SWR: Chapter 792/793

Chapter 792: King of Kings in Europe
Except for Manchester City's core coaching staff, no one knew that Gao Shen had already performed the "Hogwarts prophecy."

Everyone was focused on the conflict between Lampard and Villas-Boas at Chelsea, and the news that Manchester United had been held to a draw away at Stoke City. Crouch's goal had left Ferguson furious after the match.

Because of that draw, Manchester United once again lost their place at the top of the league.

Just a week ago, Ferguson had made a bold statement, vowing to beat Manchester City and win the title. How long had it been?

First, they were knocked out of the League Cup by a Championship side. Now they had surrendered the lead in the league. Where could Ferguson put his face?

However, Ferguson also had his response.

Although Manchester United drew with Stoke City, Ferguson didn't talk about his own team but instead pointed out Manchester City's biggest current problem.

"More and more teams are becoming familiar with and understanding Manchester City's tactical style. They're no longer afraid of them."

Ferguson claimed that Everton was just the beginning, and that more teams would cause problems for Manchester City on the pitch. The stronger the opponent, the more difficulties they would face.

"It will be hard for them to win easily in the Premier League and Champions League like they have over the past two seasons."

Ferguson's remarks were echoed by many in the media.

After all, professional managers were doing their jobs. Manchester City was now too strong, so naturally, opponents were studying how to counter them tactically.

It's worth mentioning that the Queens Park Rangers, managed by Mark Hughes, were currently ranked 17th in the Premier League, just one point above second-to-last Bolton.

Before the season, the former Manchester City manager had confidently predicted that QPR would avoid relegation and even become a dark horse. But after six rounds, his prediction had clearly failed.

Not only that, Jonathan Howson, the homegrown midfield talent selected by Mark Hughes at a cost of £10 million, had played all 540 minutes of the first six matches.

But unlike his standout performances in the Championship last season, his displays in the first six rounds of the Premier League could only be described as miserable.

Zero goals, zero assists, two yellow cards, and the lowest player rating on the team.

As a midfielder, Howson had posted an impressive double-double last season in the Championship. But in the first six league matches for QPR, he had failed to score or assist. Even his passing, the most basic skill for a midfielder, was poor. He simply couldn't keep up with the pace of the Premier League.

Worse still, he was giving the ball away far too often.

England U21 coach Stuart Pearce was also disappointed with Howson's post-transfer form. He said the player needed to get back in shape quickly, but in the meantime, excluded him from the youth team squad.

Amid this, the Yorkshire Post began to break the story, claiming that Jonathan Howson was never Gao Shen's choice.

"In fact, from start to finish, the midfielder Gao Shen admired most was Paul Pogba. He even personally spoke with Ferguson and Pogba, which led to the French midfield prodigy's transfer to Leeds United."

Paul Pogba had since become one of Leeds United's standout performers this season.

"His talent is so obvious, it's overflowing!"

As for the previous rumors that Gao Shen had picked Jonathan Howson, the Yorkshire Post said those were tabloid fabrications, which were then picked up by many major outlets. But in reality, Gao Shen had never made such claims.

The issue quickly attracted the media's attention.

When reporters asked Fernando Lucas directly, the Leeds United CEO stated clearly that Gao Shen had never said that.

"He was our best player last season, and we all believed he deserved a new contract. But the moment he submitted a transfer request, we knew we couldn't keep him."

As for reports that QPR manager Mark Hughes was becoming dissatisfied with Howson's performances and might even consider offloading him back to Leeds United at a discount during the winter transfer window, Lucas denied it outright.

"The deal is done. We got a good fee. QPR got the player they wanted, and the player fulfilled his wish to play in the Premier League. There's no point talking about it now."

"We have a group of outstanding young midfielders like Paulinho, Pogba, Schneiderlin, and Kondogbia. I don't think Jonathan Howson would be able to establish himself in this new Leeds United team even if he came back."

The implication was obvious—there was no longer a place for him at Leeds United.

But Mark Hughes did have regrets.

According to media reports, he regretted missing out on veteran players like Wright-Phillips and bringing in Jonathan Howson instead.

QPR's management had also started reviewing the transfer decisions and were even considering holding Mark Hughes accountable.

As for Gao Shen, he remained silent throughout the whole incident.

