10 chapters so throw your PS muhahaha
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At noon on October 20, at the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
Two weeks of international fixtures passed in a flash.
After four consecutive defeats, Real Madrid finally had a chance to breathe. Benítez and his team faced Levante, a mid-to-lower table La Liga side. It was a rare opportunity to turn things around.
After the bombardment from the Spanish media and Real Madrid fans over the past two weeks, Benítez was exhausted mentally and physically. This time, he broke with his usual 4-2-3-1 and switched to a 4-3-3, which Real Madrid were more accustomed to.
Left-back Marcelo also returned from injury. Benzema and Di María both recovered during the international break, but having featured for their national teams, they started on the bench.
Fans at the Bernabéu were eager for a home comeback.
Unexpectedly, just six minutes in, a long pass from Levante's back line cut through Real Madrid's high defensive line.
Varane made a fatal error in his interception and failed to recover in time. Morales, arriving from deep, beat the offside trap and rounded Courtois to score. It was 1-0.
The Bernabéu grew anxious.
Worse still, not long after, Varane handled in the box and conceded a penalty.
Levante converted calmly to make it 2-0.
The Bernabéu erupted.
Real Madrid fans lost patience.
As the game went on, Real Madrid launched wave after wave of attacks, but could not find the net. Even after Di María and Benzema came on in the second half, nothing changed.
It seemed all of Real Madrid's attackers had forgotten how to score.
In the end, Benzema's cutback allowed Marcelo to pull one back.
But Real Madrid still lost 1-2 at home to Levante.
It was their fourth straight league defeat, and fifth straight in all competitions.
…
The match caused an uproar across Spanish football.
In Real Madrid's history, there had rarely been a collapse like this. It was a humiliation.
After losing away to Alavés in the previous round, Alavés had jumped above them. Losing to Levante now dropped them to 8th, behind Levante.
No one expected last season's La Liga and Champions League double winners to perform so poorly.
Varane, who helped France win the World Cup this summer, was voted the worst player on the pitch.
Even AS, close to Real Madrid, wrote that with Varane in such form, the upcoming clásico was a worry.
AS editor-in-chief Alfredo argued that Benítez should reconsider his center-back pairing.
Whether it was Varane, Van Dijk, or Ramos, all had been inconsistent this season, especially Van Dijk, a 150 million euro signing who increasingly looked like a joke.
Marca revealed that after the Bernabéu defeat, president Florentino visited the dressing room with the executives, met with captains Ramos and Marcelo, then spoke with Benítez for 15 minutes.
"According to reliable sources, Florentino made it clear during the conversation that Real Madrid have no intention of changing coaches for the time being, but Benítez must show a transformation in the clásico."
Cadena SER reported more details, saying Florentino had spoken to both players and staff, urging them to help the team out of the slump as soon as possible.
Especially in the clásico.
After Florentino's meeting, captain Ramos publicly backed Benítez.
Ramos said Benítez is an excellent tactician and that the problems are multifaceted. It would be wrong to pin everything on him, and the players must take responsibility too.
Vice-captain Marcelo also supported Benítez, saying the team's poor finishing prevented them from scoring more.
Despite the captains' support, calls for Benítez's dismissal remained loud.
Marca reported that if Real Madrid failed to beat Barcelona in the clásico, the board would seriously consider his position.
Current Spain coach Lopetegui would be the successor, since he had openly expressed interest in taking over, even angering the Spanish Football Federation.
AS revealed that in addition to Lopetegui, Guti and Solari, coach of Castilla, were strong candidates.
Especially Solari.
"Many board members hope Solari can replicate Gao Shen's 2006 success by stepping up from the reserves and producing stunning results."
El País wrote that the league position had hit a new low under Benítez, seriously disrupting Florentino and the board's plans.
"Before this disaster, they seriously underestimated how important Gao Shen was to this Real Madrid team and his role in last season's double."
"This is an old Real Madrid tradition."
