Disaster!

When Real Madrid thrashed Barcelona 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, Barcelona's mouthpiece, Daily Sports, immediately published a commentary defining the crushing defeat.

The paper stated that such a heavy loss had made it almost impossible for Barcelona to mount a comeback at Camp Nou.

"We cannot believe that a Barcelona side like this can score more than four goals against Real Madrid at Camp Nou. It is almost impossible."

Catalan media argued that Barcelona's defeat was not just a tactical failure.

With head coach Vilanova absent and assistant coach Roura in charge, the tactics he deployed were completely neutralised by Gao Shen.

"It turns out that Roura is not qualified to take on the role of Barcelona's head coach. Against Gao Shen, he had no chance of winning at all. Barcelona were completely dictated to by Real Madrid throughout the game."

According to Daily Sports, Barcelona still dominated possession in this crucial match.

A possession rate of 66.6% was enough to show their superiority in passing and control, but in terms of shots, Real Madrid had 15 attempts while Barcelona managed only five.

"This was the game with the fewest shots Barcelona have had all season."

What was even harder to accept was that Real Madrid registered seven shots on target, while Barcelona had zero. In other words, Barcelona did not even threaten Iker Casillas' goal once.

A truly despairing gap.

Daily Sports concluded that apart from dominating possession, Barcelona were comprehensively outplayed.

Real Madrid won 27 individual duels, compared to Barcelona's 11.

Barcelona committed only five fouls, while Real Madrid made 19.

Real Madrid had seven corners, Barcelona just two.

Statistics do not tell the whole story, but they do reveal part of the truth.

The paper argued that this data not only reflected Barcelona's loss on the technical and tactical level but also exposed their inferiority to Real Madrid in terms of mentality and fighting spirit.

Otherwise, how could one explain the disparity in duels and fouls committed?

"Our players are no longer pressing aggressively to win the ball back after losing it, as they did in the past. Instead, they tend to rely on their teammates around them to recover possession."

The report also highlighted Messi's complete lack of impact in this game.

This was not the first time, and it was no coincidence that he struggled to score against teams with strong defensive setups.

Daily Sports even captured a moment in the match: when Real Madrid intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack, all their players sprinted forward, while Messi walked slowly back, prompting the damning question.

"Messi, did you really give your best?"

Clearly, the Catalan media felt one of the key reasons for the 0-4 humiliation was that Barcelona's attacking players, especially Messi, did not give their all.

With the team trailing 0-4, Roura made a series of substitutions, but the situation hardly improved.

As the team's core, Messi played the full match but contributed almost nothing. Instead, he ended up making Real Madrid's young French centre-back Raphaël Varane the star of the night.

This was deeply embarrassing for the Barcelona press.

In recent years, it had always been Barcelona's young players who shone in El Clásico. When had the spotlight shifted to Real Madrid's youngsters?

But this season, Real Madrid had plenty of them.

Carvajal's name barely needed mentioning, with calls for his inclusion in the Spanish national team growing louder and Del Bosque openly stating he would consider him.

Previously, youngsters like Jesé, Morata, Casemiro, and Isco had all featured and impressed.

In this match, Varane took on the main defensive responsibility. Against Messi and Agüero, he played at a truly top-class level.

After the game, Real Madrid assistant coach and former captain Hierro publicly praised Varane in a media interview.

"This kid plays with maturity and quality, proving he has the right physical and technical attributes. The key is that the decisions he makes on the pitch give a sense of security and trust, which is vital for a centre-back."

Hierro analysed further: "He is very fast. Twice against Agüero, he recovered from behind using pace and acceleration, which shows his excellence."

"He has the speed and explosiveness of a sprinter and the build of a track and field athlete. If you didn't check his ID, you'd think he was already in his prime."

"But in fact, he is only nineteen."

What Hierro admired most was Varane's composure and concentration.

"These are qualities every top centre-back must have."

Sanchís, Real Madrid's greatest centre-back and former captain, also spoke to the media after the game.

"Varane has all the attributes a top centre-back should have. Despite being tall, he is technically assured and very quick. Those two recovery runs in the match really impressed me."

Sanchís believed Varane's future was bright.

"He is lucky to have such a good coach at Real Madrid. Gao Shen is the best in the world at discovering and developing young players. Look at Carvajal, who has improved steadily all season. Now look at Varane. After this match, we have every reason to believe the Frenchman will enter a period of rapid growth."

If only Real Madrid legends were saying this, it could be seen as polite praise.

But in this Clásico, France national team coach Didier Deschamps was also watching live.

After the match, he told L'Équipe he was pleased with Varane's performance.

"Varane has been recommended to me by more than one person. Many have said he is the best French centre-back since Blanc. After watching this match, I believe he has that potential and the ability to meet national team requirements."

Deschamps confirmed he would seriously consider calling Varane up.

At the post-match press conference, Real Madrid head coach Gao Shen also named Varane as the number one contributor to the victory over Barcelona at the Bernabéu.

"In the dressing room after the match, I told Varane, 'You played really well today!'"

Gao Shen believed Varane could become a world-class centre-back, but only if he kept pushing himself, refused to settle, and maintained his hunger.

"I believe that in the coming years, when we talk about the best centre-backs in the world, Varane will definitely be among them."

This was one of the highest compliments Gao Shen had ever given.

He did not show favouritism with his defenders, also using Varane's example to challenge Ramos and Pepe.

"If they committed fewer fouls and collected fewer cards, they too would be top-class."

Gao Shen then laughed. "Real Madrid will have three world-class centre-backs. That will be a wonderful thing for me."

Varane, speaking to Marca after the game, thanked his coach for the praise and promised to keep working hard.

"I feel good and satisfied with this match. It is always especially tough against Barcelona, but the team played very well. This is the best game I have played since joining Real Madrid, and I hope to continue like this."

He revealed that Gao Shen and his teammates congratulated him after the match, and that what drove his performance was the coach's encouragement beforehand.

"When he told me Real Madrid needed me to start against Barcelona and that he believed in me, I felt my moment had finally arrived! I had no reason to waste such an opportunity. This is something every professional player dreams of."

Varane admitted he still needed time to adapt to this new role but vowed to keep improving.

AS also devoted extensive coverage to Varane after the match.

As the second-youngest foreign player in El Clásico history — only behind Messi — the two were naturally incomparable in role, one being a centre-back, the other a forward. But AS praised Gao Shen's Real Madrid in the highest terms.

"At the start of the season, Gao Shen said this Real Madrid would be a team with enormous potential. At the time, most scoffed, believing the La Liga title race would be decided early. Super clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona were not seen as 'projects' requiring patience."

"Some even pushed for Gao Shen's dismissal when results were less than ideal."

"But now, looking back, we must admit how accurate and forward-thinking Gao Shen's judgement was."

"According to Real Madrid sources, without Marcelo's injury, the team would have progressed even faster."

"Now, with young talents like Carvajal and Varane stepping up, it would be no surprise if Jesé, Morata, Casemiro, and Isco followed suit. This group has shown excellent potential all season."

Alfredo, AS's editor-in-chief, summed it up:

"Gao Shen's Real Madrid is full of vitality and hope. Up to now, they have maintained pressure on Barcelona in La Liga, almost eliminated them early in the Copa del Rey, and in the Champions League they have broken through barriers that had blocked them for years to reach the knockout stage."

"In just half a year, Gao Shen has proven his worth once again, making everyone believe he is still one of the best coaches in the world, and the most suitable for Real Madrid."

(To be continued.)