I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 143: Midfield victory! Screw your treble, we also want to win the Champions League! [Subscribe]

Manchester United training base, Carrington, western suburbs of Manchester.

After the FA Cup final, Manchester United's preparation plan fully shifted to the Champions League final.

The team's preparations are all left to Queiroz, and Ferguson still has great trust in him.

But the real trouble is, how to play the next final?
"According to the weather forecast, it will rain in Moscow that day, so we need to prepare for a rain battle in advance."

Queiroz's preparations are very detailed and he will also pay attention to important off-field factors such as the weather.

"How is Darren doing now?" Ferguson asked with concern.

Darren Fletcher, the only two defensive players in Manchester United's midfield.

“I’ve been adjusting, but the condition is not very good.”

Ferguson was well aware of Fletcher's abilities as a player.

He is not very old, only 24, but he has very distinctive characteristics.

In the first half of this season, Fletcher played in the Champions League and Hargreaves played in the league.

But since Fletcher was injured, Hargreaves has been taking on the responsibility alone.

The funniest thing is the media out there.

When Fletcher played, Manchester United scored more goals and conceded more goals.

Hargreaves replaced Fletcher in the Champions League and played four times, starting from the quarter-finals, and Manchester United conceded no goals.

So now they keep promoting Hargreaves and belittling Fletcher.

The implication is that if Hargreaves had been supported earlier, Manchester United would have played more smoothly in the Champions League.

Ferguson almost died of laughter.

These fools really have no dynamic thinking.

In fact, many people don't even understand the characteristics of these two players.

They say that Fletcher and Hargreaves are both good at both offense and defense.

and then?
What are they good at and what position do they like to play?
Essentially, these two players are fundamentally different types of midfielders.

Hargreaves is an atypical English midfielder.

He is not a product of England's traditional youth training system, so naturally he will not be affected by some of the problems of English football.

His skills are OK, his defense is excellent, and his tangle defense is very good, but the most important thing is that he can run and is comprehensive.

He can play a lot of different positions.

For example, when Ronaldo runs diagonally into the penalty area or leaves the right, he can move up and play as a right midfielder or even a right winger.

This in turn highlights Hargreaves' ability to run, almost everywhere.

A lot of people, he's like Keane.

Like a fart!
Keane can play as a lone defensive midfielder. If Hargreaves plays as a lone defensive midfielder, Manchester United's defense will probably be beaten into a sieve.

So, Carrick is the most important.

Judging from his characteristics, Hargreaves is suitable for the tactic of pressing forward and attacking.

Letting him play defensive counterattacks will only expose his shortcomings in zone defense.

Simply put, let him run.

But Fletcher is different.

If it comes to defensive counterattacks, Fletcher is a good player.

Like Hargreaves, Fletcher cannot play as a single defensive midfielder, but his intercepting ability in the midfield is very strong. Most importantly, his awareness of returning to defense and filling in the position is something that Hargreaves does not have.

Protecting the center backs and assisting the full backs are all Fletcher's specialties.

But that's something Hargreaves couldn't do.

That's why Ferguson used Hargreaves in the league because Manchester United invested heavily in offense in the league.

In the Champions League, Fletcher will be used to appropriately strengthen the defense in the midfield and backcourt.

When Fletcher was injured, Ferguson only had Hargreaves to use, so he naturally had to adjust the team's tactics and become more cautious.

This resulted in Manchester United playing in a more open manner when Fletcher was there.

When it came to the knockout rounds after the quarterfinals, it was Hargreaves' turn and Ferguson made more cautious arrangements.

Sometimes, that's the strategy.

The results presented and the game that the fans saw may not be the same as what the head coach envisioned.

It seems that many people are asking Ferguson why he spent a lot of money to sign Ashley Young?

Ferguson really wanted to ask back: Aren't you, the media, always calling for us to keep up with the times and play 433?
In the 433 tactical system of Barcelona Dream Team II, isn't it that Ronaldinho takes the ball from the left and cuts inside, then makes a diagonal pass to Eto'o and Giuly?

Aren’t the characteristics that Ashley Young displayed in Bayswater Chinese and the title of Premier League Cross King in line with this point?
From a tactical perspective, the greatest significance of this diagonal pass is that it allows the defending side to move horizontally while retreating, which greatly increases the difficulty of defense for the opponent's defenders.

