After returning to Madrid from the UK, Gao Shen began preparations for intensive winter training.

It was called intensive training, but in reality, it only lasted for a week.

The Christmas holiday, combined with the winter training break, was a rare chance for players who had been battling for months to catch their breath.

Pochettino did not return to Barcelona but continued to stay in Madrid.

He even brought his family over from Barcelona, rented a house in the same community where Gao Shen and Zidane lived, and became their neighbor.

By the way, after following Gao Shen back to Real Madrid, Carlo had also moved out of his original small courtyard and bought a house in the same community as Gao Shen. This was the result of the wealth he had accumulated over the years.

He had once thought of arranging for his son to join the Real Madrid coaching staff, to learn under Gao Shen and follow in his father's footsteps to become a football coach. However, there was no chance of that, as his son liked basketball.

So Gao Shen used his connections to arrange for him to join Real Madrid's basketball team.

Real Madrid's basketball team is also one of Europe's giants.

After Pochettino was brought in on loan, he basically became Gao Shen's assistant. Although he was not officially a Real Madrid coach, he could still go to work at the training ground every day.

This was not unusual at all. On the contrary, it was common, but generally speaking, the media would not report it.

Many head coaches go through this process before taking up a job, and even after they take over, they sometimes still do it. Real Madrid even has many coaches who come to the team simply because of its reputation.

Compared to them, Pochettino was just the most famous, and also the one closest to Gao Shen.

…

As usual, the first day of winter break training was open to the media and fans.

Gao Shen arranged the open session in the afternoon at the Di Stefano Stadium in Valdebebas, home of Castilla. At that time, fans and media would be allowed in to watch Real Madrid train.

In the morning, however, Real Madrid had plenty to deal with.

First on the agenda were the team's injuries.

Marcelo's injury was what Gao Shen was most concerned about.

The Brazilian had spent Christmas in Madrid this time because he did not want to aggravate his injury by traveling back and forth. Judging by his current recovery, the overall situation was still optimistic. He should have no problem returning before the Champions League round of 16.

By the way, Real Madrid's opponent in the Champions League round of 16 was Manchester United.

The unlucky Red Devils fought hard to win their group, only to end up facing Gao Shen in the round of 16.

So, when Gao Shen and Pochettino invited Ferguson to dinner in Cheshire, the old man was so angry he cursed UEFA.

Who would want to face a strong opponent like Gao Shen and Real Madrid in the round of 16?

In addition to Marcelo, Higuain was also injured, with a strained muscle in his right foot, but it was not serious now.

There was also Albiol, the central defender, who was injured and also on the coaching staff's watchlist.

Among the injured players, Marcelo was both the one Gao Shen was most concerned about and the one giving him the biggest headache.

After his injury, the Brazilian had gained a lot of weight and was badly out of shape. This meant that even if he recovered, he would still need physical training and conditioning, and time was running out.

Therefore, after receiving Marcelo's medical report, Gao Shen gave strict orders to Buenaventura and Pintus, telling them to do everything possible to help Marcelo recover as quickly as possible, preferably in time for the Manchester United game.

"In the first half of the season, we played very frustratingly, but in the second half we must be proud of ourselves!" Gao Shen said sharply.

In all his years of coaching, he had never encountered such a frustrating situation as in the first half of the season, especially in the Champions League group stage, which had been really tough.

Buenaventura and Pintus exchanged a look and accepted Gao Shen's order.

The situation for the other players was relatively good. Even during Christmas, they had been self-disciplined, with no major problems or trouble.

This Christmas had gone quite smoothly, which was a good thing.

…

The morning was mostly spent on physical check-ups and adjustments for the players.

In the afternoon, the whole team headed to the Di Stefano Stadium for the first training session after the winter break.

By then, the 8,000-seat stadium was already packed.

Eight thousand Real Madrid fans had come to cheer for the team, and the players were relaxed in training.

The session was also recovery-oriented.

The real winter training would start tomorrow, when they would truly experience the devilish methods of Buenaventura and Pintus.

They called this the winter break charging station.

After training, the team had many interactive activities with the fans on site.

