SWR: Chapter 1139/1141

Chapter 1139: Copyright War

The revenue of the Premier League has increased dramatically, from 1.7 billion pounds in the original three years to 3 billion pounds in three years. This will also bring a huge increase to the income of the 20 Premier League teams.

An authoritative third-party organization previously conducted a simulation and predicted that the total investment in the Premier League during this summer's transfer market may equal the combined total of La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.

Why not include Ligue 1?

Because there are two wealthy teams, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Wenger was also very resentful about this, mainly because he believed that the transfer value of players was constantly rising, even reaching irrational levels. The annual salaries of players were also high, and the operating pressure on clubs was increasing.

"Is this situation sustainable?" Wenger asked, voicing a question shared by almost everyone with rational thinking at this moment.

Crazy situations like the current one in the Premier League have happened before.

For example, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Bundesliga was once dominant. Teams like Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Mönchengladbach shocked the entire European football world.

Not to mention Kaiserslautern, who created the miracle of winning the championship as a newly promoted team.

But by 2001, this situation could no longer be sustained.

After the Kirch Group, the broadcaster of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, went bankrupt, the financial situation of the entire Bundesliga collapsed.

Dortmund was nearly bankrupt, and even the powerhouse Bayern Munich was struggling.

It was the first time everyone truly witnessed a bubble bursting with their own eyes.

What about the Premier League?

Is the current Premier League another bubble?

"My opinion is the opposite of yours. I don't think the Premier League has reached the bubble stage yet." Gao Shen's view contrasted with Wenger's.

Everyone was surprised, but Gao Shen always had something to say. He was very young, and many of his views differed from those of Wenger, Ferguson, and the others. After all, they were older and unable to accept many new things.

For example, the Internet.

Not every older person was as trendy as Sacchi.

"The Bundesliga bubble was indeed painful, but since then, the Bundesliga introduced new policies, and major European leagues have also taken the issue seriously. The Premier League also attaches great importance to the financial situation of its clubs.

Right now, the Premier League is in a period of opportunity that other leagues find hard to catch up with."

Gao Shen paused, organized his words, then asked, "Do you know how much the overseas copyright of the Premier League sold for this season?"

"Seven hundred million pounds," Wenger immediately answered.

"That's right. And for the other leagues, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A combined, how much is it?"

"Overseas copyright?"

Gao Shen nodded.

Many people present shook their heads silently. Overseas copyrights were sold in fragmented deals, not in a unified manner, so it was difficult for outsiders to obtain authoritative data.

But Gao Shen had it.

He got it from Su Qing, who had a habit of researching data in this area.

"Four hundred million pounds."

"Only 400 million?"

Everyone present was shocked.

Not because it was too much, but because it was far too little.

"Don't be surprised. This is actually already an increase. The overseas copyrights of Ligue 1 are basically unsellable," Gao Shen explained with a smile.

"From the current perspective, the overseas copyright of the Premier League is almost catching up with its domestic copyright. La Liga is still far behind. However, La Liga has figured out the game in recent years. With Barcelona and Real Madrid creating momentum and promoting it worldwide, I'm very optimistic about the future prospects of La Liga's overseas market."

This meant that in the future, the Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 might as well stop competing in overseas markets.

"We always say this is an era of globalization, and the Premier League is the best example. We think local copyrights are valuable, but in reality, it's not the local copyright that is valuable, but the Premier League's copyright itself.

More importantly, the Premier League has maximized the value of its copyright through a bidding mechanism. Their overseas partners are all top companies, such as ESPN and NBC in the United States, and Disney in South America."

The Disney mentioned here is not the Hollywood film company, but Disney Media, which owns its own pay-TV channel.

"The advantages of the Premier League are undeniable. Just look at how many Premier League teams go overseas every summer for training, friendlies, and commercial development. Add to that the strong sponsorship, and the Premier League's global influence is even greater than that of the Champions League."

The influence Gao Shen referred to was not the prestige of winning a title, but the influence of the entire competition.

This was a fact.

Although the Champions League is a multinational competition with huge influence, the Premier League's overall league influence is even greater.

This could be seen from the number of spectators.

Worldwide, the number of people watching the Premier League exceeded 5 billion, which was an astonishing figure.

"English is a universal language, and the Premier League has leveraged this advantage to expand into the global market."

Gao Shen's words truly surprised Wenger, Ferguson, and the others.

"But even if what you say is true, there is always a limit to everything. How long do you think the Premier League can continue to grow at such a high speed?" Wenger asked.

