Starting With Real Madrid Chapter 617: The Last Hope of the Premier League

"Hey, what's going on? Didn't sleep well last night?"

Before the match, when Gao Shen saw Ancelotti in the player tunnel at the Etihad Stadium, he noticed the Italian manager's bloodshot eyes and swollen eye bags—clear signs of a sleepless night.

Ancelotti shot him an irritated glare and snorted twice but didn't reply.

"Hiss, I clearly explained it before. I asked the club to tell the fan organizations that Carlo is my good friend and no one is allowed to disturb your rest. What? Soone still dared to disturb you?"

Gao Shen's performance was truly convincing!

Ancelotti scoffed inwardly: Are you really that kind-hearted?

"It's outrageous! Think about it—an old man with high blood pressure, staying up late like that? What if his blood pressure spikes and a blood vessel bursts? Who's going to be responsible?" Gao Shen said with righteous indignation.

Ancelotti instantly blew up.

Seeing his reaction, Gao Shen couldn't help but chuckle. "I thought you weren't planning to talk today."

That only made Ancelotti more furious—he laughed in spite of himself.

This guy is so shaless, it's infuriating!

"If I really didn't have anyone to play against, I wouldn't bother with you!" Ancelotti grumbled.

Gao Shen didn't care. "What happened? You didn't sleep last night?"

ntioning it only made Ancelotti angrier.

It's all your fault!

"Worried? Nervous? Feeling uneasy? Am I right?" Gao Shen laughed.

This had already been part of his plan.

"Honestly, Gao, would it kill you to not be annoying for once?" Ancelotti was speechless.

"My life or death isn't the issue right now—but you definitely won't survive tonight," Gao Shen said confidently.

Ancelotti's expression froze.

Damn it, did I fall into his trap?

Last night, suspecting Gao Shen might predict his tactics, Ancelotti had made a last-minute change to his starting lineup…

"Be careful, Carlo. Don't beco the next Ferguson."

With that, Gao Shen clenched his right fist and made a cheering gesture at him, making Ancelotti feel an even stronger sense of foreboding.

If it were anyone else, he might not have taken it seriously.

But Gao Shen…

This bastard is so shaless, he really could pull anything.

…

Gao Shen really hadn't expected Ancelotti to go this far.

Goalkeeper: Cech

Defense: Ashley Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Ivanovic

Midfield: Ballack dropped back, Lampard and Essien in the center, Deco in the attacking midfield

Forwards: Anelka and Drogba

It was obvious—compared to the last ga against Arsenal, Ancelotti had adjusted two positions in midfield: Deco replaced Joe Cole, and Ballack ca in for Mikel.

How to put it?

There were so advantages.

Overall, the changes made Chelsea's midfield more stable.

Previously, Gao Shen had analyzed Chelsea's midfield and labeled it a at grinder—strong in physical duels but lacking in ball progression and creativity. Joe Cole, when on the pitch, acted like a lubricant, injecting vitality into the team's buildup play.

But Joe Cole had a weakness—he lacked consistency.

Ancelotti must have been aware of that.

The diamond midfield's biggest weakness lies in the flanks—especially on the attack. With offensive responsibilities falling to the full-backs, their defensive burden increases significantly, aning the midfield must provide cover. That makes the defensive midfielder's role critical.

Mikel is an interesting player. He started his career as an attacking midfielder and once won the Silver Ball at the FIFA World Youth Championship.

Who took the Golden Ball?

ssi.

When he first appeared, Mikel was known for his skill and creativity. But over ti, after transitioning roles, he beca a holding midfielder. Lacking pace, he had so ability to move forward, but his defensive coverage on the flanks was weak.

And everyone knew—Manchester City's flanks were explosive, especially with their penchant for cutting inside and launching from wide areas.

There's no way Ancelotti didn't know that. So he must've been worried.

Gao Shen had originally speculated that Ancelotti would drop Lampard and Essien deeper. With the full-backs pinned back, Chelsea's offensive threat would weaken, easing Manchester City's defensive burden and allowing them to focus more on attack.

But unexpectedly, Ancelotti went for a straight substitution.

Can a 33-year-old Ballack really perform better than Mikel?

Any doubts would be answered in the match itself.

But there was one thing Gao Shen was absolutely certain of.

The current Premier League is terrible at attacking through the flanks.

Many people wondered why Ferguson kept trying to link up Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo, yet it never quite clicked.

The answer lies in the lack of effective wing play.

When Manchester United attacked, they often had no one supporting the flanks.

It was like that before—and it still is now.

If Ronaldo went forward alone, he was easily isolated.

And it wasn't just Manchester United—this was true for most Premier League teams.