For example, they threw signed boots into the stands, tossed signed footballs, and took part in other events.

The atmosphere was lively, with constant cheering.

Afterwards, Gao Shen led the entire team to thank the Real Madrid fans in attendance.

Once training ended, Gao Shen took the team back to the first-team facility, gave some instructions, and then dismissed them. He himself had to attend a press conference.

This was also routine.

At a club like Real Madrid, the head coach's job is never just leading training and matches. Dealing with the media is also a crucial part.

And every time they faced the media, the journalists would try to set traps.

This time, for example, someone asked Gao Shen to confirm a rumor.

The rumor was that Gao Shen planned to replace Casillas with Courtois.

Gao Shen flatly denied it in a firm tone.

"You should know that what I hate most is people maliciously speculating about what goes on inside our locker room."

"Take Casillas, for example. There is no doubt he is the captain of Real Madrid and a vital member of the team."

"If someone tells you that the captain of Real Madrid is dispensable, then I can only say you know nothing about Real Madrid."

Gao Shen once again clarified that both Casillas and Courtois are part of the team, both are in good form and performing well, but they have different roles.

Courtois was doing well in the league, and Casillas was doing well in the cup, so what was the problem?

"I don't know how everyone else sees Real Madrid, but to me, coaching Real Madrid is the hardest job because Real Madrid is the most special team. It must always be Real Madrid first, and then the players, the coach, and everything else."

"Real Madrid has its own values, and here, the most important thing is not the coach, not the players, not even the president, but the Bernabéu."

What Gao Shen was referring to was obviously the fans at the Bernabéu.

"At Real Madrid, no matter how big a person's profile or prestigious their status, they can never surpass the name of Real Madrid or the Bernabéu."

"So, I tell my players that if you want to succeed here, you must first learn self-discipline."

This analysis clearly showed his familiarity with and understanding of Real Madrid.

Maybe it was not completely profound, maybe not entirely correct, but it was convincing.

"To sum up, I have never felt, or had the impression, that there was any player at Real Madrid who was irreplaceable or could not be replaced."

"Everyone should work for Real Madrid, whether starting, on the bench, or even out of the squad. This is normal."

"So, back to the earlier question, I think both Casillas and Courtois are Real Madrid players, both are important, and there is no issue of one replacing the other."

"Our principle is very clear, whoever is in better form and can help the team more as a whole will play."

This was a sensitive topic, so Gao Shen handled it cautiously, choosing his words carefully to avoid saying anything wrong.

As captain, Casillas had a huge influence at Real Madrid, and as captain of the Spanish national team, his status was even more extraordinary.

If Gao Shen were to say now that he wanted to drop Casillas, the uproar would not be any smaller than when Aragones dropped Raul.

More importantly, Courtois himself was already walking a fine line.

The young Belgian had a strong ability to handle pressure. Under tremendous pressure, he had not made mistakes or given Casillas any openings.

In this situation, Gao Shen needed to relieve his pressure, not add to it.

Moreover, the Real Madrid dressing room also needed stability, and Casillas was essential to that.

After answering the Casillas question, Gao Shen fielded several more, including updates on injuries and transfers during the winter break.

Granero had transferred to Real Sociedad. Real Madrid had not made a fuss over the transfer fee, selling him for 5 million euros in hopes he could develop better there.

AS revealed that this move also had another meaning, which was to build a good relationship with Real Sociedad.

Their current midfielder, Illarramendi, had been performing excellently and was hailed as the new Xabi Alonso. Real Madrid had been watching the young Basque midfielder for some time.

AS claimed that Granero's transfer was a test move by Real Madrid, and they still aimed to sign Illarramendi in the summer transfer market.

Gao Shen did not reveal more about summer transfers, but reiterated that there would be no incoming or outgoing players during the winter break.

"I am satisfied with the current squad and believe we can fight on all three fronts."

He explained that this was mainly because there were no players in the market that Real Madrid needed.

Gao Shen again emphasized that the current squad had enough strength to compete for every trophy.

"I will say it again, we are confident we can win at least one prestigious championship trophy before the end of this season!"

This was Gao Shen's promise to Real Madrid fans.

(To be continued.)

***

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