After the tactical meeting concluded, everyone headed to the equipment room to prepare for strength training.
Suker, however, went straight to Zidane.
"Let's talk about the problem from earlier!"
Upon hearing this, Zidane's face lit up with excitement; clearly, he was prepared.
The two walked to the corner of the corridor, where Zidane pulled out a palm-sized notebook from his pocket.
It was densely covered with many technical terms and various markings, and judging by the looseness of the paper clamp, it was clear that many pages had been torn out.
Zidane carefully flipped to a certain page and then said to Suker, "It's not that I haven't prepared, but I have indeed thought about this problem."
"The attacking free role! Many players currently play this position, for example, Messi, but I feel no one has fully demonstrated the essence of this position!"
"Let's talk about Barcelona first. Messi's playing style is that of a traditional number 10. His runs in the attacking third are uncontrolled; he can even drop back to the midfield to receive passes, using his dribbling and passing to activate the team's progression."
"It can be said that Barcelona's overall state is declining, especially as Xavi is no longer as brilliant, but Barcelona's stability in many aspects is due to Messi's performance filling some of Xavi's role."
"So, I was wondering, can this playing style be grafted onto Real Madrid?"
Zidane looked at Suker: "Barcelona has Messi, but we also have you, and in terms of versatility, you are even more outstanding."
"Furthermore, you possess many qualities that Messi does not, the most distinct of which is your tackling ability!"
"Remember, when you first joined Real Madrid, in the match against Barcelona, you stole the ball from Messi's feet and then launched the counter-attack that led to the goal—that is the best interpretation of an attacking free role!"
"Tackling - progression - scoring! These are all things you did alone; even the team played around you. I feel these are the qualities an attacking free role should possess!"
Looking at the excited Zidane, Suker thought for a moment and said, "There are still people who play like this, for example, Yaya Touré!"
"But his goal efficiency, progression efficiency, and even dribbling are somewhat behind yours, and his form is also gradually declining."
Zidane said: "Your position should not be confined to a certain area, but should cover the attacking and central midfield. You can wait for a pass in the attacking third and then launch an attack, you can wait for a pass behind the opponent's defensive line, shoot and score, and even in a stalemate, you still have the ability to tackle, counter-attack, and shoot!"
"Of course, I know playing like this puts a lot of pressure on you and consumes a lot of stamina, but once it produces results, your role in the team will greatly increase."
"Most importantly, in that match against Juventus, our midfield already had the ability to contend."
Suker looked at Zidane and shook his head, saying, "Although I am very confident in myself, in terms of tempo control.."
Zidane waved his hand: "You didn't understand my meaning. I meant to have you responsible for ball distribution and progression, and Kroos responsible for organization and tempo control. By meticulously differentiating your respective abilities, you can achieve a perfect tempo."
Suker lowered his head and thought.
This was essentially shifting the pressure from Kroos onto himself.
However, Suker wasn't worried; he could handle the pressure, and with an increased range of activity, he would indeed perform better.
"There's one more thing," Zidane continued.
Suker looked at Zidane in surprise. This guy was talking non-stop, which didn't seem like an impulse but rather the result of preparation and consideration.
"Haven't you always wanted to improve the attacking combination?" Zidane said, "I believe this is the opportunity!"
"The improvement of the attacking combination needs to have two characteristics!"
Zidane spread his right hand.
"First: The attack initiates autonomously, without relying on the midfield."
Zidane then spread his left hand.
"Second: The attack, while in progress, can also link up with the midfield."
Their hands suddenly clapped together!
With a clap, Zidane pointed to Suker and said, "You are the starting point for the autonomous attacking play, and also the link between the attack and the midfield!"
"Your movement in the attacking and central midfield determines the team's threat, progression, and various other directions." Zidane's eyes shone brightly as he said, "What do you think?"
He didn't even ask Suker if he could handle this job; in his opinion, Suker was perfectly capable of doing so.
Suker, on the other hand, began to ponder.
Zidane had explained it in great detail, clearly, this was something that had been carefully considered.
He might even have more detailed task essentials, but all of this depended on Suker's approval.
And for Suker, could he play it?
Yes!
In fact, during Pellegrini's time, he played as an attacking free role.
But the difference was that Pellegrini confined Suker to the left wing and did not fully open him up.
However, Zidane was clearly bolder and more willing to take risks.
He completely released the restrictions on Suker, allowing him to play freely and for Suker's ability to drive the entire team.
Furthermore, this could even be applied to the XJBT tactic, truly killing multiple birds with one stone.
But problems also existed.
That was uncertainty and infringing upon the rights of teammates!
Leaving aside everything else, asking Kroos to give up the progression work was already somewhat forcing his hand.
As midfielders, they naturally want to play a more important role on the field. Although this tactic seems to reduce pressure on Kroos, it also reduces his tactical importance.
But if they don't do this, Real Madrid's imperfect XJBT tactic is also very prone to problems.
Although they still had the system left by Mourinho, this was the tactic Real Madrid least wanted to play.
Ever since they tasted the sweetness of attacking and pressing, it was truly difficult for them to go back to diligently defending.
