I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 148 The goal of the new season! The man who covers 30% of the earth's surface [Subscribe]

Goalkeepers: Neuer, Begovic;
Defense: Pepe, Jose Fonte, Thiago Silva, Maicon, Piszczek, Leighton Baines, Marcelo and Kompany;

Midfield: Yaya Toure, Matic, Modric, Rakitic, Matuidi and Aaron Ramsey;
Forwards: Dzeko, Lewandowski, Lambert, Di Maria, Gareth Bale, Walcott and Hazard.

This is the 23-man first-team roster for Bayswater Chinese this season.

The team's average age has also increased from 21.125 years old last year to 21.82 years old this season.

By the way, the new season is the season with the highest average age of Chinese players in Bayswater since Yang Cheng took over.

Yang Cheng is quite satisfied with the team's current lineup.

Good internal competition makes everyone dare not slack off.

Although the team will have to fight on multiple fronts in the new season, Yang Cheng believes that this lineup is enough.

After a week of training at the Brent Training Center, the team began playing warm-up matches in areas around London.

The first warm-up match this summer is against Millwall on the south bank of the Thames.

This actually shows that the Chinese in Bayswater attach great importance to the south bank of the Thames.

This area is a talent pool for England's youth training.

The Bayswater Chinese Satellite Training Centre is located in this area.

The club hopes to build good relationships with teams in surrounding areas through this friendly match and lay a foundation for future cooperation.

In addition to the first game against Millwall, the second game is against Crystal Palace.

Both teams are from the English Championship and are located on the south bank of the Thames.

For the Chinese in Bayswater, they have to play friendly matches anyway, and most of them are away games.

It doesn't matter where you play.

But this is not the case for teams like Millwall and Crystal Palace.

Take Millwall, for example.

Their stadium has a capacity of 2 people, and all the tickets for a friendly match against the Chinese in Bayswater were sold out.

Income of at least £40.

The Chinese in Bayswater don't take a penny.

This is a very large income for Millwall, whose annual income is less than 400 million pounds.

Practices like those of the Chinese at Bayswater are not uncommon among Premier League teams.

For example, Arsenal often played friendly matches with Barnet near Colney.

The first warm-up match this summer is against Barnet.

Remember in 2003, when Yaya Toure went to Arsenal for a trial?
That game was also against Barnet.

As the competition for talent in European football intensifies, all clubs hope to build more allies around them.

Yang Cheng still uses two sets of lineups in the first and second half.

The difference is that he mixed up the main lineup and young players.

The purpose is to further examine the performance of the players in the team.

Every player also performed exceptionally hard.

In the 11th minute of the first half, Walcott took the ball, broke through the defense, broke into the penalty area and shot.

The previous movements were very beautiful, but the last kick went straight away.

Afterwards, Lewandowski also had a lob shot in front of the goal, which was very beautiful, but the angle was a little off, and the ball hit the post and went out of the bottom line.

However, Lewandowski then assisted Rakitic and got a solo shot.

The Croatian player's foot was blocked by the goalkeeper who came out.

Gareth Bale also had a cross from the left that almost resulted in an own goal.

Then there was another free kick, which Gareth Bale hit directly onto the crossbar.

This made Yang Cheng nod his head.

"This kid does have a talent for free kicks, he needs more training." Yang Cheng said to Brian Kidd.

Gareth Bale's free kick is really amazing!

The most important thing is that this kid also likes to practice free kicks.

In the 43rd minute, Walcott suddenly appeared on the left, cut inside after receiving the ball, passed the ball to his right foot, and hit a curved ball from the left side of the penalty area, which went straight into the upper right corner of the goal.

1 is better than 0!

This was a beautiful kick!
The arc is very beautiful and has a good sense of rhythm.

"That last step was still a little too big. Did you run 4 steps?"

Brian Kidd nodded and said, "If we really get to the Premier League, this goal won't go in."

The main reason is that as the intensity of defense increases, the space left for offensive players will be smaller.

Ultimately, more practice is needed.

After the substitutions in the second half, the team's overall performance declined.

Millwall even almost seized the opportunity to equalize the score.

But in the end, Bayswater Chinese beat the Championship team 1-0.

……

After playing against Millwall, the Bayswater Chinese played three warm-up matches in London.

They defeated Crystal Palace, a mid-lower-level team in the Championship, 2-1 away from home.

