"Ronnie, can I trust you?"
After finishing the morning recovery training, everyone began to rest. Gao Shen asked Lucas to call Ronaldo to the head coach's office. As soon as the Brazilian walked in and sat down, Gao Shen asked him questions.
Ronaldo was very surprised. He suddenly looked up at Gao Shen and found that the head coach's eyes were fixed on him. He immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. This was definitely not a joke but serious.
"You say." Ronaldo did not answer on the spot.
His relationship with Gao Shen is not yet good enough to the point where they can confide in each other without asking why.
In fact, to some extent, he was afraid that he would be sold out by Gao Shen if he was not careful.
Who in the team doesn't know that this young man is a cunning fox?
"In this match against AC Milan, I need the center forward to suppress the opponent's two central defenders and cooperate with the left and right wingers to suppress AC Milan's defense, just like the tactics adopted by Lyon and Inter Milan, but we will do it more aggressively than them, do you understand what I mean?"
Ronaldo thought about it for a moment and nodded to show that he understood.
The meaning behind being radical is that Real Madrid players need to invest more manpower, run more and harder, and press harder and more fiercely, and behind all this is the hard work and consumption of the players.
Ronaldo never doubted his state of mind, he wanted to win, he was eager to win, but he was not very confident about his body.
"To what extent does it need to be done?" Ronaldo asked.
"Give it your all. If everything goes well, it can be the first half, or even shorter."
Ronaldo didn't ask what would happen if things didn't go well, because he knew that if things didn't go well, there would be no point in asking.
"I can't compete for headers like Negredo. No matter whether it's Nesta, Stam, Maldini or Kaladze, I can't beat them." Ronaldo said again.
Gao Shen nodded, "I understand. You don't need to do these. You just need to limit their passing."
"And... score a goal?"
"right."
This is Gao Shen's intention in using Ronaldo. Otherwise, wouldn't it be better for him to use Negredo directly?
To put it simply, Gao Shen uses Ronaldo to improve the efficiency of scoring as much as possible, but it will certainly weaken the pressure in the frontcourt. Ronaldo cannot provide the kind of pressure that Negredo, as a center forward, can provide.
"What did Lorenzo say?" Ronaldo asked again.
Real Madrid players still have great trust in Buenaventura.
"He feels that there is nothing wrong with the body, the key is to look at the players themselves."
That is what we call being willing to fight.
This is actually very important.
Some even say that knowing how to paddle smartly on the court is the mark of a good player.
The so-called cleverness actually means not affecting the overall performance of the team while being able to be lazy and take a break.
But now, what Gao Shen wants is to fight with all his strength, and for forty-five minutes.
The reason why Gao Shen asked this question is because this cannot be forced.
If Ronaldo promises him now but fails to do it on the court, Gao Shen will be in trouble, so usually at this time, the head coach will definitely give priority to Negredo.
What's more, Ronaldo also has to consider a risk. The more energy a player consumes and the closer his physical strength is to the limit, the more likely he is to get injured. With the World Cup approaching, if he gets injured, he will most likely miss the World Cup.
But Gao Shen still wanted to ask, because Ronaldo said that he wanted a Champions League!
Now, it depends on how strong Ronaldo's desire is.
…
…
"Another one to zero."
While Gao Shen, who was far away in Madrid, was talking to Ronaldo, Ancelotti of Milan also received a detailed report on Real Madrid's match against Getafe. They also specially arranged scouts to follow Real Madrid's game on site and gather military intelligence.
"I now think that this young coach of Real Madrid is really interesting."
Assistant coach Mauro Tassotti nodded and said, "It's not easy to lead Real Madrid to what it is now at the age of 25."
After saying this, the assistant coaches of AC Milan all smiled slightly.
Everyone knows what Real Madrid was like before Gao Shen took over. Now, they have caught up to ten points in La Liga, on par with Barcelona, ​​and have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, facing AC Milan.
Apart from anything else, this transcript alone is eye-catching enough.
"But unfortunately, he still can't conquer the picky Real Madrid." Ancelotti laughed after he said this.
According to the intelligence, Real Madrid president Martin did not give a clear commitment to renew Gao Shen's contract, and everyone knows that this basically means that Gao Shen will have no chance to play for Real Madrid this summer.
Of course, if he does achieve outstanding results this season, such as winning the La Liga and Champions League double, that would be another matter.
At the moment, no one can deny that Real Madrid has such a possibility, but it is still the least favored among the top four.
Almost like Villarreal.
"It's actually quite normal. Judging from Real Madrid's current situation, they will definitely have to make a major restructuring this summer. Who can bet on a 25-year-old young man with a deal worth tens of millions of euros or even hundreds of millions of euros?"
