After the results of the Champions League group stage draw were announced, it immediately sparked heated discussions across European football.
This season, four Premier League clubs qualified for the Champions League, and all four ended up in groups widely described as groups of death.
Leeds United, who were originally considered the most likely to progress smoothly, drew the toughest group of all.
Many British media outlets quickly analyzed the draw and concluded that Leeds United's group featured the most intense competition for qualification.
Leeds United, Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, and Inter Milan were all strong sides.
Barcelona were the undisputed favorites to advance. The La Liga giants were already one of the strongest teams in Europe, and this summer they strengthened further.
It could be said that Barcelona were Leeds United's toughest opponent in the group stage.
Inter Milan were also performing well, especially in the summer transfer market. They spent heavily to bring in players including Nainggolan, Asamoah, and Lautaro Martínez. Their overall strength was impressive, making them another formidable rival.
As for PSV Eindhoven, they were last season's Eredivisie champions, and that title alone proved that their strength should not be underestimated.
Leeds United had been unlucky with the draw, and since the other three Premier League clubs were placed in the second and third pots, their own draws weren't much better either. This led the British media to describe the results collectively as a "nightmare," particularly for Leeds United.
Although Leeds United had made a strong start in the Premier League with four consecutive wins, they had yet to face any real powerhouse teams such as Manchester City, Manchester United, or the London clubs.
It could be said that so far, Leeds United's true level this season had not yet been tested.
Selling six core players during the summer transfer window had been a huge blow to the club.
Many media outlets expressed pessimism about Leeds United, suggesting that if the team wanted to qualify, they would have to rely on their tactical adaptability and on-the-spot management.
At the draw ceremony, when interviewed by the media, Gao Shen smiled and expressed confidence in Leeds United.
"It's true that we are a very young team, but I believe our young players will surprise everyone in the Champions League, just as they have in the past two seasons."
In the previous two seasons, Leeds United had reached the semi-finals and the final, respectively. They hadn't won the title, but the results were still outstanding.
If Leeds United could achieve a top-four finish in Europe again after selling six core players, that would be nothing short of a miracle.
In that case, other top clubs might as well find a piece of tofu and hit themselves with it.
As a result, media outlets across Europe doubted Gao Shen's claim, believing that Leeds United would be lucky just to advance from the group stage.
After all, while clubs like Barcelona and Inter Milan were aggressively strengthening, Leeds United's overall strength had clearly declined.
The only major positive was that their top star, Mbappé, had been retained.
But could Mbappé alone carry Leeds United?
Gao Shen didn't respond directly in interviews. Instead, he took to Twitter.
"Let's make a bet. Leeds United's goal this season is to win both the Premier League and the Champions League!"
Following his post, Mbappé and several Leeds United players also declared their determination on Twitter.
…
At noon on September 15th, at White Hart Lane in London.
In the fifth round of the Premier League, Leeds United faced Tottenham Hotspur away from home.
This was Leeds United's first encounter with a strong opponent in the new season. Tottenham had performed well in the Premier League last season, playing with tenacity and employing a system built around three defensive midfielders.
Up front, their attack featured Eriksen, Lucas Moura, and Llorente.
On paper, Tottenham's lineup looked stable.
Unexpectedly, just 40 seconds after kick-off, Leeds United launched a quick series of long passes down the right flank.
When Ousmane Dembélé faced Tottenham's left-back Rose, he quickly crossed the ball into the box.
Vardy missed at the near post, but Mbappé followed up at the far post and scored, giving Leeds United the lead!
It took only 40 seconds from kick-off to goal.
Mbappé also scored his seventh goal of the season for Leeds United.
The entire White Hart Lane fell silent.
…
During the international break over the previous two weeks, Gao Shen had been unusually idle.
He found himself with nothing much to do.
The children were at school, and his wife had plenty of her own affairs to handle, so the daily task of picking up and dropping off the kids naturally fell to him.
With house staff taking care of daily chores, he had no real responsibilities, leaving him plenty of empty time.
Unless the children were on vacation, he couldn't travel far.
Life like this was indeed quite dull.
So when the weekend arrived and the Premier League resumed, Gao Shen immediately took his wife and children to London to watch the match.
