In his previous life, after becoming a corporate leader, Gao Shen developed a strong interest in history.
Because he discovered that everything that happened in history was actually repeating itself over and over again.
The form and methods may change, but the core essence does not.
Just like the rise and fall of a company, does it not resemble the rise and fall of ancient feudal dynasties?
There was a time when Gao Shen kept studying one question, which was why ancient dynasties always changed.
Land annexation, factional disputes, climate change, wealth distribution, and so on.
These are certainly important factors, but why did those in power not reform?
All of these could, in theory, be addressed through internal reforms.
Why not change?
People always like to stand from a high vantage point and look down on life.
It is like people today always like to give advice to those from the past as if they were later generations.
But only those caught in the vortex of the times will understand that many seemingly absurd things are not pointless, they are the final struggle.
It is like how people always laugh at why Nokia was so foolish that it could not see the big trend of Android, and insisted on clinging to Microsoft, becoming the most tragic and ridiculous former overlord in the mobile phone industry.
But everyone at Nokia, from management to employees, could probably find countless pieces of evidence to show that they saw the Android trend very early, that they knew full well it was the future, and that they tried hard to make changes and change course.
Nokia was a very large ship, and it could not turn around quickly.
But the tide of the times came too fast and too fierce.
Before the Nokia ship could turn, it was sunk by the tide of the times.
And all of this stemmed from two words, institutional rigidity.
Whether it is a country or a company, as development continues, sooner or later it will face this problem.
At the beginning, when the scale was still small, there was no psychological burden or pressure, and the system was lightweight. We were able to constantly reform ourselves, update and upgrade to adapt to ever-changing situations.
But gradually, the number of people increased, the rules and regulations became more and more complicated, and every step forward became heavier.
Sometimes, through reform, we can shed some burdens and return to the right track, but most of the time this is not possible. We can only keep moving forward, the burdens keep piling up, until we begin to feel sluggish and even overwhelmed.
Until one day, it collapses.
It becomes the "Nokia" ridiculed by countless people.
There is no shortage of such cases in football.
Real Madrid's first Galácticos era is a lesson for us.
Ever since Florentino began introducing superstars in large numbers, Real Madrid went further and further down the superstar strategy, and Real Madrid fans even developed a demanding requirement that cannot be called abnormal, but is definitely too harsh.
Win, and win beautifully.
This can certainly be seen as the high demands that Real Madrid fans place on one of the world's top clubs, but on the other hand, it is also a constraint. Coupled with the superstar strategy, many of Real Madrid's decisions seemed really ridiculous and foolish.
For example, selling Marcelo and Hierro.
But from the perspective of that time, and from the standpoint of Real Madrid's managers, this does not seem inexplicable.
Mark Lailai is a defensive player. The team also had a group of young players such as Elguera, Pavón, Mejía and others at center-back. Beckham had just arrived in midfield, and there were also young players such as Cambiasso.
To a certain extent, in the first two or three years of the century, Real Madrid relied on attacking stars in the front line to conquer opponents, and the back line being a little weak did not seem to be a problem. As long as the attacking firepower up front was strong enough, they could always score more than the opponent.
The key was to play beautifully and please the fans.
This is called path dependence.
But the facts proved that Real Madrid was wrong, and it paid a heavy price.
However, things like Real Madrid happen every day in this world.
Just like Barcelona now.
Over the past few years, passing and possession have achieved great success, especially under Guardiola, reaching unprecedented heights. This not only changed Barcelona, it also completely changed Spanish football.
How successful?
Barcelona dominated La Liga and won the Champions League. In just four years, Spain won two European Championships and a World Cup, and its possession-based style completely reshaped world football.
Is there anything more successful than this?
This is a footballing philosophy that not only Barcelona, but Spain as a whole, is proud of.
But Guardiola sensed the danger. He saw a lurking crisis that ordinary fans could not see, so he left.
Soon, Real Madrid rose and landed a heavy blow on Barcelona.
Repeated failures made Barcelona start to reflect.
They began to ask whether the players were not running actively enough and not pressing opponents enough.
Was it because the star players lacked ability?
Was it that after receiving so many honors, the players' fighting spirit had weakened?
Yes or no.
