Fernando Lucas, Borrell, and Pochettino had all left.
They were going back to rest, as Leeds United would be flying to Miami early tomorrow morning.
The fifth and sixth place playoffs of the International Champions Cup would be held at the Sun Life Arena in Miami, as would the final.
But the final between Real Madrid and Chelsea would be held one day later than the fifth and sixth place match, so Real Madrid would stay in Los Angeles for training tomorrow.
After seeing off Lucas and the others, Gao Shen fell into deep thought.
Building a top team is not easy.
It is not just about money. It is also about time and many other factors.
Even now, Manchester City have won two Champions League titles, yet many people still do not consider them a top club.
As for Chelsea, even now, the Blues are still questioned.
A wealthy club is not just about trophies and money. It also requires heritage.
It is like a golden signboard.
Sometimes Gao Shen feels that building a wealthy club is like creating a world-class brand.
It might even be harder.
…
"I told you before, running a club is hard, especially for someone like you."
Carlo saw Gao Shen frowning and sighed for no reason.
Back then, he was not very supportive of Gao Shen acquiring Leeds United.
Although Gao Shen's achievements at Leeds United over the past two years have impressed everyone, this is just the beginning.
Especially with the kind of continuous heavy outflow and reinvestment Gao Shen has made, the returns may look high, but the risks are also huge.
For example, this summer, is it fine to sell so many players at once and change the head coach?
If something goes wrong and they fail to avoid relegation, Leeds United will suffer heavy losses.
Building a new stadium is never easy.
For example, Valencia's finances completely collapsed because of their new stadium, and they have not recovered to this day.
What about the new stadium?
It has become the largest unfinished project in Valencia and is just sitting there.
"But you cannot turn back now," Carlo reminded him.
From the moment Gao Shen decided to build a new training base, and now a new stadium, he could no longer turn back.
He has to see this path through to the end. If he gives up halfway, the losses will be very painful.
Gao Shen nodded and smiled gratefully at Carlo.
Although Carlo is conservative and cautious, he has vision.
"Honestly, the pressure is definitely great, but it is not that dangerous. We can generate 300 million euros in revenue over the next three years. If that does not work, we can ask the bank for a loan. We must complete the stadium project no matter what. By then, the value of Leeds United will be extraordinary," Zidane said calmly.
The American market has never been easy to develop. It is known as a football desert.
Although that is a bit exaggerated, it shows how difficult it is.
Of course, many now feel that the American market is not the hardest to enter. The domestic market is the hardest.
Barcelona were originally going to come to China this summer, but then they did not go. They went from Singapore to Malaysia, played two games, and then returned.
Gao Shen knew very well that once Leeds United's new stadium was completed, the value of the White Rose would be extraordinary.
Therefore, during this period, no matter what, they have to tighten their belts and carry the plan through to the end.
…
On August 6, two placement finals were held simultaneously at the Sun Life Arena in Miami.
In the first, for 7th and 8th place, Juventus and Inter Milan drew 1-1. In the end, Inter beat the Bianconeri 9-8 on penalties to take seventh.
In the subsequent fifth and sixth place match, Leeds United faced Valencia.
Pochettino learned from the heavy defeat against Real Madrid and adjusted the team's tactics, especially at the start. Leeds United decisively adopted a fierce attacking approach and unleashed heavy firepower on Valencia from the beginning.
The Bats were driven back and had to defend deep.
Leeds United still used a midfield triangle of Brozovic, Kanté, and Coutinho, but the three players' positions were clearly adjusted, especially Kanté. The freed-up French midfielder was everywhere, covering the whole pitch and putting in a standout performance.
Coutinho was deeper, linking with Brozovic, and most of the pressure on Valencia came from the flanks through Zaha and Salah, while Harry Kane's center-forward strengths were utilized in the middle.
Pochettino's adjustments worked. Leeds United had a clear advantage on the pitch, but they still lacked the edge at key moments. This was due to the players' lack of understanding and unfamiliarity with the head coach's tactics.
Valencia defended steadily and countered, also creating several chances.
In the second half, after the sides switched ends, Leeds United continued to press the Bats. Finally, in the 74th minute, thanks to Salah's goal, they beat Valencia 1-0.
Gao Shen brought Zidane, Carlo, Hierro, and others to watch the match on site.
Gao Shen was quite satisfied with Leeds United's process and result.
Pochettino's adjustments were crucial.
If the tactics are right, the players can perform effectively.
