SWR: Chapter 571/573

Chapter 571: Offensive Storm

Moyes was still in a daze as he stepped into the Etihad Stadium.

Ever since he saw Manchester City's starting lineup, a question had been bothering him—why had Gao Shen set up his team this way?

As he walked into the stadium, he spotted Gao Shen waiting at the entrance of the players' tunnel. He wore a calm smile, leaving Moyes with no doubt that he wasn't as troubled by his lineup as he had assumed.

On the contrary, Gao Shen looked confident.

What was going on?

Had Moyes misjudged the situation?

This was their first meeting on the touchline, but there was no camaraderie between them. After exchanging a few polite words, they each returned to their respective dugouts to prepare for the match.

As Moyes took a few steps away, he instinctively turned back to glance at Gao Shen's retreating figure, his mind filled with questions.

Especially when he reached his seat and observed Manchester City's formation, something felt off.

How could he describe this odd setup?

Normally, before kickoff, both teams would take their positions, giving a rough idea of each other's formations.

But Manchester City's arrangement tonight was unusual.

With Everton taking the kickoff, five Manchester City players stood in a semicircle near the center of their own half, while one positioned himself alone on the left side of the halfway line.

However, the right flank was completely vacant—the entire right half of the pitch seemed empty, making City's formation look asymmetrical.

The lineup itself was also strange.

Goalkeeper: Neuer.

Defense: Gareth Bale, David Luiz, Kompany, and Zabaleta.

This was the same defensive line that started in the first match of the season, with Gao Shen making just one change at full-back, signaling a desire for stability.

Midfield: David Silva, Henderson, and Rakitic.

Forwards: Hazard, Suarez, and Sturridge.

That was Moyes' initial assumption.

Based on City's performances in pre-season friendlies, Gao Shen had consistently deployed Hazard as a left winger.

But as soon as the game kicked off, it became clear that something was different.

Sturridge was stationed at the far-left touchline, Hazard near the left side of the center circle, and Suarez on the right side of the center circle.

Meanwhile, David Silva, Henderson, and Rakitic formed an arc near the center circle.

What kind of formation was this?

Everything seemed out of place.

Moyes frowned.

"What on earth is he trying to do?" Even Stephen Round, his assistant, was puzzled.

On the Everton bench, the entire coaching staff was confused. Clearly, no one had anticipated this tactical setup from Gao Shen.

But soon, as the match unfolded, things started to make sense.

…

The referee blew the whistle to start the game, and immediately, Sturridge—stationed on the left flank—sprinted forward at full speed, pressing deep into Everton's half and forcing their midfield and defense to shift the play out wide.

At that moment, Hazard and Suarez positioned themselves like attacking midfielders behind Sturridge.

Manchester City delivered the first dangerous ball into the box.

After dribbling inside from the left, Sturridge executed a one-two with Suarez, then laid the ball off to Hazard, who attempted to play it into the penalty area for Suarez. However, Everton center-back Yobo stepped in to block it, preventing the pass from reaching its target.

The first shot of the game, however, came from Everton—Tim Cahill unleashed a long-range effort, but it sailed harmlessly over the bar.

The match was being played at a breakneck pace, with neither side holding back.

City's superior passing and ball control were evident, but they were playing with more urgency than usual.

Moyes gradually began to see what was happening, this was not Gao Shen's usual 4-3-3 formation. Instead, Manchester City had switched to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield.

"What the hell is he up to?" Moyes muttered to himself.

City was still a newly built squad, and finding a settled lineup was already a challenge. In their first match, they had convincingly beaten Blackburn using a 4-3-3. But now, in their home opener, Gao Shen had not only rotated his squad but also changed formations entirely.

Did he not realize how risky this was?

A 4-4-2 diamond midfield—this was the system Ancelotti used at Chelsea!

But Gao Shen's interpretation was completely different.

Typically, a diamond midfield has several defining characteristics. The attack is orchestrated by the number ten—the attacking midfielder—while two central midfielders help establish numerical superiority in advanced areas.

