Chapter 813: Rich Players’ Reality Show

When Gao Shen received the news of Villas-Boas' dismissal, he was preparing for the upcoming match at Carrington.

Next up, Manchester City would travel south to London to face Chelsea away.

But right before this crucial fixture, Abramovich decided to change coaches.

There was no doubt that this decision would be approved by Abramovich himself, welcomed by the Chelsea dressing room, and likely to trigger the classic effect of "a new manager is like a new blade."

Because now, Chelsea players had even less reason not to fight Manchester City to the death.

Still, this kind of coaching change was the height of impulsiveness.

Just like when he fired Ancelotti on the team bus.

Or sacking Mourinho just one month into the season—it was the same pattern.

Gao Shen had once come across a question: How satisfying is it to follow your desires so freely? Just look at Abramovich. He does whatever he wants, regardless of the consequences or losses.

Professionals all know that there's a right time to change coaches.

Generally, you avoid doing it right before tough fixtures, to give the new coach a softer landing.

Most mid-season sackings are due to dressing room collapse.

No need to guess, this is how it usually plays out.

Poor results are the outcome. The reasons behind them are often rooted in the locker room.

Some bosses are eccentric, but they're rare.

When a new coach arrives and the fixture list isn't too intense, players who just forced out the old manager, whom they'd grown frustrated with, find a honeymoon period with the new coach. Naturally, the team's form improves.

That's the real meaning behind the phrase, "a new manager, a new blade."

But this time, Chelsea made the change just before facing Manchester City. Right now, Di Matteo was probably feeling like a thousand Benzemas were rushing toward him.

But Manchester City needed to take this match more seriously than ever.

It was easy to imagine that in the next league match, Chelsea would put in more effort than in any previous game this season. Especially the veterans who clashed with Villas-Boas.

They would throw everything at Manchester City.

Some people joked that Abramovich and Chelsea were football's real-life Football Manager (FM) simulation.

But that wasn't accurate.

Because no FM player would ever spend as much as Abramovich.

As Gao Shen had said before, the money Abramovich invested in Chelsea was recorded as debt via loans. Before Gao Shen transmigrated in 2021, Chelsea owed Abramovich £1.5 billion on paper.

His last investment came in the 2018–19 season, when he put in £266 million.

And that was it?

Not quite.

Since UEFA introduced Financial Fair Play, in order to keep Chelsea compliant and reduce debt and losses, Abramovich converted a large portion of that debt into equity in three separate transactions, totaling £876 million.

In other words, Abramovich had invested over £2.4 billion in Chelsea.

That's just the documented investment. He also pushed to build a scouting network, invested in and acquired stakes in other clubs, and held shares in Mendes' third-party player ownership company.

All of this was centered around Chelsea.

If that's not love, then what is?

But if this was love, it was incredibly willful.

Mourinho was fired less than a month into the season, destroying the summer transfer plan and the season's preparation. Ancelotti was fired on the bus, tarnishing Chelsea's reputation among Europe's top managers. Now, just before Christmas, they had sacked a Portuguese treble-winner they had high hopes for.

The media claimed Chelsea wanted to bring Mourinho back. But was it that simple?

Would Real Madrid be willing to let him go?

If Mourinho was released, where would Real Madrid find a replacement at short notice?

Ancelotti?

He was certainly a strong candidate.

"According to news from Madrid, Florentino has spoken with Mourinho and won't change the coach mid-season," Carlo said.

When Gao Shen heard this, he looked up in surprise. Carlo gave a slight nod.

Many things that seemed complicated were actually quite simple.

Given the current situation, Chelsea wanted to bring Mourinho back. Real Madrid were also facing calls for a managerial change. If Mourinho left and Ancelotti came in, it looked like a win-win.

But it would also create a problem for Real Madrid.

A manager like Ancelotti would never agree to a short-term deal. He'd want a long-term contract.

If Real Madrid appointed Ancelotti, and Gao Shen left Manchester City next summer, the club would have no way to bring him back.

So, Florentino had decided not to make a coaching change.

All the pressure would be borne by the Real Madrid board, the players, the fans, and the media.

In a way, Gao Shen was moved.

That's just how he was.

You offer me a wooden peach, and I'll return it with jade.

"There's also word that Paris Saint-Germain is considering a coaching change, and Ancelotti is their target," Carlo added.

Gao Shen nodded. He had a good idea of what was going on.

