"What you just said was really good! The players' reactions were all very positive."
After returning to Valdebebas and sending all the players away, Gao Shen met with the coaching staff in his office.
Carlo had just talked with the players and came back to report the latest situation to Gao Shen.
Earlier at the airport, they were blocked by media and fans, but the team did not accept any interviews or stop. They came back directly. The main reason was that Gao Shen knew the media would not ask anything constructive.
But the players' emotions still need constant attention.
"Butragueño just called me. He said that tomorrow morning there will be a flood of newspaper coverage. Public opinion will be very unfavorable to us. We need to prepare early. AS and Marca will run several reports to help us calm the fans."
Zidane is now the link between the coaching staff and the Bernabéu, responsible for relaying messages in both directions.
"But we still have to be mentally prepared, because public opinion could be very intense."
Gao Shen himself is one of the most followed figures in world football, and Real Madrid is a club that draws massive attention. Coupled with stars like Ronaldo, every move Real Madrid makes now attracts enormous scrutiny.
Right now, with Real Madrid's situation so precarious, who wouldn't want to step in and take a shot?
Which fans of the teams that Gao Shen has beaten in the past are not eagerly waiting for him to stumble?
There are also Real Madrid's opponents, all waiting for a chance to criticize.
All of this will come at you like a tidal wave.
This was something Gao Shen had anticipated long ago.
"Tell Butragueño to protect Arbeloa."
Zidane was slightly surprised. He looked at Gao Shen, then at Carlo, Hierro, and the others, and then nodded.
Even now, Gao Shen was still thinking about the players and Arbeloa.
This has always been Gao Shen's style.
As head coach, he always shoulders the responsibility himself to protect his players and the dressing room.
Many people wonder why Gao Shen's locker room is always so stable.
This is the reason.
He makes himself the shield in the locker room. As long as the players are not directly exposed to outside pressure, the dressing room will naturally remain stable.
"What did Florentino say?" Gao Shen asked.
Zidane looked at him and smiled. "He didn't say much. Just one sentence: he trusts you."
Gao Shen nodded. He had already guessed that.
"The current situation is very unfavorable for us. We have to find a solution as soon as possible," Hierro suggested.
Everyone nodded.
Even if Real Madrid wins the next two games, they will still be dependent on Manchester City and Dortmund in the end. It is too passive.
If only we had managed a draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, the situation would be completely different.
But there is nothing to be done now. A loss is a loss. Can we take it out on Arbeloa?
That is football. There will always be winners and losers. It is impossible to always win and to always be dealt good cards.
In these years as a head coach, Gao Shen has learned one lesson.
A truly strong coach can play well no matter what cards he is dealt.
"In fact, the current situation is not as desperate as we think."
Gao Shen's words drew everyone's attention.
"Dortmund has 9 points, Manchester City has 7, we have 4, and Porto has 3. In the next round, we will face Dortmund at home, and Manchester City will face Porto at home."
"From a practical standpoint, Manchester City beating Porto is not a big problem. In other words, Manchester City will reach 10 points, and Porto will stay at 3."
After Gao Shen's analysis, everyone immediately understood what he meant.
"That is to say, as long as we beat Dortmund at home in the fifth round, we will have 7 points, Dortmund will remain at 9 points, Manchester City will have 10 points, and we will rise to third place in the group with Porto still at 3 points."
At that point, Porto will basically have no chance of qualifying, not even of entering the Europa League as a third-place team.
In the last round, Real Madrid will face Porto away. Against a team that has nothing left to fight for, Real Madrid will be much more confident of winning.
This means that although on paper Real Madrid has two tough matches, in fact, the situation will improve significantly as long as they beat Dortmund.
And what if Manchester City fails to beat Porto?
That would be even better for Real Madrid!
Whether Manchester City has seven or eight points by then, Real Madrid will be able to catch up. In the last round, Real Madrid will go all out against Porto, and Manchester City will also be forced to fight Dortmund with everything they have.
At that point, as long as Real Madrid beats Porto, their chances of qualifying are very high.
The premise is…
"We must beat Dortmund by at least two goals at the Bernabéu," Gao Shen said, setting a target.
In the Champions League group stage, every match is crucial. The schedule is designed to keep every group alive with suspense, and this is fully reflected in the so-called group of death.
Take Group D as an example. It may look like the standings are clear, but in fact it is full of uncertainty.
Dortmund will play away against Real Madrid and at home against Manchester City in the last two rounds. Are they confident of winning?
The same is true for Manchester City and Real Madrid.
In the Champions League group stage, if teams are level on points, the head-to-head results come first.
Judging from the head-to-head record, Real Madrid lost to Manchester City. But as long as they can beat Dortmund by two goals at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid will have an advantage in head-to-head against Dortmund.
What does this mean?