Mauro Tassotti took it for granted.
"Let alone Real Madrid, La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, which team's season transfer does not involve tens of millions of euros, plus the team's personnel salary costs and various investments, do you think there are really people who would gamble on it?"
Ancelotti nodded.
There is a debate now, is it Gao Shen who made Real Madrid successful? Or is it Real Madrid that made Gao Shen successful?
This is actually a question without an answer because the two are one.
But there is a consensus in the professional football circle, that is, putting out a fire midway and taking full charge of a season are two completely different concepts. It can even be said that no one will admit how good a head coach who puts out a fire midway is.
Unless he coaches alone for a full season and proves himself with results.
If Gao Shen can lead Real Madrid to win the championship, this mid-season saving performance will be truly impressive. The best and most ideal outcome would be to stay in Real Madrid, just like Bosque, and prove his strength with a full season's results.
But unfortunately, his team is Real Madrid, and given the current situation, it is probably difficult to give him such an opportunity.
And which other team would be willing to give him such an opportunity?
There are countless head coaches who have achieved great results in saving the team midway through the season, but have been a complete mess in coaching the entire season.
What's more, those are mature head coaches, while Gao Shen is only 25 years old.
"In fact, Capello is right. He should find a team that is willing to trust him and support him, let him give it his all and try to perfect his tactical ideas and concepts, and then build his own team, bring results and prove himself once again."
Ancelotti suddenly felt that Capello really appreciated profound ideas, otherwise he would not have given such pertinent advice.
"But in the top leagues, even in the Eredivisie and Portuguese Super League, there may not be any team willing to give him such an opportunity. He is still too young, which makes people worry." Mauro Tassotti analyzed.
"So," Ancelotti nodded, "I guess he still wants to bet on La Liga and the Champions League. He will definitely go all out in this match at the Bernabeu. I'm sure he will want to eat us up in one bite, just like Houllier and Mancini."
After saying this, Ancelotti revealed a sly sneer.
After all, you are still young and don’t understand that you can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.
"Arrange a training session and focus on practicing the defense of the second point. Negredo's high point is worth noting. If Raul and Zidane can get the second point, it will still be very threatening." Ancelotti reminded.
Mauro Tassotti immediately took out his notebook and wrote it down.
…
…
The Champions League semi-final is approaching.
Real Madrid beat Getafe 1-0, and AC Milan beat Inter Milan 1-0. Both games showed that the two teams are in pretty good shape at the moment, which makes people look forward to the semi-finals.
In comparison, AC Milan is the favorite.
So far in the Champions League, Real Madrid and Villarreal have reached the semi-finals, which can be considered a real upset.
Barcelona is the number one favorite, followed closely by AC Milan, so the two teams participating in the final have the highest odds as Barcelona and the Rossoneri, while Real Madrid and Villarreal are both seen as stepping stones.
Surprisingly, before the match against AC Milan at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid was surprisingly calm and no news was leaked.
Valdebebas simply adopted a closed training, refused the media and fans, and the Bernabeu did not make any noise, which gave people the impression of cold treatment.
Is it because Real Madrid is not confident about this semi-final, so they choose to keep a low profile?
The day before the game, both teams announced their 18-man rosters, and there were no surprises or accidents.
Both sides seem to be very conservative and do not intend to create surprises.
Gao Shen still did not attend the pre-match press conference and let Maqueda take his place. The media made a fuss for a while, but people got used to it.
There is really not much to say before the game. The real hot topic is after the game. Regardless of whether the game is won or lost, the media will have articles to write about.
Before leading the team to Madrid, Ancelotti made a prediction about the game. He said that AC Milan would get out of the Bernabeu unscathed.
"We already know what tactics our opponents will adopt, but we are very confident that they will not succeed."
Ancelotti said Real Madrid is a great team and deserves respect, but the team is no longer at its peak.
Regarding the battle at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti said that he would not choose to be conservative, but would actively strive for away goals.
"We all know that away goals are important in the Champions League knockout stages and we hope to score at the Bernabeu."
Regarding Gao Shen, Ancelotti said that this was the biggest surprise and unexpected event in European football this season.
"Before this, none of us could believe that a 25-year-old young coach would be in charge of Real Madrid, let alone achieve what he has today."
"To be honest, I really like the football philosophy shown by Gao Shen. He is not conservative at all, really, but it is still very rough. He needs more time to slowly polish his team, but what he lacks most now is time."
What Ancelotti meant was that he would definitely win the battle at the Bernabeu!