After Leeds United got on track, he basically no longer involved himself and never brought it up again.

Three days after the match against Everton, Manchester City headed into the second round of the Champions League group stage.

The team flew to Porto, Portugal, for an away match at the Estádio do Dragão.

Ferguson was right. More and more teams were starting to figure out how to deal with Manchester City.

Especially a team like Porto, who had already played against them in the European Super Cup.

In this match, Victor Pereira dropped his usual approach and adopted a more defensive setup, fielding a three-man midfield of Souza, Fernando, and Defour.

The two wide players were also adjusted from before.

Hulk remained on the right, Kleber played in the center, but the left wing was now manned by Colombian youngster James Rodríguez.

Yes, the same James Rodríguez rumored to have helped Florentino land a billion-dollar business deal.

He hadn't yet made his mark on a World Cup stage, but his talent was already clear to see.

Porto called it a 4-3-3, but in practice it often played like a 4-4-2, with James Rodríguez acting more like an attacking midfielder.

Still, their overall setup was based on defense and counterattacks.

Once the match started, Manchester City's attack was immediately stifled by Porto.

With the protection of three defensive midfielders, plus support from the backline and hard-working attackers, Manchester City's offensive game ran into serious resistance and kept getting shut down.

After their loss in the Super Cup, Ferreira had clearly studied Manchester City more carefully and had put together an effective defensive strategy.

The first half ended 0–0.

Manchester City dominated possession and tempo, had the upper hand on the pitch, and constantly created chances, but still couldn't break the deadlock.

The team was visibly frustrated.

Gao Shen had expected this.

At halftime, he swapped Rakitic and David Silva, moving the Spaniard to the right.

He also asked Gareth Bale, Suarez, and Robben to rotate positions frequently.

"The tighter the opponent's defense, the more we need to pull them around and create openings."

Gao Shen told his players to stay calm and patient, no matter what.

In the second half, Manchester City's attack remained stalled by Porto.

But in the 69th minute, Robben suddenly appeared on the left. After receiving a pass from Suarez, he quickly drove down the flank. Fucile chased him all the way.

Just as he reached the left edge of the penalty area, Robben suddenly stopped and cut back. Fucile lost his balance and slid to the ground. Robben had already pulled away and passed the ball back to the edge of the box.

Suarez didn't stop the ball, instead playing it forward to Gareth Bale inside the box.

At that moment, the Welshman was positioned near the penalty spot, holding off Otamendi with his body and controlling Suarez's pass.

But Otamendi defended well and didn't let Bale turn. With Fernando, Souza, and others retreating quickly, Bale used his body to shield the ball, then quickly laid it off to Suarez.

The Uruguayan striker didn't stop it and fired with his right foot.

"Goalkeeper Helton makes a crucial save!"

"What a great stop!"

"Suarez's right-foot shot was sudden, but Helton still got a hand to it!"

"But the ball is still in the six-yard box. City still have a chance!"

"David Silva!"

"The ball is in!"

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"David Silva scores!"

"It was the 70th minute. David Silva pounced on the rebound and tapped the ball into the Porto net!"

"One-nil!"

"My goodness, Manchester City's attack was completely rearranged!"

"Right winger Robben appeared on the left, Gareth Bale took on the role of center forward, Suarez dropped deep to support, and David Silva cut inside from the right channel, appearing at the far post to score the crucial goal!"

"We can see the City players are ecstatic."

"Porto are definitely no pushovers. They won the treble last season!"

"In last year's European competitions, only two teams won the treble: Manchester City, who won the Champions League, and Porto, who won the Europa League."

"But before that, Manchester City beat Porto in the European Super Cup, proving they are the true kings of Europe!"

"Tonight, at the Estádio do Dragão, against a tough defensive setup, City still managed to find their moment."

"Now it's up to Porto. Do they want to chase the equalizer?"

"City have the lead, and Gao Shen is preparing substitutions."

"I believe that now that they've gone ahead, he'll make the most of their initiative."

"Porto also need to consider whether they want to push forward."

"Three days ago in the Premier League, Everton conceded one and tried to fight back, only to concede a second shortly after."

"Ferreira must think carefully. Should Porto press forward?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 793: You Can Step Down Again

After all, Victor Ferreira was no David Moyes, who made a last-ditch push at the end of the match.

