Gao Shen never believed in his luck, because he had never had good luck.
But he had to admit that this time his luck was not too bad.
Of course, it was not good either.
The Pot 1 team drawn was Manchester United, from Pot 3 it was Leverkusen, and from Pot 4 it was Anderlecht of Belgium. This could only be considered average luck.
The Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Belgian First Division. Logically speaking, the overall strength of these four teams was relatively strong compared to other groups.
But you could not look at it only that way.
From Real Madrid's perspective, whether it was Anderlecht or even Leverkusen, Real Madrid was confident about beating them.
Manchester United, Leverkusen, and Anderlecht were all in Western Europe, which made away matches very convenient for Real Madrid.
If they had drawn teams from Greece, Türkiye, or even Russia or Ukraine, with long-distance away trips, especially in the snow and ice of November and December, that would have been terrible.
In comparison, Gao Shen actually preferred opponents like Leverkusen and Anderlecht.
So he was quite satisfied with this draw.
But Ferguson was a little depressed.
Among the eight Pot 2 teams, only Manchester City were from the Premier League. Out of the remaining seven, Manchester United actually drew Real Madrid. What else could Ferguson say?
When the draw ceremony ended, Ferguson felt even more frustrated seeing Gao Shen smiling.
"Old Sir, you must remind Moyes that the fight for second place in this group will be intense."
Ferguson was choked into silence.
But thinking it over carefully, Gao Shen was right.
In terms of strength, Real Madrid was certainly in the first tier.
Who knew why Real Madrid, with their strength, were placed in Pot 2?
They were the defending champions.
If they finished second, Manchester United, Leverkusen, and Anderlecht would all have a chance to qualify. It would just come down to probability.
Watching Gao Shen leave contentedly, Ferguson felt a wave of annoyance.
Laugh while you can.
I will have Moyes crush your Leeds United, then we will see if you can still laugh.
I cannot do anything to your Real Madrid, but I cannot beat your Leeds United?
…
Gao Shen certainly did not know what Ferguson was plotting. In fact, even if he did, he would not be afraid.
In Gao Shen's view, Pochettino and his team needed more tests and baptisms from strong opponents. Only then would the strength they honed be real and meaningful.
Therefore, if Ferguson really wanted Manchester United to "torment" Leeds United, Gao Shen would probably raise both hands in support.
Regarding this draw, in an interview after the ceremony, Gao Shen first expressed his confidence. He was satisfied with the result and firmly believed the team would advance from the group.
Of course, no one would believe that Real Madrid under Gao Shen would fail to get out of the group.
This Real Madrid was no longer the Real Madrid of the past.
But Gao Shen also changed tone and reminded the players to stay vigilant.
"Manchester United, Leverkusen, and Anderlecht are all strong teams with considerable European experience. This requires us to be at our best in every match and give our all."
"Only then can we ensure we qualify from the group."
Gao Shen also said that all three teams had a chance to qualify, and if Real Madrid wanted to go through, they had to go all out.
Not only Gao Shen, but Valdano and Butragueño also spoke with caution. By contrast, Ronaldo was full of confidence, saying Real Madrid would definitely qualify and would top the group.
"We have only one goal, and that is the treble."
Ronaldo's statement could be regarded as a firm response to the head coach.
Moreover, after winning the UEFA Player of the Year, the Portuguese had an even bigger goal.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or.
That required him to maintain a high level of performance and attacking output over the next few months.
…
After finishing at the Grimaldi Forum, Gao Shen, Butragueño, Valdano, and others attended the UEFA dinner, then headed straight to Nice and took the last evening flight from Nice to Frankfurt, Germany.
It took nearly five hours to fly from Nice to Frankfurt, then on to Prague, Czech Republic.
After arriving in Prague, the driver was already waiting. By the time they got to the hotel, it was dawn.
The European Super Cup was in the evening, so Gao Shen had to rest and get some sleep first.
He slept until almost noon and was woken by a call from Carlo.
After washing up and eating something, Gao Shen went straight to the meeting room.
By then, the players were already there.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who had flown in at the same time as Gao Shen, was looking at the head coach with bright energy. That vigor made Gao Shen sigh. It was good to be young.
Ronaldo was not only young but strong. Even without a night's sleep, he was still full of energy.
Gao Shen no longer could do that, especially after turning 30. His energy was not what it used to be.
