Every club has its own unwritten rules for selecting a captain.
At Real Madrid, the armband is given to the longest-serving player, with seniority determined down to the exact number of days at the club. It's a tradition that no one dares to challenge.
At Barcelona, captains are elected through a locker room vote.
When Puyol was captain, he was chosen unanimously.
Some teams, however, have captains appointed directly by the manager. In these cases, factors like the player's influence, role, and standing within the squad are taken into account, especially their authority in the dressing room. Without enough respect from the squad, a captain simply cannot lead.
Gao Shen officially announced the new captaincy structure at training the next morning.
Kompany, Rakitic, Suárez, and Zabaleta each gave short speeches, promising to support their teammates, improve training, and lead the squad both on and off the pitch.
With the leadership group settled, roles and responsibilities became clearer. The team now had a backbone, bringing greater stability to the dressing room.
For example, from now on, pre-match warm-ups would be led by the captains.
After training, Gao Shen met privately with Robinho, Hazard, Robben, David Silva, Micah Richards, Neuer, and Filipe Luís to explain his decision-making process.
Ordinarily, a manager wouldn't need to justify captaincy choices. However, Gao Shen made it a point to do so, signaling to the players that he valued them. This approach helped them understand his reasoning and, in turn, secured their full support.
Even Robinho, who had worn the armband last season couldn't deny a hint of disappointment. But Gao Shen's explanation was fair, urging him to focus entirely on his performances in matches and training.
As for Robben and David Silva, neither of them had any interest in leadership roles.
Micah Richards, meanwhile, lacked the stature to challenge Gao Shen's authority and accepted the decision without protest.
And with that, the transition was completed smoothly.
Kompany and the others quickly settled into their new roles, helping Gao Shen and the coaching staff maintain order in the dressing room.
…
Last season, Blackburn Rovers had been in deep relegation trouble under Paul Ince. But after sacking him midway through the campaign and appointing Sam Allardyce, the team found its rhythm and narrowly avoided the drop.
This summer, Blackburn managed to retain their star striker, Roque Santa Cruz, who in Gao Shen's previous life had moved to Manchester City. Keeping him ensured their attacking strength remained intact. They also strengthened their squad by signing experienced right-back Michel Salgado from Real Madrid, as well as N'Zonzi and Chimbonda, bolstering their overall quality.
As a seasoned Premier League manager, Allardyce was well aware of the significance of the season opener.
The day before the match, when naming his squad, Allardyce made a point to downplay Manchester City's pre-season form during his press conference.
"I know Gao Shen well. He never prioritizes pre-season friendlies, which is why his teams rarely perform well in them. So I won't judge Manchester City based on their warm-up matches."
Allardyce had studied Gao Shen's Real Madrid and Napoli teams, believing that his arrival at Manchester City would inject fresh energy and a different tactical identity into the squad.
"Last season, I wrote in my column that Mark Hughes' approach was outdated. He tried to build an English version of Chelsea, but that was a mistake—it couldn't keep up with the pace and style of the Premier League."
"Right now, the Premier League is undergoing a continental shift."
Allardyce pointed out that the league's elite teams were moving toward a more European style of play, and hiring foreign managers had become a trend.
From Wenger to Benítez, and now Ancelotti and Gao Shen, foreign coaches were bringing new ideas and tactical innovations, leaving only a handful of British managers, like Ferguson, Moyes, and Redknapp—able to keep up.
Against this backdrop, Hughes' attempt to build a British-style Chelsea seemed outdated and unrealistic.
Back when he was sacked by Newcastle, Allardyce had used his column to publicly criticize Hughes.
Now, he believed that Gao Shen's team-building approach was the complete opposite of Hughes', something that was evident from Manchester City's transfer activity.
"Mark Hughes would never have been able to use a player like David Silva."
It was clear what Allardyce was doing—he was sending a message to Blackburn, and to the rest of the Premier League, to reassess Manchester City. Anyone who still judged them based on the past would be in for a rude awakening.
As for the match itself, Allardyce made his objective clear: a draw.
His reasoning was twofold, season openers were always tricky, and Manchester City had become incredibly strong.
…
While Allardyce praised Gao Shen and Manchester City, the British media remained skeptical.
Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen was particularly doubtful. In his Premier League season preview, he predicted a rough start for City, believing they would struggle to adapt and suffer a major setback in their opening match.
