Chapter 151: Pavón and Drogba
At halftime, Mallorca made three substitutions in a row. That was normal. But what was unusual was that, despite being behind, José brought on two defensive players and only one forward, while taking off two attacking players and a striker. Was he planning to defend a one-goal deficit? Did he not care about his home winning streak?
"Three defensive midfielders in the center? Is he expecting Ronaldinho to handle all the playmaking alone? And Luke has been subbed off for a young, towering black player. Can this guy really replace Luke? Even if he's great at heading, he still needs quality crosses from the wings. But does Mallorca even have the ability to launch effective wing attacks right now?"
As the second half began, the commentators expressed their confusion over José's seemingly bizarre substitutions.
Maybe he just wanted to see how the new players performed? After all, two of the three substitutes—Pablo García and Didier Drogba—had just joined the team.
The Mallorca fans, however, didn't question the decision too much. They had long since learned to trust José.
Despite leading by a goal, Real Madrid didn't choose to sit back and defend. Vicente del Bosque knew exactly what the Madrid fans wanted—offense, beautiful offense. The result of this match wasn't as important as putting on an entertaining attacking display.
However, compared to the first half, Real Madrid's attack encountered significantly more difficulty in the second.
Just two minutes into the second half, Mallorca's new signing, Pablo García, aggressively charged into Zidane, sending the French playmaker tumbling to the ground. The referee immediately issued a warning, but García remained unfazed, retreating calmly. In La Liga, picking up yellow cards was routine for him, and after a tough year in Serie A, he was eager to prove himself.
While the Madrid fans booed loudly, the Mallorca supporters applauded enthusiastically.
This foul was just a glimpse of what was to come. With two defensive midfielders subbed in and Kaladze frequently dropping back to help out, Mallorca's midfield defense had risen to a whole new level.
Aggressive pressing, relentless running, fierce physical battles—Real Madrid's star-studded attack found it increasingly difficult to break through.