After watching the match, Gao Shen sent a congratulatory text message to Guardiola.
Originally, he thought Guardiola would be too busy to respond, but to his surprise, he replied quickly and even invited Gao Shen to the dressing room to share the joy.
If it were someone else, Gao Shen might have suspected they were just showing off.
But not Guardiola.
Gao Shen knew him very well, and this was purely because he was genuinely happy at the moment.
Even so, Gao Shen politely declined. After all, this was Barcelona's time to celebrate.
Whether as Manchester City's head coach or as a former Real Madrid manager, it would be inappropriate for Gao Shen to appear in Barcelona's dressing room during their celebrations. Real Madrid fans were probably already upset.
If he went to celebrate with Barcelona at a time like this, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
…
After watching the Champions League final, Gao Shen met with Florentino, Spanish King Juan Carlos, and then paid his respects to UEFA President Platini and several senior executives.
According to Gao Shen's personality, he would have preferred to avoid such formalities. But in this situation, he had to consider all angles. Otherwise, he wouldn't know when someone might try to take advantage of him.
Finally, Gao Shen made a special phone call to Ferguson to console him.
"It's alright, Sir. This loss might extend your coaching career by another five years!" Gao Shen joked.
Ferguson laughed and cursed on the other end of the line. "Are you trying to make me die in the dugout?"
"That wouldn't be so bad. It'd be an honor!" Gao Shen replied.
Encouraged by Gao Shen, Ferguson truly felt a bit more at ease.
In fact, it was clear from tonight's match that Ferguson, having previously lost to Manchester City, had learned from that experience and made better preparations to face Barcelona. But the early goal changed everything.
"From the way the match unfolded, if you'd played more conservatively, it's not like you wouldn't have had a chance. But you went all in right from the start."
Gao Shen shared some of his thoughts and observations with Ferguson over the phone.
"It's not that attacking from the start was wrong. That tactic was reasonable, but you overestimated your defense, especially in midfield. Honestly, after all these years, you really should reinforce your midfield."
Manchester United conceded the first goal because they pushed up too far and didn't have time to transition back when they lost the ball.
This was a serious issue.
Midfield defense had always been a major problem for Manchester United. After the failed attempt to sign Hargreaves, Ferguson seemed to have given up on acquiring a proper defensive midfielder. But the reality was, how could Carrick alone stop Barcelona?
Perhaps because he had just lost the match and was in a low mood, or maybe because Gao Shen's words struck a nerve, Ferguson was silent for a moment before sighing heavily.
"We really have no money!"
Gao Shen was stunned.
For the proud Ferguson to say something so helpless showed how dire the situation really was.
A few days ago, when Manchester United was still riding high from reaching the Champions League final, The Times broke the news that due to failing to meet the PIK (payment-in-kind bond) requirements, the interest rate on United's bank loan would rise from 14.25% to 16.25%.
Manchester United currently owed £220 million in loans, meaning their debt would instantly grow by £75 million.
This was the result of a series of financial maneuvers carried out by the Glazer family after they acquired the club.
In February this year, the Glazers were unable to repay maturing loans and were forced to issue bonds worth up to £500 million. They signed a "restrictive" agreement stating that the club's debt could not exceed five times their pre-tax profit.
Seven million pounds from that bond was used immediately to repay bank loans.
But according to PIK's evaluation in May, Manchester United's total debt stood at £539 million, and this season's pre-tax profit fell short of the requirement. As a result, the interest rate increased again.
Now, Manchester United was scrambling to find sponsors around the world in an attempt to fill the financial hole before August.
In this situation, how could they possibly afford new signings?
According to earlier media reports, Ferguson nearly had a major fallout with the board over the signing of Sneijder.
Luckily, Manchester United's performances this season were good enough, and reaching the Champions League final brought in a lot of revenue.
Otherwise, if Ferguson had signed Sneijder and the team underperformed, he might've had no choice but to resign.
…
After hanging up with Ferguson, Gao Shen felt a little heavy.
Looking at European football, there weren't many teams that could be seen as successful business models. Manchester United in the Premier League, Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and Real Madrid in La Liga were all among the few examples.
But Manchester United had become obsessed with capital operations and building their own business empire, only to be taken advantage of by the Glazer family. They got something for nothing, while the club ended up in financial trouble.
Sometimes, Gao Shen thought, Ferguson really wasn't having an easy time.
He had no money to bring in reinforcements, yet still had to grind on and make do.
