Chapter 811: Step Down Again

On the evening of November 22nd, at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.

In the 37th minute of the match, Real Madrid's number 10 attempted to dribble past Yaya Touré in the middle of the attacking third, but the Ivorian midfielder used his physical strength to shoulder him off the ball. The Madrid player lost his balance and fell.

Possession was lost.

Yaya Touré completed the interception and immediately surged forward with the ball.

Khedira stepped up to challenge him but was smoothly bypassed.

The Ivorian accelerated, forcing his way between Khedira and Xabi Alonso, and carried the ball all the way to the edge of Real Madrid's penalty area, drawing both Ramos and Pepe toward him.

Robinho on the left, Van Persie centrally, and Robben on the right had all sprinted into position.

Manchester City's counterattack was lightning quick—no slower than Real Madrid's own.

Yaya Touré spotted an opportunity and sent the ball wide to the right.

Robben drove the ball into the right side of the box, stopped sharply to throw off Coentrão, cut inside, and curled a left-footed shot.

The ball traced a graceful arc toward the top left corner.

Adam could do nothing.

One-nil!

The entire Bernabéu erupted in boos!

Seventy thousand Real Madrid fans vented their frustration with fierce disapproval.

…

Gao Shen stood still in front of the visiting team's dugout.

Before kickoff, Real Madrid fans at the stadium had welcomed him with warm applause on his return to the Bernabéu.

At the pre-match press conference, many Spanish journalists tried to draw comments about Real Madrid from him. But Gao Shen repeatedly emphasized that he was Manchester City's head coach and a friend of Mourinho, refusing to comment on anything related to Real Madrid.

And in this game, Manchester City had clearly held back.

From the attacking lineup alone—Robinho, Van Persie, and Robben—Gao Shen had deployed a combination that was not his strongest.

Originally, he hadn't planned to play Robben at all. He wanted Robinho and Sturridge on the wings, but Robben asked to play, and Gao Shen saw no reason to refuse.

Robinho also asked to play against Real Madrid. He still held a grudge.

In midfield, Gao Shen went with a three-defensive-midfield setup: Henderson, Fernandinho, and Yaya Touré.

Neither David Silva nor Rakitić was selected—enough to show his intent.

Manchester City had already qualified from the group, and there was no reason to go all out against Real Madrid.

Gao Shen had even stated before the match that, due to their participation in the Club World Cup, Manchester City's fixture schedule was extremely tight and needed to be managed accordingly.

In defense, he started Felipe, Jérôme Boateng, Gary Cahill, and Zabaleta, with Given in goal—a clear signal that City weren't playing at full strength.

Mourinho had launched a furious offensive from the start, trying to overpower City.

But Real Madrid are a curious team. The more anxious they become, the more disorganized they play.

What they really lack is confidence.

Since 2006, Real Madrid had not reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. That record had severely damaged the squad's self-belief.

From kickoff, players like Ronaldo and Di María fired off shot after shot—especially Ronaldo, who had three efforts in the first ten minutes alone—but failed to score.

Manchester City stayed calm, refraining from forcing the issue and instead focusing on structured counterattacks.

This was perfectly normal.

Manchester City had already qualified and had no obligation to win. A cautious approach made sense, and no one could accuse Gao Shen of letting Real Madrid off the hook. Any other team in their position would likely do the same.

Unless, of course, they had a compelling reason to win.

But Real Madrid failed to capitalize on their chances and kept squandering opportunities.

Then, in the 37th minute, Manchester City struck on the counter and scored.

Under these circumstances, what more could Gao Shen say?

Standing on the touchline at the Bernabéu, he felt like he was reliving the script from last season.

Back then, Real Madrid had also been in a must-win situation.

No, this season they were in an even worse state.

The controversy surrounding Mourinho's banishment of Casillas continued to escalate.

On the surface, Gao Shen appeared calm. But inside, he felt a certain helplessness.

He had given them a chance, but they failed to seize it. Was that his fault?

Real Madrid undeniably had the strength. With this squad, who would believe they lacked quality?

But the real problem was that they weren't playing to their potential.

On one hand, morale and confidence were lacking. On the other, there were tactical flaws.

When a team is distracted by off-field issues, it inevitably struggles to perform on the pitch.

…

After conceding, Real Madrid intensified their attack.

This was now a do-or-die match. They had to win.

Having gone behind, they needed two goals to turn the tide.

So they attacked with even more urgency.

