From coaching Real Madrid

The Spanish have a strange work and rest schedule.

Three o'clock in the afternoon is their lunch time, and dinner has to wait until nine o'clock in the evening, or even until midnight.

The end of the derby match happens to be the most lively moment in the streets of Madrid. The whole city is full of bustling lights and feasting. Who would have thought that behind such prosperity, there is a huge economic crisis lurking?

The subprime mortgage crisis is coming, the European debt crisis will follow, and Spain will become one of the five European pig countries.

By then, will these people still be as happy and indulgent as they are now?

Gao Shen didn't have time to understand all this. After he led the team back to Valdebebas, he rode his bicycle back to the Ordaleza district.

I met many fans along the way. Some of them were singing and dancing, dancing with joy. Needless to say, they must be Real Madrid fans; some were cursing and drinking to drown their sorrows, which must be Atletico Madrid fans; and some even simply surrounded him.

Sitting on the side of the road drinking...

In fact, Gao Shen cannot understand the feelings of these local fans towards the derby. He only knows that this game is very important to him, but it has passed. Every subsequent game is better than the past derby.

War is more important.

That's enough!

…

Walking through familiar streets and alleys, we soon arrived at the door of Carlo's house.

It's easy to identify because there is a very mottled basketball stand on the fence in front of their house.

Who would have thought that the son of a football coach would be a basketball fan?

Fortunately, Real Madrid also has a basketball team, so the two father and son have something in common.

After ringing the doorbell, Mrs. Carlo came out and opened the door for him.

"Good evening, Mrs. Carlo." Gao Shen greeted politely.

Mrs. Carlo was also in a good mood. She smiled and nodded to him, pointing to the small yard behind her, "He is waiting for you over there."

As soon as Gao Shen entered the courtyard, he saw Carlo waving to him not far away. There was a small square table in front of him, with several dishes arranged on it, several bottles of wine, and a thermos.

"I know you don't drink, so I boiled a pot of water for you." Carlo stood up and asked Gao Shen to sit down opposite him.

Gao Shen quickly thanked him and poured himself a glass of cold water.

"You are really interesting. You don't drink, smoke, gamble, and have almost all bad habits. What fun can there be in such a life?" Carlo asked with a smile as he looked at Gao Shen's actions.

After Gao Shen heard this, an impression came to his mind. This was not the first time Carlo had teased him like this.

In the past, he always explained seriously that this was because his parents had been strict with him since childhood and banned all bad habits in domestic schools, but now...

"Men, always have to be tough on yourself." Gao Shen said with a smile without explaining.

Carlo clapped his hands and laughed, "Yes, that's right, it really should be like this."

A burst of joking brought us closer to each other, and the conversation started.

"Sir, I'm very happy that you can go to the Bernabeu to watch the game tonight." Gao Shen said gratefully.

Carlo waved his hand, "I was going to enter the venue with the ticket you gave me, but I met Florentino."

"Florentino?" Gao Shen was very surprised, "He's back?"

Carlo nodded, "Actually, I don't know much about many specific things. You know, although Florentino has only been in charge of Real Madrid for more than five years, his influence on this club is very profound. Nowadays, every day at the Bernabeu

There are people from him in every department, and even Martin would not dare to openly confront him."

Deep understanding.

It has always been said that Florentino stepped down in order to regain his position.

Based on Gao Shen's own understanding now, Florentino, Martin, and even First Vice Chairman Tapias and others seem to be in the same camp, but in fact there are internal conflicts, which gives Calderon a credible

Take advantage of the opportunity.

Perhaps Florentino himself did not expect that Calderon would benefit from his originally secure situation.

This was Gao Shen's previous life. In the 2006 Real Madrid presidential election, Calderon took Mijatovic to the position.

The relationships inside are too complicated, and there are too many entangled interests involved.

Carlo certainly did not come to say this to Gao Shen. He just said some things he heard in the box, such as Di Stefano, Valdano and Butragueno's evaluation of Gao Shen, and his own opinions on Gao Shen.

Some thoughts on the game.

Overall, Gao Shen delivered a perfect score in this derby match.

But even so, Martin still has no intention of giving Gao Shen a formal coaching contract.

"You should understand that Martin does not support you or trust you. On the contrary, he has been waiting for you to make mistakes." Carlo reminded.

Gao Shen absolutely believed in Carlo's character, and the fact that he would say this proved that he indeed heard what he said.

Of course, Martin won't be afraid of Gao Shen knowing this, because he stands too tall.

"Then he is wrong, I will definitely let him down!" Gao Shen said decisively.

Carlo frowned. He found that Gao Shen was very stubborn and independent. This was completely different from his previous impression of Gao Shen. It was as if he was a different person.

