SWR: Chapter 692/693

Chapter 692: Welcome Goal
On the evening of November 24th, at the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

In the fifth round of the Champions League Group C, Real Madrid hosted Manchester City.

When the match entered the 21st minute, Real Madrid attempted to build an attack from the left but failed. As soon as they reached the halfway line, Marcelo passed the ball to Xabi Alonso, who played it to Khedira, then to Ramos on the right.

Ramos dribbled the ball across the center line again but was immediately challenged by Robinho. Under pressure, he sent a lob pass forward, looking for Di Maria.

Former Real Madrid player Felipe was well-positioned and headed the ball back into midfield.

Robinho tracked back to the left sideline and passed the ball to Henderson.

The Manchester City midfielder stopped the ball and immediately spotted Van Persie retreating and signaling for the ball.

The pass reached Van Persie, but with Carvalho tightly marking him from behind, Van Persie quickly played the ball out to the left.

Robinho had already started sprinting down the left flank. Seeing Van Persie's pass, he accelerated forward. The Brazilian winger clearly understood Van Persie's intention and backheeled the ball behind him.

Van Persie smoothly shook off the aging Carvalho, running straight through Real Madrid's defensive line. Catching up to Robinho's pass, he stopped and then suddenly accelerated past Pepe. It was a simple but highly effective move. With his excellent sense of timing, he got past Pepe and sent a low cross from the left side of the penalty area toward the middle.

Robben rushed in, using his body to block off Xabi Alonso, met Van Persie's pass, and struck with his left foot, sending the ball into Real Madrid's net.

One to zero!

…

The Bernabeu fell silent.

From the opening minutes, Real Madrid had been launching a fierce offensive against Manchester City.

But tonight, Gao Shen's tactics were different from before.

Mourinho continued with his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Xabi Alonso and Khedira as the double defensive midfielders. Ronaldo, Özil, and Di Maria played behind the lone striker Adebayor.

Gao Shen, on the other hand, stuck with his usual 4-3-3 formation.

His midfield trio consisted of Henderson, Fernandinho, and Yaya Toure. Up front were Robinho, Van Persie, and Robben.

It was clear to everyone that Gao Shen was not going all out in this match.

He didn't even bring key midfielders David Silva and Rakitic.

As a result, Manchester City struggled to control possession in midfield.

From the start, Mourinho had been trying to take advantage of the home ground to launch quick attacks.

Manchester City didn't press aggressively but played steadily, which put them at a disadvantage in ball possession. Real Madrid dominated the ball and kept creating chances at home.

However, the only truly threatening moment from Real Madrid came from a free kick by Xabi Alonso, which assisted Ramos for a header that almost found the net. Unfortunately, the header was too direct, and Neuer made a decisive save.

Most of the other chances were long-range shots.

Ronaldo took four free kicks, but none of them posed any real threat.

The Portuguese forward was visibly anxious tonight.

After more than twenty minutes of relentless pressure, Real Madrid inevitably left gaps at the back. Manchester City finally seized the opportunity, broke through the defense, and created a scoring chance.

…

Falling behind by one goal was unacceptable for Real Madrid.

The Galacticos responded with even more intense attacks on Manchester City.

For Real Madrid, losing this match would be disastrous for their hopes of advancing from the group stage.

Mourinho would never allow that to happen.

For a moment, Real Madrid slowed the pace slightly, then began to push forward again.

The match became wide open, with Real Madrid attacking and Manchester City counterattacking. Both sides were playing at full intensity.

It wasn't until first-half stoppage time that Manchester City's counterattack was intercepted by Xabi Alonso in midfield. The Spanish midfielder immediately sent a long diagonal pass to the right flank.

Di Maria sprinted at full speed, controlled the ball before Felipe, cut inside to the left of the penalty area, shook off Gary Cahill, and curled a left-footed shot into the far corner of the net, leveling the score for Real Madrid.

One to one!

The first half ended with the score tied at 1-1. After the restart, Real Madrid continued to press forward, launching wave after wave of attacks.

Manchester City, on the other hand, maintained their steady approach.

In the 49th minute, Di Maria delivered a diagonal pass from the right, aiming for Adebayor. But Jerome Boateng tightly marked Adebayor, using his body well, and passed the ball back to Neuer.

The Manchester City goalkeeper sent the ball to Lichtsteiner on the right, who then played it forward to Yaya Toure. The Ivorian quickly advanced along the right sideline.

Robben dropped back into the open space to receive Yaya Toure's pass, turned, and drove the ball forward. Entering Real Madrid's final third, he cut inside diagonally, drawing Marcelo and Xabi Alonso toward him. Robben then passed the ball to the right side of the penalty area.

