SWR: Chapter 699/700

Chapter 699: Who Else
On the evening of January 4th, it was raining and snowing in London.

Gao Shen stood in front of the visiting team's technical area at the Emirates Stadium, bundled up tightly with his hands stuffed in his coat pockets, only pulling them out when directing the game.

Even though the Emirates Stadium was equipped with a geothermal heating system, patches of white snow were still visible on the pitch. The field was very wet, which was unfavorable for both Manchester City and Arsenal.

From December 26th until now, four matches in ten days was a tough ask for any team.

Even Manchester City, with its impressively deep bench, wasn't exempt.

Gao Shen had used nearly every player in the first team, but there were still ups and downs in their performances.

This wasn't hard to understand.

It was Chinese New Year. While everyone else was at home setting off firecrackers, eating hotpot, and visiting friends and relatives, he had to leave home and work. No one would feel comfortable in that situation, no matter who they were.

As a result, Manchester City didn't perform well in their away match against Arsenal. Their form was clearly not sharp.

The first half ended 0-0. In the 55th minute of the second half, Gao Shen subbed off Henderson for Giroud, switching to a 4-4-2 formation to ramp up the attack against Arsenal.

The Gunners were more focused on defense tonight, tightly shutting down Manchester City's offense.

Wenger fielded a midfield trio of Alex Song, Fabregas, and Denílson, clearly prioritizing defensive solidity.

That 8-0 defeat still cast a shadow over Wenger's mind.

After Giroud came on, Van Persie was given a freer role, often dropping deeper to link play.

Gao Shen stood patiently on the touchline, waiting.

At that moment, Manchester City was pinning Arsenal back in midfield. Fabregas had dropped too deep, and Nasri and Walcott on the flanks couldn't create any real threat. Up front, Chamakh was isolated, receiving little to no service.

Arsenal's buildup lacked danger, and chances were few. But Manchester City also had a problem—they lacked a final killer pass.

Both wingers, Hazard and Robinho, were quiet tonight. Van Persie, who had been in blistering form this season with some of the best stats of his career, was also rather subdued.

Gao Shen brought Giroud on to pin down Arsenal's center-backs, Djourou and Koscielny, and to create more space for Van Persie.

Giroud didn't make an immediate impact—until the 71st minute...

…

"Yaya Touré uses his body to shield Fabregas, turns while dribbling, and brilliantly breaks free."

"The Ivorian midfielder pushes forward. Let's see how this Manchester City attack unfolds."

"Van Persie drops deep to receive and plays a one-two. Yaya Touré bursts forward, skips past Alex Song, and charges toward the box."

"Djourou and Koscielny close in and manage to win the ball. Yaya Touré goes down in the box, but the referee waves play on."

"But the clearance doesn't go far. It falls to the edge of the box. Giroud uses his body to hold off Clichy and plays a quick pass with the inside of his left foot."

"He pushes it into space on the left side of the defense, and Van Persie is there..."

"Chance!"

"Van Persie hits it first time!"

"It's in!!!"

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"In the 71st minute, Manchester City finally break the deadlock against Arsenal!"

"Van Persie! The man who moved from Arsenal to Manchester City this season scores against his former club with a stunning volley. A brilliant team goal!"

"Giroud's chipped assist was perfect!"

"Once again, Gao Shen's substitution proves decisive at a crucial moment."

…

When Van Persie scored, he didn't celebrate wildly.

Clearly, he still held deep feelings for his old club.

But on the sidelines, Gao Shen was already celebrating with clenched fists, cheering for Van Persie's goal, and giving Giroud a big thumbs-up.

The two combined perfectly.

"Giroud is really something!" Carlo praised with a smile, high-fiving Gao Shen.

Gao Shen nodded. Who says he isn't?

As a striker, Giroud's goal-scoring might not be prolific, but his tactical value was obvious. More importantly, he was a smart player.

No matter what task or role you gave him, he could carry it out effectively.

Just like earlier—Van Persie dropped deep, Yaya Touré surged forward, they exchanged passes, but why did Giroud, who had been stationed up front, suddenly drift to the right?

It wasn't some pre-arranged tactic. It was a spontaneous decision made on the pitch.

It might seem like a minor adjustment, but it was pivotal in creating the goal.

Giroud clearly understood that staying up front wasn't going to help. It would only congest the space around the top of the box and limit Yaya Touré's impact. So, he moved wide and waited for the chance.

Why not drift to the left?

Because Van Persie was already making a run there.

