's head coach wasn't a role just anyone could have.
You had to have enough achievements and fame and be able to handle the media.
Ledep knew this well, so naturally he couldn't meet the requirements.
Even if he tried hard, the media wouldn't pay attention.
Besides being Real Madrid's coach, he had no highlights and would just be a laughingstock.
At the 70th minute, Real Madrid made their first substitution.
At this point, they were still leading, so Madrid started to contract their defense and replaced some players with defensive ones.
They wanted to protect the goal.
Thanks to the two away goals, Real Madrid led 3:1 on aggregate.
Lyon wanted to win but needed to score at least two goals.
Under the current situation, their hope was very slim.
Lyon continued relentless attacks and pressure.
Real Madrid's defense shrank inward and became very stable with numerical advantage.
Moreover, Suker was up front leading, so Lyon players dared not be too aggressive.
Until the 85th minute, Lyon realized they had to go all out.
They began even more frantic attacks, pressing into Madrid's half and bombarding Madrid's defense.
But Madrid's defense held firm each time.
Bernabéu fans sang loudly!
This time, they must break the cursed Round of 16 streak.
Thinking about these things, the fans' cheers grew even more fervent.
Unknowingly, the 90 minutes flew by.
The sharp whistle blew.
"The full match is over! The 2009/2010 Champions League Round of 16 is finished. Over two legs, Real Madrid defeated Lyon 3:1 on aggregate and finally broke free from the Round of 16 curse!"
"After five seasons, Real Madrid has once again reached the Champions League quarterfinals!"
"Over the two legs, Real Madrid played very hard-fought matches, but they showed their fighting spirit. I believe Real Madrid will play even better in the future."