Robben took the ball and moved steadily toward the right side of the arc.
As he got closer, his pace gradually slowed, his steps becoming smaller and more frequent. He lifted his head and locked eyes with Carvalho.
Just as Carvalho rushed toward him, Robben, fully prepared, pushed the ball past Carvalho's right side.
Caught off guard by the sudden move, Carvalho was momentarily stunned, then immediately turned around to chase.
But in that instant, Robben accelerated, bursting past Carvalho's left and charging into the penalty area at full speed.
In the split second it took Carvalho to turn, the ball was already on the right side of the box. Robben had surged forward, catching up to the ball he'd just pushed forward, completing a brilliant one-two between man and ball.
"The ball's through!"
"Robben's broken through!"
No one knew what Adán was thinking. After Robben got past Carvalho, Adán remained motionless in front of goal, giving Robben a golden opportunity.
Because after reaching the ball on the right side of the box, Robben still had plenty of space to operate.
So when he caught up, he glanced up and, without waiting for Pepe to close down, sent a cross with the inside of his right foot.
The ball slid precisely between Adán at the right post and Pepe, who was sprinting back to cover.
Suárez raced in and tapped the ball easily into the empty net behind Pepe.
"GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"Two–nil!"
"Manchester City break through Real Madrid's defense again!"
"A brilliant individual play by Robben, setting up Suárez for City's second goal!"
"This was pure personal brilliance from Robben!"
"With a goal and an assist, Robben has become the standout star at the Etihad tonight!"
City's players stormed off the bench and onto the field, celebrating with Robben, Suárez, and the rest.
By now, everyone watching the game had pretty much figured out what was going on.
…
"Adán just doesn't have it!"
On the sidelines, Gao Shen shook his head with a bitter smile after seeing the goal.
In theory, at such a critical moment, when Robben was passing into the box, Real Madrid's goalkeeper should have left his line to challenge.
No matter how you look at it, coming off his line would at least have cut off Robben's angles and passing options.
Any goalkeeper with even a bit of experience would know to make that move.
But Adán stayed glued to his spot in front of the goal the entire time.
It was hard to say whether he was nervous, lacked experience, or simply had poor judgment.
Whatever the reason, he didn't come off his line.
"If that had been Casillas, it would've been very difficult for us to score," Lopis sighed beside him.
To be fair, Lopis had coached Adán before. Though he'd left Real Madrid years ago, he still knew the keeper well. Adán had risen through every level of Spain's youth system, often as captain and first choice. His ability and potential were never in doubt.
But at a club like Real Madrid, being the starting keeper takes more than just talent.
You need a strong mentality.
Look at Neuer or Casillas. Which of them isn't oozing with confidence?
Take Casillas and Mourinho's current clash. Many people say Casillas was in the wrong and wonder why he doesn't just admit it.
The answer is simple: players at that level rarely admit mistakes.
You could call it blind confidence, and maybe it is. But that kind of self-belief allows them to perform at their best and command the pitch. It's a form of dominance.
Adán is a good lad, but he doesn't have that aura.
That's why people say superstars are hard to manage.
Because they all have strong personalities.
You can't expect them to be confident warriors on the pitch and obedient little soldiers in the dressing room. That's unrealistic.
And that's the paradox of Mourinho's management style.
He wants to be the boss in the dressing room but also wants his players to be fierce and commanding on the field. Isn't that contradictory?
When players are still unknown, they'll go along with it. But once they become stars, will they still bow their heads?
If Ronaldo loses his edge, is he still Ronaldo?
That's why Gao Shen thinks Mourinho mishandled the Casillas situation.
He never should have backed himself into this corner.
Now that he has, any move he makes will be the wrong one.
Adán is a good kid, obedient and humble, but not assertive enough on the field.
And even if he has the potential and ability, when he becomes a star, will he still be this obedient?
"Real Madrid has developed a lot of young keepers over the years, many of whom have talent, but frankly, none of them can replace Casillas—not in terms of ability, but in influence."
Gao Shen sighed as he said this, feeling a touch of sorrow for his old friend Mourinho.
"The fallout from benching Casillas is only just beginning."
Lopis agreed.