This system is built for central penetration, which explained why Gao Shen left both Robinho and Robben on the bench tonight.

At Chelsea, Ancelotti deployed the diamond to solve their ball progression issues while maximizing Drogba's strengths as a dominant target man.

But Gao Shen's approach was something else entirely.

First and foremost, he wasn't worried about progressing the ball.

With players like David Silva and Rakitic in midfield, along with Suarez, who was also comfortable carrying the ball forward, City had no problems advancing possession. Even Hazard, despite his young age, demonstrated exceptional dribbling technique multiple times already.

In this setup, City had no concerns about transitioning the ball upfield.

The real innovation lay in the front three—Sturridge, Suarez, and Hazard. Their positioning was highly fluid.

Moments ago, Sturridge had surged forward from the left to press Everton's backline, while Suarez and Hazard dropped deeper.

Then, as Suarez pushed forward, Hazard took over the number ten role.

But crucially, the three attackers kept interchanging positions.

More importantly, as soon as Everton gained possession, regardless of which three City players were closest, the nearest one would immediately apply pressure, sometimes even tracking back to chase the ball, while the other two would naturally take up the role of a front two.

The purpose of this was to counteract the pressing vulnerability of the 4-4-2 diamond formation in the final third.

However, there was another issue with this setup, having only a single defensive midfielder meant the flanks lacked sufficient protection.

This was precisely why Chelsea had conceded in both of their opening matches.

But Gao Shen had clearly anticipated that Everton lacked natural wide attackers. The most dangerous player was Pienaar, which was why he positioned Rakitic deeper, evidently aiming to contain him.

In other words, given Everton's current squad, they had no effective response to Manchester City's system.

That said, the advantages of this setup were obvious, especially in attack. Gao Shen boldly instructed both full-backs to push forward aggressively, particularly Gareth Bale, who was essentially playing as a wide midfielder, if not an outright winger.

From the very beginning, Bale was highly active, making frequent surges up the left flank.

On the touchline, Moyes was growing increasingly anxious.

Everton's players were struggling to adapt to City's tactical shift.

They hadn't expected Manchester City to abandon their 4-3-3 and switch to a 4-4-2 diamond.

The real concern was that City appeared to be adjusting seamlessly.

…

"Tactics are static. Formations are static. But players? Players are dynamic."

Gao Shen chuckled as he observed from the sidelines.

He was pleased with how the game was unfolding, as City gradually asserted their dominance over Everton.

"As long as the players understand their roles—what they need to do, why they need to do it, and how to execute it—then regardless of their position on the pitch, they can perform their duties without being constrained by a fixed formation."

Gao Shen had suspected that Moyes might set up defensively, but he was never the type to relinquish the initiative or gamble on low-probability scenarios. That's why he had prepared both set-piece strategies and a target-man approach with Giroud—contingencies for a prolonged siege.

But what he truly wanted was to dismantle Everton in open play.

Despite this being only the second round of the Premier League, squad rotation was still necessary.

Ancelotti's Chelsea rotated. Ferguson's Manchester United rotated. Even Wenger's Arsenal had made significant adjustments. Naturally, a powerhouse like Manchester City was no exception.

So, he opted for the 4-4-2 diamond.

After all, the 4-4-2 was still widely used in the Premier League.

Gao Shen was particularly eager to see how the front two of Sturridge and Suarez, with Hazard in the playmaker role and Bale marauding down the left, would perform.

This system heavily relied on attacking full-backs.

As for Hazard, he had originally played as an attacking midfielder at Lille before transitioning to a left-wing role after joining Chelsea in his previous life. This was merely a return to his natural position.

Just as Gao Shen was mulling over these thoughts, Manchester City won possession in their own half and quickly switched play to the left.

Before Bale even crossed the halfway line, he spotted an opportunity and struck a low diagonal pass with his left foot, threading the ball into the left inside channel of the attacking third, right to Hazard's feet.

