The entire summer training camp was packed with activity.
Although Gao Shen handed over all the training duties to his coaching staff, as the team's head coach, he still had plenty on his plate.
How were the World Cup players adjusting after rejoining the team?
Could they return to peak condition before the new season began?
Van Persie had suffered an ankle injury last season and was sidelined for five months. How was his recovery progressing?
De Bruyne was too thin, and his stamina was a serious concern. Could he endure Pintus' specialized training?
Giroud had missed far too many chances last season and needed focused shooting training. The plan submitted by Borrell still needed Gao Shen's review and approval.
Then there was Gareth Bale, a standout performer last season. However, he remained inconsistent and needed further development. His role and position in the team still needed clarification and deeper planning.
Henderson was a young player in whom Gao Shen placed high hopes. He had earned plenty of chances last season, but with Fernandinho and Yaya Toure now in the squad, he felt his role had been seriously impacted. The player was a bit unhappy and needed a conversation with Gao Shen.
Adam Lallana didn't get much playing time last season. Seeing City's wealth of talent this season, his agent inquired about a loan back to Southampton. The club wanted him back, but the player himself preferred to stay and improve under Gao Shen's coaching. That too required handling.
There was so much to manage that Gao Shen often wished there were forty-eight hours in a day.
And this was just the beginning.
As the team trained together, more and more problems came to light—not just in integrating new players, but also lingering issues from last season, and even some persistent structural flaws within the squad.
All of it had to be handled by head coach Gao Shen.
Fortunately, there was good news as well.
After Van Persie arrived in the United States, Gao Shen arranged for him to undergo the most advanced and thorough physical exam available—especially for his ankle. The conclusion: no significant issues. The coaching staff received the full medical report.
Buenaventura and Pintus would now tailor a training program for Van Persie based on those findings.
De Bruyne was physically slight and lacked endurance. That's one of the reasons Mourinho didn't favor him at Chelsea. But his passing was exceptional, and he was highly proficient with both feet.
Having a player like that in midfield was incredibly valuable.
Moreover, his style was different from Adam Lallana's. The Englishman was better at ball control and possession.
Courtois, meanwhile, was genuinely outstanding.
Although just eighteen years old, his height and skillset were so impressive that Gao Shen was taken aback.
In the words of goalkeeping coach Lopis, "I can't stand watching a player this talented sitting on the bench!"
But the reality was that Manchester City already had Neuer.
Luckily, Courtois had been loaned out to train in Belgium for another year or two.
Problems down the line could be handled later.
After all, bringing in Courtois had been an idea from Brian Kidd and the others. Gao Shen had been "forced" to go along with it.
During several warm-up matches in the U.S., Gao Shen mostly stuck with his established tactics.
For example, he had Javi Martinez play as a central defender to help with transitions between defense and attack.
He also tested different double-pivot combinations—sometimes Yaya Toure with Javi Martinez, sometimes Yaya Toure with Fernandinho, and occasionally Henderson.
As for Yaya Toure, Gao Shen continued experimenting. He tried him as a center-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, and even attacking midfielder. But no matter the position, it was difficult to fully unlock Yaya Toure's abilities.
He was an incredibly talented but contradictory player.
The ideal solution might be to build the midfield around him, but that wasn't exactly a refined approach.
As head coach, Gao Shen had multiple conversations with Yaya Toure, making it clear that he had to adapt to the team, not the other way around.
After being suppressed at Barcelona for two straight seasons, the Ivorian midfielder had something to prove. But he also complied with Gao Shen's instructions.
Manchester City's warm-up match results were mixed, with wins and losses, largely because Gao Shen wasn't focused on results.
With last season's experience, everyone knew Gao Shen didn't care about pre-season results, so nobody made a big deal out of it.
He and the coaching staff worked tirelessly to solve problems through this intense preparation phase, gradually strengthening the team. But the stronger the team got, the more new problems emerged.
It was a dynamic process.
There was no such thing as a perfect team in this world.
True perfection only existed in the memories of fans.
But there was one serious problem.
Jerome Boateng.
…
After playing four warm-up matches in the United States, Manchester City returned straight to Manchester without delay.
