In his previous life, Gao Shen had encountered a multiple-choice question.
What kind of boss do employees consider a good boss?
There were many answers, but the one with the highest number of votes was quite interesting:
"You can see my efforts!"
Yes, that is the most heartfelt desire of ordinary workers.
And so, in the first round of the league, Gao Shen chose Higuaín.
Not just because Higuaín had performed well in the warm-up matches, but also to send a message to everyone: As long as you work hard, I will see it.
…
Goalkeeper: Courtois.
Defense: Marcos Alonso, Ramos, Pepe, Arbeloa.
Midfield: Xabi Alonso sitting deep, with Kroos and Modrić in central midfield.
Attack: Cristiano Ronaldo on the left, Higuaín in the center, Di María on the right.
This was the starting lineup Gao Shen sent out in the league opener.
Valencia, as expected, used a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Diego Alves.
Defense: Mathieu, Victor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, João Pereira.
Midfield: Former Real Madrid player Gago and Dino Costa as double pivots, with Guardado, Jonas, and Feghouli in front of them.
Forward: Former Real Madrid striker Soldado.
For Gao Shen's La Liga debut, the Bernabéu was packed with 74,000 spectators.
At the whistle of referee Delgado Ferrero, Soldado tapped the ball to Jonas, who immediately passed it back.
Real Madrid's two fullbacks, Arbeloa and Marcos Alonso, were positioned relatively high, leaving some space behind them.
Mathieu played a long pass from the back, trying to exploit the space behind.
Pepe reacted quickly and intercepted the ball.
With Jonas pressing from behind, Pepe had to face his own goal and used his body to shield the ball, but had no clear passing options.
Forced into a tough spot, the Portuguese tried to clear the ball off Jonas to win a throw-in, but Jonas cleverly blocked it, and the ball deflected off Pepe's leg and out of play.
Throw-in, Valencia.
This all happened within the first 10 seconds.
Gao Shen scratched his head on the touchline.
"Ramos, Arbeloa, what are you doing? Support! Support! Support!"
He shouted loudly.
Were they running? Yes.
But they didn't run to a position where Pepe could play the ball.
At that moment, Pepe was boxed in and unable to turn. Because he was shielding the ball, he didn't dare risk a long backpass to Courtois. Ramos should have dropped deeper, or Arbeloa should have shifted into a passing angle to help Pepe turn and release the ball.
Neither did.
A small detail, but it showed how Real Madrid's players were still adapting to advanced tactical systems.
…
Valencia took the throw and tried to work down the left. But while circulating the ball across midfield, Pepe suddenly stepped up from the box, intercepted the pass, and attempted a quick forward ball toward Di María—only to misplace it out of bounds.
Another Valencia throw.
Both teams continued to battle around midfield. Real Madrid committed numbers near the center circle. Valencia struggled to break through and had to play the ball back to Diego Alves. Higuaín stepped up and pressured him, forcing the goalkeeper to launch a long ball to the right, Real Madrid's left side.
Feghouli made a sprint, but Marcos Alonso was tightly marking him and didn't give an inch. The ball went out of bounds. The young fullback's solid defense earned him applause from the Bernabéu crowd.
He looked tall and lean, but physically, he was strong.
Gao Shen stood on the sidelines, observing carefully. He noticed many issues.
Whether in friendlies or training, there had been problems, but in actual competition, flaws were everywhere—leaks on all fronts.
Defensive organization, ball distribution, possession, positioning, link-up play, attacking transitions… all had issues.
Because Marcos Alonso lacked Marcelo's offensive threat on the left, Gao Shen had planned to focus tonight's attack on the right. He hoped Di María and Arbeloa could link up effectively.
The idea was to draw Valencia's attention to the right and create opportunities on the left.
But so far, the results had been underwhelming.
Di María wasn't a typical winger like Ronaldo or Robben. His strength lay in passing and organizing.
So Gao Shen's plan was for Di María to carry the ball and orchestrate, with Arbeloa making overlapping runs.
This often meant Arbeloa was positioned ahead of Di María, requiring the Argentine to provide cover. Gao Shen believed Di María could handle it.
But sometimes, Arbeloa simply didn't dare to push forward, leaving the right side empty.
Just like in the fifth minute, when Di María controlled the ball near the halfway line and began cutting inside. Arbeloa didn't advance to drag Mathieu away, and Di María was trapped by two defenders.
Higuaín and Ronaldo were already in position in the box, but with poor delivery under pressure, the ball was intercepted and Valencia launched a counterattack.
