From the Bernabéu Stadium back to Madrid Barajas Airport.
While waiting for their flight, Klopp and his assistants grabbed some food at the airport.
The whole time, he was frowning, lost in thought.
Anyone looking at his expression would immediately know that he had run into a difficult problem.
The three assistants were no exception, all looking troubled.
It had been the same way when they walked out of the Bernabéu.
Real Madrid had just beaten Athletic Bilbao 5-0 at home, another big win for Gao Shen's team.
But this emphatic victory left behind a lot to think about.
For example, Real Madrid scored four goals in the first half, but only one in the second, and even that goal seemed somewhat accidental.
Throughout the match, Real Madrid controlled nearly 70% of the possession and had more than 20 shots on goal.
Whether in terms of process or result, Real Madrid played a very convincing game.
More importantly, it was clear that Real Madrid played more conservatively in the second half, saving energy.
Gao Shen had presented Klopp with a big problem!
He did not hide anything or try to cover up his plans. He simply put everything on the table, showing Klopp how he intended to play.
But even if Klopp knew, what could he do?
Against a team like Real Madrid, especially at the Bernabéu, it is extremely difficult for Dortmund to gain the upper hand.
"I don't know if you noticed, but Ronaldo was very relaxed throughout the game," Klopp suddenly said.
"Adjusting?" Kravitz asked.
Klopp shook his head. "I think he was holding back. He had a lot of chances, and with his personality, he would have gone for them in the past. But today he played cautiously, mainly distracting the defense and drawing their attention."
Not long after the start of the second half, Gao Shen substituted Ronaldo once the result was already secure.
"It's clear he didn't give everything," Buvac concluded.
Klopp agreed with that judgment.
If Ronaldo didn't go all out against Athletic Bilbao, the reason was obvious. He was saving himself for the Champions League next Wednesday. That was the match Real Madrid cared about the most, the one where Ronaldo had to give his all.
"When we go back, we need to focus on studying ways to restrain Ronaldo," Klopp instructed.
"There's another thing that struck me as odd." Buvac also frowned. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that everything Gao Shen did in this game seemed to have a deeper meaning.
"In the second half, Bielsa made a substitution, bringing on Toquero, a player very good on the right flank. This was clearly to strengthen Athletic Bilbao's attack down that side. In response, Gao Shen also made a substitution."
Nacho replaced Marcos Alonso.
Marcos Alonso, a youth player from Real Madrid, is an interesting player. He is tall and skillful, but lacks flexibility.
According to Dortmund's original plan, Reus attacking that side was supposed to be a big advantage.
Reus, as his nickname "Little Rocket" suggests, is exceptionally fast and explosive.
But Gao Shen replaced Marcos Alonso with Nacho, who has good speed and flexibility.
"Is it because Nacho is right-footed and Marcos Alonso is left-footed?" Kravitz speculated.
A right-footed full-back playing on the left has an advantage when defending against inside cuts.
Back then, when Arbeloa neutralized Messi, wasn't he playing as a left-back?
No one could guess Gao Shen's exact plan, but Kravitz's explanation seemed the most plausible.
Judging from the flow of the game, Gao Shen insisted on starting with a strong attack, and once Real Madrid scored, he took complete control of the match.
Bielsa's team played aggressively, with their players working very hard throughout the game.
To strengthen their pressing in midfield, Bielsa even removed the center forward Llorente in this match, instead using the 1.8-meter-tall Aduriz, which made the entire midfield very aggressive.
But it was useless. After an early wave of attacks, Real Madrid simply took control of the ball and dictated the tempo.
This served as a warning to Dortmund. The tactics they are good at may not work against Real Madrid.
However, playing away at the Bernabéu also comes with advantages for Dortmund.
Real Madrid must win, while Dortmund only need a draw.
From this perspective, Klopp's team will face much less pressure during the game.
Especially given Dortmund's recent record against Real Madrid.
Last season, also in the Champions League group stage, Dortmund eliminated Real Madrid.
Even though Real Madrid's coach is now Gao Shen, they have failed to advance from the group stage for several consecutive years. The question remains whether Real Madrid's players can handle another high-stakes game.
At crucial moments, confidence is more valuable than goals!
"Real Madrid's biggest asset right now is Gao Shen, but I don't believe he can turn things around every single time!" Klopp gritted his teeth.
He has a very good relationship with Gao Shen and respects him deeply, but on the pitch, he still wants to fight Gao Shen to the end.
