Two days of recovery training passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of departure arrived.
Nacho left, and after the conversation that day, Granero seemed to have something weighing on his mind.
At the same time, Chen Zhong realized that Granero essentially was still a Castilla player, merely training with the Real Madrid first team.
Granero was excited to be able to train with the first team, but worried about not having playing opportunities. It wasn't that he wasn't excellent; rather, his competitors were just too strong.
After all, even a Brazil international like Emerson and a superstar like Beckham were benched last season, let alone Granero.
Perhaps, his conversation with Chen Zhong was just seeking encouragement, a reason to bravely face everything and keep persevering.
Unfortunately, Chen Zhong said the same thing as everyone else.
Leave, don't waste your time here.
In the morning, Real Madrid players gradually arrived at the training base. As usual, they underwent routine checks. After completing them, they went to the Real Madrid Sports City at Valdebebas for their second training session, which was still a relatively light recovery training.
"Charter flight, it's actually a charter flight." After lunch, Marcelo seemed a bit excited, chattering next to Chen Zhong. Then, after gathering some youth team players, they headed to the airport to take flight IB4872 to Graz, Austria.
After getting off the plane, a luxury bus soon arrived to take them to Ildening.
On the bus, Schuster's blond hair fluttered as he held onto the seat with one hand and a microphone with the other, shouting loudly: "Cheer up! Guys! The toughest part is ahead of you!"
At the start of the training camp, Schuster and his coaching team focused on honing physical fitness and tactics. He hopes to lay a good physical foundation for the new season through this training camp.
Meanwhile, keeping the team in top condition to welcome the Spanish Super Cup in mid-August.
"Stamina, damn stamina, I hate stamina the most," Marcelo wailed, then glanced around and whispered: "Chen, do you know? The coach seems to want us all to eat at the Sports City."
"Can that work?" Chen Zhong finally showed willingness to communicate: "I don't really mind, but the other big shots, do they agree?"
Marcelo shrugged, indicating he didn't know either, and showed some interest in the word "big shots."
After dealing with the clingy Marcelo, Chen Zhong vaguely felt that this lion-like coach seemed to have made a blunder.
The stamina training would last about 10 to 14 days, with the destination in the mountains of Ildening, Austria. Some players were visiting here for the first time for training.
But some had already been here before being loaned out last summer, like Soldado, Baptista...
The training was intense, but the atmosphere was good. Every player at the training camp received a brand new training kit, a new set designed for them by Hugo Boss.
This again made Chen Zhong realize the changes in his life after joining Real Madrid.
He suddenly found that he seemingly did not have to spend money on food, drink, or accommodation. Although it was similar during youth training, the quality and comfort level of the first team were evidently higher.
After the stamina training, the team would head to Moscow to participate in the Russian Railways Cup.
In the Railways Cup, Real Madrid progressed to the finals by defeating Stockport, Hanover, and Moscow Locomotive, and their opponent would be Eindhoven from the Eredivisie.
In the first three matches, Chen Zhong didn't have any playing opportunity.
And sharing the same situation as Chen Zhong was only Marcelo.
This Brazilian full-back felt worried about this, and he went to Chen Zhong, confiding in him: "Chen, am I going to be sold?"
"Phew~" Chen Zhong glanced at Marcelo and said: "What nonsense are you thinking about now?"
Meanwhile, he smoothly took the water from Marcelo's hand, twisted it open for him with a zzzz sound.
Marcelo took the water but didn't gulp it down as usual. Instead, he looked around, finding no one paying attention, then leaned closer to whisper something to Chen Zhong.
Chen Zhong looked at him sneakily and with some disdain but chose to listen.
After all, Marcelo's news sources were quite reliable, and he also cared about not having gotten a chance to play yet.
"I heard, the lion head, is assessing players this time," Marcelo said with a mysterious look on his face: "The good ones stay, the bad ones leave."
"Since it's like that, just relax!" Chen Zhong rolled his eyes at Marcelo, choosing to use logic to convince him: "Since you said it's an assessment, surely there will be a chance to showcase, right? What we need to do is train hard and seize it."
