On the evening of May 17, at 21:30, at the Calderon Stadium in Madrid.
The Spanish Copa del Rey final. Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid.
The moment the referee blew the whistle to start the match, Gao Shen stood on the touchline with his arms folded across his chest, watching the pitch intently.
Tonight, Real Madrid lined up in their strongest 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas.
Defenders: Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal.
Midfield: Xabi Alonso sitting deep, with Kroos and Modric in the middle.
Forwards: Ronaldo, Benzema, Di Maria.
Real Madrid's main lineup was complete, unaffected by injuries or suspensions.
The same applied to Atletico Madrid.
Simeone stayed with his 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Asenjo.
Defenders: Insua, Miranda, Godin, Juanfran.
Midfielders: Turan, Gabi, Mario Suarez, Koke.
Forwards: Diego Costa, Falcao.
Atletico, who kicked off first, played the ball straight out of the center circle. Turan collected it on the left side of the circle and immediately drove forward.
From the start, Atletico showed aggressive intent.
But before Turan had even two seconds on the ball, he was intercepted by Modric and Di Maria.
The ball was stolen, Turan went to ground, but the referee waved play on.
Real Madrid launched a counterattack quickly, but Atletico dropped back just as fast.
Right from the beginning, there was no probing from either side. No testing. They went straight into a fierce hand-to-hand battle.
The two teams knew each other too well. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses inside out.
Atletico's strategy was once again full-field pressing, starting the game at a high tempo with relentless intensity.
Real Madrid had prepared for this, but even so, they still found it difficult to fully adapt.
Although they managed to hold the ball, mistakes were frequent.
Gao Shen, however, did not panic on the sidelines. He knew this was normal.
Even a team as adept at possession football as Barcelona would make mistakes against Atletico's extreme pressing if their energy was not at its peak, let alone Real Madrid.
If Gao Shen had been given a week to prepare, he would have been confident of holding firm.
But with little time and only rushed adjustments, all he could do was try to keep control.
Although the match was being played at the Calderon, the fan allocation was half and half. Real Madrid were technically the home side.
In the stands, both sets of supporters were chanting loudly. On the pitch, both sets of players got into the rhythm instantly. The game was played at breakneck pace, filled with tension, and both sides seemed to enjoy the battle.
Under Simeone, Atletico never lacked fighting spirit or hunger. Their pressing was relentless, especially in midfield.
Simeone's Atletico actually showed a very high level of tactical sophistication, something often overlooked.
People remembered the external image: fierce tackles, endless running, gritty determination, and little tricks. But at the core, Atletico's success came from Simeone's tactical system.
It was different from Klopp's Dortmund.
At first glance, both pressed all over the pitch. But Atletico bore a stronger resemblance to Italian football.
The key was in compressing the midfield. By keeping the distance between midfield and defense short, Simeone ensured compactness from front to back, squeezing the opponent's space to pass forward.
This Atletico side had very strong collective quality.
So while Klopp's Dortmund were often called a 60-minute team, Atletico were not.
Because Simeone's team functioned as one whole unit.
Some might ask, what is the difference between Simeone's Atletico and Klopp's Dortmund?
On the surface they looked similar, but in reality they were completely different.
Even at the most fundamental level, the two managers' philosophies were far apart.
Klopp's football started from attack. His pressing aimed to win the ball high, close to goal, for easier attacking opportunities.
Simeone's football was rooted in Italian-style defense and counterattack. Pressing was only a defensive tool. His real weapon was the counterattack.
From this difference alone came many others, including player selection.
Gao Shen knew Simeone well. He had even studied him in the [Tactical Library]. But in matches, tactics alone were not enough. It also depended on player execution.
There was one statistic that reflected how tough Atletico were.
In the first 20 minutes, Atletico completed 5 interceptions and attempted 13 tackles, 8 of which were successful.
All 18 of these defensive actions occurred near the halfway line, averaging one every minute.
This showed just how aggressive and fierce they were.
Gao Shen had repeatedly warned his players before the game, and they knew this was Atletico's trademark. Real Madrid therefore played patiently.
Lose the ball? No problem. Fight back immediately, keep calm, and control possession.
Atletico's attacks looked fierce, but they posed no real threat.
That was Simeone's weakness.
His defense was excellent, but his attack was not.
