On the evening of November 11, at Valencia Municipal Stadium.
In the eleventh round of La Liga, Real Madrid played away against Levante.
As soon as Ronaldo passed the ball to Benzema, and the French center quickly returned it to defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso, Levante immediately launched a fierce press on Real Madrid's midfield and backline.
How fierce was it?
Just three seconds after the whistle, Xabi Alonso was knocked to the ground by former Inter Milan striker Martins, who came charging in.
The Nigerian striker's move drew loud applause from the Levante fans.
Clearly, the home supporters were hoping their team could be more "fearless" when facing the mighty Real Madrid.
Gao Shen had already anticipated this situation and signaled from the touchline for his players to remain calm.
He came here with the intention of using this match to train his team.
More importantly, he wanted to see whether the team could still pass the ball and control the tempo under such high-intensity, fast-paced pressing.
This was also a test of the players' off-the-ball movement and ability to find space.
In theory, Real Madrid players had the technical skills for it, but their understanding and teamwork were not yet strong enough.
Once the game resumed, Real Madrid began to hold the ball more in their own half.
Gao Shen stood in the technical area of the visiting team, closely watching the passing, movement, and positioning of his midfielders and defenders.
The three midfielders, Modric, Xabi Alonso, and Toni Kroos, stayed deeper, keeping close contact with the defensive line, while the two full-backs, Carvajal and Marcos Alonso, pushed higher up the pitch.
This made Real Madrid's formation appear layered and flexible. Especially after losing possession to Levante, Real Madrid could quickly reorganize their shape and plug gaps.
Defending is never about scoring goals, but about plugging gaps.
As long as all the gaps are plugged, the defense becomes solid.
At the moment, Real Madrid's ball control and passing were not very smooth, but Gao Shen was in no hurry. He didn't even make any adjustments, just stood silently on the touchline and observed.
He believed that Real Madrid players had the intelligence and ability to adjust on their own during the game.
As time went on, that belief proved correct. Real Madrid gradually adapted to Levante's pressing, and the home side slowed down after their initial wave of attacks failed to work.
But at that moment, Modric suddenly carried the ball forward and passed backward. Ronaldo made a direct run behind him, controlled the ball, and took a long shot, which was saved by Levante goalkeeper Munua.
On the sidelines, Gao Shen applauded and loudly encouraged the players for their effort.
…
Gradually taking control of the game, Real Madrid began to press forward, giving Levante no breathing room.
There were still mistakes in their passing and receiving, and Levante created a good chance, but Courtois made a steady save to deny them.
Gao Shen noticed something positive on the sidelines: communication between Xabi Alonso, Toni Kroos, and Modric had clearly increased, and they were working together more closely.
As the game went on, it became obvious that the coordination between Real Madrid's midfield and defense was getting smoother and more fluid.
This was reflected in the fact that Levante's early pressing was very effective, forcing Real Madrid into frequent passing mistakes, but as the match continued, their pressing became less and less effective.
However, in the 22nd minute, just as Real Madrid started to settle into the game, a sudden passing error occurred. Levante midfielder Barquero seized the chance with a direct through ball. Martins, nicknamed the "Black Lightning," burst forward at high speed, passed across to the right side of the penalty area, where Rodriguez controlled the ball, evaded Pepe, and finished into the Real Madrid net.
The goal completely ignited the Levante fans.
On the touchline, Gao Shen shook his head and smiled wryly.
Football can be strange sometimes.
When you think you're in control, that's often the most dangerous moment.
Even Levante probably didn't expect to suddenly get such a counterattack chance and score.
"Stay calm! Keep it up, don't panic. Hold your ground, keep the ball, control the tempo!"
Gao Shen walked to the sideline and shouted loudly, reminding the players to keep their composure.
"Xabi!" Gao Shen called out to Xabi Alonso, signaling him to stabilize the midfield.
He also mentioned Toni Kroos and Modric, then called out Pepe's name.
This time, the Portuguese center-back's mistake came from overconfidence. He had a habit of taking risks, much like Ramos.
But Gao Shen reminded him to stay focused and keep playing as he had been before.
Before conceding, Real Madrid had been maintaining the right rhythm, passing and moving well even under pressure.
…
Once the defense and ball control were stabilized again, Real Madrid started to attack more freely.
Gao Shen instructed Carvajal to push forward more actively in attack, and the right-wing combination he had carefully built began to show results.
On the right side, Di Maria, Modric, and Carvajal started to pose a serious threat.
As the right side grew more dangerous, Levante's defense shifted toward that flank. This gave Ronaldo on the left more space, allowing him to become more active.
