"Eight to zero?"
Because the match between Manchester City and Manchester United was played in the afternoon, Florentino watched the crucial game from his office at the Santiago Bernabéu, accompanied by Zidane, Valdano, Butragueño, and others.
No one had expected Manchester City to defeat Manchester United 8-0 away from home.
After watching the entire game, everyone was utterly shocked.
Especially by the style of football Manchester City played, it was incredibly attacking and left a profound impression.
Players like Gareth Bale, Suárez, David Silva, they all clearly had strength and potential. And that's not to mention established stars like Robben, Rakitić, David Luiz, and others.
"I never imagined he could humiliate Manchester United at Old Trafford," Florentino said in amazement.
More importantly, it was the attacking football Manchester City played, it was simply electrifying!
"Gao Shen has taken another step forward!" Valdano also praised.
"After three years of experience in Serie A, I originally thought winning the treble with Napoli was his limit. But I underestimated him. In the end, Napoli and Serie A still restricted his potential."
Zidane nodded and added, "Six games, six lineups, six different tactics. I don't know what else to say—just pure admiration."
Everyone fell into a strange silence.
They were all wondering the same thing, could it be that Gao Shen's current achievements were a deliberate display of his talent and ability?
The reason he had rejected Real Madrid back then was because he didn't have transfer authority and was also against having too many superstars in the squad. Florentino wanted to take action first and inform later, which angered Gao Shen and led to his move to Manchester City.
He even went out of his way to bring in Robben, a player Real Madrid had cast aside.
Now, it was as if Gao Shen was using Manchester City to prove a point to Florentino and Real Madrid: he didn't need superstars at all.
Because he himself was the biggest star in world football today, the rarest kind of superstar!
He could turn promising youngsters into world-class players.
He could help former stars regain their form and become elite again.
He could spend the least amount of money to achieve the most, building a team that was competitive, exciting, and successful.
Isn't that more valuable than any superstar? More important?
This summer, the whole world was stunned when Gao Shen's transfer dealings at Manchester City topped €200 million.
But in truth, Real Madrid had spent even more.
So far, Real Madrid had played three matches. Although they'd won all three, the performances hadn't been entirely convincing, especially the 3-2 home win over Super Depor, which was incredibly tense.
More importantly, Real Madrid hadn't yet faced a real powerhouse in La Liga.
Deportivo La Coruña still had a big name, but their strength wasn't what it used to be.
In comparison, Manchester City's performances were far more impressive.
Even without mentioning the 8-0 away win over Manchester United, weren't the earlier wins over Arsenal and Everton just as exciting?
At this moment, Florentino had to quietly ask himself: was the previous decision really the right one?
If Gao Shen were Real Madrid's coach now, would those six consecutive wins belong to Real Madrid?
Could Real Madrid beat Barcelona 8-0 at Camp Nou?
But there are no "what ifs" in football.
Florentino knew deep down that Gao Shen leaving for Manchester City was his way of taking revenge.
And now it seemed that Gao Shen was indeed incredibly capable.
Maybe… I really was wrong!
But Florentino's regret was fleeting—he quickly composed himself.
Real Madrid's current form wasn't bad either.
It was unfortunate to have missed out on Gao Shen, but with this squad, Real Madrid didn't necessarily need him to succeed.
Pellegrini could deliver results too, couldn't he?
…
Even the most optimistic fans wouldn't have believed that Manchester City could beat Manchester United 8-0 in the Manchester derby.
As Andy Gray said after the match, "Watching a game like this is like seeing a year without rain in the UK—unbelievable."
The British media largely agreed with Gray's view: this was the most lopsided Manchester derby in history, and also the most painful home defeat Manchester United had ever suffered.
In the post-match press conference, Ferguson admitted that Manchester United had not done well enough in several areas, especially in marking key Manchester City players, which led to local collapses that affected the overall situation.
Although Ferguson didn't name anyone directly, everyone knew he was referring to Gareth Bale.
Bale was named Man of the Match with a perfect score, while the Manchester United right-back O'Shea, who had to deal with him was rated the worst player on the pitch with the lowest score.
Ferguson defended O'Shea, saying that in a match like this, it would have been hard for anyone to contain Gareth Bale. He added that Manchester City's entire tactical setup had clearly been designed to maximize Bale's speed advantage.
The British media generally agreed with Ferguson's assessment.