Manchester City remained composed, sticking to their defensive shape and waiting to counter.

The midfield trio of Yaya Touré, Fernandinho, and Henderson provided solid cover in front of the back line.

The trio also executed the tactical plan with great discipline.

The first half ended with Manchester City leading 1-0.

Just over a minute into the second half, Di María broke down the right wing, beat Felipe, and unleashed a left-footed shot that struck the post and went wide.

Real Madrid then launched wave after wave of attacks.

In the 50th minute, Mourinho made his first substitution, bringing on Higuaín for Khedira.

That left Real Madrid with only one defensive midfielder. Higuaín and Adebayor partnered up front, with Ronaldo, Di María, and the number 10 supporting from midfield—about as attacking a lineup as Real Madrid could field.

But as always, offense isn't just about piling on attackers.

Gao Shen had long said Mourinho was not good at building offensive systems. Neither midfield organization nor front-line coordination was his strength. His expertise lay in defense.

So, when Mourinho's teams press too aggressively, they are often most vulnerable.

And this was no exception.

After the change, Gao Shen responded immediately, pushing Yaya Touré higher to press Xabi Alonso.

Everyone knew Alonso was a top-class deep-lying playmaker, but his biggest flaw was that he struggled under pressure. Once opponents locked onto him, his passing game was neutralized.

At that point, he needed help.

But Real Madrid were all focused on pushing forward. No one was looking back to support Alonso. Even though Di María tracked back, he stayed too far right to be of much help.

Finally, in the 67th minute, Yaya Touré overpowered Alonso, intercepted the ball, and surged forward.

This time, he quickly played a diagonal pass to the left.

Robinho received it, drove forward, and stopped just outside the penalty area. As if preparing to shoot, he suddenly laid the ball off behind him.

Van Persie made a run from deep into the left side of the box and smashed a left-footed shot into the net.

Two-nil!

Real Madrid's young goalkeeper lay flat on the grass, clearly having lost all confidence and hope.

On the pitch, the Madrid players looked dejected.

When they were one goal down, there was still hope of a comeback. But after conceding the second, all belief was gone.

Mourinho responded by making two substitutions, a clear sign that he was ready to go all-in.

But by then, the Real Madrid players had lost the will to fight.

The entire Bernabéu echoed with jeers and boos. Some fans even stood and demanded Mourinho be sacked, and Florentino be held accountable.

…

The match wasn't over.

In the VIP stands, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez sat motionless, face like stone, ignoring the chorus of boos and insults, along with the demands for his resignation.

It wasn't that he didn't hear them.

He simply had no way to respond.

Lately, he had been full of regret.

This was rare for him. Throughout his adult life, he had always made rational, correct decisions.

But this time, choosing Mourinho over Gao Shen had been a mistake.

Now, he was paying the price.

And the cost was severe.

It was almost certain that Real Madrid would be eliminated in the group stage. Next season, they'd drop into the third tier of Champions League seeds.

What? Not sure they'll even qualify for the Champions League next season?

Florentino wasn't worried about that. Other La Liga teams couldn't challenge Real Madrid or Barcelona's position.

But if things really spiraled to that point, where Real Madrid failed to qualify for the Champions League, then he would naturally be forced to step down.

The only bit of good news tonight came from Zidane.

Before the game, he received accurate information from a friend at L'Équipe: Manchester City's lobbying in the Premier League had failed. Not only had United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool refused, but even several mid- and lower-table teams had rejected them.

That meant, if Leeds United were promoted, Gao Shen could no longer coach Manchester City.

Based on Leeds United's current form, promotion to the Premier League seemed highly likely.

"After the game, Jorge and I could try to sound him out?" Zidane suggested.

Florentino was tempted but quickly shook his head.

"It's a sensitive time. We should keep our distance and avoid making things difficult for him."

Zidane looked surprised and turned to Valdano.

The technical director nodded. "Florentino's right. Stay low-key. We can talk again after the season ends."

Zidane thought it over and agreed.

They all knew Gao Shen's character.

If he truly couldn't continue at Manchester City, given Real Madrid's current mess, as long as they gave him enough trust and support, he would likely be willing to return—especially if Florentino reached out personally.

But the situation now was truly perilous, eerily similar to the 2005–2006 season.

If Real Madrid really did crash out in the group stage, could Florentino survive until season's end?

Would it be like that season again, when he couldn't withstand the pressure after the winter break and was forced to step down?

(To be continued.)