Starting With Real Madrid

Afternoon.

In a penthouse overlooking Central Park in New York, Guardiola sat in the living room, staring at the TV as it broadcast the live pre-match coverage of the highly anticipated Clásico.

Led by the match officials, players from both sides walked out of the tunnel one after another.

Guardiola was familiar with tonight's referee, Carlos Delgado Ferrero, a seasoned 42-year-old official with plenty of experience.

The starting lineups were displayed on screen.

Barcelona lined up in their classic 4-3-3.

Goalkeeper: Valdés

Defenders: Alba, Puyol, Piqué, Alves

Midfielders: Busquets sitting deep, with Iniesta and Xavi ahead of him

Forwards: Sánchez, Messi, and Pedro

Agüero was not in the starting XI, sitting on the bench along with Fàbregas.

It was clear Vilanova still preferred to trust Barcelona's core group.

Real Madrid also used a 4-3-3.

Goalkeeper: Courtois

Defenders: Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, Arbeloa

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso as the holding midfielder, with Kroos and Modrić ahead

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, and Di María

There had been a lot of speculation about whether Gao Shen would start Casillas in this Clásico, but clearly he was sticking with Courtois.

The Belgian youngster had been rock solid this season. After Casillas made several errors early on, he had been completely overtaken in the competition for the starting spot. Now, not even a match of this magnitude could win him back his place.

It was clear Casillas had lost ground in this battle. His only real chance to turn things around now was to perform brilliantly in the Champions League. Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before Courtois permanently replaced him.

There was nothing particularly surprising about either lineup. What really caught Guardiola's attention was the pre-match rhetoric, especially the provocative remarks Gao Shen made during yesterday's press conference.

That wasn't easy to pull off.

…

"Didn't you say you wouldn't touch football at all this year?"

His wife, Cristina Serra, stepped out of the bedroom with a sleepy expression, clearly having just woken up.

Their two children were likely still playing with toys inside. At that age, they had boundless energy.

"I'm just watching, not touching," Guardiola replied with a wry smile.

That had been his promise when they came to New York—to take a year off and fully rest.

The United States was often called a football desert, with limited coverage of the sport.

But Guardiola had clearly underestimated it.

Football had a decent presence here too, especially for marquee fixtures like El Clásico. The coverage was thorough and detailed.

He was surprised to see how popular his old friend had become in the U.S., especially on Twitter.

Cristina knew her husband too well.

She sat down beside him, glanced at the TV, and saw that it was a Barcelona vs Real Madrid match.

The broadcast cut to the benches, showing Vilanova and Gao Shen.

She immediately understood why Guardiola was watching.

"So, who do you think will win?" she asked.

With kickoff approaching, Guardiola's eyes stayed on the screen. "Real Madrid."

"So certain?"

"Yeah."

"But this is Camp Nou."

"The influence of home and away matches is becoming smaller and smaller, especially for Gao Shen."

"But doesn't Barcelona still have a chance?" she asked again.

Guardiola narrowed his eyes, paused, then said, "From the moment they walked out onto the pitch, it was already over."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Just a hunch."

Realizing that sounded weak, Guardiola added, "Gao Shen doesn't do things impulsively. All those pre-match provocations and outrageous remarks were calculated. He was trying to provoke Barcelona."

"And then?"

"Tito fell for it. He retaliated. He wants to prove himself too badly, and that emotion will rub off on the players."

"I don't see how wanting to win is a bad thing."

Guardiola was silent for a few seconds, then looked at her and said, "Barcelona's football requires patience."

Cristina didn't respond.

There was no way she could know Barcelona better than Guardiola did.

"Gao Shen is different from me. He says he's a pragmatist with a hint of idealism. That's why he engages in mind games before matches."

His analysis made sense, but Cristina still found it hard to believe.

Could you really predict the outcome of a football match just by watching the teams walk out?

…

Guardiola wasn't the only one who sensed it.

At the visiting team's technical area at Camp Nou, Gao Shen had felt it too.

He'd been on the sideline for a while now, but Vilanova still hadn't come over to shake hands.

Strangely, Gao Shen wasn't upset—he seemed to enjoy it.

"He's probably still mad at me," Gao Shen chuckled.

