After talking with Varane, Gao Shen took time to call Pepe over.

If he had been gentle and courteous when speaking to Varane, like cultured men exchanging ideas, then his approach with Pepe was completely different. Gao Shen went straight to the point, bluntly expressing his dissatisfaction with the frequent fouls committed by him and Ramos lately.

He even threw his hands up and asked, "Tell me, what do you expect me to do now?"

"Well? Can you handle Messi all by yourself?"

Pepe was so "scolded" that he did not dare raise his head. After all, he knew they were in the wrong.

Before the crucial match, Gao Shen had warned them repeatedly, yet in the end, just as expected, the cards came.

Now, with Real Madrid in a critical phase of squad rotation, a suspension at this time was…

"I'm even starting to wonder if you have a problem with me," Gao Shen added.

Pepe was stunned and quickly stood up, waving his hands in denial.

Who was Gao Shen?

This was the head coach Real Madrid had pursued for years, personally supported by Florentino, with the full backing of the board and the fans. Anyone who crossed Gao Shen was only digging their own grave. Did he still want to stay at Real Madrid?

In the end, Pepe admitted he had been too reckless, that he got carried away after stepping onto the pitch.

"Boss, I swear, I promise I will try my best to control myself and avoid it. Please believe me!" Pepe pleaded bitterly.

Gao Shen glared at him for a long moment, making the Portuguese defender uneasy.

In Real Madrid, Gao Shen had the final say. Anyone who made him unhappy would soon find themselves out.

"I'll trust you one more time," Gao Shen finally said, his tone softening slightly.

"But I'm telling you, in this match against Barcelona, I'm pairing you with Varane. You take care of him for me. When he steps up to challenge for the ball, you stay back. And don't you dare cause me trouble!"

Pepe wanted to argue, that wasn't how he and Ramos usually divided responsibilities but one look at Gao Shen's sharp gaze and the fat-faced Portuguese surrendered.

Fine, I give in. Is that enough?

After giving Pepe a stern lecture, Gao Shen patted his hand and spoke earnestly. "This game is crucial. It has extraordinary significance for me and for the team."

"I've said before, if we don't win the title, I'll be out. And if we want to win the title, we have to beat Barcelona."

Pepe now fully understood how much Gao Shen valued him.

"Whether I keep my job or not depends on you," Gao Shen said seriously.

Pepe immediately straightened up and promised solemnly, "I will never let you down!"

…

Ramos' suspension affected Real Madrid in more ways than simply missing a starting centre-back and replacing him with Varane.

It also impacted tactics and training arrangements.

Originally, Carlo had given Gao Shen two training sessions specifically to work on tactics for Barcelona. But now, Gao Shen had to use one of those sessions to focus on defensive organisation and sharpening the partnership between Varane and Pepe.

The difference lay in Varane and Ramos.

Gao Shen's Real Madrid played differently from other teams. They were not as aggressive as Barcelona in pressing high, but their defensive line still sat around the centre circle, generally between the 30-metre zone and the halfway line.

Compared to others, even Premier League sides like Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea — Real Madrid's backline played further forward. This placed a heavy demand on the mobility of the centre-backs.

That was why Gao Shen had always liked defenders like David Luiz and Kompany, who had excellent mobility.

Another difference since Gao Shen took over was that both full-backs acted like wingers, pushing high when attacking. This meant that when Real Madrid transitioned from attack to defence and the counterpress was not timely, they could be left with only three players defending: the defensive midfielder and two centre-backs.

Sometimes, when Ramos and Pepe roamed forward too much, there were only two.

Because Xabi Alonso tended to hold his position, the centre-backs had to cover a lot of ground, often even shifting wide to pressure the opponent's ball carrier.

Ramos, Pepe, and Varane were all quick and mobile. Albiol, however, was slower, which was why Gao Shen valued him less.

Varane, though, had his own issues.

He was not aggressive enough after winning the ball, especially in close marking, and rarely committed fouls.

This was what Gao Shen had called his "defensive obsession".

But therein lay the problem.

Think about it: when a defender steps up to press but doesn't get tight and won't foul, what happens?

The opponent gets room to receive the ball.

