Capítulo 57: Unpopular Temptations
In the 30th round of La Liga, Barcelona played away to Malaga.
Although Barcelona had excellent luck in the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals and drew the weakest team, Benfica from the Portuguese Super League, Rijkaard still did not dare to be careless. In the match against Málaga, he carried out a large rotation.
Ronaldinho, Deco, Xavi, and Puyol all rested, and almost all substitutes played in Málaga.
Among the regular starters, only Eto'o and Giuly, who became a mainstay after Messi's season-ending injury, started.
Unexpectedly, at the Rose Garden Stadium, Barcelona encountered a tenacious resistance from Malaga.
Without Ronaldinho, Xavi, Deco, and Iniesta, Barcelona's frontcourt attack was seriously lacking in creativity, relying more on the cooperation between Eto'o, Larsson, and Giuly to create opportunities.
But it was hard to break down Malaga's defenses.
Giuly was very active on the right and completely dominated Barcelona's attack.
In stoppage time, Giuly's free kick from the right led to a header from Larsson, and Eto'o followed up and scored.
However, the Malaga players protested that Larsson had committed a handball foul during the header, which caused a strong reaction from the crowd.
The referee ruled that the goal was invalid on the pitch, but according to the slow-motion replay of the live TV footage, Larsson actually did not commit a handball foul. This was an obvious misjudgment.
Failed to score in the first half, and after changing sides in the second half, Barcelona's offense still did not improve.
And what is puzzling is that Rijkaard replaced Giuly, who was the most active, at 60 minutes.
Although it didn't take long for Iniesta to come on as a substitute and improve Barcelona's midfield organization, they still couldn't break Malaga's defense and the match ended 0-0.
Twenty-two shots, ten on target, and none scored. Barcelona returned from the Rose Garden empty-handed.
...
Real Madrid's game was scheduled a day later than Barcelona's.
Gao Shen and the coaching staff watched the live broadcast of the Barcelona game in Valdebebas. The 0-0 result was unexpected because Malaga was currently ranked at the bottom of La Liga, with relegation almost certain.
The top team in La Liga drawing with the bottom team is quite an upset.
Rijkaard dared to make such a strong rotation because he felt that winning against Malaga would be easy, but who would have thought the Rose Garden would be so difficult.
The upset was caused by many factors, including the referee's misjudgment, but this did not change the fact that Barcelona dropped points again.
After watching the live broadcast, the coach's office was very quiet.
Gao Shen was contemplating a very tempting question.
Should they take the opportunity to shorten the points gap?
According to Gao Shen's original plan, the game against Deportivo La Coruña at home would also see a large rotation. The purpose was simple: to better prepare for the challenge against Juventus in Turin next Wednesday.
Capello's Juventus team is known for its toughness, just by looking at their lineup and considering Capello's style.
Not to mention the current old, weak, and sick Real Madrid. Even the Real Madrid at its peak would have to dread facing Juventus. Gao Shen had to recharge and go all out.
But now Barcelona had drawn.
What does this represent?
After Barcelona drew with Málaga, the points gap with Real Madrid increased to eight points, but Real Madrid had one less game.
If Real Madrid can beat Deportivo La Coruña at home tomorrow night, the gap will be reduced to five points.
From ten points to five points, Real Madrid will have more confidence and fighting spirit for next weekend's national derby.
But this will inevitably affect the Champions League match next Wednesday.
The Champions League is tempting, but so is the league.
"What do you think?" Gao Shen asked.
Everyone knew what Gao Shen was asking.
"There is a chance, but... it's too risky," Maqueda said cautiously.
Gao Shen didn't say anything, he nodded encouragingly and motioned him to continue.
"We all know how strong Juventus is, and this team is very stable. Even if we concentrate all our elites and go to the Stadio delle Alpi in the best state, we may not be able to take advantage of it. If we are distracted by the league, I'm afraid..."
Everyone nodded.
As a traveler, Gao Shen knew in his heart that Serie A was about to encounter the Calciopoli scandal and then quickly decline.
But before Calciopoli, the strength of Serie A was difficult for the later generations to understand and appreciate.
In particular, Capello's Juventus is too strong.
There are the best players in the world in almost every position. With such a lineup, coupled with Capello, who is as steady as an old dog, one can imagine how difficult it is to play against Juventus.
