Starting With Real Madrid

In European football, almost all experienced head coaches will take the team's strengths into consideration when forming a lineup and developing tactics. These are usually what many call the core players.

Why?

Because only in this way can you break through the opponent's defense.

Over the past decade, the defensive tactics of world football have undergone tremendous changes. The scenes where players could score goals purely through individual ability have become less and less common, almost extinct.

Teamwork has become the mainstream.

The reason a strong team is strong is because it always has a few killer moves that the opponent cannot defend against.

What do we mean by undefendable?

For example, can Messi's dribbling breakthroughs be defended against without fouling?

For example, when Robben cuts in from the right, can he be stopped one-on-one?

These are very specific cases, and extremely rare.

But on the tactical level, Real Madrid has such an unstoppable killer weapon, one that has been proven time and time again.

That weapon is the long pass.

Including Xabi Alonso's long diagonal passes, as well as Kroos and Di Maria's long balls from both wings.

These are all legitimate attacking methods that are very difficult for opponents to defend against.

If opponents spread out their defense to guard against these long passes, Real Madrid can use the individual ability of their players to break through on one side, or even on both wings.

If opponents concentrate their defense on the ball side, Real Madrid's long pass can immediately catch them off guard.

How to stop it?

In the end, they can only drop everyone back, pack the penalty area, and set up an iron bucket defense.

But very few teams are willing to do that, and even then, it may not work.

This is the killer move Gao Shen developed for Real Madrid.

Barcelona also has its trump card, such as their near-perfect passing and possession.

What was Chelsea's strength during Mourinho's first spell?

Robben and Duff could be counted as one in terms of speed, but over the years, Drogba was the most important.

Do you see?

A trump card means I can run faster than you, jump higher than you, be stronger than you, and have better skills than you.

These are things the opponent cannot defend against no matter how hard they try.

When a head coach builds tactics and the lineup, he does it around that strength.

What impressed Gao Shen the most in his previous life was Manchester United signing Di Maria from Real Madrid for a huge fee, and then buying Pogba back from Juventus for another massive fee.

Both were players with exceptional individual ability, absolute strengths.

Logically, players bought for such high fees should become the core of the team, yet surprisingly, Manchester United did not build around them.

If Van Gaal's obsession with tactics and his neglect of players explains why Di Maria was wasted under him, then what about Pogba? Why didn't Manchester United make proper use of such a star brought in at such a price?

Don't talk about incompatibility or not fitting the system.

Seriously, for top stars like Ronaldo, Messi, or Robben, as long as the team is willing to adapt tactically to their characteristics, none of them would fail.

Do you really think the club is blind?

Or that all the owners are just being fooled?

Spend so much money on a flop?

When a star of that level fails to perform, it is always a tactical problem.

Although players like Torres, Shevchenko, or Kaka also had physical issues, tactical problems accounted for most of their decline.

Building tactics around the team's strength is the golden rule for unleashing maximum power.

Real Madrid's strongest point right now is Ronaldo.

Many fans think Ronaldo is like a black hole, drawing everything around him, with everyone required to play for him and help him score.

This is not wrong, because it is part of the team's tactics.

So why Ronaldo?

Why not Benzema? Why not Di Maria? Why not Kaka, or anyone else?

Because only Ronaldo and Messi can score so many goals and maintain such a high peak consistently over a long time.

If it were anyone else, who could do it?

Whether in his past life or this one, Gao Shen has always felt that Ronaldo and Messi were underestimated.

To evaluate superstars at their level, you have to extend the timeline.

Perhaps ten years later, when we no longer have Ronaldo or Messi, we will look back and realize how lucky we were.

Without new breakthroughs in football or science, these two might be the absolute limit of human players.

…

To maximize Ronaldo's role, you need a center forward like Benzema beside him.

He can finish, pass, hold up the ball, and move intelligently.

Higuain's finishing efficiency is very strong, but his ball control and hold-up play are still inferior to Benzema.

In this case, Gao Shen can only choose Benzema.

Dzeko is different from Benzema. He is taller, moves slower, and is not as quick, but his footwork is similar. Both are very good, and he has excellent passing and link-up play.