"There's no end in sight."

Gao Shen's reply shocked everyone again.

"Are you really that optimistic?" Wenger was genuinely surprised.

"It's not just me. All investors are optimistic. Judging from the data, there is indeed reason to be."

After a pause, Gao Shen continued, "Ernst & Young conducted a survey and concluded that there's still significant growth potential in the UK market for Premier League broadcasting rights. If current trends continue, the 2015 auction for the three-year rights will undoubtedly reach a new sky-high price.

This is true for both domestic and overseas markets. We will focus on Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. So overseas copyrights will definitely continue to see strong growth in the coming years.

In addition, there's another point many people overlook, and that is the Internet.

From what I've learned, many internet giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and even Apple attach great importance to sports copyright, and the Premier League is something they cannot ignore."

"A dozen years ago, who cared about overseas copyrights? Back then, all Premier League teams explored overseas markets blindly, and overseas copyrights accounted for a negligible portion of copyright sales. But now, more than a decade later, overseas copyrights have grown rapidly, far surpassing domestic copyrights.

Perhaps, more than a decade from now, when we look back, we will still be surprised to find that these internet giants have become deeply involved in the battle for British copyrights, playing an increasingly important role."

The wealthier you are, the more powerful you become, and your ability to attract talent becomes even stronger.

Gao Shen clearly remembered that during the 2020 European Championship, there was a statistic showing that among the national team members, the largest number of players came from the Premier League, reaching 117. The Bundesliga had 89, Italy had 72, and La Liga had 39.

These were the statistics of the four major European leagues.

And what about the fifth?

The Championship had 34 players, five more than Ligue 1's 29, which ranked sixth.

Many people would be shocked when they saw this. Isn't this too outrageous? How did the Championship become so strong?

But that was the reality.

Previously, the English Football Association had proposed a youth training reform plan, aiming to invest up to 1.6 billion pounds into more than 90 youth academies across England over the next few years.

This was a true sign of wealth and power.

Just looking at this amount of money, who else in world football could match it?

…

Gao Shen's current identity was not only that of a head coach but also a club owner.

The data he provided was not easy to come by, but those present were all famous coaches who had been in football for many years. They knew that if what Gao Shen said was true, the competitiveness of the Premier League would only become stronger in the years to come.

By then, the entire European football landscape would struggle to compete with the Premier League.

Even the Champions League would be far inferior.

"Ah, I'm old!"

Ferguson let out a long sigh, full of regret.

Before retiring, he was so exhausted that he didn't even want to think about Manchester United's tactics. Gao Shen, however, was different. Not only was he an excellent coach, but he also became a club owner.

"You mentioned internet companies. Can Leeds United's contract with Amazon go through?"

"It's hard to say." Gao Shen shook his head. There were no outsiders present, so there was no need for him to hide anything.

"We have sent the entire new stadium plan to Amazon, and discussions are ongoing. They are very sincere, and so are we, so I hope we can reach an agreement."

Leeds United's demands were actually quite high. They hoped to sell the stadium naming rights for an annual sponsorship fee of 15 million pounds, but only for a maximum of five years. Amazon, on the other hand, wanted a 10-year deal at 15 million pounds per year.

It was clear that both sides were optimistic about the long term.

So Leeds United was considering a new plan: a 5+5 automatic renewal clause. As long as Leeds United met Amazon's requirements in the first five years, the contract would automatically renew. But the naming fee for the next five years would definitely increase, to at least 20 million pounds.

Fernando Lucas personally went to the United States this time, with his first task being to negotiate this cooperation with Amazon.

If the deal could be reached, it would greatly help Leeds United's new stadium project.

"With a new training base and plans to build a new stadium, I'm afraid Leeds United will have to be among the Premier League champions in the next few years," Ferguson said with a sigh.

Once Leeds United was given the chance, this team would definitely take off.

Because there was a great master standing behind it.

When that time came, the chaos in the Premier League would only grow, and the competition would become fiercer.

Of course, from a fan's perspective, the Premier League would only become more exciting and entertaining.

But Ferguson worried that Manchester United's era of dominance in the Premier League would come to an end.

This was not what he wanted to see.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1140: Who Is the Next Opponent?

The 27th round of La Liga started with an upset.

At the José Zorrilla Stadium, Barcelona lost 0-1 away to relegation-threatened Valladolid despite having the advantage on the field, which shocked the entire Spanish football world.

Just the day before the game, at a press conference at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Barcelona head coach Martino had made a strong promise, "In order to take control of our own destiny, we must win every league game!"

