After Florentino returned to Real Madrid, he made many changes compared to his first term.
In the eyes of Real Madrid fans, this club doesn't just need to be competitive, it must also be beautiful.
On the pitch, that means not only winning, but winning with style.
The same applies to the club's internal operations.
Florentino carried out a major purge of the lingering figures from the Calderón and Mijatović era. But many still remained. He didn't send Calderón or Mijatović to prison, as many had speculated.
Because both he and Real Madrid believed that doing so would damage the club's image.
For every major away match, he would organize a gathering of the board of directors, key supporters, and club legends, whether in the administrative suites of the Bernabéu, private lounges of supporters' clubs, or other high-end venues...
Everyone seemed to enjoy it.
For Spain's political and business elite, especially in Madrid, Real Madrid has long been more than just a football club. It is a platform.
As Eduardo Fernández de Blas, Real Madrid's second vice president and one of the top ten lawyers in Spain, once said, "If the Real Madrid board of directors is to supervise Florentino, the only thing they should ensure is that he never gives up on his ideals and never chooses mediocrity."
Because Real Madrid does not accept mediocrity!
From the boardroom to the stands, from celebrities to fans, almost everyone agrees with Florentino's philosophy.
It was also one of the reasons he returned to the presidency of Real Madrid unopposed.
And it was why he chose to sack Pellegrini this summer.
But his replacement, Mourinho, didn't seem to be doing any better than Pellegrini.
…
In the executive suites of the Santiago Bernabéu, the distinguished guests had gathered to watch this world-renowned match—dubbed the most expensive football match in history.
But within just half an hour, Manchester City had scored twice.
Real Madrid were completely overmatched at the Etihad Stadium.
Faced with Manchester City's intricate tactical play, Real Madrid's midfield couldn't control the tempo. Their possession and rhythm were chaotic, and they could only react passively to City's constant attacks.
Especially after going 0–2 down, Real Madrid began to lose their composure.
Ronaldo tried hard to change the momentum, but the team's rhythm and structure had already unraveled.
Adebayor became agitated, committed a foul, and received a yellow card.
Everyone could see that Real Madrid had lost control and were now just taking the hits.
Gradually, the once cheerful and lively gathering turned tense and somber.
Then, in the 38th minute, Real Madrid attempted an attack down the right with Robben, but Rakitic played a long diagonal ball to the left, where David Silva quickly shifted it out wide.
Robinho drove into the left side of the box. Facing Arbeloa, he pulled off a flurry of stepovers, then suddenly accelerated down the line and crossed before the ball crossed the byline. Suarez arrived just in time, volleying past Ramos and sending the ball into the net from close range.
Although the Uruguayan striker was brought down by Ramos in the process, he quickly got up and sprinted around the pitch in celebration.
Three–nil!
No one could've predicted that Real Madrid would be three goals down before halftime.
"Tonight has been a tactical nightmare for Real Madrid."
"Mourinho's setup has been completely neutralized by Gao Shen. Especially in midfield, Real Madrid have been powerless to stop Manchester City's build-up and attacks. It's baffling. Why didn't Mourinho take the advice of so many experts and use three defensive midfielders?"
"From what we've seen so far, if Real Madrid continue without adjustments, it's very likely they'll concede even more goals. Manchester City will create more scoring chances."
…
Florentino sat nearby, listening to the live commentary. He couldn't make sense of what was happening.
"Why? We're not weaker than them, so why are we playing like this?"
As he spoke, his eyes shifted to honorary president Di Stéfano and director of public relations Butragueño, both Real Madrid legends.
"David Silva and Javi Martínez were both homegrown talents we wanted to sign. Robben and Robinho were both former players of ours…"
Butragueño gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Gao Shen is still the same as he was back then. He takes overlooked players and molds them into a powerful team."
The best proof was the 2006 season, when Gao Shen led Real Madrid to a domestic double.
Then again at Napoli.
Now, at Manchester City, it was the same story.
Technically, City's biggest star is Robben, a "superstar" Real Madrid discarded.
