I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 357 A History! The World's Best Center-Back! Neymar Has Arrived! A Special Gift! [Please Subscribe]

On the evening of February 28, at Wembley Stadium in London.

In the English League Cup final, Baswater's Chinese team will face Manchester City.

This is a fierce competition.

You can tell from the starting lineups of both sides.

Yang Cheng's side sent out all their main forces.

Goalkeeper: Courtois;
Defense: Marcelo, Pepe, Van Dijk, and Piszczek;

Midfield: Matic drops deep, Toni Kroos and Modric are in the center;
Forwards: Sterling, Harry Kane and Gareth Bale.

The Chinese team at Besworth fielded their most familiar 4-3-3 formation.

Moreover, from the very start of the match, they launched a relentless attack on Manchester City.

Through intense pressing and pressure, they completely suppressed Manchester City.

The three forwards, through their overlapping runs and fluid positional exchanges, caused Manchester City's defense considerable trouble, turning their midfield and backline upside down and leaving them struggling to cope.

First, Tony Kroos passed the ball to Sterling on the left wing. Facing a double-team from two Manchester City defenders, Sterling managed to draw their attention before passing the ball to the flank.

Marcelo surged forward at high speed, heading straight for the left side of the penalty area.

But at the crucial moment, Ter Stegen decisively rushed out of his goal and caught the ball.

Then, Gareth Bale's long-range shot went just over the crossbar.

In the first 10 minutes, the Chinese from Basworth completely dominated Manchester City.

Moreover, they frequently launched threatening attacks.

Unfortunately, Yang Cheng's team failed to create any real threat and break through Manchester City's goal.

Guardiola's starting formation was also 4-3-3.

Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen;

Defense: Leyton Baines, Chiellini, Kompany and Zabaleta;
Midfield: Yaya Toure plays deep, with David Silva and Verratti up front;

Forwards: Reus, Aguero, and Messi.

If Yang Cheng rotated Walcott, then Guardiola simply pushed up every single one of his key players he could field.

Moreover, he has been working with this lineup for three years, and the players' performance and teamwork are quite good now.

For the first 10 minutes, Manchester City will be dominated by the Chinese from Beswathe.

But after 10 minutes, the Blue Moon gradually stabilized and began to try to control possession of the ball.

At this point, after the start of the game, the Chinese players from Besworth boldly pushed forward, and this almost unreasonable style of play created an opportunity for Manchester City.

In the 19th minute, Messi received the ball on the right flank, turned and got rid of Toni Kroos, and then started dribbling diagonally towards the center.

Before Matic could intercept, a through ball was sent.

The ball was passed to Aguero on the left side of the center circle.

The Argentine controlled the ball and smoothly guided it behind the defense, then pushed off with both feet and quickly chased after it.

Van Dijk was originally standing in the center circle, but as soon as he saw Messi pass the ball, he immediately started to chase back.

Pepe, lagging behind in the distance, has no chance of creating an offside trap.

Just as Aguero caught up with the ball again, Van Dijk had already tracked back to his position.

The Dutch center-back was even positioned slightly further forward than Aguero.

But Van Dijk didn't choose to mark the ball closely or go straight for it.

He kept a close eye on Aguero's dribbling path, and the instant the two made contact, he took a step to the side, intruding into Aguero's line.

This forced Aguero to move to the left instead of continuing straight ahead.

Van Dijk received a detailed set of data before the match.

Aguero has scored four times as many goals with his right foot as with his left.

Aside from his short stature and poor heading ability, he is also unbalanced between his left and right feet.

Therefore, when defending just now, Van Dijk dared to position himself closer to the center, just to let Aguero receive the ball on his left side.

At this moment, the move was intended to force Aguero, who was dribbling the ball with his right foot, to move further to the left sideline.

But the two still maintained a certain distance.

Van Dijk has absolute confidence in his speed.

He was also constantly judging Aguero's movements.

To all the fans, Van Dijk looked like he was sticking close to Aguero as he retreated.

However, when he entered his own 30-meter zone, Van Dijk took another step closer, and exactly stepped on Aguero's footsteps.

This forced Aguero to temporarily change his pace and readjust the ball's trajectory, moving it further to the left.

This slowed him down.

Don't underestimate this.

If Van Dijk doesn't time his shot well, Aguero could easily poke the ball forward and dribble past him.