"Don't you understand? Defeating Atletico Madrid at home is not a real challenge. Next you have to face Arsenal led by Wenger. Do you know? So far this season, Arsenal has won six games.

He has not conceded a goal in a Champions League game. As long as he does not concede a goal at Highbury Stadium, he will equal or even surpass the record of the longest clean sheet in the history of the Champions League set by AC Milan."

"At Highbury Stadium, Arsenal have been unbeaten in eight consecutive Champions League games. The last time they lost was in the quarter-finals in 2004. After a 1-1 draw away from home in the first leg, they returned to the home court 1-2.

They lost to Chelsea coached by Ranieri, and in these eight unbeaten games, the Gunners only conceded three goals."

Carlo's data is very detailed and not wrong at all, which proves that Arsenal is indeed very strong.

In deep memory, Arsenal even reached the Champions League final this season and almost defeated Barcelona led by Frank Rijkaard.

You know, there are a lot of newcomers in the Arsenal team today, such as Fabregas, Reyes, Flamini, Toure, Eboue, etc., all young players promoted by Wenger.

Although Arsenal is no longer at its peak when they were unbeaten in 49 games, they are still one of the strongest teams in Europe.

Seeing Gao Shen's silence, Carlo shook his head and sighed, a little anxious.

"Do you know why everyone attaches so much importance to the top spot in the Champions League group stage?" Carlo asked.

Gao Shen thought for a while and replied: "To avoid being ranked first in other groups?"

He was a little unsure if this was the answer Carlo wanted. This was common sense.

"It's just a part. What's more important is that the first place in the group will play first before home in the knockout rounds of the top 16. Many people understand this as playing first before home is a favorable schedule, but this is also very one-sided. The most important reason is

, in the history of the knockout rounds of the Champions League, almost no team has been able to make a comeback on the road after losing at home."

Gao Shen felt what Carlo wanted to convey, but he noticed Carlo's wording.

"almost?"

"Yes, there was only one time in the history of the Champions League, and that was the Champions League semi-finals in the 1995-96 season. After the Dutch Ajax lost 0-1 at home to Greece's Panathinaikos in the first leg, they lost in the second leg.

We came back from 3-0, but lost to Juventus in the final, just this time."

Carlo emphasized his tone, "So, to a certain extent, in the Champions League knockout rounds, as long as you defeat your opponent on the road, it often represents the right to advance. Therefore, the schedule of visiting first and then home will give the team a great psychological advantage."

."

Gao Shen suddenly realized that, indeed, nothing is without reason.

Football is the most detailed and interesting sport in the world. It is also the most fascinating and brain-burning sport.

"Now you know that the probability of a comeback against Arsenal is almost zero, unless you can create a miracle!"

Carlo's starting point was not to undermine Gao Shen's confidence, but to persuade him to retreat despite the difficulties.

Even if a miracle is achieved and Arsenal is defeated, so what?

After playing Arsenal, the decisive battle for the second and third place in the league will follow, visiting the Mestanha Stadium to challenge Valencia.

From Atletico Madrid to Arsenal to Valencia, three consecutive games are decisive battles. Can Real Madrid bear it? Can Gao Shen withstand it?

Not to mention, the Champions League quarterfinals will follow, and there will even be an even stronger Barcelona.

With the current lineup of Real Madrid, how can it be possible to withstand this kind of morale?

Gao Shen didn't say much. He could feel Carlo's kindness, because if he was not careful, he might be infamous and his future would be ruined. The risk was too great.

But for him, this is a very rare opportunity.

"Mr. Carlo." Gao Shen exhaled softly and said calmly, "I still remember that you once told me that the basketball hoop outside belongs to your child, right?"

Carlo didn't know why, but nodded anyway.

"You hope that your child can play football, and you have trained him to play football since he was a child, but he just doesn't like football and likes to play basketball. For a while, you were very angry, and the two of you even had a conflict because of it, until one day,

He stood in front of you, raised his head, and told you loudly that he wanted to try out for the basketball team."

Carlo looked at Gao Shen blankly, not knowing what he wanted to say.

"Today, I am very grateful to you for telling me this, but I still say the same thing, I want to try it!"

Gao Shen looked directly at Carlo, his eyes full of determination, without any dodge.

"I know that from the environment, strength, probability, and various data analysis, the possibility of us reversing Arsenal in the away game is zero. I don't deny it, but I also believe that football games have never relied on probability.

To determine the outcome, even those bookmakers can only give a rough estimate, so there will be upsets."

"I'm still young, and I don't know how to calculate the benefits and losses here, but I know that if I don't try today, I will have regrets. I will definitely regret it in the future, and I don't want to regret it!"

Carlo was a little stunned.

Adults always like to calculate various gains and losses, euphemistically calling it maturity, but children are more motivated by their original intentions and just want to try to explore this novel world on their own.

Who is right? Who is wrong?