Thanks to David Silva's golden goal, Manchester City narrowly defeated Porto 1-0 away from home, securing back-to-back wins in the group stage.

Gao Shen finally let out a sigh of relief. One by one, he high-fived and hugged each Manchester City player as they came off the pitch, expressing his satisfaction with their performance. However, as soon as he returned to the visiting team's coaching booth, he received shocking news.

Real Madrid had lost!

While Manchester City were away to Porto, Real Madrid were hosting Dortmund. Both matches were played simultaneously.

Just as the match in Portugal had ended, so had the one in Madrid.

The two sides had gone into halftime level at 0-0. But not long into the second half, Dortmund launched a wave of attacks, and Götze assisted Lewandowski to open the scoring.

But the lead didn't last long. Just three minutes later, Xabi Alonso equalized for Real Madrid.

After that, the game became a stalemate again, with neither side able to score.

At the crucial moment, Klopp showed courage. In the 70th minute, he made two substitutions to bolster his attack.

In the 88th minute, Ivan Perisic, who had come on for captain Kehl, scored again for Dortmund.

The score remained 2-1 until the final whistle.

Klopp's team defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, pulling off a major upset.

When Gao Shen received the news, he was stunned.

Last season, Real Madrid hosted Inter Milan in the second round of the group stage and at least managed a narrow win.

Although it had been tough, they still got the result in the end.

But this season, they lost at home to Dortmund.

You had to consider that this Dortmund was not yet Klopp's peak side.

Players like Lewandowski, Götze, and Schmelzer hadn't reached their full potential yet.

But Real Madrid still failed to beat them.

This was quite dangerous.

"With results like this in the first two group stage games, I'm afraid a coaching change is coming," Carlo said anxiously.

After the first two rounds, the situation in Group D had become clear. Manchester City and Dortmund had both won their opening two matches, while Real Madrid and Porto had lost both. In the next two rounds, Manchester City would face Dortmund, and Real Madrid would take on Porto.

This would be the last chance to turn things around and qualify from the group.

Normally, if a coaching change is coming, it happens before such a key moment.

Take Real Madrid's current situation, for example. If they were serious about changing managers, they would need to do it now.

If they moved quickly, they could take advantage of the upcoming international break. The new manager would have time to prepare and familiarize himself with the squad. Ancelotti also happened to be out of work at the moment.

Many in the media were speculating that Real Madrid were planning to sack Mourinho and bring in Ancelotti as head coach.

It was a very suitable time to do so.

Ideally, the team would turn things around in the third and fourth rounds of the group stage. But if the situation worsened, it might be too late for a change.

However, replacing a coach of Mourinho's stature was not easy.

For example, there was the issue of compensation.

Head coach contracts generally include restrictive clauses for both parties. If Real Madrid fired Mourinho prematurely, they would be required to pay hefty termination fees. According to media speculation, it would cost no less than 20 million euros.

That was a massive amount.

But coaches were not without obligations. Most contracts included clauses that waived compensation if performance targets were not met.

Still, it was only two games into the group stage. Nothing was set in stone.

What if Mourinho won all four of the remaining matches?

So if the contract were terminated now, it would most likely involve a mutual agreement where Mourinho would step down without demanding compensation.

If Real Madrid had to pay the full penalty, it would become a serious problem.

"It's hard to say," Gao Shen shook his head and sighed.

Real Madrid's biggest problem right now was morale.

If the players had no belief, it was very difficult to lead the team forward.

At this point, it was no longer about who was right or wrong.

Only children worry about right and wrong. Adults think about gains and losses.

The most urgent need for Real Madrid was to regroup and rebuild team spirit and fighting power.

But looking deeper, a short-term reconciliation between Mourinho and Casillas seemed impossible.

"More importantly, changing managers in a hurry might not even fix the problem. Even though Ancelotti is known for managing dressing rooms well, he may not be able to control the current mess at Real Madrid." Gao Shen shook his head and sighed again.

That wasn't just speculation.

Ancelotti had been coaching for many years and his abilities were beyond doubt. But what truly made him a respected figure in European football were his years at AC Milan, especially the two Champions League titles, which earned him elite status.

But his time at Chelsea had also dealt a major blow to his reputation. Being fired by Abramovich in such a humiliating way had hurt his standing.