Lichtsteiner, following closely behind, caught up and delivered a low cross toward the back post.

Van Persie escaped from Carvalho and calmly slotted the ball into the left side of Real Madrid's goal.

Casillas had no chance to stop it.

Two to one!

Counterattack! Another successful counterattack!

Every time Real Madrid pressed forward, they inevitably left space at the back.

With these gaps exposed, the situation became much easier for Manchester City.

The real issue was that Real Madrid's midfield lacked control.

Although they held slightly more possession than Manchester City in this game, their attacks were consistently broken up, allowing City to bypass the midfield and confront the double pivot or even the backline directly.

Real Madrid's midfield defense, especially Özil, contributed very little defensively.

This was the same problem in the first leg between the two teams, and it remained an issue here.

For the second goal, Neuer directly found Yaya Toure. The Ivorian had at least two or three seconds without a defender in sight, forcing other Real Madrid players to leave their positions to fill the gap.

While they managed to plug that hole, they couldn't cover the space Robben left behind when he dropped deep.

You can't defend both ends at once—that's the reality of football.

…

Falling behind again, Mourinho began making desperate substitutions.

He first replaced Pepe with Higuain, switching to a two-striker formation and adjusting the defense to a back three.

This was Mourinho's typical response, substituting a defender for a striker whenever he was behind.

Gao Shen remained calm.

As one of his assistants put it, "You play your game, I play mine."

There was deep meaning in that statement.

It meant never allowing your opponent to dictate the tempo, always sticking to your own rhythm.

The more you think about it, the more you understand the weight of these words.

Otherwise, why do people say that the great leader elevated the art of war to the level of ideology?

Manchester City refused to fight head-on with Real Madrid. They played at their own pace, calmly and steadily.

Real Madrid may have been anxious, but City were not.

They slowed down the tempo whenever possible, focusing on ball control.

This style of play clearly frustrated Real Madrid.

Even before the match began, Real Madrid was destined to face a tough battle, because their opponent was not just Manchester City, but also time and Schalke 04.

Far away at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Schalke 04 continued to show resilience at home, drawing 1-1 with Inter Milan, though their match was still ongoing.

Former Real Madrid player Huntelaar had scored for Schalke.

And now, back at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid were trailing 1-2.

If the match ended with this scoreline, Real Madrid's situation would be dire.

In the final group match, they would have to face Inter Milan away from home, and survival might not even be in their own hands.

So for Real Madrid, the only acceptable result was to beat Manchester City at home.

But against Manchester City's playing style, Mourinho had no effective solution.

After the 75th minute, Gao Shen made his first substitution, bringing on Sturridge.

The English forward, known for his speed and explosiveness, posed a huge threat on the counterattack. After coming on, he played on the left, while Robinho switched to the right.

In the 80th minute, Gao Shen replaced Robinho with Adam Lallana, shifting the formation to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, with Lallana playing as the attacking midfielder.

Mourinho responded quickly, taking off Adebayor for Pedro Leon. Ronaldo moved up front to partner Higuain, Di Maria shifted to the left wing, and the right wing was handed over to Pedro Leon.

But even with these adjustments, Real Madrid still couldn't find a breakthrough.

Time kept ticking away, and Mourinho still couldn't figure out a way to break through Manchester City's defense. Real Madrid's attacks looked aggressive but lacked real threat.

Most of their efforts were long-range shots.

…

Gao Shen stood motionless in front of the away team's technical area.

Whether the Real Madrid fans in the stands were booing, cheering, or shouting insults, he remained unmoved.

He had nothing more to say about the current situation.

What could he say?

Even with a rotated, weakened lineup like this, Real Madrid still couldn't find a way through. What more could he do?

Should he open up his defense and hang a banner that says: "Welcome to Score"?

"Mourinho's offense hasn't improved at all over the years," Gao Shen commented, clearly disappointed.

It was still the same old tactics.

Fall behind, then replace a defender with a forward.

If football were really that simple, what would be the point of having a head coach?

Regardless of the result, Gao Shen maintained his composure.

As Manchester City's head coach, he wasn't looking to exploit Real Madrid's difficulties. He stuck firmly to his own philosophy and match plan, leaving even the conspiracy theorists with nothing to say.

In this situation, if Mourinho's team couldn't break through Manchester City's defense, Gao Shen could only shrug.

The truth was, the more anxious Real Madrid became, the more mistakes they made.

Manchester City nearly scored again on the counterattack.

Although it was only enough to make Real Madrid fans break out in a cold sweat, it was exciting nonetheless.

