"Martino is the most suitable coach for Barcelona now and he deserves more support."
This is what Gao Shen said when he was interviewed by reporters at the post-match press conference after the Camp Nou match.
Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 5-0 away, but Gao Shen still believed Martino's problem was not big. The key reason lay in the lack of internal support for the head coach at Barcelona.
Although Gao Shen did not say it explicitly, the implication was very clear that Martino's authority as head coach should be consolidated.
During the interview, Gao Shen also spoke highly of Martino, saying he had made adjustments based on Barcelona's traditions and brought in new ideas. He is a very thoughtful head coach, which is rare.
"I think he should not be questioned at all," Gao Shen emphasized again.
In the current situation, the most favorable outcome for Real Madrid would be for Martino to remain in the job.
Therefore, Gao Shen did not hesitate to praise Martino.
But Gao Shen was not so polite to Barcelona's players.
In fact, apart from Messi, the performances of the other Barcelona players were not ideal.
Fàbregas tried hard, but with little effect. The iron triangle of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets did not play with enough intensity. Piqué and Puyol were also not strong enough.
As for Neymar, he has been affected by transfer scandals recently. In addition, in this game, Gao Shen specifically set up defensive tactics to cut off Barcelona's front trident, which meant Neymar did not perform at his best.
Although a few attacking moments left an impression, the threat level was insufficient.
A reporter asked about Barcelona's current investigation into Neymar's transfer. It was reported that if pushed to the limit, Neymar would not rule out a move to Real Madrid.
But Gao Shen denied it.
"As everyone saw in this game, we have three very good attackers who created five goals, and each of them impressed us."
Gao Shen was referring to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat trick, and Di Maria and Benzema, who each scored one.
"Besides that, we have Morata, Jesé, Vázquez, Džeko, and a group of excellent players on the bench. I do not think we need any other stars. We are already strong enough."
Gao Shen reiterated that he is very satisfied with Real Madrid's current squad.
"We trust each other, and Real Madrid are in their best form right now."
Gao Shen refused to comment on Barcelona's alleged irregularities in signing Neymar.
…
Recently there has been considerable turmoil within Barcelona, and even President Rosell has been criticized and is under pressure.
The main issue is that Jordi Foncès, an opposition thorn on Barcelona's board, is forcing President Rosell to disclose all the details and procedures of Neymar's transfer, and to explain to the board where a total of 40 million euros in expenditure went during this process.
Both Foncès and other board members wondered whether the money went into Rosell's pocket.
Rosell denied this and repeatedly stressed that the actual cost of signing Neymar was 57.1 million euros, that there was no additional payment, and that the Barcelona management strictly implemented the agreement specified by the board.
According to the agreement, Barcelona's transfer spending in 2013 could not exceed 70 million euros.
But as for Foncès's question about why Santos were invited to Barcelona to play the 2013 Gamper Trophy, Rosell and others were vague, repeatedly emphasizing that this involved internal club matters and accusing Foncès of being supported by competitors.
This implied Real Madrid were involved in Foncès's moves against Rosell, because much of the information he revealed appeared in the Madrid media.
But Foncès denied this, saying he chose the Madrid media mainly because the Catalan media have close ties with Barcelona's management and he could not trust them.
Real Madrid officials also clarified that they were not involved at all.
This transfer has now become an unsolved case, causing an uproar in Spain.
According to in-depth media investigations, more and more evidence suggests that Rosell had actually reached a consensus with Neymar and his father as early as 2011, and even signed an agreement.
This is also why, later, even when Real Madrid made a higher offer, Santos still had no real say.
The latest reports revealed that Barcelona's handling of Neymar involved not just a transfer scandal, but also tax evasion issues, which the Spanish government is currently investigating.
The matter is growing larger, but some things are becoming clearer.
Neymar's total transfer expenditure will surpass Ronaldo's, and including his salary over the contract period, it may reach as high as 150 million euros.
What Rosell is involved in has even become a legal issue.
At this critical moment, the 0-5 defeat at Camp Nou further pushed Barcelona and Rosell into the abyss.
Here, the stronger Real Madrid perform, the greater the pressure on Barcelona.
It is just like how Barcelona's success once stimulated Real Madrid. It is exactly the same, only reversed.
