Chapter 87: Mr. Gao, do you still have any shame?
The media once made a statistical analysis of the scores of the five major European leagues and came to an interesting conclusion.
In the top five leagues over the past few years, the most common scoreline has been one to zero.
That is, only one goal is scored in a football match.
The proportion is almost over 25 percent.
The second most common score is one to one, which is about 15 percent.
The next ratio is two to one, which is about 15 percent.
Next are 2-0 and 0-0, ranking fourth and fifth respectively, with a proportion of about 8% to 10%.
I believe everyone will be surprised when they first see this data, because it is so different from their own impression.
But that's the truth.
Fans have a selective memory and are naturally more impressed by matches with larger scores.
Fernando Lucas once specially compiled a set of data, one of which was of great interest to Gao Shen. That was that in the memory of many fans, Real Madrid played the best offensive football in the 2002-2003 season. In 38 league games, Real Madrid scored 86 goals and conceded 42 goals.
Leaving aside the defensive data, let’s just talk about the number of goals.
In 38 games, Real Madrid did not score in six games and only scored one goal in nine games.
There were six games in which two goals were scored, seven games in which three goals were scored, six games in which four goals were scored, and four games in which five goals were scored.
Among them, there were ten games in which the opponents were shutout, and only two of these ten games had three or more goals scored.
There were seventeen games with more than three goals scored. In addition to these two shutout games, there were fifteen games in which goals were conceded, and many of them conceded two goals or even three goals.
Please note that this is recognized by everyone in the world as the 2002-2003 season, the peak season for Real Madrid in recent years, with the most superstars and the best condition.
Fernando Lucas compiled this data with a simple intention, which was to comfort Gao Shen and let him not worry too much about what people said outside. In fact, the one-to-zero mentality is a normal phenomenon for a normal team.
Combining the media's questionnaire survey with Fernando Lucas's data, we can actually give a very intuitive outline, that is, on the football field, scoring a goal is actually a very, very difficult thing.
To some extent, scoring a goal even means victory!
This situation will only be more obvious in the Champions League knockout rounds, which feature strong opponents and the highest technical and tactical level.
Why didn’t Gao Shen dare to attack when he visited Turin in the first leg?
Isn’t it nice to score away goals?
No, it smells good, very good.
But he didn't dare, and couldn't.
If they fail to score an away goal and instead concede a goal to Juventus, given Real Madrid's current situation, they will basically be eliminated.
Is it conservative?
A bit conservative indeed.
But when the team cannot guarantee both defense and offense, Gao Shen can only choose defense.
If the conservative hat can help Real Madrid win the championship, Gao Shen doesn't mind wearing it.
Back at the Bernabeu, the first thing Gao Shen had to consider when arranging tactics was to prevent Juventus from scoring.
For every goal Juventus scores, Real Madrid must score two goals.
So although Gao Shen seemed aggressive at the beginning, he was actually playing it safe, and then he seized Juventus' weak spot and scored a goal.
Then what?
Gao Shen began to signal that the team continued to defend steadily.
Juventus was also interesting. After losing the ball, they tried to counterattack for a while, but were quickly suppressed by Capello.
The reason is very simple. Capello does not dare to take risks easily.
He was afraid that Real Madrid would further widen the lead.
After Real Madrid scored, Juventus only needed to score one goal to tie the total score and then reverse the situation with an away goal. However, if Juventus' attack caused the back line to be careless and Real Madrid seized the opportunity and scored a sneak goal, they would be even more desperate.
Therefore, in the last twenty minutes of the first half, the game was still in a stalemate.
Juventus have not shown any aggressive ambitions.
…
…
“Well done everyone!”
As soon as he entered the locker room, Gao Shen applauded his players vigorously.
Everyone looked quite excited, but also breathless.
Although the game seems dull, it is very intense and the players are exhausted.
Gao Shen's eyes swept over the eleven players in the locker room. He nodded continuously and gave them his admiring eyes without hesitation. This was the reward they deserved.
"Everyone, I can't guess what tactics Juventus will adopt in the second half. Will Capello attack immediately after the start? Or will he make substitutions and then make an effort? But I can be sure that the situation in the second half will be more difficult than the first half."
"Everyone has felt how strong Juventus is, but I am here to tell you proudly that tonight, at the Bernabeu, you will eliminate this strong team, and you will use a victory to prove that you are stronger and better than them!"
When every player heard this, they all raised their heads and looked at Gao Shen.
They were still panting and looked exhausted, but they were full of fighting spirit.
If they eliminate Juventus, they will advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
"Next, every minute of the second half will be a very difficult test for us, both individually and as a team, in terms of technique, tactics, physical fitness and willpower. It will be the most difficult challenge. I believe that you have all made mental preparations and will be able to withstand this test."
Gao Shen's eyes revealed immense determination and confidence. He clenched his fists tightly and stared at the players fiercely.
"Believe me, everyone. As long as you grit your teeth and hold on, we will definitely be able to advance!"