Then they beat League One team Brentford 2-0 away from home.

The team is based in Hounslow, west London, which is also a densely populated area.

The last game was in East London, where they beat Leyton Orient 3-1.

This summer, the warm-up matches that Bayswater Chinese played around London were basically for youth training considerations, especially to cooperate with the operation and promotion of the satellite training center.

After playing four warm-up matches, the Bayswater Chinese set off from London and headed for Germany.

The first match of the European training camp was against Stuttgart of the Bundesliga.

The match was arranged by the team's car sponsor Mercedes-Benz, which also paid an appearance fee.

Yang Cheng still uses two lineups in the first and second half.

As a result, the main lineup performed poorly in the first half.

The two most threatening shots came from Dzeko assisting Walcott.

As a result, all the little tigers were killed.

In this game, Yang Cheng placed Walcott and Di Maria on the left and right respectively.

But it seems that they still can't adapt well.

In the second half, Yang Cheng made substitutions one after another.

As a result, not long after the start of the game, we conceded a goal.

Gareth Bale, Lewandowski and Aaron Ramsey then scored one goal each.

Among them, Gareth Bale made one assist and one goal, and his performance was outstanding.

Aaron Ramsey's goal came from Marcelo's cross after a steal in the frontcourt. The Welshman came in from behind, stopped the ball beautifully with his chest on the right side of the penalty spot, and volleyed with his left foot.

This was a beautiful goal!

In the end, Bayswater Chinese defeated Stuttgart 3-1.

……

After playing against Stuttgart, the Chinese from Bayswater went to Munich and played a game against Bayern at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich's warm-up matches this summer were very exciting, with an overwhelming offensive momentum.

Just before playing against the Chinese in Bayswater, the Bundesliga giants had just defeated a German 11. Bundesliga team 1-.

Among them, Toni Kroos performed a hat trick.

Yang Cheng’s goal is to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s powerful offensive to test the team’s defense.

Remember the tactics AC Milan used against the Chinese at Bayswater last season?
The fat man Ancelotti's tactics of strict defense and counterattack gave Yang Cheng a headache.

Unfortunately, there is really no way to deal with this kind of play.

Yang Cheng was inspired.

In the new season, Bayswater Chinese players need space on both flanks to unleash their speed and breakthrough advantages.

What about the midfield and backcourt?
Yaya Toure is now good at long passes, and Modric and Rakitic both have good long pass abilities.

What is more important is the defense.

Both Pepe and Kompany have excellent passing skills, which is why Yang Cheng chose them.

For example, Pepe's pass success rate was as high as 88% last season.

What about long passes?
A total of 286 long passes were made, 201 of which were successful, with a success rate of 70%.

After Kompany came to the team, Yang Cheng asked Gianni Vio to analyze his data.

Just as Yang Cheng expected, the Belgian's pass success rate is similar to Pepe's, and his long pass ability is also similar.

However, Kompany is still not as good as Pepe in terms of headers.

The most outrageous player in the team is Thiago Silva.

The Brazilian central defender's pass success rate has been very stable, steadily exceeding 90%.

For a central defender, this is beyond description.

For reference, in 2024, Gerard Pique and Van Dijk are both recognized by everyone as the kind of central defenders who can pass the ball.

But for most of the season, the pass success rate of these two players is similar to that of Pepe.

It can reach 90% during its peak period.

But Thiago Silva is firmly over 90%.

In terms of long passes, Pique's long pass success rate has always been between 60-65%. Van Dijk's has fluctuated greatly. During his time at Southampton, it was less than 55%. When he arrived at Liverpool, it was around 60%. The peak season was 62%.

Of course, this also has something to do with the team's playing style.

For example, Barcelona has never been very fond of playing long passes.

But this is enough to prove that Pepe and Kompany are both central defenders with strong passing abilities that are often overlooked.

No wonder fans misunderstand.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, Pepe's partner in Real Madrid was Ramos. This kid's passing and long pass abilities are better than Pepe's. In the 13/14 season, his long pass success rate even reached 80% at one point.

Coupled with his playing style, it is inevitable that Pepe is overshadowed.

What about Thiago Silva?

With such excellent passing ability, what about long passes?