But who could have imagined that a day later, Barcelona would lose a league game at the home of the near-relegation team Valladolid.

Although Martino repeatedly emphasized after the game that there was nothing wrong with the players' attitude, almost everyone directed their criticism at the Barcelona stars whose attitudes had already become lax.

"Barcelona played a shameless game, without football, without stars!" This was the headline of El País, Spain's largest newspaper.

This media outlet, which has always maintained a relatively neutral attitude, believed that Barcelona's loss to a team that is about to be relegated was a great humiliation.

Especially in such a negative manner.

Even the Daily Sports newspaper, which is close to Barcelona, sarcastically said after the game, "Barcelona is trying hard to push the championship to Real Madrid!"

Barcelona's mouthpiece used the word "disoriented" to describe the team's performance, arguing that they did not show even the slightest determination and fighting spirit to win.

Just after the game, when the team returned to Barcelona, the club held an impromptu high-level meeting.

President Bartomeu, Vice President Mestre, who is in charge of sports, head coach Martino and technical director Zubizarreta sat down together to discuss various plans for this summer.

According to Daily Sports, although Martino's contract with the team will not expire until 2015, he clearly told the Barcelona management at the meeting that he will leave after the end of this season.

As for Barcelona, Martino gave some sound advice, namely that they must bring in at least six players.

Goalkeeper, center back, midfielder and center forward.

In other words, Barcelona's entire central axis needs reinforcements.

Daily Sports revealed that Barcelona has set its sights on German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen for the goalkeeper position, and Paris Saint-Germain's Thiago Silva for center back. Porto's Mangala is also one of Barcelona's targets, but neither player is easy to sign.

There is no need to talk about Thiago Silva. Paris Saint-Germain has already made a harsh statement that if Barcelona dares to seduce Thiago Silva, they will go all out to poach Messi.

As for Mangala, the center back has performed well in the Primeira Liga, but last summer, Porto had already set a sky-high price of 50 million euros for him, which scared off many potential buyers. After one season, Porto's asking price will only be higher than this.

There is still no suitable candidate for midfielder and center forward.

"Martino suggested introducing a player with strong running and impact, as well as excellent passing ability. Vidal, who plays for Bayern Munich, is a good candidate. Coutinho of Leeds United in the Premier League is also within Barcelona's consideration."

As for the center forward, there is not even a specific target yet.

But as everyone knows, Barcelona has no money at all, so in order to make signings, Barcelona must clear out existing players.

Sanchez can be sold for a good price, and players such as Alex Song, Cuenca, Afellay and others will be cleared out.

"Bartomeu promised our reporter that this will be a hopeful change!"

…

Gao Shen could not empathize with Barcelona's misfortune.

Because in the subsequent league match, Real Madrid defeated Levante 4-0 at home and won cleanly.

Simeone's Atletico Madrid defeated Celta Vigo 2-0 away.

Interestingly, former Barcelona player Villa scored twice.

This made many Catalan media reflect, after all, they sent Villa away at a bargain price.

Simeone smiled and overtook Barcelona to become second in La Liga.

As for the league title, Simeone said the gap was a bit too big.

What this meant was that the championship belongs to Real Madrid.

Gao Shen was not very interested in Barcelona's overhaul plans because he knew that the players Barcelona wanted to buy were not very realistic and that the club would have to compromise in the end.

For example, as a center back, they would not dare to try for Thiago Silva. If they went after him again, Paris Saint-Germain would get anxious.

If the Qataris really got angry, Neymar's buyout clause might be triggered early.

As for Mangala, he definitely could not be taken away for less than 50 million euros.

Speaking of which, this was also partially Gao Shen's fault.

Koulibaly's transfer to Chelsea cost the Blues 45 million euros, which was already a bit high.

When Porto saw that a young player like Koulibaly could be sold at this price, they demanded that Mangala be worth at least 50 million euros.

As a result, no one was interested.

At least Koulibaly had been tested in the Premier League, but what about Mangala?

Porto said, "Our Mangala has at least played in the Champions League, but what has Koulibaly played in? And that Marquinhos, why is he worth 40 million euros?"

If these two Leeds United players could be sold at that price, our Mangala should definitely be sold for more.

So far, Porto's asking price is 60 million euros, with no discount.

In Gao Shen's previous life, when Mangala transferred from Porto to Manchester City, the transfer fee announced publicly was 40 million euros, but there were always reports that his actual transfer fee was more than 55 million euros. The reason was that a third-party ownership company held a share of Mangala.