If there hadn't been this goal in the first half , many players might still have doubts or even lack confidence.
But now, Gao Shen said that Real Madrid would definitely be able to score a goal if they returned to the Bernabeu, and as a result, they really scored a goal.
Now, Gao Shen said that if they persisted, they would win, and they all believed it!
…
Putting aside the players' individual abilities, characteristics and team lineup, Juventus' biggest problem lies in their tactics.
442 parallel standing position.
Why did Nedved have to move from left midfielder to attacking midfielder?
Because there is no one in the middle.
If we look at it from the perspective of the space on the field, the four lines of 4-2-3-1 are more efficient in utilizing space than the parallel formation of 4-4-2, which has been proven in Valencia and Benítez.
Benítez took Ranieri and Cooper's 4-4-2 formation a step further and came up with a 4-2-3-1 formation, which helped Valencia win the La Liga title and helped Liverpool create the great Istanbul miracle.
After two rounds of competition, Gao Shen has enough confidence in Real Madrid's tactics.
But he dared not be careless, because on the court, accidents are everywhere.
Therefore, during the half-time break, what he emphasized the most was the players' mistakes and the need to avoid them as much as possible.
Especially those involuntary mistakes that occur when one’s physical energy is greatly expended.
…
“After the second half begins, we must pay close attention to the players’ physical performance.”
After seeing the players off, Gao Shen called Lucas and Buenaventura over and gave them many instructions.
Lucas can get the latest real-time game data, including the players' running distance, etc., while Buenaventura will analyze the players' current physical condition based on this data and provide advice for advanced substitutions and decision-making.
Both knew that this was crucial to the outcome of the game.
"Why not Ronaldo?" Lucas asked curiously.
Ronaldo is on the roster tonight and will definitely come on as a substitute, but why doesn't Gao Shen let him play?
Gao Shen looked at his friend, smiled, and asked, "Why do you think the Sword of Damocles has such a deterrent effect?"
Lucas looked thoughtful, and Buenaventura nodded with some understanding.
"Because you don't know when it will fall." Gao Shen took the initiative to give the answer.
The whole world knows that Ronaldo will definitely play and is Gao Shen’s most important defensive counterattack weapon.
But the profoundness is hidden and not used.
Why was Rijkaard criticized so harshly by Cruyff?
Because he was the first to adjust, he was countered by Gao Shen.
As long as Gao Shen doesn't use Ronaldo, Capello will be restricted in making substitutions or adjustments.
Of course, Ronaldo must play, but there needs to be a timing.
Time is on Real Madrid's side and they are leading the score. All they have to do is wait and see how Capello will make his move.
Buenaventura watched Gao Shen's back as he left, then looked at Fernando Lucas, who only understood half of what was said. He couldn't help but laugh and couldn't help but reach out and pat Lucas on the shoulder.
"You are still too honest."
Lucas scratched the back of his head in confusion.
Honest? Isn't that good?
…
…
At the beginning of the second half, Capello did not rush to attack, but organized the attack in an orderly manner.
Real Madrid continued to adopt a steady defensive counterattack tactic, shrinking in its own half and allowing Juventus to press forward.
The Zebras were obviously also quite afraid of Real Madrid's counterattack, especially Negredo's pressing and interference with the defense, which constrained Juventus' backcourt.
Real Madrid players are becoming more and more familiar with this sophisticated 4-2-3-1 formation, and their defense is getting better and better organized. In addition, Juventus is not good at ground penetration and cooperation, so it is difficult to launch an offense, and they can only frequently use long passes to find Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic.
These two centers have the advantage of high balls, but everyone knows that in Real Madrid's tight defense, the efficiency of this kind of high ball attack is actually very low.
Capello finally lost his patience and replaced Trezeguet with Sarayeta in the 58th minute.
This is a positional substitution.
Trezeguet was closely guarded in both rounds of the game and failed to play to his full potential.
Gao Shen remained unmoved and continued to hold on.
After coming on as a substitute, Sarayeta was very active, but did not cause much damage to Real Madrid's defense.
The reason is not surprising, Juventus' midfield couldn't pass the ball.
Especially after Nedved no longer dared to run to the middle to pass the ball easily, Ibrahimovic frequently retreated to receive the ball, but the Swedish center was too sticky to the ball and had an impatient temper. Under Real Madrid's tight defense, it was difficult for him to create a threat.
The title of Champions League wimp is not in vain!
Therefore, Juventus could only play high balls.
When the game time was about to reach the 70th minute, Capello saw that the situation on the field still did not improve. He finally lost his patience and asked Gabiati to call Mutu to warm up.
On the Real Madrid side, after seeing Mutu warming up, Gao Shen immediately asked Maqueda to notify Ronaldo to warm up.
This immediately made Capello, who was sitting in front of the visiting team's coaching booth, furious.
Damn it, if I don’t change people, you won’t change either. If I want to change people, you have to change too.
Mr. Gao, do you still have any shame?
