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.)
***
Bonus chapter. Eid Mubarak ✨️ to my Muslim readers.
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