Chapter 140: Gamble
The Stade de France is unlike any other stadium in the world; the visiting team's locker room is actually the one reserved for the home team.
Why is this?
It has something to do with Zidane and Ronaldo.
In the 1998 World Cup in France, both France and Brazil made it to the final. Despite being the host nation, France was assigned to the visiting team's locker room, not the home one. In that final, the French team, led by Zidane, defeated Ronaldo's Brazil to win the World Cup.
Since then, whenever the French national team plays at the Stade de France, they choose to use the visiting team's locker room.
Tonight, that spacious and bright locker room belonged to Barcelona.
...
When Rijkaard entered the locker room, a heavy silence hung in the air.
All the Barcelona players were still reeling from the frustration of the first half.
They had gone from leading by one goal to conceding two in quick succession. The psychological blow from this reversal made it difficult for many to recover.
As Rijkaard walked in, his eyes naturally fell on the oversized bottle of champagne prominently displayed in the room.
This bottle had been specially ordered by Barcelona at great expense, meant to celebrate what they hoped would be their second Champions League title in the club's history.
When they learned they were assigned to the visiting team's locker room at the Stade de France, the entire team was excited, believing it symbolized home-field advantage and good luck.
Don't laugh; luck is something highly regarded in the football world.
For example, English football is rife with so-called curses.
To boost team morale, Rijkaard had the bottle of champagne placed in a conspicuous spot, hoping it would inspire the players to fight for it.
But now, trailing 2-1, the bottle seemed more ironic than motivational.
Rijkaard didn't need to ask to know that the players, upon entering the room earlier, must have felt deeply disheartened seeing it.
So did he.
But the real irony was yet to come.
If they lost the match, what would they do with the champagne?
Celebrate their defeat by drinking it? Or take it back?
It was a massive bottle, and the whole world knew Barcelona had brought it to the Stade de France. Would they carry it back out after a loss?
What would the media say?
Rijkaard was a man who cared deeply about his image, and at this moment, he regretted following the club's suggestion to bring such a large bottle of champagne into the Stade de France.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
...
Rijkaard stepped to the center of the room and faced his players.
"In the first half, our offense was tightly marked by the opponent, and we didn't perform as well as we should have."
The players looked up at him.
Ten Cate, the assistant coach often seen as the bad cop, hadn't even entered the locker room tonight, much to the players' satisfaction.
No one liked him.
"We know Real Madrid's defense well, but that's no excuse for our weak attack. We need to make adjustments and changes in the second half, especially in our forward line."
Rijkaard moved to the tactical board and adjusted the markers representing both teams.
"Real Madrid's defense is meticulous, but it isn't without flaws. At the start of the second half, Eto'o will shift to the left wing. Use your speed to target Arbeloa—you have the advantage there."
Eto'o's speed was exceptional, and while Arbeloa wasn't slow, he was at a disadvantage against Eto'o.
Of course, this meant Eto'o would be further from the goal.
But Rijkaard had more up his sleeve.
He moved Ronaldinho to the center of the forward line, taking full advantage of the Brazilian's ability to hold up play.
Many people focus on Ronaldinho's talent and footwork, but the Brazilian was also excellent at shielding the ball with his back to goal.
Ronaldinho was a technical genius, with incredible ball control and footwork. Once he got the ball, it was almost impossible to dispossess him. All these qualities led Rijkaard to gamble on Ronaldinho.
"You'll occupy their two central defenders, Ramos and Woodgate, in the middle. Depending on the situation on the field, decide whether to push forward or drop deeper, but keep Ramos and Woodgate busy."
Rijkaard moved the markers on the board to illustrate the plan.
For example, if Ronaldinho dropped deeper into attacking midfield and drew Ramos out, this would create a gap behind Ramos that Eto'o could exploit by making diagonal runs.
This tactic had been tried by Barcelona before, with great success.
"Remember, we attack hard at the start of the second half and equalize the score as quickly as possible!"
...
Gao Shen didn't know what adjustments Rijkaard had made during halftime, but as the second half began, he noticed a clear change in Barcelona's player positions.
Ronaldinho had moved to the center just outside the center circle, with Eto'o on the left and Messi on the right.
"Have their positions changed?" Gao Shen asked Lucas.
Lucas wore a serious expression. "There have been obvious changes since the kickoff, but we'll have to see the details unfold."
Gao Shen nodded.
It was too early to tell how Barcelona had adjusted just from the kickoff.
But as the game progressed, Barcelona's midfield changes quickly became apparent.
Ronaldinho was now operating centrally, with Eto'o shifted to the left.
This was a new approach, something Gao Shen hadn't seen before.
But it didn't take long for the effectiveness of these changes to become clear.