…
Gao Shen did not have the leisure to pay attention to Barcelona's news, because after playing Barcelona, Real Madrid still faced two games in a week.
This is due to the schedule being compressed by the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
Before the 11th round of La Liga in midweek, FIFA announced the 23-man shortlist for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Notably, Real Madrid were the most represented club, with eight players shortlisted: Casillas, Ramos, Marcelo, Ronaldo, Di Maria, Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Modrić.
This was definitely something to celebrate for Real Madrid.
Eight of the top 23 players were shortlisted, making Real Madrid a truly star-studded Galácticos.
At the same time, the ten-man candidate list for FIFA's Best Men's Coach of the Year was announced, including Gao Shen, Ancelotti, Klopp, Heynckes, and others.
FIFA's announcement is more about publicity, but everyone knows Ronaldo is the leading favorite for this year's Ballon d'Or, and winning it is almost a foregone conclusion.
There was also little doubt that Gao Shen would win Best Men's Coach of the Year.
Of course, this does not rule out the possibility that FIFA might try to be different and create an upset.
But if they really did, it is hard to say how much authority the Ballon d'Or would retain.
…
Three days after playing Barcelona, Real Madrid faced Sevilla at the Bernabéu in the 11th round of La Liga.
With two matches in a week, Gao Shen had to rotate the lineup.
As soon as the game started, Real Madrid launched a fierce bombardment on Sevilla.
Real Madrid's morale was high, especially Ronaldo, Di Maria, and Benzema, who showed very strong momentum and hot form, causing Sevilla constant problems.
Just 12 minutes in, Real Madrid broke the deadlock. Isco played a through ball, Benzema laid it off, and Di Maria finished with his left foot near the penalty spot to score the opener.
This also reflected the Argentine's hot form. The consecutive goals showed another side of Di Maria.
Especially after Gao Shen set him the target of 20 goals and 20 assists this season, Di Maria showed astonishing improvement, giving the impression that he was in unstoppable form.
After breaking the deadlock, Real Madrid continued to bombard Sevilla, turning their penalty area into chaos.
In the 21st minute, Benzema laid it back again, Di Maria cut inside from the edge of the box, and with a curling shot, he beat Sevilla's keeper again for his second.
After that, Isco broke into the area and won a penalty. Ronaldo converted calmly to extend the lead.
But before half-time, Sevilla also won a penalty and scored, making it 3-1.
After the break, Real Madrid went into full-on frenzy mode.
First, on a quick counterattack, Ronaldo released the ball wide, Di Maria crossed from the right, and Benzema finished from the center.
Then Di Maria crossed from the right again, and Ronaldo scored to make it 5-1.
In the 62nd minute, Di Maria broke into the area from the right and was brought down by Navarro. The referee spotted it and awarded a penalty.
Both Ronaldo and Di Maria passed on the chance. The in-form Isco was entrusted with the kick, and he scored to make it 6-1.
In the 71st minute, Benzema supplied a beautiful pass and Ronaldo chipped from the edge of the box to score again, 7-1.
In the 79th minute, Marcos Alonso crossed from the left, and Benzema headed in at the edge of the six-yard box, 8-1.
The entire Bernabéu went wild.
Everyone expected Real Madrid to harvest results this season, but no one imagined the team would perform this strongly.
First a 5-0 win away at Barcelona, now an 8-1 demolition of Sevilla. Real Madrid's attacking momentum is unstoppable.
Sevilla head coach Emery said in the post-match press conference that Real Madrid's rampant performance was despairing.
"They did not even let us take a shot. How rude and overbearing."
Sevilla had only six shots all game, two on target, and scored once, while Real Madrid had 28 attempts.
Given such a huge gap, Emery's frustration was understandable.
But after the big win, Gao Shen was not satisfied with the team's performance, especially the goal conceded.
"After we went 3-0 up, some of our players started to let their guard down."
So Gao Shen scolded the team at half-time, which led to the second-half explosion.
Regarding the 8-1 victory over Sevilla, Gao Shen said proudly that the best Real Madrid is arriving.
"Say something to the other La Liga teams?"
"Well, I want to tell them, we are very strong, please be patient."
(To be continued.)