Compared with last season's preseason, Real Madrid's warm-up results this summer have been much better.
This left many Spanish media asking, are you sure it is really Gao Shen leading the team?
Not Carlo, Zidane, or Hierro in charge?
It does not look like him at all.
Everyone knows Gao Shen loves to get fancy in warm-up matches and never cares about results, yet so far this season, Real Madrid have not shown many new tricks.
They tried a back three in two matches when the games were drawn, then quickly switched back.
This does not look sophisticated at all.
Yes, that is right.
Reporters quickly found a new angle of attack. Gao Shen was being too conservative.
Why did Real Madrid perform so well in friendlies?
Because Gao Shen had become conservative. He wanted to rest on his laurels and no longer had the courage or determination to try new tactics. Now he wanted to polish Real Madrid's 4-3-3 step by step.
In short, this was not the sophistication they expected.
They wanted to see Gao Shen always full of passion, always reckless, dismissive of results, always trying new tactics and new playing styles, never satisfied with the status quo.
Gao Shen was puzzled when he saw this.
Are you talking about me?
He specifically asked Carlos Vargas to find some of the media's past remarks, compile them, then repost them on Twitter to slap them in the face.
"If there had not been any evidence, I would have believed it."
Fans and netizens were delighted.
This is how we should treat the media, hit them hard.
The previous warm-up results were not ideal mainly because we were testing tactics and changing player roles. You all pretended not to see it and only criticized the results.
Now that I have stopped the extravagance and the results have improved, you start blasting me for being conservative and not sophisticated?
Fine, you have said everything. What else can I say?
Alright, I will say no more. I will just post the screenshots.
…
"Are you guys pretending not to see anything?"
In the coach's office at Valdebebas, Gao Shen sat with his legs crossed, browsing Twitter.
To this day, he is still a shareholder of Twitter.
Is he on Twitter?
No, he is generating traffic for Twitter, he is making money.
Gao Shen did not put his phone away until everyone came in, and he switched it to silent mode.
After returning from the long trip in the United States, Gao Shen first gave the players two days off.
Going away for a summer training camp is a big test for all players, coaches, and staff.
After all, no one wants to be away from family.
But while players can rest, the coaching staff cannot, so they only took one day off.
The new season is about to begin.
The new season is very different for Real Madrid.
First, last season's Champions League and Copa del Rey double have raised expectations for Real Madrid this year.
Not to mention outsiders, even inside Real Madrid, everyone is looking forward to the new season.
This summer, after selling Higuaín, Albiol, and Kaká, Real Madrid brought in Pogba, Illarramendi, and Dzeko, and the overall strength is not weaker at all.
In fact, it is stronger than last season.
At present, Real Madrid have two players in almost every position, and the level is very good.
The options in midfield and attack are even more complete.
The issue in defense is on the left, Marcelo's side.
Marcelo, Marcos Alonso, Nacho, and Arbeloa can all play left back, so numbers are not a problem. But once Marcelo is injured, the left-side attack will be affected.
This is a problem.
Similarly on the right, Carvajal's attacking threat is something Nacho and Arbeloa do not offer.
The reason Gao Shen tested a back three was to try a different style.
In Gao Shen's previous life, Marcos Alonso was best as a wingback in a back three, but in the match against Lyon, Gao Shen saw he was not especially comfortable.
After all, the back three has been out of the mainstream in Europe for many years.
Many players have never played it since they were young, so it will take time to adapt.
In the following games, although he did not use it in warm-ups, they worked on it frequently in training. He also explained the back-three tactics to the players, as preparation for the future.
After all, Real Madrid cannot conquer the world with only one set of tactics.
Another factor is the schedule.
Real Madrid's schedule last season was quite bad, both in La Liga and the Champions League.
In the Champions League, being seeded in Pot 3 and drawn into a group of death was already decisive.
In La Liga, the schedule was also not ideal, with big matches often falling before and after Champions League nights.
Competing on multiple fronts is inevitable.
But Real Madrid's coefficient will definitely rise this season, returning them to Pot 2, which gives them a chance to breathe.
Although they will still face top seeds, the possibility of repeating last season's nightmare is slim.