Now it seemed definitely higher.

However, Gao Shen did not take it too seriously.

Just imagine, if Mangala is 60 million euros, what about De Vrij?

In Gao Shen's previous life, De Vrij had only one year left on his contract with Feyenoord, so after shining at the World Cup, he was sold cheaply to Lazio. But that is not the case now.

After a season of outstanding performances in the Premier League, if he can shine at the World Cup, when Mangala can fetch 60 million euros, how much would De Vrij be sold for?

Therefore, Gao Shen hoped that Porto would bid even higher and drive up the center back market. That would be good for Leeds United.

…

A week later, in the 28th round of La Liga, Real Madrid traveled away to face Málaga.

Right after the start, Real Madrid's relentless attack caused huge problems for Málaga.

In particular, Gao Shen put out a trident of Ronaldo, Benzema and Di María in the front line tonight, with Isco sitting behind them, and Toni Kroos and Modric forming a double pivot.

This aggressive attacking setup created a steady stream of firepower for Real Madrid's front line.

In the 22nd minute, Di María drove in from the right and passed to Ronaldo, who controlled the ball on the left, shook off the defender, cut inside and shot, beating Málaga's goalkeeper.

Early in the second half, in the 50th minute, Di María had another brilliant moment. He went past three players and produced a wonderful pass. Isco finished with a one-on-one, making it 2-0.

In the 73rd minute, Di María assisted again, and Ronaldo scored with a close-range finish, his second of the night. The Argentine completed an assist hat trick.

In the end, Real Madrid defeated Málaga 3-0 away.

Atletico Madrid beat Espanyol 1-0 at home thanks to a goal from Diego Costa.

Barcelona beat Osasuna 7-0 at home thanks to Messi's hat trick.

…

Three days later, in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, Real Madrid hosted Galatasaray at home.

Since qualification was already decided, Gao Shen did not go all out in this game, instead rotating and using substitutes.

Galatasaray clearly wanted to take advantage of Real Madrid's mindset of being confident of advancing, turn the situation around on the road, and try to create an upset.

In fact, everyone knew that after a 7-0 defeat at home, the possibility of a comeback at the Bernabéu was extremely low, and the Turkish team simply wanted a decent result.

In the end, the two sides battled for ninety minutes.

Real Madrid took the lead through Morata, but Galatasaray quickly equalized through Brut.

This goal was assisted by Drogba.

After that, Hesse recorded a goal and an assist, Pogba scored as well, and Real Madrid finally defeated Galatasaray 4-1.

The aggregate score was 11-1, and Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals with an astonishing advantage.

…

Some are happy, some are sad.

Here, Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals with a huge aggregate score, while many teams elsewhere were eliminated and left in tears.

For example, Manchester United, who were in the same group as Real Madrid in the group stage.

Today's Red Devils are performing well in the Premier League, but they also suffered a disastrous defeat in the Champions League.

As Manchester United only finished second in the group, they drew group winners Napoli from Serie A.

As a result, Sarri's team drew 2-2 with Manchester United in the first leg at Old Trafford, giving Moyes two loud slaps in the face.

Back at their home ground, Sarri's team defeated Manchester United 3-1 again, sending the Red Devils home with a total score of 5-3.

At the same time, teams such as AC Milan and Arsenal also failed in the round of 16.

What made Moyes even more embarrassed was that when Manchester United were eliminated, the British Daily Mirror suddenly broke the news.

Although it was only March and the World Cup had not yet been held, the famous Dutch coach Guus Hiddink had already formed an assistant team in advance because he would take over the Dutch national team after the World Cup.

This seemed to have nothing to do with Manchester United, but the connection soon emerged.

The current head coach of the Dutch national team is Van Gaal. How would Hiddink take over?

Van Gaal would leave the team.

So where would Van Gaal go after leaving?

When the Daily Mirror put this question to Van Gaal, the Dutchman was forced to admit that he would coach a top Premier League team after the World Cup.

"I haven't experienced the atmosphere of English football yet, and I want to win the league title in a fourth country."

Wasn't this obvious?

The Daily Mirror concluded that Manchester United's management had already started the process of changing coaches and had reached a consensus with Van Gaal early on. Therefore, Van Gaal publicly indicated his intention to leave after the World Cup, which is why the Dutch Football Association had already lined up Hiddink early.

But Moyes seemed to be unaware of all this.

Regardless, almost the whole world concluded that Moyes would definitely be sacked.

Gao Shen was not surprised, because Moyes' poor performance made his dismissal inevitable.