When the ball moves to the right and the opponent's defense line moves horizontally, won't the gap in the middle be exposed?

So, Ronaldinho passed the ball diagonally to Giuly, Giuly passed the ball to the middle from the right, and Eto'o scored.

Isn’t this how this classic offensive line came about?

But as the season progressed, Ronaldo scored more and more goals, and Ferguson had to temporarily suppress this idea.

Because Ronaldo certainly doesn't want to be "Jiuli".

In Ferguson's original plan, with Ronaldo's speed, Ashley Young could directly tear through the defense with a pass, and then knock the ball back, and Rooney's number of goals would skyrocket.

Next, Nani may become "Jiuly".

"What do you think of this final?" Ferguson asked Queiroz.

Queiroz has worked with Ferguson for many years and is accustomed to this way of asking questions.

"The team built by Yang Cheng may seem insignificant, but it is actually quite difficult to contain."

After hearing this, Ferguson nodded and smiled, "Over 100 goals in a single season, do you think this is a joke?"

If they really wanted to defend well, they would have been frozen out by other teams long ago.

There is another statistic that reflects the strong offensive firepower of the Chinese in Bayswater.

This season, there is only one team in the Premier League that has been shutout by its opponents twice.

Bayswater Chinese.

Moreover, the final scores of both games were 0-1.

The opponents are Blackburn away and Everton away.

"Yaya Toure is currently the defensive midfielder for the Chinese team in Bayswater. He is a midfielder who can stand firmly and has high passing efficiency. Las Diarra is good at covering, sweeping and stealing, and Modric is good at advancing."

Having said that, Queiroz changed the subject and a hint of appreciation flashed across his face.

"Aren't you always looking for Scholes' successor? I personally think that Modric is the player we need most in the midfield in terms of depth. Anderson can't reach his level."

Ferguson was not surprised at all.

Modric is indeed very low-key, but his role and ability are known to people in the industry.

"Frankly speaking, it is difficult for us to stop this midfield." Queiroz gave his own judgment.

Not to mention Manchester United, in European football, almost all teams will suffer in the midfield when they meet the Chinese in Bayswater.

Including Barcelona.

"Also, I think we should have someone on Maicon's side, or we could just let Ronaldo play on the left to suppress Maicon."

"Since Yang Cheng adjusted the team's tactical style midway through last season, within the existing framework, Maicon has a very large range of activities on the right side, and he runs a lot of distance in every game, often exceeding 1.2 meters."

If you only look at the data, you will find that Maicon doesn't seem to be particularly eye-catching.

But if you actually watch the game, you will notice that Maicon is already one of the best right-backs in Europe.

Whenever the opponent leaves him space on the right, he will make the opponent pay a heavy price.

"Finally, there is the ball-control duo of Arshavin and Modric."

For many people, they didn't even notice how important the connection between Arshavin and Modric was.

The Russian not only has a stable ball reception and passing ability, but also has an excellent ability to read the game.

He is proficient in passing, controlling the ball, dribbling and shooting, and has excellent positioning.

The dual core of him and Modric can often turn a very complicated stalemate into a completely simple one.

What appears on the court is that they may just simply cooperate, pass the ball, or even make a sudden stop and change of direction, and that's it.

But behind this is the mobilization and pulling of the entire defensive system.

It is a very keen sense of smell and super strong prediction.

I heard that this kid used to play checkers.

"After hearing what you said, I feel like we don't have much chance of winning?" Ferguson laughed.

Queiroz was a little embarrassed.

But his analysis all comes from his own judgment.

Fortunately, Ferguson also understands him, and the cooperation between the two has always been like this.

"I'm in two minds right now," Ferguson said.

"First, Rooney will move to the left and suppress Maicon on the right. Tevez will withdraw to take the ball and receive the ball. Ronaldo will go to the front and we will play a defensive counterattack."

Tevez is a player who fits Manchester United's characteristics very well and has the blood of a Red Devil.

As a South American player, his characteristics are still taking the ball, supporting and advancing.

"The advantage of this is that Tevez and Ronaldo will form two attacking points, one in front and one behind."

"But if we want to play to Ronaldo's strengths, we have to keep him away from the opponent's central defenders, so our overall defense line has to retreat, and we can basically only play defensive counterattacks."

Queiroz understood what Ferguson meant.

