Roberto Carlos wanted Luxemburgo, with whom he had a good relationship, to take over as head coach and bring in more players from the Americas and Brazil. That way, his own position in the team would be stronger.
Pavón? Bravo? With their ability, could they really be starters?
Of course not.
But in this Real Madrid, dominated by the Spanish clique, those two still managed to secure relatively stable spots in the lineup.
Is Raúl on the same level as Ronaldo?
Not even close!
Yet no matter who the coach was, they always had to find a way to keep Raúl in the starting eleven.
Even if it meant pushing Zidane out to the left, Raúl had to play as the attacking midfielder.
That's status.
Not to mention the benefits and respect the Spanish players enjoyed off the pitch.
Roberto Carlos didn't have any problem with Su Hang—in fact, he liked him as a person.
But he believed that during the transition between Raúl and Su Hang, he, Roberto Carlos, was the one who could temporarily take control of the team.
The emperor's throne changes hands each year—this year, it was his turn.
So Roberto Carlos began actively lobbying for Luxemburgo to take over at Real Madrid.
After Carlos and the others had left...
Just as Su Hang opened his door, the door of the private room next to his opened too.
He and Simon locked eyes. The silence between them was thick with awkwardness.
"How about a drink?" Su Hang suggested.
"I could use one," Simon nodded, clearly down.
...
In the bar, Simon drank heavily, venting about everything he had done for the team and how players like Roberto Carlos had left him disillusioned.
He didn't know how to start his coaching tenure at Real Madrid.
But he knew that if he didn't start soon, everything would fall apart.
In the end, it was Su Hang who laid out a plan.
Su Hang: "Lean on the Spanish clique. Let Raúl and Ronaldo start up front. Put Solari on the left wing. Rotate Guti with Beckham and Figo."
"If you need to rotate the strikers, use Morientes to sub in for Raúl. That way, both can accept the decision."
"You've been around for years. You've got the connections. If the Spanish group backs you, there's a real chance you can make your position permanent."
With this setup, the ones who would suffer most were Owen and Su Hang—almost no game time.
Next were Figo and Beckham, who would be frequently substituted.
But these players had the quietest voices in the locker room.
This was the most favorable plan for Simon.
But...
"Su! This will hurt you! You'll end up sitting on the bench," Simon warned him.
Su Hang smiled. "I'm fine with that. You don't even need to put me on the bench. That way, it won't look like you're favoring the Spanish players."
Su Hang, being part of the local group himself, would be overlooked while Raúl, Solari, and Guti were relied on. From the outside, no one could say Simon was building a clique.
Everyone would assume it was purely tactical.
Seeing Simon still hesitant, Su Hang kept pushing, still playing his part:
"Simon! There's no time! Real Madrid is already down to sixth in the league!"
"Every match we throw away could be three points we'll never get back by the end of the season!"
"Someone needs to make a sacrifice!"
"If that person is me, then I'll do it without hesitation! That's my responsibility as Real Madrid's fourth captain!"
Simon was stunned.
Was this what true leadership looked like?
It was overwhelming.
His eyes reddened as he raised his glass.
"To Real Madrid!"
Su Hang nodded firmly. "To Real Madrid!"
The drink went down, and Su Hang finally felt at ease.
He could finally breathe easy for a while.
...
The next day, Simon showed his "iron-faced impartiality."
During the training match, Su Hang's performance was subpar.
Simon promptly announced that Su Hang wouldn't be in the squad for the next three matches.
The entire team was stunned.
There were rumors everywhere that Camacho had been dismissed because of Su Hang.
Why would Simon target him now?
Did he come in with some kind of special backing?
Uncertain of Simon's true position, the South American clique held back for now.
Meanwhile, the Spanish players saw that Simon's tactics played to their strengths, so they naturally supported him.
October 23rd, La Liga Round 8.
Real Madrid stuck with the 4-4-2 formation but adjusted the lineup slightly:
Ronaldo, Raúl
Solari, Zidane, Beckham, Figo
Roberto Carlos, Samuel, Woodgate, Salgado
Casillas
Raúl was finally back in the starting lineup.
Zidane returned to central midfield.
Everyone was satisfied.
The French, Portuguese, and English players gave it their all.
And under pressure from the Spanish players, the South Americans were also forced to give maximum effort.
The result was a solid team performance.
Real Madrid beat Valencia 1-0.
That was their second win over Valencia this season.
October 31st, La Liga Round 9.
Real Madrid beat Getafe 2-0 at home.
Raúl and Solari scored, boosting the morale of the Spanish clique.
November 7th, La Liga Round 10.
Real Madrid visited Málaga.
Ronaldo and Raúl scored again, securing a third consecutive 2-0 win.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
Su Hang couldn't have been happier.
This was the ideal situation for him.
With no distractions, he could focus fully on training. His short passing and shooting stats both improved to 73.
The media quickly began rallying behind Simon.
AS: "The miracle coach Simon! After ending Real Madrid's three-game winless streak, he led them to nine points in a row!"
Marca: "Real Madrid doesn't need to look elsewhere. Simon is the ideal coach for this season! He should be made permanent!"
El Mundo Deportivo: "Simon is leaning heavily on the Spanish players. Owen has now spent 270 minutes on the bench! That's no way to treat a Ballon d'Or winner!"
Madrid Daily: "Su Hang didn't say a word after missing three games. So why the fuss about Owen being benched?"
Clara's Column: "Su Hang supports Simon's decisions. As long as the team keeps winning, he's fine sitting out the whole season!"
But as the saying goes, good times don't last forever.
After the 10th round, the South American faction started to get uneasy.
If Simon kept winning, Luxemburgo would be out of the picture for good.
Then, during one training session, Roberto Carlos blew up after Simon told him to adjust his positioning.
"You have no right to tell me how to position myself!" Carlos shouted. "You're just a goalkeeping coach—a nobody!"
"I'm Roberto Carlos! The best left-back in the world! Second in the Ballon d'Or!"
"I know better than anyone how I should play!"
He thought that his barrage would crush Simon's spirit.
But Simon's face went red with fury.
"It's because everyone here thinks they're some kind of superstar that Real Madrid keeps falling short of expectations!"
"Look at our points! The way you talk, you'd think we're top of the league! But what's the reality? We're only in third!"