Real Madrid under Manuel Pellegrini, who were in solid form in the first three months of the season, and after the draw away to Barcelona, the two La Liga giants have always maintained a level of momentum and have been close to each other, and have already thrown off the third place by almost ten points before half the season has passed.

However, in the end, there is still a team that will lose in the competition, and this time the competition is still won by the imposing Barcelona. In the words of Western media, Real Madrid after the winter break seems to have changed teams, which is a mockery.

It's not just the Premier League's toughest Christmas season, but the period around the winter break is a watershed moment in the rest of the major leagues. If the fatigue before the winter break can be reversed by the holiday, but when the enthusiastic crowd suddenly breathes down because of the holiday, the terrible downturn after the holiday happens.

That's exactly what Real Madrid is experiencing.

In the case of Real Madrid's 0-4 defeat to the Spanish League team in the Copa del Rey and the first time in the Champions League round of 16, Pellegrini is still persistent, he tries to seize every opportunity he should take to prove that this Real Madrid team has not conceded defeat, and he insists on waiting for an opportunity.

The 80,000 fans at the magnificent Bernabeu Stadium on 6 March witnessed the occasion as Real Madrid made a frantic comeback against Sevilla to achieve a feat of beating Barcelona in points after Barcelona were held to a draw away. With the score down early, Manuel Pellegrini showed his rare courage as the Engineer brought on Van der Vaart and vice-captain Guti in the second half, and pushed forward in midfield at the back, including Forlan. It doesn't make a difference if you lose one goal or multiple goals because everyone from the manager to the players understands that they have to take this opportunity and they can only win.

Such desperate tactics resulted in an epic victory, with Van der Vaart's stunning strike giving Real Madrid a new lease of life. After this match, Madrid's flag flew high in the night sky at the Bernabeu and they finally regained their top spot in La Liga.

Real Madrid manager Baldano said in an interview that the team would like to thank each player for their great efforts to win, and it was the coach's excellent substitutions that allowed Real Madrid to overcome great difficulties. It was also this game that made Pellegrini, who had been frowning recently, finally received official praise from Real Madrid for his coaching ability after several consecutive defeats.

Everyone knows that the match that will decide the La Liga title this season, with neither side making any more mistakes, is the national derby played at Real Madrid's home stadium in April. This is bound to be no longer the tepid draw scene of the first half of the season, there is no warmth and no sympathy between enemies, it will be a fierce collision, there will always be a battle to the death of one side.

'But we can't give up on competing in the Champions League. Manuel Pellegrini said with a sigh, but there was a hesitation in his seemingly resolute words, sounding like he was asking 'should we give up the Champions League', as he looked at the solemn looking players sitting in front of him. Perhaps it was the joy of regaining the top spot that kept most of them motivated, but Pellegrini found himself even eager to lose to Lyon in the first leg of the round of 16, so that they could recognize the current situation of elimination and prepare for the league while their form recovered.

In the upcoming second leg of the Champions League, Manuel Pellegrini will definitely not be able to play passively at the Bernabeu, a one-goal gap is not a problem for the in-form Real Madrid, but if they advance on aggregate, they will face a more difficult Champions League knockout round. Not to mention that if this Real Madrid team fails to beat Lyon and is eliminated, the blow of Champions League elimination will definitely affect the overall form of this team.

Pellegrini's worries are actually well known to the people present, but at this time, no one can say "then let's give up the Champions League calmly", even if they all know that it is too unrealistic to really fight for a Champions League title in their current state, they still don't want to believe that it is impossible. Whether it's a couple of veterans of Raul Gutikasi, a newcomer who is eager to make a career for his new club, or Real Madrid, they all want to give it their all. In the end, Real Madrid waited too long for the tenth crown.

And, after all, this is not something they can pause when they say pause, everyone understands that they can only move forward until they really fall and break their blood, and there is no way back. The difference is that Pellegrini probably wants them to bang their heads on the head, and they seem to be tiptoeing into a dilemma based on the status quo alone.

But Raul wondered if he could confidently and confidently say to Pellegrini that he would have to fight hard, and he seemed to have tacitly agreed in his mind that preparing for the Champions League was destined to be a wrong choice that would even delay the league, so it was becoming more and more difficult for him to speak.

