On April 14, in the FA Cup semi-final, Manchester City hosted Everton at the Etihad Stadium.
The FA Cup semi-final was held this weekend, and the first leg of the Champions League semi-final was scheduled for next Wednesday, both at home.
Gao Shen, who was aiming for a quadruple title, had reached the most critical juncture.
The closer he got to this period, the more cautious he became. He left early and returned late every day, staying extremely busy. He even postponed his grand plan of having a baby, despite his wife Su Qing's "protests."
At such a crucial moment, Manchester City's past preparation, the squad's deep bench, and especially the coaching staff's experience were fully brought into play.
Despite the importance of these matches, Manchester City still executed its plan in an orderly and disciplined manner.
Whether it was the coaches, players, or staff, they didn't need to think about anything else. All they had to do was follow the plan, fulfill their roles, and do their jobs well.
This applied to the players on the pitch as well.
Moyes came to the Etihad Stadium and used a 4-4-1-1 formation with two defensive midfielders, trying to rely on defensive counterattacks.
But Everton's resistance only lasted for 24 minutes.
Van Persie scored to give Manchester City the lead in the first half.
In terms of overall strength, Manchester City had a clear advantage.
In the second half, Hazard provided both an assist and a goal to help City extend their lead.
In the end, Manchester City beat Everton 3-0 at home and advanced to the FA Cup final.
This marked Manchester City's third trip to Wembley this season.
The other finalist was Chelsea, managed by Di Matteo. They defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 away and received widespread praise.
The Blues showed impressive fighting spirit in the semi-final and were hailed as the last hope to stop Manchester City.
The final between the two teams would be held on May 5 at Wembley Stadium in London.
…
Three days after the FA Cup semi-final, Manchester City continued their home stand, this time for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Ferguson's Manchester United were facing problems, especially due to the Lass Diarra incident, which created unease in the Red Devils' dressing room. Even though Ferguson tried to suppress it forcefully, Lass Diarra's absence still caused considerable damage to United.
Anderson hadn't been able to regain form since his injury, and Fletcher had fallen ill. As a result, United's midfield was in dire straits.
Facing Manchester City away, Ferguson still lined up in a 4-3-3 formation.
Carrick played as the holding midfielder, with Sneijder and Claverie in central midfield.
The front three consisted of Park Ji-sung, Rooney, and Valencia.
This setup made it clear that Manchester United lacked confidence in their defense.
Before the match, both the media and the fans largely believed Manchester City had the edge.
Gao Shen remained tactically conservative. He didn't push for an aggressive start. Instead, City steadily controlled the midfield, gradually advancing to pressure and harass United's defense.
This was also a characteristic of advanced tactical thinking.
When you're weaker than your opponent, you use surprise attacks. But if you can suppress your opponent through strength, then winning steadily is the best strategy—especially in a Champions League semi-final.
Even without Lass Diarra, United's defensive organization was still decent.
This highlighted Ferguson's deep understanding of football tactics.
In the past, he had reached a Champions League final with a much older and weaker squad. Now, at least he had midfielders like Sneijder and Carrick. No matter how poor United's condition was, they wouldn't be completely dominated.
However, the deadlock was broken in the 22nd minute.
David Silva delivered a corner kick, and Kompany headed the ball toward goal.
De Gea reacted quickly and made a diving save.
But in the ensuing chaos in the box, Suarez pounced on the rebound and smashed the ball into the net.
1-0!
If this goal exposed United's weakness in defending set pieces, then the second goal in the 64th minute of the second half completely exposed the lack of protection from United's midfield.
Despite Sneijder's relentless chasing, he couldn't prevent Rakitic from unleashing a long-range shot.
De Gea had no chance.
2-0!
The scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.
The match was straightforward—intense but not particularly thrilling.
Both teams played cautiously. Manchester City, in particular, were determined not to concede any away goals, so they opted for a safer strategy and ultimately used their superior strength to win.
As for Manchester United, their overall strength was inferior to City's. Their midfield was clearly at a disadvantage, and they had little hope of turning things around.
It could be said that the outcome had already been widely predicted before the match.
…
After the game, Gao Shen and Ferguson appeared one after another at the post-match press conference.
Neither said anything too provocative. Their focus was on the second leg.
After all, there was still a match to play at Old Trafford. The outcome wasn't set in stone.
Although, from a probability standpoint, United's chances of a comeback were very slim, slim didn't mean zero.
After the press conference, Ferguson entered a small meeting room at the Etihad Stadium.
