As February approached, the temperature in Madrid began to fluctuate.

The difference between day and night was only about ten degrees, but over the past two or three days, the temperature had dropped sharply, with daytime temperatures falling to around 5 degrees. By the 6th, it had risen again to over ten degrees.

This sudden change in temperature caught the attention of Real Madrid, as professional players' bodies are highly sensitive and more prone to catching colds.

Many people believe players are strong and less likely to get sick, which is generally true. However, once a player falls ill, it often becomes troublesome.

For example, if they have a fever, it can be a persistent high fever that no medicine seems to help.

So, during weather like this, the coaching staff must be extra cautious.

Taking advantage of the slightly warmer weather, even though it was still cool, Gao Shen and the others found some time before the players returned to invite the coaching staff to have a barbecue in his yard.

At night, with the wind blowing and temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius, everyone gathered around the grill, listening to the sizzling of the meat dripping with oil. No one felt cold, and instead, they enjoyed the unique atmosphere.

The barbecued meats were all pre-prepared from Juan's House Barbecue. All they had to do was place them on the grill, and they would be ready in no time. Everyone was relaxed and served themselves freely, adding whatever they liked.

Gao Shen took a piece of wood and occasionally poked at the red-hot charcoal, as if that would make it burn more vigorously.

The others were eating with relish.

This was a favorite in Spain.

Su Qing came out, holding her big belly with one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other.

"This is the wine Sanchez brought from Chile last time. You should try it." She handed it to Zidane, who she was most familiar with.

"Thanks, Su."

Zidane took it and immediately looked for a bottle opener.

Everyone knew that Gao Shen, Sanchez, Vargas, and Vidal had invested in farms and wineries in Chile and Peru, and their business was thriving. Their farms and wineries were now well-known in Chile.

Among them, the wine from their winery had even been praised by connoisseurs like Ferguson, who kept it in his collection.

Gao Shen turned around and smiled at his wife. "It's cold outside, you should go back and rest."

Su Qing nodded. "You all enjoy yourselves. I'm going to rest."

Everyone nodded and bid her goodbye.

"Hey, Gao, when is the due date?" Carlo asked after she left.

"In a few days. The doctor said around the 10th."

Everyone instinctively glanced toward the house. They could all sense Gao Shen's mood.

On one side was his pregnant wife, and on the other, Real Madrid's tight schedule.

It was indeed a tough situation.

"This little guy really knows how to pick his timing," Carlo joked.

"You know it's a boy?" Zidane was surprised.

Carlo pointed at Gao Shen. "He said he wants him to play football in the future."

Gao Shen nodded.

In Europe, this sort of thing can be known in advance, and the regulations aren't strict.

For Gao Shen, it didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl, but since it happened to be a boy, the whole family was delighted.

Now, all four elders in the family were in Madrid, worried about any possible mishaps.

If Su Qing had agreed, Gao Shen would have arranged for her to stay in the hospital earlier, with professional doctors and nurses caring for her, so he could be at ease.

But Su Qing preferred being at home, saying she felt more comfortable there.

Still, Gao Shen told her she would have to go to the hospital in a few days.

Next, he would be busy preparing for matches against Sevilla and Manchester United. Once he got busy, he wouldn't be able to take care of her, and he didn't want to be distracted.

"Boys are good, and football training is good too," Zidane smiled. "Let me be clear, I will be this little guy's godfather. No one can take that from me."

Everyone laughed and said he would have to treat them before it counted.

"We don't really have a so-called godfather, just the concept of a godfather," Gao Shen smiled.

"Then he will be my godson. Same thing. I'll teach him football in the future," Zidane said eagerly.

"No, can you even do it?" Jero said doubtfully.

When it came to children, Zidane was indeed far less impressive than he was on the pitch.

At least, none of his three sons had matched his own glory. At best, they might be professional players, and they were mostly known because of their father's name.

"I'm telling you, when it comes to teaching your own kid, it doesn't work. You can't hit him, you can't scold him, and he's always smiling and playing around. He never takes you seriously." Zidane's tone carried a hint of frustration.

No matter how authoritative he was on the pitch, when it came to his own kids...

It was the same story everywhere.

This reminded Gao Shen of a tradition in many trades in China, where fathers and sons would not work as master and apprentice because they couldn't teach each other effectively.

He wondered what it would be like with his own child in the future.

