"Busquets and Rakitić have been subbed on!"
"I don't know if this is a reasonable substitution. In previous matches, this substitution wouldn't have been a problem."
"But every time Busquets faces Suker, he can never perform at his usual level, and his game performance becomes terrible. And then there's Rakitić. To be honest, even though Rakitić is also an excellent player, Xavi is still too important to Barcelona. He stands on the field and can still provide some spiritual support to his teammates, while Rakitić, despite having impressive technical ability, doesn't always have such a brilliant performance in the overall course of the match."
The commentator González expressed his concern.
Of course, his concern came more from Busquets.
After all, Busquets always performed very poorly in matches against Real Madrid and Suker.
Busquets even stated in an interview that every time he played against Suker, he always felt like he was being seen through.
No matter what changes he made, Suker seemed to anticipate them.
He didn't know if he was just having bad luck or if Suker could read minds, but every time he faced Suker, the pressure would double.
For this reason, no matter how outstanding Busquets performed in other matches, he was no longer the first-choice starter when facing Real Madrid.
And at this critical juncture, bringing Busquets onto the field, if he is once again interfered with and targeted by Suker, Barcelona's match will become even more difficult.
This is determined by Busquets' characteristics!
He is not a pure defensive midfielder like Alexandre Song; he also needs to dictate the possession part, and even the pushing and passing from the backfield to the frontfield. The ball spends a long time at his feet, and it's very frequent.
And such an important position, once targeted.
Especially under Suker's continuous impact and tackles, the match becomes less optimistic.
But Enrique made this decision, perhaps because Barcelona truly had no better option and could only trust Busquets.
What if Busquets overcame his fear of Suker?
What if Suker couldn't press Busquets this time?
It was more of a Luck mentality!
Of course, Enrique would not adopt such extreme defensive tactics. In fact, he had considered this issue, but ultimately chose to trust himself and these players.
Enrique believes he is special!
He is willing to learn from others' experiences, but he will not change his own ideas because of it.
If he doesn't suffer a few losses or get tricked a few times, he won't learn his lesson.
Of course, this is good news for Real Madrid.
What if Barcelona really pulled off a miracle and set up a bus, or an extreme defensive tactic? They would really have a hard time playing, although this possibility is very small, it's not non-existent.
Now, looking at Barcelona's substitution, Real Madrid felt much more at ease.
At the very least, Barcelona still wants to control the ball!
Once they have this idea, Real Madrid has many counter-abilities.
Both sides made substitutions, and the match officially entered the second half's chess game.
With the substitutions, the intensity of the match will only increase!
After the kick-off, Barcelona still focused on passing, and after gaining possession, they looked for opportunities to break through.
Busquets roamed in the backfield, always ready to receive back passes from the frontfield. Of course, in addition to this, he was also constantly confirming Suker's position.
Once Suker got too close to him, he would signal to his teammates not to pass the ball.
It would be lost if they passed!
Suker watched Busquets intently, but seeing the opponent's cautious and resigned look, he couldn't help but be amused.
"He's not planning on receiving the ball?"
Suker couldn't help but inwardly grumble.
He was probably the first to make Busquets play like a pure defensive midfielder.
But the question is, can Busquets play as a pure defensive midfielder?
The answer is no!
His strengths lie in his football IQ and his control over the game, his overall grasp of the big picture.
These are all performances that can only be displayed when in possession of the ball. But once he loses possession, his relatively heavy body and insufficient active running will all become disadvantages.
Therefore, Busquets not receiving the ball made Suker run more towards the center instead.
Since you're not taking the ball, don't blame me if I hit you on the counter-attack!
Pato ran very actively, constantly roving up and down the wing, inheriting Bale's job functions.
Of course, he didn't like doing this kind of work.
Compared to passive defense, active offense was more enjoyable.
But the problem was, just because he didn't like it didn't mean he wouldn't do it!
Suker, Ancelotti, Ramos on the bench—these big shots were all watching.
If he didn't follow the tactics, he wouldn't even know how he died!
After so many years of struggling in European League, he was no longer the 'country bumpkin' he once was. His minor emotions were well hidden; although he occasionally felt dissatisfied, he also knew how to tolerate and compromise.
"I'm coming!"
Pato sprinted back, seeing Casemiro holding back Neymar, and immediately rushed forward.
"Go wide! Go wide!"
Srna was shouting instructions.
Pato and Casemiro's running directions overlapped somewhat.
If Neymar got past them, it would be two players bypassed at once.
Therefore, he instructed Pato to go wide, completely blocking Neymar's breakthrough route.
Sure enough, seeing Pato's turn, Neymar immediately turned sideways and passed back.
Neymar also passed back somewhat frantically, so when he caught a glimpse of a teammate with his peripheral vision, he just passed it directly.
But he didn't see clearly that this teammate happened to be Busquets.
"FXXK!"
Busquets cursed loudly and immediately moved forward to shield the ball.
