In the Vodaken Cup Invitational Tournament in South Africa, Manchester City had one win and one loss, failing to win the championship, which disappointed many fans.
After the two warm-up matches, Gao Shen and his team left Cape Town and headed north to the Spanish island of Mallorca.
This team was coached by Cooper in the 1990s and later Aragones. The style can be regarded as the same. The current head coach is Manzano, who is also a famous Spanish coach.
Gao Shen specially chose this strong team to inspect his own team.
But in the warm-up match, Gao Shen still made large-scale rotation adjustments. It was nothing new to come on the bench. Gao Shen directly disrupted all the players' positions. For example, Gareth Bale appeared on the right back.
Position, Sturridge plays the center position, De Jong plays the central defender...
In the end, Gao Shen once again succeeded in killing himself.
0 to 1, Manchester City lost slightly to Real Mallorca in an away game.
Even Mallorca coach Manzano asked Gao Shen strangely after the game why so many strange arrangements were made.
Gao Shen said jokingly: "I'm worried about the spies in the stands who are spying on intelligence."
But soon, he explained it again.
"In the warm-up match, of course, I have to try more, so that I know how well these players under my hands can achieve. In the middle of the season, I won't have such an opportunity at all, will I?"
Manzano agreed and was envious.
Not every team has the resources and abilities like Gao Shen, and more teams like Mallorca may not even be able to put together a complete lineup that reflects the head coach's tactics.
Making is also a luxury!
…
After playing Real Mallorca, Manchester City took a flight west and arrived in Barcelona.
The fourth warm-up match ushered in, and the opponent was Barcelona's local rival Espanyol.
The reason for arranging this warm-up match is, on the one hand, because the Spaniard's technical and tactical style has an appetite for advanced skills, and on the other hand, it is because of the head coach Pochettino.
In fact, Pochettino took the initiative to contact Gao Shen for this warm-up match. He also just took over the team, just like Gao Shen.
What's more important is that during his stay in Italy, Pochettino took advanced classes every time, and he never missed a single lesson. He is a typical good student, and now he is coaching alone, and he will definitely be praised by Gao Shen.
At Espanyol's El Prat Stadium, Gao Shen actually used three defenders.
Moreover, Javi Martinez is still the central defender who plays deep in the middle, with David Luiz and Kompany on both sides.
The midfield is flanked by Gareth Bale and Sturridge.
As a result, Manchester City was flying high in this game, and their offense was very slow, especially on the two wings.
But the guy named Giroud in front of him couldn't stand up and wasted opportunities frequently. However, he still led 1-0 in the first half with Rakitic's goal.
In the second half, after changing sides and fighting again, Gao Shen made a 352 change, letting Giroud and Sturridge play as double forwards, and Zabaleta playing on the right side of the midfield. As a result, the offense was strengthened, but the scoring efficiency was not improved.
On the contrary, it was the Spaniard who, after several adjustments, counterattacked continuously and scored three goals in a row.
Three to one, the Spaniard reversed Manchester City.
Although he lost the game, Gao Shen was in a very good mood.
When being interviewed by the media at the scene, he said that this game was the best game that Manchester City had played since the training camp.
"Apart from the result, I'm very, very satisfied with the whole game."
Not only Gao Shen, but Spanish head coach Pochettino also said that Manchester City played very thoughtfully in this game.
In particular, Pochettino was full of praise for Manchester City's head coach Gao Shen.
"I can feel that he is trying something new and different, and I am very much looking forward to it."
Pochettino believes that outside criticism of Manchester City's poor performance in the warm-up match is inappropriate because it is just a warm-up match.
"I want to say that if it really comes to the official game, Manchester City will behave completely differently."
Pochettino said that a warm-up match is a warm-up match, and one should not look at the results, but what was shown during the game, especially the goals that the head coach wants to investigate.
"Who said Manchester City is going to play a back three? You can't just see him playing a back three in the warm-up match and think he has to play a back three. There has never been such a rule on the football field. Players' positions in the game are all
Flowing."
Pochettino said that this year’s media reporters are amateurs!
…
Despite the support of Pochettino and Manzano, the sophisticated Manchester City still encountered overwhelming doubts from the media. After all, in the four warm-up matches, his results were one win and three losses.
This is really unsatisfactory for Manchester City, which spent more than 200 million euros to set up.
The British media is even more like a holiday, hyping Gao Shen and Manchester City like crazy, thinking that this team's extremely poor warm-up match makes people full of worries about their new season.
Especially as August is about to enter, and Manchester City has yet to find a mature set of tactics, how will they compete in the new Premier League season?
