Football is a sport greatly influenced by psychology.
Gao Shen had grasped this deeply as early as his Napoli days.
Therefore, there has always been a psychologist on his staff.
Specifically regarding Real Madrid versus Barcelona, the outcome had already been decided before the battle at the Bernabéu.
Not only in the Champions League, but also in the upcoming Copa del Rey final, Real Madrid held a psychological advantage. Gao Shen and Real Madrid would not allow this trophy to fall into Barcelona's hands.
After reaching the semi-finals, Real Madrid received widespread praise, and the players also expressed their joy.
Among them, some of Xabi Alonso's words in a UEFA interview caught Gao Shen's attention.
The Spanish midfielder revealed for the first time that as early as two years ago, Gao Shen had discussed with him some ideas about Real Madrid's current tactical system, which made him very confident and convinced that Real Madrid was on the right track.
"We are entering the best time," Xabi Alonso said confidently.
He believed that two years ago, Gao Shen chose the right path for Real Madrid, shifting the team's focus from the final third back to the midfield and reapplying the principle that whoever controls the midfield controls the game.
How did Real Madrid play before?
They bypassed midfield quickly, with Ronaldo, Benzema, Higuaín, Di María, and Özil mainly operating up front, relying on a whirlwind pace, but this style lacked variation.
Once the ball reached the final third, they could only play fast, without the option to slow the game.
After Gao Shen took charge, he completely overturned the previous tactics, brought in Toni Kroos and Modrić, established dominance in midfield, and shifted the focus of buildup and organization to the middle.
"Many times, we still counter quickly and use our speed to attack the space behind, but our defense is more solid, our midfield organization and passing are more varied, and the team plays in a more comprehensive and balanced way."
Xabi Alonso stated firmly that everyone at Real Madrid was full of confidence.
"Because we all see the trend. After we got on the right path, we kept accumulating advantages and continuously improving our competitiveness. That gives us strong fighting power against any opponent."
Xabi Alonso also said that beyond tactics, Gao Shen instilled belief in the team.
"We all admire him very much because he is a natural winner. He can always lead us to victory. He makes us understand how to win."
He believed Gao Shen's strong personal charisma made everyone in the dressing room willing to play for him.
"Cristiano Ronaldo once said in the dressing room that he would even play full-back and give it everything."
"If it were any other head coach, that would be almost impossible."
Xabi Alonso said Gao Shen had completely changed Real Madrid, and that this change went from the outside in, down to the bones and soul. "He helped us rebuild powerful self-belief and made us believe we are a strong and invincible unit."
"No team can stop us," Xabi Alonso said with confidence.
…
Similar statements have often come from Cristiano Ronaldo, and everyone is used to it.
Because Ronaldo is that kind of player.
But now it was Xabi Alonso speaking, which was rare.
As UEFA commented, Real Madrid displayed superior tactical quality and execution on the pitch. Most of their players have excellent individual ability, but Gao Shen used outstanding tactics to fuse those geniuses into a powerful whole.
"This Real Madrid is even stronger than the Manchester City team that defended their title successfully."
However, El País bluntly pointed out that Barcelona's collapse was not worth making a fuss about.
As early as the Champions League draw, many had anticipated this result.
El País believed Barcelona's issue was that the team had lost competitiveness and the players had lost the hunger to win.
"When the whole world knows Barcelona needs innovation and renewal, it is sad that a coach like Martino, who could bring new ideas, is unable to gain a foothold at the club."
El País argued that Barcelona has moved in cycles, from chaos to order and now into a new downturn.
When Cruyff's Dream Team era ended, Barcelona entered unprecedented darkness.
Van Gaal's two stints laid the foundation. Players like Puyol, Xavi, and Iniesta emerged then. Messi, Piqué, and Fàbregas were also developed at La Masia during that period.
From Rijkaard to Guardiola, Barcelona's system peaked, but from Vilanova to Martino, decline became inevitable.
"Time is an enemy no dynasty can defeat, and Barcelona is no exception. In the future, Real Madrid under Gao Shen will be no exception either. This is the law of nature."
