"This match was really tough to win! In the 88th minute, thanks to a free kick from Alonso, Real Madrid finally defeated Getafe 2:1 away."
"I think Real Madrid really needs to sit down and reflect. Something just feels off about them right now."
Gonzalez shook his head.
Judging from the flow of the match, Real Madrid's performance was indeed underwhelming.
Aside from a few like Suker who were fighting hard and showed a strong desire to win, the majority of the team played far too casually.
As a result, Real Madrid's attacks struggled to gain momentum, and this also increased the pressure on their defense.
After the match, the team boarded the bus for the return journey.
Later that night, as soon as Suker got home, Casillas followed right behind.
"Suker! We need to talk."
Casillas looked extremely serious.
Clearly, it was about the problems during today's game.
Suker nodded. He had also wanted to talk.
The two sat on the living room sofa. Even though it was late at night, neither felt the slightest bit tired.
"This can't go on," Casillas spoke first. "I think you saw it too. Many players are losing their fighting spirit. Their attitude toward the game is changing."
Suker nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that too."
"At such a critical point in the title race, this kind of mood spreading is really dangerous."
Both Casillas and Suker found the situation troubling.
At the beginning of the season, things were manageable, but as the season neared its end, morale had actually dropped.
This was due to several overlapping factors, all stemming from the coaching change.
Post-Pellegrini Stability – After Pellegrini left, the locker room stabilized, but interim coach Ledepp wasn't doing anything. He was just a placeholder. The starters played too comfortably, with no pressure to compete, and thus lost their edge.
Fatigue & Mental Drop – The team's physical and mental condition was declining. Their bumpy Champions League run made players lose hope of winning it, and the mindset turned toward giving up—even in the league.
Upcoming World Cup – With no hope for the Champions League, players shifted focus to staying healthy for the World Cup.
If this continued, the locker room would fall apart, and the entire season could collapse.
"Do you think Ledepp can control the situation?" Casillas asked.
Suker shot back, "What do you think? You know Ledepp better than I do. Do you really think he wants to achieve anything with the first team?"
Casillas fell silent.
Obviously, they couldn't count on Ledepp. He was just here to check a box, dragged in as a temporary solution.
Whether he did well or poorly, he'd be gone regardless.
"Then it's up to us," Casillas looked at Suker. "I yelled at Benzema today—I hope you're not offended."
Technically, Benzema was part of Suker's faction.
There's a saying: even a dog should be beaten only with the owner's permission. But Casillas had lost patience.
Suker waved it off, "Even if you hadn't, I would've spoken to him myself. You were the right one to say something."
Casillas nodded. "Then I'll be direct. I think we need to issue a joint statement—to put pressure on these guys. I'll handle the local Spanish players. You take care of Benzema and the others."
Suker thought for a moment. "What exactly do you have in mind?"
The Next Day, Real Madrid Locker Room
After training, just as the players were about to leave, Ledepp walked in.
"Everyone, hold on a minute!"
He held a document in his hand and motioned for everyone to stay put.
"I have a new performance evaluation sheet here. Starting today, the coaching staff will grade your training and match performances."
"Training scores will cover effort, spirit, focus, and technical execution."
"For matches, we'll evaluate goals, assists, distance covered, successful dribbles, key passes, etc."
"You'll need a qualifying training score to be included in the matchday squad. If your score is too low, you won't even make the list."
"The same goes for match performance—if you don't deliver, you could lose your starting spot."
The main squad players all frowned.
What nonsense is this?
The substitutes, on the other hand, perked up.
They'd finally been given a fair shot at the starting eleven.
Ledepp looked helpless. Why was he being used to deliver such a thankless message?
"We'll put it to a vote—do we adopt this system or not?"
Swish!
All the subs raised their hands.
None of the starters moved.
Only an idiot would agree to something that threatened their starting role.
But then Casillas slowly raised his hand. "I support it."
Everyone stared.
Suker followed up. "Me too. Pressure drives performance." He turned to Benzema: "Right, Karim?"
Being name-dropped by Suker, Benzema felt a jolt.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
This wasn't Ledepp's idea. He was just the puppet. The real masterminds were Casillas and Suker.
Understanding this, the rest of the starters had no choice but to raise their hands too.
They knew who held real influence in the locker room.
But then came the outburst from someone not so bright—
"I object!"
Higuaín stood up. "I earned my starting role through performance. Why should one or two bad games cost me that? And training scores? Who are you to grade me? What qualifies you? Are you better players than I am?"
His tone was full of scorn.
Clearly, he hadn't figured out what was really going on.
He thought Ledepp was the one calling the shots.
He wasn't scared at all.
Di María tried to shut him up but was too late.
"And you so-called starters—why are you listening to the coaching staff? What results have they produced? The wins are all ours. And don't forget how Pellegrini got sacked!"
With that, he grabbed his bag and stormed off.