But no one dared to question whether there was a problem with their possession system.
So, when Martino, a head coach from South America without an impressive résumé, came to Barcelona and called for reducing possession, avoiding excessive pressing, and increasing medium and long passes, all Barcelona fans and Spanish fans rose up to attack.
Why?
Because this challenged their beliefs.
In everyone's eyes, as long as Barcelona played the kind of football they did at their peak, they would immediately return to the top.
Ball possession is Barcelona's lifeline. Reducing possession would be tantamount to slow suicide, would it not?
If Real Madrid fell into that pit, then Barcelona has fallen into that vicious circle.
Is this not also rigid thinking?
"I feel like Barcelona has been kidnapped by their own passing and possession system."
"In fact, Guardiola had already seen the signs of the problem, but it was difficult to carry out drastic reforms. He had hoped that his successors would make the decisions he could not, but he did not expect the situation to get worse."
Gao Shen finished and gave a wry smile.
In fact, the problems Barcelona is facing now will be encountered by all teams, including the powerful Real Madrid.
It is imaginable that one day in the future, when these players get old, what will Gao Shen do?
Each of them is a beloved player who has followed him into battle for many years. But when these long-time supporters suddenly become obstacles to the team's progress, who can bear to act against them?
Besides, will the fans accept it? Will the management accept it? What if results drop significantly?
Everything will eventually come to you.
This will be a difficulty and challenge that Gao Shen has never encountered before.
But for now, this is Barcelona's problem.
Real Madrid is still in a period of rapid growth.
"From the current perspective, modern football increasingly emphasizes teamwork and minimizes reliance on individual ability, no matter who that person is, including Messi and Ronaldo."
Relying on individual players is very dangerous.
Because once that player is tightly marked and shut down, the team's fighting power drops sharply.
So what matters now is teamwork and overall coordination.
Put simply, a team is a machine, and each player is a component of this machine, forming a combined force and relying on the team system to compete.
Moreover, the team should try to operate with multiple cores, making it difficult for the opponent to carry out effective targeted defense.
Just like Gao Shen, he prefers versatile players, and this is his starting point.
The breadth of technique determines the richness of tactics.
Therefore, the tactical environment of the past that relied on personal ability to decide matches no longer exists.
But this also brings a new problem.
That is how efficiently this machine works.
Everyone knows that the more people involved and the more complicated the process, the lower the speed and efficiency.
Once it becomes system-based, the key test is not only the overall strength of the team, but more importantly, efficiency.
As long as your overall strength reaches a certain level, efficiency becomes the key factor that determines how competitive you can be on the pitch.
A crucial part of efficiency is the transition between attack and defense.
Many Catalan media criticized Gao Shen, saying his football was very similar to a defensive counterattack.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with that in itself.
Because Real Madrid has a sophisticated strategy, they are very good at quickly counterattacking after regaining possession at the moment of transition.
There are more and more teams like this, and it is a major trend. By contrast, teams like Barcelona, who slowly recycle possession after winning the ball, seriously drag down their attacking efficiency. The end result is that when they meet teams with high defensive efficiency, Barcelona can only keep circulating the ball in midfield and the back line to increase their possession rate.
"Actually, what Martino did was right." Zidane understood Gao Shen's meaning and clearly saw the current trend. "But Barcelona's current environment probably does not allow him any room."
After defeating Ajax 4-0, they still get scolded. How can this be justified?
"As Gao said, Barcelona now is very similar to our Real Madrid back then." Hierro also sighed.
Everyone nodded. It was just that Barcelona and Real Madrid were pursuing different things.
But the kidnapping effect is exactly the same.
This should be the dilemma that all teams face when they decline from prosperity.
"Now it depends on whether Rosell will support Martino. If Barcelona's management does not support the head coach, it will be difficult for Martino to stay long, and he may even be dismissed in disgrace." Zidane sighed.
Gao Shen smiled. Based on his previous life's experience, Barcelona's management would not support Martino.
"I even feel that once the pressure rises, Barcelona may directly sack Martino to appease the fans."
Firing the head coach to appease fans has become a compulsory course for European professional teams.
Because it is the lowest-cost option and a tried-and-tested method.
(To be continued.)