After defeating Celta Vigo 7-0 away, Real Madrid enjoyed a week of rest.
Once they had recovered, Gao Shen's team returned to the Bernabéu and defeated Real Mallorca 6-0 at home in the 28th round of La Liga.
Across two matches, they scored 13 goals and conceded none.
The rotation of Real Madrid's three central defenders kept the backline solid.
At the same time, Real Madrid's performances against both Celta Vigo and Real Mallorca were excellent, especially in the second half.
Marcelo came on at halftime and played 45 minutes. During that period, Real Madrid scored 4 goals, which reflected the overall strength of Gao Shen's side.
Real Mallorca head coach Manzano admitted in the post-match press conference that Real Madrid had played surprisingly attacking football.
Manzano accepted the crushing defeat with humility.
"Gao Shen is creating the third great team!"
Manzano believed this was something unprecedented in the history of European football.
Most top coaches only build one great team during their peak years, but Gao Shen was different. From Napoli to Manchester City to Real Madrid, he had already led three sides to greatness.
And right now, Real Madrid was walking firmly on that path.
…
After the match against Real Mallorca, La Liga paused for the international break.
This time, Gao Shen had some good news, as Marcelo followed his advice and did not join the national team.
Gao Shen personally called Scolari, and the Brazilian head coach respected him, leaving Marcelo out. However, Kaka was called up again.
The Brazilian superstar's form at Real Madrid had improved significantly in recent weeks.
Scolari spoke at length with Gao Shen. As he prepared for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he not only asked about the Real Madrid Brazilians but also those at Leeds United.
As Leeds' reputation in the Premier League grew this season, many of their players attracted attention from the national team.
Naturally, this included their Brazilian contingent.
For example, Coutinho had become the core of Leeds United's attack and was performing superbly. There were also Allan and Jorginho in midfield, while Marquinhos was excellent in defense.
As Gao Shen had said before, José Fonte was like a factory for producing central defenders. Any defender who partnered with him grew significantly.
This had been true for Koulibaly, and now for Marquinhos.
In addition, Real Madrid had young Brazilians such as Fabinho and Felipe Anderson.
Gao Shen strongly recommended Jorginho and Coutinho, believing both could help the Seleção. Coutinho had already been capped before, but fell out of the squad when Inter Milan declined.
As for Jorginho, Gao Shen felt the deep-lying playmaker had unlimited potential.
"Why isn't Casemiro on your list?" Scolari asked with a smile on the phone.
Gao Shen was momentarily speechless.
In the end, Scolari called up Coutinho and Casemiro, which left Gao Shen feeling depressed.
The old man was not so kind after all.
Still, with Marcelo spared from international duty, Gao Shen felt relieved.
In the following days, Gao Shen remained busy.
He and his staff monitored the international players closely, worried about potential injuries.
At the same time, he began studying Juventus.
After taking charge of Juventus, Conte had reformed the squad and implemented a three-man defense. But the lineup was different from what Gao Shen remembered from his previous life.
In that life, Lichtsteiner played for Juventus, but now he was at Manchester City. Isla had been signed from Udinese for 14 million euros instead.
Vidal was not at Juventus either, but at Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Pogba was making a name for himself in the Premier League with Leeds United.
Even so, Juventus still had significant strength. Marchisio and Pirlo were there, while Bonucci, Chiellini, and Barzagli formed a solid defensive trio.
For Real Madrid, there were two big advantages in this tie.
First, after the international break, Juventus had to travel to Milan to face Inter.
Although Turin and Milan were not far apart, it was still a major clash immediately before meeting Real Madrid. This would be a serious test for the Bianconeri.
Second, Real Madrid had the home advantage in the first leg at the Bernabéu.
During the international break, Gao Shen and his assistants studied countless Juventus match videos, analyzing their attacking routines and patterns.
In Gao Shen's view, Real Madrid had to win at the Bernabéu, while preventing Juventus from scoring an away goal.
He knew better than anyone that their 1-0 win in the first leg against Manchester United had been crucial.
That clean sheet gave them the advantage before the second leg at Old Trafford.
It would be the same against Juventus.
