Manchester City defeated Manchester United 5–3 and won the Community Shield!
After the match, all of England erupted.
No one had expected the Community Shield to turn out so spectacular.
The two sides scored a total of eight goals—it was a true goal-fest.
Although they missed out on the trophy, Manchester United manager Ferguson still spoke highly of the match in his post-game interview, stating that his players had shown good spirit and mentality.
"In fact, this is just a charity warm-up game. Neither of us placed too much importance on it. We were more focused on adjusting our lineups."
Ferguson said he was satisfied with his players' performances and believed that, with another week of preparation, United would be ready for the new season in better shape and spirit.
After securing the Community Shield, Gao Shen was visibly excited.
As the players lifted the trophy, he stood by the touchline, beaming, praising his squad's performance and expressing satisfaction with several of the new signings. At the same time, he didn't miss the chance to fire back at the media.
"Van Persie put on a fantastic display!"
"He was involved in three of the goals. I don't know what others think, but in my eyes, he's an electrifying player. I'm looking forward to what he can do this season."
When asked about City's ambitions, Gao Shen was direct: "We are aiming to win the Premier League title!"
And not just that—he declared that tonight's performance gave him unprecedented confidence.
"Not just the Premier League, we'll also give it our all in the Champions League. We'll prove our strength again with undeniable results!"
"In the Premier League, we want the title! In the Champions League, we want the title too!"
The Manchester City players heard their coach loud and clear. The squad was fired up and determined to go beyond what they achieved last season.
Van Persie, speaking to the media after the match, said that one of the key reasons he joined City was the manager's ability.
"He's a very special coach. I've felt that way since the first time I heard about him. I've always believed he could lead a team to success. That's why I came to Manchester City."
"I'm hungry for titles!"
Robben also said in his post-match interview that winning the Community Shield would be a huge boost for City.
"Maybe some people won't believe me when I say this, but the truth is, we haven't even shown our best yet."
"This season, we'll be fighting on two fronts: the Premier League and the Champions League. It's going to be tough, especially in Europe. We'll face strong opponents even in the group stage. But let me be clear, we're not afraid of anyone!"
"As our manager said, we feel sorry for the teams that end up in the same group as us!"
…
Manchester City's ambitions were sky-high.
The public and media alike gave rave reviews of their performance in this first official match of the season.
The 5–3 scoreline was the highest since the Community Shield was rebranded in 2003. Even going back to the old Charity Shield era, this was still among the highest-scoring matches in nearly a century.
The last time the Community Shield saw eight goals in a single game was 57 years ago, in 1953, when Wolves and West Bromwich Albion drew 4–4 and shared the trophy.
Even further back, in 1932, Everton beat Newcastle 5–3.
Clearly, these are long-forgotten matches.
In the Premier League era, whether in the Charity Shield or the Community Shield, it's extremely rare to see such high-scoring encounters. This was truly a feast of goals.
The Manchester City players were widely praised. Van Persie played a part in three goals, proving his quality. Taking on the responsibility as the central striker, he received full support from the front line and delivered.
More impressively, this was his very first official appearance for Manchester City.
Sacchi, the highly respected analyst, officially joined The Times as a columnist this summer.
In his piece analyzing City's opening match, he made it clear that Van Persie was the real deal.
"I watched him at Arsenal, and it was obvious he didn't receive enough support there—especially up front, where Adebayor was the focal point."
"But in the Community Shield, I saw a top-quality striker emerge under Gao Shen."
"Like many others, I was skeptical about Gao Shen's praise for Van Persie before the game. I thought he was overhyping his player. But after watching this match, I understood where that confidence came from."
"Van Persie definitely has the potential to become a top-class striker, and now he just needs Gao Shen's further guidance."
"Let's not forget, Gao Shen's ability to develop players is second to none in European football today."
"Even if we only focus on strikers—he developed Negredo at Real Madrid, Cavani and Pellè at Napoli, and now Suarez has made a name for himself at Manchester City."
"That gives us every reason to believe Van Persie will succeed too!"
As always, Sacchi kept his usual enthusiastic tone in the column and generously praised Gao Shen. Even when discussing Manchester United and Ferguson, he made sure to highlight Gao Shen's achievements.
