On game day mornings, Gao Shen usually spends his time chatting.
Real Madrid's players have all heard of Gao Shen's habits before, and now they are all accustomed to the coach's style.
After getting along with each other, they basically prefer to chat with Gao Shen. Many times, they will even reflect on some trivial matters they encounter with the head coach through this kind of chatting, and Gao Shen will try his best to help them solve it.
This is actually the way he has gotten along with players over the past few years.
Although the head coach is not a nanny, it is the responsibility of all head coaches to allow players to play with peace of mind.
It is in this kind of interaction that Gao Shen has always maintained a good relationship with the players. Every team he has coached has basically never had any problems with locker room management, and the players are willing to play for him.
On the morning of the Derby of the Century, the first person Gao Shen talked about was Casillas.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper has gradually understood his position in Real Madrid, especially at the beginning of the season. He made mistakes after several appearances. As a result, he is now suppressed by Courtois in the league competition.
It's really not that Gao Shen didn't give him a chance, but that the Belgian boy was too outrageous.
He seems to make no mistakes and is incredibly stable.
There is no other way, Casillas can only focus on the Champions League.
The Derby of the Century is different from other games. Gao Shen also considered Casillas' awkward position, so he had a chat with him for a while, mainly to explain his reasons for continuing to use Courtois.
There is really no way around this.
He has started the first few games and played well. It is impossible for him to win the Derby of the Century directly. What does this make Courtois think? What does it make other players think?
Who can be convinced?
Casillas also understands that although he very much hopes to play, he can only accept it.
The main problem is that he made mistakes in several appearances at the beginning of the season.
Casillas couldn't play, and the captain's armband was worn on Ramos' arm.
Gao Shen went to Ramos the next time, not only telling him to give full play to his duties as captain in the game, but also asking him to pay attention to communication with the referee, especially to stay rational and calm.
Gao Shen is the most worried about Ramos and Pepe. If these two guys get hot-headed and are sent off by the referee, Real Madrid will be in a very difficult situation.
But there is no way to over-restrict this kind of thing.
As a defender, if you are overly constrained and your hands are tied and restricted in every aspect of the game, that is not a good thing after all.
Therefore, the most important thing for Gao Shen is to keep him sensible and avoid unnecessary fouls.
"You have seen the situation now. Yingor can only play in the Champions League and cup competitions. You have to shoulder the heavy responsibility. Both I and the superiors are very optimistic about you. The only hidden danger is that you have to correct this problem."
"You are a smart man, Sergio. Smart people don't allow themselves to make stupid mistakes. Do you understand?"
Ramos kept nodding.
Since the beginning of this season, as Gao Shen has sorted out the defensive system, especially the entire midfield and frontcourt's investment in defense, the pressure on Real Madrid's defense has been reduced a lot, and Ramos and Pepe's mistakes have also been reduced.
This also proves once again that defense really depends on the whole team.
The past "cruelty" of Real Madrid's two central defenders was mostly due to the fact that they were directly exposed to the opponent's offensive guns.
The third person Gao Shen talked about was Pepe, and he said almost the same thing as Ramos, hoping that he would control his temper, but what Gao Shen said more was his appreciation and affirmation of Pepe.
"I believe that as long as you stay rational, you will definitely be one of the strongest central defenders in world football today."
This is true, Pepe's physical fitness is really strong.
In fact, he is one of the players with the best overall physical fitness in world football today.
This reminds Gao Shen of Leeds United's Koulibaly, both of whom are the type of players who can tell at a glance that he is a top prospect.
For Courtois, Gao Shen mainly focuses on encouragement.
The Belgian goalkeeper has a maturity and stability that belies his age. Even if it is his first time to participate in the Derby of the Century, he does not seem to be stage frightened at all, but feels eager to try.
The focus of the morning's conversation was on Modric and Toni Kroos.
These two positions are not only crucial in the advanced tactical system, but also in tonight's Derby of the Century, especially the position of Toni Kroos, who happens to be opposite Xavi.
The conversation between Gao Shen and Toni Kroos was more like a tactical exchange meeting.
First, Toni Kroos asked several questions, all of which were based on possible situations on the court. Gao Shen also answered them one by one and gave some of his own ideas.
For example, once Busquets is pinned by Benzema, Xavi is likely to retreat deep.
"Follow him, suppress him, don't let him hit the ball easily." Gao Shen said without hesitation.
"What about the position that was vacated after I stepped in?" Toni Kroos was a little worried.
