May 5, Wembley Stadium, London.
FA Cup Final: Manchester City vs Chelsea.
Since Di Matteo took charge, Chelsea returned to their roots tactically, adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Cech.
Defense: Ashley Cole, Ivanović, Terry, and Bosingwa.
Midfield: Mikel and Lampard formed a double pivot, with Kalou, Mata, and Ramires ahead.
Striker: Drogba.
Judging by their setup at the start of the match, Chelsea stuck with their familiar approach—compact defense and quick counterattacks. This has always been their strong suit since the Mourinho era.
The players were clearly more comfortable operating within this tactical framework.
In actual gameplay, although Chelsea appeared to be in a 4-2-3-1, in practice, Kalou and Ramires dropped deep on both flanks, aligning themselves more with Lampard and Mikel. It resembled a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Mata played just behind Drogba as a classic second striker or central playmaker.
This setup was clearly meant to counter Manchester City's wing attacks.
Whether it was Bale and Filipe on the left, or Robben and Lichtsteiner on the right, City possessed some of the most feared wide combinations in European football. If Chelsea couldn't contain them on the flanks, it would be nearly impossible to keep a clean sheet.
Di Matteo's tactics followed Chelsea's usual principles, with a hint of a reset to the old style.
That's also why Chelsea's performances had improved significantly in recent weeks.
…
Gao Shen stuck with his usual 4-3-3 setup.
Goalkeeper: Neuer.
Defense: Filipe, David Luiz, Kompany, and Lichtsteiner.
Midfield: Javi Martínez as the holding midfielder, with David Silva and Rakitic playing centrally.
Attack: Bale on the left, Suarez in the center, Robben on the right.
Manchester City's strengths lay in their wide play and strong midfield control.
So from the first whistle, Gao Shen instructed the team to dominate possession, pin Chelsea back, and break down their rigid defense from the flanks.
Chelsea didn't back down. From the start, they fought fiercely.
The Blues knew that if they allowed City to gain momentum early, the game could quickly slip out of their hands.
So while Di Matteo appeared cautious, he was actually matching City's intensity blow for blow.
City controlled the ball and used width to stretch Chelsea's defensive structure.
Just five minutes in, City created a great opportunity on the left.
Gareth Bale used his left foot to swing a diagonal ball into the middle of the box. Suarez broke away from Terry and met it with a header at close range, but it lacked power and failed to threaten Cech.
After that, City continued pressing, probing Chelsea's lines.
Although the Blues were under constant pressure, they didn't allow any clear-cut scoring chances.
Chelsea themselves, however, hadn't yet found their footing and had not registered a single shot.
The match entered a deadlock, with both teams locked in a battle of wills.
…
Gao Shen stood silently on the touchline, watching the game unfold.
Time ticked by.
Manchester City maintained control but couldn't find a breakthrough.
Every time the ball reached Chelsea's half, their progression was blocked, making it difficult to turn possession into real chances.
City's players kept shifting the ball around, hoping to open gaps in Chelsea's back line, but the Blues had already withstood tests from many strong teams. No matter how much City probed, the defense stayed disciplined.
By the 40th minute, Manchester City had taken 15 shots, but only three were on target. Chelsea, by contrast, had just one shot and none on target. The disparity in dominance was obvious.
Still, Gao Shen wasn't letting his guard down.
City's players remained patient, constantly seeking openings.
Gao Shen made a key tactical tweak in the first half after spotting a flaw in Chelsea's midfield and back line.
Lampard was never known for his defensive discipline. On the contrary, he was an attacking midfielder who surged forward at the first opportunity.
So Gao Shen instructed his players to ease off pressing Lampard.
This way, whenever Chelsea won the ball, Lampard would instinctively push forward to exploit any gaps.
David Silva would then quickly move into that space, exploit it, and draw defenders before distributing to either flank.
This adjustment left Chelsea's defense scrambling.
Whether Silva chose to drive into the attack himself or shift it wide, he posed major problems for Chelsea's back line. However, thanks to standout performances from Terry, Ivanović, and Cech, City had yet to score.
But Gao Shen had a strong feeling that if City kept up the pressure, the breakthrough would come.
He stood in the technical area, gesturing for calm and urging his players to stay composed and continue pushing.