Or rather, there is no head coach in the world who wouldn't want to defeat Gao Shen.
This is the ultimate honor for a professional coach, comparable to a player winning the Ballon d'Or!
…
While Klopp and his assistants were at Madrid Barajas Airport eating hamburgers, Gao Shen and his team had already returned to Valdebebas.
The players were dismissed soon after, but the coaching staff remained.
"Are you sure Klopp came to watch this game?" Hierro asked Gao Shen in surprise.
"Whether he came personally, I'm not sure. But he definitely watched, and Dortmund's people would certainly have been in the stands. He would never miss an opportunity like this."
Gao Shen has always been confident in his judgment.
The battle between head coaches is often a psychological game.
And when it comes to psychological warfare, it depends a lot on the personality of the opponent.
Klopp may appear rough, but in reality, he is meticulous.
Only someone meticulous can be a good head coach. A careless person cannot do this job.
"This match still revealed some problems. We need to fix them quickly in the next few days."
Even in a 5-0 victory, a game is never perfect, and there will always be issues.
A head coach's job is always to solve problems as they appear in the team, and then wait for new ones to arise.
"Focus on training Nacho's defending on the left. Use him to mark Reus." Gao Shen said, looking at Carlo.
Carlo nodded.
It had already been decided that Nacho would start, and in this match, Nacho performed well after coming on.
Gao Shen was very confident in Nacho.
Whether now or in his previous life, even many long-time Real Madrid fans often have the mistaken impression that Nacho is mediocre. In fact, he is not.
Nacho is anything but mediocre.
Considering the diabetes he has had since childhood and his inspiring career, there is nothing mediocre about him.
This misconception comes from his versatility. But in truth, Nacho has strong defensive ability, good work rate, excellent stamina, and most importantly, incredible speed.
Surprised?
Nacho is one of the fastest players in Real Madrid!
Shocking, right?
When people think of fast players, the first names that come to mind are Ronaldo, Di Maria, Marcelo, Carvajal, etc.
But Nacho's speed is faster than Di Maria, Marcelo, and Carvajal, and is comparable to Ronaldo.
Real Madrid has tested it. Nacho's top speed reached 34.62 km/h.
That is already very fast.
Leeds United's Salah is known for his pace, but even his speed is only 35 km/h.
Gao Shen also remembers a statistic from 2020 showing Mbappé's speed at 36 km/h.
In that same ranking, Nacho was listed as the tenth fastest player in the world.
It was only after seeing that statistic that Gao Shen realized how quick Nacho really was.
Real Madrid's coaching staff decided to use Nacho as left-back to specifically deal with Reus after thorough consideration.
Marcos Alonso's speed and flexibility are indeed lacking, and it would be very hard for him to stop the Rocket.
Especially given that Real Madrid is likely to adopt more aggressive tactics.
"After watching tonight's game, do you think Klopp will adopt a more conservative approach?" Zidane asked with concern.
Gao Shen shook his head. "No. Klopp has his own tactical philosophy and ideas. Look at the past few years. No matter how the squad changes or how many core players are sold, Dortmund's style of play remains the same."
"This is Klopp's biggest strength, and Dortmund's players are well adapted to it. But in many games, Klopp's weakness has also been exposed: he lacks flexibility during matches and alternative solutions. His tactics lack variety."
To put it simply, Dortmund is only good at that one style of play.
A sudden change in tactics?
Haha. Gao Shen would be happier than Klopp if that happened!
Why?
Because that would mean Dortmund is very likely to fall apart without Real Madrid having to do anything.
This is why many coaches say Dortmund are a "60-minute team."
This nickname means Dortmund can only play well for 60 minutes.
After that?
Klopp lacks flexibility.
This applies to individual matches, to entire seasons, and even to the club itself.
From Mainz to Dortmund to Liverpool, Klopp has been repeating the same cycle, unable to break it.
If one day Klopp can truly break through, it will mean his coaching level has reached a new height.
But for now, he has not reached that point.
If Gao Shen were to evaluate Klopp's coaching at Dortmund, he would definitely give him a thumbs up and the highest praise.
But unfortunately, they are opponents now.
As the head coach of Real Madrid, if he wants to qualify from the group stage, he has no choice but to bring Dortmund down.
Because they are rivals.
As for whether it will be the Hornets or Manchester City who come after Dortmund, that is not something Gao Shen needs to think about.
He only knows one thing.
He cannot lose this match against Dortmund, no matter what!
He must win!
(To be continued.)
***
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