Or it could be a sudden deceleration, a change of direction and an inward cut.

But Van Dijk locked down Aguero with every step as he chased back, forcing the Argentine to move further to the left wing.

In this way, Aguero began to move closer to Reus's path.

The speed of the German rocket is well known.

But now that Aguero has moved closer, Reus is finding it harder to utilize his speed.

Just as he was about to reach the edge of the penalty area, Aguero suddenly stopped, shielded the ball, and then sent a through pass.

Reus charged in from the side at top speed, chasing after the ball.

Van Dijk was also fast, chasing closely and staying close to Reus's inside, effectively blocking the German winger.

When Reus was on the left side of the penalty area, he first slowed down, then suddenly accelerated and sprinted forward, trying to shake off Van Dijk.

No matter how fast the German rocket charged or how slowed down, Van Dijk stuck to him like glue.

Ultimately, the result of this attack was that Reus's hasty cross was caught in the arms of the onrushing Courtois.

Manchester City's most threatening attack since the start of the season was thus thwarted.

Throughout the entire match, Van Dijk didn't even attempt to steal the ball once; instead, he simply chased his opponent backwards.

The Chinese fans at the Basswater stadium gave him a warm round of applause.

"That was a textbook example of defense!"

"Van Dijk single-handedly stopped Manchester City's fast counter-attack!"

"This Dutch center-back is indeed very strong. No wonder Yang Cheng was so confident in pushing the team's overall formation forward, leaving Van Dijk and Pepe to defend behind."

"Even against two opponents, Van Dijk still had it easy!"

……

"This Van Dijk is really strong!"

On the Manchester City bench, Guardiola rested his right elbow on his thigh and his chin on his hand, praising the coach repeatedly.

Assistant coach Domenech Torrent nodded repeatedly.

"In terms of individual ability alone, I think he is the best center-back in the world right now."

Guardiola turned to look at his assistant, surprised that Torrent had such a high opinion of Van Dijk.

But after thinking about it carefully, it seems quite normal.

Over the past few years, everyone has been full of praise for Thiago Silva and Pepe, considering them to be a world-class center-back pairing.

Even after they parted ways, both remained world-class center-backs.

But nowadays, when people mention the Chinese defense at Basworth Field, they will definitely mention Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutch center-back also managed to carve out a spot between the two Brazilians.

Some even say that he is the most stable and indispensable player in the current Chinese defense of Baswater.

"Yang Cheng, that guy, doesn't learn anything good, he actually tries to imitate Klopp!" Guardiola laughed.

“But the Chinese at Basworth are not Liverpool,” Torrent reminded him.

Guardiola nodded.

Liverpool's biggest problem is their lack of control in midfield.

The lack of organization and a core player to control the tempo resulted in Liverpool playing at a very fast pace throughout the game.

Furthermore, Liverpool's ability to play the ball out from their midfield and defense is weak.

But the Chinese are different from Beswater.

"Have you noticed? He seems to be imitating Klopp, but in reality, he's still a Chinese guy from Bethwaite."

"For the first 10 minutes, they came up and started hacking at us wildly, but they didn't kill us. Now we're changing our strategy."

"After winning the ball, they passed it around in their own half, urging us to go up and win it back."

The purpose of this is simple: to force Manchester City to press forward and win the game, which would benefit their attack.

Everyone knows that Guardiola considers ball possession his life.

If the ball is in the hands of the Chinese players at Besworth, Guardiola's team will definitely try to take it back.

Then there's no way to retreat immediately.

Given the organization and attack capabilities of the Chinese in Bethwater, they have the opportunity to strike from behind.

This is the biggest difference between the Chinese at Basworth and Liverpool.

Just then, the ball appeared on the right flank of the Baswater Chinese team.

Reus and others quickly moved in to intercept.

If it were any other team, except Arsenal, they would probably choose to pass the ball back quickly when faced with Manchester City's pressing.

Or it could be a transfer.

Where are the Chinese at Bethesda?
They have absolute confidence in their passing and movement, so they keep passing the ball around.

The players actively made runs to create opportunities, trying to pass the ball forward.

Manchester City are no pushovers either; their interceptions in the midfield and defense were also very effective.

But winning the ball won't be easy.

