Gao Shen is getting married!
During the two-week international break, when the European football world was otherwise calm, this piece of news broke out suddenly.
The source of the news was a photo published by the British newspaper The Sun.
Gao Shen, dressed casually, was seen holding Su Qing's hand at a high-end custom wedding dress shop near Knightsbridge in London.
As the birthplace of paparazzi, British media reporters quickly dug up the full story behind the photo.
For example, this time Gao Shen had taken special leave from his club to accompany his fiancée to London. While there, they stayed at a luxury hotel near Hyde Park and spent almost every day sightseeing and shopping in the city.
In addition, Gao Shen also took Su Qing to dine with his old friend Ancelotti and his family.
A few days later, it was during one of these outings that they were photographed by a reporter from The Sun.
That year, Gao Shen's proposal after the Champions League final caused a sensation and remains a topic among fans and media alike. However, since then, there had been no further news.
When asked about it previously, Gao Shen's answer was that he had been too busy.
But now, with this latest development, the media quickly jumped into action.
After learning that he had been exposed by reporters, Gao Shen commented on Twitter, admitting that he had been careless and had underestimated the "street-sweeping reporters" of London.
According to Ancelotti, celebrities appear around Knightsbridge daily. Whenever the major newspapers run out of material, they send reporters there to patrol the streets. But none of them expected Gao Shen to be the one caught this time.
Now that he had been discovered, Gao Shen chose to acknowledge it openly, saying that he was indeed considering marriage, though the date had not yet been set.
On Twitter, Gao Shen explained that he and his fiancée rarely had time together and that he hoped their relationship would remain undisturbed.
With these remarks, the media had the material they needed to stir up public attention, but they also expressed respect for Gao Shen's wishes.
Unexpectedly, after Gao Shen and Su Qing returned to Manchester from London, many world-renowned bridal brands reached out to them, expressing their willingness to sponsor the wedding.
Gao Shen's suit sponsor, Kiton, also contacted him, saying they would send someone to Manchester to take his measurements in advance and promised to assign their best designers to create a custom suit for him.
Gao Shen and Su Qing met with representatives from several top bridal brands and viewed a wide selection of high-end wedding dresses. In the end, Su Qing chose a design from a Chinese designer brand, which is quite renowned in the industry.
In addition to providing the wedding dress, this brand would also handle the setting and overall design of the entire wedding.
Gao Shen was now getting a taste of the benefits that come with being a celebrity.
Before he could even get his hair cut, a hair clipper brand would show up at his door. Now that he was preparing for marriage, wedding dress brands and various other wedding-related companies were coming to him on their own.
Even Mansour, from the Middle East, heard the news within two days and immediately called Gao Shen, inviting him to hold the wedding in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, promising to cover all the expenses.
However, this offer brought up another issue.
If the wedding were held in winter, the climate there would be suitable. But in summer, the Middle East would be far too hot.
Gao Shen politely declined, saying he was still considering holding the wedding back home.
Mansour expressed his regret and asked him to think it over once more.
In today's world, any piece of news can spread across the globe in an instant. If Gao Shen were to get married, it would undoubtedly become global news—the wedding of the century. Holding it in Abu Dhabi would also bring great publicity to the city.
After all, back then, Dubai invited Beckham to promote Palm Island and even gifted him a villa.
Gao Shen never expected to receive such treatment himself.
This made him feel quite proud.
…
Su Qing's long vacation ended before the conclusion of the two-week international break.
Gao Shen personally escorted her to London and saw her off at the airport before returning to Manchester to focus on preparing for the upcoming Premier League eighth round and the Champions League group stage.
Among these two matches, Gao Shen was most focused on the Champions League clash against Inter Milan.
In the third round of the group stage, Manchester City would be traveling to Italy for an away match.
Gao Shen had a deep impression of Inter Milan's performance in the Champions League that season, especially because Gareth Bale had emerged in the two games played against them.
Many people believe that Maicon's rapid fall from the position of the world's top right-back began with those two group matches.
As a fan, Gao Shen naturally felt that Maicon had been the stepping stone for Gareth Bale's rise.
But now, he wasn't so sure.
At 29 years old, Maicon certainly wasn't considered old. In fact, he should still have been at or near his peak.
So why did he perform so poorly in those two games against Tottenham?
The reason was actually quite simple. At the time, Inter Milan's head coach was Benítez.
Benítez's trademark tactic is using two defensive midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation with an overall high-press strategy.
This tactic has one particular characteristic—the defensive line is pushed up high, which leaves more space behind. This often forces defenders into uncomfortable one-on-one situations that require excellent individual defensive ability.
