The terrifying counterattack ability shocked everyone.
Even Alonso, who launched the counterattack, was holding his head with an excited smile on his face.
"Damn! What the hell is this?!"
Marcelo exaggeratedly spread his arms and exclaimed excitedly, "Five passes, only five passes to score, and the ball never touched the ground the entire time! Is this for real?!"
Casillas also widened his eyes, then shook his head with a smile: "Feels like we're about to take off!"
Srna opened his mouth in disbelief: "Who can stop this? No one can even react!"
Suker, Benzema, and Kaka hugged each other, jumping up and down.
"Karim passed so well!"
"Karim's passes were great!"
Suk and Kaka both gave thumbs up.
Amid the praise, Benzema gradually lost himself.
Mainly because this counterattack was just too damn satisfying.
He felt that maybe playing as a supporting player wasn't so bad.
Suker saw Benzema's genuinely happy smile and couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
He wanted Benzema to lose himself in the compliments and feel at ease playing as his assist provider.
Although a bit regretful not to play as a center forward,there's no denying Mourinho's arrangement was spot on.
Besides, Benzema was definitely the best false nine prototype!
"What are you laughing at?"
Kaka asked quietly.
Suker blinked in surprise: "You don't know why I'm laughing? You really don't?"
Kaka blinked back: "Is there a problem?"
"Then why praise Benzema?"
"He passed well!" Kaka said innocently.
Suker was silent for a moment.
"Sorry! I got dirty!"
Kaka didn't understand but that didn't stop his inner joy.
This counterattack was just too enjoyable.
From Marcelo's interception onward, Real Madrid had fully entered Mourinho's counterattack system.
Every pass was textbook perfect, and the handling was extremely smooth.
This was a rare, flowing counterattack!
It was also the result of nearly three weeks of training.
A brilliant goal like this greatly boosted Real Madrid players' morale.
On the other hand, Feyenoord's players were dumbfounded.
Now their problem was whether to continue attacking.
What if Real Madrid counterattacked them like this again?
"Attack! Attack! What are you afraid of?"
Wijnaldum shouted.
They hadn't even played at their best yet!
Now was not the time to give up attacking.
Besides!He hadn't yet shown anything in front of his idol!
But there was no denying idols were idols.
"Amazing!"
Wijnaldum sincerely admired.
Suker's supernatural ball sense and that long pass left him shocked.
Of course, Kaka, who could keep up with Suker's counterattack rhythm, was also incredible!
This really was a top-tier club!
Each player was like a monster!
inhale~ exhale~ inhale~
Mourinho's body trembled slightly.
He was very excited!
Very thrilled!
Faria turned to Mourinho with a smile: "Congratulations, your tactics worked!"
Mourinho turned: "Worked? I never doubted it!"
Faria was stunned, confused: "Then why are you so excited?"
Mourinho clenched his fists slightly.
"If anyone dares say my tactics are ugly, I'll spit on them!"
"Isn't this better than sluggish possession football? It's pure art!"
Five minutes later, Real Madrid's counterattack appeared again.
This time, Diarra sent a low driven ball to Benzema.
Benzema didn't drop back but held off the opposing center-back while controlling the ball at his feet.
At this moment, Kaka suddenly burst out from the side and stole the ball.
Kaka diagonally broke to the left, and Suker followed directly into the penalty area, replacing Benzema's position.
Such a swift counterattack rhythm left Benzema a bit stunned; he didn't even know where to run.
At this moment, Kaka abruptly stopped and flicked the ball sideways, using his physique to shake off the opposing full-back, then passed to Suker in the center.
Suker, shielding the defender, lightly pushed the ball back with his right foot.
Benzema aimlessly wandered, suddenly seeing a ball appear in front of him.
And there wasn't a single defender around.
Benzema immediately stretched his leg and fiercely shot with his right foot.
With no opposition and well prepared, a professional striker's shot power was simply monstrous.
The ball slipped through a gap in the crowd, flying closely along the near post and into the goal.
After just 10 minutes of the warm-up match, Real Madrid had scored twice.
And both goals were flowing counterattacks.
Of course, the most confused was Benzema.
Running along, the ball mysteriously appeared in front of him.
It was a delightful surprise.
"Karim runs so well!"
"Karim runs so great!"
Suker and Kaka started praising again.
Benzema felt dizzy.
He began to suspect he was playing as a support.
Damn, I'm too strong!
At the sidelines, Faria clapped and grinned: "Rather than say Benzema's positioning was good, it's better to say Suker and Kaka's personal skills were terrifying!"
