SWR: Chapter 1074/1076

Chapter 1074: Martino's Soul-searching Question

West of Barcelona, in the head coach's meeting room at the Joan Gamper Sports City.

Martino was studying the match between Real Madrid and Real Betis intently with his team of assistants.

Martino, who was once a professional footballer, had played in the Argentine domestic league. On March 1, 1991, he was loaned to Tenerife in La Liga.

Interestingly, his first game for Tenerife was away at Camp Nou against Barcelona.

Martino, playing as an attacking midfielder, completed the full ninety minutes. The only thing he left behind from that match was a yellow card.

In the remaining three months, Martino featured in 15 matches for Tenerife, starting 13 and coming on as a substitute in 2. He scored one goal and collected six yellow cards.

Such statistics were not enough for him to stay in La Liga, so he returned to Argentina at the end of the season.

After retiring, Martino went on to coach several teams, but never in Europe.

Whether as a player or as a coach, he lacked experience in European football, which caused an uproar when Barcelona chose him as their head coach. Almost everyone questioned whether such a man was worthy of Barcelona.

But the Barcelona board still decided on Martino.

To make up for his weaknesses, Barcelona equipped him with a powerful backroom staff.

Among them were four assistant coaches. Jordi Roura, who had served as Vilanova's assistant, as well as Jorge Pautasso and Adrián Coria, two long-time partners of Martino.

But the most crucial figure was Joan Francesc Ferrer, nicknamed "Rubi."

The 43-year-old Rubi was already well-known in Spanish football. Although he had only coached in lower leagues, he had made a name for himself the previous season.

He had taken charge of Girona when they were struggling to avoid relegation and led them to 4th place in the Segunda División. Girona even passed the first round of the promotion play-offs before eventually losing to Almería in the final.

Although he failed to reach La Liga, Rubi's coaching ability had been widely recognized.

Given this, Barcelona invited him to be Martino's right-hand man.

This was not the first time Barcelona had done something similar.

During the Dream Team II era, Rijkaard worked alongside Ten Cate. Rijkaard lacked experience, while Ten Cate had just made his mark in the Eredivisie. Their cooperation created the Barcelona Dream Team II dynasty.

The Barcelona management, led by Rosell, hoped that Martino and Rubi could replicate the success of Rijkaard and Ten Cate.

Besides the four assistants, other coaching staff were responsible for specific duties, along with two match analysts, Alex Garcia and Jordi Melero.

To ensure the stability of Martino's tenure, the board spared no effort in assembling a luxurious coaching team.

…

The Barcelona coaching staff gathered to watch the Real Madrid vs Real Betis match.

Alex Garcia and Jordi Melero analyzed Real Madrid's lineup and tactics, highlighting two key aspects.

One in attack, and one in defense.

Defensively, in the match against Betis, Gao Shen instructed the two full-backs to push high and actively participate in attacks. This left Casemiro, Ramos, and Varane covering at the back.

But this had layers to it.

Casemiro shielded the defense, protecting the two center-backs. Yet, because the full-backs pressed so high, whenever Betis attacked behind them, Ramos and Varane would pull wide and act almost like full-backs.

At that point, Casemiro would drop back into the center-back position.

"To some extent, Real Madrid's defensive line switches between three at the back, four at the back, and even five at the back. It is very flexible and multi-layered."

Up front, Real Madrid's trident in this game consisted of Ronaldo, Džeko, and Isco. But throughout the match, their positions were not fixed. They constantly rotated.

For instance, Isco often drifted to the left flank, even popping up around Barcelona's left corner of the penalty area.

Ronaldo and Džeko also frequently adjusted their positions. This fluidity made it extremely difficult to defend.

The simplest way would be to mark Isco or Džeko as tightly as Ronaldo, but that clearly would not work.

The reverse was also true.

Through this positional interchanging, Betis defenders were dragged all over the place.

"We can fully expect that at the Bernabéu, Gao Shen will line up Ronaldo, Benzema, and Di María as the front three. Their individual quality and chemistry will be even stronger. That will be a major test for our defense."

Martino had been listening silently until the analysts finished. Then he spoke: "In Argentina, we call this circulation, movement, and rotation. In Bielsa's philosophy, circulation is a crucial part."