Still, this predicament would only be temporary and would be resolved in a few years.
Manchester City, by contrast, still relied mainly on financial backing. That wasn't very sustainable either. But Gao Shen had read the Abu Dhabi consortium's business plan and knew they weren't just throwing money around for short-term advertising.
Gao Shen believed that Manchester City would eventually become a top club. And because he was the one helping to lay the foundation for that, his name would surely be etched into the club's history, and even the annals of Premier League history.
…
Just after hanging up with Ferguson, Gao Shen received a call from Guardiola.
Not long after, he met the Barcelona manager in the VIP lounge at the Bernabéu.
"Congratulations, Pep," Gao Shen smiled as he hugged Guardiola.
Guardiola was clearly excited.
He looked like a student who had just scored full marks on an exam and was chasing after the teacher to show off the result.
He wanted to be praised.
Gao Shen understood this mindset perfectly and indulged him without hesitation, praising him enthusiastically.
This left Tito Vilanova, who had come with Guardiola and was eager to meet Gao Shen, in disbelief.
Is this really the legendary world-class coach Gao Shen?
Are we sure he's not a fraud selling fake medicine to old people?
Guardiola was in a great mood. After all, he had just won the Champions League. He didn't hide his ambition, either. His next goal was the treble.
"Next season, I won't let it slip away again!" Guardiola said confidently.
Gao Shen smiled and nodded, but deep down he was thinking, "Damn, I'm standing right here and I'm not dead yet!"
It was funny to think about it. Guardiola had now won two consecutive domestic doubles.
Last season it was La Liga and the Copa del Rey. This season, La Liga and the Champions League.
Results-wise, this track record was already brilliant. Many people now called Guardiola the second Gao Shen, since he had served as Gao Shen's assistant in the beginning.
Guardiola himself didn't seem to mind the title. Gao Shen had publicly defended and praised him multiple times, which only deepened Guardiola's respect and gratitude.
One thing had clearly changed, though: Guardiola had come around to something Gao Shen had once told him.
Barcelona's current tactics weren't suited for traditional center forwards.
Originally, Guardiola wanted a striker like Ibrahimović—technically gifted and physically strong—but he was slow and couldn't run enough.
That was to be expected.
Human beings can't defy gravity.
Tall players naturally carry more weight, and you rarely see one who's as agile as a smaller player while also covering a lot of ground.
If you did, you'd want to cut them open and study them.
So Guardiola had to choose: either bring in tall players and adjust the tactics to fit them, or abandon them and sign shorter, quicker, technically brilliant, and hard-running players.
Previously, Guardiola had been fixated on tall forwards, but now his thinking had changed.
"I want to sign Agüero from Atlético Madrid," Guardiola said bluntly.
Gao Shen was stunned, face full of question marks. "Agüero?"
"Yes, I've been watching him for a while. He's outstanding, and he has a great relationship with Messi. I think he'd fit in at Barcelona," Guardiola said with anticipation.
After hearing this, Gao Shen thought for a moment and immediately realized Guardiola was planning to sell Eto'o.
Sometimes, Gao Shen just couldn't understand why Guardiola disliked Eto'o so much.
Messi could play in the center, and Eto'o on the right. Wasn't that a good setup?
Maybe it was just a matter of personal bias.
Guardiola was the type that, when he liked someone, they could do no wrong. But when he didn't like someone, even breathing the same air felt offensive.
"Agüero isn't cheap. And you've got a presidential election this year. Both candidates will have their own superstar signings lined up."
It was a fascinating topic.
Back in the day, Real Madrid president Sanz thought that two Champions League titles in three years would guarantee re-election. He didn't take Florentino seriously. In the end, Florentino won with his superstar policy.
In Gao Shen's original timeline, Laporta had leveraged Guardiola's treble to seek re-election, but ended up losing to his former assistant Rosell.
Now, history had changed. Guardiola had achieved back-to-back domestic doubles instead of a treble. Laporta's momentum was at its peak. Could he still use Guardiola's success to beat Rosell and win re-election?
"By the way, if you want to sign Agüero and other stars, you'll need to spend a lot of money, right?" Gao Shen changed the topic.
Guardiola was briefly stunned, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously and nodded. "So..."
"Thiago Motta. For sale?"
Guardiola muttered inwardly, "I knew it," then flatly refused, "No. Don't even think about it. Impossible!"
His tone was firm and final.
(To be continued.)
***
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