Chapter 66: Here Comes Ronnie
The next morning after the match against Juventus, at the gate of the Valdebebas training base, Gao Shen finally enjoyed the treatment of a Real Madrid head coach.
As he tried to sneak in through the side door on his bicycle, he was stopped by two young Real Madrid female fans who wanted to ask for his autograph.
Gao Shen was very surprised because it was the first time anyone had asked him for an autograph since he started coaching Real Madrid a month ago. The fact that they were young female fans made it even more surprising.
Behind the two female fans, more Real Madrid fans were watching from a distance, some with cold expressions.
It was rare for fans to ask for his autograph, especially female fans. Of course, Gao Shen couldn't refuse. He got off his bike, took the autograph book and pen, and signed his Chinese name on it.
After seeing Gao Shen's autograph, the two female fans showed a stern look of admiration, which greatly satisfied Gao Shen's vanity. He had practiced Chinese calligraphy, after all.
"Although many people question you, we know that you have done a great job. I hope you can continue to work hard and lead the team to a triumphant return from Camp Nou," one of the female fans said happily, holding the autograph book.
"Thank you," Gao Shen nodded in thanks.
Pushing his bicycle, he entered through the small side door. Gao Shen heard the two female fans laughing and whispering behind him, vaguely saying words like "so handsome," which made him feel great satisfaction.
We also have female fans!
Even the security captain at the gate looked at Gao Shen with a slightly ambiguous, envious look.
This suddenly made Gao Shen feel like he was walking on air.
...
The incident at the gate quickly spread through Valdebebas.
At first, Lucas, Buenaventura, and others saw Gao Shen smiling the whole time and thought it was because of the away draw with Juventus. When they learned the real reason, their eyes changed when they looked at Gao Shen.
Unexpectedly, you are such a person!
Being stared at by everyone was a little embarrassing, so Gao Shen could only cough heavily and knock on the table.
"Be serious, there's a meeting!"
Only then did everyone restrain themselves, but the smiles on their faces could not be hidden.
"Okay, Lorenzo, talk about it first."
Since Buenaventura came to Real Madrid, he had been highly valued.
It can be said that Gao Shen put the training power of the team into his hands, making him Gao Shen's right-hand man.
He was mainly responsible for physical training and player conditioning. Now, he was analyzing the general physical condition of the players based on last night's game and making arrangements for the training for the next few days.
After Juventus, Real Madrid's next focus was the weekend's Clasico.
This was the battle Gao Shen and everyone at Real Madrid paid the most attention to.
There were only eight rounds left in La Liga. Apart from the Camp Nou battle, only seven rounds remained. Real Madrid was currently five points behind Barcelona, making the gap difficult to reverse.
But if Real Madrid could beat Barcelona at Camp Nou and reduce the points gap to two, the situation would be completely different.
Buenaventura felt that the game in Turin had been taxing, especially because Juventus had played so hard in the last 20 minutes, exceeding his expectations. He would try his best to adjust the players' physical fitness and condition, hoping to have them in better shape for the national derby on the weekend.
"In addition, after going home last night, I looked at Barcelona's game data and some situations as you suggested. I think Barcelona's recent form isn't great, especially in midfield, and their players' physical consumption is high."
Barcelona's lineup had always been relatively thin.
The most impressive thing to Gao Shen was that when Guardiola was in charge, there were only 19 players in the first team.
Although the current Barcelona isn't that thin, their bench isn't much better.
Messi, Xavi, Edmilson, and Marquez were all injured, making Barcelona's manpower even scarcer.
In terms of schedule, Barcelona had experienced a tough period and were now battling on two fronts. The game pressure was high, and with a thin lineup, it would be strange if their physical fitness were good.
"I'm guessing that when they drew Benfica away, they also conserved energy for the weekend's national derby," Gao Shen concluded.
Everyone nodded.
This weekend's national derby was indeed very important. It could even be said to be the most important battle in La Liga this season, a watershed moment. If Barcelona won, their championship would be stable. If Real Madrid won, the situation would reverse.
Rijkaard would understand the importance of this game.
The Champions League quarter-finals still had a home game, but if the Clasico were lost, the situation for Barcelona would become even more difficult.
"Let's ask the scouts to dig in and see if Puyol can play," Gao Shen said, looking at Maqueda.