The Belgian controlled it instantly. Without waiting for Fellaini to close him down, he quickly lofted a delicate pass toward the center of the final third.

Suarez and Sturridge both chased after it, but Phil Neville, playing as a makeshift center-back—reacted quickly, retreating to cut off the danger.

However, Sturridge was relentless, putting his full weight into pressing Neville.

Under pressure, Neville failed to clear the ball in time. He attempted to use his body to shield Sturridge, but the City forward wouldn't give up, tangling with him physically.

Panicked, Neville tried to hack the ball away but lost his balance and fell to the ground, failing to make proper contact.

The referee let play continue.

Sturridge hesitated for a split second, unable to react in time to the loose ball.

Instead, Suarez pounced.

The Uruguayan instinctively sprinted forward, arriving first and unleashing a vicious volley from the left edge of the penalty arc.

The strike was pure, the ball rocketing toward the right side of Everton's goal like a bullet.

Howard, positioned toward the left, reacted instantly and dived across, but he couldn't get close.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

"Eight minutes in—and it's Suarez again!"

"A stunning volley from the edge of the box! Manchester City take the lead! One-nil!"

The Etihad erupted.

Tens of thousands of City fans leaped from their seats, cheering wildly.

Suarez dashed toward the touchline, celebrating his third goal of the Premier League season.

In the technical area, Gao Shen calmly raised his right fist in acknowledgment, sending a distant salute to his star striker.

He knew one thing for certain, Manchester City's attacking storm had only just begun!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 572: Massacre

Wow!

As Rakitic's sudden long-range shot was parried away by goalkeeper Tim Howard, the entire Etihad Stadium erupted in gasps and sighs of disappointment.

But what followed was a wave of applause.

This was already Manchester City's seventh shot of the match.

The game had only reached the 15th minute, yet City had already taken seven attempts on goal. That alone painted a clear picture of the one-sided nature of the contest, Manchester City was completely dominating Everton.

Even commentators Andy Gray and Martin Taylor couldn't help but remark that Moyes had to make adjustments quickly; otherwise, Everton would undoubtedly concede again.

"Manchester City's attack is absolutely relentless tonight!"

A shot every two minutes—it was sheer chaos.

David Silva quickly ran over to take the corner kick for Manchester City.

Most of City's aerial threats had already gathered inside the box. This was their second corner of the match, with the first failing to cause any real danger.

This time, Silva whipped the ball in quickly, but no City player managed to connect, and Everton cleared it with a header.

Everton immediately launched a counterattack, pushing the ball forward to Pienaar, but just as the South African was about to break forward, Jordan Henderson committed a tactical foul to halt the play.

Applause rang out once again around the stadium, this time in recognition of the young Henderson's effort.

Tonight, he was playing in place of Javi Martinez as the team's box-to-box midfielder and hadn't been too prominent thus far. This foul was his first major involvement, but homegrown players always received a little more patience and affection from the fans.

Everton restarted with a free kick, trying to press deeper into City's half, but the home side's defensive setup was already in place.

Zabaleta read the play well, intercepting Cahill's attempted pass to Pienaar in midfield. Without hesitation, he pushed forward quickly and sent a pass ahead to Hazard, only for Leighton Baines to slide in and put the ball out of play.

Everton's left-back was showing his quality.

Zabaleta took the throw-in, but Everton's pressing was intense, making it difficult for Manchester City to maintain possession. Forced to play it safe, they recycled the ball back to the defense, and Kompany eventually passed it all the way to goalkeeper Neuer.

The German keeper calmly controlled the ball before stepping forward to slow the tempo. As Saha began to close in, Neuer stayed composed and launched a long pass upfield.

The sequence happened so quickly that it almost seemed as if Neuer had taken a risk and was nearly dispossessed by Saha. But those familiar with City's training sessions knew this was a rehearsed maneuver.

The logic was simple—Manchester City wanted Everton to press high.