The attack ended with Harry Kane dropping back and passing the ball across to the left wing to find Marcelo. Yaya Toure suddenly rushed over and tackled the ball out of bounds before Marcelo could receive it.

But this also caused Marcelo to stumble.

The referee awarded the ball out of bounds.

But Yaya Touré's tackle was a bit too aggressive.

Marcelo pointed at Yaya Touré on the ground and launched into a tirade of abuse.

After getting up from the ground, Yaya Touré grinned and raised his hands in apology.

Many people have forgotten that Yaya Touré is also a Chinese from Bethwater.

Two former teammates almost got tackled to the ground; it's only natural for them to complain a bit.

But Guardiola and others don't see it that way at all.

"This kid is only somewhat obedient when he's facing the Chinese from Bethwater," Torrent muttered.

Guardiola remained noncommittal.

Yaya Toure is indeed very unruly, and even as a deep-lying midfielder, he is not Guardiola's favorite type.

However, it must be acknowledged that Yaya Toure can inject power and intensity into Manchester City's midfield.

"The Chinese at Beswathe are really a peculiar team!" Guardiola smiled slightly.

But everyone could tell that there was more praise than praise in those words.

“You need to think of something, Pep,” Torrent suggested.

Guardiola frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying, "We need possession!"

Manchester City need possession of the ball.

In some ways, Yang Cheng is right: Manchester City can't play football without possession of the ball.

Based on this, Guardiola and Manchester City don't really have a good way to counter the Chinese strategy employed by Besworth.

Both sides have their cards revealed.

Both of them are under pressure.

Let's see who has a problem first.

Based on the current situation, Manchester City is more likely to make a mistake first.

Because they started a little too hastily.

In fact, the Chinese players at Besworth have always had the ability to compete with Manchester City for possession.

But for Yang Cheng and Basworth, the Chinese, ball control is simply a tool for winning.

For Guardiola and Manchester City, possession is life.

If you run out of tools, just find another one.

But if life is gone, everything is over.

This is the most fundamental difference between the two teams.

……

With Van Dijk's brilliant defensive play, the morale of the Baswater Chinese players soared.

The defense also performed more steadily.

But Manchester City quickly created another chance.

David Silva and Reus combined on the left wing.

The Spaniard rushed into the left side of the penalty area and crossed the ball into the penalty area.

High crosses are clearly not a good fit for Manchester City players.

Pepe headed the ball away before Messi could react.

But Yaya Touré intercepted the ball just outside the penalty area and passed it to Verratti.

Verratti was marked by Toni Kroos and was forced to pass the ball back to Kompany, who was dropping deep in the defense.

He passed the ball across to Chiellini, who then distributed it to the left wing.

When Leighton Baines received the ball, he passed it forward to Reus.

The German little rocket was being watched by Piszczek, who passed it back to David Silva.

The latter made a direct pass, which landed perfectly at Aguero's feet.

Manchester City's players executed a series of beautiful one-touch passes.

Aguero, positioned on the left edge of the penalty area with his back to the direction of attack, used his body to shield Van Dijk before receiving a pass from David Silva.

Upon receiving the ball, the Argentine player skillfully attempted to dribble, turn, and break through.

But what Aguero never expected was that Van Dijk was waiting for him.

The Dutch center-back reacted quickly and intercepted the ball.

Aguero stumbled and fell to the ground.

But the referee did not blow the whistle.

Van Dijk played a through ball to Modric.

Almost simultaneously, Manchester City's midfielders and forwards immediately launched an attack, surrounding Modric.

In particular, David Silva and Verratti, who were at the forefront, surrounded Modric from the left and right.

The Croatian midfielder was not intimidated by his opponent. After controlling the ball and turning, he dribbled past David Silva's challenge, took a step forward, and delivered a diagonal pass before Yaya Toure could reach him.

Harry Kane ran out of bounds, received the ball behind Yaya Toure, and kicked it to Gareth Bale on the right wing.

The Welshman quickly dribbled the ball forward.

The other players also rushed forward at high speed.

Harry Kane rushed to the edge of the penalty area, on the right side of the arc.

Gareth Bale was blocked by Leighton Baines at the right corner of the penalty area.

Seeing this, Harry Kane decisively changed direction, cutting diagonally behind Layton Baines, and called out to Gareth Bell, pointing out his running route.

