"A corner for Atletico Madrid."
"The delivery goes to the back post."
"Godin, heads it."
"Casillas misses it, Modric!"
"At the crucial moment, Modric clears it off the line."
"Real Madrid are very fortunate to keep it out."
"The score is still 0-0."
"Let's look at the slow-motion replay again. Modric's goal-line clearance was very risky."
"At the crucial moment, Modric kept the goal safe."
…
The entire Bernabeu rang with a collective sigh of relief.
Real Madrid's players were still clearly shaken by the scare they had just survived.
Gao Shen let out a long breath on the touchline, turned back to the home dugout, asked the staff next to him for a bottle of water, and took several big gulps.
It was the 52nd minute of the second half, and Real Madrid had almost conceded.
"Do you want to prepare a substitution?" Zidane asked with concern.
This was the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, and it was at home. If they could not beat Atletico Madrid here, it would be very unfavorable for the second leg at the Calderon.
Real Madrid were not short of solutions. There were plenty of players on the bench, such as Ronaldo and Isco, who could change the course of the game. The key was what Gao Shen had in mind.
Gao Shen drank his water, fully aware that the players on the bench were itching to come on, especially Ronaldo.
He had already been out to warm up several times.
"Wait a little longer." Gao Shen still shook his head.
Zidane, Carlo, Hierro and the others looked at each other, some of them not understanding what Gao Shen was waiting for.
Or what he was thinking.
It was already the second half, and Real Madrid still could not break the deadlock. At this point, were they not planning to make changes?
Gao Shen saw their expressions but did not explain much.
There were some things he could think about and do, but he could not say them.
This was the loneliness of being a leader.
Spelling everything out would only make things worse.
Just like last September at the UEFA Elite Coaches Summit, when Guardiola mentioned that his reason for resigning was largely because he failed to limit the performances of Messi, Xavi, and others.
Did that sound outrageous?
For a genius like Messi and a commander like Xavi, how could you limit their performances?
Shouldn't you maximize their threat and strength?
But sometimes it really is like that.
With power comes responsibility, and vice versa.
When you ask players to take on more responsibility on the pitch, it means giving them more power.
But there is a problem.
Because modern football emphasizes collective play, the era of changing the game single-handedly is over.
Under Vilanova, Messi was given the greatest freedom, and Barcelona performed poorly in the Champions League.
On the other hand, what was the first thing Martino did when he took over Barcelona?
He moved Messi wider, which was a restriction on Messi.
Looking back at Gao Shen's past, all of Barcelona's successful seasons involved restricting Messi.
Of course, this restriction was not suppression, but tactical constraint.
As a superstar on par with Messi, the same applied to Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
Gao Shen had been restricting Ronaldo since he took over at Real Madrid, and he still needed to do so now.
But Ronaldo had just won the Ballon d'Or, which was a great event. Gao Shen could not pour cold water on him at this time.
If he really did that, cracks would definitely appear.
What should he do then?
Gao Shen started Jese in this game to remind Ronaldo that Real Madrid could cope without him.
Even in a crucial match like a home Copa del Rey semifinal against Atletico Madrid, Gao Shen dared to rotate him.
Of course, the prerequisite was being able to win.
This was a trade-off.
Otherwise, just imagine that if Ronaldo came on now, regardless of whether he succeeded in the end, his status at Real Madrid would be further elevated. Over time, he would become more and more untouchable and harder to constrain.
Sometimes Gao Shen thought that in his previous life, the reason Real Madrid won the Champions League four times in five years after Gareth Bale joined was also related to the team restricting Ronaldo.
Of course, this restriction was not pleasant.
Gao Shen's current approach was much gentler.
…
Now Real Madrid were attacking from right to left.
Taking advantage of a stoppage, Gao Shen called over Jese, who was closest to him.
"When you go back, tell Dzeko and Di Maria to rotate more. The three of you are too rigid with your positions."
"You have to drag their defenders with you."
Jese nodded firmly. He understood what the coach meant.
Gao Shen had already reminded them once at half-time.
But in the second half, facing Atletico's tight defense, they had all forgotten.
"Also, tell Pogba and Modric to carry the ball more. We can try to win more free kicks, and also look to play more small combinations with Di Maria."
Jese nodded to show he got it.
Gao Shen patted him on the shoulder and sent him back on.
Modric was one of the midfielders Gao Shen had admired most since he transmigrated. You could even remove the words one of.