After that, Real Madrid's attacking momentum clearly dropped. They seemed frustrated and drained.

Years of underperformance in the Champions League had left the team lacking confidence, almost as if they were under a curse.

Mourinho might be a madman, but breaking that curse was no easy task.

Worse still, over in Germany, Schalke scored again!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 693: There is a spy
The game is over!

The entire Bernabeu Stadium was silent!

2-2, this was the final result shown on the scoreboard of the Bernabeu Stadium.

Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Manchester City at home.

Yes, in the last minute of the game's stoppage time, Real Madrid launched a fierce attack on Manchester City's defense with an almost crazy offensive attitude, creating chaos in Manchester City's penalty area. In the end, Pedro Leon, who came on as a substitute, seized an opportunity and equalized the score for Real Madrid.

After Real Madrid scored a goal, the referee blew the whistle to end the game when Manchester City restarted.

Under normal circumstances, such a result would have made Real Madrid fans happy, because the score was equalized in the final stage.

But tonight, the result made everyone feel sick.

To put it in a good way, how could the result be good if we failed to beat Manchester City at home?

It's not right to say it's bad, at least we didn't lose at home.

What's more, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Schalke 04 defeated Inter Milan 2-1 at home with Raul's goal in the 86th minute and won the precious three points.

Magath's team has performed extremely poorly in the Bundesliga this season, but has been extremely brave in the Champions League.

Raul also realized his wish of joining Schalke 04, which is to continue scoring goals in the Champions League and further expand his Champions League goal record.

However, in Gao Shen's opinion, this is of no use at all.

But Raul is getting happier and happier now, and feels particularly happy!

As a result, after five rounds of group matches, Manchester City leads with 13 points, followed by Schalke 04 with 8 points, Real Madrid is in third with 5 points, and Inter Milan is at the bottom of the points list.

This result has basically sentenced Real Madrid to death.

Because according to the rules of the Champions League group stage, if two teams have the same points, the comparison is the win-loss record between them. If the score is still a draw, the number of away goals scored in the match will be considered, and finally the goal difference in the group stage will be considered.

According to the match between Real Madrid and Schalke 04, Real Madrid lost with a 1-1 draw at home and a 0-1 draw away.

In other words, even if Schalke 04 lost to Manchester City and Real Madrid beat Inter Milan in the last round, they still could not get second place in the group and could only rank third.

This is why the entire Bernabeu was dead silent!

Many Real Madrid players collapsed.

Last season, they were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League. It could be said that it was a mistake, and losing to an amateur team could be said to be an accident. But now, they can't even get out of the group stage. What else can they say?

Schalke 04 had four or five players who were abandoned by Real Madrid. As a result, it was this team that completely ruined Real Madrid's qualification, and the first to suffer was the former Real Madrid leader, Raul.

What else can they say?

Even if we put aside the outside world, in tonight's game at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid was still scoring goals until the injury time. What can the fans say?

Is it because the team's performance is not strong enough?

Or is it because your skills are not as good as others?

The lineup that cost 400 to 500 million euros to build is inferior to others?

Manchester City's tactics did not change at all throughout the game, they just defended and counterattacked, letting you attack!

But can Real Madrid attack?

"No! This is wrong!"

The live commentator at the Bernabeu Stadium was shouting in a crying voice.

"There must be something wrong with us. We don't deserve this result. We have the best players in the world, we have the strongest squad, but why, we can't even get out of the group? Why?"

Yeah, why?

This should be the question of countless Real Madrid fans.

But no one could give them an answer.

The live camera was specifically directed to the stands. Florentino's face was full of frost, making it difficult to tell his mood at the moment.

Valdano, Zidane, Butragueno and others nearby were obviously extremely disappointed with the result.

Real Madrid's offense really has problems.

But that's exactly the problem.

Who would think that a team that can score over 100 goals in a single season would have problems with its offense?

At this moment, sitting in the presidential stand of the Bernabeu, Valdano and Zidane both thought of what Gao Shen had said to them in Naples.

"Real Madrid's tactics are outdated!"

"If you still build the team with this idea, I can guarantee that Real Madrid will not be competitive in the Champions League. Don't expect to win the eleventh Champions League!"

Looking back on it now, it was like a bolt from the blue, so shocking!

…

"Congratulations, Gao!"

Mourinho forced himself to cheer up and walked over to shake hands with Gao Shen.

This is his demeanor as a home team coach.

Gao Shen smiled faintly and shook hands with him.

At this moment, Gao Shen didn't know what to say.

So he simply said nothing and remained silent, which would never be wrong.

Mourinho was not in the mood to say more to Gao Shen. He just apologized and turned to leave, but suddenly he thought of something.

