Chapter 32 Can you create a miracle?
Recovery training the morning after a race is crucial.
Except for some special circumstances, such as players urgently returning to the national team, most of the time, the recovery training on the morning of the day after the game is what all head coaches pay the most attention to, because it is related to preparations for the next game.
Gao Shen still did not intervene too much in the training, but stood on the training ground and watched.
As usual, the coaching staff divided the players into two groups. One group was those who participated in the game and these players underwent recovery training. The other group was those who were not included in the game roster and these players underwent high-intensity training.
The difference is that some young players who were drawn from the second team were called back by the second team head coach Portugal to play in the game. They also participated in recovery training, which was also agreed upon by Gao Shen and Portugal.
But even with the so-called high-intensity training, due to the presence of players like Ronaldo and Carlos, the intensity is still not high. The players are particularly relaxed during training, and you can tell at a glance that the intensity is not very high.
Gao Shen saw Benítez's training arrangements in the tactical library. He has always insisted that the intensity of every training session should be arranged to a level that the players can achieve with their best efforts. How to strike a balance depends on the ability of the coaching staff.
Why set it at this intensity?
Ultimately, this is a bit like the carrot dangling in front of the donkey's head.
If the training intensity is too high, the players will be unable to perform and will feel disappointed, which will seriously undermine their enthusiasm. On the contrary, if the training intensity is too low, like the current Real Madrid, the players will not get the real value of the training.
The best training should be to arrange the intensity to the level that the players can complete with their best efforts. This can not only fully mobilize the players' enthusiasm, but also fully train the players and improve their game level.
But now it seems that Real Madrid does not have such conditions.
…
After the training, Gao Shen left Raul alone.
Raul supported and affirmed Gao Shen's decision to cancel his vacation and arrange an extra targeted training session.
"Given our current situation, it is indeed very difficult to challenge Arsenal at Highbury." Raul understood very well.
Gao Shen and Raul walked slowly side by side on the training ground and headed towards the training building.
"The score in the first leg forced us to score away goals, otherwise the game would be meaningless. We knew, and the whole world knew, that Wenger would definitely arrange his tactics based on this."
Raul stopped, looked at Gao Shen, and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet." Gao Shen shook his head frankly, "I need to learn more about the team's situation before I can make a final decision."
After a pause, Gao Shen added: "But there is one thing I am very sure of, that is... I don't plan to use the Brazilian gang for the time being."
Raul's ideal striker partner is a center forward like Morientes. Now Real Madrid has a Negredo. His two goals against Atletico Madrid are also considered to be due to the presence of Negredo, which liberated Raul.
If Ronaldo were allowed to return at this time, it would inevitably compress Raul's tactical space again.
Someone did statistics in the previous life and found that Ronaldo was the second partner with the most goals among Raul's many striker partners in his career, second only to Morientes and even higher than Van Nistelrooy who came later.
But data does not represent everything. Raul and Morientes' partnership is the most complementary, and his partnership with Van Nistelrooy was very short, just over two years, but his goal efficiency is no less than that of his partnership with Ronaldo.
But you have to know that when Raul partnered with Van Nistelrooy, he was far from the peak of his career and achieved this after being away from the front line for a long time.
At this moment, Raul had just played a good game and didn't want Gao Shen to re-use Ronaldo at all.
Gao Shen's statement also gave Raul a reassurance.
The Brazilian gang has not yet surrendered, so he doesn't intend to use them, nor can he use them well.
"I understand. If there's anything you need my cooperation with, just let me know. I'll mention the decision to cancel the vacation in the locker room. There won't be any problem." Raul promised in return .
As the captain, the leader of the local gang and the big shot in the locker room, Raul still has some weight.
"No matter how we prepare, it will be a tough battle against Arsenal. Can you physically handle it?"
Raul had actually just returned from injury not long ago, so Gao Shen was very concerned about this issue.
"I feel very good now, and my whole body is relaxed. Don't worry, I will try my best to play well in this game." Raul promised through gritted teeth.
As the captain of Real Madrid, he knows very well what this game means to Real Madrid, and he also knows how much importance Real Madrid has always attached to the Champions League. Even if he doesn't know the details, he will definitely try his best.
Gao Shen did not doubt Raul's promise. He nodded and said nothing, expressing his trust.
…
Unlike Raul, Zidane has a more complicated attitude towards this game.
If Real Madrid loses to Arsenal, it will be the last Champions League of his career.
Zidane is a proud man, and Gao Shen believes that he would never accept that the last Champions League game of his career ended in this way.
Therefore, Gao Shen did not deliberately provoke him with words, but told him in person that he had canceled his decision to take a vacation and explained his intentions. Zidane agreed without hesitation and expressed his acceptance.