This was the usual spot where he and Gao Shen had drinks after games, but today, what he was hoping for wasn't there.
"Where's the wine?"
As soon as he walked in, he didn't even bother with a greeting. His eyes scanned the room, but there was no sign of wine.
"I say, you're getting stingier by the day. Not even a drink after the match?"
"And before, you used to send me a box before every game. Where's today's?"
From his tone, it was clear he was holding a grudge.
"There's no wine. Have some water instead." Gao Shen said as he opened a bottle and took a sip.
Ferguson gave him a long look, then sprawled out in a chair beside him.
"You said you'd let me drink, not hydrate."
Well, this old man was clearly ready to settle in and not leave until he got his drink.
Gao Shen was also irritated. "Did I hear that right? You screwed me over and still have the nerve to ask for wine?"
Ferguson, being as sharp as ever, instantly picked up on the resentment in Gao Shen's voice. After thinking for a moment, he realized what this was about.
"Ha, I really didn't mean it. You know, I just blurted it out in the moment."
It all came down to Schneiderlin.
"Yeah, you got anxious and said it. Now I've got a mess to clean up."
Ferguson laughed again.
He may have lost to Gao Shen on the pitch, but pulling a fast one off it at least gave him some satisfaction.
At least now, things felt a bit more balanced.
"What's the big deal? Didn't the player's value go up?"
"You think I care about a little money?" Gao Shen sneered.
In the plan discussed between Gao Shen, Su Qing, Lucas, and Borrell, the midfield was crucial.
After being promoted to the Premier League, they couldn't afford any mistakes in midfield if they wanted to avoid relegation.
Among the current three main midfielders, Paulinho was basically unretainable.
The Brazilian had been called up to the national team and performed well. He had no issue getting a work permit and had already attracted attention from multiple Premier League teams.
Although Leeds United also played in the Premier League, they were a newly promoted side. If Paulinho joined a mid-to-upper table club, his situation would be completely different.
Gao Shen had previously said that as long as they could keep two of the three starters and let Paulinho go, they could manage. Kondogbia could step up.
But now, thanks to Ferguson's antics, Schneiderlin might also leave.
The Frenchman was ambitious.
Gao Shen had already instructed Lucas and Borrell to contact Sarri, requesting increased focus on training Jorginho and Brozović. He also had the club's data department work on a report to assess how much the midfield would be affected if Schneiderlin left.
These things could be measured.
Of course, it couldn't be 100% accurate. After all, some things—like injuries—are unpredictable.
Who could know exactly when a player would get injured, how serious it would be, how long they'd be out, and how it would affect their condition?
There's no reliable way to evaluate that.
That's why teams fear injury waves. They're the ultimate unknown.
"To be honest, even if I didn't say anything, do you really think you could've kept him?" Ferguson countered.
Gao Shen stayed silent for a moment.
"Don't tell me the whole world doesn't know about your connection with Leeds United. The players from the White Rose were already eye-catching. They performed exceptionally in the Championship and League Cup. You think the world is blind?"
"My scouting team can produce such detailed reports. Don't you think Wenger, Benítez, Di Matteo, Redknapp, and the others have the same thing on their desks?"
"What about the top European clubs, especially those desperate to reinforce? Don't they have it too?"
At this point, the answer was obvious.
"For a Championship club, a £15 million valuation is outrageous. You sold Jonny Howson for £10 million last year. I bet you were thrilled."
Ferguson couldn't help but laugh again.
Mark Hughes was one of his favorite disciples, but their relationship had never been particularly close—especially after Hughes managed Manchester City. The two had clashed plenty of times.
What's more, Leeds United's ploy to trap Queens Park Rangers was beautifully executed.
"Others might not know, but you do, Gao. In today's European football, £15 million is nothing." Ferguson stared at Gao Shen and spoke firmly.
If Gao Shen denied it, there were only two explanations.
Either he was blatantly lying, or he was too foolish to recognize the trends in this summer's transfer market based on all the intelligence available.
Of course, Gao Shen knew.
He'd known for a while now.
A grand, frenzied money-burning war was about to ignite!
Manchester City's dominance had pressured clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea to respond.
Paris Saint-Germain would surely start another spending spree. Rumors said Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga would also increase their investment. Along with Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga, Juventus in Serie A was preparing to act...
In fact, most of the summer transfers that fans eventually saw were already being planned back in February and March.
For example, Liverpool's managerial change was already settled. Rodgers would replace Benítez.
Mourinho's return to Chelsea was also highly likely.
On top of that, the war among the top four leagues had already begun.
(To be continued.)