Since Bielsa's success in Argentina, almost the entire new generation of Argentine coaches had been deeply influenced by him because of his radical football.

Everyone turned to Martino, waiting for him to continue. Many picked up pens, ready to take notes.

"I have watched last season's four clásicos over and over again, and I found one common theme: we pressed Real Madrid too high, and it was no accident."

Martino paused, then continued. "In almost every match against Gao Shen's Real Madrid, it was the same. We had possession, used our passing game to press them in their own half."

"We must admit it is thrilling to pin the opponent inside their half, it gets everyone's adrenaline pumping. But we must also recognize that when facing a team with top speed like Real Madrid, if we still use the half-pitch siege tactic, our defensive line is left very exposed."

His words shocked the Spanish coaches, including Roura and Rubi.

Ball possession had always been Barcelona's lifeline.

"You mean, we don't pursue possession?" Roura asked anxiously.

"No, no, Jordi, you misunderstood. We must still control the ball, but we should not trap the opponent in their half, or even in the 30-meter area. Against a team like Real Madrid, this is very dangerous."

"We should shift our possession zone from outside their 30-meter area to around the center line. This has many advantages. For example, when we transition from attack to defense, our midfield can support faster. Our forwards will also have more space to exploit."

"More importantly, the space behind us will shrink, making it harder for opponents to exploit."

At first glance, it made sense. But on closer thought, it raised problems.

"If we retreat to the halfway line, as you said, there are indeed advantages. But it also creates a problem. Our attack will start from deeper, farther from the opponent's goal," Rubi analyzed.

This idea was not new. Any coach with some tactical sense could think of it. The key was whether to choose it.

Barcelona's most dangerous weapon was their quick combination play. They thrived on short, sharp passing moves in tight spaces. Their best offense was "passing" the ball into the net.

But retreating meant being farther away from goal.

Originally, within 30 meters, one pass might be enough. Now it would take at least two.

Each extra pass added risk and slowed the tempo.

"You are right, Rubi. So we need to add more mid- and long-range passing into our attack and play at a higher tempo," Martino explained.

Roura and Rubi exchanged a glance, their faces showing an expression of "just as we thought."

As distance increased, the passes had to lengthen.

But that also meant players became less connected, easier to isolate.

This was not a problem in Argentina, South America, or even non-top European leagues.

In Portugal or the Netherlands, this might still work. Because players' individual abilities often made up the difference.

But in La Liga, especially in the Champions League, this approach was unacceptable.

When players got isolated, forced into individual duels, the team's attack collapsed.

The defensive strength of Europe's top leagues, even La Liga, was on a completely different level compared to South America.

"Tata, I admit your idea makes sense. But Barcelona has its own traditions, and we hold to them. I think you need to think carefully," Roura said.

He could not outright tell Martino that he did not understand the defensive intensity of La Liga or that he lacked European experience.

If he did, he would have to pack his bags immediately.

But that was the truth, wasn't it?

Once Barcelona's spacing stretched, and connections weakened, could they still play their football?

Mid- and long-range passing?

With longer distances, passing accuracy and ball control inevitably dropped. What would be the cost? Had he considered it?

"I understand, Jordi," Martino chuckled, "but I think you should approach our problems with a more creative mindset."

"If sticking to Barcelona's traditions and philosophy really worked, then why were they beaten so badly by Real Madrid last season? Why have we failed to beat Gao Shen's team for so many years?"

Martino's rhetorical question pierced straight to the heart. It was a soul-searching question.

Apart from Messi's presence, a big reason Barcelona hired him was the hope that an outsider would bring fresh thinking. That he would inject vitality beyond Barcelona's ingrained philosophy.

If they considered tradition in everything, how could they change?

Wouldn't that just mean standing still?

Roura and Rubi were speechless.

But deep down, both had a bad feeling.

They could only hope it was just their imagination.

The two exchanged a look, saw the same unease in each other's eyes, and silently prayed.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1075: Where is Ronaldo?

"Barcelona was a little strange tonight."

In the packed Bernabéu, Barcelona kicked off first. Within 30 seconds, Zidane, Carlo, Hierro and the others sensed something was off.

There was nothing unusual about the starting lineup.

Goalkeeper: Valdés.

