On the evening of January 4th, it was raining and snowing in London.
Gao Shen stood in front of the visiting team's technical area at the Emirates Stadium, bundled up tightly with his hands stuffed in his coat pockets, only pulling them out when directing the game.
Even though the Emirates Stadium was equipped with a geothermal heating system, patches of white snow were still visible on the pitch. The field was very wet, which was unfavorable for both Manchester City and Arsenal.
From December 26th until now, four matches in ten days was a tough ask for any team.
Even Manchester City, with its impressively deep bench, wasn't exempt.
Gao Shen had used nearly every player in the first team, but there were still ups and downs in their performances.
This wasn't hard to understand.
It was Chinese New Year. While everyone else was at home setting off firecrackers, eating hotpot, and visiting friends and relatives, he had to leave home and work. No one would feel comfortable in that situation, no matter who they were.
As a result, Manchester City didn't perform well in their away match against Arsenal. Their form was clearly not sharp.
The first half ended 0-0. In the 55th minute of the second half, Gao Shen subbed off Henderson for Giroud, switching to a 4-4-2 formation to ramp up the attack against Arsenal.
The Gunners were more focused on defense tonight, tightly shutting down Manchester City's offense.
Wenger fielded a midfield trio of Alex Song, Fabregas, and Denílson, clearly prioritizing defensive solidity.
That 8-0 defeat still cast a shadow over Wenger's mind.
After Giroud came on, Van Persie was given a freer role, often dropping deeper to link play.
Gao Shen stood patiently on the touchline, waiting.
At that moment, Manchester City was pinning Arsenal back in midfield. Fabregas had dropped too deep, and Nasri and Walcott on the flanks couldn't create any real threat. Up front, Chamakh was isolated, receiving little to no service.
Arsenal's buildup lacked danger, and chances were few. But Manchester City also had a problem—they lacked a final killer pass.
Both wingers, Hazard and Robinho, were quiet tonight. Van Persie, who had been in blistering form this season with some of the best stats of his career, was also rather subdued.
Gao Shen brought Giroud on to pin down Arsenal's center-backs, Djourou and Koscielny, and to create more space for Van Persie.
Giroud didn't make an immediate impact—until the 71st minute...
…
"Yaya Touré uses his body to shield Fabregas, turns while dribbling, and brilliantly breaks free."
"The Ivorian midfielder pushes forward. Let's see how this Manchester City attack unfolds."
"Van Persie drops deep to receive and plays a one-two. Yaya Touré bursts forward, skips past Alex Song, and charges toward the box."
"Djourou and Koscielny close in and manage to win the ball. Yaya Touré goes down in the box, but the referee waves play on."
"But the clearance doesn't go far. It falls to the edge of the box. Giroud uses his body to hold off Clichy and plays a quick pass with the inside of his left foot."
"He pushes it into space on the left side of the defense, and Van Persie is there..."
"Chance!"
"Van Persie hits it first time!"
"It's in!!!"
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"In the 71st minute, Manchester City finally break the deadlock against Arsenal!"
"Van Persie! The man who moved from Arsenal to Manchester City this season scores against his former club with a stunning volley. A brilliant team goal!"
"Giroud's chipped assist was perfect!"
"Once again, Gao Shen's substitution proves decisive at a crucial moment."
…
When Van Persie scored, he didn't celebrate wildly.
Clearly, he still held deep feelings for his old club.
But on the sidelines, Gao Shen was already celebrating with clenched fists, cheering for Van Persie's goal, and giving Giroud a big thumbs-up.
The two combined perfectly.
"Giroud is really something!" Carlo praised with a smile, high-fiving Gao Shen.
Gao Shen nodded. Who says he isn't?
As a striker, Giroud's goal-scoring might not be prolific, but his tactical value was obvious. More importantly, he was a smart player.
No matter what task or role you gave him, he could carry it out effectively.
Just like earlier—Van Persie dropped deep, Yaya Touré surged forward, they exchanged passes, but why did Giroud, who had been stationed up front, suddenly drift to the right?
It wasn't some pre-arranged tactic. It was a spontaneous decision made on the pitch.
It might seem like a minor adjustment, but it was pivotal in creating the goal.
Giroud clearly understood that staying up front wasn't going to help. It would only congest the space around the top of the box and limit Yaya Touré's impact. So, he moved wide and waited for the chance.
Why not drift to the left?
Because Van Persie was already making a run there.