In Yang Cheng's previous life, in the 09/10 season, his first full season after joining AC Milan, he made 1625 passes, 1472 of which were successful, with a success rate of 91%.

292 long passes, 226 successful, a success rate of 77%.

In the 10/11 season, he made 1981 passes, 1820 of which were successful, with a success rate of 92%.

There were 407 long passes, 349 of which were successful, with a success rate of 86%.

Judging from the number of passes, Thiago Silva is similar to Pepe and Ramos of Real Madrid, and not much different from Pique of Barcelona. The only difference in the entire season is the one or two hundred passes.

However, the number of long passes was almost twice as high as theirs, but the success rate was as high as 86%.

Let’s give another reference to illustrate Thiago Silva’s ability.

In the same 09/10 season, also in AC Milan, Pirlo, a world-renowned passer, made 2511 passes, 2219 of which were successful, with a success rate of 88%.

There were 468 long passes, 388 of which were successful, with a success rate of 83%.

This is almost the data of Pirlo at his peak.

Another long pass master recognized worldwide is Toni Kroos. He achieved peak passing statistics in the 15/16 season, with 2425 passes, 2277 of which were successful, with a success rate of 94%.

262 out of 233 long passes were successful, with a success rate of 89%.

That's why everyone says that Toni Kroos's long passes have an accuracy that others can't match with short passes.

What about Thiago Silva?
With his passing ability and long pass ability, he can be said to be the "Teacher Tony" among central defenders.

More importantly, he has not lost his job as a central defender. Except for being limited by his height and slightly weaker ability in headers, all his defensive statistics are at the level of a world-class central defender.

Coming to a team like Bayswater Chinese that places more emphasis on passing and cutting, Thiago Silva has received further encouragement and improvement in both passing and long passes.

Last season's level was as high as the 09/10 season during AC Milan's time.

Therefore, Yang Cheng is looking forward to making further progress starting from this season.

In this case, pulling the midfield back appropriately, making long passes from the midfield and backcourt, giving full play to the advantages of both flanks, and then playing out, will definitely become the most important offensive weapon for the Chinese in Bayswater.

By then, all teams will face the same difficulties that Yang Cheng faced when he played against AC Milan last season.

He pressed forward and was hit from behind.

Not pressing forward is equivalent to giving up possession of the ball and rhythm.

With the midfield capabilities of the Bayswater Chinese, they can definitely tear their opponents apart.

In the end, they only had one choice, which was to defend it with all their might.

That's why Yang Cheng gave up Reus and chose Hazard.

When necessary, Modric, Aaron Ramsey, Hazard and Di Maria can all press forward and dribble the ball in the frontcourt.

Even if we can't break through, we can earn a free kick.

But before that, Yang Cheng must have some idea in mind.

He needs to first figure out how much pressure his team can withstand?

Especially the midfield.

Therefore, Yang Cheng first fielded Matuidi, Yaya Toure and Modric in the midfield.

This midfield fought evenly with Bayern in the first half, and neither side was able to score a goal.

In the second half, Yang Cheng made a substitution, first replacing Matuidi with Rakitic, and continued to play against Bayern for 20 minutes.

Then Matic and Ramsey took turns to come on.

Overall, the team's defense was well organized.

Bayern also didn't have many chances.

In the end, the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Yang Cheng was not disappointed about this.

Because the most important thing for him in this game is to examine the team's defense.

If you can hold on, that’s the gain.

Of course, this is just a warm-up match.

By the way, after the game, Yang Cheng originally had no intention of saying hello to Toni Kroos.

The two met in the player tunnel before the game started and nodded to each other.

Unexpectedly, after the game, when he was leaving the field, the young German player took the initiative to come over and shake hands with Yang Cheng and chatted with him for a few words.

It can be seen that his current situation in Bayern is pretty good and he is full of expectations for the new season.

Having played very well in the warm-up match, he naturally hopes to get more opportunities in the new season.

"Come on, Tony, you can definitely become the best midfielder in the world!" Yang Cheng encouraged with a smile.

Moreover, he spoke in German.

Toni Kroos also benefited greatly and kept expressing his gratitude.

Yang Cheng had great favor towards him and made no secret of it.

Toni Kroos is no fool, of course he can feel it.

But now, he is only thinking about playing for Bayern Munich and striving to make his mark as soon as possible.

Yang Cheng didn't care either.

Let everything take its course!