Neuer's long ball targeted the right flank near the halfway line. Sturridge, who had drifted to that side, used his height to nod the ball toward Hazard. The Belgian controlled it smoothly and immediately tried to surge forward but was brought down by Rodwell.

"Tonight's Manchester City is completely different from their first-round performance. Their tempo is much quicker, and their attacking play is significantly sharper. Martin, what do you make of this shift?"

"Yes, Andy, I think it's understandable. This is Manchester City's first home game of the new season, and Gao Shen has made a number of changes. It's a bold approach, one that has taken many by surprise."

"Typically, a team like Manchester City—having undergone a squad overhaul—would prioritize stability. But Gao Shen clearly has immense confidence in his players, his tactics, and his system. That's why he has implemented a completely different lineup and strategy from the first match."

"That kind of confidence is what separates the world's elite managers. We've seen it in Ferguson, Ancelotti, and Benítez."

"What about Wenger?"

"Uh… Arsenal's squad depth is a bit thin."

"Haha, true. Benítez once set a record at Liverpool by using a different starting eleven for more than 20 consecutive games. It was astonishing."

"Yes, Andy, but even though Benítez rotated frequently, his core principles remained the same. Tonight, we're seeing Manchester City make even bolder changes, and I imagine Everton and Moyes must be struggling to keep up."

"I think… Hold on, this looks dangerous, Manchester City is threatening again!"

Just as Martin Taylor thought the pace might slow down, City suddenly injected another burst of intensity.

Zabaleta took a quick free kick in the attacking half, playing it straight to Sturridge.

The England forward controlled the ball between Everton's two defensive midfielders, Rodwell and Fellaini. Sensing Hazard's movement ahead, Sturridge immediately threaded a precise through pass.

Hazard accelerated, bursting through the gap between Leighton Baines and Joseph Yobo. He surged into the box, latched onto Sturridge's pass, took a touch to evade the onrushing Howard, and calmly slotted the ball into the net with his left foot.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!"

"In the 17th minute, Manchester City strike again!"

"A goal from their summer signing—Eden Hazard!"

The Etihad erupted in celebration once more.

Hazard, elated, sprinted towards the stands, his arms outstretched as he celebrated his first Premier League goal.

Suarez, who had helped create space for him, was the first to rush over and embrace him. Sturridge, David Silva, and the rest of the City players quickly followed.

"Two-nil!"

"It's only the 17th minute, and Manchester City have already doubled their lead."

"Suarez and Hazard have been outstanding, and City's entire attacking unit is buzzing with energy."

"This is classic Gao Shen. Look at him on the sidelines—still composed, as if he's not entirely satisfied."

"Haha, I bet he knows the cameras are on him. He's probably reminding himself to stay calm, stay composed, and maintain the demeanor of a top-class manager. After all, this is just the beginning."

"Haha…"

…

Despite conceding twice in quick succession, Everton's fighting spirit remained unshaken.

Gao Shen, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but admire them. A team led by Moyes always showed resilience, especially in terms of mentality.

After suffering a 6-1 defeat to Arsenal in the opening round, Everton's morale should have taken a huge blow. Now, trailing by two goals so early in the match, a weaker team might have already collapsed.

But Everton refused to back down. Instead, they launched a brave offensive against Manchester City.

First, Tim Cahill made a run into the penalty area, connecting with a cross from Leighton Baines. His header was on target, but Neuer reacted quickly to make the save, Everton's first real attempt on goal.

Just two minutes later, Fellaini tried a long-range strike that whistled just past the post.

A minute after that, Pienaar found space on the flank and delivered a cross, but Saha's header drifted wide.

This sequence highlighted a key weakness in City's formation—the 4-4-2 diamond midfield naturally left the flanks exposed. Even with Rakitic dropping deeper, the problem persisted.

More concerningly, Henderson's performance in the holding midfield role was less than ideal. His positional awareness and recovery when stepping into the back line were lacking, which disrupted City's defensive shape and flexibility.

