The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

The trigger for this Manchester City players' resignation crisis, besides their Champions League defeat to Villarreal, also included their elimination from the League Cup by the weaker Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It's worth noting that Wolves are a relegation-threatened team. So far this season, they have scored only 8 goals in 9 games, fewer than either Lin Yi or Aguero.

Losing to such a weak team forced captain Kompany to contradict himself and change his original decision to take a break.

Fortunately, their chance for revenge came very quickly and coincidentally, as Manchester City's opponent in the upcoming 10th round of the league is still Wolves.

Although Mancini has not responded, the matter remains unresolved, and the discord within the team persists.

But if they still can't beat their opponent in this match, and are humiliated twice in a short period of time, Manchester City will lose face.

Driven by this idea, the Manchester City players were determined to thrash their opponents and avenge their previous defeat. Before the match against Wolves, they temporarily put aside their chaotic thoughts and spontaneously united as one.

With no distractions, Manchester City was clearly no match for Wolves, who suffered a decisive 1-3 defeat at the Etihad, giving Manchester City a much-needed chance to vent their frustration.

Manchester City chairman Calduan Al Mubarak was unable to witness his team's revenge, as he was absent from the match and not present in his private box.

His reason for absence was simple: Sheikh Mansour flew directly from Abu Dhabi to Manchester on his private jet, and the presence of his boss was clearly more important than a regular league match.

"Kaldun, what's the deal with Lin's text message?" Mansour asked directly as soon as they met.

Mubarak was no ordinary man to be chosen by the incredibly wealthy Al Nahyan family to be the head of Manchester City. Although he almost never interfered in Manchester City's matches and training, when asked by the owner, he still recounted in detail the whole story of how Mancini lost control of the dressing room.

"Sheikh Mansour, the root of the problem is that Mancini's management style, based on family loyalty and personal authority, is incompatible with our players."

"Influenced by his parents, Mancini is deeply influenced by the culture of southern Italy. He values ​​maintaining locker room relationships through family ties, treats players as his own children, and possesses a fatherly authority."

"This coaching style is inherited from traditional Italian coaches such as Trapattoni, Lippi, and Capello. The advantage is that the team is disciplined, but the disadvantage is that the locker room is very easy to get out of control. For example, Capello encountered a similar situation in the later stages of his tenure at Real Madrid."

"The trigger for this was Mancini's internal punishment of Balotelli. The players don't think Balotelli did anything wrong. Although we can't say that publicly, in everyone's hearts, Balotelli was avenging Ling, a hero who stood up for his own people, and a brother who can be trusted."

"It's like a child in the family being bullied, and his brother goes to help him get revenge. But when they get home, instead of encouraging and comforting him, the father severely punishes the child who did the bullying. What will the other children think?"

"Mancini's image as a father has completely collapsed. This was the persona he had cultivated for so long, and the foundation upon which he controlled the locker room. Now everything is over. The players weren't really into his act to begin with, and now they completely distrust him!"

Mansour nodded slightly, then suddenly asked, "What about Lin's attitude?"

"He firmly stands by Balotelli and Kompany, after all, they were punished by Mancini because of him. It's clear that Lin is a man who values ​​brotherhood."

"Very good, this shows that Lin is starting to integrate. Give Mancini a decent ending, you take care of it."

Mansour took the prepared cigar handed to him by the servant, waved it a few times in front of his nose, and used the rich, earthy aroma of Partagas No. 4 to help him think.

Mansour did not speak again until the cigar was almost extinguished by itself.

"How about bringing Guardiola over? His Champions League record looks very good; we can't just focus on the domestic scene."

"Sheikh Mansour, it might not be so easy." Mubarak shook his head helplessly. "It's certain now that he won't renew his contract with Barcelona at the end of this season, but based on the information we have so far, he seems to prefer Bayern Munich."

"According to reliable sources I have received, when Guardiola led the team to participate in the Audi Cup in July this year, he took the initiative to contact Bayern's management. It is not clear what they talked about at the moment, but since then, Guardiola has been ambiguous in his attitude towards all clubs that have contacted him, always using the excuse of considering it after the season ends to brush them off."

Seeing his boss's brow furrowed, Mubarak cautiously said, "Sheikh Mansour, in fact, Guardiola may not be the most suitable candidate."

Mansour wasn't angry; instead, he encouraged the other person: "Speak your mind boldly."

With permission granted, Mubarak began to explain his reasons: "Guardiola himself came from La Masia, spent more than half of his 15-year professional career at Barcelona, ​​and after retiring, he started his career with Barcelona B. So far, he has spent his entire coaching career at Barcelona."

"He adheres to the Barcelona football philosophy."

"It's Tiki-Taka, it's ultimate ball control, it's high pressing." At this point, Mubarak rubbed his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed.

After a pause, he forced himself to continue, "I'm not sure if others can adapt, but you know, Lin Yi is neither good at ball control nor likes to participate in defense."

In the eyes of others, Lin Yi is the only player in the entire Manchester City team handpicked by Mansour, and he represents Mansour's vision and reputation.

If Lin Yi's reputation collapses, regardless of Mansour's expectations of him, the public will at least think that Mansour misjudged him, and he will be slapped in the face.

Misjudging someone might be somewhat acceptable, after all, the sports world still has basketball god Michael Jordan as a benchmark, so it's understandable that one's judgment might occasionally falter.

But the rich dad's face is so precious, how could he be beaten? His face must be saved.

So Mansour made a decisive decision almost without hesitation: "Well said, forget Guardiola! Do you have a suitable replacement?"

"I do have one, but..." Mubarak hesitated, then stopped himself.

Raised by his family from a young age and having received higher education in the United States, Mansour is highly intelligent. He succinctly observed, "Judging from your troubled expression, I guess this isn't about money, is it, Caldunn?"

Mubarak frankly admitted: "Indeed, this person is quite difficult to deal with. He just renewed his contract with the team, and most importantly, his club is not short of money. It's probably not something that can be settled with a release clause. If you want to bring him to Manchester City, you'll probably need to use your personal connections."

Mansour asked with interest, "Oh? My connections? If that's the case, I'm sure I know the owner of that club. Which club is it?"

"Your Highness Sheikh Mansur, if I may ask, what is your relationship with the Qatari royal family?"