Gao Shen has always felt that the away goals rule in the Champions League is a great invention.
From the perspective of the rules, it makes the Champions League much more interesting and exciting.
Just like at Old Trafford on March 5, Real Madrid, who had won the first leg at home 1-0, did not adopt a conservative approach away from home. Instead, they started aggressively from the very beginning.
Because the idea was very simple: score an away goal.
Why fight so hard?
Because if Real Madrid scored an away goal, Manchester United would have to score three.
That would be a huge psychological advantage for Real Madrid.
So, on this night at Old Trafford, everyone witnessed a very strange scene.
Real Madrid, who were leading from the first leg and would qualify with just a draw, took the initiative to attack. Manchester United, who were trailing and needed to score at home, fell into a passive situation from the start.
It was a strange and puzzling sight.
I suppose many fans could not help but curse Ferguson in their hearts, thinking that he was being too conservative.
But the reality was, he could not afford to gamble.
In such a high-level clash, if Real Madrid scored an away goal, Manchester United's morale would collapse.
In contrast, Real Madrid had no such concerns, and Gao Shen even encouraged his players to attack freely.
But Real Madrid's attacking display tonight was far from ideal.
Gao Shen set up the team in a 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Casillas.
Defense: Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, and Carvajal.
Midfield: Xabi Alonso dropping deep, with Kroos and Modric in the center.
Forwards: Ronaldo, Benzema, and Di Maria.
In last weekend's league match at the Bernabeu, Gao Shen rotated nine players against Barcelona in preparation for this trip to Old Trafford.
Manchester United's lineup tonight, however, was a bit unusual.
When Gao Shen first saw the team sheet, he thought it was a 4-3-3. When the teams lined up before kick-off, he thought it looked like a 4-4-2. But when the match actually began, he realized it was neither, not even a 4-2-3-1.
It was a very strange setup.
Goalkeeper: De Gea.
Back line, left to right: Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Rafael.
Midfield, left to right: Nani, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Giggs.
Forwards: Welbeck and Rooney.
It looked like a flat 4-4-2, but in practice it was completely different.
First was Welbeck.
Although listed as a striker alongside Rooney, during the game he mostly shadowed Xabi Alonso.
Wherever Real Madrid's No. 14 went, Welbeck followed.
Ferguson's purpose was clear, using him to disrupt and press Xabi Alonso, creating chaos in Real Madrid's midfield and disrupting their build-up.
The best examples came in the third and fifth minutes, when Welbeck fouled Alonso after he received the ball.
In the fifth minute, he even tracked back from the front and pushed Alonso from behind. The referee only blew for a foul and did not give a card.
The referee seemed a bit lenient tonight.
From this, it was clear that Manchester United's formation was not a simple 4-4-2.
There was another very targeted arrangement, Rafael.
If Welbeck was glued to Alonso, then Rafael was glued to Ronaldo.
And this was tight man-marking.
Gao Shen noticed the problem early on. After several duels, he found it was serious, so he told Ronaldo to move into the middle. But Rafael still followed closely, even abandoning his position on the right flank to track him.
Why?
First, Giggs was not a natural right winger, not even a right midfielder. Whenever Rafael vacated his position, Giggs would immediately drop back to cover the right side.
Second, Real Madrid's left-back Arbeloa, a right-footed player, had some offensive ability but lacked the speed to break through from behind.
The best example came in the 6th minute, when Real Madrid had several throw-ins on the left but created no real danger. The last time, Arbeloa threw the ball to Benzema, who headed it back, but under Giggs' pressure Arbeloa failed to control it and knocked it out of play.
Ferguson knew very well that without Marcelo, Real Madrid's attacking threat on the left would be greatly reduced.
Gao Shen asked Ronaldo to push forward again, trying to move between the full-backs, center-backs, and holding midfielder, but it still did not work.
Against Barcelona, Gao Shen had created a cage for Messi, shutting him down time and again.
Now, Ferguson had built such a cage for Ronaldo.
The key reason was that Real Madrid's left-back was not strong enough.
Ferguson clearly understood that Marcelo's absence had a huge impact on Real Madrid's left-sided attack.
If Marcelo had started instead of Arbeloa tonight, Ferguson would never have dared to set things up this way.
…
"The old knight is really amazing."
Standing in front of the away dugout, Gao Shen could only admit it.
It was not that he wanted to concede defeat, but he had to admire Ferguson's lineup and use of players.
Giggs' role was brilliant.
