"I was very pleased with your performance in the first half."
During the halftime break, Gao Shen gave the highest praise to his players in the locker room.
"A 3–0 scoreline made the entire first half, in both process and result, nearly perfect. I couldn't have asked for more from you."
"Especially a few of our players…"
Gao Shen didn't mention names, but everyone could see his eyes settle on Robben and Robinho.
Many players followed his gaze and focused on the two.
They had indeed been the best and most active performers of the first half.
Robinho, in particular, had delivered arguably his finest first-half performance since joining Manchester City.
It made one wonder—if he could maintain this form consistently, how could he not have a place in the team?
Gao Shen would certainly start him every game.
But whether Robinho could sustain that was another question.
"In the second half, I expect Mourinho to make substitutions. He'll likely try to strengthen the midfield, because their weakness there in the first half was too obvious. Once Mourinho realizes the problem, he'll make changes."
Gao Shen speculated that Mourinho might take off Özil and bring on Mahamadou Diarra to shore up the midfield.
That was what many had expected before the match, and what they had hoped Mourinho would do—deploy three defensive midfielders.
If Mourinho made that change now, it would be as good as admitting that his initial tactics had failed.
But he had no choice. If he didn't adjust, the second half could be even worse.
"So once the second half starts, we cannot give Real Madrid any breathing space. We need to raise the tempo and push the game into high gear. We must launch a wave of attacks to capitalize and try to widen the lead."
Gao Shen's opening attacks had always been his trademark.
But as his coaching matured, so did his tactics, and his squad rotations had become more diverse.
The same tactical move now produced better results than before.
Early in the second half, Real Madrid might come out fired up, and if they decided to go all out, Manchester City could be in danger.
The combination of Ronaldo, Adebayor, and Di María was still very threatening.
"In attack, we'll continue to focus on both wings, especially the right."
Gao Shen pulled over the tactical board, already marked with Real Madrid's formation and positions.
"At the start of the match, Ronaldo was on the right and Di María on the left. Later, Mourinho switched them—putting Ronaldo and Marcelo on the left. That made their attack sharper, but their defense weaker."
As Gao Shen said this, he pointed at Robben.
"Arjen, the second-half attack will go through your side. It must be fast, aggressive, and precise. Hit them where it hurts."
Robben nodded with confidence. He was indeed Gao Shen's main weapon tonight.
"Don't worry, Boss. Leave it to me!"
Gao Shen had full trust in Robben's abilities and performance.
"When we're in possession, we need to stretch the formation. David, Ivan, you two need to support the flanks more."
"Robinho, make sure you drag Arbeloa out of position."
"Also, watch the flanks when defending, especially our right. The Ronaldo-Marcelo link on that side is dangerous. Be extra careful."
That channel would become Real Madrid's trump card in the coming years, eventually leading them to four Champions League titles. It was clearly a major threat.
But it hadn't reached its full potential yet.
Mourinho had always been conservative with his full-backs. Reports said he preferred Portuguese left-back Coentrão, and had even been linked with Lazio's Kolarov, over Marcelo, who was stronger in attack but weaker defensively.
"Everyone!" Gao Shen clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"We had a fantastic first half, but I still think it's not enough. We can do better. So in the second half, I want everyone to keep pushing!"
Gao Shen's words were forceful, and the players felt fired up.
The energy and atmosphere had all the Manchester City players buzzing with excitement.
"I want to see another goal in the second half!"
The players roared together in response.
…
Mourinho did make a substitution, and he did take off Özil.
This was expected. Anyone could see that Özil had been ineffective. Aside from a few good passes, he offered very little.
But Gao Shen didn't expect Mourinho to replace Özil with Pepe.
That surprised him on the touchline, but he quickly realized he'd misjudged it.
Of course.
In Gao Shen's previous life, Mourinho had often used Pepe as a defensive midfielder.
Still, Gao Shen didn't change his tactics. Instead, he signaled his players to stick to the original plan and keep attacking.
