Starting With Real Madrid

Real Madrid defeated Porto 3-1, while Manchester City beat Dortmund 2-0 at home.

Both matches in the Group of Death attracted major attention from the media and fans around the world.

There's no need to elaborate on Real Madrid's performance. Ronaldo's two goals, along with Higuaín's, earned them widespread praise.

Manchester City secured their victory with a first-half goal from Yaya Touré and a second-half strike from Suárez, beating the German "Yellow and Blacks" 2-0. Klopp's team failed to reproduce their strong home form at the Etihad Stadium.

Dortmund are undoubtedly a strong side, but Klopp has never managed to solve the problem of declining performance in the second half due to physical exhaustion from their intense pressing.

Manchester City's second goal came in the 77th minute.

What's interesting is that, across the four matches played so far in the Group of Death, every game has been won by the home team and lost by the away team. Not a single draw.

After two rounds, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Dortmund, and Porto each had one win and one loss.

This has sparked widespread curiosity about the group.

In terms of strength, there's actually not much separating the teams. They all belong in the Champions League knockout stage, and some are even capable of going beyond the quarterfinals. But placed in the same group, they are forced to compete head-to-head. With the situation now so chaotic, it's difficult to predict who will emerge on top.

The crucial stretch lies in the next two rounds of group fixtures.

Real Madrid will face Manchester City at home first, then away. Dortmund will do the same against Porto—first at home, then away.

After Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Porto, the Spanish press were full of praise. But several prominent voices, including Sacchi, AS editor-in-chief Alfredo, and SER radio host De La Morena, all issued warnings for Real Madrid to remain cautious of Manchester City.

This is the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title since the competition's restructuring.

It's no exaggeration to say that Manchester City are currently the strongest team in European football.

At least in terms of squad depth and quality, there's no doubt that Blue Moon are the best.

Judging by the current trend, if Real Madrid want to finish top of the group, they must go all out in both legs against Manchester City. For a Real Madrid team that has just been restructured this summer, that will be a major challenge.

Of course, the same goes for teams like Manchester City, Dortmund, and Porto.

Sacchi stated that given the situation in Group D, it's far too early to talk about qualification.

"For teams with such evenly matched strength, the outcome likely won't be decided until the final round!"

Alfredo also believes Real Madrid will face immense pressure against Manchester City. But if they want to qualify, they must confront City head-on, especially in the home fixture.

Still, whether it was Sacchi, Alfredo, or De La Morena, they all had praise for Gao Shen.

Especially recently, Real Madrid have clearly been on an upward trajectory.

If the previous back-to-back big wins over Rayo Vallecano and Deportivo La Coruña highlighted Real Madrid's attacking power, then this 3-1 win over Porto showed the team's ability to control the game.

The tempo, ball possession, and match rhythm were all firmly under Real Madrid's control. Porto, who had shocked Manchester City at home in the previous round, had no answer at the Bernabéu.

Fernando, the Brazilian midfielder who had played a pivotal role in the last round, became the weak point in this match due to Real Madrid's targeted tactics.

As Alfredo put it, "It took Gao Shen just over a month to begin shaping this Real Madrid."

"Today's Real Madrid not only controls the game but also shows the traits of a great team."

"Whether against Deportivo or Porto, Real Madrid's victories were convincing."

The AS editor-in-chief believes that this Real Madrid side truly has the potential to challenge Barcelona at Camp Nou.

"I'm looking forward to the upcoming Clásico."

…

Compared to the media buzz and anticipation for the "Derby of the Century," the atmosphere inside the Real Madrid camp had become more charged than ever.

Whether it was the emphatic wins over Rayo Vallecano and Deportivo La Coruña, or the victory over Porto, the team's confidence in Gao Shen's tactics had grown stronger.

As the matches went on, the players began to better understand the advanced tactical concepts, and their coordination and chemistry steadily improved.

For instance, the left-sided attack that Gao Shen had been working on was beginning to show results. The partnership between Marcelo and Ronaldo was thriving, with Toni Kroos and Benzema linking up well in front of them, making Real Madrid's left flank highly dangerous.

Their winning streak was built on this very system.

In contrast, the right side was mostly supported by the combination of Di María and Modric. While Arbeloa was solid defensively, his offensive contribution was limited, making the right flank less effective than the left.

But overall, Real Madrid's tactical setup was starting to take shape.

