"Press up! Press up!"
Lampard urged his teammates forward, believing the tempo was too slow, not their preferred rhythm.
As the most fast-paced League among the Big Five Leagues, the Premier League boasts intense attack-defense rhythm and physicality. They often perform better in fast-paced matches.
Especially in chaotic situations, they are better at seizing opportunities. When the pace slows down, they are easily led by the nose.
Real Madrid's offense was formidable this season, but he still believed that once more physicality was introduced, they would also gain more opportunities.
Therefore, he constantly urged his teammates forward, needing to put more pressure on Real Madrid's players.
This shift was effective; the passing in the midfield area was noticeably less fluid and stable than in the first half.
Facing Chelsea's high pressing, Real Madrid couldn't spread out too much, maintaining close distances between each player, and using quick, short passes for rapid transitions.
But at the same time, the safety of their passes was also declining.
"Keep going! Push up!" Lampard shouted again; "They can't last much longer!"
Oscar and Hazard pressed Kroos together, which made it impossible for Kroos to find horizontal passing channels; Chelsea had virtually cut them all off.
If he passed back, Chelsea's players in the front were also eyeing the ball like tigers.
Unless it was a particularly safe situation, a back pass would not be adopted.
Just as Kroos was anxiously pondering, he saw Suker moving horizontally through a gap in the crowd.
As Suker moved, he pointed to the space in front of him, signaling for a pass.
Kroos barely hesitated, directly threading the ball through the gap.
The pass was relatively stable!
However, Chelsea players also reacted quickly. They turned their attention and charged towards Suker in a rush.
The moment Suker touched the ball, his ankle flickered slightly, feigning a turn in the opposite direction, but his body suddenly paused. He sharply darted between the flutter-ing Oscar and Hazard, breaking away towards his own half and quickly creating space to complete the turn.
After turning, Suker didn't even look up. He directly chipped a pass, and the ball flew over the halfway line, accurately transferring to Kaka's feet on the other side.
"Awesome!"
Kaka steadily received the ball and gave Suker a thumbs-up.
Real Madrid's disrupted rhythm was stabilized by Suker.
"Oh~~~" González couldn't help but exclaim. This series of feints and real moves was incredibly deceptive. This time, Suker didn't break forward but made a safe transfer.
At the moment the rhythm was disrupted, Suker once again became the key to stabilizing it.
Most importantly, at a time like this, Suker was still very daring to hold the ball!
This is what you call great skill and daring!
Many people, facing Chelsea's intense chase and blockade, were afraid of losing the ball and therefore tried to pass it out as quickly as possible.
But Suker didn't do that. He used his individual ability to break free and successfully got the ball out.
"This is Suker! Not just in attack, but in the midfield area, he can be a key point to stabilize the rhythm. Chelsea finally managed to disrupt the rhythm, but Real Madrid wasn't surrounded; instead, Suker skillfully got the ball out."
Real Madrid still maintained possession, which meant Chelsea's pressure continued.
"Damn it!"
Lampard was secretly annoyed.
They were so close to winning the ball and counterattacking.
But then, Suker came out to cause trouble again.
His ball control was terrifyingly strong. His dribbling and passing accuracy were even better than most midfielders.
Therefore, after Suker got involved, it became quite difficult for them to disrupt the rhythm again.
Clap clap clap clap!
On the sidelines, Ancelotti was also applauding.
He also admired Suker's performance.
Even though it was a simple transfer, the ball possession was still with Real Madrid, which meant they held the initiative.
Furthermore, Chelsea had gone to great lengths, pressing desperately, but still couldn't win the ball.
This constant back and forth, pressure upon pressure, would inevitably crush them.
And now, what Real Madrid needed to do was to continue controlling the ball, constantly applying this pressure.
Ancelotti narrowed his eyes slightly.
In his opinion, scoring goals was not the most difficult thing.
An attacking battle was just two people blindly throwing wild punches!
But for a truly strong team, they needed to be able to control their play.
Attack when it's time to attack, stabilize when it's time to stabilize!
Learn how to convert an advantage into a winning position!
Currently, Real Madrid was leading by two goals, holding a huge advantage.
Maintaining possession and constantly probing with attacks would multiply the pressure on Chelsea.
Therefore, the most crucial thing was the single word: 'stability'!
This would fully demonstrate a team's discipline, which is the foundation of a strong team.
Leading is not difficult, but how to maintain that lead until the end of the match is the key!
And now, Real Madrid was doing exactly that.
"Win it back!"
Chelsea was visibly getting anxious.
Facing Real Madrid's ball possession, they couldn't help but be anxious.
If Real Madrid continued to string them along like this, time would simply run out.
Match time: 60 minutes.
Chelsea started to play recklessly!
They desperately wanted to make a tackle, but Real Madrid simply wouldn't give them a chance.
Continuous passing, and even Suker and Bale dropping back and tucking in, increased their control of the midfield.
With continuous one-touch passing and fluid transitions, Chelsea ran around like headless chickens, but still couldn't win the ball.
