Starting With Real Madrid

After two days of rest, the team regrouped to immediately face the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Manchester City hosted Brighton at home.

This time, Gao Shen didn't field all his main players but rotated the squad and used several substitutes against Brighton.

At the Etihad Stadium, the team took a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Kompany, Yaya Touré, and Henderson.

In the second half, Giroud, Sturridge, Jerome Boateng, and Robinho all found the net.

In the end, Manchester City beat Brighton 7-0 at home.

This prompted widespread praise from the British media for Gao Shen's adjustments. He had given the team two days off beforehand, and now it seemed that Manchester City, after regrouping, had quickly exploded with tremendous energy. The squad's form clearly recovered and improved.

Gao Shen also mentioned this in the recovery training session the next morning.

The 7-0 win was certainly worth celebrating, but the team still faced major challenges ahead and couldn't afford to relax.

The FA Cup is a single-leg knockout tournament, the league title hasn't been secured yet, and most crucially, there's the Champions League.

Manchester City's first away game in the Champions League would be in Saint Petersburg, Russia, facing Zenit. However, the temperature in Saint Petersburg at the time was more than ten degrees below zero, which posed a major challenge for Manchester City.

Following Gao Shen's recommendation, they decided to take a conservative approach on the road. The goal was to hold out for a draw and then go all out in the return leg at home.

This plan carried risks, but there was no better alternative.

Saint Petersburg is in Northern Europe, and the temperatures were freezing. If Manchester City had to make a long trip and still push with full intensity, the risk of injury would be high and the payoff likely not worth it.

Rather than gamble everything, it made more sense to conserve strength.

Three days later, Manchester City traveled to Saint Petersburg with a slightly weakened squad.

Facing Zenit, who had sent out their full-strength lineup, Gao Shen made a rare choice to use a 4-4-2 formation, deploying two defensive midfielders and two forwards.

Giroud and Suárez started up front. In midfield, it was Javi Martínez and Rakitić in the center, with Gareth Bale on the left, Robben on the right, and De Bruyne starting as well.

This was also the Belgian teenager's first start in a Champions League knockout match.

As it turned out, Gao Shen's decision made sense.

On the night of the game, the temperature in Saint Petersburg dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius. Manchester City's players were clearly uncomfortable. Javi Martínez developed a fever on the morning of the match, forcing Gao Shen to replace him with Fernandinho.

During the match, the pitch was extremely slippery, making it difficult for Manchester City to maintain their usual passing and possession game. Combined with the freezing temperatures, the players found it hard to move freely.

But in the 20th minute of the first half, Giroud's header created an opportunity for Zabaleta in the box, allowing Manchester City to score the opening goal.

Just seven minutes later, Zenit midfielder Roman Shirokov equalized with a long-range strike that broke through Manchester City's defense.

The first half ended 1-1. After the break, Zenit continued to apply pressure.

At one point, Manchester City were forced back deep into their own 30-meter area.

In the 63rd minute, Suárez asked to be subbed off after twisting his ankle.

As he left the pitch, the Uruguayan forward kept shaking his head, frustrated with the poor conditions at the away ground.

After Sturridge came on, he launched a few counterattacks but failed to create any real danger.

Overall, Manchester City were on the back foot and looked uncomfortable under Zenit's pressure.

But the match ended in a 1-1 draw, and both sides settled for a share of the points.

At the post-match press conference, Gao Shen admitted that his team struggled away from home and didn't perform well.

"Recently, temperatures in Manchester have been quite warm, even exceeding ten degrees during the day," Gao Shen said honestly. He and his players had a hard time adapting to the conditions, since it was minus eight during the day and minus fifteen at night in Saint Petersburg—bitterly cold and nearly unbearable.

Still, Gao Shen expressed satisfaction with his team's away performance and remained confident.

"When we're back at home, we'll deliver our best performance!"

By then, it would be Zenit who'd be under pressure.

Transitioning from a freezing minus fifteen degrees to Manchester's milder ten-degree weather wouldn't be easy for them either.

But Zenit's head coach didn't see it that way. He even accused Gao Shen of making excuses.

"Yes, he does that all the time. He always finds a good reason for his team," said Zenit head coach Spalletti, an old friend of Gao Shen's.

The bald Italian tactician stated that his team had performed better at home and had nearly broken through Manchester City's defense multiple times.

