"That's it?"
On the flight from Manchester to Barcelona, Lucas and Borrell were both baffled when they heard Gao Shen's words.
This is Barcelona. Is that really okay?
Do you really think everyone is you?
Gao Shen saw through their thoughts and smiled. "Do you really think Barcelona are still the Barcelona of the past?"
Today's Barcelona are not what they used to be.
The head coach is Valverde, and the defensive line is declining. It is propped up by the veteran Piqué. Umtiti and Lenglet have not managed to shoulder the main responsibilities. The goalkeeper position is an even bigger weakness, currently held by the Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen.
Speaking of which, this could be considered the result of Gao Shen's unintended influence.
When Gao Shen was at Manchester City, he signed Neuer from Schalke 04, which pushed Bayern into a goalkeeping crisis. Later, Bayern and Barcelona competed for the young Ter Stegen.
It goes without saying, how could Barcelona possibly beat Bayern?
After Ter Stegen moved to Bayern, Barcelona kept changing their goalkeeper. They once chased Navas and Ederson from Leeds United, but one went to Paris Saint-Germain and the other to Manchester City.
So now, Manchester City have two top goalkeepers.
The same is true in midfield.
After Xavi and Iniesta left, Barcelona's midfield fell into a successor crisis.
Previously, Neymar strongly recommended Leeds United midfielder Coutinho, but the deal backfired and caused heavy losses.
Soon after, Neymar left for Paris Saint-Germain by triggering his buyout clause, leaving Barcelona with a huge transfer fee.
Barcelona quickly signed Felipe Anderson from Leeds United for a massive fee, but were fleeced by Leeds United again.
There was no helping it. Leeds United were full of talent.
Precisely because of this, Barcelona's feelings toward Leeds United were complicated.
In Gao Shen's previous life, after Xavi and Iniesta, Barcelona relied on Rakitic to support the midfield, but he is now at Manchester City and has been there for nearly ten years.
In recruiting central midfielders, Barcelona suffered heavy setbacks, including signing Colombian attacking midfielder James Rodriguez for a sky-high price after the 2014 World Cup, only to see him fail to meet expectations.
This summer, Barcelona signed young Brazilian midfielder Arthur from Grêmio for 35 million euros and placed high hopes on him, but the current main man is Arturo Vidal, brought in from Bayern.
Yes, he was Gao Shen's right-hand man at Napoli.
"Although Barcelona are no longer Barcelona, Coutinho and Vidal are well-known names in European football and have considerable strength," Borrell reminded.
They were very familiar with Coutinho and Vidal, and naturally knew their quality.
"Of course, but the problem is that these two have never integrated into Barcelona. Their presence affects Barcelona's passing and possession system."
Gao Shen paused. "So in this situation, we cannot be conservative against Barcelona."
Lucas and Borrell exchanged looks, at a loss.
When it comes to dealing with Barcelona, Gao Shen is second to none. Who in the world dares to claim first place?
He has never lost to Barcelona.
"Pochettino's strategy is right. I don't rate Barcelona's defense. It is paper-thin."
Lucas and Borrell could only smile bitterly.
"But Vardy is injured and probably cannot play," Lucas said, worried.
"It is fine. It is good if Vardy can play. If he cannot, we will adjust."
Gao Shen glanced at Lucas and Borrell. "There is no such thing as a static tactic."
"Then tell me," Lucas leaned in.
"A more aggressive approach. Three fast forwards up front, emphasizing counterattacks, and use Rashford, Milinkovic-Savic, Haaland, or even Grealish centrally instead of Vardy. I think that is fine."
Lucas and Borrell were about to argue, but Gao Shen added a point that left them speechless.
"We will not target the center-backs. We will target Busquets."
"As I said, Barcelona's passing and possession are no longer what they were. The players cannot keep up. Busquets is crucial in midfield. If we can cut him off, Messi and Felipe Anderson will have to drop deeper, away from the danger zone. Our defensive pressure will be greatly reduced."
"If we want to be even more aggressive, I recommend Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes in midfield, with Kimmich deeper. That trio is weaker defensively, but they will be brilliant in transition."
