On the evening of February 2nd, at the Carmenes Stadium in Granada.

In the 22nd round of La Liga, Real Madrid were away to face Granada.

The match had entered the 80th minute, yet the score was still 0-0.

Gao Shen stood on the touchline, watching the play unfold.

Real Madrid had not gone all out tonight, largely because the players had just fought a grueling battle against Barcelona in midweek. After this league match, they would head off to their national teams for international fixtures, putting many of them under extra pressure.

As a result, Gao Shen rotated his squad.

Thanks to Real Madrid's strong performances, two young players, Carvajal and Isco, had earned call-ups to the Spanish national team, while Varane was called up by France.

Spain were set to face Uruguay, France would meet Germany, and Argentina would play Sweden in Gothenburg.

The matches were tightly scheduled in the middle of the week, with league games resuming at the weekend. To reduce travel fatigue, South American national teams had been arranged to play their friendlies in Europe, leaving Gao Shen with even less reason to resist the national team call-ups.

Because of this, he made heavy rotations, and as a result, the team found themselves up against Granada's stubborn resistance.

Now, Gao Shen understood exactly what Barcelona had felt three days earlier when they faced Real Madrid.

Possession was as high as 73.7%, with 21 shots, but only four were on target, many from long range.

As for Granada, their possession was negligible. They had only two shots, neither on target.

The two sides were not even close in level.

But Granada committed 29 fouls and collected five yellow cards.

They had thrown everything into defending, building a solid iron wall at the back.

"Many people say La Liga values technique and attacking play," Gao Shen remarked, walking back to the visitors' bench with a wry smile to Carlo, Zidane, and the others.

"That's because they don't realise La Liga teams rarely adopt a defensive block. But once they do, it is a proper defensive block."

Carlo, Zidane, and Hierro all nodded in agreement.

"Granada are a really tough side, and Siqueira has played well," Hierro added.

During the winter break, Real Madrid had the chance to sign Siqueira, but Gao Shen declined.

He had a touch of perfectionism and would rather have no signing than one that did not meet his standards.

Besides, he did not think Siqueira could fulfil his requirements.

Granada had been following a buy-low, sell-high strategy in recent years, backed by Italy's Pozzo family.

Gao Shen knew them well — they were influential.

Udinese in Serie A, Granada in La Liga, and Watford, formerly in the Premier League and now in the Championship, were all owned by the Pozzos. They scoured the globe for young talent, developed them in their clubs, and sold them at a high price once they proved themselves.

It was a lucrative business and kept them ever-present in European football.

With Watford relegated, the Pozzos now had only two top-flight teams left — Granada and Udinese — and Granada were determined to avoid relegation this season.

Facing Real Madrid at home, they were ready to fight to the last.

Gao Shen had already used all three substitutions.

On the pitch, Morata and Higuaín were paired up front, with Kaká playing as the number 10 behind them.

Gao Shen still hoped the two strikers could stretch Granada's defensive shape and create space for teammates.

But Granada's defensive block was rock solid.

Earlier in the day, Barcelona had drawn 1-1 away to Valencia, giving Real Madrid an excellent chance to close the gap. Gao Shen and his players were desperate for the win, but Granada's defending was proving difficult to break down.

As head coach, there was little Gao Shen could do when faced with such a deep defensive block.

Breaking down a parked bus is a universal problem in football.

…

In the 86th minute, Granada attempted to pass the ball into Real Madrid's penalty area, but Courtois rushed out to claim it on the edge of the box.

The Belgian keeper rolled it to the unmarked Ramos.

Wearing the captain's armband, Ramos partnered Varane in central defence tonight, with Pepe rested.

Ramos controlled the ball and, instead of advancing, sent a long pass upfield.

Morata chased it down, judging the drop point.

The young striker's positioning had never been his strongest trait, and he lacked the physical dominance to hold off defenders. Since coming on, he had repeatedly failed to win duels with Granada's centre-back López.

But Morata showed intelligence here. This time he cut inside ahead of López, letting the ball fall to their side. Using his height, long legs, and neat technique, he reached the ball first, volleying it out of mid-air.