This Manchester United legend, who seemed to be getting better with age, played on the right wing. His tactical discipline was outstanding, and his awareness was excellent. Just watching how he and Rafael combined to contain Ronaldo explained why Ferguson trusted him so much.
That kind of football intelligence is not something everyone has.
At least in today's Manchester United, Gao Shen could not see anyone who could replace him.
Who would have thought Ferguson would put an aging Giggs on the right, and together with the young Rafael, completely freeze Ronaldo, who had been scoring for fun this season?
"Welbeck's role was brilliant too. It also reminds us that more and more teams will recognize Xabi Alonso's importance, and when that happens, they'll all target him," Zidane reminded.
Xabi Alonso had been heavily relied upon by Real Madrid this season and had performed very well, but his role was mainly to stay back to organize, hold position, defend, distribute the ball, and play long passes.
A bit like Carrick at Manchester United.
"Nani's role is also crucial," Gao Shen added, pointing at the winger on the pitch.
"Normally, when our left side is contained, the right side should ease the pressure. But with Nani there, Carvajal is being pushed back."
Nani was definitely underrated, or perhaps he had not reached the level he should have.
But once he was on the pitch, no one could ignore his threat.
Even a technically solid full-back like Carvajal did not dare to press forward recklessly against Nani and had to stay cautious at all times.
"The old knight really is something else," Gao Shen said with a wry smile.
From the initial tactics to the adjustments in the opening 10 to 20 minutes, Gao Shen and Ferguson were wrestling on the tactical level, and neither had gained a clear advantage.
Of course, Ferguson had not gained much either.
At best, Manchester United had contained Real Madrid's attack, but Real Madrid were not allowing them to dictate the game either.
After all, with United focusing so heavily on containing Real Madrid, their own attack was greatly affected.
Especially when it came to ball circulation in midfield.
Giggs was dropping too deep, and Nani was being kept under close watch by Carvajal, so United were forced to rely on long balls.
But once the ball reached the forwards, it was very difficult to pose a real threat.
Real Madrid's center-backs were no pushovers. The partnership between Varane and Pepe was getting stronger with every game, and their performances increasingly solid.
Especially Varane, whose displays in recent matches could be described as world-class.
"What do we do now?" Hierro asked anxiously.
He had a nagging feeling that Real Madrid tonight looked like Barcelona at the Bernabeu, dominating the game but creating little real danger.
Zidane also looked at Gao Shen, his eyes full of questions.
Gao Shen grinned and asked Zidane, "What do you think?"
"If it were me, I'd slow down the tempo. We're playing too fast and making mistakes too easily."
And mistakes were exactly what United were waiting for.
As long as Real Madrid slipped up and United seized the chance, they would counter immediately.
"Just slowing the tempo isn't enough," Gao Shen shook his head.
"So what do you mean…"
"Didn't Ferguson want to play against us like Barcelona?"
Zidane and Hierro looked at each other in surprise.
Gao Shen chuckled with excitement. "Then let's give him a taste of Real Madrid's version of Tiki-Taka."
After a pause, Gao Shen's eyes lit up with anticipation.
As many had said, Real Madrid were a very complete side, able to adapt to different tactical demands.
And Gao Shen's confidence came from his three midfielders.
The trio of Kroos, Alonso, and Modric might not be as defensively strong as Real Madrid's previous midfield trios, but their passing and control were far superior.
More importantly, Real Madrid's possession style was very different from Barcelona's.
This had been evident in several La Liga matches already.
Since United were clearly sitting deep, waiting for Real Madrid to make a mistake, why not flip the script? Real Madrid could tire them out instead.
Thinking of this, Gao Shen walked to the touchline, called out to Alonso, and gave him clear instructions to slow the tempo and control possession.
Not only that, Gao Shen also called Modric, who was closer, and told him to move around more. He also instructed Di Maria to track back and help in defense.
Ronaldo also dropped deeper.
This was not the first time for the Portuguese.
Many had said that under Gao Shen, Ronaldo had become far more of a team player and was no longer just the lone goalscorer he once was.
At the same time, Gao Shen reminded the players to stay patient and not get anxious.
The essence of possession football was patience. Stay calm, do not get dragged into the opponent's rhythm, and play at your own pace.
Besides, it was Real Madrid who were leading on aggregate. If anyone should be anxious, it was Manchester United.
"I really don't believe the old knight can keep defending like this all game."
If it had not been for the goal at the Bernabeu in the first leg, Gao Shen might have been anxious too. But now, he was completely calm.
What was there to fear when Real Madrid still had the ball?
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)