He knew very well that Suker was nearby.
Ever since he came on, Suker's position in the frontfield was unrestrained; he could run to any area of the field.
Busquets dragged the ball and turned, wanting to continue distributing it.
But just as he turned, Suker suddenly appeared in front of him.
Busquets: "!!!"
"Pass it!"
Rakitić shouted anxiously.
In a moment of desperation, Busquets poked the ball with his toe, wanting to get the ball away as quickly as possible. He didn't care about accuracy; just getting it out would do.
But at this moment, Suker suddenly lightly lifted his right foot, and the ball actually hit Suker's ankle, rolling towards Barcelona's penalty area.
"Oh no!!"
Busquets was aghast.
And Suker had already started to move abruptly.
"Tackled!! Suker!!" González roared: "Here it comes!! Real Madrid's counter-attack!"
Suker's acceleration was very fast, and he surged forward.
At the same time, Barcelona's center-back Piqué also rushed towards the ball.
The two almost reached the ball at the same time, but Suker's foot speed was a bit faster, and he poked the ball out earlier.
The ball was passed to Benzema upfront.
Suker, on the other hand, was bumped by Piqué and tripped, so he stumbled but still entered the penalty area.
Benzema stopped the ball with his back to goal, and he immediately turned his head to look at Suker.
Suker was still continuously running forward.
Piqué and Alves, who were chasing back, were both rushing towards Suker.
They thought Benzema would pass the ball to Suker.
But at this moment, Benzema passed the ball horizontally to an open space inside the penalty area.
The pass was a bit inexplicable.
But the next second, a figure suddenly darted forward.
A pure white jersey, a face whose contours were not yet sharply defined, but with a thick stubble.
This was the only 21-year-old Isco!
But it's hard to imagine that this was just a young player's appearance; he looked too mature.
Regardless, Isco appeared at the landing spot.
His mind was blank; he just ran to this spot according to his usual positioning.
And when the ball was passed to him, he aimed at the goal and shot with his right foot, just like in his usual shooting training.
Because the force was not very strong, the accuracy was very well controlled.
The ball passed through Barcelona's Goalkeeper's fingertips and flew into the goal.
When the net trembled.
The moment the whistle sounded, Isco suddenly came to his senses.
"I scored?"
Isco felt as if his whole body had been hit by an electric current, from the soles of his feet straight to his brain.
He had just joined Real Madrid, and his playing opportunities were few and far between. He was originally a substitute who was competing for a starting position in the midfield.
But he had blasted open Barcelona's goal in El Clásico, at Camp Nou.
Oh my God!
Nothing could be more exciting than this.
"Goal!!!"
"Youngster Isco!!!"
"A calm shot! The angle was just right!"
"After Suker contained the defense, Benzema passed the ball to the safer Isco, who did not disappoint Benzema's expectations and accurately hit the goal."
"In the 67th minute, Real Madrid scored their second goal, catching up with two goals. They are only one goal away from equalizing the score!"
"The pressure is starting to shift towards Barcelona!!"
"Suker's tackle in the front field played a crucial role. It's Busquets's problem again. Enrique's substitution was definitely an irrational one!"
The entire Camp Nou stadium became somewhat quiet.
Barcelona fans were holding their heads, their faces full of expressions of terror.
That damned and familiar feeling began to spread through their hearts!
They conceded one goal, but still had a two-goal lead!
But then they conceded another, and if they conceded one more, it would be a draw!
Leading by three goals in the first half, with such a perfect start, they actually made continuous mistakes in the second half, or rather, the whole team had problems.
Once Real Madrid adjusted, they became very difficult to play against.
Moreover, they felt that Real Madrid was a slow-starting team.
Of course, it's not that Real Madrid's offensive in the first half wasn't strong enough, but compared to the second half, it wasn't as intense.
Whenever the second half began, Real Madrid's overall performance was much better than in the first half. Their proactiveness and performance under physical exertion were more outstanding than theirs.
If this continues, the match will really be in trouble.
"Barcelona is panicking!"
While everyone else was celebrating, Suker approached Srna and said.
The latter kept taking deep breaths, adjusting his breathing rhythm, looking very tired.
Suker took a glance; Srna's stamina had indeed declined.
Before, he wouldn't have been this tired from this level of match intensity and pressure.
"We'll hold on a bit longer, you guys hurry up and score!"
Srna also didn't know how long he could hold on. Luckily, they still had one substitution slot left, which would probably allow him to be subbed off.
The reason he was still kept on the field was mainly because his command and performance in collaborative defense were still stable.
If it were Carvajal or Arbeloa, they might not be able to achieve this level, and might even be directly overrun.
Srna had experienced Neymar's ability!
One cannot say he was at his peak upon debut.
Because he didn't know what Neymar's peak truly was like, but he certainly put immense pressure on him.
Isco excitedly returned to the half, this goal earning him enthusiastic cheers from the Real Madrid fans present.
