Starting With Real Madrid

In my previous life, I once came across a question:

"Among all the positions in football, which is the hardest to play?"

It was an interesting question but also a rather pointless one.

Why interesting?

Because everyone has their own understanding of football. Different preferences lead to completely different answers. Some say forwards, others say full-backs, and so on.

Why pointless?

Because the answer is already obvious.

Strikers have the hardest job.

In modern football, the center forward is the position that demands the most well-rounded skillset.

Physicality

Technical ability

Mental strength

Tactical awareness

Passing and dribbling

Work rate

Finishing under pressure

And now, even defensive contributions are expected from forwards.

The Olympic motto—Faster, Higher, Stronger, More United—almost feels like a job description for modern strikers.

The closer you are to the opponent's goal, the greater the pressure, the higher the expectations, and the tougher the battles.

That's why, when Gao Shen chooses a striker, he looks for players like Suárez or Benzema—versatile, technically gifted, and relentless in attack.

Forwards like them can continuously trouble the opposition's defense and force mistakes.

But no matter how good a player is, there will always be times when they struggle against an opponent's game plan.

If a team parks the bus, and you can't break them down, what then?

That's where substitutes come in.

A starting striker needs to be consistent, technically complete, and hard to shut down.

But a substitute striker serves a different purpose.

Their job is to offer a unique solution, something that disrupts the opposition's defense in critical moments.

They can have flaws. They can be one-dimensional.

As long as they have a game-changing ability, that's all that matters.

This is why Gao Shen's choice makes perfect sense.

…

If Manchester City hadn't signed Suárez, then Džeko would have been the obvious choice.

Džeko was tall, strong, and technically sound—with the right coaching, he could have become a complete center forward.

But since Suárez was already in the squad, why sign another player with similar attributes?

Having both Džeko and Suárez would repeat the mistake Manchester City made in real life when they had Džeko and Agüero, two talented forwards who didn't quite fit together.

Instead, what City needed was a tactical striker, someone like Pellè.

Individually, Pellè wasn't better than Suárez, not even close.

But in certain situations, especially against defensive teams, he could provide an aerial threat and physicality that Suárez simply couldn't.

That's the value of a true impact substitute.

This is how elite teams build their squads.

…

"Mark Hughes is now managing Sunderland," Marwood reported. "He wants to buy Shaun Wright-Phillips."

Gao Shen glanced up.

Sunderland had been in survival mode last season.

They started with Roy Keane as manager, but his results were disastrous, and he was sacked by December. Assistant coach Ricky Sbragia took over and barely kept them up.

In Gao Shen's previous life, Sunderland would have hired Steve Bruce as manager.

But since Gao Shen's arrival had gotten Mark Hughes sacked early, Sunderland had gone for the bigger name instead.

That club had a strong Manchester United connection.

First Keane, then Hughes, and in another timeline, it would have been Bruce, all former United players.

But that wasn't unusual.

Hiring ex-United players gave them access to better loan deals and transfer opportunities from top clubs.

For smaller clubs, that was a smart survival strategy.

Mark Hughes had always been a big admirer of Shaun Wright-Phillips.

It was Hughes who had pushed for Manchester City to sign him from Chelsea, spending €11 million in the process.

Now, a couple of years later, Wright-Phillips' value hadn't changed much.

Gao Shen carefully considered the situation.

With Robben already signed, plus the likes of Suárez, Sturridge, and even Bale capable of playing on the right, there was no need for Wright-Phillips anymore.

In fact…

Gao Shen found himself excited at the prospect of unleashing a high-speed attack with players like Robben and Bale on the flanks.

As for Wright-Phillips?

"Tell Mark Hughes we're willing to sell Wright-Phillips," Gao Shen said. "But on one condition—Sunderland includes Jordan Henderson in the deal."

He was secretly pleased, just as he had been worrying about midfield depth, Hughes had handed him a perfect opportunity.

Jordan Henderson was a Sunderland academy product.

But so far, he had only made one Premier League appearance, coming on as a substitute against Chelsea and had played just three League Cup matches.

In January, Sunderland had even loaned him out to Coventry City in the Championship.

Henderson's value wasn't high.

Even if Sunderland rated him highly, Gao Shen was confident they would agree to the deal.

Ultimately, it was just a question of how much money changed hands.

…

But Henderson wasn't the only young talent Gao Shen had his eye on.

