SWR: Chapter 972/973

Chapter 972: We Really Just Want to Avoid Relegation

When a team chooses a head coach, the head coach is also, in a way, choosing the team.

In European football, there are many capable managers who fail simply because they pick the wrong team.

The one Gao Shen remembered most vividly was Ronald Koeman, a coach who was truly dealt a bad hand.

The Ajax youth team under his leadership had earned unanimous praise across Europe, producing stars like Ibrahimović, Van der Vaart, Sneijder, De Jong, and Heitinga.

But after leaving Ajax, Koeman went to Benfica in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and ran into trouble.

In truth, Koeman's work at Benfica wasn't poor. He led them to the Champions League quarterfinals, where they lost to eventual champions Barcelona. But in the domestic league, Benfica only finished third, behind Porto and Sporting CP, then coached by fellow Dutchman Co Adriaanse.

Returning to the Eredivisie from Portugal, Koeman took over giants PSV Eindhoven. He defeated his old club Ajax in the league and won the Eredivisie title. But Koeman was determined to go further.

In his second season with PSV, he took the gamble of rescuing La Liga's Valencia.

This time, it was a complete disaster.

When he replaced Flores, Valencia were sixth in La Liga. Five months later, when Koeman was sacked, they had plummeted to 16th, just two points above 18th-placed Recreativo in the relegation zone.

From then on, Koeman was essentially shut out of the top five European leagues.

If you analyse Koeman's failure at Valencia carefully, was it really all his fault?

At that time, no matter which coach Valencia appointed, even Gao Shen himself, it would have been risky.

President Soler was impatient for results and had no tolerance for setbacks. The management was riddled with infighting, and the team was under unrealistic pressure to perform.

Even before Koeman's arrival, Flores had clashed with sporting director Carboni, refusing to use any of the Italian players Carboni brought in. The dressing room was unstable, with players anxious about their future.

After Flores was sacked, Koeman tried to completely overhaul the team, shifting from Flores' lifeless defensive counterattack to an attacking style of football. This caused deep discomfort among the players.

Valencia goalkeeper Cañizares even told the media that in his ten years at Valencia, Koeman was the worst head coach he had ever played under.

Once a coach is publicly rated like that by his own players, you can imagine the consequences.

In Gao Shen's previous life, Koeman never managed in the top five leagues again until Southampton appointed him to replace Pochettino.

At Southampton, he enjoyed another good spell, but then suffered another major blow at Everton.

Even so, Koeman's fortunes were better than many.

In European football, countless promising managers never get another chance after a single disastrous spell.

And who could they possibly appeal to for justice?

…

Koeman's record makes one thing clear: for a head coach to succeed, you need the right timing, the right environment, and the right people. Miss any one of them, and it can fall apart.

This creates an interesting phenomenon.

The bigger the name, the more influence the coach has, the more backing he can secure, and the greater his chances of success.

Mid- and lower-tier managers, however, have fewer good options. Often, they have to take whatever job is available, good or bad, just to make a living.

Of course, the trade-off is that big-name coaches face far heavier pressure to deliver results.

One thing, however, is certain: choosing the right team is crucial.

Gao Shen believed that taking over a mid-to-lower-table Premier League club in the winter break was rarely a wise move.

Pochettino was a coach with a defined tactical system. He excelled at internal development, but still needed the club's support and a squad suited to his strengths.

The Premier League had been adopting more continental influences over the years, but while the top teams had embraced it, the mid- and lower-tier sides remained pragmatic, with very specific goals.

Put simply, they wanted to learn European football's style, but above all, they wanted results.

If a new coach's tactics didn't produce immediate improvement, then too bad—he would be sacked.

Take Queens Park Rangers, for example. Their management was in disarray, and the problems ran deep. Their current coach was Mark Hughes. Over the past two seasons, Hughes had brought in a host of players with a typically British style, including Leeds United's former captain Howson and Wright-Phillips.

In this situation, trying to shift QPR from a British style to a continental one would be extremely difficult—more challenging and dangerous than Koeman's transformation of Valencia.

At least Koeman had Ajax's success to point to. What about Pochettino?

The same issues applied to other clubs in the mix.

After Gao Shen laid it all out, Pochettino realised that taking over a team like QPR could very well destroy all the good work he had done at Espanyol.

"Thanks, Gao. I get it now," Pochettino said, relieved.

Luckily, he had come to Madrid to seek advice.

"Mauricio, if…"

Gao Shen looked at him seriously. "I mean, if you really want to coach in the Premier League, you might as well wait another six months."

Although Gao Shen didn't spell it out, Pochettino was sharp enough to grasp his meaning.

Given that Leeds United's Sarri had recently been linked with several Serie A giants, the implication was obvious.

Juventus, Inter Milan, Napoli, and AC Milan were all interested in Sarri. Napoli's Allegri was likely to leave, and both De Laurentiis and Marino wanted Sarri, a native of Naples, to return home to coach.

De Laurentiis had already called Gao Shen to discuss Sarri, but nothing could be confirmed until decisions were finalised.