Gareth Bale suddenly started his run, made a feint, cut inside, and delivered a through pass with the inside of his left foot to the right side of the penalty area, sending Harry Kane to chase after it.

After passing the ball, Gareth Bale first ran towards the right side of the penalty arc to confuse Manchester City's defenders.

Since the pass was just behind Leighton Baines, Chiellini went out to defend alongside Harry Kane.

After Gareth Bale passed the ball, Leighton Baines immediately turned to double-team Harry Kane.

In a very short time, a vacuum appeared between Chiellini and Compagnie.

When Gareth Bale ran to the right side of the arc, he suddenly changed direction and ran straight ahead at top speed.

Before receiving Gareth Bale's pass on the right side of the penalty area, Harry Kane looked around to make sure Chiellini and Leighton Baines were in position, then suddenly poked the ball towards the byline and accelerated to catch up.

Near the byline, Harry Kane delivered a cross with his right foot.

Moreover, it was a half-high ball that bypassed Chiellini's left-footed interception.

After entering the penalty area, the ball bounced off the right side of the six-yard box.

Almost simultaneously, Gareth Bale sprinted towards them at top speed.

Kompany was also the first to realize the danger, and immediately abandoned Sterling and the others, rushing towards the front.

But Gareth Bale was a step ahead, using his body to block Kompany and sending the ball into the goal guarded by Ter Stegen with his right foot, the ball nestling into the bottom right corner of the net.

Goal!!!!

"In the 24th minute, in the 24th minute, the Chinese player from Beswain scored the first goal against Manchester City!"

"A goal-scoring spree by Gareth Bale!"

"As we said before, the Chinese attacking trident from Besworth is constantly shifting and changing positions, creating gaps in Manchester City's defense."

"Harry Kane's cross from the right wing was met by Gareth Bale in front of goal, giving the Chinese player the lead over Bayswater!"

The entire Wembley Stadium was filled with the cheers of Chinese fans from Basworth Field!

Gareth Bale, holding Harry Kane's hand, excitedly rushed off the pitch to greet the cheers of the entire stadium.

The other players followed suit, celebrating the goal together on the sidelines.

1 is better than 0!

……

With the goal scored by the Chinese player from Besworth, Manchester City started to lose their composure.

Guardiola's players tried to launch a counter-attack after conceding the goal, but to no avail.

The best chance came from outside the penalty area. Messi received the ball in the middle, faked out Matic, and tried to pass to Aguero, but Van Dijk made a sliding tackle from outside the penalty area to stop the ball.

This brilliant defensive play once again earned Van Dijk a standing ovation.

After that, Manchester City made several attempts to penetrate the Chinese-occupied territory of Baswater, but all attempts failed.

This caused the game to gradually return to its previous stalemate.

Manchester City tried to control possession, while the Chinese players from Beswathe continued to play steadily.

But after each interception, the Chinese players at Baswater would quickly launch a counterattack with passing and cutting.

If the counterattack fails, pass the ball back decisively and reorganize.

This style of play made Manchester City very uncomfortable.

Moreover, the players also experience significant physical exertion.

The first half ended with a score of 1-0.

Neither side actually created many good opportunities.

They are both taking targeted measures to restrain each other.

For example, Messi.

Throughout the match, whenever the Argentinians got the ball, they were consistently pressured by at least two players working together.

But precisely because more defensive attention was focused on Messi, Aguero and David Silva, especially Aguero, were more active.

The Argentine striker attempted several solo runs with the ball, but Van Dijk thwarted them each time.

The Dutch center-back was the best player in the entire first half.

"His defense in the first half was almost watertight!"

"There really wasn't a single mistake!"

"This is unbelievable!"

Not only the commentators, but Yang Cheng also specifically praised Van Dijk during halftime.

Everyone can see that this 24-year-old Dutch center-back is entering the prime of his career.

Both his physical condition and experience are beginning to reach their peak!
Yang Cheng made a prediction for the second half, believing that Guardiola's team would choose to take the lead from the start.

Yang Cheng also made adjustments to some situations that occurred in the first half.

For example, he believes that when transitioning from defense to offense, the team's overall formation is still not spread out.

Especially the full-backs.

We must resolutely widen the attack width, creating enough space for the middle and flanks to make runs and cuts.