At that moment, Arsenal had five defenders around the top of the box, plus Fabregas dropping in, making it six. Manchester City only had three players, but they still scored.
It all came down to positioning and chemistry.
…
Thanks to Giroud's assist and Van Persie's goal, Manchester City beat Arsenal 1-0 away from home.
When Gao Shen approached Wenger after the match, the professor looked visibly downcast.
"We at least deserved a draw!" Wenger muttered with a bitter smile, like a wronged housewife.
"We should've scored two more," Gao Shen replied with a grin.
Neither manager was completely satisfied with the match, but Gao Shen came out on top, so he was naturally in a better mood.
And to be fair, he wasn't wrong—Manchester City did create more chances.
"Are you really planning to go for the Champions League this season?" Wenger asked.
Gao Shen didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "What do you think?"
"In terms of strength, only Barcelona could stop you," Wenger said with a hint of envy.
That's the advantage of money—you can build a strong team in a very short time.
"Why does that sound kind of sarcastic?" Gao Shen raised an eyebrow.
Wenger clicked his tongue. "You're such a schemer. You think everyone's playing mind games."
"Am I wrong?" Gao Shen looked him straight in the eyes.
The Frenchman chuckled. "Not really."
They both laughed.
At their level, many things no longer mattered that much.
They had fame and fortune. What drove them now was the pursuit of their own ideals.
Of course, that depended on the environment they were in.
Wenger had it tough.
Especially now, when morale was low, it was hard to lead the team forward.
Even though Wenger was still doing a solid job, could anyone else do better?
Arsenal would probably collapse instantly. Believe it or not.
Sometimes, football fans just don't appreciate what they have.
Where else can you find a coach like Wenger? Someone who swallows his pride, manages finances, plays attractive football, and has world-class coaching ability?
If Gao Shen could buy a team and find a head coach like Wenger, he'd be thrilled.
But now, the aftershocks of losing in the Champions League were just beginning.
Fabregas was leaving. Other players were also looking to move. The disaster for Arsenal was only just beginning.
The key issue was that, given the current financial state, it would take Arsenal at least two years to climb out of the hole.
Those two years would be rough.
…
Manchester City defeated Arsenal 1-0 away from home, winning all four matches in the grueling Christmas schedule.
Gao Shen finally got his revenge, wiping away the frustration from last year's poor Christmas and winter performances.
They were the only team to win all four games during the festive period.
In Round 22, Tottenham lost 1-2 away to Everton.
But the biggest shock came from Chelsea.
Ancelotti's side lost 0-1 away to Wolves.
Wolves were bottom of the Premier League. Ancelotti's defeat practically felt like charity, helping Wolves climb out of the relegation zone.
This result perfectly reflected the current state of the Premier League's bottom half.
There were only four points separating last place and Aston Villa in 14th.
The relegation battle was unprecedentedly fierce.
The strong teams kept getting stronger and the title race grew more intense. The weaker sides also improved, making survival even harder.
That's the Premier League in a nutshell.
Even a last-place team like Wolves could beat a giant like Chelsea.
This sparked some serious thoughts.
If Gao Shen really bought a team and got promoted to the Premier League, surviving wouldn't be that hard. But the real question was—how do you stay up?
You had to build a solid squad.
But the problem was, Gao Shen didn't have that kind of money.
It was time to start looking for bargains—players who didn't cost much but could make a big impact.
The first player that came to mind was a midfielder he liked a lot: Paul Pogba. The youngster was currently struggling at Manchester United.
Honestly, this kid had a real chance now.
Since City's rise, United had ramped up spending, bringing in stars like Sneijder and Lass Diarra, while still relying on veterans like Anderson, Scholes, Giggs, and Fletcher, along with domestic players like Cleverley. That left no room for young talents like Pogba in the first team.
In Gao Shen's past life, Pogba left United for Juventus because he didn't get opportunities.
The same situation was playing out again. With Sneijder and Lass Diarra in the squad, Pogba's chances were practically zero.
Pogba came from France's Ligue 2 in 2009 and had some name recognition. But there were tons of young talents like him in Europe. If he hadn't broken out at Juventus later, who would've known him?
Right now, there was still a good window of opportunity.
Gao Shen needed to find a chance to privately speak with Ferguson and see if he was willing to let Pogba go.
The old man was probably worried about the youth players' development too.
At Pogba's age, what he needed most was competitive experience.
Thinking of this, Gao Shen felt a surge of warmth in his chest.
He had to think harder—who else?
(To be continued.)