SWR: Chapter 593/594

Chapter 593: Ferguson, Please Be More Careful

After a video showing Manchester City's 4–1 win over Arsenal, the broadcast returned to the studio of Match of the Day.

It was a scene every Premier League fan was familiar with.

But today, things were clearly different.

Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer, seated on either side, were both in suits, barely managing to hold back their laughter. Host Gary Lineker, sitting in the middle, was also seated, only he clearly wasn't wearing a shirt and looked extremely embarrassed.

Even though he had been retired for years, it was obvious Lineker had kept in great shape.

As the camera zoomed in, Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.

Lineker looked "awkwardly" at the two beside him, took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, stomped his foot, and stood up.

Only then did the viewers in front of the screen suddenly realize, my god, he was only wearing a pair of shorts!

The two on either side were already doubled over with laughter.

"Come on, you two—show some self-control!" Lineker said in a "kind" tone.

But that only made them laugh even harder.

Since the end of the first round of the league, Lineker had made a bet with Gao Shen from afar. Although Gao Shen never responded, after every Manchester City victory, Lineker would appear on the program wearing one less item of clothing.

First the blazer, then the shirt, then the vest, now the trousers.

So by this round, he was down to just a pair of shorts.

But clearly, he had dodged the bet's full consequences by going shirtless and keeping the shorts.

"What are we supposed to control? Gary, we all have to accept the consequences of a bet. Don't you agree?" Alan Hansen said, gleefully stirring the pot.

Alan Shearer nodded. "But I have a question. Why shorts and not underwear? I remember you once said you don't wear long underwear. Don't tell me you've got another pair under those shorts."

Hansen burst out laughing again, it was too funny.

"Okay, let me explain," Lineker said, touching his lips to mask his embarrassment. "Everyone knows we're on a public TV program, so we have to keep things appropriate. That's why I'm wearing shorts."

"Why does that sound like your last stand?" Hansen said with a grin.

Shearer nodded. "Completely agree."

"I swear, there's nothing left underneath. This is the last one!" Lineker declared confidently.

"So…"

"Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson—you'd better be careful! You can't lose again! If you do, I'll have to put a mosaic on myself!" Lineker shouted dramatically.

Hansen and Shearer were nearly rolling on the floor laughing, and the entire set was in chaos.

"Honestly, we're a football show with integrity, and the BBC is a station with standards. I really don't want to be the first host in history to appear on air with a mosaic, I mean it!" Lineker said, looking utterly miserable.

Hansen couldn't resist kicking him while he was down. "But we're all looking forward to seeing you lose another layer!"

"It's alright, dear viewers in front of your TVs, even if you do see a mosaic, we'll make sure to strictly control it. There's no way he's getting off the hook," Shearer piled on.

Lineker raised both hands high, wearing the expression of a man drowning, desperately waiting for someone to save him.

In fact, not just them—no one in the entire Premier League, or even in Europe, had expected Manchester City to win five straight games.

The discussion naturally shifted to this round of the Premier League, especially Manchester City's 4–1 win over Arsenal.

Lineker used several extremely exaggerated adjectives to describe Manchester City this season.

He believed that Manchester City was already one of the best-performing and strongest teams in the Premier League.

"Gao Shen has once again proven his coaching ability in building and integrating a team. Sure, he spent a lot of money, but the results were immediate. We've seen that Manchester City is currently the team with the strongest attacking firepower and the most solid defense in the Premier League without a doubt!"

"I don't know what the rest of you think after watching, but from what I've heard, everyone in the industry is stunned. Some people are even saying that if Manchester United can't stop City at Old Trafford next round, then this team might be unstoppable."

"Don't forget, Manchester City doesn't have any European competition this season. They can focus all their energy on the league. That's their biggest advantage!"

"More importantly, in the five matches so far, Gao Shen has used five different tactical setups. I seriously feel like he's treating Manchester City like his own tactical board, using it to showcase his tactics to the world."

"You know what? I've heard more than once from top people in the industry that Gao Shen is already being seen as a tactical master!"

"Can you imagine that? In a role that relies so heavily on experience, a young man who just turned 29 and has been coaching for less than four years is already considered to be at the level of the tactical elite."

"All I can say is, he's a genius!"

…

Manchester United's match kicked off earlier than Manchester City's.

Since Sneijder's arrival, the Red Devils' midfield passing had improved significantly.

When Ferguson led the team back to Manchester from London, he received the news that Manchester City had beaten Arsenal 4–1 and that Robben had come off the bench to score twice and assist once.