Sterling, Harry Kane, and Gareth Bale can break down Manchester City's defense through continuous positional interchanges.

Regarding defense, Yang Cheng expressed his confidence in Van Dijk and Pepe. And with Matic anchoring the midfield, isn't there also the option of a deeper midfield?
As Yang Cheng predicted, Manchester City launched an attack after the break in the second half.

The Chinese side at Basworth opted to play a stable defensive strategy.

First, David Silva delivered a brilliant pass, and Messi dribbled into the right side of the penalty area. Under Pepe's interference, his shot went wide and failed to pose a threat.

This was Messi's second shot inside the penalty area in the match.

This shows that the Chinese defenders at Baswater were very successful in containing Messi.

After that, Yaya Touré took a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, but it went high.

But the Chinese at Bethwater quickly retaliated.

After intercepting the ball, Modric made a series of passes in his own half's 30-meter zone, dribbling forward across the halfway line before passing the ball to Modric.

Gareth Bale dribbled down the right flank, relentlessly closing in on Leighton Baines. He then seized an opportunity, executing a one-two pass to the right side of the penalty area to catch up with the ball he had just passed, before delivering a low cross to the center with his right foot.

Harry Kane, making a run from the back, was closely marked by Kompany and hurriedly followed up with a shot.

Harry Kane wanted to hit the bottom right corner.

Unexpectedly, the ball hit the right post and bounced back.

Clearly, Kompany's close marking of him was effective.

The back-and-forth offensive and defensive battle between the two sides made the game very intense, and the fans were very nervous watching it.

Ten minutes later, Manchester City's attack gradually slowed down.

The Chinese from Beswater seized this opportunity to gradually turn the tide of the game.

Yang Cheng took the opportunity to walk to the sidelines, constantly calling out to the players and gesturing with his hands.

"Yang Cheng is directing the team."

"He was probably signaling to the team to spread out their formation."

"Manchester City's attack just now put some pressure on the Chinese at Besworth."

"The formation is indeed quite compact."

"Yang Cheng's current idea is to try to widen the gap."

"Indeed, the formation is too compact for the Chinese players at Beswater, and it's not suitable for them to play their best."

"Whether it's the midfield, the defense, or the attack, they are not suited to this kind of tight formation."

"This actually suits the characteristics of Manchester City's players better."

"Guardiola's teams are very good at passing and combining in tight spaces to break down defenses."

"Therefore, their players are generally quite short."

"But the Chinese in Baswater are relatively tall."

"Let's see this time."

"The team tried to break through on the left wing, with Marcelo dribbling down the left side."

"Zabaleta blocked the ball, giving a throw-in."

"The destruction was very clean. The Chinese at Baswater wanted to strike quickly, but it didn't work."

"Marcelo quickly throws the ball in from the sideline and passes it to Tony Kroos."

"Manchester City are pressing closer and closer."

"Tony Cross passes it back to Marcelo."

"Marcelo made a long pass and then a lateral switch, which found Van Dijk."

"We should still look for the Dutch center-back."

"Van Dijk was in excellent form today."

"Look at this time, Van Dijk made a long diagonal pass to the right flank of the attacking third."

“Piszczek also received the ball near the right sideline, and the formation was spread out very wide.”

"Two defenders are coming over; let's see how Piszczek handles it."

"Pass across to Gareth Bale."

Modric moved over to receive the ball, then passed it back to Gareth Bale.

"Then send back Harry Kane to provide support."

"Harry Kane has been sent back!"

"A series of consecutive two-pass passes."

Gareth Bale received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and delivered a diagonal pass with his left foot to the left corner of the six-yard box.

"Sterling followed up and fired a shot!"

Goal!!!!

"In the 60th minute of the second half, the Chinese team scored again!"

"What a brilliant passing and cutting combination!"

"A series of consecutive one-touch passes!"

"This is what we were just talking about. After the Chinese from Besworth win the ball, if they can't launch a quick counter-attack, they will try to pass it back, pull out the Manchester City players, and then use their best passing and cutting combination."

"From the left wing to the right wing, then from the right wing forward, after a series of passes, the ball is passed back to the left wing."

"Sterling seized the opportunity at the crucial moment, slotting home a goal for the team!"

"What a brilliant goal-scoring combination!"

