Starting With Real Madrid

Gao Shen had made the decision to cancel the holiday once again with the national derby coming up this weekend. Not only this week, but even after playing against Barcelona next week, the team would not have a holiday as they had to prepare for Juventus.

Interestingly, the Real Madrid stars, who used to hate such "overtime," now didn't have a single complaint. When Maqueda announced the news, everyone nodded and agreed without any objections.

Have they been domesticated?

Carlos, who has played for Real Madrid for many years, knows the team and his teammates well. He feels it's not domestication but rather that everyone is pursuing a common goal.

Championship!

For any team, winning a championship is not an easy task, even during the heyday of the Galácticos.

But for the current Real Madrid, it is particularly difficult.

Precisely because it has been nearly three years without a single championship, everyone at Real Madrid is full of desire for a title, especially Zidane, who is about to retire, and Beckham, who has been without a championship since joining Real Madrid.

The holiday was canceled, and the players stayed in Valdebebas for a lunch break.

Brazilian players have their own habit, which is to gather at a converted indoor football field.

Since Real Madrid moved into Valdebebas, Brazilian players have "occupied" this place.

When the atmosphere in the locker room was most harmonious, Raul and other local players often organized indoor football matches with the Brazilian players. Zidane and Beckham also participated.

But gradually, for reasons unknown, Raul and others stopped coming, and Zidane, Beckham, and others also came less frequently.

This is still the territory of the Brazilian players, but now there are only a few of them left.

…

Ronaldo walked from the direction of the coach's office, causing the Brazilian players who had been waiting to stand up one after another.

"How did it go?" Robinho asked eagerly.

They all knew Ronaldo was going to talk to the head coach, and they were waiting for the result.

If they could regain the opportunity to participate in the competition by bowing their heads, they didn't mind doing so.

Because the World Cup was coming!

Robinho, Baptista, and Cicinho were all participating in the World Cup for the first time. Brazil national team coach Pereira had said in the media more than once that Brazilian players must participate in more games to maintain their form.

They were different from Carlos.

In the Brazilian national team, there weren't many left-footed players, and Carlos was the best choice.

Until now, the media had started paying attention to Felipe Luis of Real Madrid, but it was still early for him to challenge Carlos.

But they were all fringe internationals and could be replaced anytime.

Ronaldo talked with Gao Shen for an hour. They spoke frankly, but Ronaldo didn't get the result he expected.

He briefly summarized the conversation with Gao Shen to his teammates but didn't share many details because some things couldn't be said in front of these people.

For example, he promised Gao Shen that what Raul, Zidane, and Beckham could do, he could do too.

At least, he would try his best.

In fact, this was putting his attitude very low, and he couldn't say these words in front of Carlos and the others. He believed that Gao Shen wouldn't gossip about it either.

"So, what did he say?" Baptista asked with concern.

The others, including Carlos, all looked at Ronaldo.

"He said to train well, and he would consider it."

Baptista and the others were disappointed.

Ronaldo had already taken the initiative, but Gao Shen still refused to give an accurate statement?

"I see, he never intended to give us a chance from the beginning. He's focusing on the Spanish players. That's what he cares about," Carlos said angrily.

Every time he mentioned Gao Shen, Carlos would get angry.

Even when Ronaldo took the initiative to talk to Gao Shen, Carlos strongly opposed it.

Everyone understood because Carlos had a relatively secure position in the national team. He had also publicly criticized Gao Shen several times and even demanded that Gao Shen step down. His grudge with Gao Shen was the deepest.

But Gao Shen's response was indeed a bit perfunctory.

"Ronnie, don't believe him. As I said, I will meet with some media. I don't believe he can continue to ignore us," Carlos said fiercely.

However, Ronaldo wasn't tempted. Looking around, Robinho, Baptista, and Cicinho were also not enthusiastic, which annoyed Carlos.

"Do you still believe him now?"

No one answered Carlos.

Like it or not, by the end of the season, Gao Shen would still be the head coach of Real Madrid.

From the way he led the team to the reversal against Arsenal and the way he reduced the points gap with Barcelona, these were enough to keep him until the end of the season, possibly even earning him a decent departure.

If they still wanted to play, they could only turn to Gao Shen.

Pressure?

If it worked, would they still be sitting on the bench now?