With the schedule being home first, then away, Real Madrid had to avoid conceding at the Bernabéu.
…
"Juventus have played well in Serie A this season and basically secured the Scudetto. Napoli in second place pose no real threat," Carlo analyzed.
Inter were currently fifth, and their situation was poor, while Roma sat sixth.
"In fact, I don't think analyzing Serie A games is very useful for us," Carlo added.
Everyone agreed.
The reason was simple. The overall strength of Serie A had declined drastically.
Once upon a time, Italian football was synonymous with tactical innovation. But now?
While the Premier League, La Liga, and Bundesliga had all embraced high pressing, Serie A lagged behind.
Few sides played aggressive pressing.
This was a shift Gao Shen himself had contributed to when he coached in Serie A.
Now, many Serie A clubs were interested in Sarri, whose tactical concepts were far more advanced by Italian standards.
"Except for Napoli, most Serie A teams don't press high against Juventus, which leaves their defense under little pressure."
"From Bonucci to Pirlo, Juventus always build slowly, patiently passing from the back to midfield, then forward. Their attacks are well organized."
"In the Champions League, Juventus also had good luck with the draw. Their group was not difficult, and they faced Celtic in the Round of 16, which was also fortunate."
Carlo's point was not that these teams were weak, but that Juventus' opponents were not stronger than them, so they still adopted defensive tactics, allowing Juventus to play their usual way.
Therefore, Juventus' Serie A style carried into Europe, and they had become accustomed to it.
"But the three-at-the-back system has inherent flaws, especially against four-at-the-back sides. The wingbacks are naturally exposed. So in this match, we must exploit our width."
"At the same time, defensively, we must shut down Bonucci and Pirlo, their two key passers."
Carlo then had Carlos Vargas display two PPT slides showing the passing distribution of Barzagli and Chiellini.
As central defenders, especially in an era where European football demanded ball-playing defenders, their passing was limited. Under pressure, their success rate dropped significantly.
Currently, Juventus' back three consisted of Bonucci in the middle, Chiellini on the left, and Barzagli on the right. When needed, the two wide defenders could drift out toward full-back areas and even carry the ball forward.
This was the Juventus style Carlo was referring to.
"Pirlo sits very deep. If we want to press him, we should probably let Modric step forward," Zidane suggested.
Against Manchester United, Modric's pressure on Carrick had been very effective.
"Our advantage on the flanks will be clear. Marcelo is basically recovered and in good shape. We can definitely attack down the wings," Hierro added.
Everyone offered their views while Gao Shen sat quietly, resting his left cheek on his hand, twirling a pen in his right hand, and staring at a handwritten tactical sketch.
It was their projection of Juventus' likely starting XI.
Conte would likely use a 3-5-2, or perhaps a 3-5-1-1.
Juventus' strike partnerships had varied this season. Vučinić and Giovinco had started 14 times, Matri and Giovinco 7 times, Quagliarella and Giovinco 6 times, and Matri with Giovinco another 6.
There were also 4 starts for Vučinić with Quagliarella, and 1 for Matri with Quagliarella.
From this, the most probable setup was a 3-5-1-1, with a lone striker ahead of Giovinco.
But this would mean Juventus had no midfield advantage.
If they stuck to their Serie A style, the Bianconeri would have little chance of surviving at the Bernabéu.
Would Conte dare to gamble?
Gao Shen stopped spinning the pen only after everyone else had finished speaking.
His assistants all knew this was his habit. It meant he was about to give his conclusion.
"Before coming to the Bernabéu, Juventus will face Inter. That match is important and they won't throw it away."
Gao Shen knew Serie A inside out.
"Our internationals just finished duty. I will rotate them in the league this weekend so that everyone is fully fresh. We will go all out to beat Juventus in the first leg at the Bernabéu."
His words surprised the staff, but they all nodded in agreement.
This was Gao Shen's decisive nature.
Juventus were not as strong as Real Madrid, and Conte was no Ferguson. Gao Shen would not hold back.
"I want the team to press Juventus from the first whistle, all over the pitch."
"We will demonstrate to Serie A once again at the Bernabéu!"
(To be continued.)