Although the Argentine youngster's shooting skills are not outstanding, the internal evaluation suggested that his shooting is not as good as his passing abilities, and he was directly noted as "lacking scoring ability near the penalty area."

It was only then that Schuster realized that apart from the Dutchman he trusts the most and Raul, he could hardly find a forward to replace them. To be precise, a qualified, battle-ready forward.

However, if he had to choose, Schuster would still prefer Higuain, as he is someone who is "stubbornly opinionated" and does things purely based on preference.

"I think,"

"we could give Soldado some opportunities." Francisco is an advocate of youth training and has had a soft spot for Real Madrid's youth players from the beginning. He was the one who suggested Schuster watch Chen Zhong's game back then.

Schuster glanced at Francisco. Real Madrid indeed still has a number 9, Soldado.

From a technical standpoint, he is indeed the player at Real Madrid who most closely resembles Van Nistelrooy. He excels at seizing points within the penalty area, and his shooting skills are highly regarded.

Roberto Soldado joined Real Madrid's youth team at the age of 13, and due to his exceptional talent at that time, he was the core of the forward line in every age group.

In 2002, Soldado was promoted to Castilla, making 26 appearances and scoring 7 goals in his first season.

Over four years with Castilla, Soldado accumulated 120 appearances, scoring 63 goals, averaging over 0.5 goals per game.

At one point, he was considered the future hope of Spain's domestic forward line. In the 05-06 season, Soldado made it to Real Madrid's first team, scoring 2 goals in 11 appearances, and due to lack of opportunities, he was loaned to Osasuna in the 06-07 season. In that season, Soldado made 44 appearances and scored 13 goals.

For a player who had been out of action for a while, this was already a pretty good result.

Everything was going in a good direction. He wore the number 9 jersey, and Capello seemed intent on using him heavily, but then Schuster arrived abruptly.

Although Soldado is the player within the team closest to Van Nistelrooy, Schuster was not willing to give this number 9 of Real Madrid a chance, as he believed Soldado did not meet his tactical requirements.

He couldn't exert the same control as Van Nistelrooy in the front, and there was a gap in shooting compared to Van Nistelrooy.

Of course, Soldado's missed opportunities in the warm-up matches were also one of the reasons he was benched.

This Soldado, who once dared to play a lob shot from 60 meters away from the goal at Osasuna, seemed to gradually become more silent, especially after his transfer request to join Benfica to reunite with his old mentor Camacho was rejected during the winter window.

He now seems like a walking dead at Real Madrid.

Besides Soldado, the other option was Saviola, who joined on a free transfer and was a player Schuster specifically pointed out, with more opportunities than Soldado this season.

However, Saviola's performance on the front line left much to be desired.

Whether with Raul or Van Nistelrooy, he clearly showed everyone in training and actual matches that they had no semblance of chemistry.

Moreover, Saviola seemed like a "product" of La Masia youth training, only suitable for teams like Barcelona. His physique was thin, unable to meet Schuster's tasks effectively.

He couldn't start pressing in the front line and could only showcase his talents during active attacks.

Regarding Saviola, Schuster held no strong attachment.

During the winter transfer window, quite a few teams were interested in Saviola, with the most significant interest from Bolton Team in the Premier League, but the closest to acquiring Saviola was the Argentine team San Lorenzo Team.

A few days before the transfer window closed, the president of San Lorenzo traveled to Spain to negotiate with Zaragoza for bringing in Dalisandro and, while in Madrid, contacted Real Madrid, attempting to take Saviola away. Surprisingly, Real Madrid was not opposed to this.

Moreover, the main investor of San Lorenzo, Lanuqi, was willing to fund the acquisition of Saviola, theoretically, there weren't many obstacles between the two clubs regarding this matter. Ultimately, Saviola's personal stance led to his remaining at Real Madrid.

As if holding a grudge, Saviola stated in front of the media, "I will not transfer in the winter. I will train hard and strive for more appearances in the second half of the season."

Schuster's mind spun round and round, finally releasing Baptista's name.

Compared to Soldado, Saviola, and Higuain,

he preferred to trust Baptista.

There was also a tactical consideration. He could let the team play 4411, with Baptista as the attacking midfielder. After all, initially, Baptista was moved from a defensive midfielder to an attacking midfielder by Coach Caparros at Sevilla, greatly increasing his goal rate.

In the 2003-2004 season, he played 30 times in La Liga, scoring 20 goals, ranking second on the La Liga season's top scorer list, helping the team qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

Moreover, Baptista's recent performances have been good. His performances in attack, positioning, physique, and shooting skills have satisfied Schuster.

If it really doesn't work, during the match, they can switch the 4411 formation to 433, letting Baptista, Chen Zhong, and Guti form a midfield three, pushing Robben and Robinho to the winger positions, and Raul as a lone center forward.

"Boss, in the next match we're up against Valladolid."

"Yes, that's right." Schuster raised his head and looked at Francisco, seemingly sensing something, his brows slightly furrowing. As a partner from the very beginning until now, he didn't want Francisco to say anything unnecessary.

"I want to talk about Roberto Soldado."

"He joined Real Madrid's youth training very young, and he has always been the best one."

"We've given him far too few opportunities. Half the season has passed, and he's had only one chance to play."

"I know." Schuster interrupted Francisco. During his player days, Schuster had a rebellious and eccentric personality, and after becoming Real Madrid's coach, initially, he was dutiful, but after breaking various records, he somewhat became a one-man show.

"But he doesn't meet my standards."

"From the very beginning!"

"How many times do I have to say it?"

Francisco gritted his teeth. If the two were merely superior-subordinate, he wouldn't say what comes next, but since their relationship was quite good and could even be regarded as friends, and considering Soldado, a child he watched grow up.

"Chen."

"He has a good relationship with Chen."

"Ha." Schuster chuckled, appearing somewhat incredulous as he looked at Francisco and said, "You mean, as a head coach, I have to consider a player's face when deciding who plays in a match?"

"No, of course not!"

"I mean, maybe Soldado and Chen might have a different chemistry, who knows."

"You damn..." Schuster pointed at Francisco, initially intending to curse, but thought differently, realizing that Francisco actually made a bit of sense. After all, the Champions League matches would soon start again, and the team currently had only two forwards over 30 on the roster. Putting aside personal bias, if he had to choose the tallest among the short, Soldado was indeed the most suitable: "You actually make some sense."

Seeing Schuster's expression, Francisco knew that this lion needed to be stroked the right way.

With the club's steadily improving performance and his increasingly stable position, the lion's temper also grew larger.

One day, if he challenges Calderon, Francisco wouldn't be too surprised.

After a brief conversation, they finally decided on the starting lineup for the next match. Soldado finally got his second opportunity of the season.

Can he hang on to Chen Zhong's "thigh" and experience revival?

No one knows.

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