Marcelo, hearing Chen Zhong's words, widened his eyes, looking like he learned something, also feeling curious about how to relax, considering Chen Zhong an interesting person who often said odd combinations of words that are quite amusing upon reflection.
Not far away, Granero looked with some envy at Marcelo sticking with Chen Zhong, hesitated for a moment, but didn't go up to interrupt.
On one hand, it's due to his own character, and on the other hand, it's because the news he's going to share isn't good news.
Perhaps, for him, it's not good news.
He has already submitted a rental application to the club, which took a lot of courage and also made him very reluctant. However, after training with the first team for so long, he realized it's difficult to secure a place in the team.
Guti, a senior from Castilla, has finally had his "springtime." In the just-concluded match against Moscow Locomotive, he was arguably the best on the field, earning everyone's respect.
Schuster showed his appreciation for this player generously.
As for Diara and Gago, they are clearly Schuster's appointed bodyguards to ensure Guti can move freely in the midfield, but it's still uncertain who will get this "job opportunity."
This also made Granero come to realize that at his age, getting play time is of utmost importance. If he continues to waste time here, he will never truly integrate into Real Madrid.
The players are undergoing various training sessions, while Schuster and Francisco are discussing their views on the team and the list for the next game.
"Gonzalo is quite good." Schuster squinted his eyes, watching Gonzalo Higuain. Although he wasn't the one who emphasized bringing Higuain in, the player who rose to fame at Riverbed clearly grew on him.
"Do we need to let him play in the next game?" Francisco asked, "Actually, I think he's quite good in the right midfielder position, mainly there's room for improvement in his finishing ability, but his attitude is diligent."
"Let's see." Schuster waved his hand. He currently approves only of Higuain's attitude and versatility: "What about the left and right backs?"
"Saldado is quite good, he still has strength. He was able to play the full game against Moscow Locomotive without any errors." Francisco looked at Schuster's expression and asked, "Do you want to keep him?"
"Keep him! He's better than Cicinho." Schuster nodded then looked at Francisco and said, "How do you feel about Ramos?"
"For center-back positions, we have Metzelder, Cannavaro, Pepe, and Chen."
"Torres can also be a makeshift in the center-back position."
"I think Ramos would be better suited as a right-back."
Schuster's lips curved slightly upward as he looked at Francisco with a certain tone, saying, "Ramos will primarily play as a right-back."
"As for Torres..."
Schuster smacked his lips; he originally didn't want Torres, but apart from the center-back position, this player can still meet his basic requirements as a left or right back. His playing time in cup matches is also the most among players, reaching 220 minutes; he played in almost all three cup matches.
"Keep him too!" Schuster nodded to show his agreement with this player: "How about Metzelder, Pepe, Cannavaro, and Chen, what's your view?"
"Cannavaro?" Francisco swallowed, knowing part of Schuster's predecessor Capello's reason for leaving was because of Beckham and Ronaldo's dissatisfaction and departure. Is this question related?
Bear in mind, that's Fabio Cannavaro, the first player in football history to win the dual Mr. Football title as a defender. Is Schuster crazy?
"Although his form isn't great."
"And he sometimes shows errors in these few matches."
"But I believe he can still secure a starting position in the team; what we need to consider is who to pair him with."
Schuster glanced at Francisco, thought for a while, then said, "Who do you think among Metzelder, Pepe, or Chen would be a good partner for Cannavaro?"
"Metzelder joined the team for free, but his speed is a bit too slow."
"Pepe, his performance is enough to win in the competition against Metzelder."
"We can review Chen's performance and make the final decision."
After Francisco finished speaking, he looked at Schuster, who chuckled softly, waved his hand, and added Chen Zhong's name to the starting list.
"Starting?" Francisco looked at Schuster in surprise, "Are you letting him start in the final?"
"Not only him."
"There's also Marcelo."
Francisco thought about it, and it seemed there wasn't an issue, after all, it's just a "cup match," and the starting players are mostly those needing further observation.
In the evening, Francisco announced the starting lineup for the final against Eindhoven in the locker room.
"Saviola, Raul, Higuain, Gago, De La Red, Balboa, Marcelo, Chen, Cannavaro, Cicinho, Dudek."