In the 41st minute, Modric crossed from the right. Carvajal charged in on the right, received the pass, and drove to the byline, but was tripped by Levante left-back Juanfran just outside the penalty area.
The referee saw it clearly, immediately awarded a free kick, and gave Juanfran a yellow card.
This was Levante's fourth yellow card of the first half.
Xabi Alonso stepped up to take the free kick and delivered a precise curling ball.
A scramble ensued in the penalty area. Ronaldo shook off Navarro, leaped the highest, and headed the ball into the far corner.
Goalkeeper Munua dove but could not reach it.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
The Portuguese star scored again, equalizing for Real Madrid.
Gao Shen cheered loudly on the sideline, and the Real Madrid players rushed out to celebrate with him.
1-1, back to square one.
The first half ended with this score.
…
During halftime, Gao Shen addressed the problems from the first half and proposed solutions. He encouraged Carvajal on the right to be even more aggressive going forward.
Modric and Di Maria also gave their young teammate words of encouragement.
Gao Shen wanted the team to ensure ball control while also counterattacking quickly after winning possession, creating threats to Levante.
The second half began after switching sides.
Di Maria started to shine on the right flank, especially with the support of Modric and Carvajal. The Argentine looked completely at ease. First, he cut inside from the right, dribbled past two defenders, and crossed.
Benzema's header was slightly off target, missing a good chance.
But soon, Di Maria struck again.
After Carvajal made an overlapping run down the right, he pulled the ball back to Di Maria on the edge of the penalty area.
Di Maria controlled the ball, dribbled past a defender, and took a left-footed shot toward the far corner.
Goalkeeper Munua dived to save and managed to tip it out for a corner.
Corner!
While Levante fans were still cheering for Munua's brilliant save, Toni Kroos delivered the corner precisely into the penalty area. At the back post, an unmarked Pepe headed the ball in from close range, scoring for Real Madrid.
2-1!
A comeback!
The Portuguese center-back clenched his fists and roared with excitement.
He had been at fault for the earlier goal, but now he redeemed himself with a crucial header to put Real Madrid ahead.
On the sidelines, Gao Shen celebrated Pepe's goal.
…
After taking the lead, Real Madrid controlled both possession and tempo. Levante lost their edge, and although they attempted several counterattacks, they failed to get any clear chances.
The match was now completely in Real Madrid's hands.
Gao Shen began making substitutions. Kaka came on for Toni Kroos to strengthen the attack.
Eight minutes later, Kaka dribbled through the middle and made a sudden pass. Benzema made a diagonal run into the left side of the penalty area but was brought down by Navarro as he received the ball. The referee immediately awarded a penalty.
Xabi Alonso, outstanding at both ends of the pitch in this game, stepped up and calmly scored the penalty, extending the lead to 3-1!
The Spanish midfielder was thrilled.
Even more surprisingly, in the 87th minute, before the end of the second half, Real Madrid won another free kick in the attacking third. Xabi Alonso took it again, and Morata, who had come on for Benzema, headed in from the edge of the six-yard box, sealing the victory for Real Madrid.
4-1!
Morata was so excited he ran wildly in celebration, unstoppable.
On the sideline, Gao Shen applauded. He turned to look at Carlo and the others and saw that they were all smiling happily.
"Tonight, our midfield was very smooth. Levante pressed hard, but we handled it well. The players' movement was much more reasonable, and their passing and support were well-organized."
There was no need to ask. Just by looking at Carlo's face, you could tell he was very pleased with how the game had gone.
Gao Shen was just as satisfied.
Although there were still many problems exposed in the match, overall, there were more positives.
The biggest surprise came from the right flank.
After stabilizing their passing and ball control in the midfield and backline, and once Real Madrid seized control of the game, Carvajal's performance became a pleasant surprise for Gao Shen and the staff.
This young player had truly been buried in the reserves before.
Now, Gao Shen and his team were more certain than ever that Carvajal could be relied on at right-back.
Zidane, Hierro, and the others looked at Gao Shen with even more respect.
From the very beginning, Gao Shen had chosen Carvajal, saying he wanted to build an attacking duo with Carvajal on the right and Marcelo on the left. But for various reasons, Arbeloa had been playing better, and now with Marcelo injured again, Real Madrid's full-back pairing had yet to be realized.
Judging by Carvajal's performance, however, there was still plenty to look forward to.
Even from the opening stages, Carvajal's defensive work was solid.
Arbeloa is stronger defensively, Carvajal excels in attack, and Real Madrid's right side now has a unique identity.
This also made everyone look forward to the future. Once Marcelo returns and regains his form, how spectacular will it be to see Real Madrid's two wings flying together?
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)