Midnight on September 15, Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Sevilla.
When referee Mejuto González blew the final whistle, the entire Pizjuán erupted with thunderous cheers from the home fans. Gao Shen stood in front of the visiting team's technical area, his expression heavy.
0-0. That was the score on the scoreboard.
Both teams recorded 33 shots in total, yet not a single goal was scored.
Real Madrid alone had 25 shots, with nine on target and two hitting the post, all of which were blocked by Sevilla's veteran goalkeeper Andrés Palop.
What else could Gao Shen say?
When the final whistle blew, Sevilla manager Michel, a former member of Real Madrid's famous "Quinta del Buitre," walked over with a smile and extended his hand.
"The way you guys fought tonight was really..." Gao Shen gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He couldn't find the right words.
Michel himself looked slightly embarrassed.
Tonight, he had deployed a midfield trio of Maduro, Medel, and Campaña, clearly aiming to lock down the game with a conservative setup.
Up front, he had Negredo, once a favorite of Gao Shen's during his early coaching days at Real Madrid. On the right, he used the rapid Jesús Navas and Cicinho. That right flank, along with Negredo, caused Real Madrid's defense problems twice.
The first chance came in under a minute, when Navas and Negredo both had opportunities in the box. But Courtois stood firm, and Sevilla missed the chance.
After that, they struggled to create any more clear threats.
The early danger was also linked to Gao Shen's squad selection for this match.
Starting XI:
Goalkeeper: Courtois
Defenders: Marcos Alonso, Varane, Pepe, Carvajal
Midfield: Casemiro (deep-lying), Kroos, Verratti
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Lucas Vázquez
Gao Shen didn't go all-in. He rotated the lineup to give young players more playing time.
In fact, Real Madrid's youngsters played well and showed plenty of energy.
Part of that was due to Sevilla's players returning from international duty, but the Real Madrid youth did their part.
Marcos Alonso and Varane started together for the first time. Aside from the early lapse, they managed to contain Navas on the wing and cut off Negredo's central support for the remainder of the match.
That was no small feat for two young defenders.
Carvajal also demonstrated his attacking threat on the right flank. He linked up well with Vázquez, whose shot hit the post.
Real Madrid had nearly 70% possession and dominated the game, but just couldn't score. What more could they do?
Ronaldo was clearly off-form and became visibly frustrated toward the end.
Gao Shen substituted him in the second half for Higuaín, but the Argentine striker also struck the post and failed to continue his streak of scoring off the bench in three straight matches this season.
…
"Barcelona won again. You'd better be ready for the pressure," Michel said with a sigh.
Though now Sevilla's manager, Michel remained a Real Madrid legend and had previously managed the club's B team. He had a good relationship with Gao Shen and the two had worked together many times before.
There had even been talk of bringing him back to the Bernabéu as Gao Shen's assistant.
Now, he had managed to hold Real Madrid to a draw at home.
"No pressure. It's just part of the job. We've got another away game next Wednesday. How can I not rotate?" Gao Shen replied.
Michel nodded. "The media won't see it that way though."
"Let them think what they want. I need to give these young players game time, so they can adapt to the pace and grow quickly. We need to establish an effective rotation system to compete on two fronts. The first-choice lineup alone can't sustain us for a whole season."
From Gao Shen's promotion of academy players and recall of Marcos Alonso this summer, it was clear he was focusing on internal development.
In the first three rounds, with matches only once a week, he hadn't been able to rest his starters. But now, things were different.
Tonight, the real issue was bad luck.
If just one of those two shots that hit the post had gone in, they'd have won.
What could he do?
If players who play in international fixtures, especially those traveling from South America, aren't rotated, the younger players will lose motivation and morale.
But rotating players also had its risks—like now, falling four points behind Barcelona.
Still, Gao Shen chalked it up to bad luck. Real Madrid's overall performance wasn't poor.
"Keep going," Michel offered some encouragement.
Gao Shen smiled and thanked him. "Don't worry. Our main objective is to stay close to Barcelona in the table. We can't let the gap widen. We need to stay in that leading group to compete for the title."
