The perfect midfield: It starts with never passing the ball to Ronaldo.

Chapter 103: A New Outlook for Points, the Spanish Super Cup is Coming!

"Indeed, as Costa said, Brazilian Portuguese is more widely known!"

"However, regarding his appearance mentioned earlier, I think the audience has discerning eyes."

"Without a doubt, I'm a level above him."

How does it feel to join a new team?

"Well, actually, I figured out what kind of club this was after about the first week I was here."

"I fell in love with this club at first sight. It's like when you go on a date with a girl and you feel like she's going to be your wife the first time you meet her. That's the feeling."

Mario smiled and joked with his teammates in front of the camera. A big win in his league debut was certainly a morale booster.

Especially before the finals!

As last season's Copa del Rey champions, the Rojiblancos will face last season's La Liga champions Barcelona at the Calderón in three days!

Mario checked his score in the system: [Currently: 1 (3 points to unlock the next module)]

Cup competitions in the top five European leagues all offer points, and winning the championship is a good start to the season.

So once the team advances to the Champions League knockout stage in the middle of the league, Mario can be upgraded again with a new template!

"Mario, you are absolutely charismatic on the field!!"

"Want to go see a flamenco game together?"

Mr. 90 Million's performance not only won over the Pizjuán Stadium, but also some passionate Seville girls.

Generous and rich, full and snow-white.

Unfortunately, Mario needs to conserve his energy for his first encounter with Messi!

The wonderful night in Seville passed quickly, and the post-match media reports mainly focused on the team's new signings.

Costa: Mario and I are the team's visual representatives!

Atletico Madrid: I treat you like a player, but you treat me like a girl, just like Real Madrid?

"A work of pure genius by José: The Portuguese conquers Pizjuan with two goals and two assists."

"The €90 million man clocks out at halftime; Atletico Madrid thrashes Sevilla 4-0."

So what if Barcelona beat them 7-0? The Rojiblancos created four goals in the first half!!

Atletico Madrid's record signing wins Man of the Match in his debut, outshining Messi and Ronaldo.

Mario, who plays in La Liga and is compared to Messi and Ronaldo, has found that his social media followers are growing at a much faster rate than during his time at Porto.

Furthermore, after his trip to China, he partnered with Wanda Group, and Mario's commercial value at Tokyo University has been soaring.

The 19-year-old is eagerly anticipating his return to his home ground to face off against Messi.

Compared to players who simply execute tactics, head coaches consider much more!

After the first round of the league, Simeone immediately locked himself in his office to watch Barcelona's game videos.

Martino's team continues the characteristics of the Dream Team III, but sends a clear signal in its personnel selection.

First, there was the strong return of high pressing. In the later stages of Tito Vilanova's tenure, the team's pressing intensity after losing possession decreased.

However, in Barcelona's first match of the new season, they brought back their long-absent, highly aggressive high-pressing tactics.

Starting from the forward line, the whole team pressed forward in unison, compressing the battlefield into the opponent's half.

Messi also set an example, actively participating in the defense, something he usually doesn't contribute much to.

In the first round of La Liga, he made two successful tackles in Levante's defensive third, setting an example for the whole team.

In addition to pressing, Martino's Barcelona has become more direct and efficient in attack.

The midfielders and defenders kept trying to use more adventurous and creative passes to directly break through the opponent's defense and get the ball to Messi or the wingers.

Pedro and Sanchez, as starting wingers, are different from Iniesta or Fabregas, who preferred to move into the inside half when playing on the wing last season.

They frequently attacked the opposing full-backs, attempting to cross from the byline, which created huge space for their teammates in the middle, causing the opponent's defense to be stretched to the left and right, leaving their central defense wide open.

With these two factors combined, Barcelona scored from multiple positions, thrashing Levante in the first round.

However, Simeone was not discouraged. Football is not just about attacking!

Although Barcelona has its compatriot Messi, Atletico Madrid also has Super Mario, whose attacking prowess can be compared to his.

More importantly, Atlético Madrid's head coach is himself!

When he took over the team 18 months ago, Atletico Madrid was struggling to qualify for the Europa League, but now the Rojiblancos are challenging the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid!

Starting with last season's Copa del Rey... he's going to lead Atletico Madrid to one championship after another!

The tactical board in his hand was covered with dense red and blue lines.

The red ones are Atlético Madrid players, and the blue ones are their opponents.

The blue lines intertwine to form a beautiful network, which is Barcelona's passing route map.

The red arrow acts like a wall, perfectly blocking the opponent's path!

How to prevent it?

By compressing the central space to the extreme, Barcelona was forced to resort to less efficient crosses from the wings.

At the same time, they used suffocating physical confrontations to ensure that Barcelona players never felt comfortable on the field.

Ultimately, this fragmented the game, denying the Red and Blue teams any opportunity for smooth passing.

Offense relies primarily on the transition between offense and defense!

The attacking trio of Super Mario, Diego Costa, and Arda Turan quickly brought the attack to the Barcelona penalty area with simple, direct one-touch passes, exploiting the gaps behind the opponent's defensive line as they pushed forward!

After finishing the strokes that aimed at the opponent's weak points, Simeone was still not satisfied!

He wrote a line of Spanish in the very center with a red marker!

INTENSIDAD!

strength.

From the very first minute to the very last second of the game!!!

Time quickly came to August 22, 2013.

The night breeze in Madrid already carried the chill of late autumn, but the air around the Calderón Stadium was scorching hot from the body heat of tens of thousands of fans.

The red and white striped bed sheet flags fluttered in the dim sky, intertwining with the sporadic intrusions of Barcelona's red and blue, like the garb in a matador's hand, stirring the nerves of the city.

Inside the home team's locker room.

Simone, dressed in a black suit, was speaking eloquently.

"That team outside has won four La Liga titles in the past five years."

"They have Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi."

"They can pass the ball into your goal, until you question your existence."

He paused, then his gaze swept across every face, noticing Mario's excited expression, and Simone was very pleased!

"But Barcelona fears two things, one here, and the other here." Simone pointed to his heart, then to his legs.

"They're afraid you'll run, afraid you'll charge, afraid you'll stick to them the moment they get the ball, leaving them no room to breathe."

"Costa keeps Mascherano and Pique under constant pressure!"

"Mario, you must seize every opportunity!"