Maqueda nodded. Now he was not only a press conference tool but also a communication coordinator for the coaching staff and other departments. Who made him come from Real Madrid and be very familiar with everything?
Whether Puyol could play was important for Barcelona's defense quality, and it was crucial for Gao Shen's formation.
Unlike Messi, Xavi, Edmilson, and Marquez, who were definitely out, Puyol was said to have participated in joint training.
"Then how are we going to play this weekend?" Buenaventura asked with concern.
He had to formulate the next training plan based on Gao Shen's ideas, especially group training.
Everyone also attached great importance to this and looked at Gao Shen.
Unconsciously, they had all recognized Gao Shen's authority and were used to obeying his arrangements.
"Wait a minute, let's do recovery training first. I'll have to see a certain individual before deciding on the specifics."
"Who?" Maqueda asked curiously.
Gao Shen smiled mysteriously, "Guess."
...
...
The morning training session didn't have anything profound at all.
Woodgate played the full game against Juventus. After the game, Gao Shen asked the team doctor to make a detailed medical report on him. The English central defender still couldn't handle the pressure of two games in one week.
This was also a big hassle.
Real Madrid had three central defenders. Elgra was old and his state was declining. Ramos was frizzy, and Woodgate had many injuries, resulting in the three players taking turns and failing to form a stable partnership, which was fatal.
Fortunately, after this period of running-in, they understood Gao Shen's requirements and could cooperate well.
The restorative training was hosted by Buenaventura, and the players were still divided into two groups.
When Carlo was there before, he promoted many players from the second team. Gao Shen promoted more than a dozen players, but after this period of investigation, he temporarily put some unsuitable players back in the second team.
For example, Callejon's younger brother and several players promoted by Carlo were put back. Now the first team lineup had been reduced to over 30 players. Players like Parejo and Juan Mata were training with the first team but returning to the second team for games, which also served as encouragement.
Gao Shen promised them that with the current tight schedule, he couldn't use them now. When the game pressure was less, he would give these players a chance in the first team. He hoped they would continue to work hard.
This kept the first team's training always vibrant and intense.
...
After training, Gao Shen walked side by side with the team doctor to the coaching room, reviewing the players' morning medical reports as they went.
The injuries of several players were manageable and wouldn't affect the game, but they needed to be careful.
Back in the coach's office, on his desk were analysis reports submitted by Fernando Lucas about Barcelona's recent games and a USB flash drive with some game highlights.
After Gao Shen requested, Real Madrid signed a formal contract with Lucas and arranged for him to study at Loughborough University. He was still working with Real Madrid, with all expenses reimbursed by the club.
Lucas now felt like he was training with Real Madrid, while Gao Shen was responsible for commenting on his analysis reports.
There was also information about the hotel the team would use, including rooms for employees and players, training equipment, food, and beverages. Many things needed Gao Shen's confirmation and signature.
Even though it wasn't a game day, as the head coach, Gao Shen had many daily trivial matters, especially with the tight schedule. Time flew by when he was busy.
The office suddenly became quiet, and Lucas gently pushed Gao Shen from the side, breaking his concentration.
Ronaldo stood in front of him, looking embarrassed, as if he had been waiting for a while.
Gao Shen looked around and found the coaches had become silent, all watching them. He immediately stood up.
He swore he didn't mean to snub Ronaldo. He was just too busy.
At this moment, Gao Shen realized why many leaders and head coaches have their own offices—to avoid this kind of embarrassment.
In the past month, he had been chatting with players. No player had ever approached him in private. It was probably related to his working in the coach's office.
"I'm sorry, there are a lot of things," Gao Shen explained apologetically and quickly cleared the table.
Ronaldo saw that since he came in, Gao Shen had been busy with documents, emails, and signatures. He was truly busy.
"It's fine," the Brazilian replied lightly.
Gao Shen looked around again and saw the coaches with their ears perked up, making it clear they wanted to eavesdrop.
"Let's go next door," Gao Shen said with a wry smile.
Ronaldo instantly felt relieved. He stood up and followed Gao Shen out of the office.
As soon as the two left, the coach's office suddenly burst into an uproar.
They never thought that Ronaldo would take the initiative to find Gao Shen, and it seemed that Gao Shen had known about it for a long time.
"What are they planning to talk about?"
"Do you think they're going to argue again?"
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