El País believed that if Barcelona wanted to challenge Real Madrid, they needed to break out of their comfort zone and innovate both tactics and personnel.
"History has proven time and again how ruthless and cruel it is."
…
After all the quarter-final matches, people were surprised to find that two La Liga sides reached the Champions League semi-finals, namely Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
The other two were Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester City went out, which was a big upset.
You know, Manchester City still have the most luxurious squad in Europe. Under Gao Shen, they swept Europe and won back-to-back Champions League titles. But under Pellegrini, they first lost the Premier League and then missed out in the Champions League for two straight seasons.
The Times analyzed that Manchester City's fluctuations show how vital an elite coach is.
Many City fans also missed Gao Shen, with plenty even calling on the club to bring him back as soon as possible.
On April 11, at UEFA HQ in Nyon, Switzerland, representatives of the four teams attended. UEFA Secretary General Infantino hosted the draw, with Figo drawing the balls. The former Real Madrid legend drew Real Madrid first.
The second ball was Bayern Munich.
The rest wrote itself. Ancelotti's Paris Saint-Germain would face Simeone's Atlético Madrid.
Gao Shen, still at Valdebebas, watched the live broadcast with his assistants. He was satisfied with the draw and immediately posted a tweet when it came out.
"Excellent. Everything is heading toward the Triple Crown."
This immediately caused a stir.
Bayern forward Thomas Müller, who had long followed Gao Shen on Twitter, quickly tagged him and replied, "Drawing Real Madrid is a great draw. I cannot wait for revenge."
The ever-vocal Müller was clearly responding to Gao Shen's words.
Gao Shen replied at once, "I heard you might not start?"
"How is that possible?" Thomas Müller denied.
Their exchange drew in more players from both sides. Ramos tagged Thomas Müller directly and warned, "Do not even think about scoring against me."
Bayern players joined the fray, and Real Madrid players were not to be outdone.
The two sides "fought" on social media, drawing global attention before a ball was kicked.
The war was imminent. No one was backing down, everyone shouting they would crush the other side.
Soon, the Spanish and German media hyped it up.
What was more surprising was that Sport and Mundo Deportivo actually chose to support Guardiola.
The reason was simple. Guardiola is one of Barcelona's own, while Gao Shen and Real Madrid are Barcelona's enemies.
The enemy of my enemy is my, well, comrade-in-arms.
The funniest part was Sport even claiming that Guardiola was Barcelona's last hope.
"It is all up to you to destroy Real Madrid, Pep."
Mundo Deportivo did everything to praise Guardiola's Bayern, even claiming their possession game was more Barcelona-like than Barcelona's.
"The purest Tiki-Taka is at Bayern."
It really refreshed Gao Shen's worldview.
These Catalan outlets were shameless.
They were so desperate to suppress Real Madrid they did not care about their reputation at all.
Is Bayern playing the purest Tiki-Taka?
Guardiola himself would be embarrassed to say that, yet they said it with confidence.
…
On the evening of the second day after the semi-final draw, Real Madrid hosted Almería in the 33rd round of La Liga at the Bernabéu.
With the Copa del Rey final at Mestalla in midweek, Gao Shen rotated the squad.
Even so, Real Madrid struck after 3 minutes. Verratti crossed, and Pogba fired a long-range strike from the edge of the box to open the scoring.
Real Madrid then launched a series of attacks. In the 27th minute, right-back Nacho crossed, Pogba ran to the far post and headed in his second, 2-0.
After the break, Jesé and Isco scored in succession to make it 4-0.
Late in the game, Illarramendi, on as a substitute, lifted a lobbed pass. Morata, beating the offside trap, went one-on-one and volleyed in to seal it 5-0.
Real Madrid eventually beat Almería 5-0 at home.
Barcelona, saving energy for the Copa del Rey final, lost 0-1 away to Granada.
This essentially set the La Liga standings for the season, with Real Madrid leading, Atlético Madrid second, and Barcelona third.
On the morning after the Almería match, following recovery training, Real Madrid held a mobilization meeting at Valdebebas.
President Florentino brought key executives to support the team and deliver a pre-battle rally.
Make history and win the Triple Crown.
Let's fight.
(To be continued.)