On the evening of September 29, at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
When Italian referee Rocchi blew the whistle to start the match, Schalke 04, playing at home, immediately launched a fierce attack on Manchester City. Just thirty seconds into the game, young midfielder Baumjohann fired a shot from outside the box, but Neuer calmly handled it.
The German goalkeeper had started his career at Schalke 04. Facing his former club, he was visibly excited.
But Schalke's fans still booed Neuer, clearly displeased with their former player now wearing the Manchester City badge, especially since they were now opponents.
The opening attack ended with a shot. Though it lacked any real threat, it boosted Schalke 04's confidence.
They began actively pressing Manchester City, looking for chances to attack.
It was something Gao Shen didn't quite understand.
…
"Where does Magath get his confidence from?"
Gao Shen looked toward the home bench. Magath was sitting inside, out of view, and Gao Shen had no way of knowing what the German manager was thinking. Still, he was baffled.
"With Schalke 04's current defensive quality, does he really think they can withstand our counterattack?"
That wasn't just empty talk. Manchester City was one of the most offensively dangerous teams in European football.
Schalke's Bundesliga performance had been poor this season, yet here was Magath choosing to press and attack. Gao Shen couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Maybe he wants to catch us off guard, throw us off rhythm with a surprise attack," Sarri suggested with a grin.
Gao Shen thought about it, then shook his head. "Then he's asking for death."
Sure enough, after just under two minutes of disorganization, Manchester City launched a swift counterattack and broke into Schalke's penalty area. Gareth Bale unleashed a long-range shot from the left, just slightly high.
It was a warning shot.
But what puzzled Gao Shen even more was that Schalke 04 showed no fear and continued to press, unwilling to back down from Manchester City.
Tonight, Magath used a 4-4-2 formation, with Raúl and Huntelaar up front, and a diamond midfield.
Based on the lineup, Schalke's tactics were clearly aggressive.
"Could it be the pressure getting to him?" Carlo guessed.
Everyone knew Schalke 04's position in the Bundesliga was concerning. They had fallen to 17th in the table, even suffering four consecutive defeats. The pressure on Magath was enormous.
Under that kind of stress, it was entirely possible he would gamble, trying something unorthodox.
Like going all in against Manchester City.
It wasn't that Schalke 04 was weak.
If they were truly weak, this Bundesliga side wouldn't have made it to the Champions League semifinals in Gao Shen's past life.
But Magath's decision was undeniably risky.
Everyone knew that Manchester City thrived against teams that pressed high.
Magath now gave Gao Shen the impression that he was saying, Everyone thinks you're strong, but I don't buy it. I'm going to fight you head-on and see how strong you really are!
And knowing Magath's personality, that kind of thinking was very possible.
Gao Shen actually admired such a veteran European coach with such a strong individual character. He also understood that Magath's situation was very difficult, and the pressure he was under was huge. So if he could be the final straw that broke the camel's back, Gao Shen was more than happy to oblige.
Ideally, he'd bring down Magath and Schalke all at once!
…
Faced with Schalke's aggressive start, Gao Shen didn't make any tactical adjustments.
He trusted his players to handle it.
Manchester City quickly found their footing and launched counterattacks, but Schalke 04 stayed aggressive. In the 14th minute, Schalke earned a corner from Farfán's cross on the right.
The Bundesliga side played the corner short, sending the ball into the penalty area, but David Luiz cleared it with a header.
Javi Martínez leapt and headed the second ball to the left.
Gareth Bale pounced on it after controlling the ball.
The Welshman sprinted forward with large strides.
Schalke's right-back, Japanese international Atsuto Uchida, continued retreating as Bale advanced at full speed.
But just as he approached the edge of the box, Bale suddenly cut inside and passed to David Silva.
The Spanish midfielder had been sprinting the entire way. Just as he received the ball and stopped it, without giving the defenders time to close down, he slotted a pass behind the left side of the defense.
Suárez perfectly timed his run to avoid the offside trap, cutting diagonally into the left side of the penalty area. After controlling the ball, he took a quick left-footed shot before the goalkeeper could react, sending it into the bottom left corner of Schalke's net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"In the 14th minute, Suárez scores against Schalke 04!"
