After returning to Madrid, Bale was a bit downcast.
The reason was simple: they had been thoroughly defeated by Croatia.
Although Bale knew Croatia was strong, he didn't expect them to be strong in this way.
In terms of competition, a National Team is generally stronger than a club because the latter benefits from long-term synergy.
However, the Croatia National Team felt like a well-drilled football club to Bale.
Their overall stability was very high, and their control of the game's tempo was excellent.
Aside from occasional minor flaws in the defense, the midfield and attack were incredibly stable.
The midfield trio of Modrić, Rakitić, and Vukojević almost completely suppressed Wales' midfield and controlled the tempo for 20 minutes.
As for the attack, there's no need to mention it; Suker had already exploded in the first half.
In the second half, Croatia still played conservatively; otherwise, the number of goals Wales would have conceded would have been truly uncertain.
Bale tried very hard to secure a victory, but it was too difficult; he didn't have many opportunities to touch the ball throughout the match.
And once he touched the ball, he would be quickly surrounded by Srna and Vukojević, making it difficult for him to find space to perform.
Furthermore, Bale lacked Suker's agility in small spaces for maneuvering; as Wales' top star, he couldn't contribute, so the game naturally became very difficult to play.
"Ha~~~~~"
Inside the training base, Srna yawned.
He rubbed his eyes, looked at the gloomy sky, and couldn't help but sigh, "This weather is really suitable for sleeping at home."
Suker looked at Srna; it wasn't just Srna, Suker also had the same symptoms.
Easily sleepy.
This was a lingering effect after a long period of high-intensity matches, which also prevented the body from quickly getting excited and immediately entering game mode.
Suker walked over: "After the next game, let's go for a physical examination."
Srna looked at Suker and nodded, indicating he understood.
He also knew about this problem; once mentally fatigued, it becomes very difficult to concentrate.
In competitive sports, high concentration is very important; even a slight lapse can easily cause huge trouble.
What's more, in top Leagues, offense and defense are fleeting processes, and the time left for athletes to react is not long.
Real Madrid is preparing for the Champions League!
After the League match this weekend, they will play in the Champions League next Wednesday.
In their first round, they will challenge Juventus away from home.
Juventus, as a traditional Italian powerhouse, despite experiencing the 'Telephone Gate' incident which led to a temporary decline, still retained its heritage, completing promotion in just one season and returning to the Serie A championship position.
Although the current Juventus is not as formidable as before, it definitely cannot be underestimated.
Especially Juventus's midfield and defense.
The midfield controlled by Pirlo and the defense anchored by Chiellini, Buffon, and others are the foundation for Juventus's victories.
Therefore, against Juventus, if Real Madrid tries to control the tempo with them, they can easily get drawn into the opponent's game rhythm and ultimately be overwhelmed.
So they need to use the fastest speed and the most powerful, accumulated punch to strike decisively when the opportunity arises.
On the weekend, Real Madrid faced Zaragoza away from home.
As the team currently at the bottom of the standings, Zaragoza's counterattack was fierce.
Who would want to be relegated if there was any hope of staying up?
Not to mention that relegation itself is a shameful thing; for clubs, the annual broadcasting and various revenue shares in the top League are incomparable to those in the second League.
Zaragoza is not a giant like Real Madrid, nor is it even a La Liga powerhouse.
They are well aware that if they are relegated this time, it will be a very long time before they can be promoted again.
They were promoted to La Liga in the 08/09 season, and with their tenacious style of play, they have persevered until now, but are once again facing the risk of relegation, and this risk is significant.
Currently, there are five teams with similar point differences in the relegation zone.
They are Zaragoza, Deportivo de La Coruña, Mallorca, Celta, and Osasuna.
And Zaragoza needs four points to escape the relegation zone.
Therefore, they don't expect to win against Real Madrid, but they still need to fight for a draw.
However, despite saying so, they quickly realized how difficult this goal was to achieve.
"Mark Suker!"
"I'm already following him!"
"Can't keep up!"
"You still have to!"
Movilla was breathing heavily; the game had only reached 60 minutes, and he was already experiencing a burning sensation in his lungs and his legs were gradually stiffening.
These were signs of physical exhaustion nearing its limit!
Who knew how far he had run in this game.
Anyway, he had been following Suker; however much Suker ran, he ran the same amount.
But he could only follow Suker and was completely unable to interfere directly.
Movilla had already received a yellow card, and he didn't dare to make too many aggressive moves; the Head Coach told him to hold on for five more minutes.
He could only grit his teeth and persevere!
Suker received a pass from Kroos, immediately cut the ball horizontally, and ran forward.
But after a few steps, Suker stopped abruptly by stepping on the ball, facing the attacking side.
Movilla also barely kept up, but as he slowed down, Suker suddenly pushed the ball sideways and accelerated again.
Movilla wanted to keep up, but his body was no longer obeying him; he could only spread his hands, indicating he was helpless.
Suker, meanwhile, carried the ball to the edge of the penalty area.