Although Gareth Bale recorded a hat-trick of goals and assists, the media generally believed that Manchester City's dominant victory was the result of an outstanding overall performance, and that the team's true key contributor was manager Gao Shen.
As The Times put it:
"In the past, we always focused too much attention on the stars. But in today's Manchester City, even with players like Suárez and Gareth Bale performing brilliantly, all eyes are still on Gao Shen."
"The six-match winning streak is only the surface. On a deeper level, Gao Shen has designed six different starting lineups and tactical systems for Manchester City across six games, all of which have been highly effective in suppressing opponents and simultaneously highlighting Manchester City's strengths."
The Times believed that different players had excelled in each of Manchester City's six matches this season, all thanks to sophisticated tactical design.
"Gao Shen has reminded us once again of the beauty of football tactics! He has made us clearly understand how crucial an excellent manager is to a team."
It wasn't just The Times. The Guardian also called the 8-0 win over Manchester United a profound and symbolic victory.
In addition to highly praising Gao Shen and Manchester City, The Guardian also pointed a finger at Manchester United, criticizing Ferguson's side for lacking competitiveness, especially when facing strong opponents.
"At Old Trafford, Ferguson's team revealed the shortcomings of their individual quality. O'Shea was completely shredded by Gareth Bale, and United had no answer for City's threat down the left flank."
The Guardian also noted that although Ferguson did attempt tactical adjustments, once Manchester United focused on defending the left side, new problems emerged in the center.
"Manchester United are clearly being outclassed by their city rivals."
…
Outside of the British press, media outlets across continental Europe were also stunned by the result.
L'Équipe claimed this match would likely completely reshape the current power structure of the Premier League and establish a new order.
"From this point forward, Manchester City has become a rising power that cannot be ignored in the Premier League."
"After six straight wins, the next big test will be Liverpool. Manchester City won't face a truly elite opponent until their Round 13 away trip to Anfield."
"Manchester City could very well maintain this high-level form throughout the coming weeks and potentially keep winning game after game."
If they really managed to string together 12 straight wins, Manchester City would build an enormous lead at the top of the table.
L'Équipe even went so far as to label Manchester City the current number one favorite to win the Premier League this season.
Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport published a column by Arrigo Sacchi.
Since Gao Shen moved to England, Italy's number one Gao praiser had kept a much lower profile and praised him less frequently.
But after Manchester City's 8-0 win over Manchester United, Sacchi immediately published a column, offering high praise for Gao Shen's performance in the Premier League and stating that he had fully demonstrated what he'd gained during three years in Serie A.
"He's even better than I expected!"
Sacchi added, "Gao Shen is now a world-class manager. I have no doubt he'll continue to succeed at Manchester City. He'll definitely lead this team to a Premier League title, maybe even to the summit of Europe."
Germany's Bild, meanwhile, reacted more bitterly, lamenting that Bayern Munich had missed out on hiring a world-class coach.
This past summer, there were rumors that Gao Shen had been considered when Bayern were planning to change managers. But for various reasons, the deal fell through, and Van Gaal was ultimately appointed.
Now, six rounds into the Bundesliga and Premier League seasons, Gao Shen had won six straight with Manchester City and sat firmly at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Bayern, under Van Gaal, had won three, drawn two, and lost one, putting them only third in the Bundesliga.
Bild argued that Gao Shen's coaching philosophy wasn't just about splashing cash in the transfer market—his scouting vision was unique and spot-on.
If Bayern had successfully hired Gao Shen, he likely would've built a far more competitive team using the existing squad.
But now, Gao Shen was at Manchester City.
Missing out on him may mean Bayern missed their chance to return to the top of European football.
…
In addition to the widespread applause and praise, the mosaic-covered scene involving Gary Lineker, Match of the Day's star host also stirred up heated debate among fans and netizens worldwide.
Lineker admitted that he lost the bet and kept his word.
But the moment he "took off his pants," he immediately turned to criticize Manchester City on the program and on Twitter, claiming that while they were impressive, a tactically complex team like this might struggle to finish strong, and that Manchester City lacked the depth to truly win the title.
Many fans and netizens left comments blasting Lineker for being stubborn. They felt that after losing so thoroughly, he still insisted on questioning Gao Shen and Manchester City—it was laughable.
Gao Shen, for his part, didn't criticize Lineker directly. Instead, he posted a short, provocatively calm tweet:
"Do you still have any chips left?"
(To be continued.)