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Chapter 202 The show begins

Time always flies when there's a lot of noise.

A week has passed since Wang Lie's welcoming ceremony, and on Friday, August 14th, the 2037-2038 Premier League season officially kicked off.

However, the Community Shield, which comes before the start of the league, is often seen as a prelude to the new Premier League season.

However, that game had nothing to do with Tyne, so at least Tyne's fans and Wang Lie's fans didn't care much about it.

Last season's FA Cup final was between Sofia United and Waltham United.

At that time, Sofia United had already lost their chance to qualify for the Champions League the following season.

Even if they win the FA Cup, they will only qualify for the Europa League, but as the fifth-placed team, they are already qualified for the Europa League.

Nevertheless, it is the title of the oldest competition in English football history.

So Sofia United played very hard in this final.

After being thrashed 0-9 by Tyne, Sofia United still showed such fighting spirit, proving that interim manager Danilo Lindsey is truly capable.

However, their final opponent, Waltham, was equally determined.

They really need an FA Cup title to qualify for next season's Europa League as champions – they are seventh in the league, and if ranked by league position, they would be out of contention for the Europa League.

The two teams eventually tied after 120 minutes, leading to a penalty shootout to decide the winner.

Sofia United were a bit unlucky and lost to Waltham.

Therefore, the Community Shield match at the start of the new season will be between league champions Clayton League and FA Cup winners Waltham City.

The match was actually held on Sunday afternoon, August 9th, the day after Wang Lie's welcoming ceremony.

But at that time, not only England, but the headlines of the entire European football world were all about Wang Lie's words at the welcoming ceremony.

Therefore, the Community Shield, a "large-scale friendly match," doesn't attract much attention.

Even with the league about to start, some fans are still asking, "Why wasn't the Community Shield played this year?"

Then someone told him, "The game's already over, and Clayton Sports lost again!"

He was shocked: "What?! Clayton Sports has participated in the Community Shield for four consecutive seasons and hasn't won a single championship?!"

"I think Clayton Sports are probably just trying to secure the league title. After all, winning the Community Shield means there's a high chance they won't win the league championship..."

Is the Community Shield curse about to make a comeback?!

……

Even without Wang Lie's welcoming ceremony, the Community Shield usually doesn't get much attention.

This can be seen from the lineup and tactics employed by Clayton Sports manager Rajon Kochea in this match – he didn't field any of his starters and his formation was experimental.

This has almost become a routine for Kochea:

He did the same thing in all three of his previous Community Shield losses.

It's as if the Community Shield championship is something he wants to avoid at all costs.

But no one can blame Kochea, because he really was under the "community shield curse"!
In the 2031-2032 season, during his second season managing Clayton Sports, Coachia led the team to thwart their city rivals Sofia United's dream of a three-peat and win the league title.

This also earned them a spot in the Community Shield for the 2032-2033 season.

Their opponents at the time were Sofia United, who had won the FA Cup the previous season.

A Manchester derby in the Community Shield.

Both Kochea and Clayton's players were highly motivated, defeating their city rivals and lifting the Community Shield.

However, that season Clayton Athletic ultimately lost the league title to Kensington...

If not for Kensington's interruption, Clayton Athletic would now be the first team in Premier League history to win six consecutive titles, surpassing their city rivals Sofia United's five-year winning streak in the first five seasons of the 1990s.

As if to verify the truth of the "Community Shield curse", Clayton Sports won the FA Cup in the 2032-2033 season, and they won the opportunity to participate in the Community Shield final in the following season.

In that Community Shield final, they lost to Kensington, who snatched the league title.

Sure enough, Clayton Sports regained the league title that season!
In every Community Shield match that followed, Rayan Kochea used the excuse of tactical experimentation and team cohesion to lose the game, and then happily lifted the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.

This operation was repeated four times.

Losing the Community Shield this season is just the beginning of their "fifth championship cycle".

Five days after the Community Shield, the opening match of the 2037-2038 Premier League season kicked off between defending champions Clayton Sports and last season's newly promoted Burley United.