Gao Shen recognized the issue immediately and adjusted, Rakitic moved deeper to form a double pivot alongside Henderson, essentially shifting to a twin defensive midfielder setup.

With their defensive structure stabilized, City began to turn up the pressure again after the 30-minute mark.

In the 32nd minute, after intercepting the ball in midfield, Manchester City faced immediate pressure from Everton's aggressive counter-pressing.

But David Silva and the retreating Hazard, both technically gifted players, exchanged a rapid sequence of one-touch passes in tight space. Silva then broke free from Everton's congested midfield and seized the moment, threading a perfectly timed through ball.

Sturridge and Suarez both made runs, staying just onside, but Sturridge had the better angle.

Receiving Silva's pass, he surged forward, one-on-one with Tim Howard, and calmly slotted the ball into the net.

"Three-nil!!!"

"Wow! Hahaha! Manchester City are running riot tonight!"

"This goal was all about the brilliant link-up play in midfield—Hazard and David Silva were pure class. Everton had four defenders back, yet they still couldn't stop City from slicing through them!"

"The technical quality of this Manchester City side is simply outstanding."

"And credit to David Silva, his through ball was beautifully weighted and perfectly timed."

"Of course, Sturridge finished it well, but he owes a big thanks to Silva for the assist."

But even after conceding a third, Everton refused to fold.

The Toffees continued to fight bravely.

Before that third goal, they had managed to hold their own against City, even creating some decent chances.

And now, despite being 3-0 down, they showed no intention of retreating. Instead, they pressed forward even more aggressively.

At this moment, Gao Shen truly grasped the fearless nature of Premier League football.

Or, depending on how one looked at it—its recklessness.

An Italian team would never play this way.

But as a spectator, it made for an exhilarating match.

Of course, such reckless play often came with consequences.

Barely two minutes after Manchester City's third goal, Everton's high press forced City to pass the ball back into their own half.

Yet Everton refused to let up, continuing to press aggressively.

David Luiz spotted an opening and launched a long ball over the top of Everton's defensive line.

Like a bolt of lightning, Sturridge sprinted forward, bursting between Phil Neville and Joseph Yobo. Timing his run perfectly, he broke free, stayed onside, and chased down the ball just outside the penalty area.

With Howard rushing off his line, Sturridge seized the moment and calmly rolled the ball into the empty net.

The American goalkeeper had charged forward to the edge of the box, only to suddenly realize that the ball wasn't bouncing inside the area. For a brief second, he hesitated, just long enough for Sturridge to capitalize.

But more than the goal itself, what truly stunned the crowd was Sturridge's electrifying pace.

Four-nil!

Everton were finished!

The Etihad Stadium was rocking, with Manchester City fans celebrating wildly.

Even Andy Gray and Martin Taylor had to admit, the match had taken a completely unexpected turn.

"When we thought this would be a tough battle, it turned into a merciless rout!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 573: The More Sophisticated the Plan, the More Complicated It Becomes

The first half ended with Manchester City leading 4-0, but no one expected the second half to start with a moment of brilliance from Suarez.

Pressing high in midfield, City forced Everton into playing the ball back to their center-backs.

But under pressure, Phil Neville and Yobo miscontrolled it. Suarez, who had been watching closely, pounced instantly, stealing the ball between the two defenders. With a burst of pace, he sprinted forward unchallenged and calmly slotted the ball into the net from inside the penalty area.

5-0!

The collapse was complete.

Even Gao Shen was stunned by the sheer one-sidedness of the game.

He had never expected Moyes' team to be dismantled so brutally.

Last season, Everton had only conceded 37 goals across the entire campaign. Now, just two games into the new season, they had already let in 11.

With the victory secured, Gao Shen began making adjustments.

Moyes had already used two substitutions in midfield, opting for a more defensive approach, which led to a period of stagnation in the game.

But in the 83rd minute, City won a corner kick. David Silva swung it in, and Kompany rose highest, powering a header into the net.

