In his previous life, when Gao Shen was running a company, it took him many years to understand a simple truth.
Just as a person's ten fingers are of different lengths, so too are the people within a team.
At first glance, this sounds like nonsense.
But let's dig a little deeper.
In a company, employees naturally vary in ability. Some are exceptionally talented, some are average, and some fall short. The core competitiveness of any company comes from its most capable employees.
This much is easy to understand.
That raises a question: when designing internal management systems, such as salary structures, should the company prioritize those with the greatest abilities?
After all, mediocre and underperforming employees can be found anywhere. If they leave, replacements can be hired easily.
By contrast, top-tier employees have more options and are highly competitive. They can switch jobs at any time if their expectations are not met.
Shouldn't such people receive special treatment?
Anyone with years of workplace experience will sense a flaw in this thinking.
As it turns out, indulging top performers too much often leads to chaos.
This gets to the heart of corporate management.
Efficiency must always come first.
In simple terms, this means maximizing resources and talent, combining people with different skill levels to form an efficient, cohesive team that can work together to make the pie bigger.
The role of average or less capable employees is to allow high performers to focus their energy on the tasks that truly matter, rather than wasting time on trivial issues.
When the pie grows, it is divided according to contribution. The best employees receive more, while the less capable receive less. Everyone realizes their value and gains what they deserve.
It may seem like the less capable are benefitting from the efforts of the talented, but in reality, this balance produces the most efficient and stable system.
This logic applies not only to companies, but also to sports teams.
Fans know that a team's competitiveness relies on its superstars. But if a club indulges its stars too much, it ends up like Real Madrid during the first Galácticos era—a dead end.
The difficulty in managing a company lies in handling people, and the same is true for managing a football team.
A truly effective management system should rely roughly 70% on standardized processes, with the remaining 30% left to individual discretion and creativity.
Take a simple example: setting performance goals.
In many companies, the boss gathers everyone to review last month's results, analyzes them, sets new goals, gives a motivational speech, makes promises, and ends the meeting after boosting morale.
But what do excellent companies do?
Once a goal is set, it is broken down step by step: Why this target? How will it be achieved? What risks may arise, and how can they be addressed? What resources will be required? What feedback do team members have?
After confirming feasibility, a detailed timeline is established. Goals are split into smaller, actionable tasks, assigned to specific individuals. During execution, progress is reviewed regularly, and plans are adjusted based on outcomes.
That is the standard procedure.
This applies equally to football management.
While other teams were still shouting slogans, Gao Shen was already standardizing every process.
It was well known that Gao Shen consistently produced the most detailed, standardized, and comprehensive season strategies, earning wide recognition.
Now, he was pushing things further—introducing modern process management.
Beyond real-time data tracking, visual analysis, big data modeling, and automation, he even refined the most basic element: the training schedule.
At first glance, that seems simple.
Don't all coaches plan weekly training?
If there's one match per week, that means six days between games. What should each day's session focus on? If there are two matches, how should the load and recovery be adjusted?
It all seems straightforward—until reality sets in.
One player gets injured. Another's form dips. There's a European fixture midweek, and the next league match is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Then there's a postponed FA Cup tie. Or an unexpectedly tough opponent that leaves the players more exhausted than planned.
Everything changes, almost daily.
That's why fans often read that a coach arrives early every morning to review the players' latest medical reports and adjust the day's training accordingly.
Sometimes, sessions are modified or cancelled altogether.
This supposedly "simple" schedule can easily spiral into chaos once real-life variables are added.
In many situations, coaches rely on intuition and experience to make decisions.
Otherwise, why do so many say that football management is part science and part mystery?
This is part of metaphysics.
So what was Gao Shen doing now?
He had built a system that used data models and real-time analytics to assist the coaching staff. By tracking players' performance and physical conditions during training and matches, it provided visual reports, simulated scenarios, and generated optimized training plans.
Under this system, training was no longer a guessing game.
The coaching team could monitor every change in each player's condition, adjusting workloads and programs instantly to achieve optimal results.
This dramatically improved efficiency and helped the coaching staff understand their players more thoroughly, making each session more precise and effective.
Beyond training, similar changes were introduced in every area—diet, rest, and recovery. Paris Saint-Germain was transforming before everyone's eyes.
On the first day of preseason, new medical director Christopher Baldo, together with Buenaventura from Gao Shen's advance team, led the entire squad to the club's partner hospital for comprehensive physical examinations. Every player's condition was documented in detail.
During dinner, they met PSG's newly appointed nutrition expert, Juan José Morillas.
The 38-year-old former Spanish player was already familiar to the squad, as he had previously contacted many players to learn their eating habits and preferences.
This time, Morillas surprised everyone.
He provided personalized diet plans for each player, tailored to their needs.
For example, Neymar had suffered frequent injuries since joining PSG. Morillas believed his diet was partly to blame and created a customized meal plan that balanced nutrition with Neymar's tastes.
For the veteran players, maintaining fitness and extending their careers was equally important, and nutrition would play a key role.
Breakfast and lunch were to be eaten at the training base, with all food data recorded in the club's system for easy monitoring by the staff.
Additionally, PSG's facility now included psychologists, physiotherapists, and performance directors.
Everything felt new to the players—sophisticated, professional, and impressive.
...
"Did you have this many staff at Leeds United?"
When the players returned to the locker room, they were still buzzing from the first day of training, amazed by the scale of PSG's operation.
The younger players asked curiously about Leeds United.
"That's actually fewer people," Kanté said, sounding familiar with the setup.
The atmosphere reminded him of his days at Leeds United.
"Just think about the Premier League title ceremony," Dembele added proudly. "That's only a portion of it. Players lined up from the tunnel all the way to midfield. You can imagine how many people worked behind the scenes!"
Such things were normal at Leeds United, but to PSG's players, it was eye-opening.
Some players came from Real Madrid.
Varane explained that Gao Shen had also built a large professional support staff at Real Madrid. After he left, some were dismissed, while others remained to this day.
"How did it work out?" Neymar asked eagerly.
He was the most curious of them all.
"Didn't Ronaldo already say so?" Varane replied casually.
After moving to Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo once told the media that what he missed most about Real Madrid was Gao Shen and his staff, who had given him invaluable support and guidance.
When he joined Juventus, he tried to rebuild that same structure but never achieved the same results.
Neymar was instantly captivated.
At his level, money no longer motivated him. Wealth came too easily.
What he longed for now was purpose—a chance to prove his worth.
He had left Barcelona to challenge Messi and Ronaldo, but at PSG he had felt trapped, sinking deeper the more he struggled.
People around him often said it was the environment, the city, the culture.
He had even tried to believe that.
But now, that excuse no longer existed.
Gao Shen had even passed on signing Mbappe to establish him as PSG's true core. How could he still make excuses?
I'm 27 years old, he thought.
If I don't give my all now, my career will pass me by.
Determination flashed in Neymar's eyes.
And he wasn't alone. Many players in the locker room felt the same shift in the air.
Their eyes, too, were filled with renewed fire.
(To be continued.)