Starting With Real Madrid

If Gao Shen had known what Vilanova and Roura were thinking in the stands, he would've felt incredibly wronged and shouted back, "You think I'd be crazy enough to clip my own wings?"

One of the main reasons Di María wasn't in the starting lineup tonight was due to something discovered after the 7-1 win over Deportivo La Coruña.

The day after that match, during regular training, analyst Carlos Vargas noticed something off with Di María's performance.

Buenaventura and Pintus conducted their usual physical assessments, and Di María admitted he was experiencing discomfort in his leg muscles, which immediately drew attention from the coaching staff.

The Argentine himself didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just post-match soreness from high-intensity play and that he'd recover after some rest.

But following an evaluation by the team doctors and coaching staff, it was diagnosed as a mild muscle strain.

It wasn't serious, and as Di María said, most players wouldn't even pay it much mind. A bit of rest and they'd be back.

But Gao Shen made the call to rest him and temporarily replace him with Higuaín in the starting lineup.

Not only that, Gao Shen also held a special team meeting in the dressing room, emphasizing that all players must report any physical discomfort immediately. He used Di María as a negative example, scolded him harshly, and even issued an internal disciplinary warning.

It was a minor issue on the surface.

Every team deals with this, and many players often push through such knocks.

Young players especially believe they're always in top shape and full of energy, so they don't take minor injuries seriously. But over time, that carelessness can lead to serious injuries.

Most muscle strains are fatigue-related.

Gao Shen also planned to have Buenaventura give a special lecture on sports injuries to raise awareness among the players about injury prevention.

You may not believe it, but many players hide minor injuries or illnesses.

The reason is simple: money and playing time.

In addition to their base salaries, players often earn appearance fees. If they don't play, they don't get paid.

For players on lower contracts, these appearance fees can make up a significant portion of their income.

So they do everything they can to stay on the pitch.

Don't doubt it. To many of them, football is just a job—no different than tightening screws on an assembly line. Overtime on the line is the same as hiding an injury to earn that match appearance bonus.

Fans may see footballers as lofty superstars, but for ordinary professionals—even one like Di María—his current contract barely guarantees stability.

And don't forget, football careers are short.

What happens after retirement?

A group of thirty-somethings with little formal education and no skills—if they can't play anymore, what do they do?

Most stay in football, becoming youth coaches or starting football academies.

The ones who do exceptionally well are the elite stars like Cristiano Ronaldo.

If Di María could secure a contract renewal with Real Madrid, his life would be very different.

When he moved from Napoli to Real Madrid, the transfer fee was high, but his salary was not.

This is actually a common tactic used by Florentino when signing young talents. High transfer fees often come with low wages, while players with high wages usually arrive for lower fees.

Of course, there are exceptions—stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Gareth Bale.

Di María wasn't trying to hide anything. His injury was minor, and he was probably more concerned about keeping his place.

Right now, his position in the squad was excellent. Whether in matches or training, he worked harder than most. Sometimes, even when the game was already decided, he'd still sprint 70 or 80 meters to chase down a chance.

That kind of physical expenditure was massive.

Everyone at Real Madrid knew Di María was Gao Shen's trusted player. Since Gao Shen took over, Di María had been the biggest beneficiary.

But even so, Gao Shen scolded him harshly and issued a formal warning, which sent a clear message to the rest of the dressing room.

Hide an injury?

Even Di María wasn't spared. Would anyone else dare?

But after the harsh scolding, Gao Shen pulled Di María aside privately and reassured him, explaining it was all done out of concern.

In the end, Gao Shen added, "Play well. During the winter break, I'll talk to management and try to secure a contract extension before the end of the season."

Di María, caught between discipline and encouragement, left the meeting teary-eyed and overwhelmed with gratitude. He repeatedly thanked Gao Shen and promised to follow every instruction to the letter.

Gao Shen could only smile wryly.

In truth, Gao Shen would've preferred to be direct.

But in the real world, especially in football's high-pressure workplace, being too straightforward doesn't always work.

Sometimes, being tactful is essential.

This isn't about being manipulative. It's about managing people effectively.

Just like this situation with Di María. If Gao Shen had handled it too gently, Di María might not have taken it seriously and would've made the same mistake again.