6-0!

The result was beyond doubt.

…

Standing in front of the home dugout, Gao Shen felt a mix of emotions, relaxed yet conflicted.

It was difficult to put into words, and outsiders would struggle to understand his feelings.

How should he describe it?

There was happiness and relief, but also a touch of disappointment.

The joy was obvious, Manchester City had secured back-to-back dominant wins. What could be better than that?

More importantly, after this round, City leapfrogged Arsenal and others on goal difference to take the top spot in the Premier League.

This was a historic moment!

Never before in Manchester City's history had they led the Premier League standings, not even for a single round.

This was their first time at the summit!

The best part was that Gao Shen could now confidently say that the players he had brought in were living up to expectations.

Suarez had already shone in the opening round, while David Silva, Javi Martinez, and others had all impressed. Rakitic, Filipe, and David Luiz were already well-known talents, so there were no concerns there.

The only disappointment was the underwhelming performances of Robinho and Robben on the flanks.

In this match, City had abandoned their usual winger-based tactics, yet they performed even better than in the first round.

Sturridge, who had been on the verge of being discarded under Mark Hughes, scored twice tonight. As a homegrown talent from City's academy, his stock would only rise further.

Hazard had also put in a strong performance. He was not yet at the level where he could single-handedly carry a team to a league title, as he would later do with Chelsea, but he was already showing immense promise.

Henderson had a mixed game in midfield, but for now, Gao Shen couldn't find a better alternative.

De Jong was a solid player, but he still needed more evaluation, he didn't quite fit the tactical profile Gao Shen wanted.

Perhaps shifting to a double pivot would allow De Jong to be more effective.

The one player who struggled was Gareth Bale. He started brightly but gradually faded as Everton increased their attacking pressure down his flank.

Clearly, the Welshman needed more matches to build his confidence.

Without confidence, a player would never be able to perform at their best.

Right now, Bale was still finding his footing.

As for the disappointment—it was almost amusing.

Gao Shen had meticulously designed multiple attacking patterns for this City team, built around Suarez, Hazard, David Silva, and Bale. He had put in extensive work to craft offensive schemes that maximized their strengths.

And yet, not a single one of those plans had worked on the pitch.

Not even once!

Gao Shen almost began doubting himself as a coach.

He had studied these patterns in pre-season, identifying movements that would make it difficult for opponents to defend against. They were supposed to highlight his players' unique abilities.

But when the real match unfolded, the pace and fluidity of the game made it nearly impossible for players to execute pre-designed attacks.

Instead, they adapted on the fly, making instinctive decisions based on the situation.

And ironically, those impromptu plays worked far better than any of Gao Shen's carefully crafted tactics.

It was almost laughable, his intricate plans, which seemed perfect on paper, had failed, while the players' spontaneous decisions led to goals.

Gao Shen had spent sleepless nights, exhausting his brain cells to develop attacking routines, only to find that the unpredictable, real-time movements of his players were far more effective.

Who could he even complain to?

…

The coaching staff were in a celebratory mood, just waiting for the final whistle to officially mark their emphatic victory.

On the pitch, Everton's players were focused on defense, while City, knowing the game was won, refrained from pressing forward recklessly.

Gao Shen made substitutions as well, after all, there was another league match coming up at the weekend.

Noticing his less-than-cheerful mood, Carlo, Lucas, and Sarri exchanged glances and immediately understood why.

Before the match, when Gao Shen decided to use a 4-4-2 diamond formation, he had excitedly unveiled his meticulously designed attacking routines, treating them like prized treasures. And they were indeed impressive.

But in the end, none of them worked on the pitch.

"Gao, it's not that your tactics aren't sophisticated enough," Carlo said with a grin, "but the players still need time to execute them properly. Trust me, once they get used to them, they'll deliver exactly what you envisioned."

Gao Shen forced a smile at his assistant and mentor, his eyes silently asking: Are you actually trying to comfort me?