This time, Clayton Arena indeed changed its timid behavior from the Community Shield match. Rayan Kochea did not make any fancy moves and simply fielded the strongest lineup he could.

Facing Burley United, who were promoted to the Premier League as Championship winners, Clayton Sports showed them with a scoreline how big the gap is between the Premier League champions and the Championship champions, even though both are champions.

Despite playing away from home, Clayton Sports still managed a resounding 3-0 victory over their opponents.

"This is the true strength of a four-time Premier League champion!"

After the match, the Manchester media excitedly announced:

"With the league officially underway, Clayton Sports has entered the highway to the championship. This season, Rayan Kochea's team has only one goal: to win their fifth consecutive Premier League title, equaling the record set by their arch-rivals Sofia United between 1992 and 1997."

※※※

Feng Qiyuan sat on the bus, looking at the Newcastle street scene outside.

Their car had just driven onto Tyne Bridge, one of Newcastle's most famous steel bridges.

This sloping arch bridge, which opened to traffic in 1928, is very famous and is a landmark of Newcastle.

Many tourists visiting Newcastle take a photo of this bridge to prove they've been to Newcastle.

Feng Qiyuan, who was in the car, turned his head and could see the Tyne River below the bridge through the flashing steel beams.

That "famous" River Tyne.

This river is indeed very famous, after all, the full name of Newcastle is "Newcastle upon Tyne", which, if translated literally, is actually "The New Castle upon Tyne".

But in English football, this river is now so famous because of what Brother Wang said:

"We will definitely go to the Champions League, just like the Tyne River will eventually flow into the sea!"

So in a sense, this river, which has been flowing for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, seems to have become associated with the Champions League in the eyes of Feng Qiyuan, a professional player.

It's as if you could take a boat from here and sail straight to the UEFA Champions League.

A cargo ship fully loaded with goods is sailing towards the bridge from upstream on the river.

As it drove onto the bridge, Feng Qiyuan could even see the people standing in the cockpit, holding up their phones and pointing them towards the bridge.

Feng Qiyuan didn't realize it at first, but when the cargo ship entered the blind spot under the bridge, he suddenly realized that those people seemed to be filming them!
After all, they were traveling on Witton Hill's team bus, which had Witton Hill's team logo on it...

Those people must be Tyne fans. They saw the team's opponent tomorrow, and maybe they'll take a picture and post it online?

Tomorrow's match will be the first game of the season for both teams.

Chinese people value a "good start," so Feng Qiyuan will take this match very seriously. He also knows that Brother Wang will do the same.

So tomorrow's match won't be easy.

He was mentally prepared.

However, he still wanted to report to Brother Wang on his progress over this period of time.

Back at the club, he increased his strength training, but he didn't focus solely on improving his physical strength. He knew his strengths – as a center-back, he was faster than many forwards, which was his biggest advantage. If he gained weight and increased his physical strength in a short period, it would conversely reduce his speed and explosiveness. He wanted to improve his physical strength, not just become solely focused on it.

Maintaining a speed advantage while appropriately increasing the intensity of the confrontation is the right approach.

This was also the training guidance given to him by his club's coaching staff.

Compared to improving his physical strength, there is something he needs to improve even more: the accuracy of his long passes.

The national team currently needs a center-back with the ability to pass the ball out, so Zhuang Yunsheng, who was originally just a substitute for him and Chu, has now become a starter. This is because, compared to him and Chu, Zhuang Yunsheng has a better ability to pass the ball long.

Feng Qiyuan also wants to improve his passing ability, because if the Chinese team only has Zhuang Yunsheng as a passing option in the back line, it will be easy to be contained.

If they also have the ability to pass the ball out, then it will be more difficult for the opponent to prevent the Chinese team from launching attacks from the backfield.

Feng Qiyuan has some basic knowledge in this area, but he rarely does it before. After all, he prefers to personally dribble up the ball and launch attacks rather than using long passes to initiate them.