From that moment on, the look on Ferguson's face never relaxed.

Sitting in his office, staring blankly at the wall, no one knew what he was thinking, but it was clear that his concerns stemmed from Gao Shen and his Manchester City.

Manchester City wasn't the only team with five consecutive wins, Chelsea and Liverpool had also done it. Especially Liverpool, where Benítez's team had shown clear improvement thanks to the arrival of Biglia.

But Manchester City was different from those teams.

Their rise would definitely disrupt the traditional Premier League order.

In the past, regardless of who rose or fell, the top four positions could still be preserved. Everyone fought for the title, but the loss of interest wasn't too significant.

Now, things were different. With Manchester City's rise, any team that performed poorly could be immediately knocked out of the top four.

Missing out on the Champions League would mean tens of millions of euros lost, who could afford that?

No one understood better than the Big Four what the Champions League truly represented. It wasn't just about the money, it was about attracting world-class players. It was the foundation and bargaining chip that allowed them to poach talent from other Premier League teams at will.

Lose that status, and who could guarantee you wouldn't spiral downwards?

"I knew it. I actually always knew it!"

Ferguson muttered in his hoarse voice as Mike Phelan and René Meulensteen walked in.

It sounded like he was speaking to his assistants, but also like he was talking to himself.

"Ever since Gao Shen started coaching in the Premier League, I knew he'd be a major problem. After he built his squad and brought in players, I had a rough idea that this Premier League season was going to be trouble. Now I see it more clearly."

Ferguson let out a cold snort as he spoke.

"Top four? I doubt Gao Shen even believes that nonsense. Anyone who thinks he spent that much money just to fight for a top-four finish is a fool!"

"He's smart—really smart! He spent just over ten million euros to take Napoli from Serie B to Serie A champions and then to a treble. You think he spent all this just to be top four?"

Ferguson was full of frustration, while Phelan and Meulensteen stood silently, not daring to interrupt.

Sir Alex Ferguson's authority at Manchester United was unmatched.

"Just look at the squad. It's clear he's going for the title and not just this season's, but next season's and the one after that. With his deep tactical understanding and Manchester City's financial backing…"

Ferguson didn't finish the sentence but let out two bitter chuckles, clearly dissatisfied with the current situation.

With his wealth of coaching experience, he could roughly judge an opponent's strength and potential just by looking at their performance, lineup, and individual player quality.

So before every season, Ferguson would assess the Premier League landscape.

Tottenham Hotspur's target this season was to break into the top four, which was why they held on to Modrić.

Redknapp clearly understood the principle: control the midfield, control the game.

But Tottenham still fell slightly short of the top-four standard, which was why Manchester United had beaten them 3–1 away.

Liverpool also had five straight wins, but their biggest problem remained their attack. They only had Torres. Benayoun exploded this round, but his form was inconsistent.

To win the title, a team needed a group of players capable of consistently delivering top-tier attacking output. Relying on Torres alone wasn't enough. That was Liverpool's biggest hidden danger.

If Torres stayed injury-free and in top form all season, Liverpool had a shot. If not, forget it.

Chelsea were another title contender.

Especially after Ancelotti took charge. To fix Chelsea's lack of attacking threat in the final third, he pushed both full-backs, Ashley Cole and Bosingwa forward to provide support. This brought advantages, but also risks.

Everything now hinged on Joe Cole and Deco. If Ancelotti could make the most of those two, Chelsea would be title favorites.

That had been Ferguson's assessment.

But now, his view had changed.

After five rounds, he had seen the true strength of Gao Shen and this Manchester City side, what Gao Shen aimed for, what he had shown, and how much the City players had improved.

There was someone stepping up in every game, and the team visibly progressed with each match. That kind of team was frightening!

"I always knew he'd challenge for the title and to become the world's top manager, but I didn't think he'd arrive so soon!"

Gao Shen and Manchester City's performance had placed immense pressure on Ferguson and even shook his confidence slightly.

He needed time to recover and adapt.

At his age, with his coaching experience, he could still manage the situation and prepare Manchester United to face Manchester City in their best condition.

But Ferguson had a very strong and deeply worrying—intuition:

If Manchester United couldn't stop Manchester City at Old Trafford, that rising powerhouse would become unstoppable!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 594: Continue the Winning Streak

After defeating Arsenal, Gao Shen posted a photo on Twitter of the scoreboard at the Etihad Stadium, showing the final score: 4–1.