"I think, in the past two or three seasons, no other team has been able to put Manchester City in such a mess, right?"

Spalletti was proud of his team's performance.

As for the away match, he admitted that there would be some difficulties, but none that couldn't be overcome.

"We'll arrive at the away ground three days in advance," Spalletti declared confidently.

Some might wonder—why?

The answer is simple. Because there were no matches in the Russian Premier League during that period.

It had to do with the league's competition format.

Previously, the Russian Premier League, like many leagues in Northern Europe, followed a spring-to-autumn schedule, running from March to November.

This system avoided the coldest months of the year.

As everyone knows, winters in Northern Europe are brutally cold.

But starting this year, the Russian Premier League changed its format, shifting to align with Europe's major leagues and adopting a standard cross-year calendar from July to May, with a three-month winter break.

This created a transition gap. Since the switch from the spring-autumn format to the cross-year schedule, there was a six-month break before the new season began.

As a result, there were no Russian Premier League matches in the first half of 2012.

If Zenit wanted, they could have even taken the same flight as Manchester City back to prepare for the second leg, eliminating any issues with adapting to the weather.

Gao Shen couldn't help but feel envious.

But all he could do was let Spalletti enjoy the advantage.

After returning to Manchester from Saint Petersburg, Manchester City didn't get much rest. After a short preparation, they headed south to London.

While other teams were preparing for the 26th round of the Premier League, Manchester City would be playing in the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium—against Leeds United.

The match attracted global attention.

Leeds United were the dark horses of this year's League Cup and also the leaders of the Championship. Their head coach Sarri had been Gao Shen's assistant coach, and the club's chairwoman was Gao Shen's wife, Su Qing, adding even more intrigue to the matchup.

Before departing for London, Sarri was interviewed at the Thorp Arch training base and publicly declared that he would not show mercy to Manchester City.

"We will stick to our tactics."

"Facing Manchester City is a special match for me and Leeds United."

"We won't think about any other relationships. Our only focus is this battle on the pitch."

Sarri said he didn't have much to say about his relationship with Manchester City head coach Gao Shen.

"I just want to say that this relationship will only make both teams fight harder and give their all."

Sarri explained his view of the final—it was a learning opportunity.

"To be honest, reaching the League Cup final was already a surprise. I'm proud of Leeds United's players, but I'm also fully aware of the huge gap between us and Manchester City."

He admitted that, given the difference in quality, no matter what tactics Leeds United used, they'd struggle.

"But we won't despair. That's not our style. As the documentary said, we give everything in every match and treat every game with full commitment. We'll show our football fearlessly against Manchester City."

Sarri also didn't believe that his coaching style was identical to Gao Shen's. He felt he had his own ideas and philosophy.

"Coach Gao often says I'm even more stubborn than he is. I take that as a compliment. Everyone has something they insist on, and that's just who I am."

Sarri emphasized again that Leeds United were ready.

"No matter what the final score is, we'll fight to the end against Manchester City!" Sarri stated firmly.

The club's CEO, Fernando Lucas, also voiced his support for Sarri's decision in a media interview.

"He's the head coach, and we trust his professional judgment."

Technical director Borrell revealed that he'd discussed the final with Sarri. "He's confident he can make things difficult for Manchester City, and we're looking forward to seeing this young team do just that."

One thing was certain: Leeds United would go all out.

What about Manchester City?

During an interview with the media at Carrington, Gao Shen read out the 18-man squad heading south. Everyone noticed that all the expected names were included.

Gao Shen said that anyone worrying about Manchester City taking it easy or giving up the match could stop now.

"I've said that our only goal this season is to win the quadruple. Any opponent who stands in our way will only meet one result—defeat!"

Gao Shen praised Sarri's work at Leeds United, calling it an excellent start. He firmly believed Sarri would succeed—but wasn't sure about this League Cup final.

"I think it's a little early for him to win a title!" Gao Shen said jokingly.

A reporter playfully asked if facing Leeds United would create any pressure at home, given that his wife was their chairwoman.

Gao Shen smiled and said no.

"She told me the outcome of a match depends on each team's strength. She'll accept whoever wins or loses."

As for which Leeds United player posed the biggest threat to Manchester City, Gao Shen didn't name anyone specifically.

"All of them!"

"This is an attacking team. We have to be cautious!"

(To be continued.)