At that moment, Arsenal had five defenders around the top of the box, plus Fabregas dropping in, making it six. Manchester City only had three players, but they still scored.

It all came down to positioning and chemistry.

…

Thanks to Giroud's assist and Van Persie's goal, Manchester City beat Arsenal 1-0 away from home.

When Gao Shen approached Wenger after the match, the professor looked visibly downcast.

"We at least deserved a draw!" Wenger muttered with a bitter smile, like a wronged housewife.

"We should've scored two more," Gao Shen replied with a grin.

Neither manager was completely satisfied with the match, but Gao Shen came out on top, so he was naturally in a better mood.

And to be fair, he wasn't wrong—Manchester City did create more chances.

"Are you really planning to go for the Champions League this season?" Wenger asked.

Gao Shen didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "What do you think?"

"In terms of strength, only Barcelona could stop you," Wenger said with a hint of envy.

That's the advantage of money—you can build a strong team in a very short time.

"Why does that sound kind of sarcastic?" Gao Shen raised an eyebrow.

Wenger clicked his tongue. "You're such a schemer. You think everyone's playing mind games."

"Am I wrong?" Gao Shen looked him straight in the eyes.

The Frenchman chuckled. "Not really."

They both laughed.

At their level, many things no longer mattered that much.

They had fame and fortune. What drove them now was the pursuit of their own ideals.

Of course, that depended on the environment they were in.

Wenger had it tough.

Especially now, when morale was low, it was hard to lead the team forward.

Even though Wenger was still doing a solid job, could anyone else do better?

Arsenal would probably collapse instantly. Believe it or not.

Sometimes, football fans just don't appreciate what they have.

Where else can you find a coach like Wenger? Someone who swallows his pride, manages finances, plays attractive football, and has world-class coaching ability?

If Gao Shen could buy a team and find a head coach like Wenger, he'd be thrilled.

But now, the aftershocks of losing in the Champions League were just beginning.

Fabregas was leaving. Other players were also looking to move. The disaster for Arsenal was only just beginning.

The key issue was that, given the current financial state, it would take Arsenal at least two years to climb out of the hole.

Those two years would be rough.

…

Manchester City defeated Arsenal 1-0 away from home, winning all four matches in the grueling Christmas schedule.

Gao Shen finally got his revenge, wiping away the frustration from last year's poor Christmas and winter performances.

They were the only team to win all four games during the festive period.

In Round 22, Tottenham lost 1-2 away to Everton.

But the biggest shock came from Chelsea.

Ancelotti's side lost 0-1 away to Wolves.

Wolves were bottom of the Premier League. Ancelotti's defeat practically felt like charity, helping Wolves climb out of the relegation zone.

This result perfectly reflected the current state of the Premier League's bottom half.

There were only four points separating last place and Aston Villa in 14th.

The relegation battle was unprecedentedly fierce.

The strong teams kept getting stronger and the title race grew more intense. The weaker sides also improved, making survival even harder.

That's the Premier League in a nutshell.

Even a last-place team like Wolves could beat a giant like Chelsea.

This sparked some serious thoughts.

If Gao Shen really bought a team and got promoted to the Premier League, surviving wouldn't be that hard. But the real question was—how do you stay up?

You had to build a solid squad.

But the problem was, Gao Shen didn't have that kind of money.

It was time to start looking for bargains—players who didn't cost much but could make a big impact.

The first player that came to mind was a midfielder he liked a lot: Paul Pogba. The youngster was currently struggling at Manchester United.

Honestly, this kid had a real chance now.

Since City's rise, United had ramped up spending, bringing in stars like Sneijder and Lass Diarra, while still relying on veterans like Anderson, Scholes, Giggs, and Fletcher, along with domestic players like Cleverley. That left no room for young talents like Pogba in the first team.

In Gao Shen's past life, Pogba left United for Juventus because he didn't get opportunities.

The same situation was playing out again. With Sneijder and Lass Diarra in the squad, Pogba's chances were practically zero.

Pogba came from France's Ligue 2 in 2009 and had some name recognition. But there were tons of young talents like him in Europe. If he hadn't broken out at Juventus later, who would've known him?

Right now, there was still a good window of opportunity.

Gao Shen needed to find a chance to privately speak with Ferguson and see if he was willing to let Pogba go.

The old man was probably worried about the youth players' development too.

At Pogba's age, what he needed most was competitive experience.

Thinking of this, Gao Shen felt a surge of warmth in his chest.

He had to think harder—who else?

(To be continued.)

