On the afternoon of April 3rd, in the 31st round of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Sunderland at home.
Facing his team's former coach again, Gao Shen felt little emotion.
He never regarded Mark Hughes as a real rival.
Sunderland was a typical English side, lacking technical and tactical depth but boasting impressive physical fitness and a rugged playing style.
However, Manchester City had plenty of experience in dealing with this kind of opponent.
Despite the fatigue from the international break and the upcoming Champions League match next Wednesday, Gao Shen still rotated heavily. Even so, Manchester City completely controlled the tempo and possession from the start, using their superior technical and tactical qualities to overwhelm Sunderland.
Just seven minutes in, Manchester City broke through Sunderland's defense near the edge of the box. Yaya Toure drove into the penalty area and squared the ball back to Robinho, who struck low from the right side and found the net to open the scoring.
Less than ten minutes later, Manchester City launched another attack. Sturridge received a pass from Hazard, drove in from the left channel, and fired a low shot that struck the inside of the far post before bouncing in.
Two-nil!
In the 18th minute, Leighton Baines whipped in a cross from the left. Unmarked in the box, Van Persie volleyed it home to make it 3-0.
For the next half hour, Manchester City continued to bombard Sunderland's goal.
In the second half, Fernandinho threaded a pass through the middle. Sturridge crossed into the box, Van Persie's initial shot was saved, but Hazard followed up and tapped into the empty net.
Four-nil!
Just four minutes later, Baines delivered another cross from the left. This time, Yaya Toure rose to head it in. Five-nil!
Gao Shen immediately made substitutions, but the onslaught didn't stop.
In the 73rd minute, Yaya Toure intercepted a loose pass in midfield, surged into the box, and slotted home for his second of the night. Six-nil!
In the third minute of stoppage time, Sunderland center-back Turner committed a foul just outside the box. Van Persie stepped up and curled a stunning free kick into the top corner.
Seven-nil!
Manchester City completely demolished Sunderland!
Over the entire match, Sunderland managed only two shots—and neither came close to troubling Neuer's goal.
For nearly the full 90 minutes, they were pinned back and smothered by Manchester City's relentless pressure.
At the post-match press conference, Mark Hughes lost his composure. He launched a tirade, accusing clubs like Manchester City of disrupting the competitive balance and damaging the Premier League's ecosystem.
"I actually agree with some of the points. Teams like Manchester City should be restricted—especially financially," Hughes said.
He claimed Manchester City's rise was unhealthy for the league.
"We were ranked ninth in the Premier League, and we lost 0-7 to a weakened Manchester City lineup..."
Mark Hughes was on the verge of collapse.
He had once aimed to qualify for Europe. After this humiliating defeat, that dream had completely disintegrated.
Gao Shen didn't respond to Hughes' emotional outburst. He thought it was unnecessary.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," Gao Shen said calmly. "Perhaps the bigger problem is that someone spent nearly £200 million, and their team still finished below tenth—below Sunderland."
Then he subtly changed the subject.
"European football is a highly professional field with clear divisions of labor. Everyone has their strengths. But if you fail and see others succeed, complaining about fairness is a bit... pointless, isn't it?"
Gao Shen's response was tactful. He didn't name names.
But the media didn't hold back.
Yes, Manchester City were strong. But Sunderland had barely put up a fight. What else could Mark Hughes say?
As for Hughes criticizing Manchester City for destroying the Premier League's ecosystem...
Please. Why didn't you say that when you were coaching Manchester City?
Now you're playing the moral card? Have some self-awareness.
Bluntly put, wasn't it just that he got thrashed 0-7 by Gao Shen and couldn't handle the humiliation?
The overwhelming majority of the media backed Manchester City and ridiculed Hughes.
Not because they fully supported Manchester City's financial model, but because Hughes came across as petty and undignified.
As the Manchester Evening News put it, "Eighteen other Premier League teams might have grounds to say this—but Mark Hughes is the only one who isn't qualified."
But this emphatic win brought a different kind of trouble for Gao Shen.
Van Persie and Yaya Toure had both been sensational.
Toure himself told reporters that Gao Shen's tactics brought out the best in him, allowing him to showcase skills and performances he never could at Barcelona.
The same went for Van Persie.
