On the evening of September 15th, at the Inonu Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye.
As the referee blew the final whistle, Ferguson raised both arms and let out a roar, celebrating Manchester United's hard-fought victory with unrestrained excitent.
0–1—the scoreboard showed the final result.
The Red Devils had defeated Turkish side Besiktas 1–0, thanks to Scholes' decisive goal.
It was a great start to their Champions League group stage campaign!
But even more important, Ferguson's rotation strategy had paid off.
Van der Sar was still sidelined with injury, so Foster was in goal.
Ferguson made major rotations across other positions.
At right-back, veteran Gary Neville replaced O'Shea. Evans ca in for Ferdinand at center-back. In midfield, Carrick and Fletcher were both rested. Ahead of Scholes, the attacking trident featured Park Ji-sung and Anderson behind Nani, Owen, and Valencia.
You could say it was a makeshift Manchester United side.
But even with this lineup, United managed to defeat Besiktas and Valencia was particularly lively down the right flank.
Twenty-five million euros. When Ferguson first signed this winger, many thought it was excessive.
But now, it seed completely worth it!
Anything recomnded by Gao Shen had to be a masterpiece.
Valencia created the most threats for United throughout the match and was their standout perforr. He was nad Player of the Match, though the assist for Scholes' goal ca from Nani on the left.
Sotis, that's just how football goes.
Still, Ferguson was more than satisfied to win away at Besiktas.
From the opening whistle to the final monts, his face bead with satisfaction and even delight, his mood was plain for all to see.
And rightly so.
United had traveled to Türkiye with a rotated squad to conserve energy for the weekend derby. But they still ca away with a win, sothing even Ferguson hadn't expected.
It was a pleasant surprise.
He had ntally prepared for a draw or even a narrow defeat. But a win?
"Gao Shen, I'm ready. I'll be waiting for you!" Ferguson said proudly.
…
After beating Besiktas 1–0 away, Ferguson was high-profile in the post-match press conference.
On one hand, he singled out Antonio Valencia for praise, saying the winger had everything needed to beco world-class and was the most dangerous player throughout the ga—only lacking a bit of luck.
On the other, he explained the rotation strategy as part of managing the squad for multiple competitions.
"Anyone familiar with the Champions League knows how tough it is to travel to Türkiye," Ferguson said. "But today, our players overca the challenge. Not only did we dominate the field, but we also got the win."
"For , this result couldn't be better."
When asked about the upcoming Manchester derby, Ferguson didn't hold back.
"I don't care how many gas my neighbors have won, it ans nothing to . At Old Trafford, any winning streak stops here."
Ferguson said he never worried about Manchester City.
"I used to call them the noisy neighbors, and I still do."
"This isn't the first ti City's made a splash. They spent big last season and did well, but where did they finish? Tenth in the league. And at Old Trafford, we beat them by two goals."
Ferguson continued, "If winning titles was just about spending money, why even bother playing the gas? Just compare who has deeper pockets. What's the point of working hard?"
In short, he continued to mock City, portraying them as nothing more than a rcenary squad built with cash.
Regarding the first Manchester derby of the season, Ferguson said that at Old Trafford, United would show their experience and heritage.
"We'll crush them!"
…
Gao Shen ignored Ferguson's trash talk in Istanbul.
He was more focused on Manchester United's performance and squad rotation.
As soon as United's match against Besiktas ended, City's coaching team began compiling data from all sources to analyze United's preparations for Premier League Round 6—especially their lineup.
It was clear Ferguson had left his key players in Manchester.
"First, rule out the ones who played the full 90 minutes in Türkiye," Lucas analyzed. "That includes Park Ji-sung and Valencia, both went the distance."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Carrick, Sneijder, and Fletcher will form the midfield."
That would be Ferguson's preferred setup: balanced in both attack and defense, perfect for a ho match.
"On the right, O'Shea should return. In central defense, Ferdinand will definitely partner Vidic. Left-back will still be Evra, there's no better option right now."
United's left flank had beco a concern. Evra had no real backup.
Ferguson had tried using Brazilian youngster Fabio there, but his performances hadn't impressed. Evra's durability and high match load ant the youngster rarely got playing ti.
