Gao Shen directly threw the striker problem to Valdano to handle.
For now, his most important task was to lead the team well, while the issue of signings could be left aside.
The day after Real Madrid played Juventus, the other two Champions League semi-finalists were also confirmed.
Both finalists from last season, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, advanced.
This created a very interesting setup for the semi-finals.
One team each from La Liga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 advanced.
Among them, Real Madrid's qualification was somewhat surprising. After all, the Galácticos had been eliminated in the group stage in recent years and had not reached the quarter-finals for several seasons.
Now, under Gao Shen, the team not only made it past the group stage but also reached the quarter-finals and now the semi-finals. This was already Real Madrid's best performance since 2006.
Meeting Paris Saint-Germain also raised expectations for Real Madrid.
Ancelotti is a renowned coach in the Champions League with an excellent track record in cup competitions.
More importantly, Paris Saint-Germain's squad was stacked with quality.
Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Pastore, Matuidi, Benatia, and Thiago Silva...
Their continuous heavy investment had given PSG a very luxurious squad.
Of course, there were still weaknesses. A super squad cannot be built overnight, but their strength could not be underestimated.
Eliminating Barcelona to reach the semi-finals was the best proof of that.
At the same time, another interesting point emerged.
Real Madrid's Champions League journey this season had been extremely tough.
The group of death in the group stage featured the defending champions of the Premier League, the Bundesliga, and the Portuguese league.
In the knockouts, they faced the Premier League leaders, Serie A leaders, and now the Ligue 1 leaders.
Even the French newspaper L'Equipe commented that Real Madrid's Champions League campaign this season was unprecedented, the most valuable ever, but also the most difficult.
Especially with Ancelotti's Paris Saint-Germain waiting ahead.
Who is Ancelotti?
A coach who once battled Juventus to a 0-0 draw in the Champions League final. A pragmatist who took Barcelona to a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou. And one of the top managers in the Champions League, second only to Ferguson.
The Spanish media also reminded Gao Shen not to underestimate PSG, not only their defense but also their attacking trio of Ibrahimovic, Cavani, and Pastore.
On the bench, they had tough players like Lucas Moura and Lavezzi, both very capable.
Gao Shen, of course, was well aware of PSG's strength, especially after closely studying their two matches against Barcelona. He gained a better understanding of their defensive organization and attacking threat.
Ancelotti's two-striker system was particularly troublesome. Both Ibrahimovic and Cavani were physically dominant forwards who could easily unsettle defenders.
Pepe could handle it, but Varane was still young and inexperienced, and Ramos often struggled against such strikers.
So Real Madrid's defense would face a very stern test.
…
Three days after the Juventus match, Real Madrid visited Athletic Bilbao in La Liga round 31.
The match itself had little drama.
Since there was a week's break after facing Bilbao, Gao Shen still sent out a full-strength lineup, but he chose Higuain instead of Benzema at center forward.
In fact, Real Madrid had not yet decided whether to let Higuain leave.
If the Argentine striker really insisted on departing, then Real Madrid would have to sign a replacement.
Otherwise, Gao Shen would ask the club to do everything possible to keep him.
Of course, if Higuain was determined, that was another matter.
Given the length of his current contract with Real Madrid, the club was in no danger of being cornered.
But forcing a player to stay rarely works out well, and Gao Shen and the club preferred to see if a suitable solution could be found.
At San Mamés, Real Madrid scored within just over a minute thanks to a Ronaldo direct free kick.
In the 28th minute, Di Maria crossed from the left, and Higuain tapped home in front of goal for 2-0.
After halftime, Xabi Alonso delivered a free kick and Ronaldo headed it in.
In the end, Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away.
In the tunnel after the game, Gao Shen ran into Llorente as he was leaving the pitch. He deliberately stopped the Basque striker to ask about his situation with Juventus.
Llorente looked surprised. Given the recent news linking Higuain to Arsenal, Napoli, and others, he immediately understood what Gao Shen was implying.
But he regretfully explained that he had already signed with Juventus back in January.