But that created a dilemma ahead of the Champions League: who would Gao Shen pick, and who would be benched?
Sacchi, Manchester City's number one fan, wrote in his Times column, "Gao Shen's biggest daily headache is selecting a starting XI—because every single player is too good."
"A problem every manager in the world wishes they had!"
…
After the Premier League clash on the 3rd, the Champions League quarterfinals kicked off on the evening of the 6th.
Manchester City were drawn against Bayern Munich, with the first leg at the Allianz Arena.
On the morning of the 4th, after the team completed recovery training, the coaching staff gave the players time to shower and prepare before holding a tactical meeting to discuss Bayern.
Fernando Lucas and the analysis team had prepared detailed player reports, and Gao Shen received a comprehensive analysis of Bayern Munich—particularly Van Gaal's current situation.
After winning the domestic double last season, Van Gaal's side had dipped dramatically this year.
A major reason was that Bundesliga teams had grown familiar with his tactical approach and identified Bayern's vulnerabilities.
Chief among them: their weakness in defensive ball distribution.
In recent years, European football had seen a growing emphasis on centre-backs with passing ability.
This trend could be traced back to Gao Shen.
Back at Napoli, he used defenders like Bonucci, David Luiz, and Benatia—players known for their ball-playing skills. He even turned Cannavaro Jr. into a capable distributor from the back.
At Manchester City, it was no different.
Luiz, Kompany, Cahill, and Boateng all had solid passing ability. He even occasionally dropped Javi Martinez or Yaya Toure into center-back roles to aid in buildup.
This had become a hallmark of advanced tactics.
Van Gaal, ever the tactician, had clearly taken note.
From a coaching perspective—especially for someone who loved attacking football—the benefits of ball-playing center-backs were obvious. But so were the drawbacks.
Because possession football requires movement and spacing. Every player's positioning is designed to receive and distribute the ball efficiently.
To maintain that, players have to spread out more. That's fine in midfield or the final third.
But in your own half, it creates serious defensive challenges.
Van Gaal had a set of principles to mitigate this. For example, his three midfielders were not allowed to advance beyond the wingers, and full-backs couldn't overlap the wingers either.
The idea was to give wingers room to operate and to maintain defensive stability in case of turnovers.
But in the back line, this was much harder to manage.
Essentially, if you want to keep the ball and stay organized defensively, your back four—especially your center-backs—must be excellent passers, quick, agile, and capable of recovering quickly in transition.
Just like Manchester City. When Neuer gets the ball, the center-backs must immediately fan out into space.
But what if they lose the ball during buildup?
See the issue?
The goalkeeper and two center-backs become absolutely critical.
If they're not sharp, mistakes happen easily.
That was the problem Bayern were facing.
People said Bayern's defense was soft, but that was because when they lost the ball, their defenders couldn't recover quickly.
It wasn't hard to understand. Van Buyten, Badstuber, and Breno were all tall, heavy defenders—not quick, not agile. Under pressure, their passing accuracy was shaky at best.
Van Gaal tried to drop the defensive midfielder—like Gustavo or Tymoshchuk—into the back line.
But the problem persisted.
…
"At the Allianz Arena, our key focus will be pressing," Gao Shen told the players during the meeting, using a tactical PowerPoint presentation to explain his approach.
"I've noticed that when we press Bayern's possession back to their defensive line or even to the goalkeeper, their two center-backs will split wide and the defensive midfielder drops deep."
Gao Shen grinned. "Familiar, right?"
The players laughed.
That's how Manchester City played too.
"But unlike us, Bayern's defenders and keeper aren't as consistent or accurate in distributing the ball. So the key will be Schweinsteiger."
The piglet was the pressure point.
"That's where we'll direct our pressing."
"When their center-backs split wide, it leaves a huge gap in front of the penalty area. The two defenders are far apart, with minimal connection. Schweinsteiger isn't a natural No. 4. He struggles with the fine details under pressure. So we press the ball-carrier, force the pass to Schweinsteiger…"
Everyone in the room nodded.
No need to spell out the rest. The players knew exactly what came next.
Manchester City had used this pressing tactic many times in the past two years. By now, it was muscle memory.
In fact, many players could make real-time adjustments on the pitch using these concepts instinctively.
(To be continued.)
***
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