On the evening of September 28, at the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
Sitting on the visiting team's bench, Atletico Madrid coach Simeone was a little confused.
Before tonight's game, he had considered many possibilities. The most likely, he thought, was that Real Madrid would use their home advantage to launch a fierce opening assault on Atletico.
So, before the game, he and Atletico's players were mentally prepared to be battered.
They were already on edge, but it turned out that Real Madrid did not want to fight them at all.
On the contrary, it was Real Madrid who seemed ready to be battered.
Gao Shen's team played very strangely tonight. After kickoff, they became conservative. Especially when Atletico won the ball and retreated, Real Madrid did not rush to press them.
Atletico were a little lost.
I came here to get beaten, why are you letting me do the beating?
Not only was Simeone on the touchline confused, the Atletico players on the pitch were too.
They are good at absorbing pressure, but not as good at imposing it.
Now, Real Madrid suddenly handed the whip to Atletico, constantly urging them to lay it on, and Atletico were at a loss.
Damn, I really have not figured out how to beat them up.
But the ball is at our feet, what should we do?
Real Madrid, come and press us quickly!
But what about the Real Madrid players?
They stood still like a mountain, holding their own half, waiting for Atletico to come on.
"This guy is really unpredictable, always catching people off guard."
On the bench, Simeone wiped his face with his hand, feeling a little helpless.
What kind of team is Atletico Madrid?
A team built for playing without the ball.
Now Real Madrid had willingly thrown this hot potato to Atletico. What should they do?
If Atletico did not push up, would they not become like Barcelona?
The problem is that Atletico do not have Barcelona's level in passing and possession.
Once they have more of the ball, mistakes become likely. Once a mistake occurs, Real Madrid will pounce in transition.
"I really did not expect this." Assistant coach Germán Burgos gave a wry smile.
Every head coach has a preferred style and will stick to what suits the team, but Gao Shen is different. His use of personnel is truly unpredictable.
It was like before tonight's game, the whole world was wondering how Real Madrid would play Atletico.
Atletico's defense is so solid and their tactical setup so strong, who would not have a headache?
How should Real Madrid organize their attacks?
I bet even Gao Shen did not know where to start.
Well, since there is no starting point, then do not start.
Gao Shen spread his hands, lay back, and even hung a flag, inviting Atletico to come forward and do as they pleased.
Do not worry, do not worry, I promise not to fight back.
To everyone at Atletico, this was simply baffling.
Is this not shameless?
You are Real Madrid. Can you not show the temperament of a top team?
But soon, something even more surprising happened to Simeone.
When Atletico had the ball and began to push forward, they found that Real Madrid were also pushing up.
From the forwards to the three midfielders to the back line, everyone stepped forward, making it difficult for Atletico to pass out, and the two sides began dueling near the halfway line.
But once Atletico retreated, Real Madrid refused to overcommit or advance rashly.
This gave Atletico a headache.
In the 13th minute, Los Colchoneros finally could not resist pushing across the halfway line to build an attack, but lost the ball.
Toni Kroos intercepted and fed Benzema.
The French center took a touch and laid it back, Modric slid a pass in behind, and Ronaldo and Di Maria both burst forward at top speed.
But this time Ronaldo was too eager to score and did not play the pass to the better-placed Di Maria in time.
He could only force a shot and missed a very good chance.
Gao Shen was furious and barked from the touchline.
Simeone was startled, then suddenly understood.
Damn, that is the deeper plan.
Fight black magic with black magic.
Uh, no, fight counterattack with counterattack.
This is outrageous.
Simeone sat on the visitors' bench, feeling truly helpless.
He really wanted to rush over to the home dugout, grab Gao Shen by the shirtfront, and roar, "Damn it, you are not following the script, changing roles and lines at the last minute. Do you respect the director? Are you even an actor?"
How do you have no sense of an actor's discipline?
…
"Is our strategy a bit conservative tonight?"
In the president's box at the Bernabéu, King Juan Carlos seemed unsatisfied.
What he most enjoys is seeing Real Madrid hacking down opponents from the start and finishing with a big win. It is so exciting it gives people goosebumps.
But Real Madrid were conservative tonight and the situation was stalemated.
