Chapter 113: Dead End
When Real Madrid eliminated AC Milan at the San Siro Stadium, Barcelona also narrowly beat Villarreal 1-0 at the El Madrigal Stadium.
Ronaldinho assisted Giuly and scored the winning goal for Barcelona to advance to the final with a total score of 1-0.
Both the Western Super League duo got tickets to the Stade de France, which immediately made the entire Spanish football world cheer for it, and the European football world was also shocked.
This is the second time the Champions League final has been played by two La Liga teams, the last being in the year 2000, Real Madrid against Valencia.
Interestingly, the last time was also at the Stade de France.
What is even more interesting is that the coach who led Real Madrid to the Champions League final in 2000 was the coach Bosque, who put out the fire in the middle.
This time, it was Gao Shen who put out the fire in the middle.
Suddenly, there are so many similarities coming together to make this Champions League final all the more dramatic.
Moreover, Real Madrid won the championship for the first time in the hands of Bosque. After he was dismissed, Real Madrid had nothing.
After the defeat of AC Milan, the media close to Real Madrid such as AS and Marca are all hyping up a topic: will Gao Shen become the second Bosque?
Gradually, the media began to take the initiative to defend Gao Shen.
For example, he is conservative. Some media analysts believe that Real Madrid's current lineup can only play conservative tactics.
It's like when Bosque led Real Madrid to the championship; he played with five at the back.
Some people question Gao Shen's resume, but speaking of it, before coaching Real Madrid's first team, Bosque did not have the slightest illustrious resume. He has always coached the youth team. At best, he has had two fire-fighting experiences.
For the Champions League final against Barcelona, the media also generally believe that Barcelona has a slight advantage, but Real Madrid also has the strength to fight.
After all, the past two years belonged to Barcelona's peak period, while Real Madrid was in decline.
Now reaching the final, Real Madrid must be at a disadvantage in the situation.
More importantly, the two teams are currently tied in the La Liga standings.
This leaves a lot of suspense.
Who will have the last laugh?
Did Real Madrid finally complete a miraculous counterattack season? Or will Barcelona finally reap the double crown?
Or, will each side win a championship?
...
...
"You don't have any luck, let alone any unrealistic fantasy."
The day after playing Milan, before the recovery training, Gao Shen gave a rare lecture on the training ground.
And, seriously.
"You have veterans who have played football for many years and have more experience than me. You should know that the more critical moments are like this, the easier it is to lose the chain. The most terrible thing is not the opponent in front of us, but ourselves."
The old players, including Raul and Zidane, nodded in unison.
Laziness is the worst enemy of a team.
"I just want to tell you a hard truth today: La Liga and the Champions League..."
Gao Shen slowly stretched out his hands, one hand seemed to be holding La Liga, the other seemed to be holding the Champions League.
"We want these two championships!"
Adults don't do multiple choice questions with elementary school students.
More importantly, it is about the morale and fighting spirit of the team.
When you stand in front of two championships and you want to win one and give up the other, you have already lost.
This loss is not just a loss of a championship, but a loss of both.
Therefore, at this time, in any case, we must completely dispel this unrealistic idea of all players, so as not to let them take chances, thinking that the initiative of the league is in the hands of Barcelona, and Real Madrid should consider giving up the league and focus on the Champions League.
This is nonsense.
The final round of the league is played three days before the Champions League. If Real Madrid lose La Liga, what will it be like in the Champions League final?
By that time, the morale of the team will have plummeted, and Barcelona, taking advantage of the momentum of winning the league, could have beaten Real Madrid in one go.
This was the last thing Gao Shen wanted to see.
The strength itself is not as good as Barcelona, so it can only rely on hard work and will.
"From now on, it's best for each of you to unify your thoughts and keep pace with me, otherwise..."
He didn't finish his harsh words, but his eyes swept over every player like knives, and he believed that everyone could understand what he meant.
Since coaching Real Madrid, Gao Shen has always given a good impression to the players, and they can chat with each other. There are really not many harsh words like today.
Even when he decided to put down the Brazilians and not give them a chance to play, he didn't get angry like this on the spot.
But it is precisely because of this that the players can better understand the intention behind Gao Shen's harsh words and the grim situation that Real Madrid is in now.
Whether it's the league or the Champions League, it's a critical moment to hit the championship.
Whoever loses the chain at this time, whoever drags Gaoshen and the team's hind legs at this time, is the enemy of Gaoshen and the team!
...
"To be honest, you looked quite scary just now."
After the restorative training in the morning, Lucas and Buenaventura still had lingering fears about the previous words of Gao Shen.
It is rare to see Gao Shen speak so harshly.
All along, Gao Shen gave them the impression of being black-bellied.
Say the nicest things and do the worst things.
But this time, he was ruthless.
"Although drumming doesn't require heavy hammers, it's still the most effective way to convey emotions." Gao Shen smiled lightly.
