After the final round of the Premier League, so players were preparing for their vacation, while others were getting ready for the World Cup in South Africa.
The World Cup, held once every four years, is a stage that no professional player wants to miss.
In the world of football, representing the national team remains the ultimate goal for most players.
Although the team was about to disband for the sumr, Gao Shen still communicated with the players one by one, especially those he valued the most.
Take Hazard, for example.
At the beginning of the season, Gao Shen didn't specifically intend to promote him. After all, Robinho was also one of his players, and Gao Shen treated them equally. Later on, when Gareth Bale began to shine, Gao Shen shifted his focus toward Bale.
But after the winter break, Hazard gradually began to demonstrate his strength and potential.
Lucas compiled a detailed statistical report on Manchester City players for Gao Shen.
As a winger, Hazard averaged 2.5 threatening passes per ga this season. In other words, he created five threatening passes every two matches, which clearly showed his exceptional ability to organize and initiate attacks.
This placed him fourth in the team.
Robinho, by comparison, was weaker in this area, averaging fewer than two threatening passes per ga.
Although it was just one tric, it was enough to show that in terms of on-field threat, Hazard was gradually overtaking Robinho. His performances and influence on matches were becoming more and more evident.
As a result, toward the end of the season, when Manchester City achieved a string of dominant victories, Hazard took over from Robinho as the team's starting left winger. His performances were both impressive and outstanding.
Gao Shen had a conversation with Hazard, encouraging him to maintain his form during the break and not slack off.
This was also a mistake Hazard had made multiple tis in his previous life. Every ti he returned from vacation, he had gained weight and had to work hard to get back into shape at the start of the season.
However, Gao Shen also knew it would be nearly impossible for Hazard to completely control himself.
This guy was naturally optimistic and easygoing.
So Gao Shen took a roundabout approach by working through his girlfriend, Natacha.
During their eting, Gao Shen also presented Hazard with a detailed report that he and the coaching staff had prepared, outlining his role in the team for the upcoming season. He wanted to help Hazard play a more prominent tactical role at Manchester City and encouraged him to rest well and return in top condition.
When Gao Shen ntioned Natacha, the love-struck Hazard imdiately promised he would be disciplined.
Gao Shen took the opportunity to hand him a personalized training program for the holidays, detailing everything from workouts to dietary guidelines.
"Take this. I've already sent a copy to Natacha. Just follow it when the ti cos," Gao Shen said in a friendly tone, as if it were a casual favor between friends.
Hazard seriously wondered whether, after receiving this special training plan, not only would his holiday be ruined, but he'd also have to thank the head coach for it?
"Alright, keep it. No need to thank . Thank Natacha. She really cares about you. She told she's looking forward to seeing your na on the Ballon d'Or shortlist."
After hearing that, Hazard clenched his teeth and accepted it.
The Belgian blood was boiling.
He would fight for Natacha!
…
Compared to Hazard, Suarez had a completely different personality.
The Uruguayan was now living with his girlfriend in Cheshire, and the two had shalessly been living together for several years.
Suarez had extrely high expectations for his career.
This season, he topped the Premier League scoring charts with 31 goals, surpassing Drogba's 29, and claid the Golden Boot. But the Uruguayan clearly wasn't satisfied.
He wanted more. He believed he could perform even better.
That's the power of ambition.
Unlike with Hazard, Gao Shen didn't give Suarez a special training plan for the holidays. Instead, he gave him a few suggestions.
Gao Shen believed Suarez should get proper rest, especially since he would be playing in the World Cup in South Africa.
There was still ti before the tournant, so Suarez could enjoy a few days off before reporting to the national team. After the World Cup, he'd have a short break again before rejoining Manchester City for pre-season.
Manchester City's coaching staff consisted of seasoned veterans who knew how to manage players' workloads.
The participation of many internationals in the World Cup would definitely impact the team's training and preparations. Buenaventura and Pintus had already made careful plans for the various return dates of different players.
"When the ti cos, just rest well. When you co back, you'll still be our main striker," Gao Shen promised.
…
As for Robben, Gao Shen had a different kind of advice, because the Dutchman's biggest problem was always injuries.
This season, Robben missed far fewer gas due to injury than in the past, but he still sat out three matches.
Compared to Robben's history, that was already a big improvent.
Gao Shen had already instructed the coaching staff, especially Buenaventura and Pintus, to develop a new customized plan for Robben, with the goal of keeping him healthy and on the pitch as much as possible.