It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality!
They had finally managed to press their opponents and play, but suddenly being asked to drop back and defend—no one really wanted to do that.
Even if they knew it was for the team, they still didn't want to play that way.
Suker also understood their thoughts.
We are Real Madrid, so what if we can't win by playing offensively?
Real Madrid's stars naturally had a sense of arrogance; sometimes this brought motivation, but sometimes it was also very troublesome.
Just like now, even with a good tactic, they simply chose to ignore it.
They didn't want to defend as a whole team, and they just didn't want to defend as a whole team.
In the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain, Casillas pressured them into playing a defensive counter-attacking style.
Since then, Benzema and others stopped acknowledging Casillas, treating him as invisible.
Even when they passed by, they pretended not to see him.
Even Suker, to be honest, he didn't want to play defensive counter-attacking football either.
Who doesn't want to play more proactively, who doesn't want to press the opponent?
Therefore, listening to Zidane's suggestion, Suker was also slightly moved.
"Let's try it first!"
Suker couldn't immediately confirm; after all, it needed to go through training matches and actual games.
"Good!"
Zidane's expression was uplifted.
With Suker's words, many things and tasks would be easier to implement.
Soon, Zidane found Kroos, Benzema, and Bale, among others, to explain it to them one by one.
As soon as Zidane made the suggestion, the three immediately frowned.
Kroos, in particular, showed dissatisfaction, as no one wants their tactical importance to be diminished.
But very quickly, Zidane brought up Suker, and when Kroos heard it was Suker, although he still felt a bit reluctant, he nodded.
If it were anyone else, he would fight hard for it.
But if it was Suker, he was willing to give up resources.
On one hand, it was Suker's performance and status.
On the other hand, Kroos was truly grateful to Suker, and therefore willing to make some sacrifices.
Zidane's persuasion was much easier than expected; of course, Suker's name played a crucial role here.
Real Madrid already played around Suker; now, giving him a bit more resources was not excessive.
Didn't Barcelona play this way too?
With these matters settled, Real Madrid immediately entered into a training match.
In the next round, Real Madrid's opponent was Espanyol.
Espanyol was currently in the upper-middle part of the lower half of the League table, with no relegation pressure and no qualification for European competitions.
Therefore, their playing style was not as intense as a relegation-threatened team.
Real Madrid could take this opportunity to thoroughly test their tactics.
Of course, the training match also had to be passed.
On the sidelines, Zidane watched the match intently, holding a notebook and recording in great detail.
On the field, Suker's figure was active in various positions.
One moment he was on the left, the next he ran to the right.
He shot from the front of the field!
He would also drop back to midfield to receive the ball.
Casemiro constantly followed Suker, but he only followed him; he couldn't even put pressure on Suker.
Suker received the ball with his back to the goal, turned his head to the right, and with a flick of his right ankle, passed the ball to the left.
Casemiro's vision was blocked, and he could only judge based on the direction Suker's head turned.
But in the end, he missed the opportunity to intercept.
"Drop back!"
Ramos shouted.
Just as Casemiro was about to drop back, he saw Suker strolling leisurely, with no intention of pushing forward.
For some reason, Casemiro felt a sense of danger.
Sure enough, Bale suddenly passed the ball to Suker.
"It's just as I thought!" Just as Casemiro was about to intercept, Suker took a sudden step forward, once again positioning Casemiro beside him, while letting the ball pass between his legs.
The ball rolled to the left rib area, where Marcelo received it.
With a flick of his ankle, he delivered a cross.
Benzema scored with a header in the air!
The entire attacking process was effortless.
Even though they weren't careless in the slightest, the main strikers still managed to tear open a gap and score.
"I can't limit him!"
Casemiro quickly turned his head and said.
He was afraid Ramos and his teammates would blame him.
But both Ramos and Pepe were somewhat helpless.
They didn't blame Casemiro; they saw it clearly from the back.
Suker's running movements were inherently unpredictable; he would receive the ball at a certain point and immediately shift it.
His passing lanes were even more concealed and unpredictable.
And when they pressed forward, Suker would drop back to some positions.
He even made overlapping runs with Kroos, and sometimes directly swapped positions.
How large was Suker's range of activity?
If there was a running heatmap, it would clearly show red areas evenly distributed across the midfield.
And in the left and right rib areas, it was most prominent.
"Suker, you can be bolder in your breakthroughs; don't always stick to passing," Zidane reminded him.
Midfielders sometimes get addicted to passing, losing the essence of pushing forward and instead constantly passing, making it difficult for the attack to advance.
Suker nodded at Zidane.
He indeed hadn't tried many breakthroughs, and the reason was simple: he was still in the process of trying to integrate.
For example, he was also observing the runs of Bale and Benzema, and even Srna, Marcelo, and Kroos all needed to be considered.
Since this warm-up match, Suker's mind had been working at high speed.
If a striker purely relies on physical ability and split-second decisions to play football,
then a midfielder is constantly observing and constantly using his brain.
Not only must he observe and anticipate the runs of his own players, but opponents also need to be considered.