What he was more concerned about was Real Madrid's draw in the quarterfinals.

Who is the next opponent?

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1141: Don't Draw Real Madrid

At Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

In the coach's office, Martino, Lula, Rubi, Paolorosso and the others were watching the live TV broadcast intently.

As in the past, the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals was presided over by UEFA Secretary General Infantino and Competition Director Marchetti, with Luís Figo, ambassador of the final host city, serving as guest of honor.

All eight teams that reached the quarterfinals were completely randomized and reorganized. There were no seeded teams, and teams from the same country could be drawn against each other.

A total of three La Liga teams reached the quarterfinals, the most among the eight teams in this season's Champions League.

But this also meant that Barcelona had a high chance of drawing a La Liga team.

This was exactly what Martino and the Barcelona coaching staff did not want to see.

This season at the Calderón, Barcelona had not been able to take advantage against Atletico Madrid. Simeone was clearly familiar with Barcelona's style of play and had found a way to restrain it.

Martino knew very well that if Barcelona drew Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout stage, they would be in great danger.

As for Real Madrid...

Barcelona had not won a game since Gao Shen took over as Real Madrid head coach.

If they really drew Real Madrid, Barcelona's morale would be greatly weakened before the game even started.

"I can't be that unlucky, right?" Lula sighed with a wry smile.

Everyone nodded.

This season, the three La Liga powerhouses were all very strong. They all qualified as group winners, which showed their strength.

Among them, Atletico Madrid's form was the most surprising.

No one expected Atletico Madrid to be this strong.

If Barcelona really drew a La Liga team, then their luck would be really bad.

The best case would be Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid drawing each other, and Barcelona drawing teams from other leagues, such as Napoli in Serie A or Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, which would be acceptable.

Of course, if Barcelona really drew Ancelotti's Paris Saint-Germain, it would still be difficult to deal with.

…

Martino sat upright in his chair. He did not seem to care much, but in fact, he had already accepted it in his heart.

There were no weak teams among the quarterfinalists. No matter who they faced, it would be very difficult. The easiest opponent would be Sarri's Napoli.

That team's midfield was not strong, which would give Barcelona a great opportunity.

Martino had submitted his resignation to Bartomeu in person. He had made it clear that he would leave Barcelona at the end of this season, so these would be his last few games coaching Barcelona.

After coming to Europe to coach, he was surprised to find that the gap between European football and South American football was so great that he could not adapt at all.

How could they cooperate and communicate if they could not think in the same way?

Barcelona's management had obviously been thinking about changing the coach for a long time. They did not even try to retain him, not even as a gesture, which made Martino very disappointed.

But at the same time, he was angry.

He was eager to prove himself.

The best way would be to lead Barcelona to better results.

In La Liga, this was almost impossible.

Real Madrid were far ahead and seemed poised to win the title this season with a perfect record. Their opponent in the Copa del Rey final was also Real Madrid, which already gave Martino a headache. If they met in the Champions League as well, it would be a disaster.

Thinking of this, Martino could not help but pray in his heart. Do not draw Real Madrid, do not draw Real Madrid, do not draw Real Madrid.

…

Figo quickly took out one of the few remaining balls from the glass bowl. After opening it, he saw a slip inside with the name of a team written on it, which was Barcelona.

The Portuguese legend, who had performed very well for Barcelona and had a pig's head thrown at him by Barcelona fans at Camp Nou, shouted the name Barcelona with a smile, and the live TV camera switched to Barcelona's technical director Zubizarreta at the scene.

Everyone held their breath.

According to the draw rules, Barcelona, who were drawn first, would play at home. Next, it was time to see who their opponent would be.

Real Madrid, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester City...

There were still several teams left...

It should not be that unlucky, right?

God, do you hear my prayer?

Do not draw Real Madrid.

Martino was so nervous that he did not dare look at the TV screen again.

Not only him, Lula, Rubi, Paolorosso and the others were also very nervous.

Everyone knew that the next draw would determine Barcelona's fate this season.

Figo reached into the glass bowl again, stirred continuously, then took out a small ball.

After opening it, he took out a slip from inside.

Marchetti and Figo were the first to see the name on the slip. They both smiled at the same time, then turned it around and announced the name.

Martino felt his heart jump to his throat. He did not even watch the TV anymore, he just listened.

Then he heard a name that struck him like thunder.

"Real Madrid!"

Real Madrid.

Real Madrid.

Real Madrid.

Martino turned around in disbelief and saw the live TV camera focused on the slip in front of Marchetti and Figo, with the name Real Madrid on it.