He could even imagine how the commentators were praising him.
Even in tomorrow's sports news, he would certainly have a place.
With this goal, Isco felt he gained more confidence and would also be heavily relied upon in the first team.
After all, scoring in such an important match would lead to more playing opportunities in the future.
For any substitute, such an opportunity is precious.
Just as he expected, Ancelotti did look at Isco and gave him an approving look.
"Let Isco start in the upcoming Copa del Rey, and give him more opportunities in the League and Champions League!"
In Ancelotti's squad construction, after Kaka left, Kroos would take that position, dictating the pace of the match.
But in the midfield construction, besides Kroos and Casemiro, there was still one missing spot.
Now, seeing Isco's performance, it couldn't help but make his eyes light up.
If he performed very well, Isco could rise and become a starting midfielder for Real Madrid.
If his performance was mediocre, he could still be used for a period.
Unless Isco had a disastrous performance that ruined everything he had created, with this match and the contribution of this goal, he would have a great chance.
As for Barcelona, having conceded two consecutive goals, the team had already become chaotic.
Coupled with Xavi leaving the field, Iniesta found it difficult to control these star players.
Piqué in the back was shouting!
Messi in the front was throwing a tantrum!
Head Coach Enrique on the sidelines was also constantly applying pressure.
For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
But no matter what he planned, the match had to continue.
After the second goal conceded, the Referee still blew his whistle, signaling the start of the match.
Iniesta gestured to Rakitić, then retreated himself.
He was going to support Busquets, as it was clear that Busquets was having problems.
He was marked by Suker again!
Iniesta was also puzzled; he usually performed so well, but why was he like this whenever he faced Suker?
But he also understood the psychological issue; Suker's targeting of Busquets was not just once or twice.
Almost every match, he would put pressure on Busquets, causing him to make continuous mistakes.
Each mistake would add a few more points to this cloud of gloom.
Under such a cycle, it was understandable that Busquets would falter whenever he encountered Suker.
But they couldn't just keep going like this, could they?
He hoped Busquets could break through this psychological barrier; this was key to them defeating Real Madrid.
At the very least, finding another defensive midfielder would also work!
They couldn't just keep enduring it like this.
His mind was a mess, all sorts of thoughts were surfacing, and they were all negative emotions.
"Pass! Pass it over quickly!"
Iniesta quickly shouted.
He didn't want Busquets to be marked and make mistakes again.
Busquets was also very obedient; he just didn't want to make mistakes now, as for his performance, he had no thoughts about that at all.
He decisively touched the ball with one foot, his movements incredibly crisp and clean.
After receiving the ball, Iniesta wanted to break forward, but he was quickly double-teamed by Pato and Kroos.
This was the problem that arose after Iniesta retreated; the forward passing options became fewer.
It even led to Messi and Neymar retreating to the midfield line to receive the ball.
But even so, Iniesta still couldn't find a good passing channel.
However, he still relied on his superb passing ability, directly sending a long-range diagonal pass to Rakitić on the other side.
That's right!
He directly bypassed Busquets in the middle.
He truly didn't dare to pass to Busquets.
Even if such a pass carried the risk of being intercepted, he still had to pass it that way.
Rakitić's fundamental skills were solid; such a pass was almost without any surprise for him.
He firmly controlled the ball and then smoothly passed it to Messi's feet.
Only then did Barcelona's ball transition from the backfield to the front field.
"This is too cumbersome, and too risky!"
González shook his head and said, "A process of advancing forward requires going through so many procedures and risks. If any link has a problem, Real Madrid will directly launch a counterattack. Although they completed the connection with superb technique, there is still a huge hidden danger."
From this, one could see Barcelona's current predicament!
"It was interrupted again!"
Watching the ball being intercepted again, González couldn't help but shake his head.
"Barcelona's battle line hasn't fully opened up, especially after their backline was tightly constrained, they could only be forced to retreat step by step, leading to a long attacking distance."
"Even if the ball is advanced to the front field, Messi and Neymar both start their attacks from the midfield line, making their attacking distance long. Real Madrid also has more time to react, making their defense more effective."
Looking at Real Madrid, they don't have complicated pass-and-control.
Even if they could execute some continuous passing, they wouldn't do it.
Their ball distribution is more concise, directly a long ball from the backfield forward, accurately finding the frontline players in the frontfield, and directly bringing the battle to Barcelona's doorstep, leaving the opponent scrambling.
With continuous pressure, Barcelona became increasingly passive as they played!
The once joyous and singing Camp Nou stadium had now become quiet.
Barcelona fans watched the stadium with trepidation, knowing that if they conceded another goal, victory would once again slip through their fingers.
But in the current match, they were playing extremely passively!
Moreover, the situation was getting worse.
The players' psychology had some problems; the whole team was becoming anxious, leading to a loss of their usual judgment.
This was a precursor to conceding a goal!