Starting With Real Madrid

Gao Shen once heard a question: why is football the number one sport in the world?

He believes the best answer is that football mirrors our society.

From this perspective, football tactics resemble people's philosophies of life in this society.

Offense or defense? Forge ahead or remain cautious?

The development of football tactics is also very similar to the evolution of human society.

In the earliest days, everyone on the pitch had a fixed role and position. Each player operated within their designated responsibilities, dividing labor and cooperating with one another.

Holland's total football concept overturned this pattern, breaking boundaries and unifying attack and defense.

A steal in one's own penalty area is a successful defensive action, but if it occurs in the opponent's penalty area, it becomes a threatening offensive move.

Similarly, Gao Shen has seen much debate about Guardiola's dream team: is possession-based football offensive or conservative?

When Gao Shen was just a fan, he often wondered why coaches like Mourinho and Capello were known for their defensive prowess. Why didn't they rely more on creative players? And why do many head coaches, even when knowing there are few opportunities and a high risk of loss, still choose to be proactive?

Fans often discuss these issues using terms like "football philosophy."

How do these philosophies arise? How do they function? How do they influence players?

Why does the same player struggle under one coach but excel under another?

Gao Shen's study of Lippi and Capello's books in the tactical library, along with comparisons to other coaches' works, has given him a deeper understanding of these questions.

Football philosophy is akin to a life philosophy, and behind both lies the character of the head coach.

It's like investing: some people like to take risks, opting for high risk, high input, and high output, while others are inherently risk-averse and prefer the safety of a bank.

Back on the football field, if you draw the tactical spectrum as an axis, the origin represents balance, one side offense, the other defense.

Moving towards offense results in more chaotic formations and higher risks but also greater creativity and more goals. Conversely, moving towards defense brings more order and tighter formations, reducing risk but also diminishing creativity and goal-scoring opportunities.

In football, offense is taking risks—high risk but high reward—while defense represents order—low risk but low return.

There's a saying: "Goals are made by adventurers." The more a team embraces risk, the more aggressive they will be in attacking and scoring.

A simple example is Real Madrid.

During the Galacticos era, with superstars gathered, the team adopted very risky tactics to maximize the creativity of front-line players, resulting in a potent offense but a fragile defense.

Thus, each head coach's choice of team tactics depends on their personality, preferences, and life philosophy, determining whether they emphasize risk-taking or order.

These choices profoundly affect all aspects of the head coach's decisions, from team selection and transfers to overall tactical construction, individual player tactics, season strategy, formation, and in-game management.

This influence is as pervasive as personality and life philosophy in a person's life.

This understanding clarifies why a player might thrive under one coach but not another.

It may simply be that the former coach values order, constantly emphasizing positioning, spacing, defense, and passing accuracy, while the latter coach encourages risk-taking, allowing for more adventurous plays even if the formation suffers.

After understanding this, Gao Shen felt enlightened.

Moreover, from the books of Lippi, Capello, Ferguson, and Benitez, he realized that the world's top football coaches have long understood these truths, and they are more aware of their issues than outsiders.

They don't try to overthrow or abandon their philosophies but instead delve deeper into their ideas.

They all seek to find a balance where offense and defense, risk and order coexist.

Throughout football history, all great dynastic teams have achieved this balance.

...

In the tactics library, Gao Shen sat silently.

He pondered, what exactly is his football philosophy?

From a personality standpoint, he is pragmatic and not overly idealistic. Thus, after taking over Real Madrid, he chose a defensive focus, believing it would lead to victories.

Overall, he leans towards being adventurous while still valuing order.

If he had to choose, he admired Real Madrid under Ancelotti's initial tenure the most.

Ancelotti is an interesting coach. Early in his career, especially at Juventus, he was extremely conservative, so much so that even the conservative Juventus fans couldn't stand it.

One can imagine how conservative Ancelotti must have been at that time!

Who would have thought that after moving to AC Milan, Ancelotti began to let loose, first positioning Pirlo deep and then adopting various offensive formations, transforming his coaching career.

Of course, Ancelotti wasn't perfect, as seen in the second half of the Istanbul miracle.

Gao Shen doesn't blindly follow Ancelotti or others. He continues to study in the tactical library, learning from many sources, embracing diverse ideas, and ultimately finding his own path.

...

The next morning, the Real Madrid first team coaches arrived early at Valdebebas.

Before the team returned, they held another meeting to finalize tactics for the evening's match against Deportivo, especially the starting lineup.

Gao Shen arrived earlier than everyone else.

Although he officially signed with Real Madrid, Gao Shen still worked with all the coaches, rather than using the separate head coach office left by Carlo.

Initially, it was to show solidarity, but he eventually grew accustomed to it.

Once all the coaches were present, Gao Shen called everyone together.

"I've decided that tonight against Deportivo, we will go all out for the three points!" Gao Shen stated clearly, without room for negotiation.

Maqueda was surprised and wanted to persuade him otherwise, but seeing Gao Shen's determination, he remembered Gao Shen's previous words and swallowed his objections.

He didn't think it was a good idea due to the high risk, but he knew Gao Shen had made up his mind. His role was to support and assist, not question.

"Beckham's condition is good; let him start. Cassano will move up, Raul will play on the left, Guti as the attacking midfielder, and Pablo Garcia and De La Red as the double pivots. The defense will have Raul Bravo, Helguera, Ramos, and Arbeloa. This will be our lineup."

Negredo was not included in the starting lineup, clearly to prepare for the midweek match against Turin.

Everyone understood that playing against an Italian team without a central forward was unwise.

After seeing Gao Shen's decision, no one else objected. They were employees, and the pressure was on the head coach, not them.

Lucas was pleased, believing Gao Shen had taken his advice.

Buenaventura also seemed to favor a proactive approach, evident from his expression.

Bielsa and Guardiola, both admired by Buenaventura, tend to be proactive in their strategies.

This is also why Gao Shen wanted to beat Deportivo.

No one can predict the future. When an opportunity arises, it should be seized immediately, and other matters can be addressed later.

Always worrying about gains and losses makes it difficult to achieve great things.

...

Before the morning meeting, Gao Shen spoke with the starting players individually and also addressed those originally scheduled to start, explaining his reasons for the changes and hoping for their understanding.

Later, at the team tactical meeting, Gao Shen elaborated on his thoughts.

He believed that Barcelona's draw presented Real Madrid with a great opportunity to close the gap.

As long as Real Madrid wins against Deportivo, holds their ground against Turin in the midweek Champions League game, and beats Barcelona in the weekend's Clasico, all the pressure will shift to Barcelona.

"I know it's difficult, but nothing in this world is easy. Each of you has played football for many years. To reach this level and wear this jersey, you have experienced countless hardships. No one understands better than you the importance of facing challenges and pushing limits.

"And it's even more critical for a team!

"We are behind our opponents and have no choice. We can only catch up or even surpass them by putting in double or triple the effort.

"I've always felt that a team like ours is born to win every game. In a team like this, with players like you, there should be no talk of strategic compromise or giving up.

"I believe we have the ability to win every game and beat any opponent, no matter who they are!"