Starting With Real Madrid

The next day, not only the Spanish media but also the major European mainstream media all paid attention to what Gao Shen said at the post-match press conference. Due to their different positions, the interpretations naturally varied.

Media close to Real Madrid, such as *Aspen* and *Marca*, responded positively, believing that Gao Shen was cheering for the team and firmly believed that Real Madrid would regroup after suffering setbacks and continue to challenge Barcelona.

However, a group of media supporting Barcelona, led by the Catalan media, believed that Gao Shen was putting up the last stubborn resistance. They argued that after failing to win against Villarreal and missing an excellent opportunity to overtake Barcelona, Real Madrid no longer posed a threat.

Not to mention the drop in morale, the schedule clearly favored Barcelona over Real Madrid.

**Desperate teams are the scariest.**

Generally speaking, teams that avoid relegation and rush to the fourth place are the most desperate.

Unfortunately for Real Madrid, three of their next four opponents were fighting either relegation or for a fourth-place finish, meaning they would play their hardest against Real Madrid.

Della Morena, the gold medal host of Searle Radio, who had always been more neutral, acknowledged that Real Madrid was in a more difficult situation. However, he suggested that Gao Shen might still have a chance. If Gao Shen could lead Real Madrid to four consecutive victories, even if they failed to win the championship, they would still be seen as valiant.

**Osasuna, Sporting Santander, Sevilla...**

These three tough teams had caused significant trouble for Barcelona. From the end of February to the present, out of the nine points available from these three away games, Barcelona had only secured two points.

**Seven points out of the ten that Real Madrid used to tie with Barcelona came from these teams.**

Della Morena believed that this draw was a wake-up call, a painful lesson for Gao Shen and Real Madrid, who had been winning consecutively. It was the first time they had conceded a goal and failed to win, worth thinking about and reflecting upon.

From the twenty-sixth round to the present, Gao Shen had led Real Madrid with an eight-game winning streak, tying Barcelona with an unstoppable attitude. But against Villarreal at the Bernabeu, they encountered their first league draw.

In the eight-game winning streak, Real Madrid maintained an impressive record of clean sheets, but this record was broken against Villarreal.

Della Morena felt this was both a contingency and an inevitability because no team could maintain a winning streak and clean sheets forever. More importantly, after continuous battles on two fronts, Real Madrid's weaknesses were becoming evident.

In defense, Woodgate was well-known for being injury-prone. Under Gao Shen's cautious "care," he participated in only one game a week and performed commendably. However, he was still very fragile and posed a significant hidden danger.

Elgra was not young, had many injuries, and his condition was unstable. Before the game against Villarreal, he failed to meet the standard for playing, forcing Gao Shen to use Pavin.

As a result, it was the mistakes of Pavin and Raul Bravo that led to Ramos' red card and the penalty.

Della Morena suggested that Real Madrid's problems should be treated fairly. On the one hand, the lineup issues were still serious. Although Gao Shen had vigorously promoted young players, there were still obvious shortcomings in central defense.

On the other hand, these shortcomings highlighted the value of Gao Shen's coaching. Leading such a troubled Real Madrid to their current position was an amazing feat.

For the same reason, Della Morena asserted that no one could definitively say whether Real Madrid could reverse Barcelona, nor guarantee it.

From the perspective of the schedule, lineup, and performance, Barcelona clearly had the advantage. However, the determined Real Madrid team had continuously created miracles, and who could say they couldn't reverse Barcelona to win the title?

...

Not only Della Morena but also mainstream European media, such as *L'Equipe*, *Bild*, *Gazzetta dello Sport*, *Torino Sport*, and *The Times*, held similar views.

Barcelona had the advantage, but Real Madrid still had a chance.

These responsible media outlets were obviously reluctant to speak out definitively, wary of potential future slaps in the face.

After all, Gao Shen's record since taking over at Real Madrid had been outstanding.

Conversely, some tabloids and Catalan media, who thrived on sensationalism, fully supported Barcelona, arguing that Real Madrid had no chance.

Some media even reported that Gao Shen's coaching position was in jeopardy due to the draw.