The stands at Wembley Stadium were filled with cheers from Chinese fans of Basswater.

……

When Sterling scored the team's second goal, everyone realized that the outcome of the game was unlikely to change.

Although Manchester City has a slight advantage in possession and number of passes according to the data, no one would probably think so in terms of the overall situation.

Because Manchester City did not show a clear advantage overall.

Instead, the Chinese players from Baswater scored repeatedly.

Both goals were basically scored through the coordinated attacks of the front three.

This surprised everyone.

However, it must be acknowledged that the Chinese team at Beswater is indeed superior in overall strength.

The two sides then engaged in a high-energy match, especially around the 80th minute.

Manchester City tried to fight back and created several chances.

But the Chinese in Bethwater resolutely retaliated.

One of the most dangerous attacks occurred in the 83rd minute when Sterling was brought down in the penalty area by Yaya Touré, who was chasing from behind, as he broke through on the left wing.

But the referee did not blow the whistle.

After all, at this point, the Chinese team was already leading by two goals.

Therefore, the referee signaled for the game to continue.

Slow-motion replays show that this was indeed a foul.

Neither team managed to score again until the very end of the match.

Baswater's Chinese team ultimately defeated Manchester City 2-0 thanks to goals from Gareth Bale and Raheem Sterling, winning the League Cup again after a five-year hiatus!
When the results of the match were announced, the entire British media praised the performance of the Chinese players from Basworth.

The Guardian even featured a front-page headline with a photo of the Chinese players from Basworth celebrating in the locker room with the League Cup trophy, conveying to everyone the joy of their victory.

Leading the league and winning the League Cup, this is undoubtedly the first shot for the Chinese team at Beswater in their quest for championships on all fronts in the new season!
Once this first shot is fired, the team will be even more confident!

Surprisingly, after the match, Gareth Bale, who contributed a goal and an assist, and local youngster Sterling, despite receiving much praise, were not the main contributors to the victory.

But the player everyone is praising is Dutch center-back Virgil van Dijk.

This Dutch center-back not only passed the ball steadily in this match, but also defended very decisively and skillfully.

As Sky Sports commented after the game, he finished the match with zero errors.

Van Dijk won all the one-on-one duels in this match!

This is an incredible achievement.

Especially in the first half, he single-handedly froze the counter-attacks of both Aguero and Reus, showcasing the art of defense to its fullest extent.

The Times commented in its post-match analysis, "Van Dijk delivered a brilliant performance from a world-class center-back!"

The Sun also believes that "Van Dijk is truly the world's best center-back!"

In a post-match interview with the Daily Mail, Van Dijk stated that all the Chinese players at Basworth are filled with desire and hope to win every championship trophy.

"This is tough; we need to win every game!"

"But that's exactly the goal we want to achieve now!"

why?
The Dutch center-back simply replied to the media cameras, "This is a special gift!"

This statement has once again sparked speculation among the media and fans.

As early as the beginning of the season, after Yang Cheng was elected as the chairman of the FIFA Supervisory Board, there were rumors that he would step down from his position as the head coach of the Chinese team at Besworth.

After all, he now holds a high position of power and his status is extraordinary, so it is indeed not appropriate for him to continue coaching.

Moreover, he has been grooming his successor, Flick.

Now that Van Dijk has said this again, it further confirms the speculation from the outside world.

Some media outlets have even reported that Yang Cheng has announced in the locker room that he will leave his position as head coach of the Chinese team at the end of this season.

"This is a secret that everyone in the Baswater Chinese team knows, but no one wants to talk about."

Baswater's Chinese team wins the League Cup again after a 5-year hiatus!

In addition to their leading position in the Premier League, they also reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup and were practically in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Everyone is eagerly anticipating whether the Chinese team from Baswater can hold on to their lead in the other three competitions this season.
After all, in the past, no team in the history of English football, or even in the history of European football, has ever achieved a grand slam.

Yes, no!
Even at their peak, the Chinese players at Baswater couldn't win both domestic cup competitions simultaneously.

But now, the Chinese from Beswater have won the League Cup.

The Premier League title is also highly probable.

If they win the FA Cup and the Champions League, then the Chinese from Beswain will have achieved a season grand slam.

Yang Cheng's team will be recorded in the history of world football!
……

After winning the League Cup, the Chinese at Basworth did not hold any celebration ceremony.