"A whole defense of six players was thrown into chaos by the two of them, and Benzema just picked up the loose ball!"
"Of course, to get to that position, his awareness is definitely good, even if it was a subconscious choice!"
Mourinho nodded: "That's a striker's instinct. They know better than anyone where to score."
After two goals, Real Madrid's counterattack became unstoppable.
Under such sharp counterattacks, Feyenoord had conceded four goals in 25 minutes.
This made their defense start doubting themselves.
Real Madrid still kept an attacking posture.
But Mourinho urgently called a stop.
He said they could play freely, but couldn't crush the opponent!
Doing so would mean no more friendly matches in the future.
Under Mourinho's control, Real Madrid players suppressed their eager attacking mentality.
After all, there were still two more warm-up games!
No rush!
In the second half, Real Madrid replaced all players.
Substitutes came in to play!
Mourinho had already slightly tested the main force's combat power, and Feyenoord couldn't force more from them, so there was no need to continue playing the starters.
Even with all substitutes on,
they adapted Mourinho's defensive counterattack positional tactics, and in the 87th minute, a long counterattack pass from Higuaín led to a goal.
Finally, Real Madrid defeated Feyenoord 5-0.
After one game, their confidence was built.
Especially the Real Madrid defense, often bullied by Suker and Kaka, now had renewed spirit.
So it's not that they're too weak,it's the forwards who are just too crazy!
A clean sheet!
Though the opponent wasn't very strong, it was still good!
After playing Feyenoord, Real Madrid flew back to Spain.
After two days of adjustment, they headed to the Portuguese port city of Porto.
When Mourinho led Real Madrid to Porto, they received passionate cheers and welcomes.
Especially Mourinho; Porto fans raised banners with his face, full of fanaticism.
This man who brought supreme glory to Porto was the hero of the entire city!
"First play Porto, then Inter Milan," Suker whispered: "Isn't this Mourinho's homecoming tour?"
Everyone chuckled.
At the hotel, Carvalho stood before Mourinho.
"The players' current state is very stable, morale is high, and there are no conflicts inside the locker room. The relationships between Suk and Casillas are harmonious, which has nearly merged the two factions into one."
"Pepe refused my proposal; he chose Suker. Of course, I didn't tell him it was your idea."
Listening to Carvalho's report, Mourinho nodded slightly.
"What have they been talking about recently?"
"A lot, mostly casual chatting. Also, they gave this warm-up tour a name."
"What name?"
"Ahem... Mourinho's homecoming tour!"
Mourinho slowly put down the documents and nodded: "Okay, I got it. Notify me immediately if there are any changes in the locker room."
Carvalho nodded but didn't leave.
Mourinho glanced at him and said: "Don't worry, you'll get playing time in the Copa del Rey and some league matches!"
Hearing this, Carvalho happily left.
Watching him leave, Mourinho sighed slowly.
He didn't like this feeling.
He hadn't fully controlled the locker room.
Currently, Real Madrid was split into two major factions.
One led by captain Casillas, composed mainly of local Spanish players.
The other led by star player Suk, composed of foreign players.
The good news was, the two groups got along well.
The bad news was, they got along so well they might as well wear the same pants!
Mourinho had a desire to control the locker room.
Two groups at odds? No, that would affect results.
Too good a relationship? No, that would threaten Mourinho's status.
Mourinho wanted only one voice in the locker room — his absolute authority.
To this end, he tried to win over Suker.
But Suker played dumb and got through it!
Casillas clearly wouldn't cooperate; their relationship was more work-related than mentor-disciple.
This was the downside of managing a top club.
Pellegrini left!
Because he couldn't control these top stars.
Mourinho wanted to try, but now couldn't use harsh methods.
He had no achievements yet!
He hadn't proven himself at Real Madrid!
So for now, he needed results and status.
"Take it slow," Mourinho sighed.
The next day, Real Madrid arrived at Porto's home stadium, Estádio do Dragão.
This was where Mourinho made his name.
Here, with brilliant coaching, he helped Porto win their second Champions League title, after 1987, bringing them European glory again.
Unconsciously, six years had passed.
During that time, Mourinho had been climbing the football peak.
Finally leading Real Madrid, a top club, this was the first step toward becoming a legendary coach.
Whoosh!!!!!!!!! ——
Outside the stadium, tens of thousands of Porto fans gathered.
They were all here for Mourinho.
Mourinho happily greeted the fans, occasionally glancing at Real Madrid players.
He wanted to use this to tell these stars:
Back in 2004, he miraculously brought Porto to Europe's top.
