Manchester City eventually beat Chelsea 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, with goals from Suárez and Gareth Bale.
This victory secured Manchester City's third championship trophy of the season.
Only one Champions League title remains for them to complete the quadruple that Gao Shen set out to achieve.
That match would take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 19.
After winning the FA Cup in London, Manchester City returned triumphantly to Manchester, with loyal fans following closely behind. The highway was filled with vehicles flying the Manchester City flag.
It was a declaration.
A declaration to the entire English football world.
Let everyone know, Manchester City is the undisputed champion.
Upon returning to Manchester, the team headed straight to the Carrington training base, accompanied by Mubarak and Gary Cook, to deliver the FA Cup trophy to the club's Hall of Fame.
Before Gao Shen took over as manager, Manchester City's Hall of Fame was rather empty. But in just three years, it had begun to feel a bit cramped.
Especially the prominent spaces reserved for the Premier League and Champions League titles — they were already full.
"When we expand the stadium, we might need to expand the Hall of Fame too," Mubarak joked with a smile.
Gao Shen and the others all nodded in agreement.
Manchester City's future looked bright. Mansour had not eased off in the slightest due to the success of the past three years. He would continue to invest, especially in the training base opposite the Etihad Stadium and the renovation and expansion of the new stadium.
As Ferguson once said, commercial and broadcasting income may fluctuate with team performance, but matchday revenue is a very stable and predictable source of income.
If necessary, it can even be used to secure bank loans.
Not only that, local fans also care deeply about the owner's investment in infrastructure.
Investors are smart, and fans aren't stupid either.
Infrastructure investment is long-term and doesn't yield immediate results, but it reflects the owner's long-term commitment to operating the club.
Many fans judge whether an investor is good or bad using a simple standard: Are you willing to build a training base and a new stadium for the team?
Roman Abramovich was accepted by Chelsea largely because of his plan to build the Cobham training ground.
Everyone knew Chelsea had players like Marcelo Bielsa and Verón training on a worn-out pitch in a warehouse district. It was ridiculed by fans around the world.
That also reflected the poor infrastructure of English clubs.
Manchester City's stadium expansion had already been put on the agenda, and the construction of the training base had begun. It was expected to cost over £100 million, half of which would be used to build a home stadium for the youth team.
"Guardiola turned us down."
After wrapping up official business, Mubarak invited Gao Shen to his office.
After receiving Gao Shen's call, Mubarak knew he had gotten the green light, so he immediately contacted Guardiola's agent through Gary Cook and Marwood. He even flew to Barcelona personally to have a secret meeting with Guardiola.
But unfortunately, the result wasn't ideal.
Gao Shen wasn't surprised. At the moment, taking over his position was just as difficult as succeeding Ferguson.
Guardiola wasn't in any rush to find a new club, so why would he want to take over now?
He could spend that time coaching another team, win a few trophies, and when Manchester City started to decline, he could come in and take over. Wouldn't that be better?
Without Gao Shen, could Manchester City maintain its current form?
The squad was strong, but without Gao Shen, who could truly control it?
Even if Gao Shen came in mid-season, he might not be able to regain full control immediately.
Gao Shen's biggest advantage was that all these players were discovered or developed by him, or brought back to their peak through his guidance. They all respected him.
Could anyone else do the same?
This was Manchester City's biggest hidden danger.
Sometimes, having too many stars isn't necessarily a good thing.
The club's management was well aware of this, which is why they were being extra cautious in their search for a new manager.
For example, the incoming coach's style had to be similar. After all, Gao Shen's attacking football philosophy had been instilled at the club for three seasons. If they brought in someone like Mourinho, it could be problematic.
Also, the new manager needed to maintain good relationships with the big-name stars in the dressing room.
And most importantly, he had to be someone capable of winning titles.
Truth be told, it was rare to find someone in European football who could satisfy all three conditions.
Many people believed Manchester City was good enough for Gao Shen, but they overlooked how important Gao Shen was to Manchester City.
Perhaps not as influential as Ferguson was to Manchester United, but these three short years under Gao Shen would undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on Manchester City, the Premier League, and even the Champions League.
