Chapter 69: Ramos's Chuunibyou
April is just around the corner and the temperature in Spain is gradually warming up, but it is still very cool at night.
Especially like today, there is a slight breeze, bringing gusts of chill.
Gao Shen handed the scouting report sent from Barcelona to Raul.
With the war approaching, various intelligence will be transmitted from Barcelona every day. Every piece of information will be summarized and analyzed to determine Barcelona’s possible deployment in the national derby.
This is not a recent arrangement, but Real Madrid has always had scouts in Barcelona.
When Raul saw Puyol's information, his brows also frowned.
He and Puyol are teammates in the national team, one is a forward and the other is a defender. He is naturally very clear about Puyol's strength.
When it comes to personal defensive ability, Puyol is definitely one of the best in European football.
His short stature does put him at a disadvantage when competing against center forwards, but it also makes him very flexible, with strong fighting ability and the ability to chase back very quickly. For Barcelona, which likes to press forward and attack, he is the epitome of the best central defender.
If you don't believe it, just look at the extent to which Barcelona's defensive level has declined with or without Puyol, and you will see it clearly .
"It's a bit troublesome." Raul handed the report back to Gao Shen.
Gao Shen nodded, "We need someone who can break through Puyol's defense during the counterattack."
Raul, Zidane, Negredo, even Beckham, they are all very good, but when it comes to breaking through Puyol in a counterattack, they can't do it because they are not fast enough.
In other words, they are not that type of player.
There are many ways to counterattack, but breaking through Puyol is the most deadly and threatening one.
There are very few players in Real Madrid who can do this. Owen could do it before, but he has returned to the Premier League now; Callejon has speed, but he is too young, and it is basically impossible to have high hopes for him in such occasions.
Raul guessed who Gao Shen was talking about. "I heard that Ronnie went to see you at noon?"
There are no secrets in the locker room. Not to mention such a big thing as Ronaldo going to see Gao Shen, even if Zidane and Beckham visited Gao Shen overnight and why, Raul knew it.
In fact, there are not so many so-called conspiracies in many things.
"Yes, he wanted to play in the game, but I didn't agree." Gao Shen replied indifferently.
Raul understood what Gao Shen meant.
In fact, Gao Shen just wanted to ask him, Puyol is going to start, Ronaldo wants to play, if you think it is okay, I will let him play, if you think it is not okay, I will not let him play.
But is that really all?
Raul is not stupid at all. After thinking about it, he said: "The current situation of the team is hard-won. We should really gather the best players in the team and form the most competitive lineup to go to Camp Nou. If you think it is appropriate, I have no objection."
When Gao Shen heard this, he turned around and stared at Raul, "Really?"
"On the court, I will try my best to cooperate with them. At the same time, I will try my best to persuade everyone in the locker room and in private, but as for Sergio..." Raul was a little embarrassed.
The conflict between Ramos and Ronaldo occurred when Real Madrid lost 1-2 to Real Mallorca. Ramos scored the first goal for Real Madrid, but after the goal, no Brazilian player went up to celebrate with him, which made Ramos very annoyed.
After the team was reversed by Mallorca, Ramos blasted some teammates in the locker room after the game. Although he did not name any names, everyone knew that he was talking about the players of the Brazilian gang. This also attracted accusations from Ronaldo and Carlos, leading to infighting in the locker room. It was under such circumstances that Ronaldo called Florentino to put pressure on him.
"I'll tell him in person." Gao Shen nodded, but soon sighed, "I'm also worried now. With Ronaldo's current physical condition and stamina, how long can he last with our current tactics?"
Raul thought about it and nodded.
Gao Shen's words were actually telling Raul that he still believed in Raul and the local players, and Real Madrid would continue with its previous tactics. Even if Ronaldo played, it would probably be difficult for him to start.
Apart from anything else, can Ronaldo run and press like Raul?
The team already has Zidane, and if Ronaldo comes, Real Madrid's entire midfield and frontcourt pressure tactics will be greatly reduced. The defensive pressure in the midfield and backcourt will become greater, and the defense will also decline significantly.
In this way, wouldn't the team be back to its old ways?
…
After seeing Raul off, Gao Shen walked back to the training building.
At the door of the coach's office, he hesitated for a moment, and suddenly remembered the scene when Ronaldo came to see him before. He immediately called Lucas out and asked him to find Ramos, and turned and walked towards the head coach's office.
Even if I don't work here, it's okay to entertain guests here, right?
Ramos is a reckless and passionate person, like a newborn calf that is not afraid of tigers, but he also has a lot of problems. For example, on the court, some of his actions are always too big. Experience is one thing , but the habit of playing football for many years is more terrible.
Otherwise, how could it be said that he was trained by Caparros?
From the perspective of 2021, Ramos is really a bit like Puyol of Real Madrid.