This was a routine pre-match meeting, mainly to discuss the tactics against Chelsea that night.
One thing was certain, Mourinho's team would adopt a defensive counterattacking approach. That was their consistent characteristic, and also their strength.
Especially after signing Koulibaly for a high fee this summer, he had been highly valued by Mourinho.
But Gao Shen still believed Chelsea had serious problems.
For example, at centre forward and defensive midfield.
After Drogba left, Chelsea signed Torres from Liverpool for a big fee, but the Spaniard did not perform well, which made it difficult for Mourinho's team to break down opponents.
Scoring was a major problem facing Mourinho's Chelsea.
The defensive midfield issue was also significant.
"If I am not mistaken, it should still be the double pivot of Ramires and Lampard, but they are not stable enough."
Whether Lampard or Ramires, neither had the ability to truly control the midfield. Strictly speaking, they were not holding midfielders.
Mikel had big problems, but at least he was a defensive midfielder.
Romeu had been brought in from Barcelona earlier, but he did not perform well.
If Gao Shen remembered correctly, in his previous life Chelsea's defensive midfield only stabilized after they signed Matic from the Portuguese league for a high fee.
But now, Matic was still in the Portuguese league.
Moreover, with rising prices this summer, Matic's current value was definitely higher than in the previous timeline.
In response to Chelsea's problems, Gao Shen's strategy was to fully exploit the instability of Chelsea's double pivot at the top of the box, pull their two centre backs out of position, then use pace to attack the space behind them and shatter Chelsea's defense in one go.
"Mourinho's teams are always known for their defensive ability, so we must be fully prepared. This will not be an easy game. Chelsea are an iron army and a tough nut to crack. It will be a very difficult match."
"Even if we give our all, we may only create one chance."
"So we must seize every opportunity."
Gao Shen's words were not alarmist.
Mourinho's attacking setups had never been particularly strong.
At least in Gao Shen's opinion, they were ordinary. He even mocked Mourinho in private for it, which the Portuguese firebrand never liked.
But Gao Shen would never doubt or underestimate Mourinho's defensive ability and the playing style of the teams he managed.
This was an iron army with great tenacity.
After Gao Shen finished, he realized he might have been too serious. He immediately clapped his hands and smiled at the players.
"This is the second trophy we are fighting for this season. We are determined to win it, but..."
Gao Shen tried to adopt a relaxed tone in front of his players.
"We do not need to feel any pressure. To be honest, Chelsea's defense is very good and will definitely cause us problems, but I still have great confidence in you."
"As long as we play our game, I believe there will not be any major problems, so there is no need to overthink."
…
The meeting ended in a lively atmosphere, with Gao Shen acting relaxed. But it would be impossible to say the players were not taking it seriously.
After the meeting, Gao Shen held another session with the coaching staff, focusing on the team's current condition, especially player fitness.
Having just played Barcelona at Camp Nou, Real Madrid were now facing Chelsea. Both matches were tough, so adjustments were necessary.
If they continued with large-scale rotation, it would probably be too difficult for the young players.
Gao Shen's idea was to focus on localized adjustments among the main players.
After all, only two days had passed from Camp Nou to Prague. The schedule was really stressful and physically demanding for Real Madrid's players.
Proper rotation was necessary at this time.
Too much rotation would affect the team's competitiveness, and too little rotation would also affect their competitiveness.
Finding the right balance depended entirely on Gao Shen.
Many fans sometimes criticized a head coach's rotation, but they did not know that rotation was not easy. There were too many details to weigh and consider.
After basically finalizing the starting lineup, Gao Shen still had to communicate with the players one by one.
He needed to explain things to those on the squad list but not in the starting lineup, and remind them what to pay attention to while on the bench. At the same time, he needed to speak with the starters, reiterate his tactical demands one-on-one, and ensure they understood and would execute them.
Once everything was done, it was time to head to Eden Arena.
It was also at this time that Butragueño and Valdano appeared, unhurried.
The two had fallen asleep as soon as they arrived in Prague and had not woken up until now.
"I am quitting as head coach and applying to be vice chairman, head of PR, and technical director. You two can deal with the rest."
It was so annoying.
Valdano and Butragueño were quite pleased to be the targets of Gao Shen's envy and complaints, and they kept laughing.
(To be continued.)