"What's going on?"
After receiving the news, Gao Shen, Su Qing, Zidane, and Carlo immediately returned to Madrid from the UK.
After sending his pregnant wife back home, Gao Shen didn't dare to linger and went straight to Valdebebas.
As soon as he walked into the coach's office, he asked Zidane and Carlo, who had come back earlier, about the situation.
Hierro, Carlos Vargas, Buenaventura, and Pintus were all there.
"We just confirmed with the Brazilian national team that Marcelo has a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot," Buenaventura said.
The metatarsal bones are the bones on the instep of the foot, with the outer parts leading to the phalanges of the toes.
When Gao Shen heard this, his heart sank.
A fracture is definitely a big problem.
And it was Marcelo.
"Damn!" Gao Shen cursed angrily. "Is it confirmed?"
"The local hospital has already checked it out."
"What about our team doctor?"
"They have already rushed over. We'll get news from Poland later."
Gao Shen nodded, but his face was still dark with frustration.
The Brazilian national team had been training in Poland recently. Marcelo, Kaka, and the others flew directly from Madrid to Poland to avoid long travel. Gao Shen and the others had thought this was a good arrangement, but they did not expect such a thing to happen.
"Lorenzo, tell me," Gao Shen asked.
Buenaventura, a rehabilitation expert who is also very experienced with injuries, had always been Gao Shen's right-hand man.
"If it's a fracture, surgery will definitely be required. After the surgery, it will take at least three or four months."
A fracture is a very serious injury, and the surgery will be very complicated.
Although metatarsal injuries are not as troublesome as cruciate ligaments or meniscus injuries, if they are not treated properly, they can be very tricky.
What is most important is that Marcelo's absence for three or four months will have a huge impact on Real Madrid.
At present, apart from Marcelo, the only other player on the left is Marcos Alonso. Arbeloa can fill in occasionally, but the attacking left flank partnership between Marcelo and Ronaldo that Gao Shen had been building will be out of use for the time being.
So what should be done next?
The most troubling part is that they are about to face Manchester City, the strongest opponent in the Champions League group stage.
"How are the others?" Gao Shen asked with concern.
Carlos Vargas, sensing his bad mood, quickly replied, "I've been in contact with them. Their condition is fine, but they all have matches to play."
It is natural for players to fight for their national teams, but traveling long distances to represent their country in the middle of the season is a huge challenge for any professional player.
If another injury occurs, it will be even worse.
"How is Varane?" Gao Shen asked again.
Varane, who plays for the French national youth team alongside Koulibaly, had suffered an injury during a youth national team match before and returned to the club early for treatment by Real Madrid's medical team.
"It's nothing serious, just a minor issue," Buenaventura finally gave some good news.
Gao Shen turned around, looked around the room, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He needed to carefully sort out the current situation.
Marcelo is injured, and the attack on the left will be severely affected. Arbeloa can play there, so defense is not a big problem. On the right, Ramos and Carvajal can both handle the job.
Marcos Alonso can serve as a substitute and rotation option for Aveiro. With this arrangement, the team can manage.
But the attacking system will need some adjustments.
Alternatively, he could consider trying a three-at-the-back formation, with Marcos Alonso playing as a left midfielder.
Gao Shen had tried this in a warm-up match before, and the team's performance was average. But it might be worth trying again.
For the three center-backs, Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, and Varane are all available.
He could try it if there is an opportunity.
But that is still not a perfect solution.
…
While Gao Shen and the others were waiting for further news from Poland, Valdano and Butragueno also came to Valdebebas. It was clear they had received the news as well.
At this point, Gao Shen and the others had even begun discussing the surgery.
"If surgery is necessary, Madrid is definitely not the best place," Buenaventura said. "I suggest doing it in the Netherlands. The renowned doctor in Amsterdam, Van Dijk, specializes in this type of surgery. Both Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo had their operations done by him, and the results were very successful."
Gao Shen nodded. "Then contact Dr. Van Dijk first. Once we get confirmation from Poland that surgery is necessary, contact him immediately and start making a surgical plan."
Surgery cannot be done impulsively, especially for a top-level professional like Marcelo. The plan must be carefully considered. The key is to ensure it does not affect his future career, paying attention to every detail.
"By the way, Jorge, did we arrange a private plane to pick up the players from South America this time?" Gao Shen asked Valdano.
"Yes. The gathering point is in Santiago, Chile. We have rented a private plane together with Barcelona. This time, it will fly to Madrid first and then to Barcelona."