"Yeah, Gao," Lucas added with a smirk. "Look at it this way—the entire tactical setup was designed by you. Whether those specific routines worked or not doesn't change your reputation as a tactical mastermind, right?"

But as Gao Shen thought about it, something about Lucas' words felt more like teasing than actual reassurance.

Sensing the shift in mood, Sarri glanced between Gao Shen and Carlo, then at Lucas, then back at Gao Shen. Without a word, he casually turned and walked away, pretending to fetch some water.

The cunning Italian had wisely chosen to stay out of it.

Gao Shen pointed a finger at Carlo and Lucas, hesitated for a long moment, then finally nodded and sat back down in his coaching seat.

Behind his back, Carlo and Lucas exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter.

Moments like these, where they could see Gao Shen genuinely frustrated were rare and, admittedly, quite entertaining.

It had to be said that, as a Virgo, Gao Shen shared certain traits with Guardiola.

Of course, when it came to dealing with people, Gao Shen was far more tactful than Pep.

Tactically speaking, though, tonight's setup had been nothing short of brilliant, regardless of the outcome.

…

As the referee blew the final whistle, the entire Etihad Stadium rose to its feet in applause, celebrating the players, the coaching staff, and the emphatic victory they had just witnessed.

The scoreboard displayed a staggering 6-0.

By football convention, the home team's score was listed first, and the away team second.

Manchester City had crushed Everton 6-0 at home, with Suarez and Sturridge each netting a brace, while Hazard and Rakitic also found the back of the net. It was another humiliating defeat for Moyes' side.

After losing 6-1 to Arsenal in the opening round, many had expected Everton to show improvement. Instead, they were dismantled by Manchester City.

"To be fair, Everton didn't actually play badly tonight," the commentators analyzed. "In fact, in certain areas, they were much better than in the first round. But they were up against a Manchester City side that was simply in devastating form."

"More importantly, the key figure behind this dominant performance has to be their manager, Gao Shen."

"Before the game, most expected this to be a tough battle. But instead of sticking to the successful 4-3-3 from the first round, Gao Shen boldly switched to a 4-4-2 diamond, a system this team was not even fully accustomed to. Yet, this change completely transformed Manchester City's attacking approach at home."

"In the first half alone, City registered 18 shots, with 11 on target, scoring four goals. It was easily one of the most dominant first-half performances of the season so far."

"Gao Shen's tactical adjustments completely threw off Everton's pre-match plans. Moyes was clearly unprepared for such a shift. Although Everton managed to improve in the second half, by then, the game was already out of their hands."

Andy Gray's post-match analysis was full of praise for Gao Shen.

In two consecutive games, Manchester City had deployed two completely different tactical setups while also making major changes to their lineup—yet both times, they won convincingly.

Such adaptability was the ultimate testament to a manager's tactical prowess.

"It has taken Gao Shen just two league matches to make the entire Premier League and even the rest of European football, recognize his quality. He has decisively silenced those who doubted whether he could succeed in English football."

"More importantly, we are now witnessing the evolution of Gao Shen as a coach. Over the past three years in Serie A, he has refined his tactical approach. Now, in the Premier League, he looks composed, confident, and completely in control, displaying the poise of a top-class manager."

"With two wins in two matches, 11 goals scored, and zero conceded, Manchester City now sits at the top of the Premier League table. And it is a position they fully deserve."

"There's no denying it—this Manchester City team, handpicked by Gao Shen, is both thrilling and formidable. They could very well be the league's biggest dark horse and most exciting team this season."

"In just two rounds, Gao Shen has introduced two different, attack-minded tactical approaches. That alone gives us plenty of reason to anticipate what surprises he has in store for us next."

"And with that, congratulations to Gao Shen! Congratulations to Manchester City! And congratulations to all Manchester City fans!"

"This weekend, in the third round of the Premier League, Manchester City will take on Wolves at home. We'll see you there!"

(To be continued.)