……

After playing against Bayern, the Chinese players from Bayswater flew from Munich to Florence, Italy, to challenge the Fiorentina away.

As the fourth-placed team in Serie A last season, the Fiorentina played very well in this summer's warm-up matches, winning consecutive games.

And this team didn't play conservatively.

Yang Cheng still played with two lineups, but this time the first half was mainly composed of young players, and the team ended up losing 0-1.

Center forward Pazzini scored a goal for Fiorentina.

But after the main players were on the field in the second half, Yang Cheng adopted his previous idea.

Dzeko moved to the right side of the penalty area and received a long pass from the backcourt, then knocked the ball back before the baseline. Walcott changed direction continuously, dribbled past two defenders, and shot with his left foot from a small angle to equalize the score.

Afterwards, Gareth Bale quickly cut in from behind, received the pass from Modric, and his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Frey. The Welshman followed up with a shot and scored, 2-1!

In the end, Bayswater Chinese beat Fiorentina 2-1 away.

……

After the match in Italy, the Chinese players from Bayswater flew to Spain for the final warm-up match.

The opponent is the Yellow Submarine, Villarreal.

It was the last game, and Yang Cheng completely let go and played a direct offensive battle with Villarreal.

Pellegrini's coaching style has never been conservative, and Villarreal has a strong Latin American style.

Yang Cheng also hopes to use them to test the team's defense.

But sometimes things are just weird.

After letting go, both teams failed to score a goal.

The game was played in a very open manner, with the ball going back and forth, attacking each other, and the rhythm changing quickly.

But it wasn't until the 42nd minute that Villarreal scored.

But in the 67th minute of the second half, Walcott assisted Di Maria to score and equalized the score.

1:1.

In the end, the score remained the same until the end of the game.

……

After the warm-up match, the team returned to London.

If we say that in the previous four warm-up matches in London, the opponents were not strong and we played very calmly.

In this European training camp, the four opponents are all strong, and all are the top four teams in the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga.

This is still of great training value to the Chinese in Bayswater.

Judging from the warm-up matches, the team as a whole is still okay, but many problems have also been exposed.

Judging from the reactions in these warm-up matches, Yang Cheng’s tactical thinking for the new season is correct.

This will maximize the advantages of the Chinese in Bayswater.

Yang Cheng also had no intention of giving up the advantage of the opening attack that he had worked so hard to build up in the past, and at the same time he also wanted to further consolidate the team's midfield advantage.

The only difference is that Rakitic and Matuidi, whoever partners with Modric will combine different technical and tactical characteristics, and the team will also have to make some switches and adjustments accordingly.

Before, including Brian Kidd, as well as the first-team players, were somewhat worried about the team's prospects for the new season.

After all, two core players, Arshavin and Las Diarra, left at once, and Koscielny, the mainstay of the defensive rotation, also left. How is it possible to say that the strength has not been affected?

But after traveling around Europe and playing four games, everyone noticed it.

The team's strength hasn't really declined.

Are Arshavin and Las Diarra unimportant?
Nor is it.

The most important thing is Yang Cheng’s tactical adjustment.

Of course, some players will definitely be affected by this.

For example, Yaya Toure can no longer move forward as he pleases like he did when Las Diarra was on the field, but has to be more cautious.

Maicon on the right doesn't have much of a problem.

In the past, Arshavin was more likely to stay in the middle, leaving the entire right side to Maicon.

Although the Brazilians' performance was active, they were also under a lot of pressure.

Now, whether it is Walcott, Gareth Bale or Di Maria, when they play on the right side, Maicon can get more support and cooperation, so he will not be alone.

……

French scout Emmanuel drove his Citroën west from the center of Paris.

Turning south from Nanterre, we arrived at Rueil-Malmaison.

Going east from Malmaison Castle, at the border of Rueil-Malmaison and Suresnes, there is a famous golf course.

On the north side of the stadium, turn into Alexander Mestrasse Street.

21 number.

Suresnes Youth Sports Club.

This is a sports club with a long history, dating back to the 1930s. It is said that the founder was a British man named Paul Finch. In the beginning, it was not only football, but also a track and field club, but it was later disbanded.

Now he also runs an archery hall.

The club is surrounded by buildings and has three football fields arranged from south to north.

The northernmost one also has a track and field stadium.

