Chapter 29 Who can create miracles?
Carlo is right.
From all accounts, Real Madrid had no chance.
In Gao Shen's previous life, Real Madrid also drew 0-0 with Arsenal away from home, and eventually stopped in the round of 16 with an aggregate score of 0-1.
In the following years, Real Madrid never made it past the round of 16, which gave it the nickname "the 16th round of the Champions League".
But so what?
Gao Shen couldn't tell Carlo that he was a time traveler who could predict the future. He also couldn't tell Carlo that he possessed a magical tactical library. He even couldn't tell Carlo that he would not hesitate even if he lost the game or was fired from Real Madrid.
In his previous life, he was too mediocre and ordinary.
Now, he wants to shine and let the whole world see his light.
Carlo saw that Gao Shen was very determined and there was no way he could convince him. He could only sigh and mutter, "I really don't understand what you young people are thinking."
But he chose to help in the end.
…
While Real Madrid was facing the Madrid derby at the Bernabeu, Arsenal was also facing a derby in London.
In the 28th round of the Premier League, Arsenal challenged Fulham away.
The Gunners' record was even more impressive than Real Madrid's, 4-0, with Henry scoring twice, Adebayor and Fabregas each scoring a goal.
Carlo and Gao Shen watched the replay of the game in the living room, mainly studying Arsenal's current tactical play.
In this game, Wenger adopted a 4-4-2 tactic.
The goalkeeper is Lehmann, the defense is Flamini, Senderos, Kolo Toure and Eboue, the midfield is Ljungberg, Diaby, Gilberto Silva and Hleb, and the two forwards are Henry and Adebayor.
Adebayor transferred from Monaco in January, costing Arsenal 9 million euros. He is tall and very strong, and has delicate footwork. It can be said that he makes up for Arsenal's shortcomings in the front line.
Everyone knows that Henry is not a conventional center, he is more like a ranger.
Many people say that Henry and Adeba are the best pair.
In the match against Fulham, Adebayor teamed up with Henry to score three goals.
But what really caught Gao Shen and Carlo's attention was that all four of Arsenal's goals came from through passes from the midfield, and all were scored from the left.
In the 31st minute, Diaby made a straight pass, Henry got rid of Fulham's right-back Waltz, broke into the left side of the penalty area, and shot into the goal from the front of the small penalty area.
In the 35th minute, Ljungberg passed the ball directly to the left side of the penalty area, still hitting behind Woltz. This time it was Adebayor who easily pushed the ball into the goal in front of the goal, making it 2-0.
In the 77th minute of the second half, Ljungberg passed the ball directly to the left side of the penalty area, and Henry pushed the ball into the far corner in front of the goal, scoring his second goal.
In the 86th minute, Ljungberg made another straight pass, Flamini went straight into the penalty area from the left and passed back, Fabregas, who came on as a substitute, shot low from the center and scored, locking the score at 4-0.
All of the passes into the four penalty areas came from direct passes. Three were passed directly into the left side of the penalty area, and one was passed to the bottom line. Left-back Flamini made a run-in and passed the ball back to the middle.
Gao Shen has an impression of Flamini, but more of him as a defensive midfielder. But now, this young player can play as a midfielder, as well as as a left or right back. He is a very versatile all-rounder.
Ashley Cole and Clichy are both injured at the moment, but it is Flamini's outstanding performance that makes Arsenal's left side very solid. Coupled with Eboue on the right, Arsenal's young defense has become impregnable.
"From this match, it can be seen that Ljungberg will definitely play. He performed too well. It is impossible for Wenger to take him off at this time. So the question is, will Wenger adopt 4-4-2? Or 4-2-3-1?"
Carlo asked after they watched and analyzed the game.
Both of these styles of play are commonly used by Arsenal this season, and both are very sophisticated. The key lies in Wenger's choice.
In addition, even if a 4-4-2 formation is adopted, what kind of configuration will be adopted on the front line?
Adebayo and Henry? Reyes and Henry? Bergkamp and Henry?
If we adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation, is it possible to have Adebayo play center and Henry play on the wing?
Different personnel configurations are bound to adopt different tactical styles, representing different tactical ideas of the head coach.
Wenger is an extremely experienced head coach. Arsenal under his command has many different types of players, who can be combined and pieced together to form different tactical plays according to different needs.
And what about Real Madrid?
The starting lineup doesn't require any effort to guess.
It was after Gao Shen took office that he suppressed the Brazilian gang and drastically reorganized the team's tactics, which led to the match against Atletico Madrid, which felt fresh.
This is just on the tactical level, what about the players?
"In fact, you know, I know, everyone knows that Ronaldo, Zidane, Carlos, even Raul and Beckham are still world-class in terms of awareness and technology, but their physical fitness is completely inadequate to compete with the top European teams."
Carlo looked extremely depressed when he said this.
"At this point, you have indeed made a decision that many people, including me, have always wanted to make but did not dare to make. You have boldly used young people and injected freshness and vitality into the team, but it is not enough, and the time left for you is also limited."
Gao Shen nodded.
The players' physical fitness is indeed a very serious problem.
Everyone knows that Real Madrid’s defense is a big problem, but how to change it?
What we emphasize now is overall defense and zone defense, which requires everyone in the team to run actively.
So the question is, many stars do not have such physical fitness, such as Ronaldo, Carlos, and even Zidane.
Physical fitness comes from daily training, but Real Madrid's daily training level is very low.
Why is it low?
Because the superstars are getting old.
If the training volume is increased, I don't know whether the superstars will object. Even if they all support it, they will consume too much energy in training. Given their "oldness", their recovery speed will definitely be very slow. What should they do with two games in a week?
If the training volume is not intense, they can still show some brilliance occasionally, but if the training volume increases, they will just lie down.
The team cannot be specialized, and the training intensity is set to accommodate superstars, so the training level of the entire team will decline. Many players who originally had excellent physical conditions will also decline sharply, which will form a vicious circle.
If the training level is low, the physical fitness will be poor, the running ability will be poor, and it will appear that they are powerless in the competition.
It’s not that I don’t want to run, but I really can’t run.
In fact, even now, Gao Shen has not reformed the training program because the time is not yet ripe.
This is what Carlo said, there is too little time left for him.
As we all know, the Premier League is known for its fast pace, high physical exertion and frequent physical contact, which means that Real Madrid is destined to suffer a great physical loss in the match against Arsenal.
Neither tactics nor players have an advantage, so what about the environment?
The 0-1 defeat at home in the first leg almost sentenced Real Madrid to death.
As Carlo said, only a miracle can save Real Madrid.
The question is, who can Real Madrid rely on to create a miracle now?
…
…
It was almost midnight when Gao Shen left Carlo's house.
Carlo promised that in the next few days, Gao Shen could contact him at any time if he needed anything, and he would be willing to provide help.
But he didn't want to go to Valdebebas.
That was his sad place.
On the way home, Gao Shen was feeling a little depressed.
After some analysis between myself and Carlo, we feel that the game against Arsenal is destined to end in defeat.
Even a zero-to-zero score like in the previous life was already a very, very good result.
Now, the situation he faces is more dangerous than that of Carlo in his previous life, because he suppressed the Brazilian gang, and Real Madrid's combat effectiveness is obviously weaker than in his previous life.
Is it true that there is really no way to beat Arsenal?
While riding a bicycle, the cold wind penetrated into his down jacket and made him feel cold all over.
But gradually, the breathing became louder and louder, the body gradually became warmer, and the thoughts in the mind became more active.
Didn't everyone say a few days ago that he would definitely lose to Atletico?
But what about now?
Not only did he win, he won by three goals.
Now, everyone is predicting his downfall again.
But does Real Madrid really have no chance?
impossible!
Must have!
The fact that he is able to sit in the coaching position of Real Madrid is itself the biggest variable.
Everything Carlo said seemed right, but it was all based on experience.
Why is it that Real Madrid is bound to lose, instead of becoming a team that creates miracles like Ajax?
There is no Brazilian gang, but Real Madrid has a group of outstanding young players.
Arsenal is playing well now, and Wenger's most trusted main players are all around 20 years old, aren't they?
Flamini, Reyes, Fabregas, Eboue, Senderos, Kolo Toure, Diaby, Adebayor...
Will these players achieve greater success in the future than Real Madrid's young players?
Not necessarily!
Since Wenger can rely on this group of young players to lead the team into the Champions League final, why can't Real Madrid rely on this group of young players to break into the Champions League quarterfinals?
Thinking of this, Gao Shen stopped his bike panting and took a few deep breaths of the cold air.
He is home.
I have thought it through.
No matter what, he must go all out and try his best to beat Arsenal.
As for the result, that was beyond his control.
Whether he wins or loses, he has a clear conscience.
There is a saying in "The Alchemist": When you want to realize a wish with all your heart and soul, the whole universe will work together to help you realize it.
Everyone has his or her own destiny. Some people give up easily, but some people will work hard to realize their destiny step by step, no matter what hardships and temptations they encounter.
When your desire is strong enough, nothing can stop you.
Gao Shenshen agreed with this.
Thinking of this, Gao Shen had nothing to hesitate about.
He had already had dinner at Carlo's house just now.
After returning home, he took a shower and went straight to bed.
In fact, he went into the tactical library, picked up Benítez's works again, and studied them carefully, especially the games Benítez played against Arsenal.
Since entering the Premier League in 2004, Benítez has played three games with Wenger, with a record of two wins and one loss. Both wins were at home, with scores of 2-1 and 1-0 respectively, while the loss was at Highbury, with a score of 1-3.
It is worth mentioning that after playing against Real Madrid, Arsenal will face Liverpool at home again this weekend.
In addition, Gao Shen also wants to read Ferguson's works about his confrontation with Wenger and learn some experience from it.
Even if the whole world thinks it is impossible, he must try his best to defeat Arsenal!