Defense: Alba, Puyol, Pique and Alves.

Midfield: Busquets dropped in, with Iniesta and Xavi in the middle.

Forwards: Neymar, Agüero and Messi.

The only surprise was Messi moving back to right wing, which had been rare in recent years.

Since playing as a false nine under Guardiola, Messi had seldom returned to the right, but this time Martino placed him there, which was indeed unexpected.

But it was nothing major.

Long before kickoff, when they received Barcelona's roster, they saw Agüero and the coaching staff had already been wondering how Agüero and Messi would be positioned.

So what if Messi played on the right?

Players' positions on the pitch change all the time.

The key was what Martino intended to do.

The reason Zidane and the others felt something was wrong was a long pass from Pique.

After the kick-off, Real Madrid did not press aggressively, sticking to their usual tactics. Benzema dropped in to pinch Busquets, and the whole team concentrated their main force in the zone from 30 meters out to the halfway line.

The two center-backs, Pique and Puyol, were basically left free.

The center-backs had many chances to receive the ball, but they did not dare to carry it over the halfway line lightly.

Obviously, after suffering in four games last season, they knew what kind of stranglehold awaited once they crossed the halfway line.

After exchanging passes for about ten seconds, Pique hit a long ball, trying to find Agüero up front.

The Argentine striker used his body to shield Pepe and fought to bring it down, but Pepe was no pushover. He forced Agüero off his spot, and in the end Agüero failed to win the header.

Pepe was ready and nodded it back to goalkeeper Casillas.

That piece of defending earned Pepe applause from the Bernabéu crowd.

On the touchline, Gao Shen and his staff also sensed something was off.

…

From Guardiola to Vilanova, Barcelona have never liked long passes, and even disliked them.

This comes from a deep-rooted gene, they are risk-averse.

But everything has two sides.

Blind reliance on short passing and emphasizing inter-player combinations made the attacking rhythm very monotonous, and many times they could only rely on individual brilliance to change the tempo.

Once opponents figured that out, its effectiveness waned.

This led to an awkward situation in the past. Everyone saw that Barcelona were good at keeping the ball, but they just kept it. Especially against teams with excellent defensive ability, Barcelona often looked like they were keeping possession for the sake of it.

Why?

Because they could not break through.

When a pass failed or the risk of losing the ball was high, Barcelona's choice was to recycle and start again.

This was especially obvious when players' fitness dropped and they could not run as much.

Other teams facing Barcelona's passing game preferred to drop off and play on the counter.

As Gao Shen has always emphasized, Barcelona's defense is really poor.

Either the opponent lacked the strength to counter, or once the opponent could withstand Barcelona's pressure and then counter, Barcelona would be in great danger, even conceding with every strike.

To be honest, I have been using it recently to keep up with the latest updates. It has a variety of reading voices and can be used on both Android and Apple devices.

Barcelona's defending was basically like this, and the personnel were the same few. Martino probably did not have a better solution, and it did not fit Barcelona's tradition and DNA.

So Martino wanted to start with rhythm.

If you want to change the previous style that makes it easy for opponents to read your tempo, you have to add more variation.

For example, more mid-range and long-range passes.

This was what Martino did in Gao Shen's previous life.

"I remember when Martino first took over Barcelona, I said that if he wanted to bring any change, it had to be changing Barcelona's passing-control system."

Gao Shen sounded particularly confident when he said this.

Zidane, Hierro and the others nodded.

This was what Gao Shen had said when Martino took the job.

But Gao Shen also said then that this would bring new problems.

First, medium and long passes would lower Barcelona's pass completion. In big games, especially against teams with strong ball control, Barcelona's possession would drop and might not even be clearly superior.

Once possession decreased, Barcelona's defensive problems would be exposed.

Another point was that Barcelona's medium and long passes might not be effective.

Why?

Because of the players' physiques.

Barcelona's players are generally shorter and not strong in duels, which makes them excellent at small, quick combinations in the final third, but poor at consistently winning medium and long passes, especially long balls and high balls.

Just now, Pique played long to Agüero, and the Argentine was simply shoved off his spot by Pepe. That was the best proof.

Pepe did not even need to jump. He let the ball drop behind him, then turned and played it back to the goalkeeper.