Hansen acknowledged that Manchester City had speed, technical quality, and creativity in midfield, but he was concerned about their defensive solidity and physicality. He also noted that Gao Shen's tactical philosophy had always leaned toward attacking football, something he saw as a potential weakness in the Premier League.
"When Arsène Wenger first arrived in the Premier League, he admitted he wasn't used to the intensity. Here, the moment you receive the ball, defenders are already closing in. Physical battles are unavoidable, and you don't get time to think. This could be a serious problem for City's technical players."
Hansen pointed out that Wenger's most successful Arsenal teams were built around physical powerhouses like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva. After their departure, Arsenal's results declined, and they struggled to maintain a top-four finish.
"Gao Shen's approach has yet to be proven in the Premier League. If he wants to succeed, he needs to adapt. But so far, there's no sign of him doing that."
Hansen wasn't the only one skeptical.
In fact, most of the British media expected Manchester City to struggle.
Part of this was due to their poor pre-season results and the fact that the squad had been completely rebuilt. But another major factor was simple, criticizing Gao Shen and Manchester City was good for headlines.
The football culture in England may seem open-minded, but that openness is largely limited to the professional stage. In reality, British fans are quite traditional.
For a club like Manchester City, suddenly propelled to wealth and prominence not only did rival fans express their discontent, but even many of their own supporters felt uneasy. They believed that after the club's takeover, City had lost its traditions.
Many of these same fans also resented Gao Shen, the 28-year-old foreign coach.
They were still upset about the sacking of Mark Hughes and felt the Welshman had been treated unfairly.
Of course, these traditionalist fans were not the majority, but their vocal opposition attracted media attention and stirred debate among neutral supporters.
On top of that, City's poor performances in pre-season had only given these critics more ammunition.
After spending over €200 million to rebuild the squad, the team looked no better, some even argued they were worse than under Hughes.
Given these circumstances, it was no surprise that Gao Shen found himself under intense scrutiny from the media.
…
Gao Shen, however, was unfazed.
At the pre-match press conference, he addressed the situation with a composed smile.
"I fully understand my current standing in English football," he said.
"As I've said before, I have always been a controversial figure, whether at Real Madrid, Napoli, or now at Manchester City. I'm used to being doubted by the media and fans."
"But I'm not the type to argue in the press. I prefer to prove myself on the pitch."
His words left the assembled journalists momentarily stunned.
Not one for arguments? Really?
But despite their doubts, they were also left disappointed. Gao Shen had refused to take the bait, leaving them with little ammunition to fuel a media battle.
Just before his press conference, Sir Alex Ferguson had once again referred to City as "the noisy neighbors" in his own media briefing.
The legendary Manchester United manager lamented that his side had the misfortune of sharing a city with such a disruptive presence, implying that despite all the noise, City hadn't actually achieved anything.
Gao Shen saw through it immediately, this was Ferguson playing mind games ahead of the new season.
Even though the upcoming match wasn't a Manchester derby, Ferguson clearly wasn't happy about City's rise and was doing everything he could to undermine them.
And Gao Shen's response only added fuel to the fire.
"I have immense respect for Sir Alex Ferguson," he said. "And I understand why he's feeling irritated right now. Deep down, I can sense the fear that he's trying to hide, because from this moment on, Manchester United will no longer have total control over this city."
"I know the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world, but I have absolute confidence that I will succeed here. Not only will I win trophies, but I will also lead Manchester City to knock Manchester United off their throne!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the press room erupted.
Gao Shen had thrown Ferguson's own words back at him.
In a previous interview, Ferguson had famously stated that his greatest achievement as Manchester United manager was "knocking Liverpool off their perch."
Now, Gao Shen had made it clear, he was coming for Ferguson's throne in Manchester.
…
And he didn't stop there.
When asked about Alan Hansen's criticism, Gao Shen was just as blunt.
"As I've said before, Alan Hansen is no longer a football person—he's a media personality. But I'm very curious. I want to know why Mr. Hansen is so certain that my team will struggle, that we'll find it difficult to beat Blackburn away, that we'll fail against what he calls a traditional English football side."
Then, Gao Shen smirked and delivered his challenge.
"So let me ask him this—if we win, will he be willing to publicly apologize? To me, to my players, and to Manchester City fans, and admit that he was wrong?"
He finished with a confident declaration.
"My players and I will prove our strength on the pitch. And after that, I'll be waiting to hear Mr. Hansen's apology on the post-match show."
(To be continued.)
***
Bonus for 400 PS.