The match against Liverpool was tough, but Manchester City withstood the pressure and defeated the Reds 1-0 thanks to a goal from Suárez. Not only did they claim three valuable points, but the victory also restored the team's morale.
After the match, Gao Shen told the media in an interview that the best version of Manchester City was back.
The media were also very satisfied with City's overall performance in this match.
A week later, Manchester City traveled south to London to visit Stamford Bridge.
This was Wayne Bridge's first encounter with John Terry since the infamous "Friend's Wife Gate" scandal broke.
Before heading south, Gao Shen had a private conversation with Bridge to gauge his state of mind, and the defender expressed a strong desire to play.
This season, Felipe Luís had been City's first-choice left-back, and with Gareth Bale's emergence, Bridge had basically lost his place in the squad.
But just before the game, Bridge approached Gao Shen and expressed his intention to withdraw from the England national team. He even held a press conference the day before the match to announce his decision.
The reason was simple: he could no longer be teammates with Terry.
After consulting with several players, Gao Shen decided to start Bridge.
It would be his first Premier League start of the season.
Chelsea made some changes as well. Goalkeeper Petr Čech was injured, so Hilário started in goal.
Left-back Ashley Cole was also out, and Malouda filled in on the left side of defense.
From the opening whistle, Manchester City came out firing, pressing high and launching aggressive attacks against Chelsea.
Robben, on the right, was especially active.
In the 17th minute, during a quick counterattack, the Dutch winger easily beat Malouda, broke into the right side of the box, and fired a low cross.
Suárez timed his run perfectly and tapped the ball home from close range to open the scoring.
1-0!
Just four minutes later, Robben picked up the ball on the right again, took on Malouda one-on-one, forced his way into the area, and scored with a low left-footed shot—doubling City's lead. 2-0!
The goal that truly crushed Chelsea's morale came in the 42nd minute.
Mikel attempted to clear the ball with a header, but it was too high and lacked distance. Suárez pounced, bulldozed past Terry, and surged into the box. Facing Carvalho, the Uruguayan striker used quick footwork to skip past him before slotting the ball into the net from the right side.
The ball flew past Hilário into the Chelsea goal. 3-0!
Three defenders and four including the goalkeeper still couldn't stop an in-form Suárez!
In the second half, Robben struck again. After receiving the ball on the right, he dribbled past Mikel, cut inside from the right corner of the penalty area to the edge of the arc, and curled a brilliant left-footed shot into the net.
4-0!
Both of City's attackers—Suárez and Robben—scored twice, delivering standout performances.
Manchester City continued to create chances afterward but failed to add to the scoreline.
In the end, the Blue Moon crushed Chelsea 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.
…
If the narrow win over Liverpool showed that Manchester City had recovered their form, then the 4-0 demolition of Chelsea made the world realize that City was back at its peak.
Suárez and Robben each bagged a brace, two of City's standout attackers this season led the charge, tearing apart Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Blues' offense and defense were in complete disarray, their tactical discipline left in tatters.
That wasn't just media commentary—those were Ancelotti's own words in the post-match press conference.
At the press conference, Ancelotti openly admitted, "This season's Premier League title belongs to Manchester City!"
Effectively, he had already declared the title race over.
In fact, after Manchester City's 19-match winning streak, there hadn't been much suspense around the title anyway.
…
In Round 29 of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Tottenham and edged out a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from David Silva.
Despite Redknapp's men defending tightly at the Etihad, they couldn't stop City's persistent pressure.
Chelsea took out their frustrations from the previous round with a 5-0 away win over Portsmouth.
Other heavyweights like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool also secured three points.
But in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg in midweek, Chelsea lost 0-1 at home to Mourinho's Inter Milan. This marked the Special One's first return to the Premier League since leaving Stamford Bridge and he handed the Blues a brutal parting gift by knocking them out.
Real Madrid also failed to avoid elimination. They drew 1-1 at home with Lyon and crashed out 1-3 on aggregate. This result led to another wave of criticism for manager Pellegrini.
The superstar squad that cost over €300 million still couldn't break the Round of 16 curse.
Since Gao Shen led Real Madrid to a double in 2006, the team had failed to make it past the Round of 16 for four straight seasons.
Marca reported that many Real Madrid fans were increasingly dissatisfied with the club's leadership under Florentino, especially since they wanted Gao Shen as head coach—not Pellegrini.
Before the presidential election, Florentino had repeatedly said he would bring Gao Shen back to the Bernabéu. What was the result?