Zaragoza's defenders looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy; Benzema, Bale, and the forward-running Srna were all in the attack, poised to make runs.
This made Zaragoza's defense hesitant to press Suker.
Suker saw that no one was interfering with him, lightly tapped the ball with the instep of his left foot, creating a small run-up distance, and then swung his left foot fiercely, completing a curling shot.
The ball flew over the crowd, heading towards the top left corner of the goal.
Zaragoza's Goalkeeper made a desperate save but was still helpless.
Suker scored again.
"Suker!! His 33rd goal of the season!"
"A brilliant curling shot; Zaragoza couldn't even manage a draw at home, let alone a victory!"
"The goal in the 68th minute completely crushed all of Zaragoza's previous efforts!"
"Perhaps, we really have to say goodbye to Zaragoza."
Just as González said, Zaragoza's fans looked bitter upon seeing this goal.
They knew Suker's threat.
He also knew the goal would come at some point.
Although they tried their best to comfort themselves that miracles existed.
But miracles did not favor Zaragoza; Real Madrid, with Suker's outstanding performance, scored a goal, once again pushing them into the abyss.
In the relegation stage, every home match is incredibly important.
Because they really struggle to win away from home.
This was the consequence of falling behind in the first half of the season; in the second half, they could only desperately try to make up points.
On Real Madrid's side, they were also incredibly excited to see Suker's goal.
In fact, for nearly 70 minutes of the game, no goals had been scored.
Zaragoza's defense was resilient, but they still couldn't stop Suker's performance.
Watching the goal, Suker also clenched his fist tightly and waved it, which was a celebration.
After the goal, Suker was substituted in the 75th minute.
Srna was also substituted at the same time.
They were both preparing for the Champions League match next Wednesday.
Zaragoza was just a pre-match adjustment; Juventus was the real formidable opponent!
"The full match has ended; Real Madrid defeated Zaragoza 1-0 away from home. Although Zaragoza tried very hard to secure a home victory, they still couldn't overcome Suker, this high wall!"
"Real Madrid successfully secured the victory and took three points, but they still have a three-point gap with Barcelona!"
"However, for Real Madrid, a more important match awaits them soon!"
"Next Wednesday, in Turin, Italy, Real Madrid will challenge Italy's top seed, Juventus, away from home. This will be a strong showdown between the Champions League defending champions and the Serie A top seed. Let's wait and see!"
The full match ended, and Real Madrid returned home.
There wasn't much to summarize about this match; the performance was decent, and although there were some issues, they were within an acceptable range.
Furthermore, they couldn't find much room for further adjustments.
Leidup was just going through the motions, and Zidane was very active but lacked experience.
Therefore, Real Madrid currently only needs to maintain their current state; major changes would not be a good thing.
Regarding Suker, Real Madrid tried the free-roaming forward style several times, but the results were not very good.
Of course, Suker could display an extremely strong individual ability.
However, he couldn't form a connection with the team, and Zidane had tried many methods.
But in the end, it all showed that the cooperation between Suker and the team required some kind of medium!
Zidane couldn't find this medium, nor did he know exactly how to operate.
For this reason, in the match against Juventus, Real Madrid would most likely go head-to-head.
They would use the tactical system left by Mourinho, combined with Zidane's on-the-spot command.
Of course, Real Madrid still had a certain chance of winning, but it depended on the specific operation.
As soon as Suker returned to his villa, he received a call from Pirlo.
"Good evening, my friend."
Suker grinned: "When did you become so cheesy? Speak properly, will you?"
"Hahaha," Pirlo laughed a few times and said, "The match is about to start, so I specifically called you!"
Suker: "Scouting tactics? Do you think I'll tell?"
Pirlo: "I don't have such thoughts, but we've prepared a lot here!"
Suker raised an eyebrow: "Tell me about it?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Pirlo said grumpily.
Suker couldn't help but smile and asked, "How is it over there?"
Ever since Pirlo left Milan, their contact had lessened.
On one hand, their respective match schedules were very heavy.
On the other hand, there wasn't much to talk about.
Moreover, Pirlo was very wary of talking about Milan matters; it was clear that his departure that time was not very pleasant with Milan.
"It's not bad. Currently, among Serie A, only Juventus still retains a certain fighting power," Pirlo added, "Of course, it's far worse than before."
Suker nodded: "Of course, not to mention earlier, even in our time, Serie A was not easy to play in."
Thinking of how he was continuously restricted by those old foxes in Serie A, Suker couldn't help but grin.
"By the way, do you still have contact with Real Madrid?" Suker asked.
"You want me to transfer?" Pirlo retorted.
Suker: "It would be best if you could come."
"I'm sorry, I refused!" Pirlo said, "I don't want to leave Italy to play, and I also don't want to become a competitor with that guy Kaka."
After a pause, Pirlo asked with concern, "How is Kaka's injury recovery?"
Suker: "Not bad, he's about to enter rehabilitative training. No one can say for sure to what extent he can recover."
Pirlo sighed: "It's not a good thing for him to suffer a serious injury at his age!"
