On the evening of October 26, in the League Cup round of 16.
Manchester City traveled to face Wolves with a heavily rotated lineup.
The significant squad rotation meant Manchester City encountered strong resistance from Wolves. In the 18th minute, Wolves capitalized on an opportunity, with midfielder Nenad Milijaš scoring from long range to beat Ji.
But after thirty minutes, Manchester City launched a fierce counterattack.
In the 37th, 39th, and 40th minutes, City scored three goals in quick succession.
After the break, they added two more goals in the 50th and 64th minutes.
In the end, the Blue Moon came from behind to defeat Wolves 5-1 away and successfully advanced to the next round.
Meanwhile, Leeds United also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 away win over Aldershot.
In the quarterfinal draw, Manchester City were drawn against Arsenal, while Leeds United continued their lucky run and drew Crystal Palace, a relegation-threatened Championship side.
Interestingly, in the tenth round of the Premier League that weekend, Manchester City played Wolves again at home.
With goals from Van Persie, Leighton Baines, and Sturridge, they secured a 3-0 win.
Chelsea lost 1-2 at home to Arsenal.
This result sent shockwaves throughout the Premier League.
Chelsea fielded three of their veteran stars—Drogba, Lampard, and Terry all played the full 90 minutes. Juan Mata opened the scoring for the Blues, but Arsenal came from behind with goals from left-back André Santos and Theo Walcott.
With this victory, Arsenal successfully turned their season around, climbing to fifth in the Premier League standings. Chelsea, meanwhile, fell to seventh, and their situation looked increasingly precarious.
As November began, the fourth round of the Champions League group stage kicked off.
Manchester City hosted Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad.
Both teams had seven points after three games, but Manchester City topped the group thanks to their away goals in the draw in Germany. That had left the Yellow and Blacks wary of the return leg.
The match largely mirrored the lineups and tactical approaches from the previous encounter.
Klopp still didn't dare to start Gündoğan, opting once again for Sven Bender and Kehl as his double pivot, with Shinji Kagawa playing as the attacking midfielder and Götze on the right wing. The starting XI was identical to the one fielded in Dortmund.
Manchester City also made minimal changes. Jerome Boateng replaced Kompany, who was suspended due to yellow card accumulation, partnering David Luiz in central defense.
The German center-back had shown significant improvement this season and had been recalled to the German national team.
Germany's Kicker magazine even published an article praising Gao Shen, crediting his patience with Boateng for helping Germany gain a young and promising center-back.
There were also reports that Bayern Munich were interested in bringing Boateng back.
It was clear to everyone that David Luiz and Kompany were the mainstays of Manchester City's defense, and both had become increasingly consistent.
Unlike the match in Germany, Manchester City played with composure at home, patiently controlling possession from the outset.
Gao Shen deployed his tried-and-true midfield trio of David Silva, Rakitic, and Javi Martínez, who helped City maintain firm control of the tempo. Meanwhile, Dortmund stuck to their high-energy, high-pressing style.
By the 20th minute, Manchester City launched an attack down the right.
Robben, showing a noticeable return to form, received the ball, turned, and swiftly beat Schmelzer before sending the ball to Suarez.
Hummels attempted a sliding tackle to stop Suarez but failed to win the ball. The Uruguayan forward cleverly flicked it over Hummels and surged forward. Near the top right corner of the box, he drew Subotić toward him, then laid it off to Gareth Bale on the left.
The Welshman charged into the left side of the arc and struck the ball with his left foot into the far corner of Weidenfeller's goal, unleashing all the frustration from his blocked shots in Germany.
1-0!
Dortmund, despite falling behind, remained tenacious and refused to back down.
Manchester City continued to control the tempo with composure.
Gao Shen was well aware that the current situation favored Manchester City.
With City dominating possession, Dortmund were forced to run more, exerting greater physical effort.
Sure enough, in the 67th minute, David Luiz baited Dortmund's pressing with a drop pass, then launched a sudden long ball forward.
Hummels and Suarez both reacted quickly, anticipating the ball's landing.
Hummels got to it first and tried to head it back to his teammate Subotić, but misjudged the direction and the ball dropped into space.
Suarez was lightning-quick. He pounced, controlled the ball, and burst into the penalty area before finishing clinically past Weidenfeller again.
2-0!