Playing defensive counterattacks, especially against Premier League teams, is absolutely not something he can accept.

You can say he is proud of his success or he is just protecting his reputation, but Queiroz believes that this is more out of Manchester United's pride.

In the Premier League, Manchester United can be suppressed, but they will never actively play defensive counterattacks!

"The second option is that Rooney still pulls to the left, Tevez goes up and fights with the opponent's central defender, and Ronaldo retreats slightly."

"But in this case, our midfield has to press forward, and the whole team has to press forward. Add Hargreaves, and I'm worried that our midfield will not be able to defend."

Hargreaves is a player with many, many advantages.

But there are disadvantages.

He is good at running, but often cannot come back.

This would be fatal.

Especially when both teams are pressing forward.

Queiroz was also silent.

Ferguson has thought a lot, but in fact, there is no better solution.

It's all guessing and gambling.

After Manchester United won the league and FA Cup, the media kept hyping that Manchester United would win the treble.

He also said that Manchester United has not lost to the Chinese in Bayswater this season.

That's right.

But apart from the FA Cup final against Bayswater Chinese Team II, Manchester United has never won.

The two teams were able to reach the Champions League final, so the difference in strength is not too big.

But Yang Cheng's team has a very obvious advantage.

Their passing and ball control abilities are better!

This is something Manchester United does not have.

Ferguson said there were two ideas, but Queiroz knew in his heart that with the old Jazz's character, he actually only had one choice.

The reason why there are two is that I just want to find a way to actively attack without worrying about defense.

But, is there?

……

The war is imminent.

When Xia Xi and his girlfriend arrived in London, Yang Cheng took time out to pick them up at the airport.

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to take care of myself.

Yang Cheng shaved his beard, got a haircut, changed into a neat sportswear, and stood at the airport exit with Xia Qing waiting.

This is the place they agreed to meet.

Since I calculated the time accurately, I didn't have to wait too long.

Then we saw Yang Jianguo and his wife, Xia Anmin and his wife, Xia Xi and his girlfriend, a group of six people walking out, talking and laughing.

"Hello, Dad, Mom, Uncle and Aunt."

Yang Cheng, just like he did before, took advantage of his sweet talk and immediately went to greet the man.

"Welcome to London."

As he said that, he reached out and took the suitcase from Cao Wenhui's hand.

Xia Qing walked towards Yang Cheng's mother Li Hongying and took the suitcase from her affectionately.

"Acheng, didn't you say that you were busy lately and wouldn't come to pick me up at the airport?" Cao Wenhui is becoming more and more satisfied with her future son-in-law.

Not only is he handsome, but more importantly, he is talented.

"Auntie, what are you talking about? You guys came all the way to see us. I have to pick you up no matter how busy I am."

Cao Wenhui was very satisfied with Yang Cheng's self-awareness.

Xia Anmin and Xia Xi exchanged glances, as if they were both relieved.

They have all seen the report.

Ever since losing the FA Cup, almost all media around the world have been pessimistic about Bayswater Chinese.

They were originally worried that when they saw Yang Cheng, he would look depressed and dusty, and they were still thinking about how to comfort him.

But unexpectedly, when we met, Yang Cheng was still smiling and looked very energetic. How could he look like a loser?

They can tell at a glance whether someone is pretending or not.

So, everyone is relieved.

Yang Cheng arranged three club welcoming cars, all provided by the car sponsor Mercedes-Benz.

Xia Qing accompanied her parents. Yang Cheng was supposed to accompany his parents as well, but Yang Jianguo asked him to accompany Xia Xi in one of the cars.

There were three cars in the group. After leaving the airport, they headed east.

Although they had taken a long-distance flight, they all looked very energetic.

Moreover, they all agreed that after arriving in London, they must first visit Yang Cheng's property.

So, after leaving Heathrow Airport, I passed Hounslow, turned onto the A406 and headed north, passing Wembley Stadium, and arrived at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Crossing the Brent Reservoir, we arrived at the Brent training base of the Bayswater Chinese.

After several years of construction, this place has basically taken shape.

Coming from Brent Cross, to the north is the youth academy, and to the south, next to the Brent Reservoir, is the first team training area.

The youth training academy has been completed for 2 years and is already very mature. The first team is preparing for the decoration acceptance.

It will be officially opened this summer.