To the west of the middle area is a standard football field, and to the east is an indoor stadium and archery hall.

The south side is the opposite, with a standard football field on the east and a parking lot on the west.

At the southernmost end of the stadium there is a row of low buildings, which are Suresnes' offices.

Emmanuel turned off Alexandre-Mestrasse Street and parked his car on the curb directly in front of the office.

As soon as he got off the car, someone recognized him.

"Oh, God, what are you doing here?"

Pierre Ville, Suresnes' deputy general manager, came out from the open office to greet them.

"Come to see you, my friend." Emmanuel walked over with a smile.

Pierre Ville was a friendly old man who always wore the same blue sports suit as Suresnes.

Oh, by the way, this sportswear is sponsored by Puma.

"It's the kid you introduced to me last time. I pushed him up."

As soon as Emmanuel finished speaking, Pierre Weil's eyes lit up, "Is there a team interested in him?"

"That's it."

"I knew that the boy had real potential, but he was too short. Everyone thought he couldn't play professional football. I thought so at first, too, but later, I was conquered by him."

"You know, at the age of 17, there are very few people who are as precocious as him. He was a poor child who lost his father at the age of 11, so he had to work harder and live a hard life. He even went far away to pick up garbage to supplement the family income."

"You've said this before." Emmanuel said impatiently, "You felt sorry for him and were worried that he wouldn't be able to become a professional player, so you introduced him to a part-time job at the club to do some odd jobs."

This old man is good in every way except that he likes to nag.

Maybe it's like this when you get older.

Pierre Ville smiled awkwardly, patted Emmanuel on the shoulder, and welcomed him into the office.

Emmanuel, accompanied by Pierre Ville, went to the office to see Jean-Pierre Perrinel, the president of Suresnes.

The father of a 24-year-old professional football player.

Every time she sees Emmanuel, Perrinel pulls him to talk about his son's career development.

Emmanuel has met his son, Damien Perrinel.

The 1-meter-tall central defender can also play on the right side.

In Emmanuel's opinion, Damian Perrinel is actually quite capable, but he just has very bad luck.

For example, after leaving Suresnes, he joined the youth training camp of French Ligue 4 club Amiens and stayed there for years.

As a result, he moved to Créteil in Ligue 2.

A year later, he moved from Créteil to Clermont on a free transfer.

As a result, Clermont was relegated.

So, in 06, he moved from Clermont to Boulogne in the third-tier National League.

This was not a move by the players or their families, but because both Créteil and Clermont were in arrears of salary.

Just like that, a young man with great potential was dragged into the third-level league.

Speaking of Boulogne, everyone will surely think of Franck Ribery, who moved to Bayern Munich for a whopping fee after shining in Bayswater China.

"What a pity. Not long ago, I went to Boulogne and saw them regretting their decision there. They missed out on hundreds of thousands of euros."

Perinel couldn't help laughing when he talked about this.

If Ribery had no football to play and returned to his hometown, and Boulogne was willing to accept him, then when he went to Bayswater Chinese and then transferred to Bayern Munich, Boulogne would be able to get a share of the money.

Emmanuel couldn't help laughing too.

Now, all the clubs around Paris know that he is the full-time scout for Bayswater Chinese in France.

He also feels proud of the achievements made by the Chinese in Bayswater.

"Then don't miss it this time." Emmanuel took over.

Perinel and Pierre Ville looked at each other and their eyes lit up.

For a small team like theirs, even if just a little bit of money slips through the fingers of the big teams, it would be enough for them to have a good year.

"Last time, didn't Pierre recommend a player called N'Golo Kante to me?"

Perinel looked at Pierre Ville, who nodded.

"Kante is indeed a good player. He has amazing explosive power. Thanks to his hard life since childhood, his running ability is very strong and his body support is also very good, which enables him to change direction flexibly."

Perinel also started selling melons.

"Okay, I'm here today to officially inform you that the Bayswater Chinese have decided to invite N'Golo Kante to go for a trial."

"Really?" Pierre Ville was so surprised that he stood up.

"Bayswater Chinese?" Perrinel was extremely surprised.

This...how is this possible?
That's the defending champion of the Champions League!

Actually came to invite Kante?
"Do you think I would drive all the way here to play this joke on you?" Emmanuel said with a smile.