After finishing the season with Athletic Bilbao, he would join Juventus on a free transfer.
This disappointed Gao Shen, but he still wished Llorente success in Turin.
Llorente, too, felt regret, saying that Real Madrid's interest had come too late.
As a Spaniard, if he had to choose between Real Madrid and Juventus, he would have chosen Real Madrid without hesitation. But since he had already signed with Juventus, there was no going back.
"I hope I'll have the chance to play under you someday," Llorente said earnestly.
In today's European football, everyone knew that being chosen by a top coach could change a player's career trajectory.
But as a professional, having signed with Juventus, he could not break his word.
…
After returning from Bilbao, the team had a week's rest.
Gao Shen gave the players a day off, but he and his coaching staff stayed at Valdebebas studying PSG, focusing especially on Ancelotti's defensive setup.
The 4-3-1-2 system was heavily invested in defense, particularly in the center.
It shared similarities with the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, but also had the same flaw: disconnection.
The attack up front and the defense behind often became separated.
Barcelona exploited this well in the first leg against PSG, pressing aggressively to split their formation in half, preventing them from linking attack and defense.
But Barcelona's own weakness showed late on. Their fitness and running intensity dropped, and they could no longer maintain their pressing. PSG seized the chance, and their two strikers scored twice.
That 2-2 draw at Camp Nou virtually decided the tie.
The second leg felt more like a continuation.
Needing to score away and missing Messi through injury, Barcelona had no real solution at the Parc des Princes.
Gao Shen's conclusion was clear.
"We must learn from Barcelona's strengths. We need to split PSG's attack and defense, disconnect their lines, press them hard, and minimize the threat from their two strikers by reducing their supply."
"But we must avoid Barcelona's flaws. We cannot copy them blindly."
As Gao Shen pointed out, Barcelona's problem was their attacks came only through the middle or half-spaces, with no real wing play.
Even Alves and Alba, when pushing forward, rarely crossed from the byline.
That was the limitation of Barcelona's system.
Real Madrid was different. The wings were their greatest strength.
This meant Real Madrid's tactics had to be completely different from Barcelona's.
The first leg would be played at Parc des Princes.
Since the knockout rounds began, Real Madrid had always hosted first and traveled second. But now, in the semi-finals, they finally had the advantage of playing away first and at home second.
Gao Shen wanted an away goal.
"As long as we score away, PSG will lose patience and won't be able to sit back and defend."
The idea was correct. The question was, how to score?
Even more importantly, how to score first?
…
A week later, in La Liga round 32, Real Madrid hosted Real Betis at the Bernabeu.
Gao Shen rotated the squad, but Real Madrid still dominated at home.
Betis struggled from the start, constantly under threat from Real Madrid.
In the 37th minute, Ronaldo dribbled past two defenders and fired a left-footed shot to open the scoring.
Before halftime, Kaka combined with Higuain in the box and scored a one-on-one.
In the second half, Higuain added another goal.
Then, in stoppage time, he scored again, completing a brace.
Real Madrid won 4-0 at home.
Later, at Camp Nou, Barcelona hosted Levante.
Barcelona, despite dominating possession, struggled to break Levante down. Without Messi, their attack lacked sharpness.
Until the 88th minute, when David Villa won a penalty and converted it himself, sealing a 1-0 win.
The late penalty stirred controversy, as it came after Barcelona had been attacking relentlessly without success.
But with that, Barcelona took all three points, keeping their one-point lead over Real Madrid.
This result added even more suspense to the La Liga title race.
With six rounds left, Barcelona showed signs of fatigue.
But Real Madrid's situation was not simple either. Competing on multiple fronts meant divided focus, and trailing Barcelona by one point left the initiative in their rivals' hands.
More importantly, Vilanova and Abidal's return gave Barcelona a huge morale boost. With Champions League out of the picture, they could now focus entirely on the league, which was a clear advantage.
Gao Shen, however, had little energy to spare on Barcelona.
His full attention was on the upcoming trip to Paris.
(To be continued.)
***
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