Chapter 700: New Premier League Champions

Some things are quite interesting when you think about them.

When Gao Shen was considering potential acquisition targets, one of the clubs initially evaluated was Leicester City, a team that was expected to perform miracles in the future. Coincidentally, in the FA Cup draw, Manchester City was drawn against Leicester City.

The current head coach of Leicester City was also a well-known figure—former England national team manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.

In this match, Gao Shen fielded a lineup full of substitutes and young players, while Leicester City went all out with their main squad.

The two sides were level at 1-1 within the first 20 minutes. Manchester City struck first, but Leicester equalized soon after.

However, starting from the 38th minute, Manchester City scored two goals within three minutes, extending their lead to 3-1.

Late in the second half, both sides added another goal each.

In the end, Manchester City beat Leicester City 4-2 away from home.

…

After the match, Gao Shen had a private chat with Eriksson.

Eriksson had taken over the team in mid-October. His predecessor was the famous Portuguese player Paulo Sousa.

Unfortunately, under Sousa, the team had managed only one win, two draws, and six losses in their first nine league games.

Since Eriksson took over, the team's form had improved dramatically, rising to 14th in the table. In the last 17 rounds, they'd won nine, drawn three, and lost five—a very solid record.

This clearly showed just how important a good manager is, especially in the lower leagues.

Leicester City's Thai owner, Vichai, was willing to pay Eriksson a high salary, indicating his serious investment in the club. The team was clearly ambitious.

Gao Shen had also learned that among all the Championship teams, Leicester City had the highest valuation at 55 million euros, far ahead of clubs like Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers.

But looked at from another angle, for a team with such high valuation to perform like this, it was disheartening. The owner was willing to invest, but results were lacking.

In contrast, Leeds United's total squad value was only about 25 million euros.

"We've invested a lot in the squad, but the players we brought in were overpriced. You know, the boss doesn't really understand football," Eriksson said helplessly.

This was a common issue for many foreign owners of English football clubs.

"Anyway, since you took over midseason, once you're more familiar with the team, you can really show your ability in the summer window. Maybe you can get promoted next season," Gao Shen said with a smile.

Eriksson shook his head and smiled bitterly.

In fact, this Leicester squad had no shortage of big names, even some well-known European players, like Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo, former Chelsea defender Bruma, ex-Tottenham player Kyle Naughton, former Fulham striker Kamara, and ex-Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies.

It could be said that many of them were Premier League-level players, and the team was strong on paper.

They had signed over 40 players in one summer, and integrating them was a huge challenge.

More importantly, the players all had different styles, making cohesion very difficult.

"By the way, how's Leeds United?" Gao Shen asked casually.

"They're a solid team. I've played against them. What can I say... they're definitely competitive in the Championship, but they're poor, really poor. Most of their players are on loan," Eriksson replied.

"Oh?" Gao Shen responded. He understood the situation.

"Yeah. We have a few loanees too, but not as many as Leeds. Ken Bates reached out to me before. But to be honest, unless that club changes ownership, it's hard to see them going far. Their style of play is good, though, never too defensive."

At this point, Eriksson looked at Gao Shen curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing much. Didn't they just draw with Arsenal at the Emirates? Just asking out of curiosity," Gao Shen said with a smile.

Eriksson nodded in understanding.

Indeed, Leeds had drawn 1-1 away to Arsenal not long ago.

Some might argue Arsenal didn't go all out, but Leeds performed well to earn the result.

But as Eriksson had pointed out, most of their players were loanees.

This was common in lower leagues. Who really had the money to invest heavily?

It was all about loan deals.

This arrangement benefited Premier League teams, who could loan out young players for experience. If the players did well, everyone gained.

Usually, the parent club paid the wages, meaning these loanees were essentially free to use.

Ken Bates had been involved in English football for years and knew this game inside out.

Gao Shen silently criticized it in his mind.

Damn. The stadium is rented, the training ground is rented, and now even the players are rented.

What's actually yours?

Meanwhile, there was a small upset in another match—Southampton beat Premier League side Blackpool 2-0 at home.

The Saints were indeed strong. Players who would later become Premier League standouts, like Lambert, Schneiderlin, and Ward-Prowse, were all in the squad. Along with young talents like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Southampton had plenty of quality.

The manager at the start of the season was Alan Pardew, but he was sacked after just a few games. Now, Ray Wilkins was in charge.

From Gao Shen's discussions with Su Qing and Lucas, it seemed they were leaning toward Southampton.

But others weren't blind either.

