Gao Shen thought to himself that if he were truly the hero of an online novel, the author must be quite a genius. He couldn't fathom how the plot could be arranged in a way that readers would enjoy more than this. Like now, why would the author have Barcelona take Espanyol so lightly?
It was already the 37th round of the league; shouldn't it be the time for Barcelona to stumble? This is the kind of plot twist that readers love, the author is brilliant!
But no matter how much Gao Shen complained, Barcelona defeated Espanyol 2-0 at home and secured three points.
There was nothing remarkable about the game. Barcelona dominated throughout. In the 19th minute, Espanyol scored an own goal, giving Barcelona the lead.
In the 51st minute, Deco made a direct pass to Larsson, who successfully countered an offside trap to get a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. After a save from the keeper, Ronaldinho received the ball, bypassed the goalkeeper, and scored, making it 2-0.
Notably, Xavi made his first start after a serious injury, partnering with Deco in midfield. This clearly gave Barcelona a significant advantage in midfield.
However, Gao Shen was not in a good mood. He began to question whether he or Barcelona was the real protagonist of the story.
The day after the 37th round of La Liga, before the team resumed training, the Real Madrid coaching staff held a regular meeting. The discussion included a summary of last night's game and an analysis of Barcelona's victory over Espanyol.
Gao Shen was somewhat disillusioned. This was human nature; after Real Madrid's win, he had eagerly awaited Barcelona to drop points. Instead, Espanyol even handed them an own goal. Was this a joke?
"From the data perspective, Barcelona had 60% possession, while Espanyol had 40%. Barcelona's passing success rate was 81%, Espanyol's was 72%. In terms of fouls, Barcelona committed 14, while Espanyol committed 24."
Lucas, the top data analyst under Gao Shen, prepared detailed data analysis reports before each meeting to clarify the discussion points. His skills had improved significantly in just over two months.
"What really deserves our attention are two points. Barcelona only had 15 shots in the game, but..."
Lucas paused for emphasis, his tone becoming more serious.
"The Spaniard had 19 shots on goal, 9 of which were on target, while Barcelona had only 4 on target. The number of corners was similar, Barcelona had 8, and Espanyol had 7."
Despite no indications that Barcelona was holding back in this game—apart from perhaps testing Xavi's condition for the Champions League final—the statistics revealed that Barcelona's shots and offensive threats were fewer compared to Espanyol's. This was a problem.
"Second, this game was not only a derby but also a battle for the top scorer in La Liga. Before this round, Eto'o had scored 26 goals, while Valencia's David Villa had scored 24. Villa is a popular international and is eager to win the Golden Boot."
"Before the game, many Barcelona players, including Puyol, Iniesta, and Larsson, publicly supported Eto'o. Puyol even said the whole team would support Eto'o to win the Golden Boot."
Lucas smiled slightly as he continued: "However, Eto'o missed several opportunities, and Villa scored."
Currently, Eto'o had 26 goals while Villa had 25, narrowing the gap to just one goal.
"Actually, during the game, there were many instances proving that Barcelona players genuinely wanted Eto'o to score. For example, Larsson could have scored himself but chose to pass; Deco could have shot directly but opted to pass; Giuli also gave up a one-on-one chance to cross..."
"But Eto'o still didn't score."
Lucas's point was to highlight that Eto'o's form was off, indicating a problem with Barcelona's attack. Additionally, with Espanyol's 19 shots, Barcelona's defense also had issues.
It was uncertain whether Barcelona would slip up against Athletic Bilbao in the final round, but the analysis was valuable for the upcoming Champions League final.
"However, our scouts have also reported that Messi has basically recovered."
This was the only unsettling news. How formidable is Messi? Gao Shen knew better than anyone. Though Messi had just debuted, his strength was undeniable.
Next season, Messi would truly shine, but for now, he was still a significant threat. With Eto'o as La Liga's Golden Boot winner, Ronaldinho on the left, Messi on the right, and Xavi, Deco, and Iniesta in midfield, this was the strongest Barcelona in history. Defending against such a team would be a challenge. Dıscover more novels at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Gao Shen recalled that in the 2006 Champions League final, Rijkaard didn't start Xavi or Messi and played more conservatively. If Rijkaard continued to make conservative choices, Gao Shen wouldn't be overly worried. But since his arrival had changed everything, would Rijkaard stick to that approach?
Real Madrid defeated Sporting Santander, and Barcelona won against Espanyol, leaving the La Liga championship undecided until the final round.
This created excitement not only in Spain but globally. Barcelona seemed more dominant with the initiative and a stronger, more appealing style of play. Real Madrid was at a disadvantage, needing to face Sevilla away in the final round.
After 37 rounds, Sevilla had caught up with Osasuna, both teams having 65 points. The final round would see Osasuna face Valencia and Sevilla face Real Madrid, both tough matches.
In contrast, Barcelona's final round opponent, Athletic Bilbao, ranked twelfth and appeared less threatening.
This placed Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid in title odds.
Gao Shen focused on his team despite external commentary. With a week between the 37th and 38th rounds, the team had restorative training the day after playing Malaga and a day off in the afternoon.
While players could enjoy their break, Gao Shen and the coaching staff remained busy. Scouts continued to monitor Barcelona's activities and investigated Sevilla to provide timely information for Real Madrid's preparations.
At noon that day, Gao Shen received a call from Butragueno, Real Madrid's vice-chairman. Knowing the team had a holiday in the afternoon and nothing scheduled for the evening, Butragueno extended an invitation.
Florentino's dinner had been pending for a while, and although Gao Shen had mentioned it to Martin before, his busy schedule had delayed it. Despite not wanting to engage with Florentino at this moment, Gao Shen agreed to the dinner.
Butragueno had arranged a gathering including not just Gao Shen but also others involved in the football industry to avoid any awkwardness.
Dinner was at 8 p.m. at a barbecue restaurant near the four-tower business district of Madrid, named Juan House.
Gao Shen had heard of the restaurant, known among Real Madrid players, but had never visited due to poor team performance and lack of team dinners.
Butragueno had arranged for a driver to pick up Gao Shen at Valdebebas. The inconspicuous restaurant, with a small sign, was a surprise.
"Hello, Mr. Gao." The waiter greeted him politely at the door, already knowing his identity.
The waiter informed Gao Shen that Florentino and other guests had already arrived and directed him to the King's Box, where Butragueno would be waiting.
Gao Shen was intrigued and wondered if the King of Spain, a known regular at the restaurant, might have an interest in meeting him to discuss matters related to the Spanish throne.