When Mauricio Pellegrino was an assistant coach to Rafael Benitez at Liverpool in the Premier League, he had often heard of Gao Shen, and often competed with Manchester City, coached by Gao Shen, on the court.
But unfortunately, in the past three years, it has been difficult for Liverpool to beat Manchester City on the pitch.
This summer, Valencia changed coaches. Head coach Emery had conflicts with the club management. After leading the team to third place in the league, he resolutely chose not to renew his contract and went to Russia to coach Moscow.
Sparta.
The Bats originally wanted to invite Benitez to return as coach, but Benitez didn't agree, so they chose Pellegrino.
The Argentinian did not expect that his opponent in his first game back in La Liga would be Gao Shen.
What he didn't expect even more was that Gao Shen would create such a big news before the league started.
"If I can't win La Liga or the Champions League, I'll be dismissed!"
Gao Shen's declaration spread throughout the world in a very short period of time, causing an uproar among fans around the world.
How confident do you have to be to dare to shout such a slogan?
If you had replaced any other head coach, even a world-famous coach like Mourinho or Ancelotti, he would have been ridiculed by the media and fans. Do you really think that the championship is for your family?
But he is profound!
Not many people dared to make fun of him directly. On the contrary, many media outlets were interpreting Gao Shen's words and thought that what he said seemed to make sense. Real Madrid indeed has the strength to compete for the championship.
After careful interpretation by the media, everyone was surprised to find that Real Madrid seemed to be quite strong.
But Pellegrino knew that many interpretations were excessive.
What Gao Shen said is more important to inspire the stars in the team.
"What's the situation at Real Madrid now?" Pellegrini frowned and asked solemnly.
In front of him was his good friend Carlos Campanucci. The two had received youth training and debuted together in Sarsfield in Argentina. They fought side by side and were both on the championship-winning team coached by Bielsa.
Effectiveness.
After retiring, Campanucci studied under famous coaches such as Bianchi. When Pellegrino decided to accept the invitation from Valencia, the first thing he thought of was this former friend, and he immediately recruited him.
Please join the coaching staff.
"There is no news. After returning from the United States, Real Madrid held a closed training camp in Valdebebas. It is difficult for even AS and Marca to get information about Real Madrid, let alone our people."
After Companucci finished speaking, he shook his head and said: "Gao Shen's approach has also caused a lot of controversy in the media circle."
In the past few years, Real Madrid has always followed the traffic route and is known for its exposure. Every move within the team will attract the attention of the media. Real Madrid itself is also keen on this, and the media is happy to have a topic for speculation.
But the problem that follows is that Real Madrid has no secrets at all.
Under the spotlight of the media, every move Real Madrid makes will attract the attention of the media.
But after Gao Shen took office, this situation changed.
"It seems that he is serious." Pellegrino smiled bitterly.
When Gao Shen coached Real Madrid for the first time, he was still playing for Alaves in La Liga.
But it’s interesting to say that he was already thirty-four years old at the time. After playing against Real Madrid in February, he lost his main position in Alaves, and Real Madrid sacked him two weeks after playing against Alaves.
Get Carlo and let Gao Shen take over.
This was the beginning of Gao Shen's magnificent coaching career.
Therefore, Pellegrino is very familiar with everything that happened after Gao Shen took charge of Real Madrid.
Keeping the media out of Valdebebas, isn't this the way to coach Real Madrid?
"From the current point of view, he should still create a more relaxed playing environment for the team as he did six years ago, but on the other hand, he is trying every means to stimulate Real Madrid's stars..."
Pellegrino recalled Benitez's private evaluation of Gao Shen.
"He is like a cunning fox, every step has a deep meaning and is like a trap."
Thinking about it now, Pellegrino feels that Benitez is absolutely right.
"You still have to be careful, he always surprises you." Pellegrino warned.
"In the next two days, we will focus on practicing defense."
Like Benitez, Pellegrino also plans to adopt a 4-2-3 formation.
This formation is not only Benitez's specialty, but has also achieved impressive results in Valencia. It has a special meaning for this team. Pellegrino wants to use this to rekindle the team's enthusiasm.
Fighting spirit.
He was a member of Benitez's team when he won the championship.
…
"Defense will definitely be the most important aspect for Valencia."
Before the game, Gao Shen held a pre-game tactics meeting in the conference room in Valdebebas. He explained to all the players the targeted tactics for the game and the situations they might encounter in the game.
A very important part of it is interpreting Valencia.
"Our scouts tracked every warm-up match in Valencia's pre-season, and we got very detailed intelligence information."