Now, only Phase 3 of the project next to the youth training academy remains.

But in fact, it doesn’t matter even if Phase 3 is not built, because the facilities of the original Jubilee Park Stadium in Hendon are still good.

According to the plan of the Chinese in Bayswater, the next focus will be the new stadium in Bayswater.

Therefore, Phase 3 will be temporarily suspended.

Everyone first took a car around and finally got off in front of the first team's training center.

"It's so big. Is it the entire area?" Cao Wenhui was shocked.

She had heard before that Yang Cheng was doing very well in London, but she had never imagined that he would buy such a large piece of land. This was really scary.

"Mom, the whole place belongs to us, including the land purchase and infrastructure, and we haven't used a single loan," Xia Qing said proudly.

Even Xia Anmin was moved.

Even though he was well-informed, he had to admit that it was not easy to get a loan on such a large scale.

Yang Cheng actually paid the full amount.

This is even more serious.

Yang Jianguo and his wife had visited once before, but there was nothing there at that time.

Now, when they come back to see this football training base, which is known as the most advanced in the world, they feel extremely excited.

They don't really care whether it's grand or not.

The most important thing is that this is a business started by their beloved son!

"With such a large piece of land and such a big project, no wonder it takes hundreds of millions to invest." Xia Xi couldn't help but sigh.

His unit must be RMB.

According to preliminary estimates, the current investment, including land and construction, has exceeded 3000 million pounds.

After they finished visiting the first-team training center and then went to visit the players' leisure and living areas, they couldn't help but be even more amazed. They didn't expect that even the players' "dormitories" were built according to the standards of five-star hotels.

What a luxury!

Cao Wenhui even joked, "We can just live here."

After visiting the training base, we went to Wembley Stadium.

Everyone has long admired this super stadium that cost nearly 8 million pounds to build, but no one has ever experienced it in person.

And now, the Bayswater Chinese are playing their games in this stadium.

But this place is rented after all.

After a quick tour, they headed to the city center and arrived at Bayswater, north of Hyde Park.

They have all heard of the famous Notting Hill and Hyde Park.

Not to mention Queensway and Queen's Road.

Walk north along Queen's Road and you will arrive at Bayswater Stadium in just a few steps.

Everyone exclaimed again.

Even Xia Anmin found it incredible.

"This is too big!"

How much is it worth to own such a large piece of land in the core area of ​​London where every inch of land is valuable?
When Yang Cheng talked about the "headache" that the London City Government had with this unfinished building, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

When they saw the design plan from Norman Foster, they were stunned.

Yang Cheng set up a special room for exhibition in the Chinese club in Bayswater.

There are not only design drawings hanging inside, but also an eye-catching sand table, allowing everyone to have a clearer understanding of the entire Queen's Road renovation project and the grandeur of the new Bayswater Stadium.

"How much money will this cost?" Xia Xi was also shocked.

He already knew what Yang Cheng was doing, but after seeing it with his own eyes, he was still shocked.

It's too big a deal.

"The original budget was 10 billion pounds, but now..." Yang Cheng revealed a sense of pride in his embarrassment.

Xia Qing took over the conversation: "According to their plan, the entire stadium needs to be dug down to create a layer of stands. The workload is very large, and it is basically impossible to complete it with an investment of 10 billion pounds."

Everyone was also shocked.

If this were to happen in China, this would be a project with an investment of over 10 billion yuan.

Xia Anmin had seen the world, and he couldn't help but look at Yang Cheng deeply, sighing in his heart.

Heroes emerge from youth!
Afterwards, they visited the Chinese office in Bayswater.

At present, all departments are busy preparing for the upcoming Champions League final. Adam Crozer and Omar Berrada are not here, and no one has time to receive them.

So, after the tour, everyone got in the car and drove from Bayswater to the luxury residential area west of Holland Park.

……

Yang Cheng's new home was designed by Norman Foster himself.

From the exterior facade to the interior decoration, to the courtyard in front and the garden in the back, all are the work of the master.

As a small detached house, the area is not small.

There was no problem at all for both sets of parents, Xia Xi, and Xia Qing to all move in.

The facade looks similar to the surrounding detached houses, but when you walk inside, you will find that Norman Foster has adopted many modern and simple design styles, but it is full of luxury and ingenuity.

