In professional football, no one likes to lose.
But sometimes, a defeat isn't necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, losing can expose more underlying issues.
Gao Shen came from a small town and had always been a strong problem solver. He had a natural talent for identifying and resolving problems.
More importantly, once those issues are exposed, they receive attention and are less likely to resurface.
That's exactly what happened with Manchester City this time.
After entering the Christmas period and winter break, Manchester City was hit by a string of injuries.
This was unacceptable to Gao Shen, so he set out to find the root of the problem.
Dr. Marcos Sala, brought in from the Milan Lab at a high price, along with coaching staff members Buenaventura and Pintus, were the primary parties responsible, and all had to provide a reasonable explanation for the injury wave.
Their reasoning was largely consistent: the Christmas and winter period was to blame.
From a purely physical standpoint, Manchester City's players were actually in good condition.
The coaching staff placed great emphasis on monitoring the players' physical states during this phase, with an early warning system in place. The analysis teams led by Buenaventura, Pintus, Sala, and Lucas had been tracking every detail closely.
But some problems are simply unavoidable.
You suppress them in one area, and they'll inevitably resurface somewhere else.
In the end, they all agreed that the main issue was psychological.
The cold winter weather, combined with the intense fixture congestion, increased the risk of injury. When paired with psychological stress, it led directly to the series of injuries Manchester City experienced.
Interestingly, none of the injuries were particularly serious.
The longest layoff was one month.
That further supported the coaching staff's diagnosis and analysis.
As Dr. Sala put it: the human body is incredibly sensitive and complex—even minor changes can provoke significant physical feedback.
He gave Gao Shen an example.
In professional football, there have been many cases where players who suffer long or repeated injuries develop psychological issues. It's not just fear of physical contact or high-intensity movement—sometimes it triggers deeper mental blocks.
"Not long ago, something interesting happened at Liverpool. Benítez's team doctor believed Torres had fully recovered—physically, there was nothing wrong—but Torres went to Benítez himself and said he didn't feel right and couldn't play."
"In the end, both were telling the truth. The doctor focused on the physical, while Torres was describing a psychological issue. From that, we can conclude Torres had a significant problem."
Gao Shen was quite surprised. He knew that Torres had been in decline for some time. Even after moving to Chelsea, AC Milan, and Atlético Madrid, he never returned to his peak form.
In fact, this season was likely Torres's final flash of brilliance.
Dr. Sala explained that psychological issues are not only real but often harder to resolve than physical ones. In the past, when sports medicine wasn't as advanced, many coaches and clubs would even suspect players of faking injuries.
Of course, Manchester City's players didn't have major psychological problems. They were just overly tense, which increased the risk of injury.
"There were too many consecutive wins. The players were playing under pressure in every match. The mental burden kept growing. Combined with the brutal Christmas and winter fixture list—and the fact that many players were new to the league—it eventually led to this wave of injuries."
That was the joint conclusion drawn by Dr. Sala's medical team and the coaching staff.
During this period, Gao Shen also spoke with every player, trying to understand their mental state. His findings were basically in line with Dr. Sala's analysis.
Psychologist Ferrucci also believed that long winning streaks were psychologically harmful for players.
"So if we win a few games in the future, should I intentionally lose one to relieve pressure?" Gao Shen joked.
Of course, he was only kidding.
In a fiercely competitive league, once a winning streak reaches a certain length, psychological pressure naturally builds. Performance declines follow, making draws and losses inevitable.
So, to some extent, Manchester City's current slump and string of injuries was a natural drop after a sustained peak.
If you look closely at their schedule, it's clear Manchester City hasn't performed poorly, they just haven't matched Manchester United's consistency. Given their recent form, losing to United in the League Cup semi-final wasn't particularly surprising.
In the league, City still held a solid lead.
And it wasn't just Manchester City.
In Round 26, after drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa, Manchester United then lost 1-3 to Everton in Round 27. The Red Devils were flat throughout the match.
Ferguson attributed it to the challenges of competing on two fronts.
But Everton were also fighting on multiple fronts—and they were missing key players like Fellaini and Cahill.
Clearly, after a series of wins, United was starting to experience their own dip.