Looking at how the Liebherr family operated after taking over the Saints, it was clear they were shrewd businesspeople.

There was a high chance the Saints would get promoted to the Championship this season. Their academy was strong, with several youth internationals, and even the former head coach was someone like Alan Pardew. Though he'd been replaced by Wilkins midseason, the ambition was clear.

The only worry was the price—probably very high.

…

After the FA Cup, it was time for the League Cup semifinals in midweek.

It was interesting to note that this season, most of the top teams had abandoned the League Cup.

Among the four semifinalists, there was even a Championship team like Ipswich. Arsenal was the only true heavyweight.

So, the Gunners were the clear favorites to win this season's League Cup.

The upside of being knocked out early was that after the FA Cup, teams could enjoy a full week's rest.

For clubs playing continuously since Boxing Day, this was a rare and much-needed break.

But unlike other Premier League sides, Manchester City used the winter break for a recharging phase.

According to Buenaventura and Pintus's plans, City had to utilize this period to regain fitness and maintain competitiveness in the Champions League, which would resume in February.

Everyone knew the Premier League didn't have a winter break. The congested schedule drained players physically, which was a disadvantage ahead of the Champions League. The best solution was squad rotation during this period to recharge physically.

A week later, in the 23rd round of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted second-bottom Wolves.

This was the same team that had just upset Chelsea and were now eyeing another shock win against the league leaders.

And indeed, Wolves capitalized on City's sluggishness and opened the scoring 12 minutes in.

But before the end of the first half, David Luiz equalized for Manchester City from a corner.

After the break, City launched wave after wave of attacks, scoring three more, including a brace from Luis Suárez.

In the end, Manchester City came from behind to beat Wolves 4-1 at home.

Meanwhile, in the third round of the FA Cup midweek, Leeds United lost 1-3 at home to Arsenal.

This once again showed the obvious gap in strength between the two teams.

…

A week later, the 24th round of the Premier League kicked off.

Liverpool beat Wolves 3-0 away. Arsenal beat Wigan 3-0 at home. Manchester United demolished Birmingham 5-0. Chelsea thrashed Bolton 4-0 away.

Manchester City drew 1-1 away with Aston Villa.

It was the second draw of the season for the Blue Moon.

Still, everyone continued to praise City's performance this season and didn't lower their expectations because of one draw. Especially for Gao Shen, Manchester City's dominance was too obvious to ignore.

It could be said that so far this season, Manchester City hadn't given their Premier League rivals any chance.

With 22 wins and 2 draws after 24 rounds, their record was nothing short of eye-catching.

Many had already begun to believe that Manchester City had become the new kings of the Premier League, ushering in a new era.

…

Another week later, in the FA Cup fourth round, Manchester City drew Notts County.

This was a League One side, historically known as the oldest football club in the world. Based in Nottingham, they were fierce rivals of Nottingham Forest.

However, the team's current form in League One was poor.

Gao Shen once again sent out a full squad of substitutes and young players, and they defeated Notts County 5-0 away to progress to the fifth round.

Through these FA Cup matches, Gao Shen could see that the young players had clearly improved since the beginning of the season.

For example, De Bruyne's performance was impressive.

Also, Sturridge, a local player, stood out in the FA Cup. He even netted a hat-trick against Notts County and was outstanding.

After the match, Gao Shen made time to head south to London Heathrow Airport to pick up Su Qing.

…

In midweek, during the 25th round of the Premier League, Manchester City drew 2-2 away at Birmingham.

This result was largely due to Gao Shen rotating heavily to manage player fitness. The team started slowly, and the back line made several errors.

The center-back pairing of David Luiz and Jerome Boateng conceded twice in quick succession, but Manchester City responded with two goals in the second half. David Luiz scored again.

This time, it was from a free kick.

Yes, this guy had been working on set pieces.

…

On the weekend, the 26th round of the Premier League arrived.

After back-to-back league draws, Manchester City finally woke up, crushing West Bromwich Albion 5-0 at home.

The Baggies were battling relegation but were thrashed at the Etihad Stadium.

Even so, Gao Shen wasn't satisfied with the team's performance. He believed that if they had been in better form, they could've scored at least eight.

Unfortunately, City was still in the process of readjusting their rhythm.

That led many British media outlets to accuse Gao Shen of being too "Versailles."

But as The Times put it, in today's Premier League, no team could stop this dominant Manchester City.

After the match against West Brom, Gao Shen and his group quietly headed south to Southampton.

(To be continued.)