"That was a classic Manchester City counterattack. Gareth Bale's pace was explosive, and the coordination during the break was clinical. Schalke's defenders had no answer for City's ferocity!"
…
Gao Shen stood on the sideline clapping hard, applauding Suárez's goal.
He turned again to look toward Schalke's bench, but still couldn't see Magath.
He wondered what the German was thinking at that moment.
No matter. Keep attacking!
If you dare go head-to-head with me, even on your home turf, then you're asking for it!
Did you really think Manchester City was one of those Champions League pretenders who only looked the part?
Yes, I'm talking about you. Don't hide, Ibrahimović!
As the players finished celebrating and headed back for the restart, Gao Shen walked to the touchline, signaling his team to keep pressing forward. Push for another goal.
Just three minutes later, Zabaleta crossed from the right, and Suárez's header went just wide.
Two minutes after that, Robben received a pass from Rakitić, cut inside from the right, and shot with his weaker right foot at a tight angle. But it hit the side netting.
In the 22nd minute, Suárez tracked back, stole the ball from Matip, and quickly played a diagonal pass to Robben on the right. The Dutchman sprinted into the penalty area, stopped quickly, beat Metzelder with a dribble, and fired a low shot into the far corner with his left foot, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
2–0!
The entire Veltins-Arena was filled with boos.
It was clear the Schalke fans weren't just venting at Manchester City. They were furious with their own team, believing Magath's tactics had completely failed.
Two goals conceded in less than thirty minutes.
…
Right after the second goal, Gao Shen finally saw Magath walk out of the home bench and stand on the sideline, directing his players. He looked dejected and disheartened, signaling his team to focus on defense.
"Well, now you've finally come to your senses." Gao Shen laughed, with a bit of devilish satisfaction.
Magath was a strong-willed and rigid coach. What fans remembered best was probably the soul-crushing preseason training he ran during his time at Bayern.
How grueling was it?
As the joke goes, he'd tell his players every day, "Let's go hiking together."
And they really would hike. For hours.
There was a running joke within the Bayern squad back then:
If Magath had been on the Titanic, everyone would've swum back to Southampton.
It was obviously a joke—maybe even sarcasm—but it reflected Magath's true nature.
He was tough. Proud. Stubborn.
And he was a serious gambler.
That was why Bayern sacked him, and why he later took over a debt-ridden Schalke 04 in 2009.
Any other big-name coach would have stayed far away from a club like Schalke 04.
But Magath clearly wanted to bet big and take his career to the next level. So he accepted a dual role as manager and head coach.
Last season's runner-up finish in the league gave him confidence. That was why he let players like Kuranyi leave and restructured the team. But this season's results had plummeted. Forget a top-ten finish. Right now, avoiding relegation would be a success.
And now, facing Manchester City, he doubled down again.
People said Magath wasn't a risk-taker.
That was wrong. He simply didn't take small risks. When he gambled, he went all in.
That's what made him such a dangerous competitor.
…
Magath's adjustments had some effect. Schalke managed to stabilize a bit.
But Manchester City had already taken control. They began creating chances with ease.
With possession secured and the tempo in their hands, City's players were growing more aggressive.
Gareth Bale on the left, Suárez and Robben on the right, even David Silva and Rakitić from midfield—everyone pushed forward to create danger.
Right before the end of the first half, Manchester City launched an attack from the left.
David Silva played a one-two with Gareth Bale, who then passed to Suárez. The Uruguayan, with his back to goal, controlled the ball and laid it off instantly.
David Silva burst forward, received the return pass from Suárez, cut into the box, and struck from the left side. The ball flew into Schalke's net again.
3–0!
Gao Shen was very pleased with the scoreline.
He'd originally thought it would be tough playing away at Schalke, but he hadn't expected Magath to hand him such a gift.
Whether it was out of desperation or pure gambling instinct, Magath had chosen to fight City head-on.
Not just in the first half either. Even after going 0–3 down early in the second half, Schalke still tried to press forward.
Gao Shen couldn't help but wonder—Is he really not afraid of death?
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.