"Gao Shen's greatest strength is his advanced tactical philosophy," Di Stéfano said. "His players can all pass, they run hard, and they defend willingly. Even Robinho and Robben press with intensity. If I'm not mistaken, City's first-half possession will be over 70 percent."
"His playing style is actually different from Barcelona's. He dares to take risks, so he plays more vertical and at a faster tempo. Yet even with that, he still manages over 70 percent possession. That tells you how badly we've lost control of the midfield."
Butragueño nodded in agreement.
On paper, both sides had three midfielders. But the actual situations were completely different.
City only seemed to have three. In reality, their full-backs pushed high, both wingers and even Suarez dropped back, so their midfield was always crowded.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, looked like they had three. But with Özil contributing little defensively, it was really just Xabi Alonso and Khedira pressing and covering ground. It was a difficult task.
This exposed a very serious issue—Real Madrid had no midfield control.
It wasn't obvious at first, but as the match went on, the problem became glaring.
"It feels like Özil's been sent off," Di Stéfano remarked dryly.
Attacking midfielder!
Florentino recalled Gao Shen's words back then.
He had argued that relying on a traditional attacking midfielder was outdated.
But hadn't Gao Shen also said that the 4-2-3-1 could still work?
Last season, both Lass Diarra and Mahamadou Diarra were inconsistent. But Real Madrid signed Khedira this summer. Isn't that enough?
Why can't we hold the midfield?
What exactly is wrong with this team?
…
Halftime arrived.
Manchester City went into the break with a commanding 3–0 lead.
All the global broadcasters were stunned by the scoreline and impressed by City's performance.
There was no doubt that by tomorrow morning—or even right after the match—Gao Shen would dominate headlines across the football world after this clash of titans.
First-half stats showed that City's possession wasn't quite 70 percent—it was 67 percent. But that was still very high.
What was truly shocking was Manchester City's pass success rate: 89 percent. Real Madrid's was only 74 percent.
The issue clearly lay in midfield!
Besides the midfield, Real Madrid's defense and attack also had problems.
Simply put, under City's pressing, Madrid's pass success rate was too low.
But why?
With the quality of Real Madrid's players, that shouldn't be the case.
There could only be one explanation—too few passing outlets.
"Mourinho can't play this style," Di Stéfano said bluntly. "He's more suited to defensive counterattacks."
"He treats Real Madrid like a machine and the players as interchangeable parts. Assemble the parts and the machine runs, but the output is poor."
"Before the match, everyone knew that City would attack at home. Real Madrid had to disrupt their smooth coordination. But when the game started, we just couldn't do it."
Di Stéfano's tone turned pessimistic.
"If we use this same approach against Barcelona, we won't win. In fact, we might lose even more badly."
Florentino didn't speak at all, but his darkened expression made his feelings clear—he was angry and deeply dissatisfied.
A team built at a cost of over 400 million euros was being torn apart at the Etihad. What else was there to say?
Worse still, it was a refined, cohesive Manchester City that had delivered the blow.
This wasn't just a loss. It was a humiliation.
Di Stéfano, as Real Madrid's honorary president, was the most senior figure present. He was also the only one who dared speak so frankly.
"The current trend in European football is all about strengthening midfield control and passing. That's why Ferguson signed Sneijder. That's why Ancelotti is working on building a more possession-oriented midfield at Chelsea. Even someone like Essien is being pushed to improve his passing."
"This trend is obvious. Whether attacking or defending, precise passing and solid midfield control are essential."
But Real Madrid lacks that control now.
Xabi Alonso alone can't handle it.
And Özil?
He looks more like an attacker—one who can only pass.
Under those circumstances, it's no surprise that Real Madrid's midfield collapsed.
Redondo, who had followed Florentino for years, understood his mood best. He gave a discreet signal to Butragueño, who quickly caught on and changed the subject.
"There's still a second half. We still have a chance to turn things around," Butragueño said to Di Stéfano.
But the honorary president just shook his head and sighed.
He didn't say it outright, but the pessimism in his expression was obvious.
After a few moments of silence, he turned to Florentino and spoke words that made his stance unmistakably clear.
"Bring back Gao Shen! Only he can save Real Madrid!"
(To be continued.)