CSKA Moscow is also a regular in the Champions League.

Although their best result in the Champions League is the quarter-finals, there is no doubt that no one of the giants will want to meet them in the first round of the knockout round.

Without him, the teams that play other second-rate leagues only have the DEBUFF of fatigue at most.

But the teams of the Russian Premier League and the Ukrainian Super League are different, they are all ruthless characters with their own "magic attacks".

If you go to their realm in February, you have to spend half of your energy fighting the harsh wind and snow, and the rest half of your energy can be used to compete with them.

Therefore, the local powerhouses of these two leagues tend to have good results at home.

There are two other teams in the Russian Premier League this year who have reached the round of 16 of the Champions League, CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg.

Real Madrid and Benfica, who drew them in the first round of the knockout round, naturally became unlucky in the mouths of fans.

However, compared to Benfica, who is generally despised by fans, Real Madrid is at most ridiculed that there may be attrition in the first leg.

To say that CSKA Moscow can cause a lot of trouble for the current Real Madrid on the field, the vast majority of fans and media do not believe it.

Real Madrid has only won their 20th consecutive league game at the moment, and the game is in good form, and the bench thickness is also the best in Europe.

Fighting CSKA Moscow is a matter of complete hand-to-hand capture.

The media is more interested in seeing how much Real Madrid can play in the first leg in Moscow.

Let's see if Ronaldo can continue to score goals and continue to compete with Messi in the Champions League scorer list.

Well, the atmosphere in the Real Madrid squad is as confident and optimistic as the media portrays it.

Especially after the main players defeated Espanyol 5-0 in a game on the night of January 31, almost a strong announcement to reach the Copa del Rey final.

An inflated atmosphere inevitably flooded the training ground and dressing rooms.

Mourinho, after noticing that something was wrong, went directly to Casillas and asked him to help calm the players' impetuous emotions in the dressing room first.

Naturally, Casillas agreed, but after he held a player meeting, the effect was not significant.

At least it didn't live up to Uncle Bird's expectations.

Leon saw all of this, but now that he was soft-spoken, let him take the place of Casillas to make a harsher wake-up call?

That's really no need for Mourinho to find a way, because the Real Madrid dressing room has to explode as soon as possible.

It's normal for this to happen.

There are too many stars in the Real Madrid team, and everyone usually communicates and chats together and trains hard.

But when it comes to the serious management of the dressing room, Real Madrid lacks a big man who is pressing.

This is not to say that Casillas is not qualified enough.

Cassie's qualifications and prestige are actually sufficient, but his own temperament dooms him to be more suitable for being a "kind" team deputy rather than a captain.

is going to replace Raul or Hierro in the team, and now with a shout, Real Madrid stars, including Ronaldo, have to restrain their arrogance.

Whether you are convinced in your heart or not, no one dares to jump your feet, and if you want to reflect on your own thoughts, you must reflect on it.

Like Puyol in Barcelona now, Gattuso in the Milan team, those are really big guys in this type of town team.

With a big guy like them standing in line with the coach, the coach can save a lot of worry in locker room management.

It's a pity that Real Madrid is just missing such a person.

Casillas held a meeting of players and said such a thing, and seeing that his teammates opened their mouths to promise to reflect, they didn't care.

Leon likes Casillas and respects him, but he really doesn't agree with his way of handling things.

Why don't you find a few of the most "confident" players in the team to talk to individually and open up to persuade them?

That's it, and the rest of the team won't take it seriously.

And now Leon is most worried that Mourinho will go down in person.

The team has been winning before, and Mourinho has also proved that he is capable of leading Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona, so the current Mourinho has a high prestige in the Real Madrid team.

But consuming his own prestige to forcibly discipline the big-name stars in the team and keep them low-key and calm is really not easy to do.

How many coaches have lost on this? There have been too many cases in football before.

But the scene that Li Ang was most worried about was staged in reality.

After the training session on the afternoon of 2 February, Mourinho did not disband the squad as usual, leaving the players to choose to practice or drive home.