El País argued that throughout Real Madrid's history, the coach has often been treated as disposable. From the five straight European Cups to the Quinta del Buitre era, coaches changed frequently.
Although Gao Shen was an exception, the 2017 dispute and what followed showed the club never fully grasped his importance.
Now Real Madrid were paying the price.
"Even in the Levante match, more and more fans at the Bernabéu were chanting Gao Shen's name."
…
Three days after Levante, Real Madrid hosted Viktoria Plzeň at the Bernabéu.
Thanks to goals from Benzema and Marcelo, Real Madrid scraped a 2-1 win.
It seemed like a possible turning point.
They went to Camp Nou believing in a rebound, full of ambition before kickoff. But when the match began, Coutinho broke them down inside ten minutes.
The rest turned into a Barcelona showcase.
Although Marcelo scored to offer brief hope, Messi's brace plus goals from Agüero, Felipe Anderson, and Vidal killed the game.
Barcelona crushed Real Madrid 6-1 at home.
At the final whistle, Camp Nou was like Christmas come early, with fans celebrating wildly.
It had been many years since they last enjoyed such a big win over Real Madrid.
The last time was under Mourinho, when Barcelona won 5-0.
Now it was 6-1.
Many Barcelona fans even shouted taunts.
"Real Madrid, where is your Gao Shen?"
"Without Gao Shen, you are nothing!"
"6-1! See? 6-1!"
Real Madrid's players hung their heads, utterly crushed.
Who could have imagined they would fall so low?
Their most threatening player was left-back Marcelo.
Beyond Marcelo, Real Madrid could barely create anything.
In fact, had Barcelona taken every chance and had the luck, Real Madrid could have conceded double figures.
Real Madrid are sick.
Very, very sick.
Worse still, Marcelo was injured.
The Brazilian left-back, who had scored in three straight matches, expended too much energy and could not finish, powerless to prevent the rout.
The collapse was like a landslide.
Barcelona center-back Piqué told reporters afterward that it was a memorable match because Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid again, showing that the balance of power in La Liga had shifted.
"The Real Madrid era is over. They look like a bunch of old, frail men, and we are full of youthful energy," Piqué said with a smile. If they had not relaxed at times, "we could have made the score even bigger."
Piqué said Barcelona were back to their best and were confident of winning La Liga.
As for Real Madrid, their bitter rivals.
"They should be fighting for Champions League qualification."
…
Piqué's comments caused fury among Real Madrid fans.
When had Real Madrid ever suffered such humiliation from their opponents?
But the 6-1 loss was an undeniable fact. No fan could refute it.
In the end, they turned their anger on the players, the board, and the coaching staff.
Someone had to take responsibility for such a catastrophic defeat.
After the Camp Nou disaster, many Real Madrid fans gathered outside the Bernabéu to protest, with many calling for Gao Shen's return.
The next morning, thousands protested at the gates of Valdebebas, demanding answers for the team's dreadful season.
Countless fans called for the club to invite Gao Shen back immediately.
He was currently on vacation and could take over midseason.
"Only he can save Real Madrid!"
All Real Madrid players arriving for training at Valdebebas were met with heavy boos, except for a few like Marcelo who were treated more kindly.
It showed the depth of the fans' anger.
After the morning session, José Sánchez arrived from the headquarters and spoke privately with Benítez.
At noon, Real Madrid held a press conference at the headquarters to announce the early termination of Benítez's contract.
Benítez, in tears, admitted mistakes, and said he would resign, refusing severance to show his feelings for Real Madrid.
"From the beginning, I should have known this was not an ordinary team. I thought I could manage this team and this group of players, but I was wrong, completely wrong."
Asked about his successor, Benítez was reluctant to comment at first, but after repeated questions, he revealed his view.
"Other than Gao Shen, I cannot think of anyone who can lead this team."
No one knew that as Benítez said this, Florentino, in his office upstairs, dialed Gao Shen's number.
(To be continued.)
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