This kind of situation was very common.

Ancelotti was clearly waiting for Real Madrid. If they called, he would reject PSG without hesitation. But if they didn't, he'd take the Ligue 1 job.

It was no different from a regular job hunt.

"Don't overthink it. The trip to Stamford Bridge won't be easy," Gao Shen said with a frown.

Right now, this was the top priority.

After the managerial change, most people had little faith in Di Matteo, but Gao Shen was an exception.

Chelsea was a peculiar club.

They had a bizarre pattern.

Abramovich was obsessed with the Champions League, and under his ownership, Chelsea had reached the final three times—each time after a mid-season coaching change.

The first was in September 2007. After Mourinho was fired, assistant coach Avram Grant took over and led Chelsea to the final, where they lost to Ferguson's Manchester United.

The second time was in March 2012. After firing Villas-Boas, Di Matteo took charge and led Chelsea to the final again, this time stunning Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

The third was in 2021. After sacking Lampard, Thomas Tuchel took over and once again led the Blues to the final, defeating Guardiola's Manchester City in Porto's Estádio do Dragão.

Of course, all of that had happened in Gao Shen's previous life. For now, only the first case had occurred.

There was no chance of a repeat.

Chelsea were already eliminated from the Champions League. No matter how good Di Matteo was, the best he could do was aim for the Europa League.

But Di Matteo still had ability.

That's why Gao Shen took the trip to Stamford Bridge very seriously.

And this time, Manchester City had to travel light.

After facing Chelsea, the team would depart for the Club World Cup.

In Gao Shen's previous life, Abu Dhabi had hosted the Club World Cup in 2009 and 2010. The 2011 edition was set to return to Yokohama, Japan.

But in March 2011, Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake, which shocked the world and led to a nuclear leak. FIFA took the situation seriously, and Blatter even inspected Japan's preparations for the tournament.

In this context, after Manchester City won the Champions League, Abu Dhabi's interest was rekindled.

At their request, FIFA negotiated with the Japanese organizers and arranged for the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Club World Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi instead of Yokohama.

So, after facing Chelsea, Manchester City would fly to Abu Dhabi.

They would play two Club World Cup matches, and then the Christmas schedule would begin immediately upon returning.

Never mind the travel. The intensity of the fixtures alone was already overwhelming.

So Gao Shen and his coaching staff were being extra cautious.

Now, Chelsea's sudden change of coach had disrupted Manchester City's plans.

Barring surprises, Di Matteo would definitely focus on defense at home.

Chelsea's defensive foundations had been laid since the Ranieri era and were further reinforced under Mourinho, Scolari, Hiddink, and Ancelotti. Villas-Boas had a more aggressive approach, but Chelsea had long been known for their defensive solidity—especially at Stamford Bridge.

If Di Matteo wanted to restore order, he would have to strengthen the defense.

If Manchester City were forced into a war of attrition at Stamford Bridge, it would be to their disadvantage.

"Chelsea will go back to doing what they do best, and so will we," Gao Shen analyzed with Carlo.

"We'll attack right from the start. We need to score early at Stamford Bridge. Once we get the lead, we can slow the game down. Our advantage lies in ball control and possession."

Chelsea would definitely press hard. Their midfield was full of strong, no-nonsense players, and they had experience handling teams like Barcelona and Arsenal who rely on possession.

If it turned into a physical battle, Manchester City would be under a lot of pressure.

In recent years, Chelsea had been one of the most difficult teams to face in Europe.

They might not have the most firepower, technical skill, or creativity, but they were extremely tenacious and resilient, with superb physical strength and work rate.

No team found them easy to deal with.

"So, we need to capitalize on the opening, let them press, then hit them on the counter."

"I understand. I'll sort it out," Carlo nodded.

"Also, tell the medical team to pay special attention to David Luiz. If he's not fully fit, leave him behind. Don't bring him to the Club World Cup either. Let him stay at Carrington to recover."

Carlo nodded. "Then what about Drogba?"

"Kompany can handle him. Bring Boateng and Cahill too. We'll see who's in better form and start him."

"Got it. I'll prepare."

With that, Carlo turned and left.

Gao Shen sat down at his desk and exhaled deeply.

He had predicted Villas-Boas wouldn't make it through the winter break, but he hadn't expected him to be sacked this early.

There was no joy in being proven right—only more pressure.

Today's European football was no longer the one he had once known.

(To be continued.)