However, Real Madrid players all remained calm.
Porto was no longer the "Dragons" it once was.
Mourinho's former star players were mostly gone and forgotten.
Now only Mourinho and Carvalho were veterans.
Since it was a closed warm-up match, Porto fans were excited but couldn't watch the game.
To please Carvalho, Mourinho specially started him in the lineup so he could face his old club with the starters.
Real Madrid performed well.
Within 30 minutes, through a connection between Suker, Kaka, and Benzema, they scored twice.
Goals by Suker and Kaka.
Assists by Benzema and Alonso.
In the second half, both sides made large substitutions, but Mourinho kept the main defensive line.
Real Madrid began focusing on defense.
Porto had several fierce attacks but failed to score, while Real Madrid tried counterattacks, but Higuaín was out of form and didn't score.
In the end, Real Madrid won 2-0 over Porto.
Mourinho was very satisfied with this score.
It wasn't about the number of goals.
He wasn't worried about offense.
Defense was the key!
Two warm-up games, zero goals conceded — that was the key.
However, the next game would have a sharp increase in intensity.
The third warm-up opponent was last season's Champions League champion, Inter Milan!
Real Madrid's arrival in Milan made Inter fans very excited, and so did the players.
They still deeply respected Mourinho.
Although now opponents, they remembered the glory of winning the treble together months ago.
So their passion and respect for Mourinho was sincere!
Some were happy, but some were not.
That was Inter Milan's new coach, Benítez.
He was very unhappy about the club arranging the friendly against Real Madrid.
After all, he just took over the team, replacing Mourinho.
This was no benefit for him.
If they won, Inter wouldn't praise him but respect Mourinho.
If they lost, it would show the difference.
Both coaches led at the same time, so why the gap?
Moreover, Inter were the reigning Champions League champions.
Mourinho led Real Madrid to the trophy, while he lost!
So Benítez was very frustrated.
This was an unreasonable situation.
But the damn management accepted the warm-up matches, respecting Mourinho but not his opinion!
Now Benítez felt like a duck pushed onto a roof.
The transformation of Inter wasn't finished yet, but they had to face Real Madrid.
All he could hope for was Mourinho's transformation failing as well.
On August 15, Real Madrid arrived in Milan.
At the airport, fans of Inter Milan and AC Milan came to greet them.
Mourinho, Srna, Suker, and Kaka were all old friends in Milan.
Among them, Mourinho for Inter Milan, Suk and Kaka for AC Milan were very important figures.
The two sets of fans clashed, forcing the police to maintain order.
Mourinho wanted to greet Inter fans and catch up.
But in the end, to avoid riots, they had to leave via underground passage.
At the hotel, Suker looked at the nearby San Siro stadium, sighing: "It's been over a year, feels like ages ago."
Kaka looked nostalgic.
"Sometimes, I really miss those days!"
At that moment, Benzema walked in.
He looked at the window, unhappy: "My room only has a small window, you guys can even see Meazza from here!"
"Meazza, damn it!"
"Karim!"
Benzema suddenly realized these two were AC Milan guys.
He awkwardly said, "I slipped — when we play Inter Milan, they call it Me..."
"Meazza!"
Suker squinted.
Kaka frowned.
Benzema smiled awkwardly: "I'm done!"
Srna came in, shrugged: "It's actually called Meazza!"
"Meazza!"
"San Siro!"
Suker and Srna bickered like children.
Benzema was helpless: "Can you two stop messing around?!"
Suker and Srna stopped arguing.
They sat down together.
"Milan isn't doing well now!"
Suker shook his head.
Srna nodded: "Yeah, Milan isn't doing well!"
"Are we even talking about the same Milan?" Suker turned to him.
Srna nodded: "Yours is AC!"
Suker cursed: "You're Inter, you don't have Milan!"
Kaka was helpless: "Stop arguing."
They both pointed fingers at each other.
"He started it first!"
"Let's not talk about this, talk about tomorrow's game!"
Kaka said, "The difficulty is much higher this time, Inter is hard to deal with!"
"Benítez's Inter is okay, right?" Suker asked.
Srna nodded: "I think so too. If he sticks with the old tactics, the fighting strength remains, but if he changes, I'm not optimistic."
"Most likely he'll change the system."
Suker shrugged: "No one tolerates their predecessor's stuff."
Kaka said: "No matter what, we just play our tactics well. It's just a warm-up, focus on testing ourselves, not winning!"
Srna nodded: "Kaka is right. No matter the outcome, tomorrow's about the test, no need to fuss about winning or losing!"