"Headache!"
After the warm-up match, Suker couldn't help but rub his temples.
Kroos, standing beside him, couldn't help but laugh: "Appropriate and reasonable laziness is very important; the midfield is not like the front, except for sudden bursts during attacks, at other times it will be more in a waiting state."
"The midfield involves constant running and constant passing and receiving, so knowing how to be lazy is very important."
Suker nodded; "So, you guys who play in the midfield, each of you is full of tricks!"
Kroos gave a wry smile; Suker was right.
The role of a midfielder is that of a command tower, so he must learn to be cunning.
"But it feels good too." Suker stretched his shoulders and turned his head to say; "This style of play is only temporary; don't worry, we'll get on track starting next season."
"I know!" Kroos nodded.
To be honest, he also knew that he hadn't reached his peak yet, and if he were to go head-to-head with Pirlo, the situation would really not look good.
Although his talent was good and his potential was sufficient,
his growth curve had not yet been completed, and he also needed more refinement.
This match against Juventus, with Suker's help, would definitely be easier to play.
"Tomorrow's match, if we score quickly, let's try it out!"
Real Madrid will play two League matches, and then they will play in the Champions League.
Therefore, they need to use these two League matches to practice this tactic again.
On March 16th, La Liga Round 28, Real Madrid hosted Espanyol at home.
Less than 10 minutes into the match, Real Madrid scored.
Bale assisted Suker, who tapped the ball into the goal from close range.
In the 17th minute, Suker chipped the ball over a defender, used his speed to burst past Espanyol's defense, and poked the ball in for another goal.
After Real Madrid took a two-goal lead, they began to practice new tactics.
Espanyol was somewhat stunned by Real Madrid's play.
Before they could recover, Suker suddenly made wide-ranging runs, dragging their entire midfield defense into a chaotic scramble, which made an already disorganized defense even more chaotic.
Suker also observed this scene.
He suddenly dropped back and made a gesture to Kroos.
Kroos immediately passed the ball, then suddenly darted behind Suker.
Suker feigned turning to the left, then with the tip of his right foot from behind, he poked the ball and suddenly rotated in the opposite direction again.
At this moment, Espanyol's defensive midfielder simply couldn't keep up.
He could only marvel at Suker's physical flexibility.
The ankle pressure Suker endured from this movement was also very high, but he still held on and completed the turn.
Facing the attacking direction, Suker's vision immediately became clear.
He carried the ball forward, and the moment Espanyol's center-back couldn't help but move forward, Suker's calf lightly landed, and he poked the ball with his toe.
The ball went through the middle of the two center-backs, and Bale suddenly burst out from the side, meeting the ball with a powerful shot that found the net.
In the 31st minute, Real Madrid led by 3 goals.
This goal greatly excited the Real Madrid players; the effect was achieved.
In the second half, Real Madrid continued their efforts.
In the 61st minute, Suker, after a series of dribbles, shot into the far corner, scoring again and completing his hat-trick for the match.
And in the 78th minute, Suker passed the ball forward to Benzema.
Suker pushed forward into the left rib area, attracting a lot of defensive attention, while Bale on the other side immediately ran into space, received Benzema's pass, and scored again.
Finally, the match ended, with Real Madrid defeating Espanyol 5:1.
Espanyol's goal was an own goal, as the ball hit the retreating Kroos's foot and bounced into the net.
After this round of the League, Real Madrid players left the training base directly and departed for their respective National Teams.
There were two World Cup qualifiers in mid-March.
Suker and Srna also immediately returned to Croatia.
Croatia's two matches were not easy either.
They played Serbia and Wales, respectively, at home and away.
Serbia took this match very seriously, but the gap in hard power was still insurmountable.
However, this match was also full of tension, and the game nearly got out of control at one point.
They couldn't break the deadlock until the 70th minute.
It wasn't until Suker suddenly scored with a cold shot in the 73rd minute.
Then, in the 89th minute, he scored with a header from a contested ball.
Croatia won the match 2:0 at home.
This was also Croatia's fifth consecutive victory in the qualifiers.
On March 27th, Croatia traveled to Wales for a match.
In this match, Suker and Bale became opponents.
But facing a strong Croatia, Wales was considered a new team.
Even with Bale, it was difficult for them to compete with Croatia.
Moreover, Suker was in exceptionally hot form.
In the first half, he had one goal and two assists.
Throughout the match, he delivered a brilliant performance with two assists and two goals.
Croatia defeated Wales 4:1 away, securing their sixth consecutive victory and continuing to lead the group with a perfect record.
And so far, Croatia is the only team that remains undefeated.
Germany and Netherlands, who also performed well in the qualifiers, were held to draws by Sweden and Romania, respectively.
Both currently have a record of 5-1-0!
And Croatia's performance once again captivated the world.
The World Cup has not yet begun, but with their excellent performance in the qualifiers, and the added prestige of being European Cup champions, Croatia's qualification is almost a certainty.
At the same time, they also surpassed Brazil, becoming the top-ranked team in the current FIFA National Team rankings.