If Dortmund does not want to end up with the same points as Real Madrid, they will have to go all out against Manchester City in the final round.
Manchester City will also have to fight hard against Dortmund to secure qualification.
So, the key to the whole situation lies in the match against Dortmund at the Bernabéu.
It may sound complicated and there are many possible scenarios, but in reality, as long as Real Madrid wins this match, the path forward will become clear, and there will be a glimmer of hope.
Of course, if they cannot beat Dortmund by two goals, the situation will become much more complicated.
Real Madrid may not even make it out of the group.
After Gao Shen laid it all out, everyone finally saw the picture clearly.
It is very difficult to win by two goals against Dortmund at home, but at least now there is a clear direction and goal.
What people fear the most is not difficulty, but having no direction and losing their goals.
As long as there is a direction and a goal, there is hope no matter how hard it is!
Carlo, Zidane, Hierro and the others regained their confidence.
"What are you going to do with Arbeloa suspended from the red card?" Carlo asked with concern.
This will also guide his future training arrangements.
Currently, Real Madrid has several players who can play as right-back, such as Ramos, Nacho, and Carvajal.
But there is a problem. If Ramos moves to right-back, there will be an issue at centre-back.
Varane is still too young, and Albiol does not have enough physical strength.
Against Dortmund, the centre-backs will have to mark Lewandowski directly, which is a very difficult task.
Many people say that Ramos and Pepe are reckless and impulsive, but their strength is undeniable.
Especially after Gao Shen took over, the team's defensive system has stabilized, and they have become much calmer.
Real Madrid is still very systematic in defense.
"I want to observe Carvajal," Gao Shen said.
Carlo frowned. "Dortmund's wingers are very strong."
Zidane and Hierro both nodded and looked at Gao Shen.
Everyone knows that Dortmund's flanks are very strong. If Carvajal is put on, can he handle it?
"The most important thing for us in this game is not defense, but offense."
Gao Shen set the tone for the match.
"We are at home, and we need to score two goals. If we focus on defense, what kind of mentality will the players have?"
It will make them hesitant and cautious.
Using Ramos on the right stabilizes the flank, but leaves hidden dangers in the center.
More importantly, the players are not stupid. They can read the coach's expressions and understand his intentions.
Once the head coach becomes conservative, won't the players play even more cautiously?
"On the left, we will have to face Reus directly. Marcos Alonso and Nacho can both be considered."
Both of these young players have good defensive abilities. The key is to see who performs better.
There is another advantage for Real Madrid.
There are two full weeks between the fourth round and the fifth round of the Champions League group stage.
During this period, Gao Shen can carry out targeted training for the team.
This will be a tough battle, a hard fight.
If Gao Shen can analyze the situation, Klopp certainly can too. He also knows that this match at the Bernabéu is a decisive showdown.
No matter what, Dortmund's best strategy is to win this match first and secure qualification early.
As for what happens afterward, they will think about it later.
Therefore, Dortmund will also go all out against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
…
It was already early morning when he returned home from Valdebebas.
Gao Shen walked into the room quietly. Seeing that his wife was already asleep, he carefully went to the next room to take a shower and change.
Pregnant women tend to sleep more, and a head coach's job often keeps him busy until late at night.
Even home matches at Madrid often start around eight or nine, sometimes even ten at night.
This is one of Spain's characteristics.
Everyone in this country is a night owl.
But no matter how late it is, Gao Shen always comes home to sleep.
It is not that Su Qing is worried about him having an affair. After all, they live in Valdebebas, so there is nothing to worry about.
The most important thing is that she just wants to see him.
And Gao Shen also wants to come home.
No matter how upset or tired he feels outside, he always feels calm when he comes home and lies next to his wife.
When he woke up the next morning, he was full of confidence again.
Being Real Madrid's head coach comes with enormous pressure and challenges, but also a great sense of achievement.
This is also the reason why so many world-class coaches have failed here.
If it were an easy job, others would have already rushed to take it, and Gao Shen would never have had the opportunity.
It is because the job is too difficult and the pressure is too great, and no one else can handle it, that Real Madrid tried everything to invite Gao Shen back.
Just like now, if the head coach does not have strong mental qualities, he will be crushed in minutes.
If the team loses the remaining two matches, there will definitely be problems in the dressing room. Even if the management says nothing, the pressure on the coach will skyrocket, and he could collapse in the end.
This is not an exaggeration. This is what has happened to many head coaches of top clubs.
But Gao Shen believes that he will never be one of them.
After taking a shower and returning to bed, Su Qing, who had been lying on her side with her back to him, turned over gently, reached out to hold his hand, and rested her head on his pillow.
Even though no words were spoken, Gao Shen felt completely at ease.
It was like a ship sailing far away, finally leaving the stormy waves and entering a calm harbor.
(To be continued.)