Against weaker sides, that's fine. But against top teams like Barcelona, and top ball-players like Messi or Iniesta, it gives them more chances to play dangerous passes, even ones that cut straight into the defensive line.

That was dangerous.

Varane also had another trait — one common among polite, educated people — he didn't like troubling others or causing them inconvenience. He preferred to handle things himself.

In life, that was admirable. On the pitch, it was a problem.

Defending is a collective effort. If you try to solve everything alone without communicating, especially as a centre-back, you can leave big gaps.

Sometimes you need to instruct teammates to cover, but if you insist on doing it yourself, you may leave an even bigger hole behind.

Varane was reserved in this regard. He didn't like to trouble others, let alone give them orders.

These were the habits of a gentleman.

Gao Shen couldn't magically turn a gentleman into a brawler overnight, so the only way was to put him under pressure, to force out his inner wildness.

Setting those flaws aside, Varane was hugely talented — technically gifted, tactically aware, and physically outstanding. He had everything to become a top centre-back.

He just needed that final push.

And now, Gao Shen intended to light the fire under him.

During training, Gao Shen even had Hierro step in personally to coach Varane, giving him one-on-one sessions.

He taught him tricks, even little fouls disguised so well the referee wouldn't notice.

In particular, how to use his physical advantages against smaller players like Messi.

Hierro, an atypical Spanish centre-back who had started his career as a striker and midfielder, had endless experience. His defending was never entirely clean, and many of his tricks completely changed Varane's understanding of defending.

"I'm telling you, kid, you play too politely. That doesn't earn you respect from referees — they'll just think you're naïve. When something goes wrong, they'll make you the scapegoat."

"Is that smart? No. That's stupid."

"True elegance is hiding your fouls so no one can see them."

"Look at Nesta. He's not elegant at all, he's full of dirty tricks. If you want, I'll show you a video later. Watch it frame by frame, you'll see — it's all in the disguise."

"So don't believe those hollow words."

"The pitch is like a play. It's all about acting."

Hierro seemed determined to pass on all the dark arts of defending in one go. Gao Shen and Zidane, standing on the sidelines, began to worry.

"Are we… completely reshaping his worldview?" Gao Shen said with a wry smile.

Zidane nodded. "I think I'd better take over from now on. I do have some defensive experience. If Fernando keeps teaching like this, the kid will either turn bad or lose his game entirely."

Gao Shen could only sigh.

But there was no choice — Varane's defending was too "artistic".

It hurt the team on the pitch.

"Let him keep at it for a while. I think Varane needs to be more aggressive. You focus more on the forwards, especially Benzema. His finishing has been poor and needs improving."

Zidane looked at the well-behaved Varane, then at the flamboyant Hierro, and sighed inwardly.

He felt like he was watching a good kid being corrupted by a mischievous uncle.

In that moment, Zidane thought it might not be such a bad thing that his own child wasn't very good at football.

At least, they would remain good kids.

…

Once the squad was settled, Gao Shen made significant tactical adjustments, different from before.

The first time the two sides met in El Clásico, Gao Shen was still new, unfamiliar with Barcelona, and it was Real Madrid's first major clash under him. He was somewhat unsure.

But now it was different.

After a brutal schedule, especially the match against Manchester City, Gao Shen had a clear picture of Real Madrid's strengths in terms of players, formation, and tactics.

So he tweaked things based on the first Clásico and Barcelona's current state.

Against Barcelona's possession-heavy style, Gao Shen made targeted plans.

Since the late 1990s, La Liga had been at the forefront of tactical innovation. From Cooper's Mallorca to Valencia, to Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruña, many sides adopted double defensive midfielders.

The trend spread to Italy. When Gao Shen coached Napoli, he used a double pivot. But in recent years, with the rise of 4-3-3, the double pivot began to show its limitations.

The formation itself was dated, but some of its concepts, especially in certain details, remained valuable.

Gao Shen firmly believed that tactics were static, but players were dynamic.

The army has no constant formation, and water has no fixed shape.

Players move on the pitch. What matters is not just the formation, but how the team plays.

Especially, how well they play together.

That was the key.

And more importantly, Gao Shen had spotted a growing problem in Barcelona's game.

This time, he planned to expose it completely.

(To be continued.)

***

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