He Guessed Wrong!

"Order! Order! Or... order!"

On the morning of the match, at the regular tactical meeting of Real Madrid, Gao Shen repeatedly emphasized his requirements for this game.

In fact, the tactics that really fall into the details have been repeatedly rehearsed in training before, including how to defend, how to deal with changes on the court, etc., and they have been trained before.

But Gao Shen still has to pick out some key content and repeatedly make demands on the team.

It's kind of like a review before the college entrance examination.

"According to the list I predicted, our defense still has to focus on Ronaldinho and Messi, you have to pay 120,000 points, especially Messi. Don't make Del Horno's mistake because of his youth." When Gao Shen spoke, he looked specifically at Felipe Luis.

Before the Brazilian left-back got a USB drive from Gao Shen, which contained some video highlights of Messi's games, including the last sixteen of this season's Champions League, Barcelona's game against Chelsea, where Messi made Del Horno's red card.

This red card is somewhat controversial, but in fact, Del Horno is not wronged.

More importantly, behind the red card, the Spanish left-back was unfamiliar with Messi.

He thought that Messi was a teenager, so he despised him a little, but when it came to the game, he was played around by Messi.

The sight of the head coach also made Felipe feel the pressure. He nodded heavily and reminded himself that when it comes to the game, he must stay focused no matter what.

Messi and Ronaldinho cannot be frozen by just one person, and Gao Shen will not put the burden of defending these two players solely on the two full-backs, Abeloa and Felipe. That would be irresponsible.

In this game, Real Madrid will maintain a compact and meticulous formation, whether it is Ronaldinho or Messi, as soon as they get the ball, at least two players will surround them.

In addition to the full-backs, it is the double midfielder, which in turn forms a containment for them.

Ronaldinho and Messi are both good at dribbling and cutting inside from the flank. Gao Shen made this arrangement to prevent them from creating threats. At the same time, players on the periphery will also pay attention to cutting off their passing lines.

Both of these players are very difficult; they are the type of players who basically don't lose the ball unless you make a foul.

But fouling on the outside of the penalty area doesn't mean giving Ronaldinho a chance to try a free kick?

This Brazilian genius is definitely a famous free-kick master in history!

Therefore, Gao Shen's requirement is to reduce fouls at the front of the penalty area no matter what.

It is necessary to contain opponents in defense and reduce unnecessary fouls, which places high demands on players.

That's why Gao Shen emphasizes order so much.

Real Madrid can only rely on the team to fight; fighting alone cannot stop Barcelona.

"Barcelona's offense is mainly on the wing, with Messi on the right, and Ronaldinho and Van Bronckhorst on the left..." Gao Shen showed the players some of Barcelona's cooperation on the left.

Ronaldinho dribbled the ball inwards, giving way to the flank and leaving room for Van Bronckhorst to move forward.

Once Ronaldinho cuts in, it poses a question for Real Madrid's full-backs: to follow or not to follow?

Gao Shen gave a very clear answer. Under normal circumstances, Abeloa would not cut inwards but directly handed over the task of intercepting Ronaldinho to De La Red.

But in the game, it is often not so smooth, so Ronaldinho's inward cut is likely to divert the attention of both Abeloa and De La Red, or De La Red may be too late to return to his position, and Abeloa needs to follow. At this time, it is particularly important for Beckham to guard against Bronckhorst in time.

Otherwise, Barcelona's left-back will be inserted into the gap.

This is true on the right, and so is the defense on the left.

Although Gao Shen guessed that it would be Oleguer, he also made preparations: what if it was Belletti?

More importantly, Messi's ability to cut inside and kick the goal is not bad at all, and he has to pay attention.

Focusing on the Barcelona winger's inward cutting tactics, Gao Shen and the Real Madrid coaching staff have given many different targeted defensive schemes. Which one to adopt depends on the players' adaptability on the pitch.

The only constant key point is that Ronaldinho and Messi, as well as the full-backs inserted in the back, must not be left empty.

Of course, attackers like Ronaldinho and Messi, they won't be frozen just like that.

They tend to run more aggressively on the pitch, especially in the spaces between Real Madrid's defense, such as the line-to-line junction or in the halfway area.

This requires Real Madrid to always maintain an overall meticulous and orderly formation, maximizing the occupation of the dangerous area.

But in this way, the team will definitely not be able to compete with Barcelona on the ball.