"Barcelona are really contradictory right now."

The match continued, but Gao Shen observed and chatted with Zidane and the others, looking very relaxed.

"Their core strength lies in this passing-control system, yet they are bound by it. If they want to break free, if they want a breakthrough, they have to break that system. Once they break it, they weaken Barcelona's core strength..."

Gao Shen was not unfamiliar with this situation.

This is the difficult decision many large companies face when transforming their business.

To survive, you must change, but change will affect your survival.

That is why the larger the company and the stronger its core business, the harder the transformation.

Very few achieve radical change and succeed.

Most either die slowly, or fall into a pit and die during a bold reform.

In fact, even when Gao Shen transmigrated in his previous life, Barcelona were still stuck.

That is why an interesting pattern emerged: Barcelona looked great in the league, but were frequently beaten in the Champions League.

By contrast, Real Madrid thrived in the Champions League then, but could not win the league.

Ultimately, it was the difference between the two tracks.

But the current Real Madrid is no longer the Real Madrid of Gao Shen's previous life.

With Gao Shen's arrival, everything is different.

…

As the game settled, Gao Shen figured out Martino's tactics and immediately adjusted.

He noticed that Barcelona's two midfielders, Xavi and Iniesta, had different roles, so he instructed Modric to press Iniesta and maintain high defensive pressure on him.

He even used a stoppage to call Modric over and told him to stick to Iniesta.

"My request is simple. Every time he receives, you must block him and stop his forward carry. Force him to drop back into his own half."

Modric understood.

Not only that, Gao Shen also asked Benzema and Di María to coordinate with Modric to double-team Iniesta from behind and from the sides when possible, to prevent Barcelona's midfield from receiving comfortably.

Once Iniesta dropped off, Barcelona's front line would struggle to link up.

In addition, Real Madrid had four players at the back, which could effectively separate Neymar, Agüero and Messi, forcing them into isolated duels.

Once isolated, no matter how strong a player is, his impact is greatly reduced.

If Modric's task was to press, then Toni Kroos's task was to drop, take on receiving and distribution, and also assist Xabi Alonso.

German midfielders have a big advantage. Their passing is stable and they rarely give the ball away.

After Gao Shen's adjustment, the entire midfield would operate with Kroos as the hub.

Aside from pressing Iniesta, Modric was like a free man, moving freely at other times.

The biggest difference between Real Madrid and Barcelona was that Real Madrid's players were stronger in duels and faster.

At the same time, Real Madrid's counterattacking became sharper.

…

In the 16th minute, Barcelona once again crossed the halfway line.

The defensive line pushed to just outside Real Madrid's 30-meter area, but Real Madrid's defensive strategy made it impossible for Barcelona to progress the ball.

After Pique exchanged passes with Puyol twice at the back, he spotted a window and sent a long pass toward Messi outside the box.

Almost no one in Barcelona's front line could hold the ball up, and in the end they still had to rely on Messi.

But Messi did not succeed this time.

Pique's ball came quick and firm. Messi struggled to bring it down under tight pressure from Ramos behind him, so his touch popped up. Then Toni Kroos and Di María, who had tracked back, converged from both sides.

Three players smothered him and won it.

After Di María fed Toni Kroos, he spun and sprinted up the left touchline at full tilt.

Barcelona tried to counterpress on the spot, but Toni Kroos leaned into Messi, played forward to Benzema, then ran on to create space, pointing to where he wanted it.

Benzema understood, backed in to pin Pique, and headed the ball into the lane Kroos indicated.

The German midfielder arrived, took Benzema's layoff, and immediately launched a long pass.

By then, Di María on the left was already flying.

The entire Bernabéu erupted.

At that moment, Barcelona head coach Martino shouted from in front of the away dugout, "Why is he on the left?"

God, where is Ronaldo?

Before the second question was even out, everyone had seen it.

Benzema dropped, and Ronaldo went.

Di María surged down the left, caught up with Kroos's long pass, then drove into the left side of the box, forming a clean two-on-two with Ronaldo.

Puyol pulled across and Busquets tracked Ronaldo, but how could he match Ronaldo's speed?

Di María fired a low cross, Ronaldo arrived from the right side of the penalty spot, met Di María's ball in front of the six-yard box, and side-footed it into the right side of Barcelona's net.

