"I have a mission for you."

  When Ronaldo returned from warming up, Gao Shen pulled him aside and gave him careful instrus.

  The Brazilian superstar listetentively.

  "Later on, you'll repegredo and py as a striker. You don't o do much. Just tie up avaro and Thuram for me, disrupt their py, a behind them."

  Ronaldo, being sharp, uood Gao Shen's iion immediately. "Hit them back if I get the ce?"

  Gao Shen shook his head. "If there's a ce, sure. But if not, create opportunities. Push their defense as much as possible. Don't tell me you 't hahose two old men."

  Two old men?

  Ronaldo's expression became richer.

  Are they really that old?

  Thuram had just turhirty-four, and avaro would be thirty-three iember. Among professional pyers, they were indeed quite old.

  Despite Ronaldo's bloated body and reduced speed, he was still very adept at terattacks.

  As long as he got the ce to get behind the defense, avaro and Thuram wouldn't be able to stop him.

  More importantly, behind him were Raul, Zidane, and Beckham, all with strong passing abilities, especially Beckham, whose precise long passes were like le missiles.

  Dare to press forward?

  My handsome Beckham will hit your door with a Tomahawk missile, setting up Ronaldo for a one-on-one.

  e here!

  Ronaldo nodded and looked at Gao Shen, notig that the head coach had turo face the visiting team's bench, log eyes with Capello. The Juventus coach turned away angrily, while Gao Shen revealed a slight smile.

  What to say?

  Ronaldo saords on Gao Shen's face: ing!

  He suddenly realized how naive he had been, thinking Gao Shen was a harmless young man fresh out of school. What was the result? He had been pletely outpyed.

  Sure enough, this guy looked ho but was full of bad ideas.

  Ronaldo decided he must talk to his Brazilian teammates after the game, warning them o provoke this person again, or they might unknowingly get drenched i.

  I 't afford it, so I must avoid it!

  "What's the matter?" Gao Shen didn't have the ability to read minds, so he couldn't guess what Ronaldo was thinking. He just noticed his strange expression.

  Ronaldo shook his head guiltily. "It's nothing. I... promise to plete the task."

  "Well, let's go." Gao Shen waved him off.

  ...

  Capello felt a deep frustration!

  Damn, is this how you py?

  Don't you know how to respect your elders at all?

  He was in a real bind now.

  Why bring on Mutu?

  Because Nedved couldn't hahe ball in the middle, aher Trezeguet, Sarayeta, nor Ibrahimovic could pass effectively in the front. The Swedish ter's deep drops were deying the attack.

  Capello had no one else to use. With Del Piero injured, he could only use Mutu.

  inally, he wao repce Chiellini and go with three at the back.

  But now, with Ronaldo od Real Madrid having two strikers up front, could Juventus still press forward?

  If not Chiellini, who else could be repced?

  Emerson and Vieira were double midfielders and couldn't be moved, as any adjustment would affect the defense, and Zidane was still on the field for Real Madrid. Who knew what Zidane might do if he found space?

  Capello hesitated for a while, leaving Mutu, who had warmed up, fused.

  Are we making a substitution or not? Who will be repced?

  Why isn't anyone saying anything?

  Finally, Capello gritted his teeth and substituted Camoranesi.

  ...

  Seeing the substitution number on the sidelines, Gao Shen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and ugh.

  A position-for-position substitution, still a 4-4-2.

  Previously, Gao Shen thought Juventus' lineup was strong but couldn't uand why, acc to his memory, Juventus hadn't made it past the Champions League quarterfinals since 2003.

  Now, he uood.

  It artly due to Serie A's overall servative tactical atmosphere and partly because of Juventus' own lineup shortings, namely a severe ck of creativity.

  Vieira, Emerson, Nedved, and Camoranesi were versatile and both offensive and defensive, but it depended on the game iy.

  In Serie A, against weaker teams, they could transform into the team's core, full of creativity. But in the Champions League, especially the knockout stages, their creativity was severely g.

  Without creativity, there were no passes; without passes, no goals.

  Moreover, Capello was aremely risk-averse servative.

  Apart from these factors, there was also a very importaail: tactics.

  Gao Shen had seen historical data. Juventus was eliminated in the round of 16 in 2004, being double-killed by Irueta's Super Depor in two rounds. It was also in that season that Super Depor came back from a 1-4 away loss to A to win 4-0 at home.