Silence filled the room.
Suker and Casillas just watched him leave.
Ledepp's face turned bright red with anger.
Everyone else exchanged awkward glances.
Was Higuaín dumb or what?
Even if Ledepp's just a temp, he's still the coach.
And everyone knew this was Casillas and Suker's plan.
He failed to see the core issue and charged in headfirst.
Higuaín had just made himself an outcast.
"Anyone else have a problem?" Casillas asked.
No one moved.
"Good. It's decided then." He put an arm around the shaking Ledepp and walked out.
Everyone looked at Suker.
"Why are you looking at me? Do your job. This isn't a joke. Even I can be left off the matchday squad if I slack off!"
Suker raised his finger. "One more thing—these performance reports will be compiled into your personal dossier and handed to the next head coach."
Boom! That hit hard.
Slacking off now would mark them as unmotivated when the new coach came in.
Next Day: Training Begins
The vibe was completely different.
No one was late. Everyone trained intensely.
Coaches stood at the sideline, taking notes and grading players like in youth academy days.
Only this time, the players were all world-class stars.
March 29 – Final League Match Before Champions League
La Liga Round 29: Real Madrid vs. Sporting Gijón
Real Madrid (4-4-2)GK: CasillasDEF: Arbeloa, Garay, Ramos, MarceloMID: Di María, Diarra, Alonso, GutiFWD: Suker, Benzema
Sporting Gijón (4-3-3)GK: PabloDEF: Botía, Canella, Arnolín, LoraMID: Camacho, Rivera, BarralFWD: Morán, Castro, Cuevas
On the bench, Higuaín glared at Ledepp, thinking the coach was punishing him.
Ledepp noticed but didn't care.
He was just a placeholder.
And besides, Higuaín had offended not only him but also Suker and Casillas.
Even if there was fallout, Suker and Casillas would have his back.
Higuaín was totally clueless.
Even now, no one warned him. That showed how poor his relationships were.
He was doomed at Real Madrid.
Kickoff
"Higuaín's not in the starting lineup—Di María takes his place!"
"Di María has shown good form in both the league and Copa del Rey. While he doesn't score much, his dribbling and passing bring variety to Madrid's attack."
"Suker remains the key figure in Madrid's offense!"
"Once again, it's the Suker-Benzema partnership!"
"Honestly, I think this duo is even more dangerous than a front three."
"They both can drop deep and pass well. If they keep building chemistry, Suker's threat will only grow."
"Should we give this duo a nickname?"
Suker stood on the ball. Beside him, Benzema had his hands on his hips.
"After kickoff, I'll drop deep and pass to the wings. You time your run and see if we can break through."
Suker nodded.
The earlier scolding had clearly worked.
Benzema's energy and focus had gone up.
He knew staying close to Suker was essential.
You could ignore others, but not Suker.
Even with the World Cup approaching, he needed to perform to keep his place.
One wrong step—like Higuaín—and he could be out.
Match Begins
"Real Madrid starts on the attack right away. Can they fix the sluggishness from the last match?"
Just then, Alonso passed to Benzema.
Benzema, under pressure, distributed to the right wing.
Di María sprinted up and started dribbling down the sideline.
At the same time, both Suker and Benzema surged forward.
Then Benzema suddenly paused—throwing off Gijón's defenders.
That tiny moment of hesitation left a gap behind the back line.
Suker darted into the space.
Di María, though barely ahead, dove and passed it into the box.
Suker flicked the ball gently.
It looped over the advancing goalkeeper and into the net.
Swoosh!
Silence—then the Bernabéu erupted.
"GOAL! SUKER!!!"
"A beautiful play—Benzema's decoy movement opened the space, and Suker buried it!"
"Last match, Real Madrid's offense was sluggish. But now—they're back in form!"
"Just four minutes in, they've scored. A perfect start!"
"Sporting Gijón could be in for a rough time at the Bernabéu."
From the sidelines, Ledepp jumped and pumped his fist.
"Beautiful!"
This wasn't just a solo Suker goal—this was team football.
Benzema's run was crucial.
Ledepp kept applauding.
He saw Benzema's intelligence.
Sure, Benzema liked to play tricks—but he was way smarter than that blockhead Higuaín.
Many players wanted to challenge Suker.
Only Higuaín did so blatantly.
Benzema, on the other hand, bided his time, playing second fiddle when necessary.
That made him far more valuable.
Higuaín wanted to be the next legend after Raúl.
But the next legend had already been chosen by Florentino.
Challenging Suker was a doomed mission.
Not just Suker—Florentino was behind him too.
Only Benzema understood this, which is why he lasted.
In the original timeline, Higuaín clashed with Cristiano Ronaldo and left.
But back then, Ronaldo had issues with Florentino.
Now, Suker was Florentino's chosen one.
So from the start, Higuaín's entire approach had been flawed.