On the afternoon of March 2, at the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
This world-renowned clash was about to begin.
Seventy-eight thousand Real Madrid fans flocked to the Bernabéu, filling every corner of the stands.
The stadium was deafening with chants and cheers.
In the presidential box, Real Madrid president Florentino, accompanied by senior executives such as José Sánchez, Valdano, and Butragueño, walked in slowly and took their seats.
Not long ago, he had gone to King Juan Carlos's box to greet him personally. Afterward, he was responsible for hosting Barcelona vice-president Bartomeu, who had traveled with the team.
Strangely, Bartomeu declined Florentino's invitation and insisted on sitting with the away Barcelona fans in the corner of the stadium. Florentino had no choice but to respect his wishes.
So now, Florentino was surrounded by Real Madrid's own people.
Also present was former Real Madrid technical director Arrigo Sacchi.
The Italian legend is now a columnist and regular contributor to major European media, and even a minor internet celebrity with a seven-figure fanbase and widespread recognition.
Of course, much of Sacchi's online fame had been built off Gao Shen's popularity.
Every time he interacted with Gao Shen, it brought him a wave of new followers.
Sacchi was very committed to his public persona as Gao Shen's biggest supporter.
As Sacchi often said, "I've been optimistic about him since the day he debuted. I'm his die-hard fan!"
The implication was clear: you can question my football views or professionalism, but you must never doubt my glowing judgment of Gao Shen, backed by my experience. All the other pretenders, step aside.
That was his style.
…
"I heard Gao Shen rotated heavily today?" Sacchi asked Valdano.
The Real Madrid technical director nodded. "Nine positions were rotated."
Sacchi was surprised. That was quite drastic.
Goalkeeper: Courtois.
Defense: Marcos Alonso, Pepe, Varane, and Nacho.
Midfield: Casemiro sitting deeper, with Kaká and Verratti in the middle.
Forwards: Jesé, Morata, and Vázquez.
Compared to the match three days ago, apart from central defenders Pepe and Varane, every other position had been changed.
This was clearly Gao Shen preparing for the upcoming battle at Old Trafford.
"Putting out such a lineup is really risky," Florentino sighed.
Two matches in such a short span with nine rotations, could Real Madrid still win like this?
This doubt was not only in the president's mind, but also shared by Real Madrid fans and supporters worldwide.
Everyone knew Gao Shen had to rotate.
The matches at the Bernabéu and Old Trafford were only two days apart. If the same players played both, even iron men could not withstand it. Gao Shen had no choice but to make sweeping changes.
There was no other way.
Many Real Madrid fans had mentally prepared themselves for defeat.
It was a strategic trade-off.
"Real Madrid's squad is still a bit thin," Sacchi commented.
Valdano nodded. "He's very selective about his players. If they don't fit his style, he won't take them."
"That's normal. He's right to stick to that principle," Sacchi agreed.
Think back to the start of the season, when many wondered why not keep Özil, Khedira, and Coentrão.
Leaving aside their disappointing performances after moving elsewhere, even if they had returned with strong form from the Euros, how would Gao Shen have used them?
Would he have left such Euro stars sitting on the bench?
The locker room would have exploded.
But if they were made starters, could Gao Shen's tactical system still be implemented?
Take Özil as an example. Who could he replace in the midfield or attack?
Kroos? Modrić? Di María?
The answer was, he could not replace any of them.
At Real Madrid, he would have been a substitute. Better to sell him while his market value was high.
The cases of Khedira and Coentrão were similar.
Gao Shen would rather use Marcos Alonso and Nacho than keep Coentrão, which showed his dissatisfaction with the player, especially his off-field lifestyle.
It was precisely Gao Shen's persistence that allowed Real Madrid to complete their transformation.
Today's La Liga giants no longer relied solely on defensive counterattacks. They were much more complete.
Now Real Madrid could adjust tactics depending on the opponent.
"If I'm not mistaken, Gao Shen will go with tight defense tonight," Sacchi predicted.
"Do we even need to guess?" Butragueño chuckled.
"We'll press aggressively at the start. That's Gao Shen's signature tactic."
Valdano nodded. "We all thought so too."
The technical director and vice-president exchanged looks, laughed together, then glanced at Sacchi, as if to say: Save that for the fans in the papers and online. Don't try it with us.
"Give me something real," Valdano teased.
"Alright then, I'll bet Real Madrid score first," Sacchi replied slyly.