The club considered several options. Ancelotti, for example, but he was currently managing Paris Saint-Germain.
Then there was Pellegrini at Malaga. But he hadn't won a title with Real Madrid, and there were concerns about his relationships with star players, such as his issues with Riquelme at Villarreal.
Some even suggested Leeds United's head coach, Sarri, for good reasons.
Sarri had been an assistant at Manchester City for two years. He had a good relationship with the players and was very familiar with the club. He had also been Gao Shen's deputy for three years. No one was more suitable to take over than Sarri. More importantly, Sarri had achieved excellent results with Leeds United, and his tactical knowledge was clear.
Under these circumstances, it seemed acceptable for Sarri to succeed Gao Shen.
But Sarri's biggest issue was his somewhat stubborn personality and lack of status.
That shouldn't be underestimated.
The same words sound different coming from different people. The same actions produce different results depending on who does them.
To borrow a joke from Gao Shen's previous life: a billionaire and a beggar wearing the same pair of ripped shoes — people would assume the billionaire is making a fashion statement, while the beggar just picked them out of the trash.
That's the difference.
The most vivid example was Chelsea's former coach, Villas-Boas.
His plan was sound, his direction was right, his tactics were logical. But he made mistakes in execution. If a more authoritative coach had implemented the same plan, someone who could control the dressing room, the problems wouldn't have escalated the way they did.
This is why top clubs always go for famous managers.
No one else can command authority.
As he was about to leave, Gao Shen didn't intend to offer any suggestions about who should be his successor. That would be unfair. But he did offer many professional recommendations on youth development.
Including how to set up a scouting and recruitment mechanism.
To be honest, he was still worried. Judging by Manchester City's current state, they no longer seemed willing to continue scouting and developing young players.
That's not to say they didn't care about youth development. On the contrary, they still did. But now, they only wanted the best.
Gao Shen had taken advantage of that by signing Adam Lallana and Courtois. He even asked if Manchester City wanted to buy them back.
But Mubarak waved his hand and declined without hesitation.
"We have plenty of talent in those two positions. Besides, Marwood told me they've made great progress at Leeds United. Your training and match experience have been crucial."
"Anyway, they've already been transferred to Leeds, and we don't really have a spot for them at the moment."
Manchester City already had a better goalkeeper in Neuer. Why bring back Courtois?
Just to have him sit on the bench?
That would only cause tension in the dressing room.
Goalkeepers are different from other positions. Neuer plays nearly every match.
Courtois wouldn't want to come back just to be a backup.
Gao Shen had already anticipated this, which was why he dared to bring it up.
"I still hope we, Manchester City, can have more cooperation with Leeds United, especially in terms of talent development," Mubarak said. Get full chapters from 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Gao Shen understood what he meant.
Leeds United was clearly taking the youth development route. Manchester City's unspoken meaning was that if Leeds ever wanted to sell players in the future, they should prioritize Manchester City. Money wasn't an issue.
They had money to burn. Worst case, they could just dig up two more barrels of oil.
"Don't worry, there will definitely be opportunities. Manchester City's youth academy is great too. We can definitely collaborate more in the future," Gao Shen replied with a smile.
Gao Shen could almost predict that after his departure, problems would arise in Manchester City's youth system.
Not because the youth training itself was poor, but because the players wouldn't get chances to break through.
This wasn't just Manchester City's issue — it was a common problem among top clubs.
Barcelona was a rare exception.
Many only remember players like Busquets and Messi, but forget that even Xavi was nearly sold. Iniesta struggled in the first team and almost went to Real Madrid. Fabregas and Piqué had to leave.
As for Messi, he was a once-in-a-generation talent who would've succeeded anywhere.
In other words, Barcelona's gathering of so many academy players in one team was a rare fluke.
Mature and wealthy teams should rely on transfers to stay competitive, supported by a few local and academy players to create a stable, cohesive squad.
If Barcelona had to do that, Manchester City would rely even more on transfers.
As for the gems hidden in Manchester City's youth academy…
Well, Gao Shen had already instructed Leeds United's scouting department to keep a close eye on them.
If any cracks appeared, he'd swoop in immediately.
Whether Manchester City wanted to buy those players back later would be their decision.
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