On the evening of November 3, in the 12th round of La Liga, Real Madrid visited Rayo Vallecano.
Gao Shen made another major rotation, but Real Madrid still performed very strongly.
Just over two minutes into the game, Real Madrid seized an opportunity. Pogba played a wonderful pass, Jesé broke through with ease, cut into the left side of the box, and shot into the far corner to score the opener for Real Madrid.
In the 31st minute, a cross from Vázquez on the right found Džeko unmarked in front of the six-yard box, and he finished to make it 2-0.
In the second half, Real Madrid struck again.
In the 48th minute, it was Vázquez once more, forcing a breakthrough on the right and crossing from the edge of the area. Jesé arrived at the back post to guide it into the empty net, his second of the game, for 3-0.
In the end, Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0 with a brace from Jesé and a goal from Džeko.
Before Real Madrid's match, Barcelona defeated Espanyol 1-0 thanks to a goal from Sánchez.
This is actually an awkward situation for Barcelona now.
Players like Sánchez and Pedro have performed well, but they have never been able to secure a starting role, which has led to dull performances and a lack of clear direction.
Atletico Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at home with goals from Diego Costa and David Villa.
After Real Madrid's decisive victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou, Atletico Madrid have narrowed the gap, but still sit third.
…
Three days later, in the fourth round of the Champions League group stage, Real Madrid hosted Leverkusen.
After three straight wins, Real Madrid were the most eye-catching and explosive team in the group stage.
As long as Real Madrid beat Leverkusen at home, there would be no doubt about advancing as group winners.
Therefore, Gao Shen used his strongest lineup in this game, aiming to create breathing room for the upcoming schedule, especially with fixture congestion.
If they advance early, there is no need to go all out in the final two rounds.
Real Madrid started aggressively and went straight for Leverkusen's weak points.
Less than two minutes in, Toni Kroos threatened his old club with a long-range strike that nearly went in, only for the goalkeeper to save. The subsequent corner also almost resulted in a shot.
In the 4th minute, it was a diagonal from Toni Kroos. Di Maria brought it down, evaded the defender, and slid a left-footed pass into the area. Ronaldo timed his run perfectly, rounded the goalkeeper, and rolled it into the empty net.
1-0.
After that, Real Madrid launched wave after wave.
In the 22nd minute, Carvajal delivered to the back post from the right. Ronaldo headed it back across, and Benzema volleyed in to beat Leverkusen again, 2-0.
Just six minutes later, Di Maria forced a foul on the right. Modrić took the free kick, and Ramos powered in a header, 3-0.
In less than half an hour, Real Madrid led by three, fully showcasing their strength.
Afterwards, Real Madrid slowed the tempo and avoided trading blows with Leverkusen.
It was not until the 60th minute that Di Maria cut in from the right and drew defenders, then slipped it to Carvajal overlapping. Carvajal drilled a low cross across the face, and Benzema tapped in for 4-0.
In the end, Real Madrid beat Leverkusen 4-0 at home.
…
With consecutive big wins, Real Madrid displayed astonishing momentum, shocking European football and fans worldwide.
Especially the powerful squad built by Gao Shen.
Back in La Liga for the 13th round, Real Madrid at home defeated Real Sociedad 5-1 with a Ronaldo hat trick, plus goals from Benzema and Toni Kroos, taking another three points.
Barcelona beat Real Betis 4-1 away thanks to a Fàbregas brace.
By contrast, Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 away to Villarreal.
After hearing the news, Gao Shen shook his head in frustration.
It is not that he did not try his best, but rather that Simeone failed to seize the opportunity.
We agreed to fight Barcelona together, but what happened?
The chance was there, and you did not take it.
…
After the 13th round of La Liga, another two-week international break arrived.
This time, Gao Shen and his staff focused on monitoring the team, especially the internationals' matches and training, tracking them closely at all times.
Not only Real Madrid, but Barcelona and Atletico Madrid did the same.
Two weeks later, in the 14th round, Barcelona played first and beat Granada 4-0 at home.
But the win was questioned, as Barcelona's first two goals were both penalties.
After Barcelona finished, Simeone's team finally had their statement win.
With braces from Villa and Raúl García, Atletico Madrid beat Getafe 7-0 at home.
The result really boosted Atletico's morale.
Who would have thought that Atletico, known for their defense, could produce such a ruthless victory?
