This winter marked a season of change for Real Madrid.
Fans and the board were far from satisfied with the team sitting fifth in the league.
Although Cassano had arrived, there were no other significant reinforcements.
Nor had a world-class manager been appointed.
Supporters found it difficult to stay optimistic about the second half of the season.
Simon came up with several tactical changes and even showed up at Su Hang's house with gifts, hoping to seek his advice.
"Damn! You stole my kill again!"
"I'm done playing support for you!"
"That was a pentakill—hold on, I'll get the door."
Su Hang opened the door and, seeing Simon, greeted him warmly with a hug.
"Simon! Come on in! No, wait—I should call you boss now!"
Simon was stunned by the scene inside Su Hang's sprawling villa.
In the middle of the living room, Su Hang had built a glass-walled esports room, flashing with colorful lights.
And inside were two women in bathrobes.
They looked familiar...
One was Clara, Spain's most famous beauty journalist!
And the other—wasn't that Jennifer, the actress who had recently gone viral?
Was this… all under one roof?
"Maybe I should come back another day?" Simon said tactfully.
"It's fine. Jennifer's flying to LA soon, and Clara has to keep responding to Sport's mocking reports about Real Madrid." Su Hang ushered him in.
He admitted that both Jennifer and Clara had stayed over the night before.
But with more than ten rooms in his house, wasn't it normal to let friends crash for a night?
As for the bathrobes—it was just because they were at home, relaxed.
They'd played games late into the night, slept in, and couldn't be bothered to change.
"I'm heading for a shower," Jennifer said as she bid them goodbye and went upstairs. Afterward, she'd head straight to the airport.
"I'll go with her," Clara added, playfully slapping Jennifer on the backside as she followed her.
In moments, the entire 800-square-meter first floor was left with just two men.
"Sit. So, what brings you here?" Su Hang asked, cutting straight to the point.
"Well…" Simon quickly laid out his plan, using the electronic whiteboard in Su Hang's house.
The setup was even more advanced than Real Madrid's own tactical room.
But Su Hang frowned. "So you want to play with three forwards and two attacking midfielders, maximizing the superstars' abilities to improve results?"
Unlike Luxemburgo, Simon didn't care about controlling power within the squad.
If the superstars shone, so be it.
He had no intention of building up the South American clique to fight for influence.
From his perspective, such a plan would win over both the superstars and Su Hang.
But Su Hang shook his head. "That won't work, Simon. It's 2006 now!"
Simon froze.
2006?
"Think about it—the World Cup!" Su Hang reminded him. "There's only half a year left until it kicks off."
"Unlike average players, the superstars are already certain to make their national squads."
"But that depends on them staying healthy."
"That's why, in World Cup years, especially this one, superstar performances dip."
"They conserve energy. They avoid risks."
"Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Beckham, Raúl—none of them will still be playing in 2010."
"This is their last World Cup."
"They'll treat it like the pinnacle of their careers."
2006—the Twilight of the Gods, the Fall of the Titans!
No player wanted to miss this tournament.
"Even Ronaldinho, at his peak right now, might not make Brazil's squad four years from now," Su Hang continued, adjusting the formation on the electronic board. "So in the second half of this season, our top priority is to reduce the risk of injury for our stars."
"We need to rotate them as much as possible."
"They'll actually welcome it more than anyone."
"The reason results dipped late in the first half of the season was largely down to Zidane and Figo falling off badly after the 60th minute."
"Game after game, opponents caught up or even overtook us—that says it all."
"Part of it is their fitness—by midseason, they're already struggling. The other part is that they're pacing themselves to avoid injuries."
When Su Hang finished adjusting, Real Madrid's new formation appeared: 4-3-1-2.
A fortress!
In theory, only two forwards and one attacking midfielder would be in attack.
Four defenders, three defensive midfielders—defense maxed out.
"This way, we can field a 45-minute Zidane and a 45-minute Figo in the playmaker role!" Su Hang explained, placing their avatars in the attacking midfield slot. "If any team can boast a world-class attacking midfielder for the full ninety minutes, it's Real Madrid!"
Ronaldinho was also world-class, but while he could last ninety minutes, his peak only stretched about seventy.
Every top player had sixty to seventy minutes of peak performance.
If they maintained it for ninety, it meant they were in exceptional form—rare, but possible.
Of course, rotation affected rhythm.
But for veterans like Zidane and Figo, it would lighten the load while keeping the benefits.
It was the same principle as training: younger players needed extra sessions, while veterans needed lighter workloads.
"Up front, we've got me, Ronaldo, Raúl, Cassano, and Robinho—five players for two spots. More than enough." Su Hang pulled up more player profiles. "Ronaldo's injuries are so frequent, he barely even counts as an option."
"The other three—Raúl, Cassano, and Robinho—can all shift into the playmaker role as emergency cover."
They were all technically forwards, but none were true strikers.
Raúl was a shadow striker who'd spent much of the last two years playing in midfield.
Cassano was also a shadow striker, having developed his one-touch passing alongside Il Capitano, and he could fill in as a playmaker too.
Robinho was a pacey winger, but he could adapt to a shadow striker role as well.
And with young players, versatility was everything. How else could you know if he could play as a playmaker without trying?
"And the midfield?" Simon asked, watching carefully.
"Three defensive midfielders," Su Hang answered, arranging the lineup. "Baptista, García, Beckham, and Guti all fit."
"Beckham's starting spot is untouchable. Unless he's injured, he has to play. Shifting him from right midfielder to right defensive midfielder may look odd and cost him some assists, but he'll face far fewer isolated situations."
"For his own health, he'll agree."
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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