In early August, before the start of this season's Premier League, no one would have expected Manchester City to perform so strongly and continue winning all the way into December.
After defeating Chelsea 2–0, Manchester City had beaten all the Premier League's top teams, except for Tottenham Hotspur.
But after seeing them sweep past the Big Four, few believed that Manchester City wouldn't be able to beat the North London side as well.
Of course, there was still a hint of suspense.
But Gao Shen's team quickly erased all doubt with their performance.
In the 16th round of the Premier League, Manchester City traveled away to face Bolton.
Just eleven minutes into the game, Robben opened the scoring for City.
After that, Manchester City players added four more goals in the first half, through headers and long-range efforts.
In the second half, Suarez and substitute Sturridge each scored one.
In the end, Manchester City crushed Bolton 6–0 on the road.
The entire Premier League was left stunned.
…
Three days later, in the 17th round of the Premier League, Manchester City traveled south to London to face Tottenham Hotspur.
Redknapp's side had prepared meticulously and relied on a tight defensive setup to stifle City's attack. But in the 37th minute, Gareth Bale curled a direct free-kick into the Spurs net to open the scoring.
In the second half, in the 54th minute, Crouch assisted Duff, who equalized for Tottenham.
But not long after, Sturridge whipped in a cross from the right, and Gareth Bale charged into the left side of the box and headed home from close range, restoring Manchester City's lead.
The former North London menace redeemed himself in style—scoring twice against his old club!
Redknapp said in the post-match press conference that letting Gareth Bale leave Tottenham was a great regret.
"I rated him highly, but unfortunately, he lost patience with waiting for chances at Tottenham."
Gao Shen stated that Gareth Bale was getting better and better, and had become one of Manchester City's most important players.
"I have no doubt he'll become a top player in Europe, maybe even one of the very best, provided he maintains his current momentum. I believe he's destined to be a superstar."
It was clear that Gao Shen placed high expectations on Gareth Bale.
In return, Bale publicly expressed his respect for Gao Shen in a later interview with the Welsh media, praising him as the best head coach he'd ever worked under.
"He's like a magician—he always finds the most suitable position and space for a player. He helped me understand where I should play and the path I should follow."
Gareth Bale said that joining Manchester City was the best decision he had ever made.
…
That weekend, in the 18th round of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Sunderland.
Gao Shen came up against his predecessor, Mark Hughes.
Interestingly, Gao Shen had started Gareth Bale against Tottenham, while for this match against Sunderland, Jordan Henderson came in for Javi Martinez. Mark Hughes, meanwhile, started Wright-Phillips.
Just four minutes in, Giroud headed home the opening goal for Manchester City.
Robinho then extended the lead with a penalty.
Sunderland pulled one back, but in the 24th minute, Jordan Henderson fired a long-range shot from the center and found the back of the net.
It was Henderson's first goal since joining Manchester City.
After that, City took full control and went into halftime leading 4–1.
In the second half, Manchester City added two more goals, one of them again from Giroud.
In the end, Manchester City defeated the Black Cats 6–1, recording their 18th consecutive win.
…
For a time, the entire Premier League—and even all of European football—was left stunned.
No one had expected Manchester City to be this dominant.
After the win over Sunderland, Manchester City booked a banquet hall in a luxury hotel downtown and held a grand Christmas dinner.
Mubarak, Cook, and other senior club officials attended the event. Mansour also delivered a congratulatory message via remote video, praising the team's achievements and encouraging them to continue their efforts.
To further motivate the team, Manchester City even promised a record-breaking bonus for winning the title. The goal was to push everyone in the squad to perform even better, compete for the league title and secure a Champions League spot for next season.
On behalf of the team, Gao Shen made a solemn promise to Mansour: Manchester City would give their all to continue the winning streak!
As for the concerns raised by Mansour and widely reported in the media about the challenges of the Christmas and winter fixture schedule, Gao Shen said that the coaching staff had made comprehensive preparations.
"We've accounted for every possible factor and change. I'm confident I can lead the team through this grueling schedule!"
Mansour was very satisfied with Gao Shen's confidence and expressed his full trust in the manager and the team.
…
Having made that promise to the boss, Gao Shen was busy behind the scenes.