...
After a failed attack, Barcelona were pressed by Real Madrid and had to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Valdés.
Valdés, standing at the edge of his penalty area, surveyed the field before launching a long ball forward.
Ronaldinho couldn't win the aerial duel against Woodgate, and the ball was headed back into midfield.
But Barcelona had committed plenty of players to this area and quickly regained possession.
As Xavi took control, Ronaldinho dropped back from the forward line, using his body to shield the ball from De la Red, then flicked Xavi's pass to Deco before turning and sprinting into space.
Deco moved forward and, spotting the opportunity, threaded the ball to Ronaldinho in the gap.
The two Brazilians combined with a slick one-two.
As Ronaldinho received the ball, Ramos stepped up to challenge him, but the Brazilian maestro held onto the ball and flicked it past Ramos into the penalty area.
The ball landed perfectly near the penalty spot.
Eto'o, like a bolt of black lightning, raced towards the spot.
The entire stadium gasped.
At the crucial moment, Casillas charged out, diving at Eto'o's feet and smothering the ball before the Cameroonian could finish.
Eto'o leapt over Casillas, missing a golden one-on-one opportunity.
Only after the danger had passed did the fans find their voices again.
Barcelona's attack had been incredibly dangerous!
...
Standing on the sidelines, Gao Shen watched the scene unfold, his expression serious as he processed Rijkaard's adjustments.
He was a bit surprised.
He hadn't expected Ronaldinho to be so effective playing through the middle.
Is this where Guardiola got the idea to play Messi as a false nine, after seeing Rijkaard's tactic?
"What should we do?" Lucas asked nervously.
The last attack had been too close for comfort.
If not for Casillas' quick thinking, they would have conceded.
Lucas wasn't the only one anxious; Maqueda, Buenaventura, and others all turned to Gao Shen for guidance.
Real Madrid needed to adjust, but how?
After a moment of thought, Gao Shen went to the sideline and began giving instructions.
"David," Gao Shen called out to Beckham.
He signaled for Beckham to drop deeper and play as a holding midfielder, with Zidane in the center and Raul and Negredo forming a strike partnership.
Though it was called a double-striker formation, in practice, Negredo was tasked with exploiting the gaps on either side of Barcelona's defense, while Raul still tracked back defensively.
After making the adjustment, Barcelona did create another dangerous moment when Ronaldinho, with his back to goal, turned and played another ball behind the defense. But this time, Ramos was alert and cleared the ball out of bounds before Eto'o could reach it.
Ramos, who had been criticized for his earlier mistake, received applause from the Real Madrid fans for his solid defense this time.
Real Madrid quickly settled into their new formation, stabilizing their defensive shape.
By this point, ten minutes of the second half had passed.
Seeing that his team's early second-half attacks had failed to yield results, Rijkaard made a bold substitution in the 60th minute.
Iniesta came on for Van Bommel, giving Barcelona a more attack-minded midfield. Xavi dropped deeper, with Deco and Iniesta playing ahead of him. Rijkaard's intent was clear: he was going all in.
Xavi was experienced playing as a holding midfielder, so this wasn't an unfamiliar role for him.
But this substitution showed Rijkaard was making a big gamble.
Barcelona's ball possession had reached 75%, and they were essentially toying with Real Madrid.
Gao Shen remained calm, continuing to instruct his team to stay steady and focus on defense and counterattacks.
Negredo stayed high up the pitch, while Raul and Zidane actively dropped back to defend.
Real Madrid's defense had been tested by strong teams like Arsenal, Juventus, and AC Milan. Despite Barcelona's possession-based play, Real Madrid weren't afraid, maintaining their disciplined defensive shape.
This left Rijkaard's team feeling increasingly frustrated.
As the game reached the 70th minute, Rijkaard was forced to make a bold second substitution, taking off the goal-scoring hero Messi and bringing on Henrik Larsson. This change was clearly aimed at boosting Barcelona's attack, particularly by enhancing their ability to make diagonal runs into the penalty area.
Despite Messi's brilliance and outstanding performance, he hadn't yet reached the level of danger that Larsson, often referred to as "the King of Kings," could bring to the pitch in such crucial moments.
At this juncture, Gao Shen responded decisively by making his first substitution. He took off captain Raul and introduced Ronaldo, instructing the Brazilian to pair up with Negredo in a two-striker formation. This tactical shift aimed to put more pressure on Barcelona's defense and counter their increasing offensive push.
Rijkaard, watching from the sidelines, was visibly frustrated by Gao Shen's quick and calculated response. But with Barcelona trailing and time running out, he had no choice but to push forward aggressively, knowing full well that there was no turning back.
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