The space is very spacious and bright, and the layout is well planned.

As soon as everyone walked in, they felt particularly warm and comfortable.

It has all the functions that are found in luxury houses.

The only downside is that there is no swimming pool.

Not only this building doesn't have it, but all the luxury houses around it are not equipped with it.

But for Yang Cheng and Xia Qing, this is not a necessity, so they don't care.

The property management was very good. Yang Cheng and Xia Qing also hired a housekeeper and servants, who cleaned up all the rooms early in the morning.

At the same time, a sumptuous dinner was also prepared.

"Dad, Uncle, Xia Xi, let's have a couple of drinks."

Before dinner, Yang Cheng suggested with a smile.

"This wine is from the Ferguson family's collection. They gave me a box."

"is it?"

Xia Anmin is also a football fan. As long as you are a football fan, you will have a good impression of Ferguson.

So, everyone ate and drank, and spoke highly of Ferguson's collection.

This old man has a wine cellar with a collection of red wines. Unless it’s good stuff, he doesn’t like it.

"Dad, uncle, since you like it, share the wine. I'll find someone to send it back to China later."

"They were all distributed to us, what about you?" Xia Anmin smiled very happily.

The wine was given by his future son-in-law, and it was Ferguson's collection. Could he refuse it?
"When I win the Champions League final, I will go back to Ferguson and ask for a box back." Yang Cheng said as a matter of course.

Everyone burst into laughter again.

It wasn’t entirely because of the wine, but because of the confidence that came from Yang Cheng’s tone.

Obviously, their previous worries were unnecessary.

Yang Cheng really didn't take the previous league and FA Cup defeats seriously.

Gradually, the topic turned to the new stadium for the Chinese in Bayswater.

Due to the temporary modification of key data by the Chinese at Bayswater, the design has to be redone and many things have to be adjusted accordingly, but it is expected that the formal construction approval will be obtained around September.

The reason why it is so fast is because it is working with the London City Government's Queen's Road renovation project.

When the government does things, efficiency is speed.

Xia Anmin is a banker, so he is naturally concerned about the financial issues of the Chinese in Bayswater.

Xia Qing briefly reported on her work.

For now, there is no big problem with start-up capital.

"As for loans, I agree with Acheng's judgment. Let's wait a little longer." Standing in Xia Anmin's position, he can receive more information from the global capital market.

"Based on the current reaction of the global financial capital market, the impact of the debt crisis in the United States has been greatly underestimated, and the reaction in Europe is estimated to take until the second half of the year at the earliest."

"I have made some research before. In December last year, the UK lowered its base interest rate from the highest 12% to 5.75%. The initial estimate at that time was that it would drop to around 5.5% by the end of 2008."

"But in January this year, the market lowered its expectations again, predicting that the benchmark interest rate would drop to 1% by the end of 2008."

"We all know that the situation should be worse than this, so my personal preliminary judgment is that the base rate is likely to fall to 3% to 3.5%."

Xia Qing and Xia Xi were both thinking about it in their minds.

For a country's benchmark interest rate, a sharp drop in a short period of time is definitely not a good thing.

Yang Cheng secretly shook his head in his heart.

It is now May 2008.

Even a banker of Xia Anmin's level cannot make an accurate estimate, which shows how terrible this storm is.

3%?

If Yang Cheng told him that in January 2009, the UK's interest rate was directly reduced to 1%, he would probably be scared to death.

The most outrageous thing is that the base interest rate of 0.5% will last for 10 years.

If this were to be made public, financial experts and bankers around the world would surely laugh their heads off.

But that's the truth!

However, even so, building this new stadium is not an easy task.

Even if the base interest rate drops to 0.5%, if you want to get a long-term loan, the interest rate is estimated to increase by 2% to 3%.

How much you get depends on how you negotiate with the bank.

Xia Qing is very confident in this regard.

Xia Anmin also put forward many relevant opinions and practical suggestions.

Especially in negotiations with banks.

By then, Xia Anmin will also be able to make use of some of his own connections and resources.

Even if an ideal result is reached through negotiation, with a loan interest rate of around 2.5%, for 10 billion pounds, the repayment for 20 years would be around 7000 million pounds per year.

Arsenal now has less than 6 million pounds a year and is almost suffocating.

The Chinese in Bayswater have to pay back 7 million pounds, which is a huge pressure.