Gao Shen didn't return, and Real Madrid were knocked out in the Round of 16 once again. Who should be held responsible?
Looking at the Premier League, aside from Chelsea, the other three major clubs—Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool—all advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals.
In other words, of the eight teams in the quarterfinals, nearly half came from the Premier League.
With a bit of luck in the draw, it was even possible for all four English teams to reach the semi-finals—just like before.
But even so, none of these four teams could handle Manchester City in the Premier League.
As some British media cheekily put it, "All European clubs eyeing the Champions League trophy should thank Mark Hughes. It was his poor coaching that caused Manchester City to miss out on the Champions League and Europa League this season—so Gao Shen couldn't participate."
"Otherwise, based on the form and strength Manchester City has shown in the Premier League, they would undoubtedly be a top contender for the title!"
What was even more surprising was that Gao Shen personally issued a statement on Twitter:
"Congratulations to the teams that reached the quarterfinals. Do your best this season—I'll be back next season!"
In an instant, the media and fans around the world erupted.
What a bold and domineering declaration!
As The Times put it: "If anyone else said this, they'd be torn apart. But coming from Gao Shen, it feels profound."
Countless fans flooded Gao Shen's Twitter, all looking forward to his return to the Champions League next season.
But some fans left more thoughtful messages, reminding him that City's current squad was still thin.
"The dip in January was partly due to a lack of squad depth. Next season, we'll be competing on two or even four fronts. Without sufficient squad depth, it'll be hard to sustain a challenge. Either way, we look forward to Coach Gao's return to the Champions League!"
This comment received the most interaction and Gao Shen even replied:
"Wait for it! Everything's already arranged!"
Fans went wild.
The Premier League—and even all of European football—was about to be shaken.
Manchester City was rich and ambitious, and with Gao Shen at the helm—a coach who had won the Champions League twice in three seasons—the next edition of the tournament already looked like a bloodbath in the making.
…
Night fell.
In Cheshire, in the courtyard of Gao Shen's home, the core coaching team—Carlo, Lucas, Sarri, Buenaventura, Pintus, and others—gathered together.
There was no special occasion. The team was on break, so Gao Shen took the opportunity to bring everyone together.
This was common practice.
But tonight felt a little different.
Last night, Real Madrid had been eliminated from the Champions League once again.
Gao Shen had come from Real Madrid, and many of the members of his staff had ties to the club.
It was no secret, many people believed that Gao Shen would one day return to Real Madrid.
Yet to this day, Gao Shen had shown no sign of changing his mind.
Earlier that day, The Daily Mail had published a story.
Real Madrid, having failed to reach the quarterfinals for a fourth straight year, had once again begun searching for a new head coach.
According to the article, Real Madrid technical director Valdano and presidential advisor Zidane had secretly visited Manchester to try and convince Gao Shen to return—but he had refused.
"This angered Florentino. The Real Madrid president has lost his patience and decided not to wait any longer. He now views José Mourinho as the club's top candidate for next season's manager."
Where there's smoke, there's fire.
This report had caused a bit of a stir within Gao Shen's team. Part of the reason he gathered everyone tonight was to reassure them.
It takes a strong team to succeed.
If Gao Shen wanted to keep pushing forward, he needed these trusted lieutenants at his side.
Of course, if worst came to worst, he could replace people.
But Gao Shen preferred to keep the team intact.
He brought out a few bottles of expensive wine that had been gifted to him and ordered a full spread from a nearby restaurant to entertain everyone.
Everyone present knew he had met with Valdano and Zidane and that he had turned down a return to Real Madrid. In fact, on this point, they all supported his decision.
Manchester City was just getting started, and the team's strength was clear for all to see.
Whether it was the media, the fans, or the club staff, everyone was excited about what City was building.
This was a team capable of competing for the Champions League title.
And most importantly, Manchester City had the money.
To many, Gao Shen's decision to reject Real Madrid mid-season was not only justified but wise.
Still, there were concerns had he angered Florentino?
Would this mean the door back to Real Madrid was closed forever?
"I can tell you all with confidence—Zidane told me personally that the Daily Mail article was false. Florentino was disappointed, yes, but he still said the door at Real Madrid is always open for me."
When Gao Shen said this, his face was filled with confidence and pride.
He was no longer the rookie who had to flatter and please others three years ago.
Now, he was a gold-standard head coach with two Champions League titles.
And if next season went well, a third title was entirely possible.
That would make him the first among active managers.
(To be continued.)
***
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