As Real Madrid's goalkeeper coach and one of the best in the world, he knew exactly how rare someone like Casillas or Neuer was.
And for Real Madrid to produce another one like that through its youth system? Almost impossible.
"Leeds United's Courtois will become a great keeper in the future. And Navas isn't someone to underestimate either," Lopis reminded Gao Shen.
Gao Shen nodded and smiled.
Both are top-class goalkeepers in the making, but they're still a little raw.
Courtois, in particular, has been outstanding for Leeds United this season.
A lot of the credit goes to Leeds United's Italian goalkeeper coach, Gianluca Spinelli.
Spinelli, now 46, has been working independently since 2002. He started at Como before joining Genoa in 2004, where he's remained since.
Gao Shen had heard of him during his time at Napoli. This time, when Sarri was forming his coaching staff but couldn't find a goalkeeper coach, Gao Shen brought in Spinelli from Genoa through Leeds United.
He's the future goalkeeper coach of the Italian national team.
Spinelli is unique among Sarri's staff, as he's actually part of Leeds United's own coaching team.
This is a common setup in many clubs. No matter how often the head coach changes, there are always a few long-term coaches in the first-team staff—like AC Milan's long-serving assistant coach Tassotti or Barcelona's future long-tenured goalkeeping coach De La Fuente. Real Madrid is no different.
Gao Shen even spoke directly to Spinelli, hoping he would focus on developing Courtois and Navas.
With proper training, they could both surpass what Gao Shen had seen from them in his previous life.
After all, Gao Shen was currently using the most advanced scientific training methods in European football.
…
The game ended 2–0.
In truth, after the 70th minute, especially when they went two goals down, Real Madrid showed no desire or determination to fight back. Their performance visibly declined.
On the surface, it looked like a fitness issue. But deeper down, it was clearly a morale problem.
And that too stemmed from Mourinho benching Casillas.
Regardless of what happened behind closed doors, Mourinho's decision looked excessive from the outside.
Of course, debating who was right or wrong no longer mattered.
What mattered now was—what would Mourinho do next?
…
"What now?"
After the game, Gao Shen and Mourinho sat behind closed doors in an office at the Etihad Stadium, drinking together.
At the post-match press conference, Mourinho had just blasted the players.
Gao Shen was puzzled.
This was clearly Mourinho venting his frustration.
But the more pressure he puts on the players now, the more likely things are to fall apart.
Sometimes, Gao Shen felt that Mourinho believed in tough love, but not every player responds to that approach, especially in today's environment.
"If I said I actually want Real Madrid to sack me right now, would you believe me?" Mourinho, after two glasses of wine, let loose some things he really shouldn't have said.
Like that line just now.
If it had been anyone else, or if someone had overheard and leaked it, Mourinho would've been in deep trouble.
Gao Shen shook his head. "I don't believe it."
"Why not?" Mourinho was surprised.
"You're not that kind of person," Gao Shen replied firmly.
Mourinho stared at him for a long moment before laughing.
"You know, Gao, sometimes I really want to curse you out. From the time you blocked me from managing Barcelona, to when I coached Inter, and now at Real Madrid, I've always felt like I've been living in your shadow."
Gao Shen didn't know how to respond to that.
He chose to stay quiet and listen.
"My first day at Inter, everyone said I was the last person they wanted as manager. On my first day at Real Madrid, Karanka—my assistant appointed by the club—took me around Valdebebas and pointed at a desk. He said, 'That's where Gao Shen used to sit when he was Real Madrid's manager.'"
Gao Shen was surprised. "They still kept it?"
"You didn't know?" Mourinho was even more surprised.
"I really didn't."
"They treat it like a shrine. No one dares touch it. The computer, desk, and chair are exactly the same. Someone even cleans it every day."
At that, Mourinho suddenly looked up, speaking with a mix of grievance, innocence, and resentment. "These past two years at Real Madrid, I've felt like a third wheel crashing someone else's marriage!"
Gao Shen couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Don't laugh, I'm serious." Mourinho wasn't joking.
"From Barcelona to Real Madrid, I've realized something: behind every dream girl you long for, there's a man who makes her want to throw up."
Then, he pointed at Gao Shen and declared, "You're a scumbag!"
(To be continued.)
***
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