From the turnover to the goal on the counterattack, it took only 10 seconds.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1076: Sword Guard

The moment Ronaldo turned in Di María's cross, the entire Bernabéu seemed to explode.

Nearly 80,000 Real Madrid fans sprang from their seats, roaring at the top of their lungs and venting the sudden surge of joy in their hearts.

This is the charm of football.

It can bring you torment, endurance, even pain for a long time.

But when the goal comes, everything turns into excitement and exhilaration.

It makes you feel that everything you invested was worth it.

Countless fans were cheering and shouting wildly.

Gao Shen clenched his fists tightly in front of the home dugout.

Before this goal, Di María had already swapped positions with Ronaldo, which is common in Real Madrid matches. Sometimes Di María and Ronaldo even play on the same side to create a local overload.

But this goal reflected something more.

It highlighted Barcelona's problem.

Sensing an opportunity, Gao Shen walked to the touchline as the players jogged back after celebrating. He signaled them to keep playing this way, to push a little harder and try to score another.

As it turned out, the chance came again.

…

After the restart, Real Madrid continued with their previous tactics.

They still massed numbers near the halfway line to squeeze Barcelona's passing and ball control.

Once Barcelona stabilized possession, they tried a quick long pass from the back.

This time it went straight for Neymar on the left, but Pepe got there first and headed it clear.

The ball crossed the halfway line, Busquets headed it back toward Real Madrid's half, but Xabi Alonso headed it the other way.

Modric took it with his back to goal, turned to the right and played it to Carvajal.

Real Madrid's right-back stepped forward quickly, received and immediately clipped it in behind the defense.

Ronaldo burst through at full speed, used his body to fend off Alba, and after bringing it under control on the right side of Barcelona's box, he paused, feinted several times, then drove to the byline and crossed.

Benzema arrived to meet it with a header from the middle, but it sailed just over.

A collective groan rippled around the Bernabéu.

On the touchline, Gao Shen shook his head helplessly.

This is Ronaldo's value.

Many might say his technique is not as good as Messi's, that his talent is not as good as Messi's, or even that he wastes too many chances.

But Ronaldo is the kind of player who seizes opportunities consistently.

If that header had fallen to Ronaldo just now, it probably would have gone in.

But Benzema failed to take it.

He mistimed his leap and got his position wrong.

It is these tiny details that decide success or failure.

If that had gone in, the match would have become easier.

…

Real Madrid's two consecutive counters created danger in front of Barcelona's goal.

Even if Martino reacted late, he could see there was a problem, especially in attack.

Neymar, Agüero and Messi were too isolated from one another.

This situation is common, even very common, in South American leagues.

Because there, the pressure from defenders is not as intense.

Often, after receiving the ball, players can still take their time and engage the opponent.

But in European leagues, especially in big matches like this, that is clearly not the case.

The defending is tight, giving the opponent almost no time to breathe, let alone bring the ball under control.

The most typical example was Neymar going down under a challenge from Carvajal. The Brazilian winger fell in pain, but the referee did not even blow, signaling play on.

This is considered the most basic level of physical contact in Europe's top four leagues.

Martino suddenly realized he was another Neymar in this scenario.

Neymar has to adapt to the defensive intensity of European leagues, and so does he.

He also recalled that before the match, Roura and Rubi had come to him and, in a roundabout way, said a lot. Looking back, they were reminding him that the defensive strength in La Liga and the Champions League is very different.

With that in mind, Martino quickly walked to the touchline and called out to Xavi, signaling him to manage the team's rhythm and to pull the front three closer together to combine.

But he still did not let go of the medium and long passing.

This was his reform of Barcelona.

If Barcelona continued to play the same way as before, what would be the point of Martino coaching them?

There would be no need for him. Wouldn't it be enough to let Roura take over directly?

Or Luis Enrique, who had competed with him for the job?

Besides, Martino had anticipated that reforming Barcelona would encounter difficulties even before he took over.

Not only him, but Barcelona's executives and Messi had discussed it with him.

The reason Messi was willing to return to the right was that he wanted to actively cooperate with Martino's reforms.

Reform brings pain, but once the pain is over, new life follows.

Martino believed his direction was correct.

