Starting With Real Madrid

The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals was scheduled to take place at noon.

The eight participating teams had all sent representatives to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to witness the draw ceremony in person.

The special guests for the event included Bruno Conti, representing the final venue in Rome, and UEFA Secretary General David Taylor, who presided over the ceremony, which was broadcast live worldwide.

This draw not only determined the quarter-final matchups but also set the path for the semi-finals by dividing the teams into the upper and lower brackets.

Looking at the distribution of the eight teams, the Premier League and La Liga clearly held the upper hand, especially the Premier League.

If Napoli hadn't eliminated Chelsea, the Premier League would have taken up half of the top eight spots.

Truly, this era of European football can be considered the golden age of the Premier League.

…

Gao Shen and his assistants gathered early in the coach's office to watch the live broadcast of the draw.

As the broadcast began, the highlights of the round of 16 and the performance of the remaining eight teams were reviewed. This was standard procedure.

"I suddenly don't want to face Manchester United so soon," Gao Shen said with a chuckle.

It was a curious feeling.

Previously, he had wanted to test himself against Manchester United and Ferguson, mostly because he hadn't had a clear expectation of the team's results at the time.

But now things were different.

Reversing Chelsea in both legs of the round of 16 had made Gao Shen realize his team's potential. His current goal was to reach the semi-finals, or perhaps even further.

To achieve that, advancing past the quarter-finals was essential.

Under these circumstances, meeting Manchester United too early would not be ideal.

Ferguson was no pushover.

If they faced Manchester United now, Gao Shen honestly wasn't sure how he would approach the game.

Of course, there was another team he didn't want to face too soon: Barcelona.

In his previous life, Guardiola's Barcelona had ushered in a new tactical era, with their peak lasting several years. But Gao Shen's favorite iteration of the team was the one from 2009.

How could he put it?

The Barcelona of that year felt more human, flawed, prone to mistakes, and occasionally struggling…

Yaya Touré, for instance, clearly wasn't suited to the number six role for Barcelona. There was no question about that. He struggled as a single defensive midfielder because he liked pushing forward too much. Given his skillset, putting him in that role was simply a waste of talent.

But when Yaya Touré was benched in favor of Busquets, Barcelona became obsessed with minimizing errors. Their game was increasingly dominated by horizontal passes, with fewer and fewer direct plays…

Some argued this was a reaction to the external pressure on Barcelona, which had steadily escalated, forcing them to play safer.

Take the 2010 semi-final against Mourinho's Inter Milan, for instance.

Whatever the reasons, the Barcelona team that followed never reached the same electrifying, awe-inspiring heights as the 2009 squad.

Not to mention, the overacting theatrics from some Barcelona players later on made them harder to root for.

In Gao Shen's previous life, he'd always had a special affection for the Barcelona team of 2009.

But now, fans weren't as awestruck.

Gao Shen and his Napoli team had disrupted the narrative too early.

In fact, almost everyone, including Guardiola himself recognized the deep tactical imprint Gao Shen had left on Barcelona.

After all, Guardiola had once been Gao Shen's assistant.

For now, Gao Shen didn't want to face Barcelona or Manchester United too soon. As for the other teams, he wasn't particularly concerned.

Even Benítez's Liverpool were clearly past their prime and not as formidable as they once were.

Napoli's back-to-back comebacks against Chelsea had already proven that this technically skilled team was capable of competing with any opponent in the quarter-finals.

Gao Shen and his team were confident.

…

As Gao Shen and his assistants discussed potential matchups, Arsenal's name was the first to be drawn.

Wenger's Gunners had already earned a reputation as being vulnerable to Serie A teams.

Gao Shen joked, "I wonder if Bruno Conti cursed under his breath when he pulled Arsenal's name? Like, 'Damn it, I'll make sure you get Barcelona and get eliminated by Roma!'"

The room erupted in laughter.

"I bet he draws a weaker team next, like Villarreal or Porto," Lucas suggested. "That way, if Arsenal makes it to the semi-finals or even the final, Roma's elimination in the round of 16 won't look as bad."

Everyone agreed that it made sense.

