At Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
In the coach's office, Martino, Lula, Rubi, Paolorosso and the others were watching the live TV broadcast intently.
As in the past, the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals was presided over by UEFA Secretary General Infantino and Competition Director Marchetti, with Luís Figo, ambassador of the final host city, serving as guest of honor.
All eight teams that reached the quarterfinals were completely randomized and reorganized. There were no seeded teams, and teams from the same country could be drawn against each other.
A total of three La Liga teams reached the quarterfinals, the most among the eight teams in this season's Champions League.
But this also meant that Barcelona had a high chance of drawing a La Liga team.
This was exactly what Martino and the Barcelona coaching staff did not want to see.
This season at the Calderón, Barcelona had not been able to take advantage against Atletico Madrid. Simeone was clearly familiar with Barcelona's style of play and had found a way to restrain it.
Martino knew very well that if Barcelona drew Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout stage, they would be in great danger.
As for Real Madrid...
Barcelona had not won a game since Gao Shen took over as Real Madrid head coach.
If they really drew Real Madrid, Barcelona's morale would be greatly weakened before the game even started.
"I can't be that unlucky, right?" Lula sighed with a wry smile.
Everyone nodded.
This season, the three La Liga powerhouses were all very strong. They all qualified as group winners, which showed their strength.
Among them, Atletico Madrid's form was the most surprising.
No one expected Atletico Madrid to be this strong.
If Barcelona really drew a La Liga team, then their luck would be really bad.
The best case would be Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid drawing each other, and Barcelona drawing teams from other leagues, such as Napoli in Serie A or Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, which would be acceptable.
Of course, if Barcelona really drew Ancelotti's Paris Saint-Germain, it would still be difficult to deal with.
…
Martino sat upright in his chair. He did not seem to care much, but in fact, he had already accepted it in his heart.
There were no weak teams among the quarterfinalists. No matter who they faced, it would be very difficult. The easiest opponent would be Sarri's Napoli.
That team's midfield was not strong, which would give Barcelona a great opportunity.
Martino had submitted his resignation to Bartomeu in person. He had made it clear that he would leave Barcelona at the end of this season, so these would be his last few games coaching Barcelona.
After coming to Europe to coach, he was surprised to find that the gap between European football and South American football was so great that he could not adapt at all.
How could they cooperate and communicate if they could not think in the same way?
Barcelona's management had obviously been thinking about changing the coach for a long time. They did not even try to retain him, not even as a gesture, which made Martino very disappointed.
But at the same time, he was angry.
He was eager to prove himself.
The best way would be to lead Barcelona to better results.
In La Liga, this was almost impossible.
Real Madrid were far ahead and seemed poised to win the title this season with a perfect record. Their opponent in the Copa del Rey final was also Real Madrid, which already gave Martino a headache. If they met in the Champions League as well, it would be a disaster.
Thinking of this, Martino could not help but pray in his heart. Do not draw Real Madrid, do not draw Real Madrid, do not draw Real Madrid.
…
Figo quickly took out one of the few remaining balls from the glass bowl. After opening it, he saw a slip inside with the name of a team written on it, which was Barcelona.
The Portuguese legend, who had performed very well for Barcelona and had a pig's head thrown at him by Barcelona fans at Camp Nou, shouted the name Barcelona with a smile, and the live TV camera switched to Barcelona's technical director Zubizarreta at the scene.
Everyone held their breath.
According to the draw rules, Barcelona, who were drawn first, would play at home. Next, it was time to see who their opponent would be.
Real Madrid, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester City...
There were still several teams left...
It should not be that unlucky, right?
God, do you hear my prayer?
Do not draw Real Madrid.
Martino was so nervous that he did not dare look at the TV screen again.
Not only him, Lula, Rubi, Paolorosso and the others were also very nervous.
Everyone knew that the next draw would determine Barcelona's fate this season.
Figo reached into the glass bowl again, stirred continuously, then took out a small ball.
After opening it, he took out a slip from inside.
Marchetti and Figo were the first to see the name on the slip. They both smiled at the same time, then turned it around and announced the name.
Martino felt his heart jump to his throat. He did not even watch the TV anymore, he just listened.
Then he heard a name that struck him like thunder.
"Real Madrid!"
Real Madrid.
Real Madrid.
Real Madrid.
Martino turned around in disbelief and saw the live TV camera focused on the slip in front of Marchetti and Figo, with the name Real Madrid on it.
In an instant, his heart sank to the bottom.