He wasn't the least bit arrogant because of the 18-game winning streak. He understood exactly how tough the Christmas and winter period could be.
Especially on Boxing Day—the 26th and 28th—when teams have to play two games in three days. That's a test for any squad, so Gao Shen had prepared well in advance and implemented a rotation plan.
Once January begins, the team will also need to manage player fitness through effective rotation in preparation for the second half of the season.
To better prepare for the Boxing Day match, Gao Shen even arranged a group activity for the entire Manchester City squad, inviting players' families to participate. They would attend the Etihad Stadium to watch the match together.
This served as a form of motivation for the players.
And it worked.
After a week's rest, Manchester City played their final match of the first half of the season on the day after Christmas.
Their opponents in the 19th round of the Premier League were Stoke City.
The first twenty minutes of the game were cagey, but then Manchester City launched wave after wave of attack.
Gao Shen once again deployed a 4-4-2 diamond midfield, but this time Hazard was replaced by Adam Lallana.
City sustained their attacks and ultimately routed Stoke 7–0 at home, with goals from Suarez, Sturridge, Robinho, and Gareth Bale.
It was the perfect way to start the festive period.
After this win, Manchester City had notched up 19 consecutive victories, setting a record for winning the first half of the Premier League, the English top flight, and even across Europe's top four leagues.
Blue Moon captured the halfway title with a perfect record, earning widespread acclaim from media and fans around the globe.
Everyone was in awe of Gao Shen and Manchester City's performance.
There had been teams that went unbeaten in the first half of a season and won the title.
But no one had ever seen a team win the first half with a perfect record.
More and more media outlets and fans believed that this season's Premier League title would belong to Manchester City.
Blue Moon had already secured the championship in advance!
…
On the evening of December 28th, at Goodison Park in Liverpool.
When referee Mike Jones blew the final whistle, nearly 40,000 Everton fans in the stadium erupted in wild celebration.
The scoreboard read 2–0. As per standard format, the home team's score is listed first, the visitors second.
Manchester City had lost!
Gao Shen was finally defeated!
David Moyes was ecstatic, dancing along the touchline.
Gao Shen stood in front of the away technical area, his expression heavy, helpless.
From a 7–0 victory to a 0–2 loss, Manchester City's form had shifted drastically in just two days.
Robben was injured just nine minutes into the game.
That seemed to cast a shadow over the entire match.
Gao Shen replaced Robben with Robinho, but the Brazilian had played the full match two days prior, and his performance was lackluster.
Not just him—under the bitter cold, the entire Manchester City squad seemed to forget how to play football.
Passing errors began to pile up. Under the pressure of Everton's five-man midfield, City struggled to put together any coherent attacks.
Pienaar's goal came from a counterattack following a City passing error.
In first-half stoppage time, Micah Richards fouled Saha in the box, gifting Everton a penalty. The French striker calmly converted, extending the home team's lead.
During the halftime break, Gao Shen brought on De Jong to reinforce the midfield and improve defensive stability. It helped steady the team, but the attacking play remained disjointed. Giroud missed several clear chances.
In the end, Manchester City lost 0–2 away from home.
Gao Shen raised his hands and wiped his face, numb from the cold. He couldn't help but wonder in confusion—was this just a one-off defeat?
Maybe.
But as the manager, he had already sensed subtle changes within the team.
The players' mentality was completely different from the match against Stoke two days ago.
It was difficult to describe.
It wasn't that the players weren't trying, nor were they slacking off, it was more like a lack of motivation.
Like students being forced to attend makeup classes during summer break, or employees on annual leave made to work overtime during New Year's.
They were still playing and working but their energy and drive were nothing like before.
Gao Shen understood why.
Because in most other leagues, teams would be on break right now. Players would be home with their families, enjoying Christmas with their wives and children. Instead, they had to leave all that behind and travel to Liverpool for a match.
Even if it was a same-day round-trip from Manchester to Liverpool, the emotional burden was heavy.
This was a kind of inner resistance not from laziness or neglect but something subconscious, something players couldn't control.
And it wasn't just one or two individuals—it was nearly the entire squad, except for the British players.
Only now did Gao Shen truly understand why Ferguson had been so confident that Manchester City would struggle over Christmas.
Playing two matches in three days is already insane.
And to do it during Christmas…
(To be continued.)