Zidane, Carlo, Hierro, and the others exchanged glances, speechless.

Some of Gao Shen's remarks before the match had clearly struck a nerve.

Over the summer, Barcelona changed coaches. Vilanova and Guardiola had parted ways, and this was Vilanova's sore spot. Gao Shen had intentionally exposed that wound and offended him deeply.

And now he still expected Vilanova to act cordial?

Just listen to the boos from the Camp Nou crowd. They were all aimed at Gao Shen.

99,345!

That was tonight's attendance. Basically full capacity!

"Honestly, you should thank Figo," Zidane laughed.

"Because of the pig's head?" Gao Shen smirked.

Everyone laughed. At least the guy had some self-awareness.

Ever since Figo had been pelted with a pig's head at Camp Nou, stadium security had tightened, and such items were strictly banned.

Otherwise, Gao Shen might've made history tonight—as the first coach to be taken out by hostile fans in the dugout.

…

It wasn't until the players had already taken their positions that Vilanova reluctantly walked over and shook Gao Shen's hand.

From start to finish, he only said, "Welcome to Camp Nou," then turned and left.

It was perfunctory, but Gao Shen didn't mind.

With both teams on the field, their intentions were already clear.

Iniesta and Messi stood in the center circle, ready for kickoff. Sánchez and Pedro were on the flanks.

Barcelona clearly intended to hit hard from the start.

"In last season's Champions League knockout stage, we caught them off guard right at kickoff. Vilanova learned from that. He wants to seize the initiative early," Gao Shen said, turning to the bench.

Carlo had experienced that Champions League clash himself and understood the logic on both sides.

But this time, Real Madrid wouldn't attack early.

Gao Shen's priority tonight was solid defensive organization.

In his view, against Barcelona, if you defend well and counter precisely, every attack is dangerous.

Of course, this wasn't a passive deep block. That would be suicide.

So, Real Madrid deployed their defensive line from the halfway line back to about 30 meters from goal. If needed, they would drop back gradually.

…

With the referee's whistle, Messi tapped the ball to Iniesta.

The midfielder quickly returned it to Busquets, positioned deep in the center circle.

Benzema immediately pressed Busquets, who passed to Xavi nearby.

It was clear Barcelona didn't plan to recycle through the center backs.

Benzema feinted, as if to press Xavi, forcing the midfielder to pass back to Busquets again.

Cristiano Ronaldo, stationed near the left touchline, had been shadowing Alves. But it was Toni Kroos who stepped up first to press Xavi.

Busquets returned the ball to Xavi once more, but Kroos closed in, forcing Xavi to pass back to Puyol.

Benzema tracked Busquets instead of challenging Puyol, while Kroos stayed tight to Xavi, cutting off his passing lane.

What surprised Barcelona was that Benzema didn't even attempt to press Puyol, who had the ball nearby. Instead, he continued shadowing Busquets.

That puzzled the Barça players.

You're so close—why not press?

Usually, if Benzema stepped forward, Puyol, Piqué, and Busquets would form a triangle to pass around him easily.

But Benzema didn't bite. That made Barcelona feel like they were swinging at air.

As Busquets advanced and Benzema tracked him, Puyol and Piqué exchanged glances, realizing something was off.

Real Madrid was different tonight!

With no other option, Barcelona's backline moved up.

Busquets and Piqué exchanged passes at the halfway line, but Benzema stuck to Busquets, not allowing him time on the ball.

Xavi dropped deep again, but Kroos followed tightly, forcing him to receive with his back to goal and return the ball to Piqué.

Left with no choice, Piqué drifted left.

Busquets looked to find Alba or Iniesta on that side, but Di María, Modrić, and even Benzema shifted quickly to cut off options.

Barcelona was forced to pass back again.

For over a minute, the ball circled between the defenders and Busquets, never crossing the halfway line.

"Real Madrid's defensive shape tonight is compact and disciplined."

"Barcelona's passing can't even get into the attacking half."

Messi had no choice but to drop deep to support.

Piqué, unable to find a forward option, spotted Messi in a pocket between Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo and played the pass.

Messi turned.

The game suddenly kicked into high gear.

(To be continued.)