"You've seen what this group of young players can do. If we keep training them and wait for them to mature, our depth will improve and we'll hit our stride."
That's why Gao Shen believed this Real Madrid team had great potential.
Many only saw that Real Madrid dropped two points away at Sevilla. They didn't see that Gao Shen deployed two entirely different tactical systems during the match.
The first was the 4-3-3, the main tactic he'd been developing. The second was a 4-3-1-2, with Isco playing as the central attacking midfielder—the "1"—freely roaming and performing well.
Gao Shen had tested this system in friendlies, but this was the first time using it in a competitive fixture.
In the second half, Sevilla were exhausted, but still defended well.
Higuaín's shot that struck the post came from a penetrating pass after Isco's dribble.
…
As expected, Barcelona beat Getafe 4-1 away from home, maintaining a perfect record and sitting atop the standings.
Real Madrid's league position dropped to fourth, behind Atlético Madrid and Málaga.
Even more interestingly, Getafe had previously drawn 0-0 with Real Madrid at home—same stadium, same opponent, just two rounds apart.
After the match, many reporters confronted Gao Shen.
Gao Shen didn't dodge the criticism. He took full responsibility.
"The rotation was my decision. We've got another away game on Wednesday, in Germany, and I have to prepare for that. So I rested some players who had long international trips or logged heavy minutes for their national teams."
He explained the reasoning clearly.
But he didn't believe Real Madrid played poorly in this match.
"A draw away to Sevilla is not a bad result, in my opinion. In fact, I think it's quite decent."
"Instead of focusing purely on the result, I'd rather see my players making the most of every minute on the pitch and working hard to create chances."
He mentioned several names, including Carvajal, praising the young right-back for his impressive speed, technique, and attacking ability.
Vázquez was noted for his effort and tenacity. Gao Shen said he was a player worth keeping an eye on.
Varane didn't need much commentary. When Verratti came on, he helped stabilize possession and rhythm in midfield. Though Casemiro made some mistakes, his overall performance was still commendable.
"His physicality, duels, and defensive contribution make him a player worth watching."
"Isco impressed me the most tonight. He's the kind of player who can break the deadlock. Unfortunately, we were just unlucky."
Gao Shen didn't shy away from acknowledging that some players didn't perform well.
"But this group of young players is still developing. I see them every day, and I can clearly tell they're improving and growing. I believe they are the future of Real Madrid!"
Compared to his explosive showing in the previous round, Jesé's performance this time was average. But Gao Shen understood.
Young players can't be expected to shine in every match. Ups and downs were normal.
"I still believe it's too early to say who will win the league. We'll prove our strength."
…
The media reaction to Real Madrid's draw was mixed.
Outlets close to the club were generally more forgiving. They felt it was an acceptable result, especially considering the heavy rotation.
In particular, the young players had shown promising signs.
Alfredo, editor-in-chief of AS, supported Gao Shen's approach. He argued the league was a marathon and that it wasn't worth overextending the starters this early.
"Real Madrid's job now is to maintain pressure on Barcelona while giving young players more minutes and accumulating strength for the future."
He reminded everyone that the season had only just begun.
However, many others argued that Real Madrid falling four points behind Barcelona after just four rounds could jeopardize their title hopes.
Worse yet, the team hadn't looked particularly convincing.
Two wins and two draws in four matches meant they were still unbeaten, but both wins came at home. Both away games had ended in draws.
"It's hard to believe this is Real Madrid, one of Spain's two footballing giants, and a title contender."
The Catalan media, as expected, ramped up the hype. Messi had scored twice again, matching Ronaldo's tally and reigniting the battle between the two superstars.
In the Sevilla match, Ronaldo's sullen expression after being subbed was interpreted as dissatisfaction with the coach, especially in light of earlier rumors of tension between him and Gao Shen.
Gao Shen remained low-key amid the media noise. In private talks with Ronaldo, he asked the Portuguese forward not to make any public statements, to avoid giving reporters more material to sensationalize.
Up next was a crucial away match against Dortmund—a must-win.
And Dortmund were in red-hot form, having just beaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at home in the Bundesliga's third round.
Klopp's side would be a serious test!
(To be continued.)
***
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