In an instant, his heart sank to the bottom.

Murphy's Law.

To hell with Murphy's Law.

Martino felt a buzzing in his head and vaguely heard Lula, Rubi and the others cursing the dark side.

Who would say it is not?

One in five, how could it be such a coincidence to draw Real Madrid?

What were the odds?

It was simply unbelievable.

Who would believe there was no shady dealing?

"Figo's hand is so damn dirty!" Lula cursed angrily.

"Who says it isn't? He only takes care of his own!" Rubi also cursed.

If the top three La Liga teams were separated, they would actually be quite confident against teams from other leagues.

But now, Figo had put Real Madrid and Barcelona together, so only one of them could advance.

Martino felt his heart tremble.

His reason told him he must not waver or show weakness at this moment, otherwise there would be no point in playing.

But for some reason, his heart could not help sinking, becoming colder and colder.

Real Madrid were really strong.

Gao Shen was really scary.

…

According to this season's Champions League rules, the draw for the semifinals would be held on April 11 after the quarterfinals, instead of drawing both the quarterfinals and semifinals at the same time as before.

But none of this mattered.

The assistants immediately updated Barcelona's latest schedule.

Everyone was surprised to find that old rival Real Madrid had become the biggest hurdle facing Barcelona.

And it was a hurdle that could not be avoided.

This weekend, on March 23, Barcelona would visit the Bernabéu in the 29th round of La Liga.

On the evening of April 1, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona would face Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.

On the evening of April 8, in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona would challenge Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.

On the evening of April 16, at Mestalla in Valencia, the Copa del Rey final would be held between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

In a short period of time, there would be four matches on three fronts, which would undoubtedly be the decisive battles for Barcelona.

What was even worse was that Barcelona had already played three Clásicos earlier this season, including two in the Spanish Super Cup and one in the 10th round of La Liga, and without exception, all ended in defeat.

Add to that last season's unbeaten record...

Real Madrid were definitely Barcelona's biggest shadow, and Gao Shen was the nightmare hovering over Barcelona's head.

He was like a devil, tearing apart Barcelona's hopes again and again.

Now, this nightmare had come again.

"We must find a solution as soon as possible. We cannot lose this weekend's game." Lula looked at Martino. He also noticed that the head coach's face had turned ugly.

In fact, during the live broadcast of the draw, Zubizarreta's expression was not good either.

By contrast, Real Madrid's representative at the draw, José Sánchez, looked very happy.

In this matchup, Real Madrid had the psychological advantage.

"Yes, if we lose this league match this weekend, our situation will become even more passive, and when we return to Camp Nou..." Rubi also felt that Barcelona had to do everything possible to escape unscathed at the Bernabéu.

Even if they could not win, they could not lose.

Martino nodded deeply after hearing this. "Do you have any good suggestions?"

Lula and Rubi looked at each other, and everyone present fell silent.

Any good suggestions?

Any good suggestions?

Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were very troublesome this season, with no obvious weaknesses or shortcomings.

Especially Real Madrid.

"I think we should attack more on the wings. Carvajal and Marcelo like to push forward. We should make full use of the space behind them and catch them off guard," Rubi suggested.

This was a suggestion that was barely a suggestion.

The reason was that this weakness was known to the whole world, but few teams could exploit it.

"I am more worried about our midfield," Martino said, looking concerned. "How can we withstand Real Madrid's impact?"

This was also a very serious problem.

As we all know, Barcelona's midfield running ability was not what it used to be. Although they could still control the ball, without enough running to support it, ball control was like a castle in the air.

In the past few years, countless games had taught Barcelona this lesson.

Even last season, several losses to Real Madrid were due to a decline in running.

This was why, in his proposal to Bartomeu, Martino strongly requested that Barcelona must bring in a top midfielder with outstanding running ability to replace Xavi.

Only then could Barcelona's midfield stand firm.

Lula and Rubi also suddenly felt a headache.

What is Barcelona's biggest trump card against Real Madrid?

Still ball control.

In this away game at the Bernabéu, Barcelona had to play to their strengths to have a chance.

Otherwise, the space behind would definitely be exposed again.

In fact, Martino, or rather all Barcelona coaches, had no choice.

This team had played one way from start to finish.

Therefore, in this battle, Barcelona had no choice but to fight Real Madrid head-on.

But if they still stuck to the old lineup and tactics, Barcelona would have no chance of winning.

"We have to change our formation," Martino said.

Only a surprise could bring victory.

(To be continued.)