Realistically, Chelsea had only managed one shot, and it wasn't on target. As long as City stayed on course, their dominance would eventually lead to goals.
It was only a matter of time.
Gao Shen remained composed. Di Matteo, on the other hand, was visibly nervous.
Coach Fo kept pacing to the sideline, shouting instructions—sometimes asking for shape, other times urging players to commit more on counters.
Clearly, Di Matteo knew the current path would lead to slow death.
But when you're the weaker side, what else can you do?
For now, the score had to be protected.
Just as the clock hit 43 minutes, Chelsea won the ball in midfield.
…
"Chelsea with a chance to break—look at this! Lampard's making the run."
"He receives the ball, plays it to Juan Mata, he beats Javi Martínez and looks to thread it through…"
"David Luiz slides in for the challenge, Kompany clears!"
"Chelsea almost pulled it off. Both City center-backs did a fantastic job."
"Now it's Manchester City on the counterattack!"
"Quick transition!"
"Filipe picks up the ball on the left and plays it down the line to Gareth Bale."
"The Welshman accelerates down the wing. Let's see how he handles this."
"Plays it to David Silva."
"Quick one-two, and Bale's overlapping!"
"Beautiful play! Bale drives outside the box and tries to cut inside, but it's blocked by Bosingwa…"
"Suarez is in the middle!"
"He takes it back to goal, turns, makes a move… superb!"
"Turns and shoots with his right foot!"
"Danger!"
"It's in!"
"Manchester City score!"
"Suarez!"
"Just before halftime, Suarez controlled the ball in the box, turned sharply, and smashed it home with his right foot, breaking Chelsea's resistance and scoring City's first!"
"1-0!"
"That was Manchester City's 16th shot of the first half!"
"City's attack is clearly sharper than Chelsea's, but to be fair, the Blues' defense has been solid tonight."
"City have had 16 shots to Chelsea's one, but the score is still only 1-0. City lead, but it's not over."
"Di Matteo is furious on the sideline!"
"He has every reason to be upset. That goal came out of nowhere."
"Just moments ago, Chelsea countered and pushed into City's area. But then City regained the ball and launched an instant counterattack."
"Watch closely—David Silva again. He's done this more than once."
"Lampard often leaves gaps in midfield when he pushes forward."
"But what can Chelsea do? They're stuck."
"If they commit more players to the attack, they're vulnerable to counters."
"But if they don't commit, their counterattacks carry no threat."
…
To press or not to press?
That was the dilemma.
Di Matteo knew it too.
The situation in the first half was clear. The problems Chelsea faced against Manchester City's offensive system were obvious. If Di Matteo couldn't see that, he had no business being on the touchline.
But he had his reasons for the current approach.
If Lampard kept surging forward like this, he'd eventually lose the ball in a dangerous spot in the second half.
Thinking of this, Di Matteo made immediate adjustments.
"Long balls!"
"We'll go long in the second half. Let Didier dominate the middle."
Di Matteo gave the instruction decisively as he reorganized the midfield setup.
"Didier," Coach Fo looked at Drogba, "In the second half, use your strengths. Dominate the two City center-backs and give yourself, the wide players, and midfield runners more space and time."
Drogba nodded. He understood perfectly.
In short, he was now the tactical fulcrum.
If Chelsea could hit more long balls, there'd be less need for Lampard to push up recklessly.
If Drogba could win those aerial duels and hold up the ball, players like Mata could capitalize on second balls and support from deep. Chelsea might still have a chance.
"Listen up, everyone. We all know who we're facing—this is the strongest team in the Premier League and probably in Europe. No doubt about it!"
"We're down 0-1, and there's no way back if we don't fight."
"The only thing we can do now is to go forward bravely and chase victory!"
"They say Manchester City are the rulers of the Premier League, the kings of Europe. They dream of winning a quadruple. But I say we have the power to stop them!"
"I need every one of you to step up and give your best. Don't forget, we are Chelsea—we never give up!"
Di Matteo's words lit a fire under the players, especially Drogba, Lampard, and Terry.
These were warriors, veterans who had endured the ups and downs of recent years. No one understood the club's spirit better than they did.
And no one should think defeating Chelsea would ever be easy!
(To be continued.)