What Barcelona is best at is luring players out and playing their position.
"With Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi Alonso, Marcelo, or even Ramos, they can block your position, and you can trust your teammates," Gao Shen said.
Toni Cross nodded heavily, "I understand."
"But remember, don't be obsessed with fighting, don't be too hot-headed, and try to steal the ball, just like Porto's Fernando, but you will end up being tricked by Barcelona's passing and controlling the ball."
"Don't worry, boss, I'll block Harvey when I step in. As soon as Harvey's threat to get the ball is gone, I'll pull back immediately."
Toni Kroos has always been a very calm and rational player, and Gao Shen is very reassured by his character.
"Remember, move more and hit both wings, especially Di Maria's side." Gao Shen warned solemnly.
Alba and Alves are full of attacking power on both wings. They almost always use themselves as full midfielders or even wingers, often pressing very high forward.
Gao Shen asked Real Madrid's wingers to actively retreat and contain Barcelona's wingers, but when counterattacking, they should also rush forward quickly when they have the opportunity.
Moreover, Benzema will also play a role.
This point of Busquets is very critical, and Benzema's suppression of him is the key to success or failure.
Gao Shen spent the entire morning communicating and talking with the players, not paying any attention to the commotion outside.
…
In European football, there has always been an unwritten rule.
That is, before the game starts, the home team's management will entertain the visiting team's management.
There is no conflict between the life-and-death competition on the court and the friendly exchanges and cooperation off the court.
But Barcelona was obviously more grand this time.
Because, this is the first time that Real Madrid president Florentino personally supervises an away game.
Barcelona chairman Rosell also has great respect for this powerful tycoon in European football.
When Rosell first took over Barcelona, he considered launching an investigation into former chairman Laporta's corruption and even threatened to send Laporta to prison.
This incident also caused quite a stir at the time.
But when things got serious, Florentino stepped forward and called Rosell to persuade the Barcelona chairman to give up pursuing Laporta because he wanted to save Barcelona's face.
It's as if he didn't pursue Calderon in the first place.
Once this kind of thing is revealed, it will not only damage the club's image, but it will also be like opening Pandora's box.
I would like to ask, can the next one also hold Russell accountable?
Which member-only club like Real Madrid and Barcelona doesn't have all kinds of tricks?
If we really want to investigate, who can be cleaner than whom?
Russell followed Florentino's suggestion, and this time he was treated warmly and learned lessons on the spot.
At the just-concluded Real Madrid membership meeting, Florentino passed a resolution that when candidates for Real Madrid chairman want to run for office in the future, they must use 15% of Real Madrid's season budget from their personal pockets as a campaign deposit.
The reason is to prevent borers like Calderon from appearing.
But everyone knows that with Real Madrid’s current season budget, 15% of the guaranteed deposit is as high as 80 million euros. How can it be paid casually?
Florentino's move is undoubtedly paving the way for his re-election.
Russell was also very interested in this and naturally wanted to ask for more advice.
The two of them brought their respective teams to a high-end restaurant near Camp Nou for dinner. The atmosphere was very lively, without any of the life-and-death atmosphere of the Derby of the Century. Russell also respected Florentino in every possible way.
However, at the end of the dinner, as the game time approached, the topic gradually shifted to the game itself.
"Gao Shen really shouldn't have encouraged you to come to Camp Nou this time, Florentino." Russell said with a smile.
The implication is that this is a losing game.
Many people also speculated that Florentino was deceived by Gao Shen into helping out.
"I have great confidence in him." Florentino said with an unquestionable tone, still smiling brightly.
"You know, there will be a lot of unpleasant scenes at Camp Nou later. His many remarks and actions before the game have made him, and Real Madrid, the most unpopular person in Camp Nou. This is what we It’s not easy to restrain either.”
After hearing this, Florentino still smiled and nodded, "I understand, the fans' emotions need some outlets."
Russell was at a loss for what to do for a moment, especially when facing an opponent who was always smiling but had no leaks.
"To be honest, I think it was not a rational choice for him to deliberately anger Barcelona players, fans and media before the game. Barcelona will unleash an unprecedented fighting force tonight, and the result may make you very disappointed."
"It's okay. I'm here and I'm mentally prepared for the worst." Florentino replied with a smile.
Russell was a little depressed, this old man was a bit troublesome.
But it doesn’t matter, just keep laughing!
Later, in the game, watching your team being delayed step by step, I hope you can still laugh!