In the past month or so, in addition to building muscle and improving his physical strength, he spent most of his time practicing various passing techniques.

After realizing that Feng Qiyuan was actively seeking change, the club's head coach made subtle adjustments to his tactics based on Feng Qiyuan's training results—allowing Feng Qiyuan to launch attacks directly through long passes when the team's backfield was under pressure from the opponent's frontcourt.

Feng Qiyuan also hopes to test the progress of his training during this period through actual combat.

Thinking of this, Feng Qiyuan suddenly felt something, and he raised his head to look out the car window.

As the bus was about to drive off the Tyne Bridge, he saw a small patch of deep blue peeking out from between several tall buildings to his left.

A few gray-black steel beams can still be seen on the dark blue background.

That was a "projection" of Tyne's home stadium, Lizzer Park, located several kilometers away.

※※※

The Lize Park stadium was bustling with noise; as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single empty seat in sight—it was packed with people.

TIFO, flags, slogans, and banners dotted the stands, which were predominantly dark blue, resembling waves surging in the ocean and reflecting colorful light under the sun.

In the media section, Liu Zhong, wearing a media vest and a media pass around his neck, looked at the packed stands and exclaimed, "Wow, there's still more than an hour before the game starts, and it's already completely full... The enthusiasm of the Tyne fans is practically overflowing from this stadium!"

"It's clear that Wang Lie's words during the welcoming ceremony ignited the expectations and passion of the Tyne fans," Guo Xuequan said from the side.

"Do the Tyne fans really believe what that idiot Dadomo made up?" Liu Zhong asked in surprise.

Guo Xuequan sighed: "Whether Wang Lie really said he would win the championship or not is no longer important. Or rather, Tyne fans would rather believe that Wang Lie really said it. Just think about how the people living along the Tyne River would feel if it had been dry for a hundred years and suddenly water came back in."

“Uh…” Liu Zhong immediately understood how the Tyne fans felt, “That idiot Dadomo has some tricks up his sleeve…”

"Although he is very hateful, he is indeed capable."

"In that case, Wang Lie is in a very difficult position. The expectations of the Tyne fans are so high, he can't very well dampen their enthusiasm..." Liu Zhong said with some concern.

Guo Xuequan, however, had a different opinion: "I think Wang Lie probably doesn't care about these things. Haven't you noticed that he hasn't come out to talk about this matter this week?"

“Even if Wang Lie can handle it, what about his teammates? Not everyone is Wang Lie.” Liu Zhong shrugged.

Guo Xuequan shook his head: "I don't know. But I think after the experience of last season, this team may not be as fragile as outsiders think... Of course, we still have to see how they perform and what the results are. I think McNeil may have realized the impact of outside voices on the team. Look at Tyne's starting lineup in this game, he didn't start all the new players who joined this summer. He continued with Tyne's lineup from last season, only making some adjustments. I think that's pretty smart."

The starting lineups for both teams were announced several tens of minutes ago.

Tyne didn't make any major changes to the lineup. The starting lineup was largely the same as last season, with any changes being mostly positional substitutions.

The starting goalkeeper was Elliott Goetz, and the starting center-backs were Mateo Katic and Hugo Gunduz. None of the two center-backs newly acquired this summer, Luca Helic and Claire Oni, played.

The right-back and left-back pairing remains the same as last season: Jacob Barnabas and Charlie Cohen.

The midfield trio has undergone the most significant changes – two of the three players have been replaced:

The defensive midfield position was changed from Gianfranco Ramossa to Lény Isara, who joined from Lille, paired with Renzo Pisano from FC Madrid, plus the original midfield starter Mattis Van Ginkel.

Facing Witton Hill, McNeil, playing at home, fielded two attacking midfielders, clearly indicating his intention to attack.

The forward line features a "star-chasing duo": Wang Lie and his two die-hard fans, Vitini and Miguel Ribeiro.

The formation used for most of the second half of last season was 4-3-3.

This shows that McNeil is still very clear-headed. In the first game of the new season, which is also a home game, he should prioritize stability and try to win against a well-matched opponent.