But for Yang Cheng, this is actually not a big problem.

Because in the next few years, the value of players will skyrocket.

At worst, we can just sell one or two more players.

Once the new stadium and surrounding supporting projects are built, there will be endless benefits.

Xia Anmin believes that for a large project like this, and in cooperation with the British government, a lower loan interest rate can be negotiated.

If you encounter financial difficulties during the loan period, there are many different ways to solve them.

With Bayswater Chinese's current assets, there is nothing to worry about.

"You guys are in the UK, just go ahead and do it. If there's anything I can help with, just let me know." Xia Anmin fully supported.

If this happened in the country, Xia Anmin and Xia Xi would be able to help in a lot of ways.

But it is in the UK after all.

Both Yang Cheng and Xia Qing said that it was not a big problem and should be manageable.

"If I really can't handle it, uncle, I'll trouble you to help me then." As he said that, Yang Cheng poured Xia Anmin a glass of wine, and the two of them started drinking again.

Yang Jianguo and Li Hongying, a couple standing nearby, were also very happy.

They knew how much connections and influence the Xia family had in the country.

Apart from anything else, with the support of Zhongxin Bank behind it, the development of Yang Group will be more confident.

Because of their children, the relationship between the two families is getting better and better. Yang Jianguo and Xia Anmin have a close personal relationship and can always get some information and resources that others can't get. These are all great benefits.

Especially when the topic gradually shifted to the issue of marriage, Li Hongying stood firmly on the same side as Cao Wenhui.

Xia Qing is 30 years old, and Xia Xi is two years older. Although in China, many young people like to marry and have children later, they are indeed not young anymore, so they should hurry up.

Now, we have a house, but we are short of children.
When he heard the topic shifted in an uncontrollable direction, Yang Cheng quickly found an excuse, saying that there were a lot of things going on in the club and he had to go back to deal with them. He would stay at Xia Qing's old apartment tonight and would not come back.

Then, he ran away like the wind in the desperate eyes of Xia Qing and Xia Xi.

God knows how these two siblings are going to spend the night?

……

The Champions League final will be held on May 5.

But on the evening of the 19th, after the last training session, Yang Cheng had dinner with the 24 first-team players.

Afterwards, the whole team took a bus to Heathrow Airport and boarded a special plane to Moscow, Russia.

Yang Cheng brought all the players of the first team with him.

The families of the players and coaches, as well as the club's employees, will arrive in Moscow on the 20th.

There are also fans of Bayswater Chinese.

The capacity of the Luzhniki Stadium is 70000 people, and each side was allocated 25000 tickets.

This is no longer enough for the Chinese people in Bayswater today.

Therefore, this time the tickets are only sold to season ticket holders.

This can also be considered as giving back to the team's season ticket fans in disguise.

When the team arrived at the hotel in Moscow, it was already midnight in Moscow.

After checking in, everyone went back to rest.

Silent all night.

The next morning, the team took the familiar bus to the training arranged by the organizers in Moscow and carried out some simple basic training, mainly to maintain the players' condition.

In the afternoon, they went to the Luzhniki Stadium for training to familiarize themselves with the field.

Here, you can already see many fans who have arrived early.

It was the first time for the Chinese players at Bayswater to participate in the Champions League final and they were unfamiliar with everything.

But the club had already arranged everything, no matter how big or small, for precautions and procedures after arriving in Moscow, so the players would not have any difficulty adapting and everything was done step by step.

This is also a means of pre-match preparation.

Many teams lack experience in preparation and do not put in enough effort to prepare, which causes the players to be somewhat overwhelmed before the game.

After the training, Yang Cheng attended the pre-match press conference.

As the head coach, he answered various questions in a very routine manner.

That's it.

On the eve of the competition, psychologist Tim Harkness was the busiest man.

A lot of players were very nervous.

Insomnia is a common thing, and some people may even suffer physical injuries due to excessive psychological stress.

For example, many people say that Ronaldo's acute illness on the eve of the 98 World Cup final was caused by excessive tension.

From the time the team reached the Champions League final until now, Tim Harkness has been preparing.

Fortunately, the group of players selected by Yang Cheng have strong psychological qualities.

……

The next morning, the schedule for the Champions League final was officially announced.

Everything is for the final that starts at 22:45 in the evening.