On the right, there was more depth: Brown, Rafael, O'Shea—and even Fabio could play there.
"From how he played against Besiktas, it was obvious Evra was holding back. He's saving energy for the derby," Carlo noted.
Evra would be facing Manchester City's right flank.
Robben had co off the bench against Arsenal, scored twice, and provided an assist, three goal contributions in just over 20 minutes. It was by far his best performance since joining City.
After a week of rest and recovery, there was no telling how dangerous Robben would be in the derby.
More importantly, Evra had just completed a long round-trip to Türkiye.
If one side gained montum while the other was fatigued, it made perfect sense for City to target United's left side.
"In the middle, if Sneijder starts behind the strikers, then Berbatov will be there for sure," Lucas added. "That will help take the pressure off Rooney. Both forwards can receive with their back to goal and with passers like Carrick and Sneijder behind them, United's attack will be very dangerous."
Both Rooney and Berbatov were excellent at holding up play. With Carrick and Sneijder distributing from midfield, they'd beco even more of a threat.
And don't forget—Ferguson had left Giggs in Manchester too.
As he aged, Giggs had beco more and more effective in specific roles.
As a tactical expert, Ferguson had clearly devised a detailed strategy for the derby well in advance. That's why he rotated so heavily against Besiktas.
And now, it seed his gamble had worked.
Everything would co down to the clash at Old Trafford.
Everyone in the eting room offered their insights and analysis on Manchester United and the upcoming ga.
Gao Shen sat quietly in his seat, listening calmly.
That had always been his way.
He was used to listening to his assistants' thoughts before giving his own opinion.
This had beco the norm in etings between Gao Shen and his coaching staff when discussing tactics.
"Gao, how do you plan to approach this match?"
Following Carlo's question, all eyes turned to Gao Shen.
Yes—what was the plan?
"Our advantage isn't in the middle," Gao Shen began. "We can't go head-to-head with them there. Instead, we should look to stretch the width in attack and create more one-on-one opportunities on the wings."
Everyone nodded in agreent.
Manchester City had an edge on the flanks but not through the center.
Although David Silva and Rakitic both had the ability to make runs from deep, their overall attacking threat was still limited.
Suárez wasn't the kind of center forward who could carve out space on his own, he was more renowned for his agility and movent.
"What we're discussing now, Ferguson's probably already thought it through. And he'll definitely have prepared specific counterasures."
The coaches all nodded.
Ferguson's tactical acun was close to perfection. He wouldn't leave himself exposed like that.
"Our two wingers will be marked as priority targets. There won't be many one-on-one chances down the flanks. So I suspect United might use a setup resembling three defensive midfielders—similar to Arsenal, but more disciplined."
Against the Gunners, Gao Shen had only introduced Robben after Wenger pulled off his three defensive midfielders.
There was no reason to think Ferguson hadn't seen that as well.
"I'm even thinking he might leave Giggs out and start Anderson instead. After all, Anderson was subbed off early in Türkiye," Gao Shen speculated.
Many had said Gao Shen was using Manchester City as his personal tactical board or lab but wasn't Ferguson doing the sa with United? And he'd been doing it for years.
In the past, people often wondered: how co players who won titles under Ferguson couldn't replicate that success under other managers?
The answer lay in Ferguson's incredible tactical intelligence.
It was like building with Lego blocks. Give the sa set to two people, so can't make anything, while others build entire models. It all cos down to ability.
"So what do we do, then?" Carlo asked, sounding a bit concerned.
Everyone turned to Gao Shen, waiting for his response.
They all knew, if Gao Shen pointed out a problem, then he definitely had a solution.
"Don't try to beat Manchester United at their ga. Play to our strength, our passing and control. Since they're going to fixate on our wingers, let them. Use the flanks to pin them back."
Everyone was puzzled. What did he an?
Weren't the wingers Manchester City's most dangerous attacking weapons?
Gao Shen smiled, full of confidence. "Just wait and see, our secret weapon is about to debut!"
Everyone was stunned.
Manchester City had a secret weapon?
How co they didn't know about it?
(To be continued.)
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