Now, Gao Shen had brandished the stick and scared the locker room into attention. That fear would help prevent similar incidents.

But sticks alone aren't enough.

Especially with loyal players like Di María, they also need to feel protected. That's why Gao Shen offered the promise of a contract extension—to keep loyalty and morale high.

Then there was Ronaldo, who required a different approach entirely.

Before coaching him, Gao Shen had only seen media reports and assumed Ronaldo was difficult to handle.

In reality? Not at all.

He's proud—excessively proud, even—but that comes from deep-rooted insecurity. At the same time, he's incredibly self-motivated.

If you go against him, he'll resist. But if you support him and encourage him at the right times, he'll respond with full commitment.

He's actually quite straightforward.

These are all young men in their early twenties. How complicated can they really be?

And even if they were, most of their behaviors were shaped by agents.

Gao Shen also used both carrot and stick with Ronaldo—stern at the start of the season, and then increasingly supportive. The results were outstanding. Ronaldo had been on fire and working harder than ever.

What impressed Gao Shen the most was Ronaldo giving Kaka a penalty earlier in the season.

That was totally unexpected.

In today's game against Porto, Gao Shen also made an unusual tactical change for Ronaldo. He asked him to drop deeper, positioning closer to midfield.

From the kickoff, Real Madrid didn't go all-out on the attack. Instead, they prioritized ball control.

Gao Shen and the coaching staff had studied Porto's match against Manchester City and found that the Portuguese side applied intense pressure. So Gao Shen's strategy in the first half was to dominate possession and lure Porto forward.

Everyone knew Real Madrid still lacked coordination. Porto's pressing could stress Real Madrid's midfield and backline, giving Gao Shen a chance to test the team's composure and ability to play out from the back under pressure.

After a month and a half of competition, how well had Real Madrid's coordination come together?

Tactically, it would also tire out Porto's players.

Porto head coach Vítor Pereira quickly saw through Real Madrid's plan. He even suspected that Gao Shen was using this match to fine-tune his team.

But so what?

He didn't panic. Instead, he repeatedly reminded his players to ignore Real Madrid's ball control and to stick to their defensive shape.

He knew Real Madrid were trying to provoke them into pressing too high.

In the first 30 minutes, Porto had only one shot—a long-range effort from James Rodríguez from 25 meters, which was easily handled by Casillas.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, kept creating half-chances with their movement and probing.

They weren't very threatening, but they did keep Porto under constant pressure.

What's that old saying?

"I'm not afraid of the thief stealing. I'm afraid of the thief thinking about stealing."

Real Madrid had more than 70% possession, constantly threatening Porto's goal, which made the Portuguese side extremely nervous.

Several times, they tried to press in midfield and the final third, but failed to disrupt Real Madrid's passing rhythm.

Vítor Pereira, standing on the sideline, watched as his players struggled to cope with Real Madrid's precise midfield and backline passing. He shook his head repeatedly, then turned back to the bench and muttered to his assistant.

"This Gao Shen's team is really something. The tactical discipline and flexibility are on another level."

Porto's pressing was aggressive and intense, but Real Madrid's players always found ways to move, support each other, and pass their way out.

It resembled the tactics used against Manchester City, only more refined. Real Madrid's technical quality was clearly superior.

Porto's win against Manchester City in the previous round had been largely due to a lucky moment. Fernando had intercepted the ball and launched a direct counterattack, setting up James Rodríguez for the goal.

So Pereira urged his players to stay calm and wait patiently for their opportunity.

…

What Pereira didn't know was that, at almost the exact same moment, Gao Shen stood near the home bench, glancing dejectedly at the scoreboard.

Over 30 minutes had passed. Real Madrid held more than 70% possession, had created several chances—but none were truly threatening.

Porto were still strong and their pressing was effective, but Real Madrid had handled the pressure well.

That was one of Gao Shen's goals for this game.

But it also exposed another problem.

Gao Shen frowned, walked back to the home bench, took a water bottle from Zidane, unscrewed it, took two sips, and muttered in frustration.

"What the hell is Fernando doing tonight? Why isn't he pushing forward?"

(To be continued.)