Fran looked at Raul, who was silent with his thoughts empty, Guti who was a little helpless when his lips squirmed but finally swallowed his words back, and Casillas who seemed to be staring at a flower from the goalkeeper's gloves next to him. He knew that it would not be his turn to say this no matter what, he was not the future captain, and he was a defender who could only defend, and even in the starting lineup, it seemed to be more of a gag.

But he also doesn't have as many scruples as Cassie, and he also has more confidence in his own abilities than Raul and Guti.

Pellegrini was a little tired from standing in front of the tactical board, and everyone present, including himself, was afraid of going out of the worse situation and tried to stay out of the muddy waters, but no one could say anything about giving up.

"Why don't we fight it?" broke the oppressive silence of the blockbuster by a more recognizable voice, who didn't even deliberately adjust his tone to decisive decision, so that it sounded a little procrastinated, as if he was slept in the afternoon and then said slowly, "Why don't we go to dinner yet?"

Someone turned his head to look at him, and he even asked "why don't we go to eat yet" as if he was full of sleep, and it was natural and natural to relax, and the choice to work hard in the Champions League was as natural as if he had to eat when he was full. Fran knew he had to show his confidence, even if it didn't come from an unknown source, and it didn't look like he was pretending. What Real Madrid lacks now is not strength, but a backbone, a spiritual pillar, Forlan can't be the backbone, but he can at least influence them and straighten the backbone of the lack of confidence and the blow.

Pellegrini looked at Fran meaninglessly, and the Chilean engineers throughout the team had always thought that Francisco Álvarez was a simple and complex man. The whole world knows what he wants, and it's as simple as hanging up his boots and retiring at Real Madrid. But how many people around the world know what is going on in his heart, what does he care about when laughter and sadness shift freely on his face?

Forlan and Manuel Pellegrini looked at each other, his eyes clear, as if he knew exactly what the manager was thinking, and as if he had wandered somewhere else, but he didn't really care. Forlan looked at Ramos, who was sitting next to him, and nodded to Pepe, Marcelo, Alvaro and others who were watching him not far away, "We will try not to concede a goal, or rather, if we want to break through, we will experience the danger of losing our skin and meat." His words seemed to hit Ramos's laugh, who laughed and gave Fran a thumbs up

The manager licked his dry lips before he could speak, Guti in the front row raised his hand and waved, hooking the shoulders of Kaka and Alonso sitting next to him when he put it down, Real Madrid's golden wolf smile can always make people ignore the traces engraved by time, still so passionate, his blue eyes seem to never be shrouded in a shadow, "The best midfielders are here with us." I don't know if he included himself when he said this.

Casillas shrugged his shoulders, and when he spoke, everyone around him was already gradually smiling lightly, "I don't need to say anything, I'm the best goalkeeper in the world!"

Raul, who was sitting in the middle, crossed his hands on his chest, he suddenly felt hot all over his body, and his blood was boiling and flowing in his body, all of which aroused his high fighting spirit and enthusiasm that had been silent for two years, and even his gradually stiffened body seemed to be rejuvenated, "Aren't we the most offensive front in the world?"

Manuel Pellegrini watched all this, Raul, Guti, Forlan and Cassie, the four forwards, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers who had been in the team since Real Madrid fell from the altar, and they were throughout Real Madrid. In fact, they are already the few people who are not short of honor, but what makes them willing to fight for their lives is only the glory of Real Madrid after all.

What kind of team is Real Madrid? Pellegrini may have had a vision of this giant club before coming to this club, but he has long been dismissive of it in the first half of his life, and he even thinks that in fact, this club may really be as the outside world says, leaving only high wealth and brilliant records. When people question the value of Real Madrid's first five titles, this Real Madrid team can't even compete for the title to prove their quality, they seem to only wave money to attract superstars, and then make themselves the graves of superstars.

But what happened in front of him made Pellegrini understand that something is engraved in his bones after all, and this team may have been in the trough for many years, but they are still fighters in white, with love for this club and pride in their bones.

Whether Real Madrid is a highlight or a setback, madridista will follow Real Madrid to the death.

But sometimes they are not willing to die so simply, they still want to fight again, fight again.

"Then we," Pellegrini was no longer as tired as he had been the other day, and he felt that as Fran had said, which had brought him back to his usual composure, "then let's fight and see." ”

——

On March 11, Real Madrid at home, Ronaldo and Benzema scored one goal each, and the score was 2:0 against Lyon.

Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. 166 Reading Network