Among the many media, there are some rational voices. For example, The Times published the results of the warm-up matches when Gao Shen was coaching Naples. In the warm-up matches for three consecutive years, they basically lost more than they won.
But there are too few such voices. Not to mention in front of the turbulent British media, even in The Times, they did not attract much attention. They mostly focused on accusations, doubts, and even bombardments.
There is no way, only in this way can we get attention and sales.
To use Gao Shen's self-deprecating words on Twitter: "The entire Premier League is waiting to see our jokes!"
"But I'm sorry, you will be disappointed!"
But this sentence brought him more doubts and ridicules.
How can you still have the nerve to say such things when your results in the warm-up match are so bad?
As for why there are results in the warm-up matches, the media won't say anything, and it's okay to criticize them anyway.
Who asked you to coach Manchester City?
…
From South Africa to Spain, Manchester City's next stop is Germany.
First in Munich, Germany, they drew 1-1 with Munich 1860, and then lost 1-2 away to Mainz coached by Tuchel.
Thomas Tuchel, like Pochettino, was Gao Shen's favorite student when he was teaching in Italy, and he never failed.
Now he is also coaching alone, and Gao Shen also arranged a warm-up match, sending warmth from thousands of miles away.
When Tuchel faced media reporters after the game, he suggested that Manchester City actually performed better, but their games were too intensive.
From South Africa to Spain to Germany, there is almost a warm-up match in three days.
Gao Shen also played very aggressively, with completely different lineups in every game, and the positions of many players were messed up.
"I talked to him about this issue as early as when we were in Italy. He felt that such a warm-up match was very effective, so he enjoyed it. I think it should be suitable for him, but not for others."
Tuchel also pointed out in front of the media that Gao Shen should not be criticized or questioned.
"He no longer needs to prove himself to anyone. He is the best head coach in European football and even world football today. Although he is only 28 years old, many people are not convinced, but this is the fact!"
Tuchel said that he saw many differences in Manchester City from the game.
"I can't elaborate on many professional things, but I can say that he is making a very interesting attempt. He wants to further improve and perfect his tactical concepts based on Naples."
"I'm very happy to see him like this. It proves that he is not a head coach who rests on his laurels. He is still actively innovating and making breakthroughs. This is something worth learning for all of us.
"
"This warm-up match is not a victory for me, and even the score is not important at all. The most important thing is that it inspired me and caused me to think. This is more valuable than anything else."
Whether it is Tuchel or the previous Pochettino and Manzano, this group of professional coaches are full of praise for Gao Shen. On the contrary, the media and fans also mocked Gao Shen's Manchester City because of their poor results.
and sarcasm.
…
After playing the warm-up match in Germany, Manchester City took a breath of relief and flew directly back to Manchester.
This is also the first time the team has returned to the Carrington training base after summer training.
In the pre-season plan of Gao Shen and the coaching staff, the entire summer training camp is divided into two phases, and the first phase has been completed.
After returning to Manchester, the team will conduct the first phase of summary, analysis and review, and then enter the second phase, which will still focus on the warm-up match, but the team's entire preparation will begin to revolve around the upcoming Premier League.
Expand.
Manchester City's first Premier League match is on August 15th.
Prior to this, Gao Shen arranged two warm-up matches in the UK, one against the Scottish Premiership team Celtic and one against England's third-tier Southampton, which was signed when Adam Lallana was previously introduced.
protocol.
Manchester City is equivalent to signing Adam Lallana for one million euros plus all the proceeds from this warm-up match.
These two warm-up games are also Manchester City's final sprint to prepare for the new season.
The British media expressed great disappointment with Manchester City's entire summer training camp, especially Gao Shen's work.
They believe that a month has passed and Gao Shen has not yet found a mature and stable set of tactics, which is unqualified.
Liverpool star Alan Hansen also expressed concerns about the physical preparation, state adjustment, and fighting spirit of Manchester City players, because judging from the warm-up match, Manchester City did not perform very well.
But Gao Shen scoffed at such accusations.
He directly tweeted Alan Hansen, saying that he didn't mind bringing a wave of traffic to the opponent's pitiful number of fans, and directly slapped him in the face and asked him, "The warm-up matches were not broadcast live. Where did you see that?"
The game process?”
Alan Hansen replied that he heard from colleagues who were watching the game live.
"I can only say that you are really expert!" Gao Shen said sarcastically.
Today Alan Hansen is a media person.
However, the criticism against Manchester City from the outside world is overwhelming, but within Manchester City, everything is calm.
This is also due to Gao Shen's protection of the team. He has attracted almost all the fire and criticism alone.