"They really can't win it back!"
The English commentator looked dejected, watching the match situation with a puzzled expression.
What was going on with this Real Madrid team?
They suddenly switched to tiki-taka!
And they were playing it so well!
This wasn't the mishmash Zidane had put together last season; it was well-organized, fluid, and natural.
Of course, he affirmed that Real Madrid wasn't playing pure tiki-taka!
After all, the core tactical system wasn't built around that.
But Ancelotti was able to integrate these elements, which was a remarkable feat.
"They're playing really well!" Zidane rubbed his shiny bald head, unable to resist saying; "Perhaps, we could consider playing tiki-taka?"
The fluid passing beauty of tiki-taka was still very appealing!
Ancelotti, however, just smiled: "Whether it's tiki-taka or counter-attacking, tactics are ultimately just tactics; they are dead!"
"Tactics serve the team. There's no absolute or not absolute; there's only what's suitable or not suitable!"
"Right now, I think playing tiki-taka is suitable, so we play tiki-taka."
"Once the situation looks bad, we can immediately switch to defensive counter-attacking!"
"If the opponent's defense is weak, we can press forward with our entire line!"
"We can even play an explosive, all-out attacking and defending slugfest!"
"The choice of tactics varies with the situation. Our goal is to run down the clock and maintain our advantage, so we can choose between defense and tiki-taka. But the players want to be proactive, so we chose the more proactive tiki-taka, that's all!"
Ancelotti said with a smile: "I won't absolutize tactics. After the basic system is built, tactics are just the outer shell."
Zidane tilted his head and said; "Last season, I also played this way, but it wasn't this fluid."
"Because your core, which is the system, was the defensive counter-attacking one left by Mourinho, so it felt a bit awkward when you played it."
"You told them to press high, but their muscle memory would tell them to stay in place. Under this contradiction, there would naturally be a sense of sluggishness, and it wouldn't be as fluid!"
"After I joined Real Madrid, I spent the most time doing one thing..." Ancelotti turned his head: "Encouraging them to attack, encouraging them to show their individual performance, making them play with confidence, transforming them from the inside out, and then adding a suitable basic system, what it created is this team, capable of playing any tactical template!"
Zidane: "But do we not have a true core tactic? In the Champions League final stages, this core tactic can really show its effect!"
Ancelotti shook his head; "That's the choice for many teams with incomplete lineups. Their lineups have flaws, so they need specific tactical systems to cover some weaknesses and maximize their strengths!"
"But we don't need that, because our lineup has no weaknesses. We can master any tactical system!"
As they spoke, on the field, Real Madrid's fluid tiki-taka continued.
Moreover, their interchanging runs were even more dazzling.
Many people were tracking Suker, but as they ran, they became disorganized.
A huge gap appeared in the middle, a visible gap that could directly connect to Benzema.
"Oh no!"
At this moment, both Lampard and Terry felt their hair stand on end, a chill running down their spines.
It was then that Kroos received the pass and, with the momentum, slotted it forward.
The shot didn't even need precise aiming; the gap was too wide.
It was a perfect pass!
Benzema immediately sprinted diagonally forward and received the pass from Kroos.
"Benzema! This is dangerous!!!"
The English commentator scrambled to his feet, feeling as if everything had gone awry.
Just then, Benzema looked towards Bale in the small box, but instead of sweeping the pass, he paused for a moment and passed it in a reverse triangle.
Near the penalty spot, Suker arrived in response.
There wasn't a single defender around him. Suker received the ball and easily slotted it in.
The ball took a small arc, bypassed Terry, and flew into the side netting on the right side of the goal.
The entire Bernabéu stadium instantly erupted.
Tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans cheered excitedly.
The level of skill displayed in this goal was evident to them.
Facing Chelsea's counter-attack, Real Madrid remained calm and composed, without a hint of disarray.
Their opponent's formation changes and player substitutions failed to disrupt their rhythm; they slowly but surely melted Chelsea's defense.
Compared to strong attacks with rhythm changes or breakthroughs from the flanks,
This kind of attack is the most despair-inducing!
Because throughout the entire process, Real Madrid made no mistakes, while Chelsea gave their all but couldn't create a single opportunity.
The third goal appeared!
Real Madrid's frontline was firing on all cylinders.
It wasn't a complete mismatch, but the difference was still very clear.
Even Mourinho rubbed his temples and let out a long sigh.
During the era of the Dream Team and the dominance of tiki-taka, he had never felt so hopeless.
But at this moment, he was helpless.
Real Madrid's offense varied in its patterns, and he found these patterns difficult to counter.
The tactical shifts were too fast!
And each was distinct!
Not only did they have to mark Real Madrid's passing and control, but they also had to guard against Real Madrid's changes in rhythm.
This was an extremely difficult task.
Chelsea players were crouching on the ground, breathing heavily.
More than ten minutes of continuous high pressing had exhausted their stamina.
Especially with Hazard not pressing or tracking back, their defensive responsibilities became heavier, leading to even greater physical exertion.
