"Really, thank you so much, Gao!"
In his office at St. James' Park, Ancelotti raised a glass of wine and politely toasted Gao Shen.
Standing beside him were Ancelotti's son and son-in-law, along with Leeds United manager Pochettino. Gao Shen held up a bottle of water and clinked it against Ancelotti's glass.
"You're my idol, so you need to maintain your image and not say things like that."
Gao Shen's words made everyone present burst into laughter.
He had indeed said more than once that he really admired Ancelotti's football philosophy.
But Ancelotti's gratitude toward Gao Shen was genuine.
In this life, Ancelotti's achievements were far less than in his previous one.
After being dismissed from Paris Saint-Germain, he failed at Bayern Munich, then briefly managed Napoli without success. That's why he had remained unemployed for a while.
During that time, he received offers from teams like Everton, but top clubs had mostly turned their backs on him.
Real Madrid did approach him, but Ancelotti knew very well that if he took the job, he would most likely fail again, so he declined.
Last summer, when Gao Shen took over Newcastle, he had a private conversation with Ancelotti. The two sides reached some mutual understanding.
As it turned out, this was a great decision.
Newcastle has become one of the biggest surprise packages in the Premier League this season.
This is not only due to the heavy investment from the Saudi consortium but also because of the strong support from Gao Shen.
Osimhen is undoubtedly a gem, but Raphinha is truly a treasure.
Only Ancelotti knows how terrifying it is to have Saint-Maximin on the left, Raphinha on the right, and Osimhen in the middle. Such an attacking trio is formidable, and few teams in the Premier League or even European football can handle it.
The team's midfield is solid, and their defense has improved considerably.
While Newcastle still has some flaws, the team structure has largely taken shape.
Ancelotti took over Newcastle with the aura of a world-class manager and a very high salary. With the team now performing well and showing clear signs of transformation, this has become a career revival for him.
Based on his current performance at Newcastle, as long as he doesn't collapse this season, he is fully capable of returning to manage a top club.
Of course, with the help of that advanced system, the chances of collapsing are very low.
That's why Ancelotti is very grateful to Gao Shen.
Not only because Gao Shen gave him a high-paying job, but more importantly, because Gao Shen helped him turn his career around.
No one knows better than Ancelotti how hard it is to reverse a career once it starts going downhill.
"I just spoke with the Saudis. My personal suggestion is that Newcastle should continue to build on its strengths and gain more experience. But after seeing Newcastle's performance this season, honestly, I have full confidence in you."
"Just let us know if you need anything. With some targeted reinforcement in the summer, Newcastle will definitely be even stronger next season," Gao Shen encouraged.
Ancelotti nodded. Especially since Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal were all currently facing various problems.
While they're still considered part of the Big Eight, Leeds United has been consistently strong. Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are both on the rise. Liverpool has been somewhat inconsistent, which is typical of Klopp's teams.
Even Manchester City is now starting to show issues with squad renewal and transition.
It's fair to say that the next two years will be a golden opportunity for Tottenham and Newcastle to rise into the top four.
Words said casually might be taken seriously by the listener.
Gao Shen and Ancelotti were old friends and spoke openly with each other, so they didn't think much of it. But to Pochettino and the others, it was a different story altogether.
Many people underestimate Gao Shen's network and prestige in European football, largely because he comes from China.
People tend to think that a head coach from a football-weak country can't possibly have much influence.
But what's the truth?
Gao Shen spent the most time in La Liga and the Premier League, but even in Serie A, among today's generation of famous coaches, Conte, Sarri, Allegri, and Pioli all grew up listening to his lectures. Some even went to Napoli to watch his training sessions.
Whether it's Ancelotti, Spalletti, or other Italian coaches, they all have a good relationship with Gao Shen.
This speaks volumes about his influence in Italian football.
The same goes for the Bundesliga. Klopp, Tuchel, and even national team coach Löw are all his disciples or admirers.
All of this has earned Gao Shen enormous influence and prestige in European football.
Unbeknownst to many, Gao Shen has already become a towering figure that everyone looks up to.
...
Three days after the match against Newcastle, Leeds United traveled to face Manchester City.
This was the 21st round of the Premier League.
Although they conceded an early goal, Leeds came from behind to defeat Leicester City 3-1 away, with goals from Rashford, Foden, and Musiala, securing another crucial three points.