The day after the match against Porto, Gao Shen held a review meeting after recovery training. The focus was on analyzing the team's strengths and weaknesses, as well as addressing some of the mistakes made during the match.

Gao Shen always gave praise when it was deserved, but he also directly pointed out any shortcomings in performance.

The goal they conceded was largely due to a substitution.

After Gao Shen replaced Marcelo with Marcos Alonso, there were some issues on the left flank defensively. Atsu, who had just come on, exploited the gap and assisted James Rodríguez's goal.

Still, Gao Shen offered encouragement to Marcos Alonso.

For young players, encouragement should take priority.

But the issue still had to be addressed.

During discussions with the coaching staff, Gao Shen stressed the importance of creating a training plan for the younger players as soon as possible. The upcoming schedule was tight, and Real Madrid would need help from their young squad members.

Thanks to the work of fitness coaches Buenaventura and Pintus, Real Madrid had so far avoided any major injuries this season, which was extremely good news for Gao Shen and his squad planning.

…

With a match every few days, the team barely had enough time for proper training, let alone rest.

Just one day after the Porto match, the squad's focus had already shifted to the upcoming Clásico.

Before the afternoon training session, Gao Shen called the team's biggest star, Cristiano Ronaldo, to his office.

Before facing Barcelona, Gao Shen needed to unify the thinking of every player in the squad.

And the first player he had to talk to was Ronaldo.

As the team's top star, Gao Shen had always kept a close eye on Ronaldo's situation.

Building tactics around a team's strengths is standard for any head coach.

In fact, in Gao Shen's previous life, Manchester United had signed Di María and Pogba for huge sums, but failed to build the team around them. As a result, both flopped. Not only did they waste those high-priced signings, they also exposed the incompetence of United's leadership.

Since the start of the season, Gao Shen and Ronaldo had spoken several times on various topics. But there had always been a bit of distance between them. They'd never truly opened up to each other.

Gao Shen never forced it. Everyone has their own personality.

He had read biographies and books about Ronaldo and knew that the Portuguese used to struggle with feelings of inferiority. That experience had made him extremely confident now—so confident that it sometimes came across as arrogance. But in truth, it was a defense mechanism.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a deep-rooted sense of self-protection. He didn't open up easily.

Especially for someone at his level, surrounded by people with hidden agendas, how could he lower his guard so easily?

If he were really that naïve, he would've been taken advantage of long ago.

Gao Shen never expected Ronaldo to be as obedient as Di María. All he wanted was cooperation and alignment.

In reality, it was impossible for a player like Ronaldo to follow anyone's orders blindly.

Not even his mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson.

This time, the conversation between Gao Shen and Ronaldo began with a review of his recent performances.

Ronaldo was very pleased with how things were going. He had been scoring consistently, his coordination with teammates was improving, and he felt that his connection with Marcelo had room for even more growth. He also promised to keep cooperating with teammates and even look to pass more.

Gao Shen was pleased with Ronaldo's attitude.

The Portuguese star was clever. He understood what Gao Shen wanted and what would benefit him most.

Many people don't realize that it's actually easier to deal with smart people.

The most troublesome are the ones who think they're smart but aren't.

Since Ronaldo had expressed himself, Gao Shen responded accordingly. He promised to support Ronaldo fully, because helping him meant helping Real Madrid.

At the same time, he encouraged Ronaldo to interact more with teammates, especially during matches.

Off the pitch, Ronaldo was very thoughtful. He often treated teammates to meals or bought them gifts. These small gestures helped build camaraderie and trust.

There was no problem there.

The two chatted for a while, and gradually, Ronaldo realized that Gao Shen's real reason for calling him in wasn't just to talk about these things.

"Boss, is there something you want to say to me?" Ronaldo asked, leaning back and looking at Gao Shen casually.

Gao Shen smiled. Was it that obvious?

But in truth, he didn't plan on hiding it. This was something he had intended to bring up all along.

"I do have a question," Gao Shen said with a smile.

"Go ahead." Ronaldo sensed the seriousness of the moment.

If Gao Shen had gone through all this effort and small talk to lead up to one question, it was bound to be significant.

"You know, we're about to play Barcelona at Camp Nou. What I want to ask is, if—just hypothetically—you could only choose one between a great individual performance and beating Barcelona, which would you choose?"

After asking, Gao Shen fixed his gaze on Ronaldo.

(To be continued.)