Sometimes, Gao Shen felt as if there was an invisible hand guiding everything in the world.

Just like drawing Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, which happened to coincide with the 20th round of La Liga, when Real Madrid were set to face Valencia away. That meant three matches against Valencia in a row, one at home and two away.

Now, in the Copa del Rey semifinals, it was a similar situation.

This time, Real Madrid drew Barcelona.

Yes, the two teams with their sights set on the trophy would be meeting in the semifinals.

The other matchup was between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.

No matter how you looked at it, once you reached the semifinals, whether the opponent was Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, or Sevilla, the challenge would be formidable. You had to be mentally prepared for a tough fight.

What made it more interesting was that the two legs of the Copa del Rey semifinals would be played on January 30 and February 26. Real Madrid would play at home first and away second. However, on February 13, Real Madrid would host Manchester United in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 at the Bernabéu, then visit Old Trafford on March 5 for the return leg.

The most daunting part was that on March 2, Real Madrid would face Barcelona at home in the 26th round of La Liga.

Before the first leg against Manchester United, Real Madrid would play Sevilla. Before the second leg of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona, they would travel to the Riazor to face Deportivo La Coruña in the league.

Such an intense run of high-stakes matches crammed into the same period would be a massive test for any team.

When the draw results were announced, the commentator on Spanish national television listed Real Madrid's schedule, saying it would be a devilishly demanding stretch, especially from mid-February to March.

In particular, playing Barcelona twice and Manchester United once in the span of a week, with two of those matches away, was a nightmare scenario for any team.

De La Morena, the star host on SER Radio, tweeted right after the draw,

"Gao Shen said this season's La Liga schedule is not favorable to Real Madrid, and now we see why."

Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, also posted online, "Real Madrid, having just regained form, now face another brutal run. Gao Shen's coaching career is truly full of thorns."

…

In Valdebebas, northeast Madrid.

Gao Shen and his assistants watched the draw live and learned the results immediately, updating the schedule right away.

The room fell silent.

Some might think the Real Madrid-friendly media was exaggerating.

Real Madrid want to play in the Champions League? So do Barcelona.

As for drawing Manchester United, wasn't it Real Madrid's own fault for ending up in the group of death and qualifying only as runners-up, which led to meeting a stronger opponent? Barcelona drew AC Milan, and no one was making a fuss about that.

That was true enough.

In the Copa del Rey semifinals and the Champions League round of 16, strong opponents were to be expected.

But in terms of scheduling, Barcelona clearly had an advantage.

The simplest example was that Barcelona's tie with AC Milan was a week later than Real Madrid's tie with Manchester United.

In other words, Barcelona did not have to face the kind of condensed nightmare that Real Madrid would endure, playing high-intensity matches against top opponents within a single week.

The first leg against AC Milan would be on February 20, neatly avoiding the second leg of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid. The second leg would be on March 12, again avoiding both the Copa del Rey and La Liga clashes with Real Madrid.

With such a schedule, Barcelona had the luxury of time to prepare for big matches.

But Real Madrid?

A string of consecutive high-profile matches in such a short span put enormous pressure on both coaches and players.

Of course, it would be unfair to claim that UEFA or the Spanish Football Federation deliberately set out to sabotage Real Madrid.

The truth was simply that Real Madrid's luck was rotten.

…

Pochettino sat at the far end.

As a La Liga coach, he knew well that this kind of schedule was a huge challenge for any team, with the biggest problem being preparation.

Playing twice a week already meant there was very little time for preparation. Most of the days would be devoted to recovery and adjustment. It would be fortunate to squeeze in one targeted training session, let alone more.

Against teams like Manchester United and Barcelona, one session was far from enough.

This was the ultimate test for a head coach.

If he were in that position himself, Pochettino admitted he might not know where to begin.

If he were coaching Espanyol, it would be simpler. He could just sacrifice one or two competitions.

But Real Madrid could not do that.

They were 4 points behind Barcelona in La Liga and still had to fight for both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

In this situation, all the pressure was on Gao Shen.

With the squad as it was, what else could be done?

Pochettino even wondered what he would do if he took over this team.