Leeds United's ability to maintain such strong performances despite constant rotation highlights their deep squad and stability.
It's worth noting that after Christmas, Manchester United had three consecutive draws. Then, although they beat Fulham 2-1 away, they went on to draw with Liverpool, lost at home to bottom-placed Sheffield United, and in this round, drew away against Arsenal.
After 21 rounds, Manchester United was still in 13th place, a position no one could have imagined.
Arsenal was 11th, sandwiched between United and Southampton.
Chelsea sat in 9th, with Aston Villa between them and Arsenal.
The Premier League standings this season have truly been wild.
No one expected Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United to all decline so drastically.
...
However, in the 22nd round of the Premier League, three days later, Manchester United finally rebounded, thrashing Southampton 6-0 at Old Trafford. This was United's best performance in recent times.
But the win was also surrounded by controversy.
Just one minute into the match, Southampton's key midfielder Jankovic was sent off. In the second half, their main center-back Bednarek, who had already scored an own goal in the first half, was also shown a red card. United then scored three goals in quick succession.
This caused many media outlets to question the legitimacy of United's win. It's rare to see an opponent get a red card in the opening minute at Old Trafford.
Coincidentally, in their away match against Wolves, Arsenal took the lead but ended up receiving two red cards, eventually losing 2-1. It was a truly disappointing display.
Leeds United defeated Everton 2-1 at home to secure another three points.
Tottenham narrowly beat Chelsea 1-0 in the London derby.
But Liverpool lost 0-1 at home to Brighton.
In this chaotic Premier League season, even the top teams aren't immune.
...
Over the weekend, in the FA Cup Round of 16, Leeds United defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 away.
This time, Pochettino rotated the lineup, but players who had done well in previous FA Cup matches, such as Kvaratskhelia, Musiala, and Pedri, were all given starting spots.
Kvaratskhelia finally scored his first goal for Leeds United.
Three days later, back in the Premier League, Leeds United hosted Crystal Palace and won 2-0.
Haaland and Sancho were the goal scorers.
That weekend, in the 24th round of the Premier League, Leeds United headed to London to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal had been in poor form, with two losses and a draw in their last three matches. They had been overtaken by Manchester United in the table and had slipped to 12th, while United climbed to 10th.
In this context, hosting Leeds was clearly bad news for the Gunners.
However, Leeds were competing on two fronts and would be traveling to Barcelona next week to play the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 at Camp Nou.
As a result, Pochettino opted for heavy rotation against Arsenal, allowing key players to rest.
Xhaka assisted Aubameyang for a goal in the 13th minute.
In the 41st minute, Saka provided another assist, helping Aubameyang score again.
Both goals came from fast counterattacks that targeted the Leeds backline. The tactical setup was nearly identical.
Just before halftime, Reece James received a pass from Jon Amenée and scored, pulling one back for Leeds.
But right after the second half began, Aubameyang completed his hat-trick, extending Arsenal's lead to 3-1.
Leeds had to make changes. Pochettino brought on three attackers in succession, including Ansu Fati, to increase pressure on Arsenal.
In the 58th minute, Foden broke into the right side of the penalty area and cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Jon Amenée struck a powerful shot that beat the Arsenal keeper.
Leeds pulled one back. 2-3!
Ten minutes later, substitute Alvarez played a beautiful ball into the box, and Ansu Fati finished to equalize. 3-3!
Leeds continued to press.
After conceding two goals, Arsenal tightened up their defense. The rest of the match became a one-sided attack from Leeds.
But in the end, Leeds United failed to score the winner at the Emirates. The match ended in a 3-3 draw.
This match exposed some issues in Leeds' defense, especially after several matches in quick succession and with significant rotation.
The central defensive pairing of Saliba and Gvardiol was not convincing.
However, the attacking display was still impressive.
As for Arsenal, drawing 3-3 at home against a heavily rotated Leeds side is hardly a positive result.
Leeds United did not go all out, nor did they use their strongest lineup. They were clearly conserving energy for the trip to Barcelona.
Even so, Arsenal still couldn't win. Arteta was understandably displeased.
On the other hand, Leeds' ability to come back from a two-goal deficit to draw boosted morale within the team.
Everyone at Leeds is full of confidence for the battle at Camp Nou.
(To be continued.)