After finishing the League Cup final on the 28th, the 28th round of the Premier League will begin in 3 days.

Perhaps influenced by their loss in the League Cup final, Manchester City performed rather poorly at Anfield.

On the contrary, Klopp's Liverpool, after losing to the Chinese at Beswathe in the 26th round, made a week of careful adjustments and thrashed Everton 4-0 at home.

In this round, Klopp's team once again employed the signature style of a boxer.

From the very beginning, Liverpool were throwing punches and raining them down.

Manchester City still wanted to control possession, but their morale was clearly affected.

So for the first half hour, the game wasn't very exciting.

As Guardiola said before, if he can withstand Liverpool's onslaught and wait until the opponent's stamina is depleted to a certain extent, then the second half of the season will be at Manchester City's mercy.

But the key issue is that in the 34th minute, Rakitic assisted Suarez to score.

Even more devastatingly, in the 41st minute, Suarez backheeled the ball, Firmino passed it to Rakitic, who then unleashed a powerful shot that breached Manchester City's goal once again.

Liverpool even had one more chance before the end of the first half.

Firmino headed the ball towards the goal, but Kompany cleared it off the line.

Conceding two goals in the first half was a huge blow to Manchester City.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are in high spirits.

At the start of the second half, Manchester City took the initiative, but Liverpool held firm and countered steadily.

In the 57th minute, Rakitic delivered a brilliant pass, and Firmino slotted the ball home from close range.

3 is better than 0!

The rest of the match was basically a game of Manchester City attacking and Liverpool defending.

But Manchester City were unable to break through Liverpool's defense.

Ultimately, Guardiola's team suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat away from home!

Everyone found the result unbelievable.

No one could have predicted that Guardiola's team would lose so badly.

But for Yang Cheng, it wasn't really a surprise.

Klopp should thank the Chinese from Basswater for winning the League Cup final.

More importantly, Guardiola's teams have never been good at playing from behind.

After losing the League Cup final, they immediately welcomed Klopp.

Guardiola was clearly trying to emulate Yang Cheng's tactics from the 26th round, but unexpectedly, they conceded a goal in the first half.

The tactics were fine, but the players' execution and Liverpool's recent form led to Manchester City's crushing defeat!

Coincidentally, Yang Cheng's other rival, Wenger's Arsenal, also lost at home.

Due to the consecutive matches, including the midweek game, Wenger's team made some adjustments.

Moreover, this match was on the evening of March 1st.

It was raining in London at the time.

The two teams are not actually on the same level.

Therefore, after the start of the game, Wenger's team easily suppressed Swansea and kept attacking.

In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Gunners missed three excellent opportunities.

This shows the difference between the two teams.

This also foreshadowed the outcome of the match.

In the 14th minute, Sanchez chipped a pass from the edge of the penalty area, and Benzema swept the ball into the net from inside the box, giving Arsenal the lead.

This should be a very good start.

After taking the lead, Arsenal firmly controlled the initiative and possession of the ball, at one point even approaching 7% possession.

But they are also constantly squandering opportunities.

In the 31st minute, Swansea launched a counter-attack, passing the ball directly behind the defense.

This should have been a perfectly normal counterattack.

Arsenal also routinely created offside traps in their defense.

But isn't it raining tonight?

Mertesacker stepped on a pothole in the pitch while trying to create an offside trap and almost fell.

Swansea winger Routledge broke the offside trap, received the ball, and had a one-on-one opportunity to equalize for his team.

This goal completely changed the course of the game.

Arsenal then continued to attack, but kept wasting their chances.

The first half was like this, and the second half was the same.

The more anxious the Arsenal players became, the further away the goal seemed.

Wenger even brought on Van Persie to bolster the attack.

But, it’s useless.

Van Persie's first shot hit the post.

Opportunities are constantly being wasted.

Finally, in the 74th minute, Swansea center-back Williams scored again from a free kick in the attacking third, breaching Arsenal's goal once more.

2 is better than 1!

Arsenal were surprisingly defeated at home by relegation-threatened Swansea!
Wenger expressed his deep disappointment with the defeat at the post-match press conference.

“We created so many chances, and if we just capitalize on one or two of them, we can win this game.”

"But we were very unlucky, we lost the game!"