As he spoke, he took out a fax from his briefcase, which contained a lot of information about the tryout.

Because it was an invitational trial, all of Kante's travel expenses to London were covered by Bayswater Chinese.

Additionally, he will reside at the Brent Training Center during his trial in London.

The duration is 2 months.

Pierre Weil looked at the fax, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I still can't believe it."

“How can the Chinese in Bayswater be so fond of Kante?”

"I don't know the specific selection criteria, but I guess it has something to do with Las Diarra and Makelele?" Emmanuel guessed.

"You mean..." Perinel wasn't sure.

"Las Diarra moved to Real Madrid. He is not tall either, only 1 meters, which is only 73 centimeters taller than Kante. And Makelele is also a short midfielder."

When Pierre Weir heard this, he actually thought it was possible, "Kante has very solid basic skills and he has very good footwork."

The ones here are very good, and the evaluation criteria must be youth training.

Once we are actually on the court, with competition and intensity, everything is unpredictable.

"Anyway, just let him know and have him contact me. I'll arrange for him to go to London."

"Okay, no problem." Pierre Ville was also excited.

He always felt that Kante was a poor child, but very self-disciplined and self-reliant.

That's why he was willing to give him a part-time job to help him supplement the family income.

Now, he is happy for Kante to have the opportunity to play for a world-class team like Bayswater Chinese.

This is also of great benefit to Suresnes.

If Kante really joined Bayswater Chinese, Suresnes would immediately promote it.

After seeing Pierre Ville off, Perrinel specifically kept Emmanuel behind, hoping to learn more about the Chinese in Bayswater.

In his opinion, if Emmanuel could recommend an inconspicuous kid like Kante to try out for the Bayswater Chinese, could he also recommend his son Damian Perrinel?
"He's already 24 years old." Emmanuel laughed.

Perinel smiled awkwardly, secretly regretting it.

If I had made friends with this scout earlier, I might have been able to recommend my beloved son to the Premier League.

However, it would be a very good thing if Kante could really join this time.

……

Yang Cheng was not aware of what was happening in Paris, France.

For him now, it's just a small matter of a phone call.

He notified Gary Worthington and asked him to contact Kanter to come for a tryout, and then he received a call from Gary Worthington.

N'Golo Kante will come to London in the near future.

Kante is only 17 years old and isn't even a professional player yet.

So, what Yang Cheng meant was to put him in the youth team for training first.

So he called youth training director Matt Crocker and asked him to pay more attention to N'Golo Kante.

"I think he will become a good defensive midfielder like Las Diarra and Makelele."

As for how to train him, Yang Cheng gave no advice.

Matt Crocker is the youth training expert and he knows very well how to train players.

Moreover, Yang Cheng's call will definitely make him pay attention to Kante.

This is a "superman" that covers 30% of the earth's surface!
But soon, Yang Cheng let the matter go.

When he returned to the conference room, Brian Kidd, Genny Vio and others were waiting for him.

They were holding the final preparation meeting before the Community Shield, the first semi-official match of the season.

The topic of discussion is the deployment of troops in the midfield.

After Las Diarra left, there are currently two candidates, one is Rakitic and the other is Matuidi.

The coaching staff has different opinions on which of these two players should start.

Rakitic is a talented midfielder who has long been famous in European football and is a technical player.

Although Matuidi has good passing ability, he mainly uses short passes and has excellent defensive ability.

Both players are very strong in run coverage.

In terms of specific defense, Matuidi and Las Diarra are different.

Las Diarra is mainly responsible for steals. He averaged 3.9 steals and 1.4 interceptions per game last season.

Matuidi only made 2.8 steals, but 3.4 interceptions and 1.9 clearances.

Steals are mainly about defending players, while interceptions are more about defending passing lanes.

There is no need to mention Rakitic, who averages 1.7 steals and 0.9 interceptions per game, and his statistics are not on the same level as these two defensive players.

But Yang Cheng supports Rakitic to start.

"In terms of regaining the ball per game, Las Diarra has 6.2 times, Matuidi has 5.6 times, and Rakitic has 6.6 times. His overall performance in defense is not bad." Yang Cheng said.

To regain the ball, as the name suggests, is to take the ball away from the opponent.

Means include but are not limited to interception, steal, clearance, etc.

Some people may be surprised that Rakitic's defensive data added together is less than 6.6 times.

