What would you do when facing a head coach who starts aggressively and always manages to seize the advantage?
Different people would make different choices.
Some would be more conservative and seek stability. Some would stay balanced, as usual. Others would be relatively bold.
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Bernabéu, Guardiola chose to be aggressive.
He opted for a brave but risky approach, hoping to take the lead before Real Madrid hit their stride.
It was an interesting idea.
In terms of personnel, Guardiola also made bold choices.
Lahm and Schweinsteiger formed a double pivot, with Götze ahead, Ribery on the left, Thomas Müller on the right, and Mandzukic up front.
The back line was Alaba, Dante, Vidal, and Rafinha, with Tom Starke in goal.
At kick-off, Bayern circulated the ball across their back line, while Real Madrid pressed decisively, as if to use home advantage to launch a direct assault.
But Bayern did not back down.
Just 27 seconds in, Alaba received a pass from Lahm on the left, combined quickly with Ribery, burst past Carvajal at pace, carried the ball diagonally into the left side of the box, drew defenders, and slipped it wide to Ribery.
At the crucial moment, Di Maria recovered in time and, together with Pepe, double-teamed Ribery, conceding only a throw-in on Bayern's left.
Fortunately for Real Madrid, the throw-in did not lead to danger.
…
After Courtois claimed the ball, Gao Shen, like the fans at the Bernabéu, applauded loudly to encourage the players, then turned and wagged his index finger at Zidane and Hierro.
"One dinner each from you two."
Zidane and Hierro both smiled and shook their heads wryly.
Before the match, they had made a bet with Gao Shen, who predicted Guardiola would adopt a more radical approach.
It now seemed Gao Shen knew Guardiola best.
"I did not think he would dare to be this attacking at the Bernabéu. He is really going for it," Hierro said, surprised.
Everyone knows Guardiola represents attacking football, but to go this bold at the Bernabéu, with such a lineup and approach, was unexpected.
Lahm and Schweinsteiger as a double pivot, Götze as a 10, and Khedira, the strongest ball-winner, left out. That was quite a shock.
Did this mean Guardiola wanted to rely on those three midfielders to beat Real Madrid?
Was that not too arrogant?
As they spoke, on the pitch Bayern, just as Gao Shen expected, took the chance to seize possession early.
Real Madrid followed Gao Shen's instructions, not lingering on the ball and getting into their shape quickly.
But Real Madrid were not passive.
Barely a minute in, Ramos stepped in front of Mandzukic and then launched a long pass into the front third.
The landing point was predictable, right between Bayern's double pivot and center-backs. Vidal did not step up, Lahm misjudged the bounce, and Benzema reached it first.
He cushioned it with his foot and quickly slipped it to the unmarked Di Maria on the right.
Di Maria drove forward and cut inside, but when he slid the ball into the box toward Ronaldo, Dante cleared first.
Real Madrid were not about to be overrun.
With the ball in Bayern's area, Real Madrid pressed high, focusing on the center.
This was also Gao Shen's instruction. He wanted to test Bayern's midfield under pressure.
The ball pinged around in midfield as both sides pressed and it changed hands frequently.
When Götze received, Modric suddenly nicked it and burst forward, dribbling between Götze and Schweinsteiger.
But with Schweinsteiger's body blocking his angle, Dante stepped in first and played it out to Alaba.
Di Maria joined Modric to harry Alaba, forcing the left-back to go back to the keeper, and Modric went straight at the goalkeeper.
In an instant, Bayern's whole shape opened up.
Tom Starke quickly played down the right sideline to Rafinha.
Real Madrid's defensive block shifted, and Ronaldo pressed Rafinha from the left.
Gao Shen smiled on the touchline.
"Guardiola is still Guardiola. He will never give up the ball," Gao Shen said with a grin.
In that situation, most teams would have gone long, but Bayern's keeper still chose to pass. That is classic Guardiola.
Once he has the ball, do not expect him to give it up easily.
"Bayern's midfield is not great at ball-winning," Zidane observed.