Pochettino, being in the inner circle, understood the implications immediately.

If the opportunity to coach Leeds United really arose, he would happily wait.

He was already impressed by the team's squad, management, and the ambition Gao Shen had instilled.

He knew full well that this was a club with serious aspirations.

That was why, when Gao Shen invited him to spend the post-Christmas period in the UK, watching Leeds matches, visiting their training base, and meeting Premier League contacts—Pochettino agreed without hesitation.

It was Gao Shen's way of opening doors for him in England.

…

By coincidence, the team Pochettino had almost taken over—Queens Park Rangers—was Leeds United's opponent on Boxing Day. After flying from Madrid to London, Gao Shen's group went straight to watch the match.

Along with Gao Shen and Pochettino was Gao Shen's wife, Su Qing.

Su Qing was now pregnant, and Gao Shen didn't really want her travelling, but she had insisted.

As she put it, if she stayed at home in Madrid any longer, mushrooms would start growing from boredom.

That day, Leeds United beat QPR 3-0 away, with goals from Jorginho, Icardi, and Pogba.

Mark Hughes' side were dismantled on their own turf.

This latest defeat brought Hughes one step closer to being sacked.

After the game, Gao Shen joked to Pochettino, "Still want to coach them now?"

Pochettino could only smile bitterly.

If he took over QPR, he might end up earning the title of "manager of a relegated team."

Of course, if he managed to save them, his reputation would skyrocket but it looked a tall order.

After watching in London, Gao Shen and his group didn't visit the Leeds squad. They simply greeted Lucas, Borrell, and others, then travelled north to their home in Cheshire.

The hotel housekeeping had already cleaned and prepared the place, so they checked in directly.

After two days in Cheshire, Gao Shen visited a few friends—but not Ferguson.

Leeds' next match was away to Ferguson's Manchester United, and if they were seen meeting beforehand, the media would have a field day.

Still, despite their professionalism, Leeds failed to cause an upset at Old Trafford.

Just nine minutes in, Valencia crossed for Rooney to score.

After that, Leeds and United went toe-to-toe, but neither could find another goal.

Until the 90th minute, when Valencia again crossed from the right, and Rooney scored from close range to seal the win.

The Red Devils won 2-0 at home.

The defeat dropped Leeds to sixth in the table, with Tottenham and Arsenal leapfrogging them after back-to-back wins.

But in the 21st round, Tottenham beat Reading 3-1 at home to stay fourth, while Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw away.

Leeds narrowly beat Fulham 2-1 at home, overtaking Arsenal to climb back to fifth place.

Whether it was Gao Shen, Lucas, Borrell, Sarri, or other professionals like Ferguson and Wenger, all could see Leeds' weaknesses.

For all their impressive performances, the team still lacked a strong foundation.

After the Old Trafford match, Ferguson predicted that Leeds' realistic goal should be a top-eight finish.

A top-four spot? That was wishful thinking.

Gao Shen agreed.

At the start of the season, Leeds' objective had simply been to avoid relegation.

If there was anyone to blame, it was the young players, because they had produced far more pleasant surprises than expected.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 973: Genius Concentration Camp

Taking advantage of La Liga's winter break, Gao Shen made a special trip to the Thorpe Arch training base to meet Leeds United.

He highly praised the team's recent performances but also reminded the young players to guard against arrogance and impatience.

"The second half of the season is the real test!"

Drawing on his past experience, Gao Shen gave the players and coaches plenty of advice.

For a team like Leeds United, the biggest challenge in the second half will be how they respond once opponents become familiar with their tactics and style of play.

Gao Shen felt that Sarri needed to develop two more approaches as Plan B and Plan C, especially in attack.

He believed Harry Kane, Mane, Felipe Anderson, and Mahrez should all be given more opportunities.

At present, Leeds United's front three are Coutinho, Icardi, and Salah, with a midfield of Pogba, Allan, and Jorginho. The overall style is still direct and fast.

But in the second half of the season, many opponents will likely set up with deep defensive blocks and look for precise counterattacks against Leeds.

That will place higher demands on Leeds United's attacking variety.

Everyone knows that Icardi's main role as centre forward is to finish chances.

By contrast, Harry Kane, with his height and physical presence, can play a bigger role in attack against set defences, while Mane's explosiveness makes him extremely dangerous.

Felipe Anderson and Mahrez are both technical wingers with refined skills and strong dribbling ability.

Gao Shen also specifically asked about Vardy.

To his surprise, the unlucky English striker had already made six appearances this season.

Sarri had a good opinion of him, believing he had been working hard and improving.

Vardy, like Mane, was a late bloomer. His late entry into professional football meant his fundamentals were not fully polished. But he was talented and willing to work hard, so he kept improving.

Sarri had already begun implementing some of Gao Shen's suggestions, but with no winter break in the Premier League, he lacked time for full tactical training.

However, after entering 2013, the cup fixtures would give him a short 10-day window to refine the team's tactics.