Several players were already clearly experiencing shortness of breath and couldn't recover in a short time.
Their chests heaved violently; they could only crouch on the ground, gasping for air, trying to regain a bit of stamina.
But physical fatigue was nothing.
The biggest problem was psychological!
How could they win this?
Such a thought began to appear in their minds, becoming increasingly intense.
This seemed to drain their last bit of energy, leaving them completely dispirited.
Chelsea was a battle-hardened team; they wouldn't be easily defeated.
But anyone facing a game where they couldn't attack, couldn't defend, and couldn't even win the ball would feel despair!
At this moment, that was precisely how they felt!
"Make a substitution!"
Ancelotti casually made a substitution gesture.
In the 62nd minute, Real Madrid made a substitution.
Carvajal and Marcelo left the field.
Srna and Arbeloa came on.
These were like-for-like substitutions; Ancelotti didn't even touch the frontline, which indicated that Ancelotti was still wary of Chelsea's counter-attack, thus keeping the frontline to maintain deterrence.
The pace of the game would also change.
There would be no more aggressive attacks, but rather a focus on consuming the opponent through the second-half's passing and control mode.
After the third goal, the game's pace seemed to slow down.
Chelsea was clearly running out of steam!
They were physically exhausted, but the psychological pressure was even greater.
They hadn't even touched the ball for a long time.
They had tried to foul, but even with fouls, they found it difficult to win possession.
"I don't know how to explain this situation, but if there were statistics, Real Madrid's possession in the second half should be around 75%, while Chelsea might not even have 25%!"
"Most importantly, so far in the second half, Chelsea hasn't created a single dangerous attack, and out of three shots, only Lampard hit the target, forcing the Real Madrid Goalkeeper to make a save."
At this point, the English commentator couldn't continue.
This match was truly an ordeal!
Losing wasn't terrifying; what was terrifying was playing so passively and seeing no hope whatsoever.
He even began to doubt whether Mourinho's defensive tactics could continue.
Playing a game like this was enough to make one feel utterly suffocated.
Echoing the English commentator's thoughts, in the VIP box, Chelsea owner Abramovich's expression was extremely grim.
He had come to oversee the match; even if they lost, they shouldn't lose so thoroughly, should they?
This game offered him no hope of victory.
From the very beginning of the match, apart from one penalty, they had hardly threatened Real Madrid at any other time.
Was the disparity in strength truly so vast?
Or was there a problem with the tactics?
But no matter what, he knew that the tide had turned; for Chelsea to continue in the Champions League, they could only fight for the second-place spot in the group.
As for the Champions League he had dreamed of day and night, it seemed to be getting further and further away.
Florentino said nothing; anything he said at this point would only provoke Abramovich, so he remained silent.
He looked towards the field, his eyes filled with satisfaction and relief.
This was the second generation of Galácticos he had created!
The first generation of Galácticos ultimately ran aground due to various issues and couldn't perform as ideally.
But the second generation was a product based on those foundations, integrated and improved.
And this game fully proved that his idea was not wrong!
Real Madrid's dynastic dominance would continue.
They had merely dozed off, and now they had awakened and would once again rampage through Europe.
Beep beep beep ~~~~!
Three whistles blew.
The full-time whistle sounded.
Chelsea players looked up at the sky in a daze, the glaring floodlights making them dizzy, but more than that, it was a massive psychological blow.
Throughout the entire 90 minutes, they had experienced too many things.
Hope, frustration, struggle, despair...
Under the shift in emotions, they became increasingly weak, and by the end of the game, they didn't even know how to play anymore.
If Real Madrid hadn't stopped actively attacking, they might have conceded even more goals.
Mourinho stood on the sidelines, his expression also extremely grim.
But soon, he looked at the approaching figure and couldn't help but sigh again.
Srna walked over and embraced Mourinho.
In such a situation, he didn't know what to say, only hugged his mentor, patted his shoulder, and left.
Suker also walked over and embraced Mourinho, as a greeting.
As for Ramos, Casillas, and other players, their relationship with Mourinho had not yet thawed, so they acted as if they hadn't seen him.
The fifth round of the 2013/2014 Champions League group stage concluded.
Real Madrid secured five consecutive group wins, advancing to the Champions League knockout stage as group winners with one match to spare.
Chelsea and Schalke 04 would compete for the second-place spot in the final match.
Chelsea currently led by one point!
And the sixth round just happened to be a direct confrontation between Chelsea and Schalke 04.
This was a Champions League survival battle; the two teams would surely fight to the death.
As for Real Madrid, they were already secure; if unnecessary, they could even half-abandon the last group stage match, treating it as an opportunity for their reserves to find form.
Moreover, Ancelotti also had this idea.
The reason was simple.
In the League, they were about to face the Spanish National Derby; they would play Barcelona away.
Compared to the already-secured Champions League, this match was clearly more important!
Therefore, the next goal, apart from the mid-season championship, was to fully focus on Barcelona.