Starting With Real Madrid

Gao Shen didn't know that Vilanova was "plotting" to scout at the Bernabéu, but he was already prepared for the "spies" from Barcelona—because he did the same thing himself.

For clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, with huge budgets and a deep rivalry, they naturally keep a close eye on each other. Sending scouts to monitor the opponent's every move is a routine part of preparation.

As the saying goes: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Gao Shen had a clear understanding of the current Barcelona.

Many things appeared to have changed, but in essence, much remained the same.

He had also heard about the story between Vilanova and Guardiola. Situations like this are common across all professions, but it became newsworthy only because of Guardiola's fame. If it had involved someone else, it likely would have gone unnoticed.

That said, Vilanova's approach in this matter was still questionable.

Guardiola saw him as a trusted confidant. But Vilanova had reached an agreement with the club management behind Guardiola's back, which was ethically problematic. Especially since Rosell publicly announced Vilanova as the new head coach on the same day Guardiola stepped down—it was too awkward.

Similar things had happened around Gao Shen.

For instance, Guardiola once discussed returning to Barcelona with Gao Shen before it happened. Zidane had always been open with Gao Shen about his intention to return to Real Madrid. Gao Shen had even told Leeds United manager Sarri that if he performed well and received an offer from a big club, he could speak honestly, and Gao Shen would not make things difficult.

In Gao Shen's view, if Vilanova had spoken to Guardiola directly, Guardiola would not have opposed it. But he chose to conceal it.

That was what made Guardiola feel betrayed.

Vilanova had always wanted to prove he was not inferior to Guardiola and did not want to live in his shadow. This desire to prove himself gave him an even greater hunger for victory, especially when facing Real Madrid and Gao Shen.

Recently, Gao Shen had also been sending scouts to track Barcelona and had received internal updates, including injury reports and details of the Sevilla match.

That match caused quite a stir in the media. In Gao Shen's opinion, the referee was clearly biased, and Fàbregas' acting was downright disgusting. He truly deserved an Oscar.

But Medel also had issues.

The Chilean midfielder lost his temper. Otherwise, he never would have made that move.

It gave Fàbregas the opening he needed to go down easily.

As for Thiago's handball, it all depended on how the referee interpreted it.

"I need to give the players a proper talk and focus on improving their emotional control during matches. I don't want to see us go down the same path as Sevilla. Our players are quite prone to losing their composure," Gao Shen reminded.

The coaching staff, led by Carlo, all nodded.

Real Madrid had a full-time psychologist embedded with the squad, responsible for counseling players. This was a setup that Gao Shen had maintained since his days at Napoli, through Manchester City, and now at Real Madrid.

Over the past few years, Real Madrid's overall performance had been far inferior to Barcelona's, especially in head-to-head clashes. This left Madrid at a psychological disadvantage.

Barcelona's patient, possession-based style and their years of mental resilience had made them more composed and confident.

In contrast, Real Madrid often lacked that mental stability in big matches against Barcelona.

On one side, there was the desire to prove oneself. On the other, the immense pressure of the fixture.

This was particularly evident during Mourinho's tenure, since Mourinho himself was notoriously impatient.

And that kind of impatience could easily lead to mistakes—like Medel's.

"Toni Kroos and Modrić are both facing Barcelona for the first time and lack experience. Schedule a training session. I want a simulated drill where Isco and Verratti take turns imitating Barcelona, dribbling and attacking our three midfielders."

As soon as Gao Shen said it, Carlo understood.

"You want to train their positioning and shape?"

"Exactly," Gao Shen nodded. "We can't go head-to-head with Barcelona in terms of possession, at least not right now. That's why they often hold the ball in front of our players. The goal is simple—they want us to press."

Gao Shen was well aware of Barcelona's trademark tactics.

Once the opponent goes in for the ball, Barcelona immediately executes a small-area two-on-one, then uses that numerical advantage to break down the entire defensive shape.

Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta were all masters of this.

In such scenarios, the best decision for the defending side is to hold position, maintain shape, and not bite.

In short, let them pass all they want.

"Isn't that too passive?" Hierro frowned.

As a Real Madrid legend, he didn't care much for Barcelona's style of football.

If this was still the Mourinho era, there would be no debate. But under Gao Shen, Real Madrid had been playing well and were in excellent form. Was there really a need to sit back?