Interestingly, although Dzeko looks tall and strong, when he was at Wolfsburg he was not a traditional number nine, but more like a second striker.

After moving to Tottenham Hotspur, he once put up eye-catching numbers in the Premier League. Everyone thought Spurs had picked up a bargain, but gradually, Dzeko's weaknesses were exposed.

As a second striker, he struggled against the tough central defenders in the Premier League.

That was why Tottenham later brought in Adebayor.

With Adebayor's arrival, Dzeko gradually lost his place and his value declined.

Currently, Tottenham's asking price for Dzeko is 25 million euros.

Dzeko and his agent's meeting with Valdano went smoothly, and both were interested in joining Real Madrid.

After hearing what Gao Shen asked Valdano to convey, Dzeko was satisfied with Gao Shen's evaluation and role for him.

"He feels that your positioning and assessment of him are quite accurate. He has indeed changed a lot since coming to the Premier League, especially in physical battles."

Gao Shen nodded. "Then let's talk to Tottenham."

Bayern's Mandzukic was also under consideration, but Dzeko had better footwork and stronger passing ability.

Mandzukic's biggest strength was his incredible work rate.

If it came down to choosing between the two, Gao Shen would still prefer Dzeko.

Valdano understood.

In this way, Real Madrid's transfer targets for this summer were locked.

Dzeko from Tottenham Hotspur, Pogba from Leeds United, Illarramendi from Real Sociedad.

And of course, there was also David Alaba from Bayern Munich, someone Gao Shen could not forget.

But for now, this left-back would be difficult to move for, so Real Madrid could only wait for the right opportunity.

As for sales, Kaka would leave on a free transfer, Higuain could fetch a good price, and Albiol's value was not high.

From the current outlook, Real Madrid was expected to invest close to or even over 100 million euros.

…

After returning to Madrid from London, the club organized a massive parade around the city.

This was also Real Madrid's consistent tradition.

Since winning five consecutive European Cups, the Champions League had become even more important than La Liga to Real Madrid.

Tens of thousands of fans took to the streets, not only from Madrid, but also surrounding regions, and even many who traveled from afar, all celebrating Real Madrid's two trophies.

The double was like timely rain after a long drought for Real Madrid, who had gone years without silverware.

There were even fans holding giant photos of Gao Shen, marching behind the team bus.

The team eventually arrived at the Bernabéu.

Gao Shen and the players entered the stadium with the trophy to meet all the Real Madrid fans who had gathered. They promised to fight until the end and go all out for the treble.

Gao Shen also promised the fans that next season Real Madrid would be even stronger than now.

"No matter what the final result in La Liga this season is, we have only one goal next season, and that is the championship!"

"All the championships!"

The loud chants shook the entire Bernabéu and even the whole of Madrid.

Countless fans shouted Gao Shen's name.

Everyone knew it was his arrival that had led Real Madrid out of darkness and into light.

Now, he was leading them step by step back to glory.

The Spanish media also spoke highly of Real Madrid's season. Not only because Gao Shen fulfilled his promise by winning the Champions League, but more importantly because of the progress and momentum Real Madrid showed.

From being questioned at the start, to improving steadily, to now lifting the Champions League, all of it reflected Real Madrid's astonishing progress.

Even more incredible was the difficulty of their journey.

As Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, described it, this was a hellish road.

In the group of death, every opponent was last season's champion. In the knockouts, every opponent was this season's league champion. Every step forward was extremely difficult.

But in the end, Gao Shen and his team withstood the pressure and lifted the Champions League.

Even in the final, winning 3-0 was absolute dominance.

Tell me, is there any performance more convincing than Real Madrid's?

Spanish media generally believed that even if Real Madrid failed to win La Liga, in terms of prestige and value, they had already surpassed Barcelona.

Because this season, Real Madrid faced Barcelona four times and won all four, which was an astonishing record.

"This should be the best single-season record against Barcelona in Real Madrid's history." Alfredo did not hesitate to praise, believing Gao Shen had created history.

The Spanish media believed Real Madrid had outperformed Barcelona and deserved La Liga.

But the Catalan media insisted Barcelona was making its final push.

"No matter what, Barcelona will hold on to this one-point lead and win La Liga!"

(To be continued.)