Gao Shen's Real Madrid rotated. Since they had already qualified from the Champions League group, Real Madrid would not go all out in the fifth-round home match against Anderlecht, so Gao Shen still named his strongest lineup for the away trip to Almería.
Although Di Maria crossed from the right two minutes in and Ronaldo poked home in front to open the scoring for Real Madrid, the good times did not last. Ronaldo went down after contact and Gao Shen replaced him quickly.
Afterwards, the game opened up, but Jesé, who replaced Ronaldo, took time to adapt.
Only in the second half did Jesé gradually catch up to Real Madrid's counterattacking rhythm. First he assisted Benzema to score, then Di Maria netted, and finally Jesé assisted Pogba, with Morata, who came on as a sub, scoring.
In the 85th minute, after Jesé's shot from a tight angle was saved, Pogba controlled in the box and laid it back. Casemiro struck from distance to beat Almería again.
6-0.
Real Madrid crushed Almería away.
…
After the international break, La Liga did not suffer from the FIFA virus. Instead, goals exploded.
Although one match was still to be played, 40 goals had been scored across nine La Liga fixtures, which is simply crazy.
Especially with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid all winning by big margins, everyone gained a new understanding of the league's landscape this season, particularly Atletico.
Getafe head coach Luis García said dejectedly after the 7-0 defeat to Atletico, "I could only watch the opponent slaughter us."
The gap in strength was indeed too great.
Gao Shen's assessment of Real Madrid's 6-0 away win over Almería was not overly glowing. His main point was dissatisfaction with the first-half performance, feeling the pace was too slow.
"In reality, we were moving well, but we lacked speed and efficiency."
Gao Shen was satisfied with the overall result.
The big three all won big, and the FIFA virus did not seem to pose much of a threat.
After the game, many media outlets reported that this was due to the logistical support of La Liga's top three.
For example, the three giants have repeatedly chartered flights to South America to pick up and drop off players during international breaks.
The media and fans expressed appreciation and surprise at this, but head coach Gao Shen had a different view.
Logistics are certainly effective, but the top three are doing it, and other teams have been doing it too, even earlier. So why the explosion this time?
Ultimately, after time to gel and adjust, the top three have reached a very good state.
Especially Real Madrid, with 14 consecutive wins, an incredible achievement.
Among the top five European leagues this season, Real Madrid are the only team still undefeated.
Including the Champions League, Real Madrid remain unbeaten on all fronts so far, which is remarkable.
Even Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, based on their records through 14 rounds, would be runaway leaders in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, or Ligue 1. But in La Liga, they can only trail Real Madrid.
This also made everyone fully aware of La Liga's strength this season.
Especially Real Madrid under Gao Shen, which surprised the world.
After the 14th round, the authoritative French outlet L'Équipe named the top ten future stars on its front page.
This list was compiled through various authoritative channels. In addition to superstar Neymar, it included almost all of Europe's top newcomers.
What was truly shocking was that Real Madrid had five of them: Paul Pogba, Isco, Courtois, Varane, and Verratti.
L'Équipe explained that Real Madrid had been consistently recruiting young talents from across Europe over the past two years, including standouts like Isco, Pogba, Courtois, and Verratti, which allowed Real Madrid's overall strength to leap forward.
Under Gao Shen's guidance, this group of youngsters has shown excellent momentum at Real Madrid. It should not be long before they become the backbone of Real Madrid and forces to be reckoned with in European football.
Real Madrid alone accounted for half of the ten, making it clear they have seized the initiative in the future competition for talent resources, while no one from Barcelona was selected.
Of course, Barcelona's signing of Neymar is also seen as a top superstar for the next decade.
In addition to Real Madrid's five, Koke from Atletico Madrid, Salah from Leeds United, Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain, Schürrle from Chelsea, and Draxler from Schalke 04 were all on the list.
L'Équipe believes that European football's appetite for talent has reached a new height. Especially after the summer transfer boom, more and more teams are focusing on young players.
Real Madrid are clearly ahead, thanks to the groundwork laid when Gao Shen arrived in 2013.
Not only the five on the list, but Real Madrid have many more promising youngsters, such as Morata, Jesé, Casemiro, Illarramendi, and Nacho, all of whom are worth anticipating.
This gives Real Madrid an advantage in the talent race.
(To be continued.)