Valdano, Butragueño, and the others laughed.
Gao Shen knew Barcelona inside out, and his opening blitz tactic often worked.
"Honestly, this season has been too tough," Sacchi said seriously.
Valdano and Butragueño turned to look at Florentino. Sacchi's words were clearly directed at him.
The Real Madrid president was shrewd, of course he understood.
"I know, that's why I won't let him leave, no matter what."
Sacchi nodded. "He's already repaid many of the debts from past seasons. I just hope his team can keep going."
In terms of results alone, Real Madrid's season had been impressive. Even before the team fully gelled, they held their own against Manchester City, the defending Champions League winners.
Both the scoreline and the performance had been respectable.
But why did they only finish second in the group stage?
Because of Real Madrid's poor European results in recent years, they had been placed in Pot 3 and drawn into a group of death. In that brutal group, they lost out to Manchester City by just one point and still qualified in second place, which was already a strong achievement.
As group runners-up, they drew Manchester United in the round of 16, while also running into Barcelona in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey. All competitions became entangled, leading to their current predicament.
"With our Champions League performances this season, we should be back in Pot 2 next year," Valdano nodded.
Who would believe that a team as powerful as Real Madrid had fallen into Pot 3?
If not for Gao Shen, Real Madrid might still be struggling to even escape the group stage.
"He's done really well. Especially those three straight wins against Barcelona, which completely shattered their aura," Butragueño said with satisfaction.
When had Real Madrid fans enjoyed a season like this in recent years?
In just one campaign, they had crushed their eternal rivals, Barcelona.
That was why everyone believed Real Madrid could still win tonight, even with nine rotations.
Because leading the team was Gao Shen.
…
Real Madrid rotated, and so did Barcelona.
Goalkeeper: Valdés.
Defense: Alba, Piqué, Thiago Motta, and Alves.
Midfield: Busquets sitting deeper, with Iniesta and Xavi.
Forwards: Villa, Messi, and Pedro.
Barcelona also rotated a few players, but the team's core structure and tactics stayed intact.
With Thiago Motta, their defense and buildup passing looked more stable.
But when Gao Shen saw Barcelona's lineup, he felt a little regret.
What a player Motta was. How brilliantly Napoli had played under his leadership.
But back at Barcelona?
He had become nothing more than Busquets' backup, often shifted into central defense, which hurt his performances.
And then there was Alexandre Song on the bench.
Last summer, Barcelona signed him from Arsenal with a big salary, even in a controversial way.
Everyone thought they had big plans for him. And the result?
Sometimes Gao Shen really felt Barcelona's transfer dealings were unprofessional, even absurd.
But there was nothing he could do, because this was Barcelona.
Wealthy and powerful.
Yet no matter how strong, it did not matter. At the Bernabéu, Gao Shen would still bring them down.
…
As soon as the whistle blew, Real Madrid pressed collectively in the front line, going straight at Barcelona's defense.
It was intense pressing.
Just 12 seconds into the game, Barcelona had only passed twice across the back line before Piqué played it to Alba on the left. But under Vázquez's pressure, Alba failed to control the ball, and it rolled out of play.
Real Madrid won possession.
Nacho quickly stepped up and threw the ball to Morata, who controlled it and laid it back to Vázquez.
The winger charged to the byline and whipped a cross into the box.
Kaká's late run was a bit slow, and goalkeeper Valdés came off his line to claim it.
The Barcelona keeper motioned for his teammates to push forward.
Real Madrid immediately dropped back into defensive shape.
Unlike previous matches at Camp Nou, tonight they retreated into their own half, holding the line around midfield.
The defensive setup was basically the same.
It was clear Gao Shen's approach was defensive counterattack.
No surprise after rotating nine players.
Even Barcelona weren't surprised, and began pushing forward steadily.
Once across midfield, they tried moving the ball forward, but were repeatedly forced back by Real Madrid's compact defense.
Watching Real Madrid retreat as though facing a formidable foe, Sacchi and Valdano in the stands couldn't help feeling disappointed.
They had all guessed wrong.
Gao Shen didn't go for a furious opening attack. Instead, he adopted a cautious defensive-counter style right from the start.
But the intent was clear to everyone.
He was provoking Barcelona from afar.
Barcelona, this is how I'm playing tonight.
If you have the ability, come and break through my defense!
(To be continued.)
***
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