Chapter 28 Who is right? Who is wrong?
The Spanish have strange schedules.
Three o'clock in the afternoon is their lunch time, and dinner is not until nine o'clock in the evening or even midnight.
The derby ended at the time when the streets of Madrid were the busiest. The whole city was full of bright lights and bustling scenes. Who would have thought that behind such prosperity, there was a huge economic crisis lurking?
The subprime mortgage crisis is about to come, and the European debt crisis will follow. Spain will become one of the five PIIGS countries.
By that time, will these people still be as happy and indulgent as they are now?
Gao Shen didn't have time to understand all this. After leading the team back to Valdebebas, he rode his bicycle back to the Hortaleza district.
I met many fans along the way. Some of them were singing and dancing, and they were so happy that they must be Real Madrid fans. Some of them were cursing and drinking to drown their sorrows. They must be Atletico Madrid fans. Some even just sat on the side of the road drinking...
In fact, Gao Shen could not understand the feelings of these local fans towards the derby. He only knew that this game was very important to him, but it had passed, and every subsequent game would be more important than the past derby.
That's enough!
…
Walking through the familiar streets and alleys, we soon arrived at Carlo's home.
It's easy to identify because there is a badly mottled basketball hoop on the wall in front of their house.
Who would have thought that the son of a football coach would be a basketball fan?
Fortunately, Real Madrid also has a basketball team, so the father and son have some common topics.
He rang the doorbell and Mrs. Carlo came out to open the door for him.
"Good evening, Mrs. Carlo." Gao Shen greeted politely.
Mrs. Carlo was also in a good mood. She smiled and nodded to him, pointing to the small yard behind her, "He's waiting for you over there."
As soon as Gao Shen entered the yard, he saw Carlo waving at him not far away. In front of him was a small square table with several dishes, a few bottles of wine, and a thermos on it.
"I know you don't drink, so I boiled a kettle of water for you." Carlo stood up and asked Gao Shen to sit down opposite him.
Gao Shen hurriedly thanked him and poured himself a glass of boiled water.
"You are really interesting. You don't drink, smoke, gamble, or have almost any bad habits. What's the fun in such a life?" Carlo asked with a chuckle as he watched Gao Shen's actions.
After Gao Shen heard this, an impression emerged in his mind. This was not the first time that Carlo had teased him like this.
In the past, he always explained seriously that this was because his parents had been strict with him since he was young, and all bad habits were forbidden in domestic schools, but now...
"As a man, you always have to be harder on yourself." Gao Shen smiled without explaining.
Carlo clapped his hands and laughed, "Yes , that's right, it should be done this way."
A round of joking brought them closer together and they started talking.
"Sir, I'm very happy that you can go to the Bernabeu to watch the game tonight." Gao Shen said gratefully.
Carlo waved his hand and said, "I was going to enter with the ticket you gave me, but I ran into Florentino."
"Florentino?" Gao Shen was very surprised. "He's back?"
Carlo nodded. "I don't really know a lot about the details. You know, although Florentino has only been in charge of Real Madrid for more than five years, his influence on the club is very profound. Nowadays, every department in the Bernabeu has his people. Even Martin doesn't dare to confront him openly."
Profound and clear.
It has always been said that Florentino stepped down in order to regain his position.
Based on Gao Shen’s current understanding, Florentino, Martin, and even First Vice President Tapias and others seem to be in the same camp, but in fact there are contradictions within, which gave Calderon an opportunity to take advantage of.
I guess Florentino himself didn't expect that his situation, which was originally a sure win, would be taken advantage of by Calderon.
This is why there is such a profound past life. In the 2006 Real Madrid presidential election, Calderon brought Mijatovic to power.
The relationships involved are too complicated, and there are too many conflicts of interest.
Carlo certainly didn't come to say these to Gao Shen, he just said some of the things he heard in the box, such as Di Stefano, Valdano and Butragueno's comments on Gao Shen, as well as his own views on the game.
Overall, Gao Shen gave a perfect answer in this derby.
But even so, Martin still does not intend to give Gao Shen a formal coaching contract.
"You should understand that Martin doesn't support you or trust you. On the contrary, he is always waiting for you to make a mistake," Carlo reminded.
Gao Shen absolutely believed in Carlo's character. If he said this, it would prove that he had indeed heard these words.
Of course, Martin would not be afraid of Gao Shen knowing this because he stood too high.
"Then he is wrong. I will definitely disappoint him!" Gao Shen said firmly.
Carlo frowned. He found that Gao Shen was very stubborn and opinionated. This was completely different from his previous impression of Gao Shen. It was like he was a completely different person.