In fact, in Gao Shen's previous life, Ancelotti's first season in charge of Paris Saint-Germain was also questioned.

He took over in January 2021 when PSG were leading Ligue 1, three points ahead of Montpellier. But after PSG were eliminated from the Europa League group stage, manager Antoine Kombouaré was sacked, and Ancelotti came in to save the season.

Six months later, PSG fell three points behind Montpellier and ended up finishing second.

At that time, Ancelotti still had the glow of success from his Chelsea tenure, but in this timeline, Ancelotti had not performed well at Chelsea and was seen more as a failure.

Though he had been a major success at AC Milan, his underwhelming spell at Chelsea had caused people to question him.

Given the current chaos in the Real Madrid dressing room, which was full of superstars and cliques, could Ancelotti really manage it?

That was a serious question.

Gao Shen's suspicions were soon confirmed.

The Spanish newspaper AS reported that after Real Madrid's home loss to Dortmund, Mourinho heard boos at the Bernabéu.

Real Madrid fans had had enough of him.

But the Portuguese coach remained defiant. He stated that he would never resign and that he firmly believed in his ability to turn things around. He reiterated one key message:

"In my team, there is only one indispensable person, and that's me!"

It was clear that Mourinho had chosen to fight it out to the end with Casillas.

Marca reported that after the defeat to Dortmund, Real Madrid's board and senior executives held an emergency meeting at the Bernabéu to discuss the situation.

"Many within the club remain cautious about firing Mourinho, including technical director Valdano, who has long been at odds with the coach. Valdano made it clear that now is not the right time to make a change."

Marca revealed that after Real Madrid failed to qualify from the group stage last season, Valdano had advised Florentino not to change coaches midseason. But after the season ended, he pushed for a change, only for the board to back Mourinho.

"For that reason, Valdano even offered to resign, but Florentino refused to accept it."

Now, once again at a critical moment, Valdano was opposing a coaching change.

"He believes that there are many players represented by Mendes in the Real Madrid dressing room. If the coach is changed, it could trigger a chain reaction. Things might end up worse than they are now."

"Especially Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"Sources close to Ronaldo say the Portuguese superstar is already considering leaving Real Madrid. There were even reports that he personally called Ferguson to discuss the possibility of returning to Manchester United."

Marca reported that since joining Real Madrid, Ronaldo had gone three straight seasons without a major trophy. He was extremely frustrated with his time at the club and had had enough of life without silverware.

Manchester United were determined to challenge their arch-rivals Manchester City. If they could bring Ronaldo back, it would be a massive boost. The only obstacle was the transfer fee.

On September 28, the day after the Champions League group stage match, Real Madrid president Florentino appeared at the Bernabéu alongside several senior executives for a press conference. He solemnly clarified to the public that Real Madrid's management had always supported Mourinho and had no intention of changing managers. He dismissed outside rumors as baseless.

Regarding the internal conflicts within the Real Madrid dressing room, Florentino stated there were none.

"I understand that when the team is in trouble, outsiders who don't know the full story tend to make all sorts of wild speculations, but those are irresponsible."

"I can say with full responsibility that everyone at Real Madrid supports Mourinho. We all firmly believe that he can lead the team out of this difficult period."

Casillas?

"Yes, he's injured. Out of consideration for the player's health, the coaching staff has decided to let him recover properly."

Florentino made no mention of past disputes or tensions, dismissing everything as outside gossip.

There were no conflicts within the Real Madrid dressing room.

But this kind of statement didn't carry much weight.

AS editor-in-chief Alfredo wrote in his column: "The Bernabéu has heard boos again!"

"What Real Madrid fans want is not more cover-ups. They want action to resolve the ongoing locker room conflicts and address the problems the team is facing right now."

"Are we really going to wait until Real Madrid fall into the Europa League?"

"Can the fans accept that?"

Alfredo's pointed questions struck a nerve with countless Real Madrid fans and journalists.

If Real Madrid really dropped into the Europa League, it would be an absolute disgrace.

And when that day came, the fans' anger would not only be directed at the players and manager, but also at the board.

In 2006, Florentino had been forced to step down.

Now, he could step down again!

At this moment of public uproar, Florentino finally got through to Gao Shen on the phone.

(To be continued.)