Wenger believes that the slippery pitch due to the rain led to Mertesacker's mistake.

"Without that goal, the game would have remained under our control."

However, the media clearly did not accept Wenger's statement.

Putting everything else aside, the Gunners wasted so many chances in the match, doesn't Arsenal have any problems at all?
Two goals conceded. The first one could be attributed to Mertesacker's bad luck, but what about the second free-kick defense?

Regarding the title race this season, Wenger said it's too early to say.

"We are all losing points one after another. This is a very difficult time. The team's physical condition and form have been affected."

"Therefore, the championship race is difficult to predict, and we can only focus on each game!"

But under persistent questioning from reporters, Wenger had no choice but to admit it.

"The Chinese at Baswater do have an advantage, but they haven't won the championship yet!"

Just as Wenger finished speaking, Yang Cheng's team defeated Everton 3-1 at home.

Just five minutes into the game, Virgil van Dijk, who has been in excellent form recently, opened the scoring for his team with a corner kick.

In the 30th minute, Walcott scored again.

In the 60th minute, Van Dijk sent a long pass into the penalty area, and Giroud headed the ball towards the goal.

Despite conceding a goal later in the game, Basworth Chinese managed to secure a 3-1 victory over Everton at home, keeping all three points.

With both Arsenal and Manchester City dropping points, Yang Cheng's team withstood the pressure and took another step ahead in the title race.

In the same round, Chelsea defeated Norwich 2-1 away from home.

Manchester United defeated Watford 1-0 thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.

……

March 5th, weekend, Premier League Round 29.

The first match of this round is the North London derby, which takes place at noon on the 5th.

As a result, Arsenal, after taking the lead, were pegged back by Tottenham with two goals, completing a comeback.

In the end, it was Sanchez's goal that leveled the score.

The two teams ultimately drew 2-2.

Incidentally, prior to this round of matches, Tottenham Hotspur publicly acknowledged for the first time that the club had accepted a takeover offer from a Qatari consortium and that the two sides were engaged in intensive negotiations.

The acquisition by the Qatari consortium was handled by Rothschild Bank, a prominent bank in London's financial district.

A due diligence team comprised of experts and elites, including lawyers, accountants, and financial analysts, has been assembled to conduct due diligence on the acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur.

If all goes well, the Qatari consortium will complete its acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur in May.

The Sun is known for its transfer news, and although it didn't get the first shot in the Qatari consortium's acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur, it immediately followed up with a bombshell report after other media outlets broke the story.

Once the Qatari consortium completes its acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur, it will invest over £10 billion to build a super stadium in northeast London that rivals the Prudential Stadium!

Another billion pounds!
No one will forget that the initial investment for Prudential Stadium was set at £10 billion.

Now, the Qatari consortium has once again presented this figure.

As the saying goes, the first one gets to eat meat, the second one can only drink soup.

But such an investment, such a large project, is still very eye-catching.

Moreover, the fact that it took place in London and the Premier League was enough to excite media and fans around the world.

The Sun then dropped another bombshell.

Neymar!
British media reports that the Qatari consortium has reached an agreement with Neymar's team.

Once they acquire Tottenham, Neymar will leave Barcelona and join the Premier League by paying his release clause.

This immediately caused a huge uproar around the world.

Another superstar!

It's the Premier League again!

With Messi and Ronaldo joining the Premier League, the league is now star-studded, reminiscent of the heyday of Serie A as a mini-World Cup.

Now, Neymar has arrived too!
The Premier League brings together some of the world's most influential superstars.

Barcelona immediately denied the rumor in the media, stating that their star player would not leave the club.

Neymar's father also told Catalan media that Neymar has not reached any formal agreement with the Qatari consortium and is not considering leaving Barcelona for the time being.

However, such refutations lack some persuasiveness.

The continuous rumors boosted Tottenham Hotspur's morale, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

Subsequently, Yang Cheng's team drew 2-2 with Manchester City away from home.

Messi scored twice, and Harry Kane also scored twice.

Guardiola's team was also awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute.

That was a foul by Pepe on Messi inside the penalty area.

As a result, Courtois saved the Argentine's penalty kick.

The two teams eventually shook hands and agreed to a draw.

But this isn't a bad thing for the Chinese team leading the standings at Baswater!

(End of this chapter)