As for the eight top seeds, who is afraid of whom?
The real trouble is the start.
Since Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, this season's Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup will be held in August, which means Real Madrid face a very tough, congested schedule in August.
On the 18th, they host Real Betis in La Liga's first round.
On the 21st, they host Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup first leg.
On the 24th, they visit Granada in the second round of La Liga.
On the 27th, they travel to Barcelona for the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup.
On the 30th, in the European Super Cup, Champions League winners Real Madrid face Europa League winners Chelsea.
On September 2, in La Liga's third round, Real Madrid face Athletic Bilbao.
Real Madrid will play 6 games in 16 days.
This is very, very tough for any team, comparable to the Premier League's Christmas schedule.
But the Premier League's Christmas period is a few days with three matches. Real Madrid now have to handle six in one go.
This is why Gao Shen did not dare to overdo it during the summer friendlies.
He must refine two complete tactical systems during the training camp to make the players understand his ideas, especially newcomers like Dzeko, Pogba, and Illarramendi, who all need to adapt to advanced tactics.
Only then can Real Madrid handle such a brutal schedule.
There is no way around it. With two cup wins and two Super Cups to play, the fixtures have to be squeezed in.
To postpone the third round, Real Madrid even negotiated with Athletic Bilbao.
Everyone knows Athletic are entirely Basque, so they were not particularly opposed to postponing the third round. It just meant some of their internationals would report late to their national teams.
Real Madrid were more affected.
More importantly, it seems these six games cannot be lost.
The European Super Cup is a must. Gao Shen does not want to lose to Mourinho at all. He has had the upper hand against Mourinho for many years. If he loses now, the media will explode.
As for the International Champions Cup final between the two sides, it is not very meaningful.
That was a friendly.
Real Madrid cannot lose to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.
…
"Martino has just arrived, and their warm-up matches have been very impressive, big wins all the way."
Gao Shen briefed the staff on the current situation.
"Barcelona are in a very strong position. Neymar, Messi, Sánchez, Agüero, all are world-class. Together with Pedro and the others, Barcelona have an extremely luxurious midfield and attack."
"They have been winning big in the warm-ups and look unstoppable."
This is common knowledge. The Catalan media have almost crowned the invincible Barcelona as La Liga champions already.
Of course, a more professional analysis shows Barcelona's preseason opponents have not been strong.
What kind of strong teams can you meet in Singapore and Malaysia?
At best, they met Brazil's Santos in the Gamper Trophy, and Barcelona won 5-0.
But what does that prove?
Santos came all that way just to play a friendly. How much strength could they show?
Moreover, you just took their star Neymar.
Therefore, Gao Shen believes Barcelona's preseason results have little practical significance.
This does not mean Barcelona are weak.
A campaign is about opening strong, then declining, then fatiguing.
It does not matter if the warm-up results are unconvincing. As long as Barcelona beat Real Madrid in an official match, especially in the Spanish Super Cup, and keep that momentum, it will be valuable.
"No matter what, we must snipe Barcelona in the Super Cup, give Martino a wake-up call, and severely dampen their momentum."
Gao Shen laid out his thoughts and strategy.
Across the season, if Barcelona's momentum is dampened from the start, Real Madrid will undoubtedly gain the upper hand in the title race.
Unlike last season when the first Clásico was in the 7th round, this season's first Clásico is again at the Camp Nou, but at the end of October in round 10.
That will be another key moment.
Gao Shen also reminded everyone to pay close attention to Atletico Madrid.
In the seventh round, Real Madrid host Atletico, which is no easy opponent.
"My requirements are simple. From the start of the season, I want to suppress Barcelona and severely undermine their momentum. If possible, I also want to seize the advantage in the standings and create more pressure on them."
"We must learn from last season's mistakes and aim for perfection in all preparations. I will communicate this with the players," Gao Shen said firmly, allowing no doubt.
Today, at Valdebebas, no one dares to question his decisions.
Including Zidane and Hierro.
"I will say it again. In the new season that is about to begin, we have only one goal, and that is to win the title."
"All the titles."
"We must win again what we won last season, and we must reclaim what we lost."
Everyone felt Gao Shen's mountain-like determination.
(To be continued.)