That's why a team like Manchester City, which focused on flank attacks, was rare and thus very effective.

Against Chelsea, Gao Shen placed Hazard and Robben on the wings, while the full-backs were the extrely dangerous Gareth Bale and Zabaleta.

He kept a three-man midfield. Rakitic would drop back on defense to support Javi Martinez and help shield the back line. David Silva was tasked with putting pressure on the lone defensive midfielder—ideally forcing Essien to retreat.

Wingers would pin down the full-backs, Javi Martinez would hold off Deco, and Rakitic would assist in defense while also keeping an eye on Lampard and a dropping Anelka.

Gao Shen believed that as long as they executed this well, Manchester City could control the match.

…

Before kickoff, the Sky Sports comntators gave a special introduction to the ga.

This was Manchester City's last strong opponent in the first half of the season.

In Andy Gray's words, "The entire Premier League has entrusted Chelsea with the mission to stop Manchester City!"

More importantly, Chelsea had beaten Manchester City in their past eight encounters—ho and away.

So in a sense, Chelsea had the psychological advantage.

Refereeing the match was Howard Webb, which reflected how seriously the Premier League viewed the fixture.

Martin Taylor explained why Chelsea were seen as the league's last hope.

"As the dia put it, tonight Terry will show Gao Shen what he lost."

As captains of the England national team, Terry and Lampard carried enormous weight and influence in the Premier League.

And Chelsea had been one of the best-performing teams this season.

"We have every reason to believe tonight's match will be a thriller."

…

With referee Howard Webb's whistle, Suarez and David Silva, standing in the center circle, quickly kicked off and passed the ball to Robben on the right.

The Dutchman controlled the ball and, without waiting for Anelka to approach, imdiately played it back to Rakitic and sprinted forward.

Rakitic carried the ball forward, seizing the mont. Seeing Suarez sprinting into the open space on the right channel, he delivered a pass directly to the Uruguayan's feet.

Suarez controlled the ball on the side of his body and drove forward through the right channel.

Terry stuck close to Suarez outside the box, trying to use his strength to force the smaller forward off the ball—but surprisingly, he failed to stop him.

Not only did Suarez hold off Terry, but he also suddenly accelerated, attempting to break free using his pace.

In a panic, Terry went to ground with a sliding tackle, but Suarez, anticipating it, burst forward and broke through, reaching the top of the penalty area. Before Carvalho could close him down, Suarez got a shot off.

Cech reacted well and dove to make the save.

The Etihad Stadium imdiately erupted in applause and cheers.

"Suarez's physical strength isn't as bad as it looks. I heard that since joining Manchester City, Gao Shen has put him through special training. I have to say, Terry was a little too complacent there," Andy Gray said regretfully.

"Yes, being beaten like that by an opponent—especially as a top-class center-back—Terry's performance tonight is definitely not ideal. I think it has sothing to do with the match's early tempo. I believe he'll settle in as the ga goes on," Martin Taylor added.

As ti passed, it beca clear what Manchester City's tactical intent was.

Gao Shen used the wingers to suppress the full-backs and the midfielders to pin down Chelsea's midfield. On top of that, he chose to attack rather than sit back, which disrupted Chelsea's midfield and defensive buildup. Drogba and Anelka had no service up front.

Not until the 7th minute did Lampard try a through pass from outside the box, but Javi Martinez cleared it before Drogba could reach it.

A minute later, Chelsea again attempted a forward pass into the penalty area, but Neuer ca off his line, racing to the penalty spot and catching the ball before Drogba could make a move.

With no presence in the final third and no real threat, Chelsea struggled, while Manchester City gradually and patiently took control of the ga—especially with their midfield's passing and pressing, which put huge pressure on Chelsea's midfielders.

Only ten minutes into the ga, and the montum had already swung clearly.

Gao Shen noticed that perhaps due to Ancelotti's tactical shift or the pressure from David Silva and the wingers, Ballack had been extrely disciplined—constantly sitting in front of the back line.

Not only that, even Essien and Lampard were dropping deep to support Ballack.

Chelsea were essentially operating with three defensive midfielders.

But with this setup, their attacking options were almost non-existent.

Once Deco was locked down by Javi Martinez, the Blues tried to have Anelka drop deeper, but it hardly made a difference.

By the 15th minute, Chelsea had yet to register a shot on target—who would believe that?

But Manchester City hadn't created a clear chance either.

They weren't in a hurry.

Before the ga, Gao Shen had said that this match would not only test both teams' skills and tactics—but also their resilience!

(To be continued.)

***

Junkdog's Note: Man what the hell just happened? Nah did Arsenal actually beat Madrid 3-0?

Ancelotti you bald fraud, sack this man imdiately.