Yes, that's right.

This involves the definition of regaining the ball.

Whether it is interception or steal, it is not necessarily possible to regain the ball.

But there is a situation where a player goes for the ball, and although he fails to get it, he forces the opponent to make a mistake.

At this time, another player on the team runs over and grabs the ball, which is a regain of possession.

Another situation is that the opponent's shot hits the defender and bounces off, and is caught by a certain player. This is also a way of regaining the ball.

There is another situation where you don't make any defensive moves or grab the ball, but just stick to the opponent's ball handler and apply pressure. When teammates come to reinforce, you work together to force the opponent to make mistakes.

In this way, although there was no steal or interception, the ball was still regained.

Did you find it?

Regaining possession of the ball is never a one-man job, but the result of the entire team's defense and the defense of small groups within the area.

Specifically for individuals, regaining the ball reflects the player's enthusiasm and ability in the team's and local area's defense.

Therefore, if we only look at Rakitic's specific defensive actions, whether it is interception, steal or clearance, they are not impressive.

But his number of ball recoveries is impressive, even more impressive than Las Diarra and Matuidi.

There are many players like Rakitic.

For example, Modric in the Bayswater Chinese team.

He averages 6.2 ball recoveries per game.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, during the Barcelona Dream Team III period, Xavi and Iniesta both belonged to this type.

If you add up their two steals, interceptions and clearances, or even multiply them by two, it may not be as many as the number of times they have regained the ball.

Of course, generally speaking, players with good steal statistics also have a good number of ball recoveries.

On the contrary, interception is not necessarily the case.

But there are differences between interceptions and tackling.

Interception often means blocking the ball. Once successful, a counterattack can basically be launched immediately.

If you steal the ball, you will have to face the opponent's counter-steal.

In terms of offense-defense conversion efficiency, interception is better than stealing.

Let me add one more thing. Many fans always say that Manchester United’s players are not that strong and their statistics are not eye-catching, but Ferguson can always win the championship and his defense is always so outstanding.

This is not just a tactical factor.

Manchester United has always had a complete system of off-ball running, from the 1990s to the present.

On the defensive level, Manchester United relies more on players' off-ball running to disrupt the opponent's passing lines.

So, Manchester United's players are not outstanding in defensive data, but they are all good at running.

This is also the reason for Berbatov's tragedy at Manchester United.

Ferguson probably thought that he could train him well, so he was willing to spend a huge amount of money.

After Ferguson retired, no one could play this game anymore.

In short, various defensive data have different reference values.

But it's just a reference.

One thing is certain, in the next few years, the ultimate goal of defense is to get the ball back as quickly as possible.

This is why the value of regaining ball possession will become more and more important.

For example, in the season when Kanter was hailed as a god by countless people, he regained the ball 9.2 times per game.

That is to say, in that peak season, he was able to regain the ball once every 10 minutes on average.

Remember, it’s the entire season!

So, when Yang Cheng saw N'Golo Kante's name in the club's scout database, his first reaction was to sign him quickly!

As for the new season, Yang Cheng also has his own considerations.

Whether it is Barcelona's Dream Team 17 or Real Madrid's ceremonial three midfielders, when the team's overall tactical framework is stable, the three midfielders generally contribute about times per game to regain the ball.

The values ​​will fluctuate a little, but not much.

From the current perspective, Yaya Toure and Modric remain unchanged, and both Rakitic and Matuidi can basically fill the vacancy left by Las Diarra.

In comparison, Rakitic can create far more chances than Matuidi in every game.

Moreover, his long passes are also better, with an accuracy rate of over 70%.

……

After Yang Cheng said so much, basically no one, including Brian Kidd, had any objections.

Even the cautious Brian Kidd thought it was worth a try.

"Matuidi is always available when necessary."

As for the upcoming Community Shield, Yang Cheng actually doesn’t care much about it.

Because Manchester United's recent situation is a bit bad.

Manchester United has remained unbeaten in friendly matches this summer.

But the most important match was the 0-0 draw against Juventus at home.

The Red Devils' summer warm-up this year went a little wrong.

They took a trip to Africa, first to South Africa and then to Nigeria.

As a result, when in Nigeria, both Carrick and Rooney were knocked down by the virus.

The funniest thing is that Manchester United has used a lot of medical equipment and done all the tests, but still hasn't found out what virus Rooney and Carrick were infected with.