For Europe's top clubs, chartering planes to bring back players is nothing new. It is done almost every international break, and each time the club carefully selects the meeting point to ensure players can return as quickly as possible.
This time, they chose Santiago because the Chile vs Argentina match will be held there.
It is over 10,000 kilometers from Chile to Spain, a 15-hour flight, costing 150,000 euros to charter. But the advantage is that they can return to Madrid on the evening of the 17th, train on the 18th, and play on the 20th.
If they take commercial flights, they might not return until the evening of the 18th at the earliest, or even the afternoon of the 19th. By then, not only training but even playing in the match could be in doubt.
Gao Shen looked at Buenaventura and Vargas. "Keep a close eye on the condition of the national team players."
As a club coach, there is very little he can do regarding his players' performances on national duty.
Gao Shen has his own pressures, but national team coaches have theirs as well.
For example, in a strong clash like Chile vs Argentina, can Higuaín and Di María really be left out?
Similarly, Spain will be playing France, another high-profile match. While the fans will enjoy it, Gao Shen is worried.
If there is another injury, Real Madrid will be in real trouble.
Not to mention, these matches carry the highest risk of injury.
Because players are not only exhausted, but they also push themselves to the limit.
How could they not fight with everything they have in a high-profile clash?
…
With no news yet from Poland, Gao Shen took the opportunity to talk with Valdano and Butragueno during dinner in the restaurant about another matter.
If Marcelo really has a fracture, depending on its severity, he will need at least three months, but there is no guarantee of exactly how long it will take.
More importantly, no one can be sure if he will fully recover after the injury.
This brings another hidden danger.
"Didn't you say earlier that we still had a surplus in the transfer market?" Gao Shen asked.
Valdano and Butragueno looked at each other and gave bitter smiles.
"It's October, Boss!" Butragueno reminded him.
"I know." Gao Shen was not stupid. He knew that it was impossible to buy players in October because the transfer window is closed.
"I just looked at the technical department's player database and noticed something. What a coincidence."
"What is it?" Valdano and Butragueno asked with interest.
"Bayern's left-back, David Alaba, has been recovering from an injury this season and only recently returned."
"So…"
"Can we buy him so that Bayern won't register him for the Champions League?"
As soon as Gao Shen finished speaking and saw the stunned expressions of the two men opposite him, he immediately realized he had gone a bit overboard.
"I know. I'm just preparing for the worst."
"But do you think Bayern would agree?" Valdano asked with a smile.
This is Bayern. They are not short of money.
Digging Alaba out of Bayern is not an easy task. Now, on top of that, he wants Bayern not to let Alaba play, just so he can be registered for the Champions League with Real Madrid after a January transfer?
That is not realistic at all, is it?
Putting aside everything else, right now Real Madrid still needs to qualify from the group first.
Gao Shen shrugged helplessly. He was really forced into a corner.
This came out of nowhere, and Marcelo is injured. What can he do?
"What is your plan?" Valdano also understood the seriousness of the situation.
Gao Shen has always placed high hopes on the left flank, the combination of Marcelo and Ronaldo. Now that Marcelo is injured, this problem is fully exposed.
"I will definitely say something to encourage the youngsters. It's only October, and there are more than two months before the winter transfer window. We have so many matches to play, so for now, we have to rely on the players we have. I must stabilize their morale first."
Valdano and Butragueno both nodded.
"Marcos Alonso, Nacho, Arbeloa, they can all play in this position. If necessary, there is also Juanfran from Castilla."
This Juanfran is not the two Spanish internationals with the same name, but a 24-year-old Castilla player who came from Getafe's youth academy. He joined Castilla in 2009 and can play on both flanks.
However, from Gao Shen's understanding, this player later achieved little and his performance has been average.
From the current perspective, Gao Shen will have to dig internally until the winter transfer window.
His biggest hope now is that no one else gets injured.
"Let's try to contact Bayern and test their attitude. David Alaba is quite good, so we should at least try to sign him," Gao Shen suggested.
Valdano nodded. "I'll make contact when I get back, but don't get your hopes up."
It is not easy to poach players from Bayern.
This summer, if it weren't for including Khedira in the deal, Bayern would never have let Toni Kroos leave so easily.
And facts have shown that after Khedira went to Bayern, his performance was not as eye-catching as it had been in the European Championship, while Toni Kroos' performance at Real Madrid has been much better than when he was at Bayern.
This also confirms one thing.
There are many good horses, but there are very few good trainers.
(To be continued.)
***
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