"I think you should consider letting Ronnie play," Zidane suggested.
Gao Shen looked straight at Zidane, as if trying to see through his thoughts from his expression.
The Frenchman hesitated and explained: "I think that at this time, Ronaldinho will be our most important weapon for scoring goals."
When he said this, his expression was extremely calm. It was obvious that he was very open-minded and was speaking purely based on the facts.
"I don't deny that he can pose a greater threat to goal at such a critical moment." Gao Shen first affirmed it, but then changed the subject, "But have you ever thought that we only want to score goals in this game?"
Without waiting for Zidane's reply, Gao Shen shook his head and said, "No, what we want is to win!"
After losing 0-1 at home in the first leg, it is not enough to just score goals if we want to win.
In other words, scoring a goal is just a prerequisite, the next step is to win.
If you want to win, you must defend well. Only by defending well while scoring goals can Real Madrid win.
It doesn't mean that Real Madrid's defense will deteriorate after Ronaldo comes on the court. This is not inevitable.
But it is undeniable that Ronaldo really made no contribution to the team's defense.
Not to mention his attitude, just looking at his current physical fitness, can he cope with a game of this intensity?
Zidane was speechless, he knew that Gao Shen's worries were right.
The issue of Ronaldo was just a small topic in the conversation between Gao Shen and Zidane. What Gao Shen really wanted to talk about was Zidane's physical fitness and his current condition.
"From the Premier League match at the weekend, Diaby started and Fabregas was on the bench. I guess Wenger will arrange Fabregas and Gilberto Silva to partner as double defensive midfielders in the Champions League in the middle of the week."
This Spanish teenager from Barcelona's youth training camp can be said to be one of the hottest rookies in world football today. After Wenger sold Vieira, he was supported to become the core of Arsenal's midfield.
Therefore, it is not difficult to make profound guesses.
"Zinedin, I want to know, if you continue to play as an attacking midfielder, is there any way you can ensure that you can suppress Fabregas?" Gao Shen asked very seriously, as this was related to his deployment of troops.
Gilberto Silva is very tall, which means he is usually positioned far back and rarely makes forward runs. But Fabregas is different. He is more active and younger, can pass, dribble and control the ball. He is also a forward by birth and has strong attacking power when making runs from behind. Gao Shen must ensure that his opposing midfielders can suppress Fabregas.
If Zidane is not able to do it, he will consider letting Raul play in this position and move Zidane to the left.
But the tactics will definitely have to be rearranged.
Gao Shen asked very seriously and Zidane did not answer immediately.
The main reason was that he had just played for nearly 80 minutes in the match against Atletico Madrid and was quite exhausted.
But after thinking for a while, the Frenchman nodded and said, "Don't worry, I won't hold back."
If it was before he was thirty, he would definitely be able to give a guarantee, but now, he is indeed a bit old, he can only promise that he will try his best, but cannot promise to do it.
"I understand, I believe you!" Gao Shen said with a smile.
This surprised Zidane a little, as he felt Gao Shen was too easy to talk to.
But from the profound eyes, Zidane read two words: trust.
The relationship between the head coach and the players has always been complicated, and it is very difficult to gain trust.
It doesn't mean that if you are a superstar and your cards are big enough, everyone will believe you.
Just like Luxemburg, he is not easy to trust others, especially superstars. He believes more in his own tactics and what he sees in training and games. This leads to him lacking trust in everyone and being wary of everyone.
But Gao Shen gave Zidane a clearly different feeling.
He didn't even make any strong promises, but Gao Shen believed him.
He really wanted to know, why?
Hearing Zidane's question, Gao Shen laughed, "First of all, we have the same goal. I want to win, and you want to win too . We are both determined enough, and this is our common interest. Secondly, you are not someone who makes promises easily, but every word you say is the result of your careful consideration."
"So, tell me, why should I not believe you?"
Now it was Zidane who was speechless.
In fact, he didn't have much contact with Gao Shen. This was the second time they had a chat like today. But Gao Shen gave him a very strange feeling. He didn't look like a 25-year-old young man who had just graduated from school. Instead, he looked more like a sophisticated old fox.
But Zidane was completely confused as to how Gao Shen wanted to play against Arsenal.
When the French superstar raised the question again, Gao Shen laughed but did not give a clear answer this time.
"I haven't thought about it yet. I'll tell you when I do."
Zidane didn't believe this.
Gao Shen must have an idea , but it may not be perfect yet.
Time is running out, can he really beat Arsenal and reverse the aggregate score?
If this were accomplished, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Can he really work miracles?