Lucas and Borrell looked at each other, both with dark lines on their faces.
It was obvious that since stepping back from coaching, Gao Shen had fully let go.
With that combination, would Leeds United still have any midfield protection?
"Do not look at it like that. Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Kimmich can defend. And against Barcelona, shape is the key. The bigger danger is Messi. I am afraid Kimmich cannot stop him one-on-one, and the team does not have time to drill it."
Kimmich's strengths and weaknesses are obvious. His passing is pinpoint.
But defensively he has issues. He is not strong in duels and not quick enough, which makes his one-on-one defending relatively weak.
That is also why Rodri can compete with him.
The Spanish midfielder is strong in both attack and defense and can rotate with Kimmich.
"Milinkovic-Savic looks big and strong, but he runs and defends very well. If he plays up front, he will be lethal, especially against Barcelona."
"If that is the case, the combination of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes is good, with Rodri deeper. If you want more stability, bring on Kalvin Phillips. His running and coverage provide strong pressure in the middle and final third."
Kalvin Phillips is one of the first players Gao Shen developed after taking over Leeds United's academy. He has trained for years under Borrell's system. He has excellent technique and passing, and he is an outstanding defensive player with range and tackling. His profile is somewhat like Kanté.
Phillips' advantage is playing forward immediately after winning the ball to start attacks.
Lucas and Borrell stared at each other, bewildered.
It had to be said, after hearing Gao Shen's analysis, they suddenly realized how strong Leeds United were.
Under Gao Shen's hand, this group could really play.
More importantly, Gao Shen had not even thought hard. He just said it off the cuff.
As Gao Shen's former assistants, they had to admit he had truly reached the tactical summit, a master at the highest level.
"Then why did you not tell Pochettino?" Borrell asked, intrigued.
If he had, Pochettino might not be struggling.
"How could that be the same? My ideas might inspire him, but they are mine, not his. And this is only a concept. In the match, how to execute and adjust is still up to Pochettino, which may only make him feel lost."
Coaching has never been easy.
It is not as simple as moving magnets on a board, naming a starting eleven, and shouting slogans on the touchline.
It is a 90-minute all-out battle.
…
After arriving in Barcelona, the Leeds United squad went straight to the team hotel.
Gao Shen, Lucas, and Borrell met Pochettino and the players and offered encouragement.
From start to finish, Gao Shen did not mention tactics to Pochettino. He only emphasized that he trusted him and told him not to feel burdened.
After lunch, Lucas and Borrell also received invitations from Barcelona.
This was normal. The home team usually hosts the visitors.
Gao Shen did not go. He did not want to show up too early, worried Camp Nou would riot if he appeared.
Come on, that would not be fun.
In Barcelona and at Camp Nou, Gao Shen is the one who needs protection.
Originally, Gao Shen had invited Zidane to watch with him, but the Frenchman refused, saying he was afraid Camp Nou's fans would come after him.
Gao Shen could only be speechless.
So far this season's La Liga can only be described in six words: a battle of two weak sides.
After seven rounds, Barcelona, with four wins, two draws, and one loss, were actually top.
This result is not exactly terrible, but it is underwhelming, and unfair to the massive investments of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Especially Real Madrid.
In the sixth round last Wednesday, they suffered a 0-3 defeat away to Sevilla, then lost the city derby at home to Atlético. Benítez's team looked embarrassed.
Zidane told Gao Shen on the phone that Real Madrid's technical staff's assessment of the team was not optimistic.
What could Gao Shen say?
As Carlo and the others said, it is impossible not to feel sad seeing the team you built fall to this state.
But Gao Shen's mind was now on Leeds United.
After dinner at the hotel, Gao Shen put on a disguise and went to Camp Nou.
On the way, he took a call from Lucas and agreed on a meeting place.
He entered through the VIP channel and went to the presidential stand's executive area.
This is where Barcelona hosts VIPs, and Lucas and Borrell were seated there.
To Gao Shen's surprise, he saw UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and UEFA Football Director Zvonimir Boban in the lounge.
As soon as they saw Gao Shen, they came over to greet him.
Gao Shen frowned. He really did not want to meet them right now.
Because this matter was very tricky.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)