The most obvious example was Kanté. Whether pressing Parejo or chasing back to defend, Kanté was excellent.
As a defensive player, he is truly impressive.
But this also surprised Zidane, Hierro, and the others.
Because Gao Shen has always liked to reuse players who can both attack and defend, such as Pogba, Kondogbia, Toni Kroos, and Modric. Even Allan at Leeds United last season was not a pure destroyer.
But Kanté is different. He is truly about ball-winning.
"Is this a regression in concept?"
In the stands of Yongming Stadium, Zidane joked with Gao Shen.
Gao Shen did not take offense and laughed. "Because he is Kanté."
Zidane and the others looked at each other. What did that mean?
That guy?
"There are no insurmountable obstacles in life, only insurmountable obstacles," Gao Shen laughed, quoting a saying from his previous life.
How could Zidane, Carlo, and the others know it was a meme?
They must have been shocked to hear Gao Shen's evaluation of an insignificant young player, right?
"Do not spread this," Carlo warned.
Zidane and Hierro nodded.
Now, the whole world is scrambling for talent. If Gao Shen's words get out, Kanté will have no chance of staying at Leeds United until September 1, because top teams will definitely come to snatch him.
Gao Shen does not praise easily, but once he does, that player's value immediately increases a hundredfold.
It is all because he is too famous.
…
On the evening of August 7, the International Champions Cup final was also held at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
Real Madrid faced Chelsea, and Gao Shen met his predecessor Mourinho.
Mourinho was in a good mood and unstoppable in warm-up matches. The key was that his defense was stable.
The Portuguese coach is so conservative that he cannot sleep well as long as his defense is unstable.
After spending a lot to sign Koulibaly, this young French player was excellent. Whether in passing out from the back or defending, he was eye-catching. Anyone who used him would know.
Look, Mourinho now used Koulibaly with Terry, adding Ivanovic and Ashley Cole to form the back line.
But Chelsea's midfield and attack were not strong, which was also their biggest problem at the moment.
In midfield, Lampard, Van Ginkel, and Ramires formed the triangle, with Willian, Lucas, and Oscar in front.
Because the schedule was tight, Gao Shen had to rotate.
Real Madrid took advantage of Chelsea's weakness in midfield and controlled the game with their passing and possession.
In the 12th minute of the first half, Benzema dropped deep and released Isco, who crossed from the left side of the box. Ronaldo sprinted in behind and scored a close-range header to open the scoring for Real Madrid.
After that, Real Madrid controlled the game firmly but could not score again.
After the break, Real Madrid launched another wave.
Gao Shen's attitude was very clear. Since his warm-up results were always poor, he did not care. He was more interested in using Chelsea to rehearse the team's attack.
In the 59th minute, Modric played a through ball and Marcelo burst into the left side of the box to shoot.
Koulibaly's attention was drawn by Ronaldo. He reacted and rushed over, but he was a step late and could not block the Brazilian's shot, which flew into the far corner.
2-0.
But two minutes later, Lampard's long-range shot caused Casillas to spill the ball, and Lukaku missed the follow-up into an empty net, which made Mourinho furious on the touchline.
Gao Shen could not believe it either.
Missing that kind of chance is harder than scoring. It was really difficult not to score. Yet Lukaku pulled it off. His future looked bleak.
Afterward, Chelsea went all out. Mourinho brought on Schürrle, Torres, and others to keep pushing.
Gao Shen rotated as well, bringing on Morata and Jesé.
Morata scored a brilliant backheel near the end, but the referee ruled him offside and disallowed it.
Chelsea had a player go down in the area. Oscar had contact with Ramos in the box and appealed for a penalty after falling, but the referee waved it away.
In the end, Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-0 to win the International Champions Cup.
…
After lifting the International Champions Cup, Real Madrid traveled north to St. Louis to play a friendly against Inter Milan.
This was Real Madrid's fourth friendly in the United States.
By contrast, Leeds United played six warm-up matches because their training camp was based in the United States.
After the International Champions Cup, Leeds United would return to the UK and play two more matches there.
Real Madrid faced Inter in St. Louis with a half-regular, half-rotated lineup, and eventually defeated the Nerazzurri 4-0.
From this game, Gao Shen felt the decline of Serie A even more clearly.
Today's Inter is completely different from the high-spirited Nerazzurri he faced when he coached at Napoli.
The only familiar face to Gao Shen was their captain, Cambiasso.
But he is older now and about to decline.
(To be continued.)