Murphy's Law.
To hell with Murphy's Law.
Martino felt a buzzing in his head and vaguely heard Lula, Rubi and the others cursing the dark side.
Who would say it is not?
One in five, how could it be such a coincidence to draw Real Madrid?
What were the odds?
It was simply unbelievable.
Who would believe there was no shady dealing?
"Figo's hand is so damn dirty!" Lula cursed angrily.
"Who says it isn't? He only takes care of his own!" Rubi also cursed.
If the top three La Liga teams were separated, they would actually be quite confident against teams from other leagues.
But now, Figo had put Real Madrid and Barcelona together, so only one of them could advance.
Martino felt his heart tremble.
His reason told him he must not waver or show weakness at this moment, otherwise there would be no point in playing.
But for some reason, his heart could not help sinking, becoming colder and colder.
Real Madrid were really strong.
Gao Shen was really scary.
…
According to this season's Champions League rules, the draw for the semifinals would be held on April 11 after the quarterfinals, instead of drawing both the quarterfinals and semifinals at the same time as before.
But none of this mattered.
The assistants immediately updated Barcelona's latest schedule.
Everyone was surprised to find that old rival Real Madrid had become the biggest hurdle facing Barcelona.
And it was a hurdle that could not be avoided.
This weekend, on March 23, Barcelona would visit the Bernabéu in the 29th round of La Liga.
On the evening of April 1, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona would face Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.
On the evening of April 8, in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona would challenge Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
On the evening of April 16, at Mestalla in Valencia, the Copa del Rey final would be held between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
In a short period of time, there would be four matches on three fronts, which would undoubtedly be the decisive battles for Barcelona.
What was even worse was that Barcelona had already played three Clásicos earlier this season, including two in the Spanish Super Cup and one in the 10th round of La Liga, and without exception, all ended in defeat.
Add to that last season's unbeaten record...
Real Madrid were definitely Barcelona's biggest shadow, and Gao Shen was the nightmare hovering over Barcelona's head.
He was like a devil, tearing apart Barcelona's hopes again and again.
Now, this nightmare had come again.
"We must find a solution as soon as possible. We cannot lose this weekend's game." Lula looked at Martino. He also noticed that the head coach's face had turned ugly.
In fact, during the live broadcast of the draw, Zubizarreta's expression was not good either.
By contrast, Real Madrid's representative at the draw, José Sánchez, looked very happy.
In this matchup, Real Madrid had the psychological advantage.
"Yes, if we lose this league match this weekend, our situation will become even more passive, and when we return to Camp Nou..." Rubi also felt that Barcelona had to do everything possible to escape unscathed at the Bernabéu.
Even if they could not win, they could not lose.
Martino nodded deeply after hearing this. "Do you have any good suggestions?"
Lula and Rubi looked at each other, and everyone present fell silent.
Any good suggestions?
Any good suggestions?
Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were very troublesome this season, with no obvious weaknesses or shortcomings.
Especially Real Madrid.
"I think we should attack more on the wings. Carvajal and Marcelo like to push forward. We should make full use of the space behind them and catch them off guard," Rubi suggested.
This was a suggestion that was barely a suggestion.
The reason was that this weakness was known to the whole world, but few teams could exploit it.
"I am more worried about our midfield," Martino said, looking concerned. "How can we withstand Real Madrid's impact?"
This was also a very serious problem.
As we all know, Barcelona's midfield running ability was not what it used to be. Although they could still control the ball, without enough running to support it, ball control was like a castle in the air.
In the past few years, countless games had taught Barcelona this lesson.
Even last season, several losses to Real Madrid were due to a decline in running.
This was why, in his proposal to Bartomeu, Martino strongly requested that Barcelona must bring in a top midfielder with outstanding running ability to replace Xavi.
Only then could Barcelona's midfield stand firm.
Lula and Rubi also suddenly felt a headache.
What is Barcelona's biggest trump card against Real Madrid?
Still ball control.
In this away game at the Bernabéu, Barcelona had to play to their strengths to have a chance.
Otherwise, the space behind would definitely be exposed again.
In fact, Martino, or rather all Barcelona coaches, had no choice.
This team had played one way from start to finish.
Therefore, in this battle, Barcelona had no choice but to fight Real Madrid head-on.
But if they still stuck to the old lineup and tactics, Barcelona would have no chance of winning.
"We have to change our formation," Martino said.
Only a surprise could bring victory.
(To be continued.)