On the evening of September 18, at the Amazon Stadium in Leeds, England.
In the first round of the Champions League group stage, Leeds United hosted PSV Eindhoven.
Right from kick-off, Leeds United launched a fierce offensive against the Eredivisie champions amid the passionate cheers of their home fans.
The first threat came from Bernardo Silva's chipped pass to the right side of the penalty area. Ousmane Dembélé made a run from deep, met the ball, and volleyed it toward the center before it went out of play.
However, the PSV goalkeeper managed to catch it.
Although the attack didn't result in a goal, it still drew warm applause from the crowd.
Soon, Leeds United organized another attack.
PSV were clearly struggling to cope.
They tightened their defense around the edge and inside the box, giving Leeds United no room to exploit.
Leeds kept interchanging positions, pulling defenders out of shape, and creating openings.
This was a pure battle between attack and defense.
When the game reached the 16th minute, Bernardo Silva dribbled through the middle. Initially heading left, he suddenly turned, changed direction, and surged forward before quickly passing to Vardy, positioned on the right edge of the box.
At the same time, Mbappé and Dembélé both darted forward from either side of the penalty area, while Milinkovic-Savic accelerated from the top of the arc.
PSV's midfielder Rosario failed to close Vardy down immediately, allowing the striker to swing in a right-footed cross toward the space between the penalty spot and the six-yard box. Milinkovic-Savic charged in and met it with a powerful header.
The ball flew straight into the top left corner of the net. 1-0.
The entire Amazon Stadium erupted in celebration.
…
Gao Shen had reserved a VIP box tonight to host several special guests.
In fact, all of them were his former assistants.
Zidane, Caro, Buenaventura, Pintus, and Lopis.
Together with his wife, children, Fernando Lucas, Borrell, and others, they filled the box completely.
Everyone sat in the seats outside the box, watching the match and soaking in the electrifying atmosphere at the stadium.
When Milinkovic-Savic scored, the crowd's roar, combined with the replay on the massive circular screen, sent waves of excitement through everyone.
"This Milinkovic-Savic is really something," Carlo said to Gao Shen with a laugh.
He was tall, quick on his feet, and had excellent timing for late runs into the box. His burst just now had been perfectly executed.
Not an easy thing to pull off.
"That header was powerful," Gao Shen said with satisfaction.
It was already his fourth consecutive match scoring with a header, something Gao Shen himself found remarkable.
From what he knew of Milinkovic-Savic, the Serbian was far more versatile than just heading ability, yet he kept scoring in the same fashion.
What did that mean?
It showed that Leeds United's current playing style perfectly suited his aerial strengths.
Or rather, Leeds United lacked other major aerial threats, relying heavily on Milinkovic-Savic in those situations.
Of course, the Serbian midfielder was a physical powerhouse. His size and strength made him almost like a striker when arriving late in the box, and his threat from deep runs was tremendous.
Just like that earlier move, Vardy dropped deep, stretching the defense, while Milinkovic-Savic surged in behind. It was a signature Leeds United attacking pattern.
"The atmosphere here is amazing. No wonder Florentino couldn't stop talking about the match he attended," Zidane said with a smile.
"I heard that when he met with the Bernabéu renovation team, he told them to study Leeds United's stadium. He said he wanted to add a ring of large screens around the roof, just like yours." Zidane chuckled in admiration.
Leeds United's new stadium was truly magnificent, hailed as the most visually stunning football stadium in the world, and even across sports in general. It had won numerous design awards.
"He's called me about it several times. I told him that while a circular screen around the roof would look nice, it wouldn't have the same impact as our suspended central screen," Gao Shen said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
The massive circular screen at Amazon Stadium hung in the center, clearly visible from every seat and brilliantly lit. If a ring screen were installed at the top edge of the roof, it would be hard for fans in the upper tiers to see it properly. The viewing experience wouldn't compare to a suspended screen.
"Actually, Florentino and his team studied that design. They wanted to install one, but the Bernabéu's renovation structure couldn't support it. The roof simply isn't strong enough," Zidane said with a wry smile.
The circular screen system included not only the display itself but also an advanced audio and broadcast setup. It was a masterpiece of engineering, complex to design, costly to produce, and extremely heavy.
If it wasn't accounted for during the initial design phase, retrofitting such a system later would be impossible.
It could even collapse the roof.