Gao Shen preferred to use young players from the second team and play the ugliest football rather than give them even a minute of playing time. How determined must he be?

"I believe him!" Ronaldo suddenly said.

Everyone was stunned.

Ronaldo looked directly at his teammates, his eyes filled with determination, as if he had just made a major decision.

"It's worth taking a gamble. If I fight for it and win a decent title, it's worth it. If I can win a league title or a Champions League, then it's a huge win," Ronaldo said, smiling at the end.

After making the decision, he felt more relaxed.

In the past month and even the past few years, the heavy burden on his heart seemed much lighter.

Gao Shen was right; times have changed!

Greece could win the European Championship, Porto could win the Champions League, and the Champions League final could be reversed after a 0-3 deficit. In the past two or three years, too many magical and unimaginable things had happened.

The entire football world had undergone tremendous changes.

But he, Ronaldo, was getting old!

Although he was only twenty-nine, he felt old.

Now, he wanted nothing more than a Champions League title!

...

Gao Shen himself felt that his reply to Ronaldo was a bit perfunctory.

But he couldn't help it.

He told Ronaldo bluntly that he wouldn't lie or make promises he couldn't keep.

So, he asked Ronaldo to concentrate on training, and he would consider and arrange it.

First of all, he needed to talk to Raul, Guti, Ramos, and others.

These players were now Real Madrid's core combat power, supported by Gao Shen, but they had prejudices against the Brazilian players and Ronaldo. Gao Shen needed time to communicate.

If things really came to a point where he had to choose one or the other, then Gao Shen would have no choice.

Of course, if the local players really forced his hand, Gao Shen wouldn't be polite.

Since he could support them, he could also suppress them.

Of course, this would be a last resort.

Secondly, Gao Shen needed to consider how to use Ronaldo.

Ronaldo's current situation was extreme in strengths and weaknesses. Even if he was willing to run and press, how long could his physical fitness last? After running so much, could he still score and create threats?

How to use him effectively was a question.

Finally, Gao Shen considered the chain reaction.

Once Ronaldo played, the Brazilian players would be reactivated, significantly improving the team's overall strength, but the communication and coordination within the locker room would become very complicated.

Cicinho and Abeloa, Baptista and Zidane, Guti, Robinho with Raul, Cassano, Callejon, and others, as well as young players from the second team, these were all issues.

This was what Carlo had referred to as Real Madrid's most difficult crisis now.

...

The afternoon training session focused on recovery and adjustment, with Buenaventura in charge.

Gao Shen continued to observe but before training ended, Lucas sent him a message that the scout had just returned from Barcelona.

Puyol was participating in joint training, and there was a high probability he would play.

This wasn't surprising. Gao Shen had suspected that Rijkaard rested Puyol against Benfica to let him recharge for the national derby against Real Madrid.

However, if Puyol did start, it would be a big challenge for Real Madrid.

Barcelona's tactic is to control the ball, pressing high and pressing in the middle and front. Although not as intense as Guardiola's later Dream Team, it always leaves significant gaps behind them.

Puyol, not tall but very fast with strong recovery ability, played a crucial role in Barcelona's defense.

It's like how Gao Shen emphasized Ramos' mobility in Real Madrid's defense; Puyol was similar.

In the away game against Barcelona, Gao Shen didn't dare to press too high.

The reason was simple. Pressing high meant Real Madrid had to break through Barcelona's defense, or their own defense would be shredded by Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Giuly, Larsen, Deco, and Iniesta with their excellent passing abilities.

It's like when Mourinho first took charge of Real Madrid and faced Barcelona away, losing 0-5. Mourinho wanted to confront Barcelona head-on.

Without enough strength, fighting Barcelona to the death was courting disaster.

Mourinho's debut in the national derby was a tragic loss. Later, he became pragmatic and adopted defensive counterattack tactics, improving his performance against Barcelona.

The same applied to Gao Shen's current situation.

Don't be fooled by the defense of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even though Real Madrid's defense has recently been a bit better than Barcelona's, their midfield and attack are far less powerful than Barcelona's, and Barcelona has the home advantage.

In such a situation, only a fool would go head-to-head with Barcelona.

Gao Shen is not a fool, and he refuses to act like one.

After reading the scout's report, he stayed on the training ground until the team's training was over and everyone was ready to return to the locker room. Then he called out to Raul.