The day after their return, Gao Shen called Jerome Boateng to his office.
The tall, physically imposing defender clearly knew something was up.
His performance in the warm-up matches had been poor, and the coaching staff had already spoken to him more than once.
But he admitted his mistakes with the right attitude.
As soon as he walked in and sat down, he took the initiative to own up.
"Boss, I know I've got issues. I promise I'll work hard to fix my habits—avoid being rash, stop making reckless challenges, and cut down on unnecessary fouls." Jerome Boateng gave Gao Shen an apologetic smile, clearly trying to show sincerity.
From his point of view, being summoned to the head coach's office usually meant a dressing-down.
Clearly, he didn't fully understand the culture at Manchester City.
"Don't rush to admit fault. I have a few questions I want to ask you first," Gao Shen said with a faint smile.
Honestly, the kid wasn't quite as humble as he seemed.
But he wasn't rebellious either.
At least, he was very different from his brother, Kevin-Prince Boateng.
"Go ahead." Jerome Boateng kept up his positive attitude.
Gao Shen flipped through the report submitted by the coaching staff, frowning slightly.
It seemed unlikely, but he decided to ask anyway.
"I remember you came through the Hertha Berlin youth academy, right?"
"Yes."
"What position did you play in the youth team?"
"I started as a midfielder, but as I got taller, I was moved around—defensive midfield, left back, right back, center back. I've played pretty much every position."
Gao Shen nodded. That was fairly common with youth players.
In fact, many coaches liked to try players in various roles during their development. It helped them become more versatile, enhanced their game understanding, and unlocked potential.
And honestly, when you're young, if you can get on the pitch, you're not going to be picky.
"When did you start playing as a defender full-time?" Gao Shen asked.
"At Hertha Berlin II."
"As a center back?"
"I only played center back for the national youth team, but that was my best period. I think I can do well as a center back," Boateng replied proudly.
He felt good thinking about the time he helped Germany's U-17 team win the European Championship.
"Okay, let me ask you something. This might be a bit awkward," Gao Shen said cautiously.
"Go ahead."
"Has anyone ever systematically taught you how to defend?" Gao Shen asked, looking him straight in the eyes.
Boateng didn't quite get what he meant. "Boss, what do you mean?"
"I mean, did any of your coaches, from Hertha Berlin II to the first team to Hamburg, ever teach you proper defensive movements, techniques, positional awareness, things like that?"
Boateng seemed puzzled, but then scratched his short hair and said, "Boss, do you need someone to teach you that stuff? Isn't that self-taught? You watch other players' matches or videos, and then you rely on instinct when you're on the pitch. Just do what you're good at…"
Gao Shen closed his eyes. He felt like he might faint.
The coaching staff's report had been spot-on.
This guy really didn't know how to defend.
If word got out, the football world would be in stitches.
A defender who had represented Germany at the World Cup and won the U-17 Euros… didn't know how to defend?
"What were your coaches at Hertha Berlin and Hamburg even doing?" Gao Shen muttered, genuinely baffled.
Wasn't this the bare minimum?
Boateng thought for a moment and replied seriously, "They were always busy analyzing opponents, working on tactics, and giving us instructions. Then we just went out and tried to follow their plan."
"Didn't anyone say that you commit too many fouls, that your technique is sloppy, or that your positional awareness is poor?" Gao Shen pressed.
"They did. They gave me game footage and told me to study it myself."
Gao Shen almost collapsed.
All he could do was curse internally.
He'd heard about things like this before, but now that he saw it firsthand, it was still shocking.
This kind of player development was downright irresponsible.
Then again, looking at it from another angle, if a player trained under such a flawed system could still reach Boateng's current level, that said a lot about his talent and potential.
And he was still young, with solid fundamentals.
He just needed time and proper coaching.
Gao Shen gave him a wry smile.
For a second, he even felt like returning the product. It was complicated.
But after thoroughly reviewing Boateng's development—from Hertha Berlin to Hamburg—he started to understand. It was all full of frustration and helplessness.
And suddenly, his earlier complaints seemed a little unfair.
(To be continued.)