This proved that Manchester City's poor performance in Germany had indeed been down to a temporary dip in form that led to wasted chances.
Back home and well-adjusted, City's players were back to their best.
After scoring two, City didn't ease up. They took full advantage and launched another wave of attacks.
Gao Shen even brought on Yaya Touré, Van Persie, and Hazard to strengthen the offense.
In the 79th minute, Hazard dribbled past three Dortmund defenders on the left. Just as he broke into the penalty area, he was tripped. But referee Eriksson didn't award a penalty and instead booked Hazard for simulation.
This sparked outrage from City's players and fans, but under UEFA rules, Gao Shen had repeatedly warned his players not to surround the referee.
David Luiz, showing his growing maturity, joined Javi Martínez, Lichtsteiner, Rakitic, and others to push back their emotional teammates.
After that, City created more chances but failed to score again.
The match ended 2-0, with Manchester City defeating Dortmund at home.
While Manchester City were securing their victory at the Etihad, Mourinho's Real Madrid managed a 1-0 win over Porto at the Santiago Bernabéu, thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
After four rounds of the group stage, Manchester City led the group with three wins, one draw, and ten points.
Dortmund had two wins, one draw, and one loss, placing second with seven points.
Real Madrid and Porto both had one win and three losses, sitting on three points. But since Real Madrid had scored an away goal at the Estádio do Dragão, they edged Porto for third place.
However, it was clear this situation was unfavorable for both Real Madrid and Porto.
With ten points, Manchester City had essentially secured qualification. The only question now was whether they would finish first.
Dortmund were still likely to qualify, but their position was shaky. If they lost both remaining games and either Real Madrid or Porto won both of theirs, Dortmund would be out.
Judging by their strength, either team could plausibly win two in a row.
In the fifth round, Real Madrid would host Manchester City, while Porto would host Dortmund.
From any angle, both Real Madrid and Porto would be fighting desperately. Dortmund would as well, but winning away at Porto wouldn't be easy.
As for Manchester City, with qualification virtually secured, would Gao Shen rotate the squad as he had done in previous campaigns?
Even if he did, City's second team still had formidable strength.
Spanish media were deeply disappointed by the situation. Real Madrid had struggled through the group stage for two consecutive seasons, and now they were once again relying on a rival like Manchester City to help them qualify. This was unacceptable to Madridistas and the Spanish press.
Alfredo, editor-in-chief of AS, wrote in his column that Mourinho's tenure at Real Madrid was entering its final phase.
Marca even launched an open poll asking fans to vote on Real Madrid's next head coach.
Over 500,000 Real Madrid fans participated, and more than 95% of them wanted Gao Shen to return to the Bernabéu.
Spanish national television conducted street interviews outside the stadium. Even though Real Madrid had just defeated Porto 1-0, many fans remained deeply dissatisfied with the team's situation. They believed this version of Real Madrid had fallen back into the chaos and gloom of Florentino's first Galáctico era.
"Back then, Gao Shen led the team out of the darkness. Now, we want him back!"
"Yes, we won—but there's no hope. This is a team without any hope."
"The dressing room is divided. The stars have no intention of fighting for the badge. In that case, get rid of them! Bring back Gao Shen. I believe he can put us back on track!"
"I support Gao Shen! He's the best coach in the world and part of our Real Madrid family!"
"Only Gao Shen can save Real Madrid!"
"I think it has to be Gao Shen. No reason needed. I support him unconditionally!"
"I hope Gao Shen returns. He's already proven his ability elsewhere. We all want him back!"
"It's Gao Shen! Not just me, but my entire family and everyone I know agrees. He's the perfect manager for Real Madrid!"
"I still don't understand why we didn't choose Gao Shen in 2009. Florentino must take responsibility. I will bring this up at the Real Madrid Members' Meeting in December!"
"I support Gao Shen! If our president can't bring him back, then we need someone who can—maybe Martín. He says he's Gao Shen's mentor and is confident he can convince him to return."
"It has to be Gao Shen! No one else can save Real Madrid!"
"Gao Shen!"
"It must be Gao Shen!"
"There's no one but Gao Shen!"
Following the camera of Spanish national television, Real Madrid fans answered one after another.
Almost unanimously, they declared that only Gao Shen could rescue the troubled giants and turn things around.
Just like he did in 2006.
(To be continued.)