Gao Shen really likes this kind of players. He thinks that there should be no head coach who doesn’t like this type of players.
Of course, when he makes mistakes, the head coach will be very angry.
But that's football.
It’s actually very close from the coach’s office to the locker room.
Ramos arrived quickly and was about to knock on the door when Gao Shen waved him in.
He had prepared a cup of hot water for Ramos.
This guy is obviously not an Argentine player, but he has the long hair of an Argentine player and wears a white headband. It looks awkward no matter how you look at it, but he likes it very much.
Every time he sees him, Gao Shen has the feeling of seeing a non-mainstream Shamatte.
It's true that if you don't become an immature person when you are young, you will live your youth in vain!
"Do you have something to talk to me about?" Ramos took a sip of water and asked with a smile.
After all, he is a young man full of energy. He just played a tough game last night and had two recovery training sessions today. After taking a hot shower, he is now as good as normal.
Of course, if he were to play now, his condition would definitely not be ideal.
Gao Shen was sitting opposite him and nodded. "I just looked at the data of your recent games and training. It's still the same old problem. You make too many movements and make many mistakes. In the game against Juventus, that header was very fatal."
When it comes to business, Ramos also becomes serious.
"I'm sorry, I did have a bit of a brain cramp."
"I understand. I am not looking for you to hold me accountable. I even think that you performed very well in this game. Really, I am thinking that after the second leg against Juventus next Wednesday, when I am done with this busy period, I will help you apply for a new contract at the Bernabeu."
"Ah?" Ramos was a little dumbfounded.
Didn’t you just say that his performance was not very good and that he made serious mistakes? How come you are saying you are going to give him a new contract the next moment?
He has just joined Real Madrid for less than a season, and he wants to renew his contract?
"What? Are you unhappy?" Gao Shen was actually happy.
"I... I signed an eight-year contract." Ramos thought Gao was confused.
"I know, but your annual salary is only 750,000 euros. I think it's too low and not worthy of your performance."
Many people have a misunderstanding about Florentino, always thinking that it is stupid for him to spend a high price to buy players.
In fact, this matter really needs to be looked at separately.
Just like Ramos, for a young defender, a price tag of 25 million euros is indeed too high, because in early 2005, the transfer market valued Ramos at less than 7 million euros, and Real Madrid's offer was ridiculously high.
But there are two factors to consider when it comes to transfers: age and salary.
Ramos is very young and his playing level is higher than his peers, so his premium is naturally higher.
To put it simply, when the strength is equal, the younger the age, the higher the value.
More importantly, Ramos' salary in Sevilla was too low, so when Real Madrid offered him an annual salary of 750,000 euros, he readily accepted it and signed an eight-year contract in one go.
There is no doubt that Real Madrid is really training Ramos as a future leader, but his annual salary is indeed the lowest in the team.
"I believe you know how important the next two games are to us without me having to say much."
Ramos nodded repeatedly, of course he understood.
"Barcelona's Eto'o, Larsson and Ronaldinho, Juventus' Trezeguet, Ibrahimovic, Sarayeta, Mutu and Piero are all world-class attackers. I hope you can give your best and most stable performance in these two games and play an important role in the defense."
Woodgate is injured frequently and it is difficult for him to fight on multiple fronts. Elguera is old and cannot fight on multiple fronts either. The only player Gao Shen can rely on is Ramos.
"After the match in Turin, I believe you should know that you can do it. The key is to minimize your mistakes and unnecessary actions. You must let me and everyone see your role in the team in these two games at Camp Nou and Bernabeu."
After hearing what Gao Shen said, Ramos felt that he played a very important role in Gao Shen's plan, and his enthusiasm was fully mobilized.
"Don't worry, I won't let you down."
Gao Shen smiled and patted Ramos on the shoulder, praising him: "You never disappoint, Sergio!"
After a pause, Gao Shen continued, "After these two games, I will go to the Bernabeu to try to renew your contract for you."
Ramos nodded heavily.
Gao Shen invited Ramos to drink some water, which made the atmosphere a little more relaxed, and then he seemed to suddenly remember something.
"By the way, I'm just telling you in advance so you can prepare yourself mentally, but remember to keep it a secret."
"Huh?" Ramos was a little surprised.
"Puyol will most likely start. This time we go to Barcelona and visit Camp Nou, I plan to bring Ronaldo with me. You must get along well with him then. The big battle is imminent, so pay attention to maintaining good unity within the team, okay?" After Gao Shen finished speaking, he smiled and patted Ramos on the shoulder, as if this was just a trivial matter.
Ramos had mistakenly thought it was a big deal, and immediately laughed, "I see. Anyway, he won't mess with me, and I won't mess with him. When we're on the court, we should cooperate as we should. Is that okay?"
Only then did Gao Shen nod with satisfaction.