As a leader, you must be able to control your temper.
Getting angry all day long is neurotic, and over time, no one will take you seriously.
Therefore, anger is also a science.
"It's not easy to play against Osasuna this weekend." Lucas shook his head and sighed.
Now Osasuna is fourth in La Liga, five points ahead of fifth-place Celta Vigo. It doesn't seem like there's any risk, but what if they lose?
The points gap would immediately be reduced.
What is certain is that Osasuna will definitely fight Real Madrid, and head coach Aguirre has already released his words. They will attack Real Madrid like Barcelona and play the giant killer of La Liga.
Believe it or not, the top seven teams in La Liga this season have lost four of them at the El Sadar Stadium in Osasuna.
Yes, it is only Deportivo La Coruña who will be followed by Real Madrid.
As long as he defeats Real Madrid and Deportivo, Aguirre will be able to collect the Dragon Balls and summon the dragon.
At home against the top seven teams in the league, the record is four wins and four wins. Aguirre has enough confidence to say that he will beat Real Madrid.
What's more, Osasuna's style is brutal.
Look at Pablo Garcia; he came out of Osasuna.
"In the past few years, we have been visiting Osasuna, and the process has not been smooth." Lucas collected a lot of information.
In the 2000-01 season, when the two sides played halfway through the game, Osasuna fans suddenly rushed into the stadium and unscrupulously destroyed the game; in the 2003-04 season, the fans in the stands threw debris to annoy Beckham. The two sides confronted each other; in the 2004-05 season, Gravesen fought directly with the opposing players on the pitch.
It is precisely because the two sides have deep grievances, so before the game, not only did Aguirre talk about killing Real Madrid, but even Osasuna's players talked in the media to make Real Madrid look good.
Crash, shovel, foul...
There should be no shortage of these war movie elements.
Not only Real Madrid encountered these problems, but other teams such as Barcelona also faced them when they played away to Osasuna.
"How's the team doing?" Gao Shen looked at Buenaventura and asked with concern.
He now has to think about not only Osasuna but also the upcoming schedule.
The weekend away game against Osasuna and the away game against Sporting Santander next Wednesday will be another tough fight. Next weekend is the home game against Málaga, which is relatively easy, but in another week, the final round of La Liga will be away in Seville.
Three days after Sevilla, it is the Champions League final.
It can be said that the schedule is densely packed.
Every next game is related to whether Real Madrid can win the championship, or even the ownership of the two championships.
One can imagine how much pressure is on Gao Shen's shoulders at this moment.
He has to take all the factors into consideration, understand every player's physical, mental, and other conditions.
When Buenaventura first came to Real Madrid, he tailored a training plan for the team, but he did not expect that the team would reach the Champions League final, so since this time, Real Madrid's schedule has been more difficult and more demanding than he imagined.
Even this is an unprecedented challenge for him.
He has never led the team to play such a dense devil's schedule, and he can only cross the river by feeling the stones.
Fortunately, Gao Shen trusted and understood him very much.
"Right now, all I can say is, I did my best." Buenaventura was also under pressure.
Gao Shen patted the middle-aged Spanish man on the shoulder and said nothing more.
"The away game against Osasuna will be a hand-to-hand fight. We have to be fully mentally prepared, and with Ramos suspended due to a red card, our backline will be a problem."
When Real Madrid presses from a high position, Ramos' mobility is crucial, especially when chasing back.
More importantly, Pavón, Rubén, Mejía, and Raúl Bravo are all unreliable.
Gao Shen is also having a headache now. He could take the risk of letting Woodgate on, but the problem is that the English central defender is also injury-prone, and Helguera has just returned from injury.
Is it reliable for such two central defenders to come together?
In fact, Gao Shen also has a risky choice, which is Javi García.
This 19-year-old youth training product has a very good body and height. He can play both defensive midfielder and central defender in the youth team. I can't remember if it was 2006 or 2007 when he moved to Osasuna, performed well, was bought back by Real Madrid, and later sent to Benfica, where he won the Portuguese Super League, and then moved to Manchester City.
This player is also a regular mainstay of Spain's youth teams at all levels. Capello admired him quite a lot when he coached Real Madrid for the second time, but at this stage, he is still a bit far from the main position of Real Madrid's first team.
Now is the critical moment for Real Madrid to fight for the championship. Any mistake or defeat may lead to the failure of all previous achievements. Therefore, every decision Gao Shen makes must be thoughtful and cautious.
That's why the head coach is always prone to white hairs and baldness.
...
On the evening of April 29, the thirty-fifth round of La Liga took place.
In the ninth minute, Barcelona, at home, created a chance on the right through Giuly and Belletti, and Ronaldinho volleyed near the penalty spot to score the winning goal for Barcelona.
One to zero, Barcelona beat Cádiz at home and scored three points.
Real Madrid, who played a day later, was now cornered.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone