Chapter 31 Real Madrid needs me!
The benefits of having no presence became apparent upon arrival in Valdebebas.
Although the team defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0, many Real Madrid fans still came to the training base to protest. As a result, just like before, they did not recognize Gao Shen at all and let him ride his bicycle through the small door next to him in broad daylight.
I have to say, this is indeed a very ridiculous thing.
Gao Shen was the first person to arrive at the coach's office. On his desk was a report on the players' physical examinations after last night's game, with a focus on the physical examinations of Woodgate and De La Red.
This was done by Lucas after the team returned last night and he stayed behind to work with the team doctor.
The result is not bad. Woodgate was not injured, but due to long-term recovery and absence from the game, the team doctor is unable to judge whether he can meet the requirements to play on Wednesday. As for De La Red, there is no problem.
The other players are basically the same.
All professional players have certain injuries, as long as it does not affect the game.
While Gao Shen was reading the report, Lucas, Maqueda and other members of the coaching staff also went to work one after another.
As usual, before training, the coaching staff will hold a special meeting to develop a training program.
The first topic Gao Shen raised was that the team's originally scheduled half-day holiday was cancelled, and he wanted to squeeze out at least one training session to arrange targeted training. This required adjusting the training plan and communicating well with the players.
"I will communicate with the players, and you should make a new training schedule as soon as possible."
I believe that many fans have often encountered this. When many media comment on a team's poor performance, they often mention fighting on two fronts, that is, playing games in the middle of the week, and believe that this has a great impact on the team.
Why? Isn't three days enough to recover?
In fact, this is because fans do not understand the team's training.
As we all know, after entering the schedule, the team's training revolves around the game, which can be roughly divided into three stages: daily, pre-match and post-match.
Literally, daily training means developing training during the period between two games to help players adjust their skills, tactics, physical and mental state to the best possible condition.
Pre-match preparation is to conduct a series of targeted .
Post-match training generally includes player feedback and game analysis, and then a targeted training session is arranged based on the feedback and analysis, which is of great help to the team's improvement.
From a scientific point of view, if there is one game a week, the players can combine work and rest, have eight to ten training sessions a week, and at the same time get sufficient rest, recovery and adjustment time, which is also the most reasonable.
If there are two games in a week, there will be three fewer training sessions than one game a week, that is, only five to seven training sessions, and the players' rest holiday after each game is generally only half a day, which is far from enough.
Not to mention anything else, with two games a week, the players' physical training cannot be guaranteed, let alone tactical and targeted training. This cause the players to become more tired and the team's technical and tactical capabilities will be greatly affected.
If it is a mature team, the risk is still controllable, but like Real Madrid now, it will be a big trouble.
Gao Shen believes that it is necessary to squeeze out a training session as much as possible to carry out a simulation drill specifically against Arsenal. Otherwise, when Real Madrid arrives at Highbury, they will not have to play and will just surrender.
The coaching staff also knows the difficulty of playing two games in a week and is afraid that the players will have a rebellious mentality.
However, since Gao Shen has said that he will come forward to communicate with the players, they have nothing to say.
"The second question is about the battle at Highbury on Wednesday. I would like to hear everyone's opinions," Gao Shen said seriously.
Maqueda and the others looked at each other in bewilderment, as they had not made any preparations before this.
Seeing that no one spoke, Lucas wanted to speak first, but Gao Shen stopped him with a look.
What he wants to hear now is opinions, whether they are good or bad, he wants to listen to them.
Gao Shen knew who Lucas was. He didn't want Lucas to continue saying things in support of him. Otherwise, how would others dare to say anything?
"It's okay, everyone can speak freely. It doesn't matter whether it sounds nice or not." Gao Shen encouraged.
But Maqueda and the others just looked at each other, and no one was willing to speak.
Gao Shen understood that it was not that they lacked courage or ideas, but that they were unwilling to accept themselves.
"In that case, let me tell you my thoughts first." Gao Shen rubbed his palms. The weather was indeed cold.
"We all know that in the history of the Champions League, a team that lost at home in the first leg of a knockout match was able to turn the tables on its opponent away from home only once, when Ajax reversed Panathinaikos. So in many people's minds, a home defeat in the first leg of the Champions League is basically equivalent to being sentenced to death."
Maqueda and others are very experienced football practitioners, so they naturally know such data.
This is also the reason why everyone in Real Madrid feels pessimistic, and the media and fans feel desperate.
"But I personally think that we should forget about the so-called probabilities and data and focus on the game itself."
What Gao Shen said is reasonable. If you are too obsessed with data and probability, it would be unprofessional.
At this time, all a head coach has to do is to do his best and leave the rest to fate.
"We are 0-1 at home, which requires us to score at Highbury. Only by winning can we advance. A draw is meaningless to us, so we need to attack."
This is also the fascinating part of the Champions League knockout stage. The away goal mechanism and the two-legged format make the second leg full of all kinds of suspense, which cannot be covered up by a probability or a statistic.
Historical data can only enhance the psychological advantage of Arsenal players.
Seeing that Gao Shen had said so much, Maqueda looked around and said, "Gao, your analysis is correct. So I think what we need most now are Ronaldo, Robinho, Baptista, Carlos and Cicinho. They are our strongest offensive firepower."
Many people nodded.
When it comes to offense, Real Madrid really can't do without the Brazilian gang.
This was actually the reason why the Brazilian gang was able to suppress the local gang and dare to challenge the management directly.
Didn’t Ronaldo say that?
Real Madrid needs him!
Gao Shen was observing everyone, and Maquida and others were also observing Gao Shen, and they were guessing each other's thoughts.
At a time like this, Gao Shen certainly can't have the final say, because he just said that he wants to hear everyone's opinions. Now Maqueda suggests putting aside grudges and re-employing the Brazilian gang. What can Gao Shen say?
Lucas was a little anxious. He wanted to speak up to help Gao Shen, but was pulled back by Gao Shen's hand.
"You're right, but have you ever thought about it? If we let them start, can our defense hold up at Highbury?" Gao Shen didn't express his opinion, but asked directly.
Maqueda was suddenly speechless.
It is an indisputable fact that Brazilian players are indeed useful, extremely strong and have strong attacking capabilities, but at the same time, the damage they cause to the defensive system is also obvious to all.
Apart from scoring goals, don't expect Ronaldo to make any other contributions, and Robinho is not much behind.
As for Carlos and Cicinho, they are the type who are strong in attack but weak in defense, and can go up but cannot come back.
Outsiders don't know, but the Real Madrid coaching staff knows it well. In the 3-0 home win over Atletico Madrid, how important were the roles of Arbeloa and Felipe, how crucial were the double defensive midfielders, and how important was Negredo's suppression and pressing of the Atletico central defenders.
Can Real Madrid hold on without them?
Without them, can Raul and Zidane be liberated?
The score of 0-1 at home certainly forced Real Madrid to score a goal at Highbury, but if the defense was not good, with Arsenal's offensive firepower, could Real Madrid really escape unscathed?
Maybe we will lose even more miserably!
The knockout system is so mysterious, it is full of various possibilities. The two teams must try their best to guess each other's thoughts, and then arrange targeted tactics to restrain them.
This is why many people say that the Champions League knockout stage depends on defense.
The reason is very simple. As long as the defense is good enough and strong enough, I don’t care what tactics you use. I will first ensure that I am invincible.
Real Madrid’s problem now is that relying solely on defense is not enough.
This is a dilemma: to attack or to defend?
No one can give an answer.
Gao Shen also guessed that if the decision was so easy to make, he would not need to seek everyone's opinions.
"Let's put it another way. What tactics do you think Arsenal will adopt?" Gao Shen asked.
Everyone was once again embarrassed and fell into tangled thinking.
After a long while, Maqueda guessed uncertainly: "Defensive counterattack?"
After receiving Gao Shen's encouraging look, Maqueda analyzed: "Arsenal's defensive ability at Highbury is obvious to all. I think that since we have to attack, they are likely to adopt a defensive posture and play to the counterattack advantages of Henry, Reyes and others."
Many people nodded, but there were also different opinions.
"I don't think that's right. If we guess so, Wenger will definitely think so. Besides, Arsenal is mainly composed of young players. They are not sure whether we will let Ronaldo and others start, so he will definitely not be willing to defend."
"That's right. Premier League teams are best at fast-paced offense and defense. Arsenal is very good at passing and controlling the ball. I think they are likely to speed up the game and use pressing and attrition to compete with us. Everyone knows that we can't beat them in a consumption competition."
"Arsenal will play Liverpool this weekend. Wenger is not stupid to compete with us at this time."
"Qualifying for the quarter-finals is definitely more important than playing against Liverpool."
Everyone was talking about it, with various ideas and opinions emerging one after another.
Gao Shen never expressed his opinion, but he was listening silently.
Sometimes, as a leader, listening is also a valuable quality.
Although no conclusion was reached that convinced everyone in the end, Gao Shen's strategic thinking about Arsenal gradually became clear through this discussion.
In particular, he knew all the possible actions Wenger would take.