There was a lot of noise outside, but inside Valdebebas, Gao Shen and the coaching staff had already shifted their targets.
Defeating Juventus is already a thing of the past for Gao Shen.
Next, his goal was to reach the Champions League semi-finals .
At the same time, there is La Liga, which needs to continue to keep pressure on Barcelona.
In another match in the Champions League half where Real Madrid is located, AC Milan faced Lyon. In the first leg, AC Milan drew 0-0 with Lyon away from home. The second leg will be held at the San Siro Stadium tonight.
"I guess, barring any unexpected events, AC Milan will win tonight."
At the regular coaching staff meeting in the morning, Gao Shen gave his own judgment.
This is not only his realistic judgment. According to his memory, AC Milan has performed very strongly in recent years, reaching the semi-finals and the finals in 2005 and 2007.
Ancelotti is still polishing his lineup today, and the main reason is the contradiction between two strikers and one striker.
There are advantages to playing with two strikers, but if you play with two strikers, there are only four people in the midfield, including Kaka.
Pirlo is an attacking midfielder, which means that as a single defensive midfielder, his defensive ability is much weaker than that of a regular defensive midfielder, and he appears very thin, so he needs a hitter, that is Gattuso.
Kaka was attacking in the front and Pirlo was passing the ball in the backcourt. The two were actually a little out of touch, so they needed someone to connect and advance, and that was Seedorf.
If this is the configuration of four midfielders, then AC Milan's midfield will be a big problem.
"I watched the first leg of AC Milan vs. Lyon last night. It was very interesting. Lyon played 4-3-3 and was even a little conservative at the beginning, which gave AC Milan more space. But soon, Houllier realized the problem."
Today, Lyon's head coach is Frenchman Gerard Houllier, the coach who led Liverpool to win five championships and Benítez's predecessor. He is also good at playing cup games.
"Houlier asked the team to press forward as a whole. Malouda and Wiltord, together with center forward Kalou, suppressed AC Milan's defense. The midfield then suppressed AC Milan's midfield, directly gaining the advantage on the field and taking the initiative."
At this point, Gao Shen shook his head and sighed: "It's a pity that Lyon's offensive ability is too poor, especially Kalou. The three defensive midfielders composed of Thiago Mendes, Mohamed Diarra and Pedretti lack creativity, which makes it difficult for Lyon's offense to create threats. They can only frequently use long shots, so it resulted in a 0-0 draw."
In other words, Lyon failed to score a goal despite taking the initiative and having the advantage, and AC Milan also failed to score a goal under Lyon's suppression, and was even relatively passive on the field.
"Houlier is experienced, but Ancelotti is a cunning fox. Lyon failed to beat AC Milan despite such a good chance at home, so it will be a tough time for them to play away at San Siro."
As soon as Gao Shen finished speaking, the members of the coaching staff immediately understood what he meant.
Real Madrid's next preparations will revolve around AC Milan.
"Jose, call the Bernabeu and ask them to help me make arrangements. I will fly to Milan tonight to watch the away game . I want to see the situation of AC Milan on the spot." Gao Shen looked at Maqueda and instructed.
"Going alone?" asked Maqueda.
It is actually very common for the head coach to spy on the opponent for the next game, and sometimes it is even arranged through the opponent's club because tickets are difficult to get.
For example, if Gao Shen wants to go to San Siro to watch a game, even if AC Milan knows about it, they will not obstruct him and may even provide help.
Many times, the game on the court and the business off the court are separate.
Gao Shen thought for a moment and said, "Let Fernando and Lorenzo go with me."
Maqueda looked surprised, but soon nodded in agreement, though a little embarrassed.
Ever since Lucas was promoted to the first team and Buenaventura came to Real Madrid, Maqueda, the chief assistant coach, has completely become a tool for doing odd jobs.
But he himself could do nothing about it.
In terms of friendship, can he compare with Lucas, this high-ranking confidant?
In terms of professional level, Buenaventura has thoroughly proved to everyone his authority in the field of physical training.
Some people have begun to say secretly that Maqueda is not worthy of the title of chief assistant coach.
Fortunately, Gao Shen did not have any intention of changing his mind. He probably just thought that he was a handy tool.
"Can you two go on a business trip?" Gao Shen asked with a smile.
Lucas is a young man and a loner, so of course there is no problem, and Buenaventura nodded.
"It's a public trip. We'll go in the afternoon and be back tomorrow morning." Gao Shen smiled, then he remembered something and turned to look at Maqueda, "Tell the people at the Bernabeu to arrange better food and lodging, and check out the accommodation environment at the away stadium."
Everyone laughed, this reason was indeed very reasonable.
"Then I will make good use of this afternoon to arrange training for tomorrow morning," Buenaventura said.
He is starting to get into character now.
The most important thing is that after coming to work at Real Madrid, Gao Shen was very open with him and the team's performance was also very good, which gave him hope.
"In addition to training, you have to work harder today and give me a physical fitness report of the players, as well as a preliminary training plan for the next two weeks. You need to adjust the team's condition and physical fitness before the first match of the semi-finals."