At a time when Gao Shen was still facing doubts and criticism, Sacchi stood alone in his support.
…
Gao Shen didn't pay much attention to the media hype.
He knew very well—this kind of attention only comes to winners.
The media has no moral compass. Win, and they'll praise you to the heavens. Lose, and they'll turn on you faster than a mask change in Sichuan Opera. They'll trample you into the ground without hesitation.
If you want to be in professional football, you'd better get used to it.
The media and the game are two sides of the same coin—inseparable and interdependent.
On the night they won the Community Shield, Manchester City returned to Manchester from London.
The next morning, the team held its usual post-match recovery session, followed by a full analysis and review of the game, identifying and discussing areas for improvement.
Overall, Gao Shen gave the team a positive evaluation. After all, they won both the match and the trophy.
On an individual level, he praised three newcomers in particular: Yaya Toure, Leighton Baines, and Robin van Persie.
In the Community Shield, almost all of the new signings made their debuts, with the exception of De Bruyne. Jerome Boateng had several glaring errors. While he had some good moments, his overall performance fell short.
Gao Shen didn't criticize him publicly, but he did speak to him privately, encouraging him to keep working hard.
Yaya Toure played especially well. As the defensive midfielder in the first half, he stood out, launching a few impressive long passes to start attacks.
Sometimes Gao Shen even thought, if Toure focused solely on playing as a holding midfielder, he'd be nearly perfect.
But unfortunately, Toure wasn't content with that.
Later in the game, Gao Shen switched to a 4-4-2 diamond midfield, pairing Toure with Rakitic in the center. Toure thrived. Some of his passes, especially the two late ones to Giroud, were beautiful.
Once he moved further up, he played with more freedom. His forward dribbles also posed a real threat.
That gave Gao Shen a bit of a headache.
Playing him as a pure defensive midfielder wastes his attacking talent. But using him further forward doesn't quite fit in Gao Shen's typical system. He had tried the 4-2-3-1 with a double pivot, and the diamond midfield, and both produced solid results.
That might turn out to be an important tactical variation for City.
After all, whether in the Premier League or the Champions League, Manchester City can't rely on just one 4-3-3 setup to conquer the world.
European football is far too complex for that now.
Leighton Baines also had a solid game on the left. He defended well against Manchester United's top threats, Valencia and Rooney. There were a few mistakes, but they were understandable.
Gao Shen had trained Valencia himself and knew full well how quick and strong he was.
Baines did well under the circumstances.
More importantly, he hadn't yet shown his full attacking capabilities.
As for Van Persie—what more needed to be said?
Gao Shen practically sang his praises in every interview after the match.
With a win and a trophy to open the season, expectations were sky-high.
Still, Gao Shen tempered the excitement with a note of caution, reminding everyone that Tottenham looked strong this season.
Especially with the additions of Van der Vaart and Džeko, Spurs had significantly boosted their strength compared to last year.
"We must be fully prepared!"
More importantly, the season opener was going to be tough—an away game.
"But I believe you can overcome the challenge. We'll take a win from White Hart Lane!"
Gao Shen said it with full confidence.
He was clearly determined going into the new season.
He repeatedly told his players to treat every match seriously. Manchester City only needed players who gave their all—players who shared the same vision.
"I want to make this absolutely clear: our goal this season is to win trophies. All of them. Especially the Premier League and the Champions League!"
"My demand is simple. I want you to give your best from the very first match, because what awaits us is an extremely difficult schedule!"
Many players in the squad had experience in European competitions. Some had even lifted the Champions League before. They all knew that, with Manchester City's current coefficient, they were bound to land in a group of death.
And everyone knows how brutal those groups can be.
Wasn't Napoli, two years ago, strong as they were, also forced to battle it out in a group of death?
"Don't worry. No matter how tough our schedule is, no matter how strong our opponents are, I will lead you through it. All I ask is that you give me your best in every match and stay in peak form!"
The players responded with confidence.
As for the Champions League draw, no one knew yet who their opponents would be.
But Gao Shen thought, surely they wouldn't be unlucky enough to draw Real Madrid again… right?
(To be continued.)