In the first 20 minutes, Atletico did not register a single shot on goal.
Early on, Diego Costa and Falcao could still hold position up front, but soon Falcao had to drop back frequently to support midfield.
Without him, Atletico could not progress the ball.
But even when he dropped, they still struggled to put together meaningful attacks.
Still, Gao Shen stayed cautious, constantly reminding his players from the sidelines.
Strikers like Falcao and Diego Costa only needed one chance to punish you.
…
After 20 minutes, Atletico's pressing intensity dropped slightly.
But Gao Shen remained alert.
Tactically, Simeone stuck to the same plan he used against Barcelona, forcing Real Madrid's play wide.
Coincidentally, Real Madrid were also strong down the flanks, and their players looked to attack from wide areas.
So both sides clashed repeatedly along the wings near midfield, enjoying the battles.
Gao Shen and his staff had secretly trained twice before this game, working on specific ways to break Atletico's defense.
Up front, Benzema would drop and drift wide to link play.
At the back, Ramos and Pepe would push up to provide support.
When Atletico blocked Real Madrid's flank play, the plan was to increase passing options.
The drills were in place, the routines rehearsed, but in the match they had yet to succeed.
This was not only Real Madrid's problem. Atletico's pressing made it hard to execute.
"They're set up in the middle, keeping compact, forcing us wide. That's why most of their tackles are on the flanks, especially the left," Gao Shen noted, studying the real-time data.
The left was coming under heavier pressure. The right was less active, meaning Real Madrid's right-side attack was not lively enough.
"It's fine, just wait a bit longer," Gao Shen thought.
What was Real Madrid's greatest strength?
What mattered most against Atletico's pressing and defending tonight?
Switching play.
Gao Shen believed his players understood this. He had spoken to each starter at least twice before the game, and to Kroos, Modric, Xabi Alonso, Ramos and Pepe three or four times.
The goal was to make sure the message was clear.
The coach stood on the sidelines. The players were the ones experiencing the pressure on the pitch. They had to apply the plan themselves.
"After 25 minutes, Atletico eased off the press, and our tactics began to show. Especially on the wings. Their control weakened, and they failed to win the ball back twice in a row," Carlos Vargas reported after analyzing the data.
This showed Atletico had realized that if they continued at that pace, their energy would drain.
As Gao Shen returned to the touchline, something suddenly unfolded on the pitch.
Real Madrid attacked down the left. Marcelo and Ronaldo tried a one-two but passed it back. Kroos pulled wide, received the ball behind Marcelo, and launched a long diagonal pass.
The ball flew quickly from the left flank to the right.
Carvajal pushed forward, controlled with his right foot, and surged ahead with the ball. Linking with Di Maria, he forced a breakthrough on the right, but Miranda cleared the cross at the near post.
Corner kick!
By then, 28 minutes had passed.
Atletico still had no shot on goal.
Real Madrid had already won their third corner. If it led to a shot, it would be their seventh attempt.
Kroos delivered quickly. Ramos, Pepe and Ronaldo all attacked the ball. Ronaldo rose highest, but his header flew over.
The Portuguese star clapped his hands hard, clearly dissatisfied with his effort.
His standards for himself were always sky-high.
"It's fine, keep applying pressure, stay patient!" Gao Shen instructed.
The match situation was favorable. As long as Real Madrid's defense held and Atletico could not break out on the counter, there was little danger.
Gao Shen signaled for Di Maria and Carvajal to push harder, to target Insua's side, and to try breaking down Atletico's left flank as they had in the league.
But Simeone was ready.
In the 35th minute, Atletico finally found a counter.
Falcao dropped deep to collect, wriggled free from Xabi Alonso and Modric, and slipped a through pass.
Diego Costa surged from deep, but Ramos stayed tight, using his body to hold him off. Forced wide, Costa struck from the edge of the box with his left foot. Casillas caught it securely.
It was Atletico's first shot.
And a reminder for Gao Shen: beware Atletico's quick counters after turnovers.
Gao Shen immediately called out to Xabi Alonso and Modric, instructing them to foul decisively if necessary.
It was the final after all. What was there to be afraid of?
Sometimes, you had to learn from Atletico.
Playing fair and polite?
What would that get you?
A fair play award?
Could that win the trophy?
(To be continued.)