The premise was to find the right path.

He looked toward the home dugout again and saw Gao Shen back on the touchline, gesturing repeatedly to his players, constantly urging them to push forward.

Martino did not understand exactly what Gao Shen was shouting, but he felt it was not an instruction to press high and attack.

It was more like urging them to be quick and bold when deploying on the counter.

What a troublesome opponent.

Martino thought.

…

Another long pass from Barcelona, trying to hit Real Madrid's penalty area.

Goalkeeper Casillas came off his line decisively and claimed it in the air.

The Real Madrid captain held the ball in one hand and signaled for calm with the other.

Then suddenly, Casillas drove it long.

The ball cleared the halfway line and dropped on the right side of Barcelona's half.

Benzema won the first header, cushioned it down, then pounced on the second ball and slipped it to Modric.

The Croatian stepped in to receive, immediately played Di María on the right, then continued his run.

By then the Argentine had drifted back to the right and returned it to Modric with the outside of his left foot.

Pressed by Busquets, Modric laid it back at once, then kept moving to stretch the defense.

Di María killed the ball with the outside of his left foot and started to cut in.

Everyone knew Di María's inside pass was a major threat. Busquets immediately left Modric, turned and rushed at Di María, and he and Alba double-teamed him.

But Di María was very quick and was about to break through.

In a hurry, Busquets stuck a foot in.

The moment he did it, he knew he would not win the ball, but he could trip Di María.

The referee blew sharply, walked over, showed Busquets a yellow card, and awarded Real Madrid a set piece near 30 meters out, on the right side of the attacking third.

Busquets did not argue. He knew what was coming and slowly backed away.

Xabi Alonso and others ran over, helped Di María up, and started discussing the free kick.

It was a little far out, so a direct shot was out of the question.

Ronaldo waved it off, indicating he would not take it. It would be better for him to stay in the box and look to score.

Just now, he had been lurking on the left side of the box, waiting for Di María's pass.

If Busquets had not committed the tactical foul, that might have been the chance.

Ramos and Pepe also came up and entered Barcelona's box, ready to attack the dead ball.

Toni Kroos and Xabi Alonso stood over it.

The position was not bad, just a bit far.

Real Madrid quickly settled on a routine.

When the whistle went, Toni Kroos sprinted forward.

The German merely feinted, and Xabi Alonso followed with his run-up. A dull thud echoed around the ground.

The Spanish midfielder whipped a precise free kick with a lovely arc.

It flew like a guided missile, dropping into Barcelona's penalty area, then rapidly dipping in front of the six-yard box. This is a hallmark of Xabi Alonso's free kicks.

In Real Madrid's set-piece drills, reading and judging Xabi Alonso's dip is a skill that several of their aerial targets must have.

As the delivery came in, chaos broke out in Barcelona's box. Defenders were trying to mark, while Real Madrid's attackers were doing everything to shake off their markers.

In that melee, Ramos suddenly rose, before anyone else, and got the slightest touch on Xabi Alonso's free kick. The ball glanced on and flew into the left side of Barcelona's goal.

Valdés dived, but he was a fraction late and the ball hit the net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"Ramos!"

"Thirty-seventh minute of the first half, Sergio Ramos!"

"Real Madrid lead 2-0!"

After landing, Ramos leapt again and sprinted to the corner, waving his arms and urging the Real Madrid fans to turn it up.

The Bernabéu responded with even louder applause.

"Sword guard!"

"Ramos's headers have always been a powerful weapon in Real Madrid's set-piece tactics."

"Barcelona's set-piece defending failed to track Ramos, and he was the only one rising in the area."

"It was definitely a mistake in their set-piece defense."

"No one from Barcelona even challenged Ramos for the header in time."

"From the slow-motion replay, you can see Xabi Alonso's delivery had a pronounced late dip, which caught Barcelona's defenders off guard and led to a misjudgment."

"While they were still searching for the drop point, Ramos was already in the air."

"That is understanding."

"2-0!"

"Real Madrid have been excellent tonight."

"In terms of possession, 44 to 56, Real Madrid are not too far behind Barcelona."

"In terms of effective threat, Real Madrid's shots and entries into the penalty area are clearly higher than Barcelona's."

(To be continued.)