López recovered quickly, blocking Morata's turn, but Morata anticipated this. He stepped forward to control the ball, avoiding midfielder Recio's challenge, and slipped a pass between the two Granada players.

Kaká arrived from behind, meeting Morata's pass first time with a perfectly weighted ground ball.

It split the defence, bypassing centre-back Mainz, and Higuaín timed his run to perfection, beating the offside trap.

The Argentine brought it under control just outside the box, drove inside, and, one-on-one with keeper Toño, calmly slotted the ball home.

1-0!

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"In the 86th minute, Real Madrid finally find the breakthrough!"

"This was their 22nd shot of the match, and it is the one that counts!"

"Higuaín with the golden goal!"

The Argentine striker raced to the stands, celebrating wildly.

Kaká followed close behind, his composure in the assist equally decisive.

And Higuaín — his anticipation and positioning were instinctive.

A true natural-born finisher!

…

In the end, Real Madrid beat Granada 1-0 away, thanks to Higuaín's late strike.

With Barcelona having drawn 1-1 away to Valencia, Real Madrid closed the gap to just two points.

After 22 rounds of La Liga, Barcelona still led with 61 points, Real Madrid trailed with 59, and Atlético Madrid were third with 50.

Although more than half the season remained, it was clear the title would be decided between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

For Barcelona, the biggest question mark remained head coach Vilanova.

Currently in hospital after a second surgery, Vilanova had become a symbolic figure for the club.

In high-profile matches, Barcelona's flaws might be exposed, but against other sides they played with confidence and efficiency.

According to AS editor-in-chief Alfredo, Real Madrid's 59 points were their highest total after 22 rounds in the past decade.

In previous seasons, aside from Barcelona in 2010/11, this tally would have been enough for Real Madrid to lead the league.

But notably, Barcelona also had 61 points at this stage in 2010/11 — that year, Guardiola's side won the league with 96 points.

Judging from the current situation, Vilanova's team could well match that feat.

For Real Madrid, they would need at least 37 points from the remaining 16 matches to have a chance of turning the tables.

That was a huge challenge for a team also competing in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, with a bench not especially deep.

But Alfredo added that regardless of the outcome, Gao Shen's Real Madrid had undergone a complete transformation in mentality and tactics this season, bringing surprising improvement.

"We all believe that even if we do not win the title this season, Real Madrid's revival is just around the corner."

…

After the 22nd round, the league paused for international fixtures.

The national team players reported for duty, but Gao Shen and his staff did not take time off, instead tracking their players' performances closely while planning post-international break training.

On their return, Real Madrid would face Sevilla at home in the 23rd round, followed by the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Manchester United, also at the Bernabéu.

That would be a true test.

Fortunately, none of Real Madrid's internationals suffered serious injuries, though the matches were intense.

Argentina beat Sweden 3-2 in Gothenburg, with Higuaín scoring and Di María shining.

Germany came from behind to beat France 2-1, with Toni Kroos playing the full match.

Spain defeated Uruguay 3-1, with several players completing the full 90 minutes.

Of course, this was not unique to Real Madrid — all top clubs faced the same strain.

But ahead lay an even more demanding schedule.

Still, having no new injuries was a huge relief for Gao Shen.

The upcoming Sevilla match was not the main focus for Real Madrid. At the Bernabéu, Gao Shen was confident of winning.

The real challenge would come the following Wednesday against Manchester United. Ferguson was the most formidable opponent.

How to put it?

He had an exceptional grasp of tactics and could turn an ordinary set of cards into a winning hand.

This was Ferguson's greatest strength.

Gao Shen was certain he would target an away goal at the Bernabéu.

With that away goal, United would have the advantage and could sit deep, playing on the counter — exactly the scenario Real Madrid least wanted.

Whether it ended 1-0 or 1-1, United would still benefit.

There was also one piece of bad news for Real Madrid: Marcelo's recovery would take longer than expected.

Although the Brazilian had resumed training, his match fitness was far from ready, especially for high-intensity fixtures like the Champions League.

He had simply been out for too long.

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)