"Received a beautiful birthday present!"

The next day, this was picked up by numerous media outlets around the world, and was widely reposted and commented on by fans and netizens.

Gao Shen had long become accustomed to this.

As one of the earliest adopters of Twitter, he not only became the platform's number one internet celebrity, but also one of its shareholders. This made him even more enthusiastic about tweeting, and he would post updates from time to time.

Today, Twitter has nearly 50 million users and has attracted celebrities from entertainment and politics, including Justin Bieber and others, but Gao Shen remains the undisputed number one internet celebrity.

Every tweet of his is retweeted and commented on by countless fans and netizens.

Even FIFA President Blatter once said: Gao Shen is the best ambassador for promoting football.

Many believe Gao Shen's popularity stems not only from his remarkable journey in the football world, but also from the fact that he personally maintains his Twitter presence, something extremely rare among top figures.

"Everyone wants to know what the stars they follow do, see, and eat every day."

After defeating Arsenal, Gao Shen posted a routine tweet.

But the Daily Mail reposted it with commentary: "For Arsenal and Wenger, this was anything but beautiful!"

The reason was simple, the Gunners had dropped to sixth place.

…

In addition to his Twitter post, many media outlets focused on Gao Shen's third victory over Arsenal.

Each win had featured a different tactical approach.

So far this season, Gao Shen had used five different tactical systems and lineups in five matches.

This was the most astonishing aspect.

The Manchester Evening News wrote that today's Manchester City resembled a sophisticated tactical laboratory. Gao Shen was constantly experimenting with new tactical setups on the team, using these trials to inspire his players.

For instance, he fixed Robben on the right flank; he repositioned David Silva from left attacking midfielder to central midfielder; he continued working to convert Henderson into a defensive midfielder and Adam Lallana into a central midfielder…

"He's like a tactical master. Not only has he crafted an advanced, meticulous, and highly competitive tactical system for Manchester City, but he's also developing a talent pool that will benefit the club for years to come."

The Manchester Evening News believed Gao Shen was completely transforming Manchester City and, by extension, profoundly reshaping the Premier League landscape.

"Manchester City is now the most competitive team in the Premier League!"

However, City's rise wasn't without hidden risks.

The Mirror ran a major story reporting that UEFA had passed a new rule proposed by Platini: [Financial Fair Play].

Even before the season began, famous Premier League managers like Ferguson and Wenger had expressed dissatisfaction and concern over Manchester City's heavy spending on signings, claiming it was detrimental to the long-term health of the league and its clubs. Their concerns had drawn UEFA's attention.

Now, Platini had officially introduced the Financial Fair Play regulation.

Under the new rule, starting in 2012, UEFA would have the authority to punish clubs whose transfer spending exceeded their financial income. Sanctions could even include bans from UEFA competitions.

After the internal vote passed, Platini told reporters the regulation was designed to prevent excessive capital intervention in football clubs and to protect the future of the sport.

"We're not here to punish or harm clubs. On the contrary, we want to help them financially. Every team participating in UEFA competitions agrees with our principles."

To demonstrate his resolve, Platini appointed former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene as chairman of UEFA's Club Financial Control Committee, a nine-member panel of economists that would provide comprehensive financial oversight for clubs.

The Mirror stated that the adoption of this resolution proved Manchester City's plan to strengthen the team through large-scale spending would be hard to sustain. Even financial backers like the Abu Dhabi consortium might consider pulling out of European football.

Time was running out for Manchester City's rise!

…

On one side, the Premier League campaign had begun with five straight wins. On the other, UEFA was tightening restrictions. Manchester City had suddenly become the center of the football world's attention.

But at Carrington, Gao Shen didn't allow the outside noise to disturb the calm of the training ground.

The team held a recovery session on the morning after the match, and the players began their break in the afternoon.

With no midweek fixtures, Gao Shen gave the squad a full day off.

Players were scheduled to return to Carrington by noon the next day.

After training, Gao Shen gathered the squad for an internal meeting in the conference room before officially dismissing them.

At the meeting, Gao Shen first gave an overview of the current Premier League situation, highlighting Manchester City's performance in the latest round and their position in the league table. All data pointed to the fact that City were in excellent form.

Most importantly, the team would enjoy a full week of rest.

That was considered a luxury for any side competing across multiple fronts.

But Gao Shen still reminded the players not to become complacent.

Right now, there were three teams in the Premier League with five consecutive wins, Chelsea and Liverpool remained fierce rivals.