  A's general manager Galliani once said that this defeat was enough to haunt A for years.

  Last year, Juventus beat Real Madrid in the round of 16 but lost to Benitez's Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

  This season, acc to Gao Shen's memory, Juventus should lose to Arsenal.

  It's worth noting that all three teams pyed a 4-2-3-1 formation.

  Is this actal?

  Once could be a ce, twice might still be a ce, but three times?

  On the football field, acts are everywhere, but behind every act, there must be a y.

  That y was that Serie A, ohe leader in European football tactics, was gradually falling behind.

  Whether it was youth training talents or tactical ges, Serie A hadn't kept up i years.

  Thus, the current Italian teams g to their 4-4-2.

  A's Champions League wi year recisely because Ai abahe 4-4-2 for a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation.

  Gao Shen had previously stated that the biggest advantage of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 over a 4-4-2 was the effective use of pitch space. The reason why Nedved appeared in the middle was because in a 4-4-2 formation, with two midfielders set back, there were huge gaps in the middle, making ball adva extremely difficult.

  Gao Shen had feared Juventus' strength before, but now, he suddenly realized that no matter how strong the lineup, if it was tactically fwed, it wouldn't be effective.

  And this was the key to Real Madrid beating Juventus!

  ...

  After the two teams pleted their substitutions, the game remained deadlocked.

  Real Madrid focused on interception and pressing from their own 30-meter area to the ter line, remaining active in the midfield and frontcourt. Juventus, wary of Ronald heir defense, dared not press forward easily.

  In this sario, Juventus' offeruggled to be threatening.

  versely, Real Madrid, after identifying Juventus' weakness, began to increase their midfield and frontcourt pressing and terattacks under Gao Shen's signals.

  Ih minute, he ter line, Zidane made a sliding tackle to steal the ball from Mutu, got up, and initiated a terattack.

  Ronaldo, havireated to the front, received Zidane's pass in a gap, turned, a a ball behind the defeargeting Thuram's area.

  Raul quickly snted into the penalty area from the left and, after receiving Ronaldo's pass, took a shot before Zambrotta and Thuram could react. The ball narrowly missed the left post.

  Bernabeu fa out a collective groan ret.

  Two mier, Juventus attempted a long pass from the back, targeting Ibrahimovic.

  The Swedish ter, known for his aerial prowess, chested the ball down but was immediately pressed by Ramos and Dered. Dered intercepted and passed to Beckham.

  Beckham, without hesitatio a precise long pass.

  The ball flew into Juventus' half. Outside the penalty area, Ronaldo trolled it despite avaro's challehe Brazilian maintained possession, burst into the penalty area, bypassed Thuram, and took a shot.

  Buffon made a crucial save, defleg the ball into the small penalty area, where Chiellini cleared it upfield.

  Ronaldo didn't score but gave Beckham a thumbs up for the beautiful long pass and the fortable setup. Had avaro not touched it, the e could have been smoother, likely resulting in a goal.

  In the 83rd minute, Juventus attacked again. Mutu dribbled forward, attempting to pass to Sarayeta at the edge of the penalty area but was intercepted by Woodgate, who quickly passed to Gravesen.

  Gravesen, not waiting for Juventus to react, passed diagonally to the left fnk.

  Raul sprinted forward with the ball.

  Zambrotta chased desperately, but Raul, before Zambrotta could catch up, crossed from outside the penalty area to Ronaldo.

  Fag Thuram and avaro, Ronaldo made a sudden stop, protected the ball, and quickly passed to Zida the top of the arc. Zidane, unmarked, unleashed a powerful shot.

  Buffon made another crucial save, keeping the goal intact.

  In just five or six minutes, Real Madrid uhree threatening terattacks, each time targeting Juventus' bae and creating shooting opportunities.

  This was a stark remio Capello and Juventus.

  Don't press forward!

  Push further, and I'll break yss with a slings.

  This wave of terattacks was the most exg dispy of offensive football by Real Madrid and the two teams over both legs of the game. The Bernabeu fans were full of enthusiasm, as if they had been ied with adrenaline.

  This is the kind of football Real Madrid should py!

  After being tinuously threatened, Juventus started to py more cautiously.

  Capello khat ever since Juventus sold Zidaheir attack had been like hitting a brick wall.

  What are the ces of attag Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and not g when already one goal behind?

  As the game reached the eighty-fifth mihe Juventus pyers och provided the answer.