Following Paris Saint-Germain's emphatic victory over Metz, all major European leagues paused for the two-week international break.
During this period, Gao Shen hosted a gathering, inviting Tuchel's core coaching staff and his own team for a meal and a discussion about upcoming trends and the match schedule.
Once the international break concluded, a tight fixture schedule awaited them, with two matches to be played in a week.
Gao Shen's understanding of Ligue 1 had grown deeper.
Judging from the first four rounds, PSG had secured four straight wins and held a three-point lead over the rest of the league. That alone wasn't particularly noteworthy, but their dominance on the pitch was overwhelming.
Scoring 21 goals in just four league matches spoke volumes about their offensive firepower.
Was this a good thing?
Of course, but not without drawbacks.
Gao Shen now felt like he was using a cannon to shoot sparrows, completely at a loss for what to do.
In some ways, he could even understand why PSG players had grown so complacent and lazy in recent years.
It was simply too easy.
Once you start taking things seriously, you end up with one big win after another.
At first, that might be exciting. But over time, with too many winning streaks and blowouts, it's only natural to become numb. Once complacency sets in, morale drops.
It felt like a middle school student attending elementary school classes and acing every test with a perfect score. How could that be satisfying?
That was the situation in Paris now.
With such a star-studded lineup, their opponents were simply not on the same level.
If that mentality only existed in Ligue 1, it might be manageable given the obvious disparity in strength. But if it carried over into the Champions League, it would be a serious problem.
Especially in the knockout rounds, one lapse in focus could lead to disaster.
But if they let their guard down in the league, could they really stay sharp in the Champions League?
Take Neymar, for example. When he's focused, he can dribble past several defenders in one run and tear apart an entire backline on his own.
Never think that because he's fouled more in La Liga or other leagues, he'll naturally appreciate the "comfort" of Ligue 1.
That may be true in theory.
People do tend to gravitate toward comfort zones.
But once the pressure disappears and the fire dies out, complacency sets in.
Isn't that just going back to the Neymar of the past?
Sure, you still play, collect your wages, and never have to worry about food or shelter again. Isn't that perfect?
...
Tuchel completely agreed with Gao Shen's concerns.
This was, in fact, PSG's biggest issue in Ligue 1, and it extended to the Champions League as well.
It could be seen as a problem with players' mentality and attitude, but blaming them entirely would be unfair.
Don't be fooled by how dominant they looked in the first four rounds. Let's see if they can maintain that for the next four.
Still blowing opponents away? Fine, then keep going.
Without pressure, people really do get lazy.
"Of course, the opponents in the first four matches weren't particularly strong," Tuchel noted. "Rennes were the only decent side, but they finished 10th in Ligue 1 last season. So naturally, a blowout win was expected."
He believed that as the quality of their opponents improved and with the team competing on two fronts, the pressure on PSG would rise. Through squad rotation and internal competition, potential issues could be minimized.
That was exactly what Gao Shen wanted to address.
Regardless of the league's overall competitiveness, a competitive internal environment had to be created within the team. Only with competition would players remain motivated.
Team rules and discipline also needed to be strictly enforced. Training intensity had to be maintained, and players should always feel the pressure and stay sharp.
"If you're not performing, you step aside. That goes for everyone. I'll handle any issues that arise," Gao Shen said firmly.
Without rules, nothing works.
They couldn't change the environment of Ligue 1, so they had to start by fixing themselves.
Gao Shen also mentioned plans to bring in a psychologist to the team, mainly to help with daily communication and motivation.
There's always time for a pep talk or to make grand promises.
Tuchel could feel the weight of support and trust behind him. He immediately reaffirmed his commitment.
"Don't worry. With that kind of backing, I won't let you down."
He had previously traveled to Italy for advanced coaching courses and benefited tremendously.
To Tuchel, Gao Shen was a mentor and guiding figure in his coaching journey.
Now that Gao Shen was giving him full support, with everything he needed at his disposal, what else could he ask for?
If he couldn't lead the team well now, then it would be his own failure.
Gao Shen was pleased with Tuchel's attitude and immediately gave him further reassurance and encouragement.
...
Real Madrid's opening match of the new La Liga season was away against Celta Vigo.
This was Mbappé and De Ligt's debut.
The French winger needed only 12 minutes to send shockwaves across Spain.