Gao Shen nodded. "When Modric carried it forward, their midfield could not stop him."
Who is Modric?
A midfielder hardened in the Premier League, strong in duels and secure under pressure, tough as nails. He would be hard for Bayern to stop.
Even if he could not break through cleanly, players like Modric could still create chaos.
Soon, the pressure from Modric's carries stirred up another scramble in midfield. After Real Madrid won it, Benzema quickly switched left to Ronaldo.
Facing Rafinha, Ronaldo feinted and dribbled into the left side of the box, drawing Bayern's back line. Lahm also slid over to cover Rafinha, but Ronaldo suddenly cut it back to the edge of the area.
Toni Kroos, up against his former club, looked fired up. He took a touch at the D and shot first time.
The ball flew at great speed, but he could not keep it down and it sailed over.
It was the first effort of the match and drew warm applause from the Bernabéu.
At that point, not even three minutes had been played.
In a heavyweight clash, every second carries a lot of information.
Not only from what happens on the pitch, but also the signals from the touchline.
For now, the tempo was quick, but with under three minutes gone, the data was still limited.
Even so, Gao Shen could infer a lot.
For example, Guardiola's aim was to score first.
Why no Khedira?
Because he wanted to secure possession.
If Khedira played, Bayern's midfield share would drop significantly.
Schweinsteiger already makes many errors, and starting Khedira would exacerbate that.
In big matches, mistakes can be fatal.
Therefore, Guardiola prioritized passing fluency and only then considered midfield ball-winning.
In line with Bayern's plan, both full-backs pushed very high in attack.
The purpose was simple, to ensure threat from the flanks.
A moment ago, Alaba and Ribery nearly broke through Real Madrid's right, which was clearly a focus for Guardiola tonight.
Carvajal's defending has always been a question. Not bad, but not strong enough.
Marcelo's side is slightly better, but similar.
So Alaba and Rafinha would push on and join the front line.
That would leave more space behind.
This was also within Guardiola's expectations.
Next came the individual duels.
Ronaldo versus Rafinha, Di Maria versus Alaba, plus Benzema drifting. Which side has the edge?
The answer is obvious, Ronaldo's flank.
There are pros and cons to everything.
Whether at Real Madrid, Barcelona, or now Bayern, if you push full-backs high and hold the line near or beyond halfway, you must protect the space behind.
At Real Madrid and Barcelona, the dropping of the holding midfielder and the center-back's covering wide are crucial to this defense.
Hence both teams preferred mobile defenders like Ramos, Pepe, Puyol, and Piqué, because sometimes they must defend the channel like full-backs.
Bayern's issue was more complex, and the double pivot were not doing well enough at covering.
Seeing this, Gao Shen immediately moved to the touchline and signaled his team to increase attacks down the left, Bayern's right, targeting Rafinha.
At the same time, he adjusted the midfield, signaling Xabi Alonso, Toni Kroos, and Modric to take turns stepping up to press Bayern's midfield.
Real Madrid's three midfielders are all tough operators. Toni Kroos and Modric are composed under pressure and pass securely. Although Xabi Alonso is more press-sensitive, he is sharp, forged in the intense Premier League, and very resilient.
Taking turns to step in would surely create more problems for Bayern in the middle.
Moreover, the midfielders pushing up would draw Bayern's attention and share the pressure off the flanks.
…
With Gao Shen's tweaks, Real Madrid began to change the rhythm.
Bayern gradually monopolized the ball, but soon found themselves in the same trap as Barcelona.
With possession, they did not know how to construct the attack.
In other words, once Real Madrid dropped off, Bayern had no clear entry point.
Guardiola was frustrated to find Gao Shen had ceded possession and used the same approach he used against Barcelona, even at home. It felt shameless.
After all, he is the defending Champions League winner, a world-class coach, and a symbol of attacking football. How could he be so conservative?
But at that moment, Guardiola could not help recalling a line from Gao Shen.
"I do not carry an idol's burden. I never act a part. I like attacking football, but I never dislike defending and countering, especially when that is more likely to lead to victory."
"I like to win."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)