At the restart, Manchester City took advantage of their kick-off to control possession and quickly pushed forward.
Real Madrid's defense got organized quickly, and with the substitution, their protection in front of the penalty area had improved.
But City's counterattack came in strong.
Just one minute into the half, when their initial wave failed to threaten, Javi Martínez made a midfield interception and passed the ball forward to Robben on the right.
Robben dribbled past Marcelo, cut inside, and shot with his left foot from the right side of the box.
The shot struck Pepe's leg and didn't go toward goal directly. Instead, it deflected toward the penalty spot.
Suárez reacted first. He lunged and took a shot before anyone else could respond.
But Casillas had already come off his line, and Ramos and Carvalho were closing in fast to block the angle.
The Uruguayan's shot was deflected by Ramos toward the left side of the six-yard box.
Real Madrid's penalty area descended into chaos.
Casillas adjusted quickly and rushed left. Arbeloa also ran over to cover.
It all happened in a flash. When everyone realized what was happening, Robinho had appeared like a ghost on the left side of Real Madrid's box. He reached the ball at the most dangerous area and struck with his left foot.
Casillas dove, and Arbeloa threw himself in front, but both were too late.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Robinho! It's Robinho again!!!"
"A brace!"
"My God, his off-the-ball movement is outstanding. He lurked near the edge of the area like a ghost and, in the critical moment, appeared in the most lethal position."
After scoring, Robinho turned and sprinted across the pitch, sliding on his knees in front of the Manchester City supporters, letting out a soul-stirring roar.
It was the ecstasy of revenge!
City players followed, surrounding Robinho and celebrating on the sideline.
"Unbelievable! Absolutely incredible!"
"Manchester City came out flying in the second half. Their aggression and commitment were obvious."
"Real Madrid's defense still hasn't solved their issues. Robben's cut-in and shot caused complete chaos in the box."
"Four–nil!"
"Even after Real Madrid made changes, they still couldn't stop Manchester City's attack!"
…
"Manchester City still have the ball."
"Six minutes into the second half, and Real Madrid haven't managed a single decent attack."
"Gao Shen's teams have always been sharp at the start of halves, and that's exactly what we've seen tonight. Even after scoring, they haven't let up."
"Let's look now. City have recycled possession to reorganize."
"Martínez receives the ball and turns. Pepe steps in and commits a foul."
"The referee says Pepe tripped Martínez from behind and deserves a yellow card."
"Just six minutes in, and Pepe is booked."
"Mourinho is furious on the sideline. He feels the yellow was unnecessary."
"In the first half, Adebayor committed a similar foul and also saw yellow."
"Real Madrid have targeted Javi Martínez all game, but Manchester City have prepared well for it."
"Watch now—City take a quick free kick and send it up to Suárez."
"Suárez chests it down, flicks it to Rakitic, who plays it to Robben on the right."
"Robben controls, plays it back to Lichtsteiner, who returns it to Rakitic."
"Rakitic doesn't hold the ball, but immediately passes back to Suárez."
"Suárez receives with his back to goal and lays it off to Robben, who cuts in and slips a reverse pass behind him…"
"Rakitic is bursting in!"
"Danger!"
"The ball goes in again!!!"
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Five minutes! Less than seven minutes into the second half, and Manchester City have scored twice!"
"What a stunning sequence of attacking play!"
"From start to finish, City's players kept pulling away from their markers with fluid combination play. Rakitic's late run completely caught Real Madrid off guard."
"Five–nil!!!"
"My God, what a game this is!"
"But it's definitely not the game Real Madrid fans hoped for."
"Manchester City fans are on their feet, roaring in celebration."
"No one expected this kind of result. Gao Shen's Manchester City now lead 5–0 at home, and Real Madrid have barely mounted a threat."
"Even after Mourinho subbed off Özil for central defender Pepe at halftime, City launched back-to-back attacks and scored twice."
"Real Madrid have conceded two goals in five minutes. It's not just the midfield—they've lost control of their defense as well."
(To be continued.)
***
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