In contrast, Manchester City turned in an excellent performance in their home match against Liverpool.
From the opening whistle, Robben was highly active down the right flank, repeatedly threatening Liverpool's defense. Reina made several key saves to keep the score level.
Liverpool just barely held on through the first half.
After the break, City launched another wave of attacks.
In the first fifteen minutes, City earned eight corner kicks, evidence of how aggressively their wingers were pressing and how much trouble Liverpool was having coping.
One clear improvement from Benítez was in defending set-pieces.
City had double-digit corner kicks during the match but failed to convert any. Benítez's side had clearly worked hard on set-piece defense, denying City clear opportunities.
Gao Shen made substitutions in the 65th and 75th minutes, both aimed at boosting the attack.
Liverpool also made their second change in the 75th minute, bringing on Benayoun for Maxi Rodríguez.
Neither side was willing to back down.
…
Gao Shen, still wearing his black coat, stood at the edge of the technical area.
The match was nearing the 80th minute, and the score remained 0-0.
So far, aside from the lack of goals, Gao Shen was satisfied with City's performance.
The team's overall condition had clearly improved.
That was a good sign.
Only after enduring a dip could Manchester City become truly mature.
All teams grow through setbacks, especially a newly built squad like Manchester City.
But now, in such a critical moment, the team needed to show confidence.
"Tell Gareth to warm up," Gao Shen called out.
Carlo immediately took the instruction and rushed to the bench to send Gareth Bale to warm up.
This would be City's final substitution, once again aimed at adding firepower.
Liverpool quickly took note of City's move and responded.
Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva began warming up—likely preparing to replace Mascherano.
Just moments earlier, Mascherano had committed a clear foul while defending David Silva, but the referee refrained from showing a card. Mascherano was already on a yellow, and a second would've meant a red.
That wasn't fair to City.
Benítez likely intended to substitute Mascherano with Lucas to avoid further risk.
While both teams were preparing their changes, an unexpected sequence unfolded on the pitch.
Robinho, who had just replaced Robben, cut inside from the right and delivered a diagonal cross into the penalty area for Suarez.
The Uruguayan striker darted to the right side of the box and controlled the ball with his chest, but under pressure from Škrtel, he lost his balance. Insúa arrived in time and cleared the ball from danger.
Gerrard was just outside the 30-yard zone, looking to pick up the clearance, but Zabaleta pressed forward with a sliding tackle and redirected the ball to Rakitic in midfield.
At that moment, Suarez, still frustrated from the earlier chance, drifted outside the box. When he saw Rakitic take possession, he quickly glanced left and right, then raised his left hand, gesturing behind himself.
Rakitic saw the signal and launched a perfectly weighted lofted pass toward the box.
Suarez, who had begun tracking back, suddenly stopped and turned—then burst forward as the ball descended.
Škrtel was alert and stayed tight, trying to shield him from the goal.
But no one expected what came next.
As the ball dropped, Suarez met it mid-air with a subtle flick of his right foot, lofting it gently over the onrushing Škrtel, sending it to his left.
He collected the ball, quickly adjusted his stance, planted his right foot, and struck it with his left on the bounce.
The ball flew low and fast toward the left side of the goal.
Reina, stationed on the right, had no chance.
He could only watch as the shot struck the inside of the left post and deflected into the net.
"Goallllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!"
"What a sensational lobbed flick!"
"Manchester City's Uruguayan striker, Luis Suárez!"
"After gliding past the defense, he finished with a beautiful left-footed strike—breaking the deadlock for Manchester City!"
"1-0!"
"Eighty-one minutes gone! After a tightly contested game, it's Suárez's moment of brilliance that finally opens the scoring for Manchester City!"
On the sideline, Gao Shen leapt into the air in celebration when he saw the goal.
Though he had been satisfied with the team's performance, he still wanted the win.
Now, with Suárez's goal, he saw the goddess of victory smiling at him.
Liverpool's defense was strong but if they dared to press, Manchester City wouldn't shy away from going toe-to-toe.
Besides, Gao Shen didn't believe Benítez would have the guts to go all-out against City.
(To be continued.)