He called together the entire coaching staff and all the players in the first team.

Right on the training ground, Mourinho issued a stern warning to everyone, including members of the coaching staff.

"Until you win the championship, I ask you to forget all the results you have played! If we fail and fall on the last step, all the victories we have won so far will be meaningless! You know? Pointless!

We finished second to Barcelona in the league last season and reached the final four of the Champions League, but you tell me, are you feeling good?!

The media outside, the fans, all say that we are losers! Have you forgotten? Do you think Barcelona won the double last season with pride and hubris?!

Block out the outside hype! Be clear-headed, you can be arrogant and celebrate when you win the championship, but remember your identity until you get the championship.

Underdog!

We have to have this awareness, climb back in the Champions League and the league with the consciousness of a loser, and step on every step of our upward movement."

Mourinho's speech still has his own strong flavor, Leon can listen to it, and he also understands what Mourinho means.

But apparently some of the players in the team have been stimulated by the phrase "loser".

It's just that they don't speak up now, and they can't bear to listen to Mourinho's "preaching".

At the moment of the final disbandment, Li Ang saw the ugly faces of several teammates.

For example, Casillas, who may feel offended by his captaincy's dignity, and Ramos, who doesn't like Mourinho's "loser" statement.

The only thing that makes Leon feel fortunate is that Ronaldo is not stubborn.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a little uncomfortable, but he is now on the side that has a slight upper hand in the competition with Messi, and he would like to see the team move more smoothly in the Champions League.

So he listened to Mourinho's advice.

Of course, Leon guessed that the more important point was that the current Uncle Bird did not suppress Pepe and Kaka.

If Ronaldo's friends are not moved, then Ronaldo will not be incompatible with Uncle Bird.

But with the leaders of the Spanish Gang Casillas and Ramos feeling dissatisfied, how long can the apparent calm in the Real Madrid dressing room last?

Leon feels that this is very difficult to say, but one thing he knows is that if Pepe, Alonso, and Ronaldo don't jump back, then this Muslim Real Madrid team will not have too many problems.

If the victory on the field continues, the players who were already a little dissatisfied will continue to endure it.

Even if they are no longer happy with Mourinho's management, as long as Lafayette can see the hope of winning the club's tenth Champions League trophy, then he will not allow anyone to get in the way.

It's kind of a safety line.

Leon, who has the memory of posterity, is fully aware of the problems within the dressing room at the moment.

If you want to say that it is easy to solve, it is actually easy to solve.

As long as Casillas' big-mouthed girlfriend doesn't mess around with things inside the Real Madrid dressing room.

If this woman does not bewitch, Casillas and Mourinho will not go to a break, and the little problems within Real Madrid will gradually be healed by the attraction of the champions.

So to solve it from the root, or to delay the explosion in the Real Madrid dressing room, how to persuade Casillas to keep his mouth tight, this is the most important thing.

Last season, Leon still had the idea of "staying out of the way", but now he can't let the Real Madrid dressing room explode happen.

Because he already has feelings for this team, he is part of Real Madrid's youth academy and he also likes the current Muslim Real Madrid.

He didn't want the regrets of his previous life to happen again.

So he got into action.

When he found Uncle Bird in private, Leon was very honest.

There is no need to detour between Leon and Mourinho, he has spoken directly about his concerns and his solutions.

"I'll find some time to talk to my teammates, boss, if there are really some rumors circulating in the outside world in the future, I hope you can give me a chance to communicate with them first."

"What's the rumor, did you kid hear some rumors? Also, I'll tell them about anything personally, so you don't have to worry about it. ”

Mourinho didn't care much at first, and wanted to send Leon away so that he could rest assured to practice.

But seeing Leon's serious look, Mourinho also felt that something was wrong.

"They are not happy with what I said today?"

"A little, so I'm coming to you."

"Who are they?"

"You should be able to see it when you announce the disbandment."

Mourinho's heart jumped, and he subconsciously held the pen in his hand.

"Do you believe me, that I will be 100% on your side?"