Suker: "There's no way around it. Which athlete doesn't get injured? For us, injuries are commonplace!"
Pirlo: "...You don't get injured! I remember you only had one serious injury that kept you out for half a season, and since then, you haven't had a single minor injury, and that serious injury didn't leave any sequelae. What kind of body do you have?"
Among Suker's various nicknames, 'Iron Man' was also a popular one.
After all, last season, Suker played on three fronts, almost full-time, and was still full of vigor.
If it were other players, Mourinho's high-intensity usage would have worn them out long ago.
But Suker was different; the more he played, the better his form seemed to be.
And many people were amazed by Suker's injury-free status.
Among Suker's dribbling moves, there were many high-pressure actions.
Especially like Ronaldo's Pendulum Dribble, Suker also used it frequently, but he didn't experience the kind of knee problems Ronaldo did, and he was still full of life.
Of course, many people said this was self-discipline, but only Suker knew he had cheated.
"Say hello to Kaka for me. I won't call him specifically. See you next week!"
After a brief chat, Pirlo hung up the phone.
After all, next Wednesday, they would be opponents.
There would be no communication during the match, and after the match, a winner would be decided, so there would be no mood for communication either.
Therefore, Pirlo took this time to simply communicate and maintain their relationship.
The players who came out of Milan had very good private relationships.
Especially Suker.
Milan's team pet was not a joke!
After all, he was almost designated as Maldini's successor.
If there hadn't been the Telephone Gate incident and the decline of Serie A, Suker would probably have taken over.
One club for life, that's a good story!
However, for Suker, he was more obsessed with the Ballon d'Or and other honors.
This also determined that he could not be loyal to a single club!
Time passed quickly, and two days flew by.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid's entire team traveled to Turin, Italy, a day in advance to prepare and adjust.
The match between Real Madrid and Juventus!
The confrontation between Suker and Pirlo.
This topic caused heated discussions among the Italian media.
Crudeli's Milan YouTube account also updated today.
In the latest recording, Crudeli invited two major defensive pillars from the Milan Dynasty era.
Nesta and Stam.
Both had retired; the former was no longer the dashing young man he once was, with a receding hairline and a slight look of age.
"This is Crudeli's YouTube channel. Facing the upcoming Champions League quarter-final elimination match, Juventus will host Real Madrid, and we will discuss it in detail."
Crudeli looked at Nesta and Stam and smiled, "Who wants to go first?"
The three were very familiar with each other, so they were very relaxed.
Stam smiled and said, "I'll go first. Juventus's overall intensity is still very high, and they are on the rise. The structure of their midfield and defense is also very stable. Andre, as Milan's former midfield core, his ability is evident to all. Plus, Buffon's command on the defensive line, I think Juventus has a greater chance of winning."
"What Juventus needs to do is to pull Real Madrid into their rhythm. As long as they play their rhythm, then Real Madrid will become passive!"
Crudeli: "Stam favors Juventus. Nesta, what do you think?"
Nesta ran his hand through his hair and smiled, "Recently, there's a saying circulating online: 'Don't say 'absolute' in front of Suker!'"
"I've played with Suker for longer."
Stam couldn't help but laugh: "You guy..."
Nesta shrugged: "That's the truth, especially after you left, Suker truly entered a period of full explosion. If you haven't been teammates with Suker at that time, it's hard to know how powerful this guy really is."
"During his time at Milan, there were several matches where we were in a passive situation, and at that time, Suker single-handedly secured the victories with his powerful individual ability."
"The current Suker plays smarter and has more experience, but I want to say, the Suker from the Milan era was the most terrifying guy..."
Listening to Nesta's words, Crudeli suddenly tilted his head, pinched the bridge of his nose, and made a gesture of emotion.
"I'm really about to cry! Every word you say reminds me of that figure soaring in the number 10 jersey at San Siro! He was so great!"
Crudeli turned his head: "Could your peak combination stop Suker?"
"We are the best!"
Nesta and Stam almost simultaneously said, "I will teach Suker a good lesson!"
Nesta even laughed loudly, "I will show him what despair is!"
This was a false proposition, as time could not be reversed, and it was truly impossible to directly compare who was stronger or weaker.
The combination of Nesta and Stam was strong, but Suker was not weak either.
But interestingly, Suker actually replied below this YouTube video.
[Alessandro, your forehead is truly beautiful! (Applause)]
Below the image: [Frantically petting the dog].
Nesta was triggered and directly replied with a furious triple 'international friendly gesture'.
Srna looked at Suker and couldn't help but laugh: "You're so mischievous, won't you get beaten?"
Suker: "As long as you run fast, Nesta's slap won't catch you!"
Srna looked at Nesta in the video and sighed, "But his hair volume has indeed decreased a lot, and his forehead has also widened!"
Suker: "It's all Kaka's fault for petting Nesta's hair so much that he made him bald."
Srna: "You didn't pet him any less, did you? I remember you had a celebration move where you frantically petted Nesta's hair. Nesta's baldness, both of you are inseparable from it!"