He also instructed Marwood to contact Southampton.

The club had just suffered relegation from the Championship and would play in League One next season.

And Gao Shen had one specific target: Adam Lallana.

The 21-year-old midfielder had been a key player for Southampton, making 40 appearances in the Championship.

His stats? One goal and five assists—decent, but not spectacular.

However, Gao Shen wasn't looking at just the stats.

In his previous life, when Pochettino's Southampton made waves in the Premier League, Lallana had shined.

Later, he joined Liverpool, where he was hailed as one of the most technically gifted English players.

As Manchester City's manager, Gao Shen had to consider both youth development and domestic influence.

Lallana was a player worth investing in.

Most importantly? His transfer fee was pocket change for Manchester City.

Still…

Gao Shen couldn't help but wonder, if Manchester City poached Lallana, would Southampton even be able to recover?

…

The British media wasted no time.

The morning after Gao Shen arrived in Manchester, newspapers had already reported on his move.

Some even published photos of his new home—though they only revealed it was in Alderley Edge, without giving exact coordinates.

But even that was enough to stir public interest.

Meanwhile, Manchester City's media team was also in action.

They sent out formal invitations to the UK's top football media, inviting them to the high-profile press conference.

Normally, a head coach unveiling wouldn't be this grand.

But this wasn't just any coach.

Gao Shen was a two-time Champions League winner.

Last season, he had led Napoli to a historic treble.

This was a blockbuster signing.

City's marketing director, Fergal Harkin, convinced Gao Shen that he couldn't afford to be low-key.

…

The day after moving in, Gao Shen took his coaching staff to Carrington, Manchester City's training base in the western suburbs.

Thanks to the club's deep pockets, all the renovations and equipment upgrades he had requested were already in place.

Over the past few months, Carlo and the coaching team had been closely monitoring the progress.

To make space, City had even constructed a new single-story building next to the main training facility, dedicated to the analysis team and medical staff.

The infirmary was relocated, and its former space was converted into a state-of-the-art gym—Pintus' new domain.

The two buildings were now connected by a passageway, making movement more convenient.

Gao Shen inspected everything and felt generally satisfied.

Still, he had one regret.

Space was limited.

City were already planning a new training base, but if they weren't, Gao Shen would have pushed for an indoor training ground.

That would have made training in rainy or snowy weather much more efficient.

That said, Carrington's drainage system was excellent, and two of the pitches even had underfloor heating.

Even in the harshest conditions, training wouldn't be affected.

As Gao Shen toured the facility, reporters had already gathered outside.

Sensing an opportunity, they tried to get an early interview—but Gao Shen politely declined.

"I'll answer all questions at the press conference," he said.

…

Eventually, the Wright-Phillips deal was completed.

Wright-Phillips moved to Sunderland for €9 million.

As a bonus, Jordan Henderson joined Manchester City on a free transfer.

The Premier League was stunned.

City fans were shocked, Wright-Phillips was a Manchester City academy graduate and had been one of their best performers last season.

Nobody had expected even he would be sold.

Wright-Phillips' father, Ian Wright, wasn't happy.

The former Arsenal legend openly criticized Manchester City in the media.

"This club didn't show my son any respect!" he said. "They didn't even inform him properly before selling him!"

And then, he aimed a direct shot at Gao Shen.

"I don't think someone like this can succeed in the Premier League!"

Of course, Ian Wright's bias was obvious.

He was an Arsenal icon and everyone knew Arsenal would suffer the most if Manchester City rose to power.

Naturally, Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson joined the criticism.

Both managers called out City's "reckless spending", arguing it would distort the league's balance.

But Gao Shen wasn't fazed.

He made a mental note, if Arsenal or Manchester United ever needed Champions League final tickets, Wenger and Ferguson weren't getting any.

Rip them up!

…

Meanwhile, City's pursuit of Adam Lallana had been straightforward.

With Southampton in financial trouble, they had no choice but to sell.

Lallana joined City for just €1 million.

Compared to major signings like Robben, Rakitic, and David Luiz, these lower-profile transfers barely made the headlines.

Even signings like Neuer and Javi Martínez weren't heavily discussed.

The British media's attention was fixated on Gao Shen's massive squad overhaul.

As a result, many analysts still hadn't fully grasped how strong this Manchester City squad really was.

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 50+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.