CHAPTER 275: DITCHED AND EMBRACED

September ends with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table, having won their first four games of the season. Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, and Manchester City complete the top five, followed closely by newly promoted Sunderland in sixth place.

At the other end of the table, Wimbledon sit bottom, with Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City rounding out the bottom three.

In the First Division, Stoke City lead the way, holding a one-point advantage over Barnsley in the early stages of the race for Premier League promotion. Norwich City, Tranmere Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, and Queens Park Rangers complete the top six.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Just as Richard was reviewing the current season’s stats in his office at Maine Road, Miss Heysen stepped in—carrying an expression that immediately told him something was off.

"Richard... you need to see this."

She handed over the report. A brief silence followed as Richard skimmed through it—his eyes narrowing.

"You say what?" he asked, voice sharp with disbelief.

Raymond Domenech, the current head coach of France’s U-23 national team, had made a shocking, last-minute decision: Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet had been dropped from the squad for the upcoming Olympics.

"Do you know the reason?" Richard asked, still stunned. "They were age-eligible, right?"

Both Henry and Trezeguet were still just 19 years old—definitely eligible for the tournament. As Richard read the unexpected letter, a wave of anxiety swept over him.

Miss Heysen nodded. "Yes. The official statement says they weren’t yet first-choice in the Olympic setup. The federation’s spokesperson claimed that other players had more experience at the youth national level."

Richard leaned back in his chair, visibly annoyed.

Of course he knew that. That was exactly why he had agreed to release both players for Olympic duty in the first place—they were promising, yes, but still unproven. City had barely given them significant minutes.

A summer tournament could’ve been perfect for their growth. But now, Domenech had instead prioritized players like Tony Vairelles and Florian Maurice.

Richard shook his head, trying to piece it together. "Then why did they choose Thierry and David in the first place?" he asked, puzzled.

Miss Heysen glanced at her notes.

"From what I understand, both Tony Vairelles and Florian Maurice were originally ruled out after catching the flu just before the tournament," she explained. "That’s why the coaching staff had briefly turned to Henry and Trezeguet as backup options."

Richard’s brow furrowed. "So now they’ve recovered, and Domenech just drops the kids without warning?"

She nodded. "Probably. The staff likely saw Vairelles and Maurice as safer options, more experienced.

Richard let out a long sigh and looked out the window, where the grey Manchester sky offered no answers.

"They’re kids," he muttered. "You don’t do that to 19-year-olds without a conversation."

At first, Richard was furious.

The decision felt disrespectful—not just to Henry and Trezeguet, but to the careful development plan he’d laid out for them.

He stood up from his chair, hands on his hips, pacing. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

But then... he paused.

His mind turned to City’s current striker crisis. Larsson was injured, leaving only Ronaldo and Shevchenko to carry the load.

And suddenly, the anger faded.

Instead, it was replaced by something else—opportunity. This might actually be a blessing in disguise.

Still, Richard knew this could go one of two ways: it could break them... or it could ignite a fire under both Henry and Trezeguet.

And if it was the latter—then City might be about to unleash something special.

"Call Robertson in, please," Richard instructed calmly.

The Olympic door had closed. But perhaps—just maybe—a new Chapter for City was about to begin. It was time to start rotating Henry and Trezeguet into the matchday squads.

For the next match, City will host Nottingham Forest at Maine Road.

Nottingham Forest, a team with the peculiar distinction of having won more European trophies than domestic league titles.

Last season, they finished ninth in the league.

Despite the departure of striker Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest performed reasonably well and remained comfortably in the top half of the table. They were unbeaten in their first 12 league games, although they drew too many matches to be considered serious title contenders. Their strong start came to a crashing halt with a 7–0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, who had just signed Forest midfielder Lars Bohinen. Naturally, Collymore’s departure had a significant impact on the squad’s attacking threat.

During their visit to Maine Road, Forest manager Frank Clark appeared cautious, subtly hinting that his side would likely face a tough test in Manchester.

Is Manchester City a strong team? At the very least, the points table suggests so—with City sitting above Forest, even if just narrowly.

For today’s match, Robertson was still required to remain in the stands, as he was not permitted to accompany the City squad. This was the final match of his suspension.

City set out their starting lineup in a 4-4-2 formation.

Thanks to the new additions, Henry and Trezeguet were both ready, but it was Henry who was handed the starting role first, with the coaching staff putting forward the idea of temporarily "resting" Ronaldo.

Although both players were understandably disappointed after being dropped from the national team at the last minute, City quickly responded to the setback—reassuring them that their playing time would increase and that they were being seriously considered for starting roles.

It was especially meaningful for Henry, who was still primarily being used as a left winger. While it wasn’t the lone striker role he preferred, playing in a two-striker system gave him far more freedom than being stuck out wide on the touchline.

At the very least, being closer to goal allowed him to play his natural game—with pace, instinct, and purpose.

The match itself was relatively uneventful, but the cheers from the home crowd never faded. The fans weren’t used to seeing their team so dominant—it was a feeling they had rarely experienced before.

Fresh off emphatic wins over Lincoln and, more importantly, the historic triumph at Anfield, City looked like a team on a roll.

The momentum was real, and for once, the supporters had every reason to believe—and to be proud.

As expected, Nottingham Forest were well-organized, with their defensive structure holding firm throughout the match.

Neil Lennon played a key role in shielding the final third, closely tracking any attacking movement with disciplined support from his teammates.

Forest intelligently compressed space in front of the penalty area, denying City room to combine or shoot from distance. Their wide players remained cautious rather than adventurous, allowing Capdevila and Finnan to push forward. But even then, penetration was limited—Forest allowed space on the flanks, but closed off every route through the middle.

City’s best option became high balls into the box, but they proved ineffective. Shevchenko, often the lone target, was isolated and double-marked, unable to contest aerially, let alone pose a threat with a header.

It seemed that Nottingham Forest maintained their compact defensive strategy, with several deliberate clearances aimed directly into City’s half, hoping to catch the defense off guard with their two forwards.

Naturally, the coaching staff were alert to Frank Clark’s tactics.

Just as Richard was settling in and quietly enjoying the match, Miss Heysen approached from behind and gently nudged his shoulder to get his attention.

Richard turned around, curious but relaxed.

"The Group D match—Japan vs. Brazil—just finished," she said calmly, eyes scanning the paper in her hand.

"Oh," Richard nodded absently, glancing back toward the City match against Nottingham Forest. He wasn’t particularly focused on the Olympics at that moment.

But then came the sentence that snapped him to full attention.

"Japan just defeated Brazil. The final score was 1–0."

Richard froze.

"What?" he blinked. "Japan beat... Brazil?"