Maicon's form that season was definitely not at its best. After all, he had just passed his peak, so some decline in performance was normal. He happened to run into a fearless Gareth Bale, while Benítez's high-line 4-2-3-1 made things even worse.
As a result, Maicon was pushed to the spotlight and completely exposed by Bale.
The title of the world's best right-back was stripped away.
It can be said that Bale's breakout performance and the tactics employed by Benítez were both key reasons for Maicon's downfall in those two matches.
Of course, most people only remember Maicon's miserable performance because Bale's display was so astonishing.
But the current situation was clearly different.
Benítez was still coaching Liverpool, and Inter Milan's head coach was now Leonardo.
Not only that, but the Inter squad had also undergone major changes. Players like Sneijder, Eto'o, Diego Milito, and Thiago Motta were no longer there. Instead, the team featured Ibrahimovic and Moutinho.
This meant that Gao Shen's memories of his previous life were no longer applicable.
…
From what Gao Shen had observed of Leonardo's time as Inter Milan's coach this season, he could tell that Leonardo preferred an attacking style, which was very different from Mourinho's approach.
This made Inter Milan's choice of head coach quite puzzling.
Everyone knew that Inter Milan's current squad had been built under Mourinho's defensive philosophy, yet they had now chosen a coach who emphasized offense. It was hard to make sense of.
As a young head coach, Gao Shen might not be in a position to comment, but he genuinely felt that Leonardo lacked experience. After all, not everyone had a "tactical library" in their mind to browse and learn from at any moment.
As a result, while Inter Milan had scored many goals, their defense was problematic.
Leonardo tended to use a 4-3-3 formation, though it was not the traditional version. It leaned more toward a 4-2-1-3, somewhat similar to the old Brazilian 4-2-4 formation.
Quick short passes and a compact formation were the hallmarks of Leonardo's Inter Milan.
But the biggest problem with this Inter team was its aging squad.
Gao Shen was even convinced that Mourinho chose to leave Inter Milan this summer precisely because of this reason.
It had been the same in his previous life. Mourinho's so-called "leaving at the peak" was not the real reason.
When a team reaches a certain level of aging, many problems start to emerge, problems that cannot be easily solved. For example, older players recover more slowly and their physical condition is harder to maintain compared to younger players.
Moreover, Inter Milan's attack was also facing issues. They had failed to score in their first two group matches.
After losing 1-0 to Mourinho's Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, Inter Milan legend Bergomi openly advised Leonardo through the media, "Offensive football may sell tickets, but if you want to win titles, you still have to rely on defense."
"Learn from Mourinho!"
The team couldn't find a breakthrough in attack, and their defense was full of gaps, conceding nearly 1.5 goals per game. This level of defensive performance hardly seemed like that of a traditional Italian side.
Gazzetta dello Sport even wrote that Leonardo had declared before taking office that he wanted to lead Inter Milan in an offensive revolution, just like Gao Shen.
"And he really did," the paper commented.
"But it wasn't Inter Milan launching the offensive storm. It was their opponents bringing the offensive storm to Inter."
However, faced with the heavy criticism, Leonardo did not back down.
He fired back, telling everyone to shut up and saying he would stick to what he believed was right.
"I love creating excitement!"
The implication was clear: He would not listen to their nonsense.
…
"To be honest, after learning about him, I suddenly understand why AC Milan and Inter Milan both hired him as head coach," Carlo said with a smile after reading about Leonardo's background.
"In some ways, he really reminds me of you back then."
Carlo looked at Gao Shen, as if seeing the same boldness Gao Shen had shown when he first coached Real Madrid—fearlessly challenging the Brazilian faction and shaking up the locker room.
But Gao Shen wasn't pleased to hear the comparison.
"I'm nothing like him," he replied.
"Why not?" Carlo asked.
"First of all, he was a successful player, which is something I can't compare with. Also, I'm not stubborn. I know exactly what I'm doing. That's called sticking to your principles."
Everyone laughed.
Yes, when you succeed, it's called sticking to your principles. When you fail, it's called being stubborn and obstinate.
There was a certain truth to that.
"You know," Gao Shen continued, "this applies everywhere, whether in football, society, or business. You must have the strength to back up your perseverance. If you lack the ability but insist on doing things your own way, you're essentially digging your own grave."
Gao Shen had encountered many such people in both his past and present lives.
His attitude toward these people had always been fairly neutral.
But as an opponent, he was looking forward to seeing Leonardo continue to cling to his belief in offensive brilliance.
Because that would make it easier for Manchester City to play away at the San Siro.
Being stubborn is a disease—and it needs to be treated!
Since he hadn't managed to "cure" Magath, Gao Shen wanted to see if his "medicine" would work on Leonardo.
(To be continued.)