At White Hart Lane, when he saw Mbappé's goal, he clapped his hands excitedly.
This once again proved that he truly loved football and needed football in his life.
Gao Shen also felt somewhat indebted to Tottenham.
Mainly because his arrival had severely weakened them, causing the North London club to fall short of the heights it had reached in his previous life. No matter how shrewd and calculating Daniel Levy was, Tottenham's chances of qualifying for the Champions League had grown slim with the rise of Leeds United.
There were only four Champions League spots available in the Premier League. The competition among the new Big Six was already fierce, and since Tottenham were not part of that elite group, their qualification hopes were even dimmer.
Adding to that, local stars like Harry Kane and Dele Alli had been poached by Leeds United, leaving Tottenham lacking in strength. Even Gareth Bale had joined Manchester City.
It could be said that in recent years, Tottenham had been the club most seriously harmed by Gao Shen.
To what extent?
Even in Gao Shen's previous life, Tottenham's new stadium should have been almost completed by now. But at present, White Hart Lane was still standing strong in North London.
The new stadium project planned by Daniel Levy remained stuck at the presentation stage, and it was uncertain whether it would ever be built.
Rising material prices had sent the construction budget soaring, but with Tottenham's performance declining sharply, the club simply couldn't afford such an enormous expense.
As a result, Levy had shelved the stadium project indefinitely.
That was why Tottenham's home ground remained White Hart Lane.
Gao Shen felt no guilt about this.
After all, Tottenham were Leeds United's opponents now.
But as he watched Mbappé score, he couldn't help but think about all of this.
…
After Leeds United's early goal, the match gradually settled into a rhythm controlled by the White Roses.
Leeds United continued to build attacks wave after wave against Tottenham.
In the 39th minute of the first half, Leeds United earned a corner. In the ensuing scramble, Eric Dier headed the ball clear, but it didn't travel far. Milinkovic-Savic, positioned near the six-yard box, met it with a header that flew into the top right corner, making it 2-0.
Gao Shen was pleasantly surprised again.
Three consecutive matches with goals from headers—it was starting to feel unreal.
And Mbappé, who had scored seven goals in five games, was now rapidly maturing and looked ready to explode into full form.
In fact, such progress was normal.
For players of Mbappé's age, development usually takes one or two seasons. In a team like Leeds United, where everything is built around him tactically, it's easier to unlock his full potential.
In Gao Shen's previous life, whether with the French national team or Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé held influence but was never the undisputed focal point. In France, there were Griezmann and Pogba, while at PSG there was Neymar.
Those circumstances naturally affected Mbappé's tactical role.
At Leeds United, however, he had been given significant attacking authority in the final third.
In that sense, he was like Cristiano Ronaldo when Gao Shen managed Real Madrid.
But the gap between Mbappé and his idol Ronaldo was still obvious, particularly in finishing.
For instance, when Vardy dropped deep to press Tottenham midfielder Dembélé, forcing him into a misplaced pass, Ousmane Dembélé quickly intercepted and drove forward. He cut inside near the edge of the box and passed to Mbappé on the left.
Mbappé controlled the ball, turned, and shot.
If Ronaldo had taken that shot, it would have been a certain goal. But Mbappé's left-footed strike lacked power.
From the first touch to the turn, the move had been brilliant, but the finish was too weak.
…
Early in the second half, Leeds United received a touch of fortune.
Robertson, who had been in fine form this season, received a pass from Mbappé on the left and sent in what looked like a cross but turned into a shot that looped into the net.
It was probably meant as a cross that went astray, but it ended up as a goal.
Even Robertson could hardly believe his eyes.
Sometimes, that's just how football works.
Then, in the 56th minute, Mbappé and Robertson combined again on the left. The ball was sent across the box, and Vardy lifted it over the goalkeeper from close range to make it 4-0.
After that, no matter how Leeds United attacked, they couldn't add to their tally.
In the end, Leeds United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-0.
It was a match full of drama.
Elsewhere in the same round, Chelsea beat Cardiff 4-1, Manchester City defeated Fulham 3-0, and Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool all won their respective games.
The Premier League's top clubs had all secured victories.
Among them, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Leeds United each had five straight wins, with Leeds United leading the table on goal difference.
(To be continued.)