Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid Chapter 286 284: Smashing the Face of the Premier League’s "

For Leon, Chelsea's big win over Maribor at ho wasn't surprising in the slightest.

If the reigning Premier League powerhouse couldn't beat a Slovenian first-division team by at least two goals, now that would be embarrassing.

What really surprised Leon, though, was how both Sporting CP and Schalke 04 had failed to defeat Maribor in the first two rounds of the group stage.

This Slovenian team, which had miraculously made it into the Champions League group stage this season, wasn't even a "park the bus" kind of side.

In fact, against a clearly superior Chelsea, they boldly started with a 4-4-2 and double-wing attacking setup.

If they had parked the bus from kickoff, Leon wouldn't have been able to score that header in the 9th minute after a late run into the box.

And once Drogba and Ibrahimović started rotating up front as physical pivots, Leon went on a rampage—scoring a perfect hat-trick with headers and volleys right inside Maribor's box.

Having experienced their defensive level firsthand, Leon was left speechless by Sporting and Schalke's earlier failures.

His previous criticism—that both teams had underperford—felt increasingly justified. It wasn't even harsh anymore; it was just fact.

After this round of the group stage, Chelsea had a perfect record: three wins, nine points, comfortably sitting at the top of Group G.

anwhile, in the other group match played at the sa ti, Schalke 04 managed a last-minute win over Sporting CP.

In a thriller at the Veltins-Arena, Schalke edged out a 4–3 victory.

Both teams knew that, realistically, only one of them could fight for the second qualifying spot.

They had blown their earlier chances against Maribor and now had no room for error.

With that result, Schalke moved into second place with four points, while Sporting, with just one point, sank to the bottom of the group.

Their next three matches—especially the one against Maribor—would be crucial.

If Sporting couldn't beat Maribor, they wouldn't just miss the Champions League knockouts—they might not even drop into the Europa League.

As for Chelsea? The chaos beneath them was no longer their concern.

If they won their next match against Maribor, qualification would be secured regardless of the outco between Sporting and Schalke.

And if Sporting managed to hold Schalke to a draw or beat them, Chelsea would lock up the top spot in the group with two gas to spare.

After doing the math, Chelsea fans were lounging back in their seats, arms behind their heads.

"Being unbeatable is so lonely…"

Eight straight wins to open the Premier League season, three straight in the Champions League group stage, and one League Cup victory.

Twelve consecutive wins across all competitions—quietly and steadily, Chelsea had built a near-perfect start to the season.

The wins had beco so routine that even neutral fans scrolling through headlines weren't surprised anymore.

Chelsea won again? Sounds about right.

The English dia were in full hype mode, waving the blue flags high.

To read their headlines, one might think Chelsea were already the top contenders for this season's Champions League—even though only three group matches had been played.

Was it overhype? Maybe. But that was just how the British press operated.

They'd done the sa when Manchester City beat Bayern in the group stage before.

And now, with the other English clubs struggling in Europe, it made sense for the dia to place their hopes on Chelsea.

Liverpool had lost back-to-back group matches—first to Basel, then to Real Madrid. Their chances of advancing were hanging by a thread.

Arsenal had managed only one win, one draw, and one loss in their first three matches.

Even compared to third-placed Anderlecht, their advantage was slim.

City had started strong, beating Bayern in the opener. But then they collapsed—first in the freezing Moscow air, then again under the pressure of the Olimpico in Ro.

In contrast, Chelsea had the easiest draw of the English clubs—but also the best results.

They were the only side almost guaranteed to top their group.

Of course, these recent Champions League woes affected the morale of City, Liverpool, and Arsenal.

But with the Premier League returning almost imdiately after, there was no ti to dwell.

Matchweek 9 of the Premier League saw most top-six clubs facing mid-to-lower table opponents.

Chelsea was no exception.

On paper, their matchup against Manchester United was this round's marquee ga.

But with United languishing in 11th place, the clash lost so of its shine.

Even so, the match still drew massive attention from neutral fans.

Why? Because these fans just wanted one thing: blood.

They didn't care about United's fate. They just wanted to see Chelsea, fresh off their Maribor massacre, drop another hamr—this ti on Old Trafford.

