Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Chapter 24: Make the Most of This Time—Time to Grind!

Li Ang spent the entire third La Liga match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad sitting on the bench.

And without his presence anchoring the defense, Real Madrid's backline was caught out several times by Sociedad's quick breaks. In the 62nd minute of the second half, the defense finally cracked, conceding a goal.

But it didn't matter much in the end. Madrid had already scored three, and added a fourth six minutes before the final whistle. A 4–1 win made that lone goal almost irrelevant.

Still, for the increasingly active Spanish media, Li Ang being benched while Real Madrid continued winning was a perfect narrative hook.

Even if they couldn't stir up drama between players, they could always tweak the story to sell more papers and magazines.

What went largely unspoken in these articles, however, were the facts.

In Li Ang's absence, Xabi Alonso had to fall deeper and defend more. Madrid's midfield interception stats plummeted. Khedira, who had recently been praised for his "balanced" play, looked plain again.

But these issues were largely glossed over under the blanket of a dominant win.

Some Real Madrid fans saw through it. They noticed.

But most preferred to bathe in the fantasy of "attacking wins are beautiful wins."

After all, Madrid had opened the season with four straight victories across all competitions. This latest one was a 4–1 away win.

Few fans denied Li Ang's contributions in the matches he'd started. With him on the pitch, the team had looked calm, composed, in control.

But if they had to choose?

Most fans would still pick 4–1 or 4–2 wins over clean sheets and conservative play.

After all, Real Madrid wasn't known for winning quietly. They were supposed to win gloriously.

Just look at Fabio Capello—he led Madrid to La Liga titles twice, and both times he was shown the door immediately after. Why? Not enough flair. Not enough "Real Madrid spirit."

So, yes—fans knew Li Ang helped stabilize the team.

And yes, media outlets and a subset of supporters continued to advocate for his place.

But with the growing pressure on Mourinho to make Madrid more entertaining, a quiet 19-year-old defensive midfielder who'd played only three matches was never going to dominate the headlines.

And Li Ang?

He'd been expecting this.

This wasn't some sudden emotional high or low for him.

He knew Mourinho had benched him not to make room for that certain "deadweight" attacking midfielder the media kept talking about.

He'd simply played three matches in a row, and Mourinho wanted to give him a break before the next match against Espanyol, a stronger opponent.

But Li Ang was also very aware of reality.

Diarra's return from injury was expected by late September.

Once he was back in full training, Li Ang—who would likely be heading out on loan in the winter—wouldn't be getting this many starts again.

Rather than waste time monitoring public opinion and debating who deserved to start, he had a better plan.

Use every second left at Real Madrid to get stronger.

Li Ang had always been highly self-aware—he had a sharp sense of urgency and crisis.

Before he got his shot at the first team, he was fine grinding it out at Real Betis.

But now?

He wanted more.

He wanted to start for a big club—not just for the exposure, but for the level of training, the quality of teammates, the world-class facilities.

Between a big club and a smaller one, the gap in training resources alone was a chasm.

Luckily, there were still over three months until the winter transfer window.

Plenty of time to research, analyze European clubs, and plan his next move.

And in the meantime?

Every match he didn't play was a chance to grind.

"Time to grind my stats."

That night—September 18th—after returning home, Li Ang opened the Champions League Victory Gift Pack from the system panel.

The familiar golden glow flashed.

This time, only one item and one talent fragment card appeared. Fewer than his La Liga reward.

But Li Ang wasn't disappointed.

Because this time, he'd drawn a 500-point golden-tier item.

"Stamina Recovery Potion (Advanced) – Remaining Uses: 10"

Apart from that simple description, the high-grade potion had no additional instructions.

But Li Ang, who'd already used the system's lower-tier recovery items, understood its value immediately.

He tapped the item lightly with his thoughts.

Just like before, a confirmation prompt appeared:

"Use now?"

Li Ang glanced at the remaining uses and immediately declined.

500 points for 10 uses—that was 50 points per use. Insanely expensive.

Unlike the system's free potion, which recharged every 10 days, this advanced potion had no cooldown. It was only limited by the number of uses.

That was part of what made it so valuable.

Imagine a Premier League player slogging through the brutal winter fixture list with one of these.

Use it once a week? For 70 days, he'd be hailed as "Iron Man" by the British press.

Li Ang carefully placed the potion back into his inventory.

Then, without hesitation, he activated the second reward: a silver-tier talent fragment card.

"Santi Cazorla – 2018–2019 Ball Control Talent Fragment

Talent Rating: 88 (Max: 100)

Host's Current Ball Control Rating: 72"

As Cazorla's image appeared—wearing his Villarreal kit—Li Ang couldn't help but recall a certain meme:

"Impossible! No way! My second brother is invincible!"

He could only imagine how Arsenal fans must have felt when Cazorla was wrecked by injury.

"With Cazorla, we contend for titles. Without him, we fight for top four.

No Cazorla? The club collapses."

Those were the kinds of lines Arsenal forums were filled with back then.

Li Ang had always admired Cazorla's skill. His control, his dribbling—absolutely world-class.

Looking at his own barely passable La Liga-level ball control rating, Li Ang could only sigh.

Still a long way to go.

But after taking stock of his rewards, he returned to the system panel and gazed at his newly raised stat caps.

Suddenly, he felt calm.

The ceiling had risen.

Time was abundant.

And now, he had a stockpile of top-tier stamina potions.

Combined with the free recovery potion he got every ten days, Li Ang could train relentlessly for the next three months without worrying about fatigue.

And with that kind of setup—

What excuse could he possibly have not to chase greatness?

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