On May 5st, almost the whole world was reporting on this game crazily.

But they are all reports, and there are still differences.

The Chinese in Bayswater rose late and have a shallow foundation, so there is nothing worth reporting.

Especially in recent times, first we lost the league championship and then the FA Cup championship.

This has caused most of the media and fans around the world to worry about the prospects of the Chinese in Bayswater.

Let’s look at Manchester United.

With the double crown in hand, the Red Devils are determined to win the final and most important championship trophy.

There is also more room for reporting on Manchester United's background.

For example, the players who won the treble in 99 are now out in force, being interviewed and reported on by major newspapers, magazines and television stations in the UK and Europe, elaborating on the glorious deeds of the Red Devils' treble.

For example, Shelingham recorded a program on the BBC to introduce the treble winners of that year.

The legendary England star believes that Manchester United is stronger now than it was back then.

Winning the treble was just the beginning of this peak Manchester United.

There are also people like David May, the Black and Whites, and even Stam, who sent their blessings to Manchester United in interviews.

Media and fans around the world are also rushing to report on Manchester United, believing that the Red Devils winning the championship is a high probability event.

This naturally formed an overwhelming momentum.

The strength of a top football team is revealed at times like this.

Yang Cheng understood.

Take the Bayswater Chinese, for example.

If we really want to report, what can we report?
There isn't much stuff.

What about Manchester United?
From the Munich air crash that year, to the treble in 99, to the treble again this season...

There are so many things to report.

But in this way, the Chinese in Bayswater seem particularly lackluster.

For the vast majority of ordinary fans, it seems that Manchester United is already in a position to win.

……

On the 21st, the arrangements for the Chinese at Bayswater were similar to those for all match days.

After getting up in the morning, everyone has breakfast together.

Everyone went back to their rooms to rest, and then held a tactical meeting.

What was different from usual was that this tactical meeting did not discuss too many tactical aspects. Instead, everyone watched a carefully edited video together. It was a video of the Chinese team at Bayswater making their way from League Two to the Premier League, to the Champions League, and to where they are today over the years.

Yang Cheng didn't say much the whole time.

But everyone felt a weight.

What the Bayswater Chinese have shouldered to get to where they are today is not just themselves, nor is it just this season, but the joint efforts of everyone in the club over the past years.

Everyone can clearly see that there is a sentence at the end of the video.

"No regrets!"

This should be the head coach's message to him.

From morning till afternoon, everyone stayed in the hotel room.

This is also something that can't be helped.

There are fans everywhere outside now, and the whole of Moscow is immersed in the atmosphere of the Champions League final.

Even the Russian media are reporting: British fans have captured Moscow!
Yang Cheng and psychological expert Tim Harkness are responsible for visiting the players and getting to know their situations.

When the time came, everyone set off and took the bus to the Luzhniki Stadium.

Although it was still early for the game, the stadium was already filled with fans of both teams.

Since Manchester United is playing at home tonight, they are wearing red jerseys, while the Chinese players of Bayswater are wearing the team's desert gold coin away jersey.

All the fans who came to the scene were wearing the same uniform, away jerseys.

Even the scarves and various souvenirs are all the color of desert gold coins.

By then, on the stadium, Manchester United's red and Bayswater Chinese's desert gold will form two distinct colors.

The Luzhniki Stadium is not very big.

At least, it's smaller than Wembley Stadium.

But tonight was distinctly different.

When the bus drove into the Luzhniki Stadium, Yang Cheng clearly heard the players' exclamations.

The Champions League final brings a unique weight to this stadium, making it seem particularly solemn.

When the bus of Bayswater Chinese players arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium, the fans cheered.

But there were also boos.

It was obvious that the cheers came from the team's fans and the boos came from Manchester United fans.

The organizers had actually made arrangements long ago, and the two teams were staggered, as were the fans.

Everyone knows that British fans are notoriously fond of making trouble, especially after drinking, and it is not uncommon for them to use knives.

The Moscow police also took this matter very seriously and tried their best to separate the two teams' fans.

But there are always some that slip through the net.

When Yang Cheng led the team off the bus, they were greeted by the cheers of their own fans.

The players waved to the fans and walked quickly into the tunnel.

What followed was another busy period.

Pack your luggage, change your clothes, warm up on the court, go back to the locker room, and wait...