However, Manchester City's immediate focus was the upcoming derby against Manchester United.

"I'm proud of everyone's performance over the past five league matches. You've all given your best and shown the world our strength, we're not just a bunch of mercenaries!"

"But I believe this is still far from enough!"

The players in the room all nodded in agreement.

At this point, no one in the squad was fixated on a top-four finish, Manchester City were leading the league.

"Before the season started, I had a talk with our captain, Vicente."

Gao Shen pointed at Vincent Kompany, who looked slightly confused.

He had had several conversations with Gao Shen, he wasn't sure which one this referred to.

"I told him our goal wasn't just the top four. We're aiming to win the title and even the Champions League next season. I don't think that's unrealistic anymore."

"I want every one of you—players, coaches, staff to raise your standards. Hold yourself to the level of Premier League champions, even Champions League winners."

"Only when we all meet that standard will we truly have the strength and qualification to compete for both the Premier League and Champions League titles!"

"I believe that day is not far off!"

Gao Shen's words were met with enthusiastic applause.

Looking around the room, Gao Shen could see the ambition in their eyes.

Every player who had joined Manchester City came with fire in their belly, especially players like Suárez, Robben, and David Silva. They all wanted to succeed at City under Gao Shen's guidance.

That hunger was a key factor in evaluating player potential.

He disliked players who had already tasted success and lost their drive.

Just like his time at Real Madrid after his first trip through time.

The double titles they won were a product of many factors. Had Gao Shen stayed, without reshaping the squad, the outcome might have been disastrous.

Because no one could reignite the fighting spirit of a Ronaldo who had already lifted the Champions League, or make the likes of Zidane hungry again. They were too old, and had already won everything there was to win.

In life, being content and free from desire might be a virtue but in competitive sports, it was fatal!

Fortunately, thanks to Gao Shen's influence, Hazard was now in a constant state of alertness.

"I'll tell you clearly," Gao Shen said after the applause subsided, hammering his point home.

"My goal now is to keep the winning streak alive. I want every one of you to stay 100% focused and match my pace."

"I hope that at the end of this season, I can raise a glass of championship champagne with all of you!"

Thunderous applause once again erupted in the conference room.

…

After the team was dismissed, Gao Shen didn't let himself rest.

He had something extremely important to do.

After resting at Carrington around noon, he headed to the Manchester City Youth Training Academy near Platt Fields Park in the south of Manchester's city centre, accompanied by Brian Kidd and Rodolfo Borrell.

This place was regarded as Manchester City's talent hub, players like Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards had come through its ranks.

But in the past two or three months, it had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Since the Abu Dhabi consortium took over in 2008, they had invested heavily in upgrading the club's training and youth development infrastructure. The once rundown buildings of City's academy had been replaced with state-of-the-art training facilities, and new equipment was brought in regularly.

After taking charge, Gao Shen further enhanced the youth academy not in hardware, but in software.

This mainly referred to youth player development.

Gao Shen was from Spain, and most of his coaching staff were also Spanish. He fully promoted the Spanish youth development philosophy at Manchester City's academy, focusing on technical ability, passing, creativity, and encouraging individual expression.

This philosophy was even reflected in talent selection.

In the past, English youth development prioritized physicality. But after reform, the focus shifted toward technique and creativity.

To put it more precisely, physical strength can be developed, but technical ability and creativity are much harder to cultivate once habits are formed.

Around this reform, major personnel changes were also made.

Gao Shen's trusted lieutenant, technical coach Rodolfo Borrell, served as the academy's technical advisor, while first-team assistant Brian Kidd was appointed director of football at the youth academy. Both represented Gao Shen in all major decisions.

On the operational side, Manchester City recruited Nick Cox from Watford to head up youth development. Cox had worked at Watford for many years. The club's owner, the Italian Pozzo family, also owns Udinese and Granada, and is known for developing and discovering players. Anyone who could thrive at such a club clearly had ability.

The head coach of the reserve team was Julen Lopetegui, formerly of Real Madrid. He had been out of work since being sacked by Castilla last year. When he heard Gao Shen was looking for someone to manage the reserves, he reached out directly.

Gao Shen naturally welcomed the future head coach of Spain's youth and senior national teams.

Meanwhile, the U18s were managed by former England international winger Jason Wilcox.

Together, Nick Cox, Lopetegui, and Wilcox formed the core leadership trio of Manchester City's youth academy.

Today, all three came out to welcome Gao Shen's inspection.

(To be continued.)