After the draw at home against Villarreal, Real Madrid President Martin reportedly stormed into the locker room, intending to berate the players. However, Gao Shen reportedly blocked his entry, leading to an angry confrontation. Martin allegedly threatened to fire Gao Shen on the spot, though he was dissuaded by Butragueno.

According to insiders at the Bernabeu, Martin's move was impulsive and uncommunicated with the coaching staff. After being blocked by Gao Shen, he was so infuriated that he threatened to fire him. However, he withdrew his decision under Butragueno's persuasion.

The incident suggested that the honeymoon period between Gao Shen and Martin was over.

As of the next day's newspaper publication, Real Madrid officials had not made any statements about this matter. Since reporters only learned about the incident afterward, they hadn't asked Gao Shen for confirmation at the post-match press conference.

But judging from Gao Shen's radical remarks, it was clear he had been affected.

...

In late April, temperatures in Madrid began to rise.

Gao Shen bought a bottle of good wine in the city and brought it to Carlo's house for a meal.

Every time he visited, Mrs. Carlo prepared a delicious meal for him.

While eating, Gao Shen and Carlo would invariably sit in the courtyard, chatting about Real Madrid and football, which they both cared about.

"Is it true about Martin?" Carlo asked concernedly.

He had read about it in the newspaper and hadn't sought confirmation from anyone else.

Gao Shen smiled lightly. "Seven or eight points."

"He really said he wanted to fire you?" Carlo frowned.

Martin's temper was notoriously bad, something all Real Madrid fans knew.

"Is he really going to fire me now?" Gao Shen asked with a smile.

Carlo nodded. "Who would?"

With Gao Shen's current performance, even Martin couldn't simply fire him. If he did, Martin would be the one facing dismissal the next day. 

One by one, the opposition in the board of directors, led by Calderon, was waiting for Martin to slip up, ready to replace him at any time.

The position of president of Real Madrid, like the coach, was full of allure and pitfalls.

"He was really angry at the time, and I didn't bother to explain. He scolded a few words outside the door and was persuaded by Butragueno to leave," Gao Shen explained calmly, though Carlo suspected the situation had been more intense.

"What's the situation in the locker room now?" Carlo asked.

Gao Shen grabbed his boiling water glass. "It's okay. It's just a draw, and we rotated the squad heavily. Missing the chance to reach the summit is regrettable."

This was why Gao Shen had prevented Martin from entering the locker room.

The situation in the locker room was still controllable, and players who made mistakes had not been punished. But if Martin had come in angry, it would have created chaos.

In the end, he would have had to clean up the mess, and controlling the locker room would have been much harder.

"Compared with Florentino, Martin is still too far behind," Carlo sighed.

Gao Shen nodded slightly.

Indeed, more than just Martin. Even if Calderon or other leaders of giant teams took over, they wouldn't measure up to Florentino's stature.

Florentino had many flaws and shortcomings as president, but he also had significant strengths and advantages.

His dismissal led to Martin's rise, who then dismissed Carlo, leading to Gao Shen's appointment.

After discussing Florentino, both Carlo and Gao Shen felt a sense of loss and reflection.

Especially for Gao Shen, who had been invited to dinner by Butragueno on behalf of Florentino, but had yet to find the time.

Even if they did meet, Gao Shen wasn't sure what he would say.

Their conversation lapsed into a brief silence.

"What's your plan next?" Carlo asked.

Gao Shen looked up at the night sky. "Finish this season... and then..."

He didn't finish, unsure of what the future held.

Things constantly change, and he couldn't be certain what his situation would be by season's end.

But one thing was clear.

"I want to build a real team that belongs to me!"

Carlo was surprised but found it normal. After getting to know Gao Shen, he understood that Gao Shen had his own football philosophy, which was impossible to fully implement at Real Madrid.

Given his current status, even winning La Liga and the Champions League wouldn't allow him to turn Real Madrid into his own team. It wasn't Real Madrid's tradition.

Carlo could almost be certain that Gao Shen would leave Real Madrid after the season ended.

But before that, he needed to gather more chips.