The more dramatic the result, the better. Bring on the carnage.

In this sea of skepticism and negativity, the pro-United press in Manchester began pleading with Van Gaal:

"Please, no more tactical experints!"

Fine, use your funky diamond midfield or back-three setup against weaker teams if you must.

But now? Against Chelsea? Don't risk it. Focus on defense. Just don't get embarrassed at ho.

These dia voices thought their advice was reasonable—and they had plenty of support from United's loyal fans.

But Van Gaal felt aggrieved. He had his own complaints!

Before joining United, he and Ed Woodward had agreed: he needed to rebuild the midfield first.

And now? United's midfield was just barely serviceable.

At the very least, give him a proper centerpiece to anchor the system!

But no—Kroos was snatched away by Chelsea before he could even bid.

Forget backup targets—there hadn't even been rumors about guys like Milner or Xabi Alonso.

Van Gaal was beyond frustrated.

Trying to rebuild a big club without a midfield general? Almost impossible.

He figured that, since United still had decent wide players, he'd go all in on wing play—

Try to turn them into a side built around wide counters and quick breakouts.

Of course, scrapping last season's tactics and trying to build a new identity would involve a lot of growing pains.

That's why the press kept saying Van Gaal was "always experinting."

Eventually, he realized that no matter how he shuffled the formation, this midfield just couldn't control matches against strong teams.

So he stopped trying.

Instead of fighting for midfield dominance, he focused on shielding Michael Carrick and exploiting the wings.

That was how his "big circle" tactic was born—bypass the center and work from the flanks.

It was still just a prototype. Van Gaal was still testing ideas.

But he did know one thing for sure:

If this United team tried to go toe-to-toe with Chelsea in midfield at Old Trafford,

they'd get slaughtered.

Moyes' humiliating failures from last season had already served as a painful warning.

Don't try to out-attack Chelsea.

Don't crowd the midfield and try to match them blow for blow.

Make either of those two mistakes—and you're dead.

After weighing his options, Van Gaal ultimately chose to completely relinquish midfield control, opting instead to attack via the wings and hope to catch Chelsea off guard with quick flanks.

If they couldn't steal a goal, then, just like the pundits said, a passive defensive strategy was their best chance to at least take a point at ho.

On the afternoon of October 26th, after thorough tactical preparation, Manchester United's players finished their warmups to roaring applause at Old Trafford.

But inside the ho locker room, when Van Gaal received Chelsea's starting XI, his expression turned oddly complicated.

He felt a mix of resignation and frustration, tinged with subtle embarrassnt.

Because Mourinho had sent out a full rotation squad.

Yes, for this much-anticipated clash with Manchester United, Chelsea hadn't even bothered to field their first-choice lineup.

Even though Chelsea's regular starters had already recovered physically from the recent matches,

Mourinho still sent out a rotated team—just as he had against Crystal Palace and Maribor.

Either he didn't think United could pose any real threat…

Or he was simply worried United's overly aggressive tactics might injure Chelsea's key players.

Either way, it was a slap in the face.

Many Manchester-based journalists and die-hard United fans felt nothing but searing humiliation when they saw Chelsea's starting eleven.

Chelsea's "disrespect" was blatant, and it enraged the fanbase.

Di María, returning from warm-ups, heard about Chelsea's lineup from the assistant coach and instantly understood why Leon had told him, "Don't worry."

Leon hadn't been joking—Chelsea really didn't plan to go all-out at Old Trafford.

Was this Mourinho trying to humiliate United?

Di María didn't think so.

Despite Mourinho's cocky press conferences, he had never disrespected an opponent with his tactical setup in an actual match.

Still, as a United player now, Di María couldn't exactly speak up in the dressing room to defend Mourinho.

When the players lined up in the tunnel and walked out with the officials,

the United faithful—having gotten wind of Chelsea's lineup—greeted the Blues with an overwhelming chorus of boos.

But Chelsea's rotated starters remained unfazed.

You couldn't bla Mourinho for making this call.

In recent matches, United's tactics had beco increasingly rough and physical.

