For an entire week, Gao Shen and his team stayed in Paris.
Tuchel and his coaching staff carried out the training camp plan with precision and discipline, following the pre-season schedule exactly as designed.
At first, the players were full of excitement and enthusiasm. But as the training intensity increased, the pressure began to mount, and many players struggled to adapt.
However, players like Kanté, Varane, Pogba, and Dembélé, who had previously played under Gao Shen at Leeds United, knew the benefits of such intense training.
The pain they endured now would keep them sharp throughout the entire season.
More importantly, players did not have to worry about injuries during this kind of training.
Gao Shen and his staff had been refining their training philosophy for over a decade, continuously improving their methods and injury prevention systems to ensure that players stayed healthy.
Among the most demanding parts was the long-distance running session designed by Pintus, scheduled after high-intensity drills.
This training method had been widely reported by the media, and many clubs had tried to copy it. Yet most failed to achieve the desired results, and some even suffered waves of injuries as a result.
What people didn't know was that this seemingly simple "post-training run" was actually part of a complete, structured system.
After making sure everything at Paris Saint-Germain was on track, Gao Shen departed for Madrid.
He first attended the unveiling ceremony for Mbappé's signing with Real Madrid.
More than 80,000 fans filled the Santiago Bernabéu to witness his arrival.
Gao Shen then also attended the signing ceremonies for De Ligt, Félix, and Bernardo Silva.
Real Madrid's training camp was the easiest to integrate into.
First, Zidane was Gao Shen's long-time partner, well-versed in his structured approach and quick to implement it.
In addition, the coaching staff for the new season consisted mostly of Zidane's trusted colleagues and former teammates, including Raúl and Xabi Alonso, who both joined as assistant coaches.
Chief Analyst Carlos Vargas, originally a senior assistant from Gao Shen's previous tenure, continued to oversee the club's data analysis department, ensuring smooth collaboration.
Although Real Madrid had gone through three head coaches last season, the facilities at Valdebebas had largely remained as Gao Shen's team had designed them years ago. This allowed the new setup to resume seamlessly without major adjustments.
The players were already familiar with Gao Shen's advanced training methods and respected Zidane deeply, allowing everything to fall naturally into place.
This smooth transition left the Spanish media astonished.
Just months earlier, Real Madrid had been in total disarray. Now, after Gao Shen's return, order and discipline seemed to have been restored overnight.
This was the influence and prestige Gao Shen commanded at Real Madrid.
Not only that, but Modric, who had been considering leaving, decided to stay. Di María renewed his contract, and Kroos also confirmed he would remain with the team.
As AS editor-in-chief Alfredo wrote in his column, "With Gao Shen's return, Real Madrid is back on track."
The team's pre-season training camp was held in Montreal, Canada.
Afterward, Real Madrid would travel directly to the United States to compete in the International Champions Cup.
That year's tournament was divided into three regions: Asia, North America, and Europe.
Leeds United also participated in the North American bracket.
...
Unlike Real Madrid, who trained in Canada, Leeds United chose to hold their camp in the United States.
After selling ten key players over the summer, their overall strength was greatly affected. The media were relentless, criticizing Leeds United for being obsessed with profit.
Some even speculated that the club might be preparing for a full sale.
The Sun reported that Saudi and Egyptian investment groups were interested in taking over Leeds United, and the massive player sell-off further fueled public concern.
The club offered no response. Quietly, they traveled to the East Coast for a closed training camp in early July.
Apart from a few players who had competed in the Copa America, the full squad had rejoined.
By that time, the Copa America had concluded, with Brazil crowned champions. Leeds United goalkeeper Alisson was selected for the tournament's Best XI, while Thiago Silva and Paredes from PSG were also included.
During Leeds United's training camp, Gao Shen moved back and forth between Real Madrid and Leeds United, while still overseeing Paris Saint-Germain's preparations in Europe.
Fortunately, thanks to detailed pre-planning, everything went smoothly without major issues.