…

"I just checked the weather forecast. It's going to rain tomorrow. Make sure to turn on the drainage system at the training ground in advance, and the underfloor heating too, to prevent freezing," Gao Shen reminded.

"I've already given instructions, don't worry," Carlo replied.

Gao Shen kept fiddling with the charcoal. "What's going on with Marcelo?"

"Same problem as before. He's gained a lot of weight during recovery after surgery. We need to get him to lose weight quickly before gradually adjusting his condition, so his recovery is slower than expected," Buenaventura said.

Pintus added, "Marcelo's body tends to put on weight easily. During his recovery, we monitored his diet and activity, but he still gained weight."

This was actually quite common. Many players, once sidelined due to injury, see their weight rise sharply when training stops and activity decreases. For someone like Marcelo, it was even trickier.

"How long will it take?"

"Hard to say right now. Our initial estimate is that he won't be able to play in the two legs against Manchester United," Buenaventura said, explaining further, "We're worried that if we rush him back, he might get injured again, which would be worse and could even lead to lingering muscle problems."

This was also a frequent occurrence. Many players with recurring injuries rush back before fully healing, only to pick up new injuries. Some delay treatment repeatedly, turning the issue into a chronic problem that follows them for their entire career.

In better cases, it can be managed with treatment and medication, but some, like Robben, still suffer constant relapses.

Ultimately, it comes down to the club and head coach's decision.

If you treat players like consumables, you use them until they break and then replace them.

For a top club like Real Madrid, European football has no shortage of talent.

Without Marcelo, there was still Alaba and others.

"Let him recover first, keep monitoring, and report to me daily," Gao Shen instructed.

Buenaventura and Pintus both nodded.

They knew Marcelo had been part of Real Madrid's tactical plan from the start, but he had ended up sidelined for months, leaving the team like it was playing with one lame leg.

Whether it was Marcos Alonso, Arbeloa, or Nacho, none had truly excelled at left-back. Marcos Alonso still hadn't found his form and was no better than the others.

Marcelo's importance on the left side was huge, especially for Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was incredibly strong, but he was still just one man. Toni Kroos wasn't the type of player to combine with him on the wing. He could support and pass, but he couldn't create the same attacking synergy.

Right now, only Marcelo could do that.

On the right, Di Maria and Carvajal had formed an excellent partnership, with growing chemistry.

It was a bit like the Messi-Alves pairing at Barcelona, where their combined effect was greater than the sum of their parts.

When Alves left, Messi's influence was reduced and Barcelona's attack suffered.

The same applied to Real Madrid.

Before Marcelo's injury, opponents often focused on shutting down Ronaldo, making Real Madrid's attack less effective. Later, Gao Shen pushed Carvajal forward, creating the right-wing partnership with Di Maria, which helped ease the pressure on Ronaldo's side.

But in the Champions League knockout stage, could Real Madrid keep playing this way?

"When the time comes, Ferguson will definitely focus on both flanks and make adjustments," Zidane predicted.

Carlo agreed. "Looking at the schedule, our biggest advantage is playing at home. It gives us about one more day of rest than Manchester United after the league game."

That single day was not to be underestimated, since Manchester United was in a fierce title race with Manchester City. By the 26th round, when they faced Everton at home, they would have to go all out.

If that happened, Ferguson's team wouldn't have much recovery time.

By the way, after 25 Premier League rounds, Leeds United had slipped to seventh place. Despite beating Reading away and drawing with Aston Villa at home, they then lost to Everton and Tottenham in back-to-back matches.

Two straight defeats saw the White Rose drop in the table, but they were still the most surprising promoted team of the season.

"Ferguson's tactics are very sharp, and Manchester United is a team he has led for many years. Even with that extra day, we still have to be extremely cautious. I think he'll definitely aim for an away goal, so..." Zidane didn't finish, but the meaning was clear. Why not just play defensively at home?

Gao Shen had always been pragmatic in his tactical approach. Playing defensively was normal for him, and it came without any psychological burden.

But he wondered whether Ferguson would think the same way.

When two masters face off, the result often comes down to details, because the difference in strength is small.

Real Madrid might have the advantage in strength, home ground, and schedule, but beating Manchester United at the Bernabéu would not be easy, especially since Ferguson knew Ronaldo and Gao Shen so well.

Gao Shen was trying to figure out Ferguson's approach.

And he believed Ferguson was doing the same at this very moment.

(To be continued.)