So, I got all the vaccinations for malaria, yellow fever, hepatitis, etc.

C Ronaldo will also miss the start of the league due to ankle surgery.

Hargreaves, Park Ji-sung and others suffered recurrence of old knee injuries.

So, Manchester United is now full of injured players.

Ferguson was also very angry about this.

He believes that the reason why the club wants to go to Africa is because the uniform team wants to make money.

The result was that after the trip, almost half of the team was gone.

Who can I talk to to reason with you?
But before the Community Shield, Ferguson was still full of confidence and said, "I won't worry about injuries. We can rely on the existing lineup to compete in the Premier League. We have both experience and momentum!"

Regarding the Community Shield match against Bayswater Chinese, Ferguson said, "This is a formal warm-up match!"

Yang Cheng also said that the Community Shield is not a formal competition.

"But we will still try to beat our opponents."

"This is the style of us Chinese in Bayswater. We will not give up any game or any championship!"

Yang Cheng has been practicing this concept all along.

Yang Cheng certainly welcomed Manchester United, especially Ronaldo's decision to stay instead of transferring to Real Madrid.

If Ronaldo went to Real Madrid, where would Mijatovic get the 3000 million pounds to buy Las Diarra?
"I am very happy to see him stay. He is one of the best players in the world. He can continue to play in the Premier League, which is a good thing for the Premier League and all the fans."

Will Ronaldo's stay strengthen Manchester United?
“We are never afraid of a challenge!”

"On the contrary, we welcome more powerful teams, because challenges will make us stronger!"

Yang Cheng did not reveal much about the goals for the new season.

"A lot of people say we've been weakened."

“But I want to say that this is a misunderstanding!”

"In the new season, we have to win back everything we lost last season!"

……

March 8st afternoon, Wembley Stadium, London.

In the Community Shield, Bayswater Chinese faced Manchester United.

When the game reached the 13th minute, Van der Sar rushed out of the penalty area, got ahead of Dzeko, and kicked the ball to the front court with a long pass, directly behind the Bayswater Chinese defense line.

Tevez, Berbatov and Nani rushed forward at the same time.

But the Bayswater Chinese defense line returned to defense very quickly.

Pepe got ahead of Berbatov, used his body to gain a favorable position, and kicked the ball to Thiago Silva.

Thiago Silva stopped the ball and turned around on the left side of the penalty area. Without waiting for Nani to rush over, he took a step forward and then chased after him with a long pass.

Almost at the moment when Thiago Silva made a long pass, a red figure suddenly rushed out from the right side of the Bayswater Chinese, like a red lightning, instantly tearing open Manchester United's defense.

Anti-offside success!
Vidic and Ferdinand were left behind by him in an instant.

The passion of the entire stadium was completely ignited by his speed!

Walcott caught up with Thiago Silva's pass at an extremely fast speed, stopped the ball in mid-air with his foot, dribbled into the penalty area, and faced the attacking Van der Sar with a skillful feint.

The little tiger is so fast!
Van der Sar didn't have time to judge whether it was true or not, and was directly fooled by him.

Walcott caught up with the ball again and easily shot into the empty goal!

At this moment, the entire Wembley Stadium erupted with thunderous cheers from the fans!

Just 13 minutes into the game, Bayswater Chinese scored the first goal with a wonderful offside move!

The 9 fans at the scene, most of whom were Bayswater Chinese fans, were cheering crazily for Walcott's goal at this moment!

Yang Cheng was also grinning from ear to ear on the sidelines, constantly applauding Walcott. He also called out to Thiago Silva and gave him a thumbs up.

That long pass was really good.

Before, the team didn’t play long passes very often, so I didn’t feel it.

Now I suddenly realize that Yaya Toure can make long passes, and Thiago Silva can also make long passes. Isn’t it a bit luxurious?

But in fact, their long passes are more vertical.

Now, the Chinese in Bayswater still lack a long passer like Toni Kroos who is proficient in both vertical and horizontal passes.

Horizontally it is pulling.

Yang Cheng is full of expectations for this.

And Ferguson...

When Yang Cheng looked sideways, he saw Ferguson's face was livid in front of the visiting team's coaching booth. He was obviously very depressed about losing the ball 13 minutes into the game.

(End of this chapter)