Buenaventura immediately nodded in agreement.
"Oh, yes. Also, give me a physical and fitness report of Baptista, Robinho and Cicinho."
When everyone heard this, they all nodded in understanding.
Ronaldo has played in two consecutive games. Although he was a substitute, Gao Shen used him to the best of his ability.
Baptista, Robinho and Cicinho are all strong players of the team. Now it seems that they are really needed to be included in the rotation lineup to help the team get through this difficult period and cope with the double-line battle.
Sometimes, members of the coaching staff also said privately that Gao Shen’s skills in managing the locker room were truly eye-opening. He was so sophisticated that he didn’t seem like a rookie who had just graduated from school, but rather like a veteran who had been in the industry for many years.
The Brazilian gang was suppressed by him, which was actually not much of an ability. After all, as long as one had courage and determination, it could be done. The difficulty lies in keeping the team's performance stable.
But who could have thought that Gao Shen would later use Ronaldo, and now he is going to use Baptista, Robinho and Cicinho. The key is that there is harmony in the locker room.
When Ronaldo was first hired, many people were worried about local gangs causing trouble, especially Ramos. This guy was a thorn in the flesh and had conflicts with Ronaldo. Once a quarrel started, he would not care about anything.
But unexpectedly, Ramos was completely obedient under Gao Shen's control. Even at Camp Nou, after Ronaldo scored a goal, Ramos ran over to celebrate with Ronaldo. How many people who were ready to watch the show were disappointed?
And now, Baptista, Robinho and Cicinho are about to return, and the Brazilian gang is about to make a comeback.
The people are still the same group of people, but after being organized by Gao Shen, in just over a month, the locker room has become not only harmonious, but also united and full of cohesion. Everyone has a strong energy in their hearts, which can be seen in training and competitions.
In today's Real Madrid dressing room, who dares to object?
As for this authority, who has it in the past?
Not to mention the moderates like Carlo, Raymond and Bosque, even the hardliners like Luxemburgo, Queiroz, Heynckes, Hiddink and Capello, who seemed to have an iron fist when they coached Real Madrid, never had such authority.
To be honest, maybe there was still some when Valdano was coaching.
If this is not ability, then what is ability?
…
"I heard that you were blocked by female fans at the gate again this morning?"
After the meeting, when everyone else had gone about their business, Lucas came up to Gao Shen and asked with a wink and a smile.
"Who told you that?" Gao Shen sat at his desk without stopping his hands.
He is flying to Milan in the afternoon and he also has a lot of things to deal with.
"I know everything." Lucas said with a smile, and then he clicked his tongue twice, "To be honest, it's different when you're the head coach."
Gao Shen then stopped, looked up at his best friend, and shook his head in disgust, "You know shit, it's because I'm handsome."
"Come on." Lucas cursed with a smile, but he had to admit that Gao Shen was becoming more and more popular among Real Madrid fans.
I would be recognized by fans when I went out in the morning, and I would be recognized by fans on my way to work by bicycle. I would even be blocked by fans at the gate of Valdebebas...
He is now a real star in Madrid.
"Oh, by the way, do you still remember the female reporter from Real Madrid TV?" Lucas suddenly asked.
Gao Shen frowned and thought about it. He had some impression of her and she seemed to be quite good-looking.
"What's the matter?" Gao Shen asked instead of answering.
"You're pretty. I heard we wanted to interview you. Did you turn it down?"
Gao Shen was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Where did you hear all this gossip?"
Lucas laughed. "You said you wanted me to be your intelligence officer, so of course I had to go around and get information. I accidentally found out about these things from the Bernabeu. Someone also said that she wanted to invite you to dinner during the interview, but you refused."
"Stop!" Gao Shen stood up and called a halt. "She did want to interview me. It's work, but I didn't have time, so I asked her to postpone it. Also, I really can't remember what she looks like now."
The only impression I have seems to be seeing it at a press conference.
Lucas looked at Gao Shen with a half-believing look, "There's something wrong with you."
There is indeed a problem.
Today's Gao Shen is no longer the same Gao Shen as before. He is young and handsome. He is not rich, but his salary is not bad and his future is bright. Such a potential stock is very marketable everywhere, and there is definitely no shortage of girls around him.
But Gao Shen lives like an ascetic monk, and there is something wrong with him no matter how you look at him.
"Tell me the truth, have you ever been hurt? Have you ever stopped believing in love since then?" Lucas asked.
"Get out!" Gao Shen ordered them to leave.
But how could Lucas let him go?
During this period, more and more people came to him to ask for advice, many of whom were women, which made Lucas very depressed.
We are all single, why do you come to me for advice?
Don’t you think this is too cruel to me?
Gao Shen was so confused by this guy that he had to hold back his laughter and told him a "secret" in all seriousness.
"I was rejected. I swear that I must succeed within three years, return home in glory, and make that woman regret it!"
"So, don't talk to me about love for the next three years. I want to fight!"
Lucas gasped.
Hiss, isn’t this too harsh on myself?
So terrifying.