And then there was the issue of height.
If it hung too low, players might hit it during play. That would be an expensive disaster for such high-end technology.
In the end, Real Madrid had to give up on the idea.
…
This evening, Gao Shen used the stadium's best box to host his assistants.
Such luxury suites were usually leased long-term by wealthy individuals to entertain friends and business partners.
Many rich residents of Leeds already owned private boxes at Amazon Stadium, and some even had multiple. Gao Shen had borrowed this one from a friend.
Each box had a private chef and dedicated service staff, with food and beverages far superior to those available in the general stands.
With Leeds United leading 1-0 at halftime, Gao Shen, Zidane, and the others returned to the box to talk.
The conversation soon shifted to Real Madrid.
Just three days earlier, in La Liga's fourth round, Real Madrid had drawn 1-1 away at Athletic Bilbao.
Remaining unbeaten in four matches wasn't a major problem. Gao Shen's final season at Madrid had seen much tougher stretches.
However, Barcelona had won four straight and already led by four points.
The Spanish media began stirring things up again. Some even reported that during Gao Shen's trip to Monaco, Real Madrid CEO Jose Sanchez had a long private conversation with him.
Speculation quickly spread that Gao Shen might be returning to Real Madrid.
Gao Shen paid no attention to it, but his assistants were curious.
After all, they had worked with him for years. Of course, they wanted to continue.
Not just for higher salaries, but because Gao Shen always seemed to be at the forefront of football's evolution.
"Have you read FIFA's technical report on the 2018 World Cup in Russia?" Carlo asked suddenly.
When he looked around, most of them nodded.
The report hadn't been released publicly yet, but top professionals like Gao Shen's team had early access. It wasn't unusual for them, they were even invited as consultants by FIFA on occasion.
"It used Real Madrid as one of its tactical examples," Carlo said proudly.
The others smiled knowingly.
The fact that FIFA's report analyzed club teams as tactical benchmarks spoke volumes.
"To be honest, defensive organization in world football has become increasingly tight in recent years. The report gives an interesting statistic: at the World Cup, the average distance between the front attacker and the deepest defender was 26 meters."
Many might not understand what that meant, so Carlo elaborated.
Gao Shen still remembered that around 2006, when he began coaching, Wenger's Arsenal played some of the most beautiful football in Europe. In Wenger's tactical manual, something Gao Shen had studied in his "Tactical Library," the manager required the three team lines, defense, midfield, and attack, to stay about 10 meters apart.
That meant a total team depth of roughly 30 meters.
This was almost identical to the 26-meter statistic from the 2018 World Cup.
But remember, Arsenal were one of the strongest teams in Europe back then, setting the standard for compact, fluid football.
FIFA's report, however, reflected the average of all 32 national teams at the World Cup.
National teams traditionally lag behind club football tactically, meaning that top European clubs had already surpassed this level long ago.
That was tactical evolution in motion.
So what did that number actually represent?
First, it meant teams were playing with much more compact and layered shapes. The tighter structure limited the opponent's space and made it harder to create gaps, while also improving passing accuracy and overall control.
And yet, even in such compact conditions, teams like Barcelona and Manchester City still maintained exceptional possession rates. That showed just how refined their passing and positioning systems were.
Another finding was that with more compact formations, long-range shooting opportunities had decreased significantly.
The report revealed that the number of shots from outside the box dropped by 32 percent in 2018 compared to 2010, nearly one-third fewer. However, shooting efficiency from distance had risen sharply. On average, it now took only 29 long shots to score once.
In 2014, that number had been 42, and it was even higher in 2010.
The champion French team had astonishing long-range efficiency, just six shots from distance per goal, but only 29 percent of their total attempts came from outside the box, with 71 percent taken inside it.
Croatia's numbers were even more extreme, with 93 percent of their shots coming from inside the box and almost no long-range efforts at all.
All these statistics fit together, revealing a clear trend: across both national teams and clubs, defenses had improved dramatically.
Some might wonder, if defending has become so strong and attacking more difficult, why don't matches look that way?
That's because offensive play has evolved as well, and the key lies in midfield.
Why did Modric win the Ballon d'Or, the UEFA Best Player, and the FIFA World Player of the Year?
Because he mastered the modern midfielder's true magic, controlling and breaking down compact defenses through intelligence, precision, and tempo.
(To be continued.)