CHAPTER 452: OVERHAULED THE KITCHEN

Against a team of Tottenham Hotspur’s caliber, suffering a loss wasn’t necessarily a fair reflection of Manchester City’s progress. Especially considering that City had comfortably controlled the tempo and only conceded twice through counterattacks, there was little meaningful evidence to draw solid conclusions about their overall form from this performance.

The true test would come in the next round, when they faced Liverpool at home.

By the conclusion of the opening round of the league, Manchester City sat 14th on the table, following their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The league had just started; the current standings held little significance.

The most thrilling match of Round One took place at Old Trafford, where Manchester United narrowly avoided defeat against Steve Walsh’s Leicester City, ending in a 2–2 draw. In the post-match interview, Walsh expressed his frustration, insisting that Leicester had more than enough chances to win the game.

As City prepared for their clash against Liverpool, several key players were still under health restrictions, and O’Neill made a surprising tactical adjustment — starting Eto’o on the right wing while leaving Ronaldinho on the bench. The decision made Richard frown in concern, unsure if it was the right call.

The result?

A draw!

The moment Manchester City lost their second fixture against Manchester United in the Premier League, the criticism came flying from every direction.

Pundits, fans, and journalists alike wasted no time sharpening their words.

"You really think City will win the Champions League again after that performance?"

"Champions of Europe, Premier League winners — and they’ve spent almost nothing this summer? That’s not ambition, that’s complacency."

Headlines in the morning papers were even harsher. Some accused the club of "losing their hunger," while others questioned whether City’s quiet transfer window had left the squad thin and uninspired.

Especially with the transfer window settled.

Most clubs had already wrapped up their business, leaving only the usual flurry of last-minute deals that felt more like soap opera drama.

For the newly crowned European champions Manchester City, however, the summer had been surprisingly quiet. Despite generating over £80 million from player sales, the club had made just one significant investment in strengthening their first team — a move that left fans both puzzled and anxious.

Elsewhere, the usual giants were busy reshaping their squads.

Manchester United, after saying goodbye to long-serving veterans Gary Pallister and Brian McClair, moved decisively in the market. They broke their transfer record twice — first for Dutch defender Jaap Stam from PSV Eindhoven, and then for Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa. Yorke’s arrival, in particular, created immediate excitement; paired with Andy Cole, United’s new "Yorke and Cole" partnership promised goals — and plenty of them.

Arsenal, fresh off a phenomenal season in which Arsène Wenger’s men captured both the FA Cup, remained characteristically restrained. Wenger spent just £3 million, bringing in Swedish midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg and two promising young prospects. For a man who believed in long-term planning over flashy signings, it was business as usual.

Liverpool, meanwhile, made a bold — and somewhat bizarre — decision by appointing former France national team head coach Gérard Houllier as joint manager alongside Roy Evans. Aside from that managerial shake-up, the club quietly reinforced their defense by signing Sami Hyypiä and several other players for around £3 million. Combined with the promotion of academy graduates Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, the squad looked deeper and more balanced than before.

At Chelsea, Roman-style ambition continued to shape the club’s transfer policy. They spent over £5 million to bring in striker Pierluigi Casiraghi from Lazio, another £2 million on full-back Albert Ferrer from Barcelona, and a further £4.6 million on World Cup winner Marcel Desailly from AC Milan. Alongside a handful of free agents lured by lucrative wages, Chelsea’s lavish approach was once again making headlines — and enemies.

Tottenham Hotspur, by contrast, had a quieter summer. Following a disappointing season, they made a handful of modest signings — five relatively unknown players for around £5–6 million — a strategy aimed more at stability than ambition.

After the second fixture, which could already be considered disappointing, Manchester City barely had time to recover before another disaster struck.

"For us spectators, to be honest, it felt unfair to be served food like that by a team that only recently won both the Premier League and the Champions League," Jake Humphrey said in the interview, his tone filled with disappointment.

Especially since the food at one of the Premier League’s top clubs was usually of excellent quality.

The moment Richard heard the news, his expression turned serious.

First the virus, and now this.

The moment the broadcast went public, Richard immediately called Manchester City’s executive chef to understand more about what was involved.

Maine Road had only one integrated kitchen that provided meals for all the players across every team. Because of that, Richard called an urgent meeting with Miss Heysen to discuss the issue with the kitchen staff — but their response left him deeply disappointed.

"We feed all the players — across every team — at the training ground every day," the executive chef explained. "We also prepare food for away games, which is a completely different process since the meals have to be packed and shipped on the team coach. To be honest, we’re short on staff here, so we were hoping to get additional kitchen support this season to handle everything properly."

Richard rubbed his temples.

"And why are you only telling me this now? Why not during preseason?" he asked sharply.

But by then, the damage had already been done. The club’s reputation had taken a hit. That very day, Richard immediately terminated the partnership with the head executive chef and dismissed the entire senior kitchen staff at Manchester City.

Fired.

The way the players consumed food had changed a lot, even in just a few years — and those changes had all been for the better since Richard arrived and revamped the kitchen. Two years ago, City players would come in and eat whatever they wanted. But since then, things had been different.

Now, however, the same problem had resurfaced — and this time, Richard made a decisive and radical move: he fired the entire kitchen staff at Maine Road.

"What about now? Don’t you think we should hire a new chef first before firing them all?"

"Do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t already prepared?"

Hearing that, Miss Heysen was stunned.

It meant only one thing — no matter what anyone said, Richard had already made up his mind. The fate of Maine Road’s entire kitchen staff was sealed. Richard had already decided — they were all going to be fired!

"Let’s rebuild the club kitchen once more," Richard said firmly before pulling out a whiteboard and beginning to write down three key points — the foundation for the new kitchen.

Chef – focus on flavor

Nutritionist – focus on performance and recovery