Leon didn't wait for Mourinho to speak, and asked again.

Of course, he got an affirmative answer from Uncle Bird.

"Of course I believe that you understand me, little lion."

"So, let the problems inside the dressing room be solved internally, sir, and I'll try to bridge the gap between the players and the coaching staff in the best way you can be, do you believe me?"

"Of course I believe you, but"

"Then you will let me do this attempt, if I fail, no matter what your subsequent decision is, I will stand firmly by your side!"

Leon temporarily stabilized Mourinho with proactive communication, and his sincerity became the key point to convince Mourinho.

After all, in the face of a player who firmly says "I'm on your side no matter what", the manager really has no reason to refuse his reasonable request.

In terms of communicating with Casillas and Ramos, Leon is not so straightforward.

He first invited a few bigwigs of the Spanish gang, and then pulled a group of academy brothers from Castilla to have dinner together in a private restaurant after the training on February 3.

First of all, we created an atmosphere where "everyone who came to eat today was really my own people".

Leon then turned the conversation on their excellent results this season.

Twenty consecutive wins in the league, six consecutive wins in the Champions League group stage, and the Copa del Rey will soon enter the final and win against Barcelona.

After a warm exchange, the atmosphere was very warm, and Casillas and Ramos listened very comfortably.

They have always regarded Li Ang as their real person, and now they are even more free to talk about Li Ang.

They say that Real Madrid will achieve more successful results than Barcelona before this season, and Leon echoed loudly!

They said that they wanted to revitalize and restore Real Madrid's reputation and glory in Europe, and Li Ang slapped the table and said yes!

They complained that Mourinho's rhetoric was too ugly, and they resolutely disagreed that they had failed in the past few seasons, and Leon even shouted "That's right, brothers!" I thought so too! ”

Well, the brothers chatted directly with red faces, obviously they didn't drink, but the atmosphere has come here, and they are all a little fluttery.

But Leon then changed the topic and denounced that there are always some reporters outside who harbor evil intentions and do not want to see the revival of Real Madrid.

When Ramos heard this, he couldn't bear it, and immediately slapped the table and asked Leon to tell him which reporters were so cheap.

Li Ang also slapped the table and directly told the story he had made up.

"Isn't that the other day your 5-0 win at Espanyol's home stadium?

When I went to the base for training the next morning, I was stopped by a group of reporters, and one of them handed me a note, saying that I should reveal the 'interesting' things in our locker room at the moment, and that they would help us do publicity again.

I tore the note in front of him at the time, isn't that going to hurt me and our team!

He said that he was going to help us with publicity, but when the time comes, if I tell him something, he will definitely have to add fuel and vinegar to the publicity.

Then the boss will definitely scold me, saying that I leaked the privacy inside the locker room, then I will be miserable! ”

As soon as Leon's words fell, Nacho was the first to wave his hand and speak firmly:

"That's definitely a reporter from Le Monde Sport! Look at us this season to overwhelm the limelight of Barcelona, so we deliberately came to make trouble! ”

"I think so!"

"Damn, don't let me catch these reporters, let me get caught, I'll smash his camera!"

"Well done lion cub and clear head! None of us can afford to make that mistake! ”

In the echo of the crowd, Leon heard Casillas's praise of himself, and his heart immediately became steady.

"Captain, don't blame me for setting you up, you love brain, I don't give you a set now, your girlfriend will have to set Real Madrid later, I can only start first."

After complaining in his heart, Li Ang finally imagined the bright prospect of finally winning the treble this season with his "own people".

Everyone chatted to their heart's content, and finally patted each other on the shoulders and left the restaurant to go home to rest.

The reporters who were squatting at the point watched the Real Madrid dinner party hugging each other happily and saying goodbye, and also sighed again and again about the good atmosphere and unity in the Real Madrid team.

The next morning, the news of the Real Madrid players' dinner was hyped up by various media.

Mourinho couldn't help but ponder for a moment when he got the morning paper.

At the final practice session before the match that morning, the atmosphere in the Real Madrid team was clearly high again, and Karanka and the rest of the coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief.