Why did he value him?
Because he could reliably escape pressure and progress the ball under a high press. This ability was rare in all of European football.
Coincidentally, Pogba could do it too.
Gao Shen's pairing of these two in midfield tonight was by no means random.
But Simeone had also increased the pressing intensity in midfield tonight. He not only dropped both wingers back, but even had Diego Costa repeatedly track back, which put the entire Real Madrid midfield under a high-intensity stranglehold.
In this situation, Gao Shen had to make the midfield and front line work together.
And the key was Di Maria.
He had already given Di Maria some instructions at half-time, but after the restart, the performance was not ideal, so he called Jese over to add more detail.
As Jese returned to the pitch, he quickly passed on the detailed instructions.
Dzeko, Di Maria, Pogba, Modric, and the others also received the latest message and looked over.
Gao Shen made a rotation gesture from the touchline, indicating that they should rotate and drag the defenders with them.
As long as you drag them around, you create opportunities.
Against Atletico Madrid, once you score and break the deadlock, they become much harder to deal with.
…
Simeone stood in front of the away dugout. Seeing Gao Shen adjusting on the sidelines, he wiped the stubble on his face with his hand, stuck out his tongue, and licked his dry lips like a hungry wolf.
He realized Gao Shen was making adjustments, but he did not know what Gao Shen intended to do.
However, there was one thing he truly admired about Gao Shen, and that was rotation.
In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, against a mortal enemy like Atletico Madrid, Gao Shen still dared to rotate. That courage was admirable, especially since the rotation was not minor.
It was as if both full backs had been rotated tonight as well.
Marcos Alonso and Arbeloa started.
Previously, Arbeloa had clashed with Diego Costa, and both had bad tempers.
This kid was exactly to Simeone's taste, especially his little tug on Diego Costa's shirt to wind him up, which Simeone liked a lot.
Unfortunately, he should not have been under Gao Shen.
Gao Shen was a gentleman and particular about such things. Simeone was not. He would do anything to win.
No matter how Gao Shen adjusted, Simeone would stick to his own plan.
They had just launched a threatening counterattack. If Modric had not saved it on the line, Atletico would have been ahead.
He believed that as long as Atletico Madrid kept at it, they would get their chance.
"Hey, keep squeezing their midfield. Do not let them play forward easily." Simeone shouted as he walked to the touchline.
No matter what tactics you use, I will focus on suffocating your midfield.
No one knew more advanced tactics than Simeone, and the most important thing was still the midfield.
But not long after Simeone finished speaking, when Real Madrid worked it out from midfield, Pogba dribbled away from two defenders and passed to Di Maria.
The Argentine received the ball in the pocket between several Atletico midfielders. He killed the ball with his left foot, looked up, then struck a left-footed long shot.
This sudden effort had high quality and some swerve.
Asenjo shifted across to cover the angle, but failed to hold it and the ball spilled out.
Dzeko came in for the follow-up, but Miranda slid in to take ball and man.
The Bosnian center forward went down inside Atletico's area. The entire Bernabeu erupted in boos and shouts for a penalty.
But the referee waved both hands repeatedly, indicating no penalty and to play on.
The boos inside the Bernabeu grew even louder.
Simeone first smiled on the touchline, then his face stiffened. He walked to the sideline and blasted his players.
"How did you lose Di Maria?"
"Damn it, you let him receive there and still shoot?"
"Are you all blind?"
Simeone roared, and when he turned around to work, he glanced at Gao Shen next to him and found Gao Shen shaking his head and spreading his hands in disappointment. The Atletico coach's mood immediately improved.
Was Gao Shen upset?
Then he felt much better.
But gradually, Simeone's mood, which had just lifted, sank again, and the smile on his face froze.
Because he realized Real Madrid's entire front line had changed.
Especially Di Maria.
As a fellow Argentine, Simeone knew Di Maria's level too well.
After Gao Shen's adjustment, Di Maria no longer stuck to the right. He began actively linking with Pogba and Modric on both flanks and even in central areas.
This was a very obvious change.
Gao Shen had started to draw out Di Maria's versatility.
There was no doubt Di Maria was not a traditional core. He did not have Ronaldo's dominance, nor Messi's extraordinary skill set. But the Angel had his own footballing traits, or rather, traits that belonged to Argentina and South America.
He was different from European players.
(To be continued.)