Gao Shen looked at Hierro and shook his head.

"You've made the same mistake the media and fans often make."

Hierro was stunned. "What mistake?"

"In a professional league, every match is independent."

After a short pause, Gao Shen explained further.

"Many people think that since we just beat Deportivo 7-1 and are in great form, even if we can't beat Barcelona, we can at least go toe-to-toe with them, right?"

"But the truth? If we really go head-to-head with Barcelona at Camp Nou, we might score a goal, I'm quite confident in that. But the real question is, can we actually win like that?"

In football, it's common to see a team win big one week and get crushed the next.

There are even cases where a team beats a top club one round, only to lose to a relegation-threatened side in the next.

Is that match-fixing?

Of course not.

More likely, the team lost focus after a big win. They relaxed, lost tension, and got punished for it.

There are a thousand possible reasons, but the bottom line is this: every opponent and every match is different.

Assuming you'll play the same just because you won the last round is completely wrong.

If football really worked like that, it wouldn't be any fun.

"We beat Deportivo 7-1, but if we get overconfident, Barcelona might just beat us 7-1. As head coach, my job is to choose the best tactical plan for every single match. That's my responsibility."

Hierro nodded. "Understood."

"When facing Barcelona, the most important thing is to keep the shape compact and disciplined. Attacking and scoring are secondary. As I've said before, Barcelona's defense is weak. As long as we can withstand their attack, scoring against them won't be difficult."

In Gao Shen's eyes, Barcelona's back line was indeed vulnerable—but only if you lived long enough in the match to exploit it.

Just like their game against Sevilla.

Vilanova didn't pair Thiago Motta with Piqué, but used Alexandre Song instead.

Gao Shen guessed that Vilanova was worried about Motta and Piqué not complementing each other.

But Song had been a midfielder at Arsenal and was only recently converted into a center-back at Barcelona. There were clear adaptation issues.

Barcelona's back line plays extremely high. Their defenders have to cover huge spaces both in front and behind, often more than 40 meters from their own goal.

This contributes to their defensive weaknesses.

Song struggled and got exposed by Sevilla.

Even though Barcelona had over 70 percent possession in the first half, their attacking threat was less than Sevilla's.

But in the upcoming game, Puyol would return.

"Assign someone to monitor Puyol's recovery, especially his condition," Gao Shen reminded.

"And I'm setting up a special training session just for Messi. I want to build him a brand-new cage."

In every match against Barcelona, Messi is the hurdle that cannot be ignored.

Barcelona is unlike any other team. Their passing and control are world-class. No matter the opponent, they stick to their system, and the opponent must come up with targeted tactics to stop them.

This season, Messi was playing more centrally, but his role was different from when Guardiola was in charge.

With Sánchez and Agüero pushing higher up, Messi now dropped deeper, operating more like a No. 10.

That was due to Xavi and Iniesta's reduced mobility. Messi had to drop to link midfield and attack.

As a result, he was doing better as a playmaker this season, but scoring less than Ronaldo.

The Argentine had only six goals so far, while Ronaldo had already scored eleven.

The good news for Gao Shen and Real Madrid was that Ronaldo was now laser-focused on beating Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Between the two Spanish giants, Barcelona had more momentum. Vilanova had made the best start in club history.

Real Madrid had experienced some turbulence, but the overall trend was upward. Recently, the squad had started to settle, and individual players were performing well.

Whether against Rayo Vallecano or Deportivo, Real Madrid had finished the job early in the first half.

That was why the world was looking forward to the upcoming El Clásico.

Everyone believed this would be the most exciting and most anticipated clash between the two sides in recent memory.

Could Real Madrid, under Gao Shen, finally challenge Barcelona's dominance?

Or would Barcelona, under Vilanova, continue their supremacy?

No one doubted Gao Shen's ability to beat Barcelona. The question was: could this Real Madrid squad meet his demands and execute his tactics?

More importantly, even after thrashing Deportivo, Real Madrid still had to face Porto at home in the second round of the Champions League group stage before visiting Camp Nou.

After losing the first round away to Dortmund, Real Madrid could not afford to drop more points against Porto.

But before the match began, Gao Shen made a decision that shocked the entire football world.

(To be continued.)