On July 12, Leeds United played their first pre-season friendly in the United States against the New York Red Bulls.
Just six minutes into the match, Grealish sent a cross from the left edge of the box to Hakimi, who made a sharp run down the right wing. The Moroccan controlled the ball, cut inside, and unleashed a powerful shot that smashed into the net.
1-0.
Before halftime, Haaland scored with a header, then followed up with another goal in stoppage time, giving Leeds United a 3-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, Leeds United continued their dominance. Rashford, Valverde, and Bruno Fernandes each found the net, sealing a commanding 6-0 victory.
The emphatic win made headlines worldwide.
Even though the opponent was relatively weak and Leeds United's form was still developing, their ability to score six goals was eye-catching.
Even more impressive was that five different players were on the scoresheet, showing the team's attacking variety.
But this was just the beginning.
Skeptics remained, arguing that the opponent's strength was too low to be a true test.
Soon after, Leeds United faced Guadalajara from Mexico in their second friendly.
Once again, Leeds United unleashed a storm of attacking football.
In the 12th minute, Bruno Fernandes struck the crossbar with a thunderous shot.
Two minutes later, his through ball split the defense, and Sancho cut inside the box before finishing coolly to make it 1-0.
Leeds continued pressing forward.
Valverde hit the post from the edge of the box, narrowly missing another goal.
But in the 31st minute, Sancho delivered a pinpoint cross to Alphonso Davies, who unleashed a long-range shot from near the left corner of the penalty area, making it 2-0.
In the second half, Pochettino rotated the entire lineup.
Substitute Vardy scored twice, in the 63rd and 88th minutes, to complete a 4-0 win.
This time, observers began to take Leeds United seriously.
Guadalajara were no lightweight opponent, and winning 4-0 against them demonstrated real quality.
Although Haaland didn't score in this match, Vardy's brace more than made up for it.
...
With two consecutive wins, Leeds United faced their third pre-season match against Sevilla at Fenway Park in Boston.
This would be their toughest test yet.
From the start, both sides attacked relentlessly.
Vardy dropped deep to receive the ball and played a precise through pass to Rodrygo, who cut inside from the right and calmly finished a one-on-one to put Leeds ahead.
Sevilla quickly responded when Nolito found De Jong with a pass, but his shot was superbly saved by Ramsdale.
In the 37th minute, however, Navas crossed from the right, and under pressure, Militao's clearance was too short. Nolito pounced and scored to level the game at 1-1.
Just before halftime, Leeds United earned a corner. Militao's header was saved, but Vinicius reacted quickest to tap in the rebound, restoring Leeds' lead at 2-1.
In the second half, new signing Saliba came on for his debut. Perhaps due to nerves, he made a reckless challenge on Larouci and was sent off.
Late in the match, Sevilla equalized, and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Compared to their earlier games, the pressure here was much higher.
Sevilla's strength had clearly improved. The Spanish club, known for its strong player development, was aiming for a top-four La Liga finish and had both ambition and capability.
Meanwhile, Leeds United treated the match as a learning opportunity. Pochettino continued experimenting with lineups, sticking to a 4-3-3 system but constantly rotating personnel.
Clearly, Leeds were still in the integration phase.
In an interview afterward, Pochettino expressed satisfaction.
"Whether it's Sevilla or any other team, we've shown great competitiveness," he said. "That makes me confident that our new season is full of hope."
"We are not a weak team to be pushed around."
Although he admitted that losing ten key players had affected the team, he remained optimistic.
In the International Champions Cup, Leeds United's opponents would be Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
Their first match would be against Bayern Munich.
Acknowledging the challenge, Pochettino joked, "I've heard Bayern will field their strongest lineup, which is good news."
"I believe our young players can crush Bayern even when they're at full strength."
His comments immediately drew ridicule from the media, especially in England.
Bayern Munich had spent over 200 million euros that summer, while Leeds United had sold ten stars.
Crush Bayern?
You must be joking.
(To be continued.)