Real Madrid launched a counterattack after winning the ball in their own half. Toni Kroos played a long pass, and Mbappé sprinted down the left, reaching the ball just outside the penalty area. He made a sudden stop, causing the chasing defender to lose his balance and slip.
Mbappé feinted a cut inside, drawing in more defenders, then suddenly poked the ball toward the byline, burst past them, and sent in a low cross.
Benzema arrived unmarked and tapped the ball into the net.
1-0.
After halftime, Real Madrid came out even stronger.
Mbappé received the ball near the left corner of the box. Marcelo overlapped on the outside, and the French winger flicked the ball toward the byline before cutting inside.
Marcelo continued his run and cut the ball back to Mbappé.
The Frenchman took on a defender and blasted a right-footed shot into the net.
2-0.
In the 61st minute, Mbappé and Marcelo combined again on the left. The ball was worked across to Toni Kroos, who had found space.
From nearly 30 meters out, Kroos fired a rocket of a shot that flew into the net.
3-0.
In the 80th minute, Real Madrid's attack again originated from the left.
Mbappé crossed, Marcelo cut inside and passed to Benzema, who controlled, turned, and sent a diagonal pass to the right.
Di Maria, relatively quiet until now, pounced on the chance, cut into the box from the right, and smashed the ball into the net.
4-0.
Real Madrid sealed a dominant 4-0 away win over Celta Vigo.
More impressively, they had 64% possession and took 21 shots, 14 of which were on target. Celta managed just 4 shots, with only one on target.
Real Madrid looked solid as ever.
Meanwhile, Barcelona suffered a 0-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in their opener.
This only confirmed what many Real Madrid fans believed.
With Gao Shen back, Barcelona's era was coming to an end.
The sky above the Bernabéu was bright once again.
...
In the second round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Valladolid at the Bernabéu.
The match got off to a poor start, with Valladolid creating chaos from a free-kick just two minutes in. In the scramble, De Ligt, making his Bernabéu debut, inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net.
But in the 15th minute, the Bernabéu witnessed a spectacular moment.
Modric received the ball in midfield, evaded his marker, and delivered a pinpoint lob behind the defense.
Mbappé burst through two defensive lines like an arrow, reached the ball between the penalty spot and six-yard box, and calmly finished.
1-1.
The entire stadium erupted in wild celebration.
Wearing Cristiano Ronaldo's No. 7 shirt, Mbappé sprinted around the pitch in celebration.
This brought wide smiles to Gao Shen and Florentino in the presidential box.
In the 29th minute, De Ligt redeemed himself by heading in a corner to put Real Madrid ahead 2-1.
Later, Kroos scored directly from a free kick, and both Benzema and Mbappé added second-half goals, securing a 5-1 win over Valladolid.
Mbappé had scored twice on his home debut.
...
In the third round, Real Madrid traveled to face Villarreal.
It was no easy fixture, as Villarreal proved to be a tricky opponent.
Early on, Real Madrid forced an own goal in the 3rd minute. Marcelo and Mbappé linked up on the left, and their cross led to Villarreal defender Pau Torres accidentally turning it into his own net.
Shortly after, a lapse in defense allowed Cazorla to assist Gerard Moreno, who scored from Ramos's zone to level the score.
In the 20th minute, Bernardo Silva, making his first start for Madrid, delivered a brilliant assist for Benzema to make it 2-1.
Just before halftime, Silva provided another great pass. Mbappé beat his defender on the left edge of the box, cut inside, and fired a low shot into the net.
3-1.
In the second half, Real Madrid continued to dominate but couldn't find another goal.
In the 81st minute, substitute João Félix received an excellent pass from Marcelo and struck a powerful shot that unfortunately hit the crossbar.
Despite only playing for just over 30 minutes, Félix's performance was eye-catching.
Bernardo Silva, replacing Modric, provided two assists and linked up seamlessly with Toni Kroos, leaving a strong impression.
This gave fans confidence in Real Madrid's new signings.
With the exception of De Ligt's own goal, all other new arrivals had performed well. Star man Mbappé had already scored 4 goals in 3 league matches.
With three straight wins, Real Madrid topped the table on goal difference, edging out Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona, with one win, one draw, and one loss, sat in 8th place.
(To be continued.)