That's the good thing about Real Madrid.
Gaoshen has enough budget and manpower to arrange special scouts to follow the warm-up matches and games of Valencia and other important opponents.
If it were another team, they simply wouldn't be able to afford such an expense.
"He will still adopt the 4-2-3-1 tactic, and the characteristic of this tactic is to press and press from a high position."
"Pellegrini is not a complete believer of Benitez, he is also Bielsa's favorite disciple."
Another favorite disciple of Bielsa is Espanyol's head coach, Pochettino.
What's interesting is that both Argentines were born as central defenders.
Whether as a player or as a head coach, the fact that Pellegrino is valued by tactician Benitez is enough to prove his extraordinaryness.
Whether it’s 4, 2, 3, 1, or Bielsa, they all advocate pressing and pressing from a high position.
"So, I can say with certainty that after the opening, Valencia will press very high, and their pressing will be full of threats and aggression. We must be mentally prepared for this."
Gao Shen's words also reminded Real Madrid's players that the opponent's strength is really not weak at all.
Last season, they were third in La Liga. This season, Valencia aims to join the two teams in the Spanish Super League. This is definitely a symbol of ambition for the Bats.
Many people think that there is no competition in La Liga, but this is not true.
Teams like Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and other teams are very competitive in the Champions League and Europa League, and the same is true in La Liga.
The reason why they appear weak when facing Real Madrid and Barcelona is because Real Madrid and Barcelona are too strong, which has led many people to underestimate the strength of the second tier of La Liga.
"I have said that we are never afraid of our opponents taking the initiative to press us. On the contrary, we welcome teams that press us, but the premise is that we must do our best and be able to hold our position."
When Gao Shen said this, he looked at the Real Madrid players in front of him and said, "Believe me, as long as you do what I ask, as long as you do what I ask, then we will definitely win this game at the Bernabeu!"
Gao Shen is really full of confidence.
His biggest worry is that the players will not be able to fully implement his arrangements.
Home games can be good or bad, the key lies in how you watch them.
Many teams are weird. Their home performance is worse but their away performance is better. Why?
Because there is no pressure in the away game, the opponent will not be so conservative and will actually play better.
But it's different at home. The fans' momentum is also a kind of pressure on the team. Instead, it makes them restrained and unable to perform smoothly. It may even become the crux of the team's unsatisfactory performance.
It's not like Real Madrid has never had home problems.
Gao Shen hopes to instill his confidence in the players and make them believe that they have a chance to win.
But in fact, he hasn't even decided on the starting lineup yet.
…
Marcelo is the main left back appointed by Gao Shen, but he participated in the Olympics and returned to the team in mid-August. He is still undergoing pre-season physical reserve training according to Buenaventura and Pintus' plan.
As a result, Gao Shen has only two choices on the left, Marcos Alonso or Arbeloa.
Both players have one characteristic, their offensive power is not as good as Marcelo's.
On the right, it's also a problem.
Arbeloa is the main right back of the European Champions. Although his performance in the European Cup is not as eye-catching as Alba on the left, he is still quite good, both offensive and defensive.
Carvajal is the young player Gao Shen wants to support the most, but his performance is still not reassuring.
Real Madrid's youth team players all have a common characteristic, that is, they often perform very well in the youth team or in other teams, but their performance in Real Madrid languishes.
After all, it’s still pressure.
Playing at Real Madrid is really stressful.
It’s not just the pressure of competition within the team, the pressure from fans and the media, but also the pressure the players themselves put on themselves.
Remember Yinlia Ramendi?
Does this player have no quality?
Real Madrid paid a huge amount of liquidated damages to get him.
In the season before joining Real Madrid, he was the best midfielder in La Liga, and he was young and had unlimited potential.
But what about after coming to Real Madrid?
Later, he himself revealed in an interview with the media that he was too young at the time and could not handle the pressure, which led to his failure to perform at Real Madrid.
That's the problem.
Gao Shen is also worried now, can Carvajal be able to withstand the pressure?
In the first round of the new season, is it appropriate to push the young players from the second team?
There is also a front line.
Gao Shen prefers Benzema, but Yin Guayin performed well in the warm-up match. Who should Gao Shen choose?
If Benzema continues to be used, does that mean that the performance in the warm-up match is worthless?
But if Yin Guayin is chosen, can he produce the effect Gao Shen wants on the court?
Sometimes, the biggest difference between wealthy teams and other teams is that wealthy teams actually have more choices.
And often, having too many choices is not a good thing.
Gao Shen is now facing such a happy trouble.
More importantly, he must win the first round of the new season!