"You still don't understand? Defeating Atletico Madrid at home is not a real challenge. Next you will face Arsenal led by Wenger. Did you know that? So far this season, Arsenal has kept six clean sheets in the Champions League. As long as they don't concede a goal at Highbury, they will tie or even surpass AC Milan's record of the longest clean sheet in the Champions League."
"At Highbury, Arsenal have been unbeaten in eight consecutive Champions League games. The last time they lost was in the quarter-finals in 2004. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg away from home, they lost 1-2 to Chelsea coached by Ranieri. In these eight unbeaten games, the Gunners only conceded three goals."
Carlo's data is very detailed and not wrong at all, which proves that Arsenal is indeed very strong.
In Gao Shen's memory, Arsenal even reached the Champions League final this season and almost defeated Barcelona led by Rijkaard.
You know, there are a lot of newcomers in the current Arsenal team, such as Fabregas, Reyes, Flamini, Toure, Eboue, etc., all of whom are young players promoted by Wenger.
Although Arsenal is no longer at the peak of its 49-game unbeaten streak, it is still one of the strongest teams in Europe.
Seeing Gao Shen remain silent, Carlo shook his head and sighed, becoming a little anxious.
"Do you know why everyone attaches so much importance to finishing first in the Champions League group stage?" asked Carlo.
Gao Shen thought for a moment and replied, "To avoid being the top of other groups?"
He wasn't quite sure if this was the answer Carlo wanted. It was common sense.
"It's just one part. More importantly, the group leader will play away first and then at home in the round of 16. Many people understand this as a favorable schedule, but this is also one-sided. The most important reason is that in the history of the Champions League knockout stage, almost no team can turn the tables away from home after losing at home."
Gao Shen felt what Carlo wanted to convey, but he noticed Carlo's wording.
"almost?"
"Yes, there has only been one time in the history of the Champions League, that was in the semi-finals of the 1995-1996 season. Ajax of the Netherlands lost 0-1 to Panathinaikos of Greece at home in the first leg, but reversed the game 3-0 in the second leg. However, they lost to Juventus in the final. That was the only time."
Carlo emphasized, "So, to some extent, in the Champions League knockout stage, as long as you beat your opponent away from home, you often get the chance to advance, so playing away first and then at home will give the team a great psychological advantage."
Gao Shen suddenly realized that, indeed, nothing happens without a reason.
Football is the sport with the most detailed rules and the most interesting rules in the world. It is also the most fascinating and brain-burning sport.
"Now you know that the probability of beating Arsenal and turning the tables is almost zero, unless you can create a miracle!"
Carlo's intention was not to undermine Gao Shen's confidence, but to persuade him to retreat when he saw difficulties.
Even if a miracle really happened and we defeated Arsenal, what would that matter?
After playing against Arsenal, the next battle for the second and third place in the league will be against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium.
From Atletico Madrid to Arsenal to Valencia, three consecutive games are decisive battles. Can Real Madrid handle it? Can Gao Shen handle it?
Not to mention, next up is the Champions League quarterfinals, and there’s even a stronger Barcelona.
With Real Madrid's current lineup and this kind of morale, how can they possibly hold up?
Gao Shen didn't say much. He could feel Carlo's good intentions. If he was not careful, he might become infamous and his future would be ruined. The risk was too great.
But for him, this is a very rare opportunity.
"Mr. Carlo." Gao Shen exhaled lightly and said lightly, "I still remember that you once told me that the basketball hoop outside belongs to your child, right?"
Carlo didn't understand, but nodded.
"You hope your child can play football, and you have trained him to play football since he was young, but he just doesn't like football and likes basketball. For a while, you were very angry and the two of you had a conflict because of this. Until one day, he stood in front of you, raised his head, and told you loudly that he wanted to try out for the basketball team."
Carlo stared at Gao Shen in a daze, not knowing what he wanted to say.
"Today, I am very grateful to you for telling me this, but I still say the same thing, I want to try it!"
Gao Shen looked straight at Carlo, his eyes full of determination, without the slightest avoidance.
"I know that based on the environment, strength, probability and various data, the possibility of us turning the tables on Arsenal away from home is zero. I don't deny that, but I also believe that football matches are never decided by probability. Even those bookmakers can only give an approximate estimate, so there will be upsets."
"I'm still young, and I don't know how to calculate the pros and cons here, but I know that if I don't try today, I will regret it, and I will definitely regret it in the future, and I don't want to regret it!"
Carlo was a little stunned.
Adults always like to calculate all kinds of gains and losses, calling it maturity, but children are more natural and just want to try to explore this new world on their own.
Who is right? Who is wrong?