…

After his talk with Sarri and the others, Gao Shen took Pochettino to visit the methodology department, big data centre, and scouting department, the core units of Thorpe Arch.

The training base was small but fully equipped.

In Pochettino's words, it was more advanced and complete than most La Liga clubs, and even some top-five-league teams.

Even a club like Espanyol treated youth development as more of a showcase than a genuine system.

But Leeds United were investing real money and effort into it.

For example, their methodology department's research into youth development outstripped that of most clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Gao Shen did not hide the fact that the plan originally came from Barcelona, but after Rosell laid off some staff, Leeds took over the project.

Another clear sign of Leeds United's commitment to youth training was their match programme.

To give their youth players enough competitive experience, Leeds not only entered FA-organised youth leagues and cups but also organised exchanges and invitational tournaments with major clubs, even travelling abroad for friendlies.

These might seem minor, but they were real investments.

According to Borrell, Leeds United's youth development budget this season exceeded £10 million.

To put that in perspective, Barcelona had claimed to invest €130 million in youth training over a decade from 2000/01, but as Barcelona's former youth coach, Borrell estimated that in earlier years they had spent only half of Leeds United's current level. Only after the success of the second and third Dream Teams did they increase their investment.

When Rosell took over, even that investment was reduced again.

Barcelona's other approach was to scout worldwide for talent, Messi being the most famous example.

Barcelona ended up with Dream Team III, featuring Messi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Piqué and others from their own youth setup, plus an unmatched talent pool.

This is exactly what Leeds United is aiming for now.

Their scouting network covers the globe, with over 700 part-time scouts and more than a dozen full-time scouts searching for talent everywhere.

All youth teams are staffed with top-level coaches and sports science teams.

Since completing their youth development system last year, Leeds have been actively recruiting worldwide.

£10 million a year may not be much for a first team, but for a youth academy it is massive.

As a result, every age group at Leeds United has one or two, sometimes even three foreign players.

According to Borrell, the most exciting squad right now is the U12s—the age group featuring the prodigy Haaland.

How strong is this side?

They have not lost a single match so far.

Alongside Haaland, Gao Shen recognised two names.

One was João Félix, a young Portuguese player Borrell had personally gone to great lengths to sign from Porto, who considered him too thin. Leeds had seen his potential.

The other was Aurélien Tchouaméni.

At first, Gao Shen thought this was the French defensive midfielder who broke out before his time travel. They were the same age, but here he was playing as a centre forward, partnering Haaland in an unstoppable duo.

Borrell regretted missing out on another young French striker he rated highly—Kylian Mbappé, currently training at Clairefontaine.

Gao Shen was momentarily stunned. "Who?"

"Kylian Mbappé," Borrell replied, surprised at his reaction.

Gao Shen quickly masked his excitement. In his mind, the thought was clear: Haaland and Mbappé in the same team?

Borrell explained that Mbappé's father was a football coach with high standards. Leeds were working hard to convince them to join after his time at Clairefontaine.

"If you believe he's worth it, Rudolf, push to sign him," Gao Shen said calmly. "I can accept the price."

Talent is crucial. You might not succeed even with it, but without it, you definitely won't.

Haaland, Mbappé, Félix—these were rare, top-level prospects.

Of course, Leeds couldn't sign everyone. Odegaard, for example, turned them down to join a bigger club, and some top talents had already been secured by other teams.

Borrell also highlighted the U9 and U10 age groups, featuring Ansu Fati.

With the FA lifting its restrictions on youth recruitment, Leeds began scouting across the UK. Among the U9s was a name Gao Shen knew well—Jude Bellingham from Birmingham.

Another was Pedri, from David Silva's hometown in the Canary Islands, who dreamed of becoming an Iniesta or Silva.

The third was Jamal Musiala, brought in from Chelsea, whose family Leeds had supported with jobs.

These were already recognised as top talents—but Gao Shen believed there were likely hidden gems among the less well-known names too.

…

Leeds United's youth setup far exceeded Gao Shen's expectations.

Investing £10 million a year clearly had tangible results.

But gathering talent was only the start. Developing it was the real challenge.

Chelsea, for example, had scouted globally for years, but few of their prospects had truly shone.

You need both the right environment and opportunities for competitive growth.

Leeds had invested heavily in both.

Gao Shen now looked forward to the future, just as Lucas and Borrell had said, when Haaland's group graduated and Ansu Fati emerged, Leeds United would enter a true harvest period.

Later, Gao Shen and Su Qing, with Lucas, Borrell and others, visited Elland Road and the site for the new training base north of the stadium.

With approvals complete, Norman Foster's design progressing, and a Chinese construction company preparing to start in May, things were moving forward.

On an open plot west of Elland Road, Leeds had cleared space for a temporary parking lot for match-day fans.

They could not yet afford a new stadium, but the land would be used wisely.

Everything was back on track, and Gao Shen felt reassured.

Pochettino, however, saw more.

What he saw was a thriving club, and he had a strong feeling that Gao Shen's Leeds would one day change the Premier League landscape.

He hoped to be part of it, contributing his strength.

(To be continued.)