"By the way, Gao, can I ask you a question?" Mourinho turned around and asked.

Gao Shen nodded, "Of course, if you ask."

"If it were you, what would you choose in this situation tonight?" Mourinho asked.

Gao Shen stared at Mourinho, trying to find out from his eyes whether he was serious or just being polite.

But in fact, he couldn't dig out any secrets from Mourinho's eyes.

"are you serious?"

"Yeah." Mourinho made a gesture of invitation.

After thinking about it, Gao Shen decided to tell the truth.

He didn't know how Mourinho viewed him at this moment, but in his heart, the Portuguese was still a friend.

Friends, you should tell me everything you know.

"If it were me, the best solution would be to not let the team get to this point today."

Mourinho nodded, of course.

"If it really comes to this, I will still choose to attack, but my choice will be different from yours."

Mourinho tilted his head to indicate that he was listening.

"I don't like Adebayor. I will use Benzema. He can better connect the midfield and the frontcourt, and can take care of both the left and right flanks. He has such ability."

"At this stage, he is indeed not as strong as Adebayor, but I think his advantages far outweigh his disadvantages, and I believe in his talent and the speed of his improvement."

"As for midfield, I won't use Özil for even a minute. As for who to use, it's hard to say. Maybe I wouldn't let Parejo transfer to Valencia last summer. Maybe I would buy other players. Anyway..."

Gao Shen curled his lips, many things are self-evident.

The two people's habits of employing people are completely different.

Mourinho was very curious. "I rarely see you speak so lowly of a player. Does Özil have a grudge against you?"

Gao Shen laughed, "No, I don't even know him, but he is not a player I like and value."

Mourinho nodded, accepting Gao Shen's explanation.

As for what Gao Shen said, he understood and comprehended it, but he could not use it because he was not Gao Shen.

The personnel habits and character of each head coach are basically very personal.

Gao Shen has his own way of employing people, and Mourinho also has his own way.

"You asked me a question, so can I also give you some advice?" Gao Shen asked back with a smile.

Mourinho thought Gao Shen was going to say something, so he raised his eyebrows, put his hands on his hips, and listened attentively.

Gao Shen took two steps forward, came to Mourinho, and said softly: "Listen to my advice, Jose, the way you played at Chelsea and Inter Milan won't work in Real Madrid. You must change it and keep up with the times. Also, don't be too tough in the locker room, and don't easily change some conventional things."

Mourinho was a little surprised, feeling that Gao Shen seemed to have discovered his deepest secret.

Is there a traitor?

"Did anyone tell you something?"

Gao Shen shook his head. "You know, Real Madrid is a club that thrives on exposure and attention. It's like he took off all his clothes and stood naked in front of everyone. He has no secrets at all. This is the operating rule of Real Madrid!"

What does Mourinho want to do?

Change captain!

He believes that Casillas is a goalkeeper and is not suitable to be captain.

Because on the field, the captain usually communicates with the referee on behalf of the team, and the goalkeeper is too far back.

Does this make sense?

Maybe.

But is it necessary to change?

No.

To put it bluntly, Mourinho's goal is to establish his own prestige in the shortest possible time. Is there anything more exciting than signing the captain and legendary goalkeeper Casillas as soon as he arrives at Real Madrid?

And what is the captaincy heritage of Real Madrid?

That is to use the qualifications for joining the team as the only criterion.

This reminded Gao Shen of an interesting thing. When ancient emperors chose a crown prince, did they choose the eldest son or the most capable one?

On the surface, everyone knows that it is better to appoint virtuous people. Who doesn't want to have wise rulers?

But what is the reality?

This is a way to invite disaster.

Why?

If the eldest son is chosen as the heir, it is decided based on his family background and time of birth. No one can change it. It is a very clear standard.

I believe everyone can guess what the final result will be without further explanation.

What Mourinho is going to do now may not be right, but it is generally the case.

Just think about this matter in your mind. Once it is brought up, Real Madrid's locker room will definitely be in chaos!

In his previous life, Mourinho eventually lost control of the locker room. There were a lot of inside stories that were not revealed to the public, but the root cause was Casillas. In Mourinho's first season as Real Madrid coach, it was revealed by Marca and AS that he was going to replace Casillas and let Ronaldo be the captain.

Is there really no connection at all here?

Who will replace Casillas?

Cristiano Ronaldo? Ramos? Xabi Alonso?

According to Marca, these three are the most likely.

You see, suddenly there is competition.

The question is, who can convince the public at this time? ..

If we are not careful, won't cliques start to form in the locker room?

(To be continued)