In this season's Premier League, Robben averaged 3.5 threatening passes per ga, ranking second on the team, ahead of Suarez, who averaged 3.14.
In other words, Robben was one of Manchester City's most dangerous players.
So who was number one?
You don't even need to think twice. It was David Silva, who averaged four threatening passes per ga.
That number was also the highest in the Premier League.
Manchester City's attacking dominance this season was closely tied to David Silva's orchestration and exquisite passing.
Since leaving Valencia, Silva's performances at Manchester City had gained global recognition. Even within a Spanish national team packed with midfield maestros like Xavi and Iniesta, Silva was expected to secure a place and make an impact.
Gao Shen also spoke with other players on the squad one by one, reminding each of them to maintain their fitness during the holidays and not let themselves go.
…
After sending the players off, Gao Shen remained at Carrington with the coaching staff to focus on preparations for the new season.
This year was a World Cup year, and years with major tournants always posed significant challenges for sumr training.
Many players would return late from national team duty, which would delay pre-season preparations. The coaching staff had to plan thoroughly for these scenarios in advance.
But that wasn't the biggest issue.
The real challenge was maintaining the players' form.
The World Cup was a condensed tournant, and national teams would do everything possible to get the most out of their players.
So players perford exceptionally for their countries, even peaking during the tournant, but once they returned to their clubs, they imdiately slumped. This pattern was common in nearly every major tournant year.
On the other hand, so players shone at club level but couldn't replicate that form with the national team. It was all a matter of how well they could adjust their condition.
As a result, many players underperford at club level in major tournant years, leading to criticism from dia and fans suggesting they were saving energy for international duty. Such controversies were common.
How to help players readjust after returning from the World Cup was a key concern for Manchester City's coaching staff.
Having won the Premier League, Manchester City would enter the Champions League group stage directly without going through qualifying. However, due to their long absence from European competitions, the club's UEFA coefficient was zero.
In other words, just like when Gao Shen coached Napoli two years ago, Manchester City was guaranteed to be drawn into a group of death.
"We must be fully prepared. The team has to hit the ground running from the first round of the season and maintain a high level, especially during the Champions League group stage."
In this regard, Manchester City's coaching staff were highly experienced.
Back when Gao Shen was at Napoli, his squad rotation had gone smoothly, and the team's performances were excellent.
"Our current squad is still too thin. If we want to compete on both Champions League and Premier League fronts, the current roster simply isn't deep enough. We need reinforcents in attack, midfield, and defense," Carlo reminded him.
Up front, Suarez was of course the team's top scorer, but Giroud's scoring efficiency was lacking. Sturridge had perford well, but to challenge on multiple fronts, this forward setup wasn't sufficient.
In midfield, De Jong had already been phased out. Hogrown players like Ireland, Henderson, and Lallana were appreciated by the coaching staff, but they still had limitations.
At least based on their current developnt, these three players were not yet capable of holding their own in the Premier League or Champions League. Under these circumstances, Manchester City would definitely need to strengthen the midfield.
If Gao Shen were still coaching Napoli, he might consider bringing in young prospects and gradually developing them. But now, he was at Manchester City, a club that wasn't short on money.
Mansour had made it clear there would be no cap on this sumr's transfer budget. Whoever Gao Shen wanted, they would try their best to sign. The goal was for Gao Shen to lead Manchester City to Premier League and Champions League glory.
As long as he could win titles, the Middle Eastern consortium wouldn't blink at the cost.
Therefore, Gao Shen was prioritizing proven stars who could make an imdiate impact.
Of course, the prerequisite was that they could fit into the team's tactical system.
In defense, Gao Shen planned to strengthen both full-back positions as well as add a central defender. These were areas of concern. The current backline simply wasn't reliable enough to go the distance.
On the other hand, the goalkeeper position was solid. Manchester City's starter was Neuer, who had perford brilliantly, and the backup was veteran Given, who was also dependable. They also had Joe Hart out on loan.
There were basically no issues at the goalkeeper position.
It was worth ntioning that in mid-April, during a Bundesliga match, Germany's first-choice goalkeeper Adler fractured his ribs. Then in early May, he underwent surgery, ruling him out of the World Cup in South Africa.
Gao Shen congratulated Neuer and encouraged the German keeper to seize this opportunity to establish himself.
It had to be said, the chosen ones really do seem to cheat fate.
(To be continued.)
***
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