Saint-Germain-en-Laye, western suburbs of Paris, France.
Paris Saint-Germain's training base sits deep in the woods on the northern edge of this small town. Surrounded by forest, with Rutgers camps to the east and north, the base is rarely visited on weekdays and difficult to find.
Ancelotti stood by the window of his office, staring out at the thick greenery outside.
The Italian frowned. Clearly, something troubled him.
Behind him, assistant coach Angelo Castellazzi was reporting the latest updates.
Paris Saint-Germain had just beaten Nice 3-0 at home in Ligue 1. With a 9-point lead over second-placed Marseille and only five rounds left, the league title was virtually secured.
But what Ancelotti cared about was not Ligue 1.
It was the Champions League.
The obstacle in front of him was Gao Shen and his Real Madrid.
Ancelotti knew Gao Shen too well.
Back when he was at AC Milan and later at Chelsea, he had crossed paths with Gao Shen several times.
He was fully aware of Gao Shen's ability, especially in recent years.
Now that Marcelo had returned from injury, Real Madrid's lineup was complete, and Gao Shen's tactical blueprint was clearer than ever.
Everyone could see it. Real Madrid's style, especially their devastating wing play combined with a technically skilled midfield, had captured the attention of the entire football world.
Ancelotti was no exception.
Real Madrid's two-leg demolition of Juventus, who barely looked competitive, forced Ancelotti to take notice and even worry about the pressure ahead.
He had even stationed scouts in Madrid to closely monitor Real Madrid's every move, including training.
But the feedback was disappointing.
After their La Liga match, Gao Shen only held one open training session, mainly for recovery, before switching to closed training. No one knew what they were working on these past two days.
Not getting the answers he wanted, Ancelotti turned toward Castellazzi with a frustrated expression.
"Do you think this is acceptable?" he asked.
Castellazzi glanced at colleagues Paul Clement and Claude Makélélé. Both looked helpless. It was clear that their intelligence gathering on Real Madrid was going nowhere.
"You know, Gao Shen isn't like other Real Madrid coaches," Castellazzi explained. "He values intelligence work highly and keeps everything confidential. He even changed the training ground. Our people outside can't hear a thing."
Castellazzi himself was exasperated.
Why did Gao Shen run training like it was some counterintelligence operation?
Was that really necessary?
At PSG, if you stood outside the north wall, you couldn't see the training ground, but you could still hear the players shouting.
That was because, despite their star-studded squad, PSG's training facilities were poor.
Ancelotti understood. PSG's foundation was weak.
And priorities were clear.
Qatari investors weren't fools. They knew investing in training facilities was thankless work.
So their money flowed instead into the transfer market, buying stars to raise PSG's profile, while plans for a new training base were repeatedly delayed.
There were blueprints, but progress was slow.
What the Qatari owners valued most was the exposure and influence that star players brought.
After all, how many coaches in the world could, like Gao Shen, invest 70 or 80 million to build a brand-new training base?
But the business model was different.
Just days ago, French newspaper Le Figaro revealed that AXA, the world's largest insurance company, planned to sponsor Leeds United. Talks were underway for a deal that included naming rights for the training base and training kit sponsorship.
The sponsorship fee was expected to reach £15 million per year.
This matched the naming rights deal Manchester United had with AON for Carrington, also at £15 million. The difference was that United sold naming rights for an old facility, while Leeds offered a new landmark project bundled with global promotional plans.
According to Le Figaro, AXA valued Leeds United's internet influence and the global buzz already surrounding the new training base, even before construction officially began.
"The alliance between Leeds United and Norman Foster has made the new training ground a global talking point. For AXA, sponsoring it is excellent value."
Moreover, Leeds United's training ground would not be hidden in the suburbs, but located in the city center of Leeds.
AXA wanted its name tied to this landmark, just as Allianz is tied to Bayern's stadium or Emirates to Arsenal's.
From now on, Leeds United's training base would be called the AXA Training Center for three years.
Equally valuable was Leeds United's commitment to global promotion for AXA over the next four years, especially online. For a company focused on new media, AXA found this extremely appealing.
Because online, Leeds United was the undisputed leader, deeply skilled in internet operations.
They had invested 70 to 80 million into construction, yet secured over £40 million in sponsorship before breaking ground. Leeds United's commercial power was on full display.
…
Ancelotti, as head coach, could only admire the way Gao Shen and Leeds United operated.
This was the sort of commercial acumen only the biggest clubs possessed.
By contrast, PSG's wealthy owners had never engaged in such operations. They weren't short of money, and they didn't care about sponsorship revenues.
Which was exactly why PSG's training base remained so poor.
Ancelotti could only feel helpless.
He knew the hardware and software of a training base were the foundation of a team's work.
His thoughts quickly shifted back to Real Madrid. He turned to Castellazzi again.
"Didn't I tell you to have scouts use binoculars from a high point near Real Madrid's training ground?"
Ancelotti was going all out to uncover Real Madrid's tactical secrets.
He had even gotten the club to approve a budget to buy a military-grade telescope for the scout.
"I took it and did the work," Castellazzi admitted, "but Real Madrid were prepared. The new training pitch is hidden behind the building. I tried several spots, but I couldn't see a thing."
Ancelotti frowned. "Did they notice?"
"I think they already guessed. Maybe Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, and others have tried it before," Castellazzi said bitterly. "We're not the first. Even some reporters must have tried."
Ancelotti sighed and turned back to the woods outside.
Unlike PSG's secluded forest base, Real Madrid's facility was in an open area with no cover, near Madrid airport.
But because of height restrictions around the airport, no tall buildings existed nearby, and their training ground was shielded by the building.
"I suspected before, but now I'm certain," Ancelotti muttered. "That bastard is definitely drilling tactics for us. He'll do everything to score away from home."
Ancelotti was absolutely convinced.
He knew Gao Shen too well.
That man never liked to give away the initiative. He always seized it.
And what could be more proactive than scoring an away goal?
More importantly, PSG's strongest asset was their defense. If Real Madrid scored first, could PSG still hold?
Real Madrid were known for their attacking football, but they weren't Barcelona.
Barcelona's defense was fragile. Gao Shen's came from Italian football, where defensive mastery was prized. His defensive work was well-known even in Serie A.
Back then, how many Italian sides had been driven mad by Napoli's storming football under Gao Shen?
"Tell our people in Madrid to dig deeper. Do everything possible to find out his tactical plans, especially the players' movements."
Ancelotti's eyes betrayed his concern.
"I have a feeling he's plotting against us."
"No way?" Castellazzi sounded skeptical.
Gao Shen looked harmless enough. Was he really that devious?
"No way?" Ancelotti snorted. His face hardened. "You were still in Milan's youth team then, so you don't know his tricks."
Castellazzi had indeed been a youth coach at Milan. After Ancelotti left, he joined the first team as a technical coach, then followed Leonardo to Inter as an assistant. Now, with Ancelotti at PSG, he served as his right-hand man.
"In short, I want to know what he is planning."
Ancelotti gave his order.
He admired Gao Shen more and more, especially the team he had built.
Over the years, Gao Shen's staff had been professional and brilliant in intelligence work.
Even after top analyst Fernando Lucas left for Leeds United as CEO, Carlos Vargas proved just as capable.
Ancelotti felt he too needed such assistants.
The value of their support was immense.
(To be continued.)