It looked like Di María was holding the ball too long, but in truth, he had no passing options.
The space was locked down—especially by Mathieu.
If Arbeloa had pulled Mathieu wide, Di María would've had more room to operate.
Modrić was trailing just behind Gago.
…
"Our pass completion rate is terrible."
Carlo said in frustration as Gao Shen came over for a drink.
Gao Shen sighed too.
It was true.
But the problem wasn't the players' ability. On the contrary, Real Madrid's players had no shortage of quality.
Nor was it due to Valencia's pressing being too intense.
Gao Shen had faced even more aggressive pressing and still managed.
The key issue was lack of cohesion and tactical understanding.
It's like learning to drive.
It seems easy, right?
Even manual transmission is simple once the theory is explained.
But the moment you hit the road, nerves kick in and mistakes pile up.
That's Real Madrid's situation right now.
They understood the tactics in theory, but in real play, they couldn't execute smoothly.
There's no shortcut. They could only take it step by step.
The direction was right, but they needed more matches to develop chemistry and get used to the system.
"Fortunately, the defense is solid so far. Valencia can barely cross the halfway line," Hierro commented.
Gao Shen had expected this and had placed emphasis on defensive structure.
It might seem conservative, but it was the smart move.
With so many errors and disconnects in the attack, without a solid defense, the team would've been punished already.
…
"If this doesn't improve, should we send Carvajal on in the second half?" Zidane asked.
Arbeloa was still playing too cautiously.
This was why the right side, which Gao Shen had pinned his hopes on, wasn't opening up.
Gao Shen nodded. "Let's wait a bit longer. I've noticed Di María starting to find some attacking patterns."
"He just tried to go in behind again. Ronaldo didn't react," Zidane added.
"He's still a bit anxious."
Since the start, Ronaldo had taken three shots—all from distance—and none had troubled the goalkeeper.
Football isn't basketball. Even getting a clean shot is tough, and Ronaldo had been forcing it a bit.
Gao Shen walked to the touchline and shouted Ronaldo's name, signaling him to calm down and be more patient.
He also called over Di María, encouraging him to keep attacking the space behind the defense.
Gradually, Real Madrid began to dominate possession and press Valencia deeper.
In the 7th minute, Modrić and Di María combined on the right. After a quick one-two, Modrić drove into the box but was double-teamed.
He went down, rolling on the ground. No whistle.
Goal kick.
The Bernabéu erupted in boos.
Gao Shen stood by the touchline, wearing a white shirt and black trousers from his sponsor Kiton. Hands in his pockets, looking composed, his presence occasionally flashed across the stadium's big screen.
And every time he appeared, the fans cheered.
…
"Gao's popularity among the fans is off the charts. No one comes close!"
In the presidential box, José Sánchez shared his amazement once again.
"What, he's already given up 20 percent and you're still not happy?" Valdano teased with a smile.
He was referring to Gao Shen's commercial deal upon joining Real Madrid. The club receives 20 percent of sponsorship deals facilitated through Real Madrid, essentially sharing in his image rights.
The advantage for Gao Shen is clear: with his abilities, the Real Madrid platform elevates his commercial value even higher.
José Sánchez was actively managing Gao Shen's brand now, and the response had been phenomenal. Many international brands were eager to sign him—smoother than even managing Cristiano Ronaldo or Beckham.
"Tonight's match is messy, but mainly due to the players still adapting. You can see some encouraging signs, especially on the right. Di María and Arbeloa are linking up in a new way. Their combinations have been threatening," Valdano praised.
Being threatening doesn't always mean scoring.
And sometimes, scoring doesn't mean you played well.
That's what makes football so fascinating.
"We've had too much of the ball," Florentino noted.
"About 70 percent possession," Valdano agreed. "Mainly because we can't break through. We're circulating the ball a lot, trying to reset."
It was obvious that several times Real Madrid tried to play forward, but with no real options, they were forced to pass back.
That naturally boosted the possession numbers.
But this wasn't Gao Shen's intention, nor was it a sign of conservatism.
"We still need to get a goal quickly. Otherwise, these guys will get nervous again," Butragueño said with a wry smile.
The current squad still lacked mental toughness.
As he spoke, Real Madrid met fierce pressure on the left side of midfield. Toni Kroos dropped into his own half, received the pass from Marcos Alonso, shifted the ball right, and played a quick lateral switch…
(To be continued.)
***
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