Chapter 915 - 17: Shadows of Old Friends
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In conclusion, Simeone said, "Many people say Chen is already old, but he can still exert his strength in crucial matches, leading the team to victory."
"He can still step up at critical moments."
Real Madrid’s coach, Alonso, also praised Chen Zhong’s performance. Though Chen Zhong hasn’t played much this season, he always helps the team win at crucial times.
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After defeating Atletico Madrid, the team started preparing for the Champions League match. Soon, Real Madrid will compete with Bayern Munich in a two-legged match.
Speaking of Bayern Munich, one cannot help but mention someone who impressed Chen Zhong.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Both players’ agents are Raiola, and they’ve met at some private gatherings. This Swedish star retired a few years ago.
But recently, Bayern Munich announced that they completed a signing with Ibrahimovic.
Thinking about this makes Chen Zhong chuckle.
Anyone hearing this name will think of the Swedish tower, the Taekwondo master, skilled at scoring all sorts of "god-like goals," big Ibrahimovic!
However, in reality, this Ibrahimovic is tomorrow’s star from Bayern Munich’s youth academy—Arijon Ibrahimović.
Yes, you read that right. Although the name collides with that of the Swedish legendary star, this one is genuinely a German rising star!
Ibrahimovic joined Bayern Munich’s youth academy at the age of 12, always considered one of the team’s prodigious talents, even once paired with Paul Wanner as Bayern Munich’s top young talents.
Based on his talent, Ibrahimovic was expected to progress rapidly, but last season he was loaned to Serie A newcomer Frosinone Calcio.
Even though Frosinone had a buyout option of about 3-4 million Euro, they ultimately chose not to keep him.
Many thought Ibrahimovic’s prospects would be rough, but Bayern Munich’s official website released surprising news—Ibrahimovic renewed his contract with the team!
However, this news raises a question: Is Ibrahimovic really ready for the first team? Bayern Munich currently has youngsters Olise and Simmons as forwards; is there still room for him on the frontline?
Faced with the upcoming challenges, Ibrahimovic seems unconcerned: "I’m very happy to renew and return to Bayern Munich; I’ve played for this club from a young age. Last season’s experience in Serie A helped me grow personally and professionally; I learned a lot. Now, I can’t wait to start a new journey. I want to keep improving, contributing everything for the team and club, and win more titles with Bayern Munich."
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In fact, Bayern Munich fielded Ibrahimovic in their FIFA Club World Cup opener against a semi-professional team.
Speaking of which, as old friends retire, now when Chen Zhong plays, he often feels he can see his old friends in many players.
It might be the name, it might be the action, it might be...
When Chen Zhong first debuted, people often said he was like Gullit or other players. But now, when discussing a player’s special traits, people often use his, his friends’, or his opponents’ names to describe them.
This all gives Chen Zhong a strange feeling.
There’s even an image circulating online.
Chen Zhong, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo standing there with a long queue of young players in front of them, seemingly waiting to be crowned.
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Bayern Munich’s coach is Kompany, and many fans were shocked when Kompany became head coach.
This guy recently experienced a relegation season at Burnley, like a driver fresh from a car accident, yet Bayern Munich had him drive a luxury car.
However, Kompany does have some skills, and Bayern Munich’s choice of him seems well-considered.
Last season, Kompany initiated "magic mode," leading Bayern Munich to reclaim the Bundesliga championship and lift the trophy, bringing Bayern Munich back to the Bundesliga pinnacle.
He boldly employs an innovative 2-4-4 formation, allowing wingers free play, midfielders, and full-backs to actively move forward, fully activating Bayern Munich’s attacking strengths.
In this, Kompany’s proficiency in multiple languages enables smooth communication with players from various countries, playing a vital role, quickly earning players’ trust, making his communication skills even better than a translator.
However, Kompany isn’t perfect.
In the Champions League, Bayern Munich’s performance was somewhat lackluster, indicating Kompany’s tactical arrangements in European matches may still need refining.
Kimmich is Bayern Munich’s midfield core; in the 2024-2025 season, he’s quite "industrious."
Judging by the data, his passing and touches rank first among Champions League players, seemingly a midfield maestro.
But sometimes, he might be too "industrious!"
On the field, Kimmich is like a spinning top that won’t stop, constantly taking the ball and passing, as if afraid people might forget his presence on the pitch.
This approach ensures team possession but occasionally slows down the match pace, like a lullaby, making fans drowsy while watching.
Moreover, his defense might be overly aggressive sometimes, causing unnecessary fouls, bringing troubles to the team.
For example, in some critical matches, his fouls granted opponents set-piece opportunities, almost costing Bayern points. He’s like a well-intentioned kid who messes things up; though he tries hard, his methods might be off.
Sane, the German winger, in the 2024-2025 season, delivered quite "unstable" performances.
Sometimes, he’s like a lightning bolt, exceedingly fast, technically skilled at footwork, easily tearing open opponents’ defenses, creating excellent chances and decent goal and assist data.
But sometimes, he’s like a lost child, failing to find his position on the field, unsure of how to handle the ball.
In important matches, Sane occasionally makes basic mistakes, either losing passes or missing chances before goal.
His form is like a roller coaster, fluctuating wildly. Additionally, his attitude on the field is somewhat unpredictable; sometimes he seems not fully committed to the match, as if he’s sleepwalking.
Bayern Munich didn’t pay him high wages for sleepwalking!
Overall, Bayern Munich’s performances have highlights and flaws.
Throughout the 2024-2025 season, in the Bundesliga, their performances were excellent, achieving 23 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses, winning the championship 8 points ahead of runner-up Bayer Leverkusen, especially as home dragons with 15 wins, 2 draws, and 0 losses at home.
But at away matches, Bayern Munich’s performance was somewhat concerning, with doubled conceded goals, defensive leaks everywhere, frequently receiving red and yellow cards, like a team not fully awake.
In the Champions League, Bayern Munich also stumbled.
Though performing well in the group stage, they faced many troubles in the knockout stage.
This indicates Bayern Munich needs further improvement in strength and tactics when facing other strong European teams, like a student performing well in their class but struggling in the year-wide exams.
Overall, under Kompany’s leadership in the 2024-2025 season, Bayern Munich made some progress but also faced many issues.
Kimmich and Sane’s performances had commendable aspects but still had many areas for improvement.
Regarding this season, these problems showed signs of improvement, both Alonso and Kompany are seasoned opponents, and Chen Zhong knows them too since they’ve faced off in their player days.