"I can tell you with certainty that our possession time will be very short in this game, and each of you must be fully mentally prepared, just like our shadow training on weekdays, we can't grab the ball."

"It's scary for a lot of teams, but I'm sure you don't think so. On the contrary, we have to allow them to control the ball and give them more possession, but they can't create goal chances. Then they end up revealing their own defensive issues."

On the offensive end, the most commonly used starting lineup of Gao Shen is not equipped with traditional wingers, nor even fast players. Raul, Negredo, and Beckham do not have the advantage of speed.

But in the transition between offense and defense, this is actually not a problem.

The game is not a football manager game, and speed is not a simple statistic comparison.

The truth is, even a high center like Negredo can lead the team to a threatening counterattack as long as he can quickly get into the counter-attack zone when switching between offense and defense.

And what Gao Shen wants to attack is the area where Barcelona's full-backs are inserted, and the advantage is Negredo.

In Barcelona's philosophy, the full-backs are actually very high, especially in the case of Ronaldinho on the left, the full-back van Bronckhorst is actually more of a front-runner. He takes on the task of providing offensive width.

But in this way, it will inevitably leave a large gap behind.

Real Madrid's counter-attack is to take advantage of these gaps and quickly convert them into attacking opportunities for the team.

...

Gao Shen repeated the tactics and details that the team needed to pay attention to in tonight's game. In the end, he put away everything and stood in front of the players again.

"How to say?"

Gao Shen looked directly at the Real Madrid players in front of him, his eyes full of frankness and trust, as well as expectations.

"It's my first time participating in the Champions League final. Some of you are too, and we are facing a top team like Barcelona. I believe you are mentally prepared. Tonight will be a very, very difficult game."

"We'll be out of possession for most of the game. We'll have to run more and more aggressively. We'll be very tired; our bodies will be overwhelmed; our pressure will be very, very high..."

Gao Shen kept gesturing with his hands in front of him, showing the pressure and struggle in his heart at this moment.

"Please believe that I am like you. We are not as strong as Barcelona. This is a fact. We have to accept it, but acceptance does not mean admitting defeat. I believe that we can overcome these difficulties mentally and emotionally."

"No one knows better than you how difficult it is for us to go all the way to this day and walk into the Stade de France, so any difficulties are like an incentive for us."

"I enjoy difficulties and the sense of accomplishment after overcoming difficulties. It can not only improve my self-confidence but also improve the cohesion of the team. So, it is not terrible. And even I am eager to continue to challenge more difficulties."

"I believe that you are the same as me!"

Although he has only played under Gao Shen for three months, every player nodded their heads in unison when they heard these words.

One soldier is bristling, and one will be bristling.

Gao Shen led Real Madrid along the way. How many tough battles have they fought?

The players have long accepted this set of lofty concepts and implemented this lofty persistence.

As the head coach of the team, Gao Shen has actually left his mark on them and on the more than 30 players of the Real Madrid first team.

...

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the UEFA Champions League, the 51st UEFA Champions League final, and was arranged to return to Paris, where the first UEFA Champions League final was held.

And against the two sides are superstar-studded two giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Leaving aside the superstars of the two teams, let's talk about the history of the two teams. Real Madrid is the team that has won the most championships in the history of the Champions League, while Barcelona has only won the Champions League once but has reached the final five times.

In private words, Barcelona has a wealth of experience in winning the runner-up in the Champions League final.

Of course, in this regard, it is slightly inferior to Juventus.

Before the game, the media close to Real Madrid once joked that some people said that Gao Shen, like Capello, believes in one-to-zero doctrine.

The most tragic defeat in the history of the Champions League final was inflicted by AC Milan, coached by Capello, against Barcelona. The score was 4-0, and the Rossoneri completely dismantled Cruyff's "Dream Team," ending that era of Barcelona dominance.

Nowadays, many people compare Rijkaard's team to the "Dream 2" team, but in this Champions League final, he faced Real Madrid, coached by Gao Shen, a known disciple of Capello. Is this a coincidence?

This comparison, however, is mostly media hype. Within Real Madrid, including Gao Shen, the approach before the game was very low-key.

Only Chairman Martín, eyeing the summer campaign, was frequently in the media, making statements to please fans and draw attention, but these actions had no impact on the first team's preparations.

However, when the team arrived at the Stade de France and the players were training before the game, Gao Shen finally received Rijkaard's starting lineup for the night.

The results surprised him.

He guessed wrong!