It wasn't just him. Everyone in the room, from senior coaching staff to junior coaches and those observing to learn, were looking to Gao Shen, unsure of what to do.

There were countless factors to consider, but the core issue was squad depth.

…

"Let Carlos Vargas draw up the full schedule in a chart, in order from top to bottom, with the number of days between each game. That way we'll see the situation clearly," Gao Shen instructed.

"For now, Manchester United is still far off. Let's focus on the most urgent matter, the home game against Barcelona in a week's time."

After pausing, he corrected himself, "No, strictly speaking, it's only six days away, and we have a league match in between."

That match was against Getafe in La Liga's 21st round.

After Getafe, there would be no time for recovery or adjustment.

"As usual, Lorenzo and Antonio, you two will handle the players' fitness and condition. I'm going to rotate the squad, and quite aggressively. Otherwise, we won't survive this stretch."

Buenaventura and Pintus both nodded.

They had worked together for many years and understood exactly what Gao Shen wanted and how to execute it.

"Before Barcelona, I want two targeted training sessions," Gao Shen said to Carlo.

Everyone knew Gao Shen did not personally run the training sessions. That was always Carlo's job. But Gao Shen decided what the sessions would be and how they were arranged. Carlo was his executor.

Carlo huddled with several coaches, clearly working out the schedule. In such a packed period, every training session mattered.

"We can't put the two sessions back-to-back. Let's have one before the Getafe match and one after," Carlo proposed.

Gao Shen thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, that's decided," he said firmly.

"Everyone, the schedule ahead will be very tight, and the pressure will be huge. We all need to work together."

"I'll say it again. We are Real Madrid. In our dictionary, there is no such word as fear. We will never be afraid of any opponent or any challenge."

"We survived the Champions League's group of death. Why should we fear a schedule like this?"

His words inspired the entire room.

"Whether it's Barcelona or Manchester United, we have nothing to fear. As long as we prepare properly and manage the squad's condition, there's no challenge we can't overcome and no opponent we can't beat."

"The schedule is tough, but I'm full of confidence!"

The room broke into applause.

Everyone present admired him.

Because he had depth.

…

After the staff meeting, Gao Shen returned to his office to prepare.

Before the afternoon training session, he arrived early in the players' locker room.

Captain Casillas had already called everyone together, including the injured Marcelo, who had not yet returned to training.

"Carlos has posted the latest schedule on the wall. I'm sure you've all seen it and know the challenge ahead," Gao Shen said.

The players nodded, looking a little uneasy.

It was going to be a brutal run.

Gao Shen chuckled. "Honestly, I think this draw is actually pretty good."

That surprised everyone.

Barcelona in the semis? Good?

"If it were Simeone's Atletico Madrid, I might have a headache. But Barcelona? I don't know if you've heard, I have a nickname…"

The players looked puzzled. What nickname?

"Basak Planet!"

That drew a burst of laughter.

"Seriously, I've never lost to Barcelona, and this time will be no different. Same with Manchester United. I gave them their worst-ever defeat at Old Trafford."

He spoke lightly and with humour, but everyone knew the battles against those teams had been dangerous and demanding.

If Barcelona and Manchester United were easy to beat, they wouldn't be who they are today.

Still, Gao Shen's words gave the players confidence.

"I'll say it again. Trust me, follow my lead, and I'll take you past these opponents."

"Whether it's Barcelona, Manchester United, or anyone else, there's nothing to fear. We are stronger than any of them."

"I said this before the Champions League group stage. You might have had doubts then, but we qualified. Now I'm saying it again — you, the players of Real Madrid, are the strongest in Europe."

"You have the ability to beat anyone, no matter who they are."

"So now, don't think too much, don't say too much. Eat when it's time to eat, sleep when it's time to sleep, train when it's time to train, play when it's time to play. Give your best in every match, and leave the rest to me."

"And by mid-March, when you look back…"

Gao Shen raised his right hand dramatically. "…Devilish schedule? Tsk!"

The players applauded, looking far more confident.

Against such a brutal run of fixtures, confidence was worth more than gold.

That was the deeper lesson Pochettino had learned from working with Gao Shen.

(To be continued.)