"It's true to say so, but now Barcelona has made a mistake again. The opportunity is in front of us, don't we want it?" Lucas put forward a different opinion.
He now understood Gao Shen's behavior. Whenever Gao Shen proposed a discussion, everyone would express their opinions together.
"We are chasing Barcelona hard. Now we grit our teeth and try to win against Deportivo La Coruña in the league. The gap between points will be shortened. In the Champions League, we will stick it out away and return to the home court to decide the winner."
As soon as Lucas finished speaking, Maqueda said, "This is too risky, and it is idealistic. In fact, we may not be able to leave Turin whole. Once we lose the ball, Capello's team will not give us any chance."
Capello believes in the one-to-zero doctrine, which, as the name suggests, is to score one more goal than the opponent.
From this point of view, it is not difficult to see how good the team he coached is defensively.
Of course, Gao Shen has also been dubbed Capello II recently because his Real Madrid is also playing 1-0 and is very conservative.
"I still insist on my opinion. It is now the 30th round, and the league is about to come to an end. If we can't shorten the gap as soon as possible, the pressure will increase and we will have to give up the league in the end, but the Champions League..."
Lucas didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was very clear. Real Madrid's situation in the Champions League is not much better than in La Liga.
Gao Shen turned to look at Buenaventura, "Lorenzo, what do you think?"
Buenaventura had just arrived at the team, but he had quickly earned Gao Shen's trust. He was consulted before every game, and now was no exception.
"Both opinions are justified, it depends on whether you should be proactive or more prudent."
After a pause, Buenaventura looked at the people around him again and suggested, "Actually, several Brazilian players in the team are in good health and their physical fitness is also good. Is it possible..."
"It's not yet time, this matter is not discussed." Gao Shen interrupted Buenaventura before he could finish speaking.
Buenaventura was stunned for a moment, not expecting Gao Shen to be so determined.
Looking at the others, he immediately understood why no one had raised this opinion.
"That's it for the time being. Everyone think about it, and I will think about it. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning."
In fact, Gao Shen also knew in his heart that several members of the Brazilian squad would be a great help now.
Ronaldo, Baptista, Carlos, Robinho, and Cicinho—if these five players could participate in the game, it would be a great help to Real Madrid.
But he couldn't just focus on the present, but had to consider the overall situation.
During his tenure at Real Madrid, he had been suppressing the Brazilian gang to make them submissive and obedient.
As long as they were compliant, Gao Shen could use them smoothly. They would obey the team's overall tactical discipline and work hard on the pitch, allowing Real Madrid to function as a cohesive unit.
Now, the time was not ripe, especially when Gao Shen took the initiative to let the Brazilians play. If he did so, they would become more arrogant. Wouldn't all of Gao Shen's previous efforts be in vain?
Judging from Ronaldo's remarks, he couldn't hold out much longer. It was just a little more time.
These Brazilian players all wanted to participate in the World Cup in Germany, and they would definitely give in.
It's not worth giving up now.
...
Leaving Valdebebas, Gao Shen rode his bicycle back to the Odalesa district.
Along the way, he was weighing and considering this matter.
In fact, this was never about right or wrong, but about trade-offs and compromises.
In the field of professional sports, if you win, everything you do is right and commendable. If you lose, no matter how justified your reasons, they become mere excuses.
Especially for the head coach.
Therefore, some people say that the manager is the riskiest profession in European football, with higher risks than the players.
At the very least, if the team's performance is poor, the first to be held accountable is the head coach, not the players.
Gao Shen came home, and after washing up, he lay in bed and directly entered the tactical library.
During this time, he spent time in the library, continuing to study Benitez's books, while also reading works by others such as Ferguson, Wenger, and Ranieri.
Before each game, he would also carefully read the books of the opposing team's coach to understand their tactical concepts, game strategies, and some commanding styles, which was of great benefit to him.
It can be said that in the past period, Real Madrid's consecutive victories were inseparable from Gao Shen's studies in the Tactical Library.
In recent days, Gao Shen has been reading the books of Juventus' two former head coaches, Silver Fox Lippi and Capello, to find a way to deal with Juventus.
The books of these two tactical masters are extensive and profound, especially their understanding and practice of various tactical theories, which captivates Gao Shen. Not only has it given him a deeper understanding of Italian football, but it has also provided him with further insights into the essence of football tactics.
For example, what makes a great team?
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