After all, most of the new signings on this team are still in the process of getting used to each other. If all the new signings are put on the field right away, although the team may seem stronger on paper, in the actual game, the team may not perform as well as the old lineup due to various reasons such as the lack of teamwork.

※※※

"Guys, this is our first official game of the new season. In my country, everyone values ​​a 'good start,' meaning that no matter what you do, it's important to get a good result the first time. And this is our home ground, so there's absolutely no reason for us to let Witton Hill off the hook."

In the locker room, Wang Lie, as the team captain, followed the team tradition that head coach McNeil had tailored for him and cheered the team on before going on the field.

“There have been a lot of messy noises from the outside world lately, and I think everyone has heard them. What I want to say is, ignore them, ignore what people outside are saying, whether they are genuinely looking out for us or using the guise of helping us to undermine us... ignore it all. As for our ambitions, we have a long way to go. On such a long road, what we should be doing now is not looking far ahead, but keeping our eyes on the ground to avoid stumbling.”

"Whether our goal this season is the championship, a Champions League spot, or something else... it can all be broken down into one game after another. So things become simple again—win first!"

※※※

As Pisano walked out of the locker room toward the players' tunnel, he was with his former FC Madrid teammate, Katic. He watched Ribeiro and Vitini rushing ahead, remembering how they had practically smashed open the locker room door as they stormed out...

He told Katic, "When I was at FC Madrid, I remember the captain would say a few words in the locker room before the game, but most of them were just simple things like 'Come on,' 'We will win,' and 'Stay focused'... Wang's long-winded speech made him seem more like the head coach of this team than McNeil."

Katic laughed, "That's exactly the task the boss gave Wang. Wang is really good at motivating his teammates. Do you know why Vitini was so excited? Besides being a fan of Wang, it's also because Wang said the same thing when he first spoke to us before the match:"

"We may each have different understandings and perspectives on the idea of ​​a bigger stage, but whatever our perspective, we must start by winning the current game."

"You know what 'bigger stage' means, right, Renzo?"

Pisano nodded: "Of course. Right now, it's all about the Champions League."

"Many of us were indeed intimidated by his 'bigger stage' at the time. But he told the team that no matter how grand the goal, it is built up by winning one game after another, so don't worry about grand goals, don't think too much, just win first, and talk about it later. As it turns out, his approach really worked," Katic laughed.

"We made history for Tyne last season, and that history started with what Wong said in the locker room. Vitini and the others are so excited because what Wong just said reminded them of last season."

Pisano remarked, "I must say, the king truly has the ability to bewitch people."

He recalled his first meeting with Wang Lie in Tyne, how this person had touched the deepest emotions hidden within him.

Katic laughed: "How is it? Isn't it a little different from the image I heard about in the Madrid locker room before?"

Pisano nodded: "Now I understand why you, the guy who clashed with him during the match, are on his side now..."

“I never imagined I’d be teammates with this guy, I even thought it was impossible for us to be teammates. But now that we’re teammates… honestly, it feels good!” Katic shrugged.

As they spoke, they reached the tunnel entrance. Both teams' players were lined up there, waiting to enter the game.

Wang Lie was standing in front of Feng Qiyuan, sizing him up, and then nodded:

"Hmm, not bad, you are indeed a bit stronger than before."

Feng Qiyuan was somewhat surprised: "The effect is that obvious, Brother Wang?"

Wang Lie laughed and said, "If your foundation is too weak, then even a little progress will be very noticeable, haha!"

Feng Qiyuan was surprised that Brother Wang would joke with him, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

After laughing, Wang Lie didn't feel embarrassed at all. He patted Feng Qiyuan on the shoulder and said, "Give it your all in the competition. Let me see how much you've improved."

"I will, Brother Wang."

Wang Lie nodded in satisfaction upon receiving the answer and turned to leave.

Feng Qiyuan watched his retreating figure without revealing that he was practicing long passes; he planned to give Brother Wang a surprise during the match…

(End of this chapter)