Mourinho glanced at Leon a few times in training with some deep meaning, but Leon still happily followed Alonso as if nothing had happened.

But Mourinho knew that Leon must have done something at last night's dinner.

He was a little itchy in his heart, always wanting to know the truth of the matter, but when he remembered the honesty of Li Ang when he looked for him the day before yesterday, he stopped asking again.

In any case, the atmosphere of the team has returned, and Mourinho has not bothered to delve into the changes inside the dressing room.

He knew that Leon was thinking about him, and Leon also proved with practical actions that he was capable of helping him stabilize the situation in the locker room, and that was enough.

After a period of locker room turmoil, Real Madrid continued to soar on both fronts.

On February 4 and February 8, Real Madrid's main players won La Liga and Copa del Rey respectively.

In the 22nd round of the league, Real Madrid defeated Getafe 2-0, and won Espanyol 3-1 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

After this round of Copa del Rey matches and reaching the final, Real Madrid no longer need to worry about the tight Copa del Rey competition for the time being.

On February 12, Mourinho once again used the rotation lineup, bringing Ronaldo and Leon to the bench to face Levante, the opponent of the 23rd round of the league at home.

The current Levante is not a soft persimmon, and it is quite a bit of a black posture, beating Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao to rank fourth in La Liga.

Mourinho finally chose to use the rotation lineup to fight Levante hard, which was also a helpless move.

Regardless of whether the main players of the Copa del Rey match on February 8 take turns or not, this tough battle with Levante on February 12 will not be easy to play.

Although the possibility of Real Madrid winning in the end is still very high, the physical consumption will also increase a lot.

On the eve of the Champions League knockout match against CSKA Moscow on February 14, Mourinho was reluctant to let the main squad play two tough games in a row.

Therefore, it is most appropriate to send a rotating lineup to play this round of the league with Levante, and it is actually a bit risky to bring a Ronaldo.

But Mourinho couldn't resist Ronaldo's strong desire to play, and finally agreed to let him get a chance to play in the second half.

That night, Levante relied on a single line of combat and fought with Real Madrid's unscrupulous grappling and physical fitness.

Leon and Cristiano Ronaldo sat on the bench and watched their team go from 1-0 down in the first half to 2-0 in the 51st minute of the second half.

To be honest, they were both a little anxious, but Mourinho didn't speak, and they could only continue to sit on the bench.

By the 60th minute of the second half, Mourinho finally signaled for them to warm up.

It was only in the 64th minute that Real Madrid made a substitution, replacing Vazquez and Shahin with them.

As soon as the two got on the field, they took over the rhythm of the game and led the whole Real Madrid team to start a ferocious offensive against Levante.

And the presence of Leon has also made the midfield defense that has been repeatedly penetrated by Levante before become stable.

In the 82nd minute, under siege, Callejon burst into Levante's penalty area and created a penalty.

Ronaldo didn't waste the chances created by Callejon and converted the penalty to make it 1-2.

However, in the end, there was still too little time left for him and Leon to perform.

Real Madrid failed to pull off another miracle late equaliser and halted their league winning streak to 21 games this season.

It's a pity, for all Real Madrid players.

But Mourinho and the coaching staff had expected this result for a long time.

In the face of realistic choices, Mourinho has no choice but to prioritize the smooth progress of the team in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

From another point of view, the Real Madrid players, who had been burdened with the pressure of consecutive league wins, were also "relieved" at this moment.

It's a mental relaxation.

Real Madrid's main players, who have no psychological baggage, travel lightly.

And the Western media and Real Madrid fans also set their sights on the evening of February 14 after a pity.

It was placed in Moscow, where the wind and snow were blowing.

Ah, the hole of the locker room explosion this season has finally been filled.

The protagonist is still soft-spoken in the locker room, which is a good way to fill in the holes I can think of.

Then, today I owe the word count again, and it's hard to stretch.

Make up for it tomorrow, and tomorrow will be sure~

(End of chapter)