All 24 players of the first team are in the locker room at this moment.

Those who did not make the roster will all wear custom-made suits provided by the club and will sit in the stands later.

But at this moment, they all stand with their teammates.

Yang Cheng announced the starting roster.

Goalkeeper: Neuer;

Defense: Leighton Baines, Thiago Silva, Pepe and Maicon;

Midfield: Yaya Toure in the back, Modric and Las Diarra in the middle;

Forwards: Di Maria, Dzeko and Arshavin.

The Chinese in Bayswater are fully staffed.

Manchester United also played with its full main lineup.

Goalkeeper: Edwin van der Sar;

Defence: Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand and Wes Brown;

Midfield: Carrick, Hargreaves and Scholes;
Forwards: Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo.

Yang Cheng is not sure what Manchester United’s lineup will be for the time being.

If they play 442, Giggs should be on the field. At this time, Manchester United will form a midfield of Giggs, Carrick, Hargreaves and Ronaldo, with Rooney and Tevez playing as double strikers.

But in this game, Giggs did not play, but Scholes did.

If nothing unexpected happens, we should play with 3 midfielders.

But how to arrange the trident in the frontcourt?
this is a problem.

Or, change to 433?

Both sides kept their starting lineup tactics secret, and no one could guess what the other side was thinking.

In fact, many times, the head coach will temporarily adjust the tactics according to the opponent's starting lineup.

Some have reaped miraculous results, while others have transformed themselves into Guardiola.

Yang Cheng's tactical arrangements, especially the targeted arrangements, had been made as early as in London.

There is no need to say anything more now.

With the competition approaching, the most important task is mobilization.

Yang Cheng specially played the club's football culture promotional video.

Accompanied by Adele's singing, the competition scenes in the promotional video made everyone feel excited.

Because these are games they have experienced personally.

"We have been subjected to a lot of skepticism over the past period of time."

“Almost everyone sentenced us to death.”

"People always tend to believe in the past, they want to see Manchester United win the treble!"

"But who has thought about us? Has anyone asked us if we are willing?"

Yang Cheng’s question immediately irritated everyone in the locker room.

This is a game that does not require mobilization at all.

Everyone will try their best.

But Yang Cheng still hopes that they can enter the stadium with the determination to win.

"Have I ever blamed you for losing the league championship?"

The players all shook their heads.

Instead of blaming him, Yang Cheng gave more encouragement and affirmation.

"Did I ever blame you when we lost the FA Cup?"

The players still shook their heads, including those who wore suits and failed to make the roster.

"But I really need you guys right now!"

"I need you to help me do something, to fulfill a wish of mine!"

“When everyone outside is against us and looks down on us, I hope you can win this final on the court and shout out the voice of Bayswater Chinese to the world.”

"Fuck the Triple Crown!"

"Why can't we win the Champions League?"

"I know it's difficult, very difficult, so not every team is qualified to win the championship outside the gate!"

“But we can!”

"We are standing right in front of it tonight, and we can do it!"

Yang Cheng almost shouted when he finished speaking.

Everyone was infected.

Following Yang Cheng's gesture, Modric, Jose Fonte and others called on their teammates to stand up and gathered together.

The 24 players of the first team, including all the coaching staff members including Brian Kidd, all gathered together and surrounded Yang Cheng closely.

"Now, I need a group of warriors!"

"I need you to support me and trust me unconditionally!"

"I want to fight for this Champions League title!"

"Whether it's offense or defense, I need every one of you to give your all for this game!"

"I need you to tell yourselves right now, in your minds and hearts, over and over again, that we can do this!"

“Perhaps, in the upcoming games, we will encounter many difficulties and many accidents, but as long as you hold on to this belief and determination, we will win everything!”

At the end of his speech, Yang Cheng opened his arms to the players.

Everyone howled like wolves, gathered around and hugged Yang Cheng in the middle.

Following Jose Fonte's shout, everyone cheered, cheering for themselves and their teammates!
Almost at this moment, the bell for the game suddenly rang in the locker room.

Yang Cheng stood at the door of the locker room, hugged each player one by one, and gave them blessings and encouragement.

Especially Andrei Arshavin at the end.

As a Russian, tonight's game is in the capital of Russia.

Arshavin is back home!
"We need you, Andre!" Yang Cheng encouraged.

(End of this chapter)