The match was very intense, with both sides going back and forth, but there were clearly not many shooting chances.
It took more than ten minutes before the first effort arrived.
This had a lot to do with Real Madrid's tactics. The more technical team seemed to be holding back.
"Preparing for the Champions League?" asked Juan Carlos.
Three days later, Real Madrid would host Manchester United at this stadium in a crucial Champions League group match.
Florentino smiled awkwardly.
In fact, he could imagine that many Real Madrid fans present had doubts at this moment, and even felt the team were too conservative.
The president turned to vice president Butragueño and technical director Valdano, and both understood.
"This Atletico team is really strong. Even within La Liga right now, they are very strong," said Valdano.
Real Madrid's technical director continued when Juan Carlos looked at him.
"According to our technical staff's assessment, Atletico are firmly a Champions League quarterfinal, or even semifinal, team now. There is also Barcelona. Against such sides, not only in La Liga, but across Europe, no one dares to say they can definitely beat Atletico."
"Is Sevilla not strong enough? They were stunned in the first few rounds. And then Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal, and Malaga, all quite strong. La Liga's overall level is very good right now. Among the top leagues, it is arguably the strongest overall."
What Valdano said was true.
The Premier League is strong, but its strongest are still Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea. Traditional powers like Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool may not have a big advantage against Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, or Villarreal.
This can be seen from Europa League results.
Of course, one could say Premier League teams do not value the Europa League.
"Gao Shen has said before that to win La Liga, you must beat strong opponents and also consistently take care of the weaker ones. Last season, we dropped points, even three, in several matches where we should not have, which cost us the title."
"Atletico are clearly stronger this season. The intensity of this match is no less than a Champions League knockout. Simeone is an excellent tactician and their defense is impregnable."
At this point, Valdano smiled bitterly.
"Frankly, before the game, the whole world was guessing how Real Madrid would play, which actually proves how difficult Atletico are."
He sighed again, "In fact, we still have problems. For example, we did not take our chance on the counter just now. Otherwise, if that had gone in, the game changes."
Ronaldo should have released Di Maria in space, but chose to go himself and missed it.
"Right now, Gao Shen's idea should be to wear Atletico down, to fight an attritional battle. But I know Gao Shen's character, he must have a back-up plan."
"Back-up?" Juan Carlos was a little surprised.
"I know Gao Shen. He never uses all his tricks at once. He always has something in reserve. And tonight, Real Madrid are clearly not fully comfortable with this tactical approach. The coordination and rehearsals are not quite there. I am sure he has a very deadly plan to play later."
"He is that type, very picky and demanding. He will have a second, third, even fourth plan ready."
…
Time ticked by.
The game remained locked, the duels fierce, and the players exhausted.
There was one statistic that reflected it best. Both sides had only 6 shots in the first half, 4 for Real Madrid and 2 for Atletico. Only Real Madrid managed one on target, the rest missed.
But both sides committed a lot of fouls, especially Atletico.
This made the game stop-start, without continuity or flow.
The fans did not find it boring, because both teams fought fiercely and the pace was fast.
Gao Shen was not satisfied with the first half.
"We rushed into this game and did not have much time to prepare. Many details were left unpolished. If we had more time, I would say we could have created at least four more dangerous counterattacks."
Gao Shen now felt a little frustrated. He was about to reach the finish line but sprained his ankle, with pursuers still closing in behind.
"It is normal. The players have talked it through, but theory is theory. On the pitch it is practice. This still needs rehearsal. Next time we meet Atletico, I will teach them a severe lesson." Carlo smiled.
That is the trouble with playing two matches a week.
There is no time for targeted drills.
If they could have trained for two days, Real Madrid's threat tonight would have been much greater.
But there are no ifs in reality.
The cruelty of the season lies in the fact that once it starts, it gives you no chance to breathe or rest.
You can only keep chasing to make sure you do not fall behind.
This is true for small and medium clubs, and for elite ones.
But Gao Shen and his staff remained patient and unhurried.
Even in the second half, they stayed calm.
The two sides battled on, but neither could break the other.
Interestingly, neither side made substitutions.
Real Madrid did not change, and neither did Atletico, which was very surprising.
It seemed both head coaches were waiting for a certain moment to arrive.
(To be continued.)