Gao Shen couldn't help but smile wryly.

As for conspiracy theories about the draw, they were hard to prove or disprove.

Every team in the quarter-finals was strong. Unless you were a team like Barcelona, there were no guarantees about advancing.

Ultimately, if you wanted to progress, you had to perform well on the pitch.

That was why Gao Shen remained calm and prepared to face any opponent.

As people often said, winning the Champions League required both skill and luck.

To everyone's surprise, after Arsenal was drawn, the next name Bruno Conti pulled out was Napoli.

The representative from Rome was practically beaming.

"Why does it look like he's gloating?" Lucas grumbled with a laugh.

Everyone nodded in agreement. It really did seem that way.

Facing Arsenal in the quarter-finals wasn't a bad draw.

Of course, a matchup against Porto or Villarreal would've been even better.

But Gao Shen had a feeling he wasn't that lucky.

…

The final quarter-final matchups were as follows:

Arsenal vs. Napoli.

Manchester United vs. Porto.

Villarreal vs. Liverpool.

Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich.

The first four teams were placed in the upper half of the bracket, while the latter four teams were in the lower half.

This meant that if Napoli eliminated Arsenal to reach the semi-finals, their next opponent would be Ferguson's Manchester United.

Want to face Barcelona? Sure—just make it to the Champions League final first.

This was a realistic path.

After all, it was unrealistic to expect an easy draw in the quarter-finals.

Even a team like Chelsea, which had extraordinary luck last season, still had to face Liverpool in the semi-finals.

If Napoli managed to breeze all the way to the final, it would practically make them God's chosen team.

Besides, Gao Shen had never been lucky when it came to draws or lotteries in either this life or his previous one.

His most absurd experience was during his school days. He'd gone to a convenience store and won a free drink eight times in a row. Feeling invincible, he spent his entire month's savings of 100 dollars on lottery tickets.

The result? Not a single winning ticket.

From then on, Gao Shen stopped believing in luck.

But there was a silver lining: every time he gambled, he prepared for the worst.

No hope meant no disappointment.

That was a good mindset to have.

…

After the draw results were announced, opinions from the media poured in.

In Italy, Serie A pundits believed Napoli's draw was neither particularly bad nor especially good.

At least they hadn't drawn the strongest teams like Barcelona or Manchester United.

La Repubblica warned Napoli not to underestimate Arsenal, pointing out that Wenger's side had been strong contenders in this season's Champions League.

Meanwhile, in London, Wenger was quick to speak to the media.

He praised Napoli as a competitive team but emphasized Arsenal's experience in the knockout stages. "I think both teams have an equal chance of advancing," he said.

Wenger also expressed satisfaction with the schedule, which had Arsenal hosting the first leg before traveling to Naples.

"We need to gain an advantage at home in the first leg to give ourselves more control in the second," he added.

Wenger also spoke highly of Gao Shen, describing him as the most exciting young coach in football.

"I've faced him before. His teams always deliver surprises in knockout matches."

However, Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis, attending the draw in Nyon, was far less cautious.

Beaming with confidence, Gazidis declared, "We're stronger than Napoli. I'm very satisfied with this draw!"

Gazidis explained that Arsenal's tense victory over Roma in the previous round had proved the team's resilience. "This is a good draw, no doubt about it."

In contrast, Napoli's general manager Marino remained modest.

As a club with limited finances and newfound success, Napoli considered simply reaching the quarter-finals an achievement. Marino expressed gratitude and humility, saying, "The Champions League is a grand stage. Arsenal is a huge challenge, but we'll do our best to advance."

Even Napoli's outspoken owner De Laurentiis was uncharacteristically subdued, saying, "Every team has its strengths. Arsenal will be a tough opponent, but we'll give it our all."

Back in Castel Volturno, Gao Shen faced the Italian media with more confidence.

"This is a good draw. I like playing against Arsenal, and I like beating them. I've done it before."

"In 2006, when I first coached Real Madrid, we faced Arsenal in my first Champions League match. We beat them at the Emirates and advanced."

"Want to see it happen again? Watch me, I'll demonstrate it again!"