Maybe it was to protect Carrick in his deep-lying playmaker role,

but Van Gaal had been starting both Fellaini and Ander Herrera in midfield.

In terms of rhythm and fluid play? United had nothing to offer.

But in terms of rough tackles and fouls? That midfield duo led the Premier League.

For Chelsea players like Leon, Matic, and Ibrahimović, physical battles weren't a concern.

But for soone like Hazard—who had just co off a tough international stretch and was nursing an ankle issue—Mourinho wasn't taking any chances.

Sa with De Bruyne, who had felt tightness in his thigh after the last Champions League match.

Mourinho gave both Belgian stars the day off.

Of course, with them resting, Chelsea's attack lost so edge.

But with the likes of Lukaku and Salah performing well recently, Chelsea fans weren't too worried.

Today, Matic, Kroos, and Leon all started. Chelsea's midfield still had the upper hand.

Even with Terry also getting a rest, Matic's shielding allowed Maguire and Thiago Silva to anchor the backline comfortably.

So despite the rotation, Chelsea's lineup still looked better on paper than United's.

No matter how angry the United players and fans were,

once the match kicked off, the gap in strength was laid bare for all to see.

United gave up midfield control early on, and Chelsea gladly took it.

But when United tried to counter by pressing hard on the wings, they quickly realized—even Chelsea's flanks, despite the rotation, were better.

On United's left, Luke Shaw and Di María were decent going forward,

but up against Matic and Azpilicueta, they barely gained any ground.

On the right, Rafael and Mata tried to build with technical finesse,

but facing Leon and the veteran Ashley Cole, they were completely stifled.

Di María could occasionally burst forward with his speed,

giving van Persie so chances to poach in the box.

But Mata? Without that physical edge, and unable to build chemistry with teammates, he had no room to operate.

This was one of the key reasons Mourinho had sold Mata when he returned to Chelsea.

Mata needed the ball, thrived in possession-heavy systems, and liked playing as a central creative force.

But he lacked the explosiveness for the wing and the physicality for the middle.

With Leon installed as the team's central figure, Mourinho had no choice but to move Mata on.

By contrast, Hazard and De Bruyne fit Leon's style perfectly.

And now, with Mata being shut down right out of the gate, it further validated Mourinho's decision.

Mata wasn't lacking in skill—his style just didn't suit Mourinho's system.

On the flip side, Mourinho's decision to unleash Lukaku and Salah down the flanks was brilliant.

Luke Shaw, always better going forward than back,

often overlapped with Di María and couldn't recover in ti.

Salah had a field day exploiting that space.

Lukaku, anwhile, completely overpowered Rafael.

Physically, the two weren't even close.

Even when Herrera dropped back to help, they couldn't contain him.

Frustrated, Van Gaal had to act just ten minutes in—switching Fellaini and Herrera's positions to try and counter Lukaku.

But the mont Van Gaal made that change, Leon and Azpilicueta pounced.

They double-tead Di María, won the ball,

and Leon drove straight through midfield, bulldozing past Herrera.

Fellaini abandoned his zone to confront Leon—

but Leon, seeing the opening, chipped a perfectly weighted pass to Lukaku on the right.

Rafael, seeing the stampeding Lukaku charging his way, looked horrified.

Still, to his credit, he stepped up bravely.

And then got bulldozed.

The crowd gasped as Rafael was thrown aside like a ragdoll.

Lukaku broke to the end line and fired a low cut-back.

Ibrahimović let it run through his legs—

and the stadium fell silent as Leon arrived at the far post, swinging his leg with full force.

The shot was clean. Ruthless. No hesitation.

De Gea reacted brilliantly—world-class as always.

But this was one of those shots.

The kind that's all power, no rcy.

Even Leon himself couldn't say if it had much finesse—it was just raw, unstoppable force.

How do you stop this, David? Leon thought as he struck.

De Gea couldn't.

The ball ripped into the net.

As De Gea slamd the turf in frustration, Leon sprinted to the corner flag and leapt into the air, fist raised high in celebration.

Rotation?

Disrespect?

Damn right.

Today, they ca to Old Trafford to smash the face of the Premier League's "top club."

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