Team Spirit

Chapter 165 (1 words) The Land Beast Achieves Godhood in One Battle, England's Number One Center Forward
"Lu, why do you have a third stripe?"

Ashley Young quietly asked Lu Kai.

Lu Kai lowered his head slightly.

Ashley Young is unbelievable.

It really is true... Ashley Young couldn't hold back anymore.

It seems that sacrifices were made in some aspects.

Lu Kai was somewhat surprised by Ashley Young's inexplicable down mood. Was it really that bad?

It's like I missed out on an Adidas endorsement deal.

He wiped the dirt off the toes of his sneakers so as not to interfere with his playing.

That's how the third line was slid out.

With a 3-0 lead, Dartford's players have completely let loose.

What do you mean Chelsea isn't West?
From this day forward, Green Gun will protect Liberation West, and I am the boss of all of London!

In the 35th minute, the Chelsea players knew they couldn't play it safe any longer; any more and they'd be out of contention.

They fought hard, but Dartford are now spreading their formation out.

Once a team that attacks from both wings takes the lead, it can make full use of the width of the field and spread out its formation.

This would cause the opponent's pressing and tackling to lose its restraint.

Not only can they fail to secure the win, but they also risk leaving their defense vulnerable.

Essien saw this.

He found an opening on the right side with a long pass.

Valbuena received the ball and challenged the approaching Babayaro one-on-one.

As the shortest starter in Green Gunners' lineup, there's a reason why the 1.63-meter-tall Valbuena can currently outperform Ribery.

He has such a low center of gravity and is so agile, especially when playing in England, he's like a fish in water.

The English-style defense completely made him look like the French Maradona.

He dribbled past two overlapping players, Makelele and Babayaro, with a series of feints, cut inside, and changed his rhythm, before finally breaking into the penalty area and unleashing a low shot.

Unfortunately, the shot was taken from a poor angle and was saved.

In the 38th minute, Chelsea won possession but struggled to get the ball past the center circle.

After a series of successful plays, Joe Cole managed to get past the defender with his exceptional individual skills, but when he looked at the court, he had barely crossed the center circle.

That was really hard to kick.

Joe Cole passes the ball to Randav on the left wing.

Williams arrived immediately.

Randav did not choose to break through immediately, which led to Essien quickly joining in and being locked down by two players.

Williams ultimately made the steal.

Chelsea's attacks didn't even reach the penalty area.

In the 42nd minute, Madeira made a decisive high-speed run down the wing, outmaneuvering Ashley Young before delivering a cross.

Unfortunately, Lescott was flying high in the sky, and Hasselbaink had no chance to win the header.
The ball was cleared, and Ashley Young launched a counter-attack.

Although Madeira had just completely outmaneuvered him, he rushed too far. Ashley Young received the ball and turned around, and Madeira was already three to five meters behind him, no longer a threat!
That counts as a one-on-one exchange of blows.

Ashley Young feigned a pass to Barton near the center line, but actually dribbled past another defender before chipping the ball forward to Lu Kai.

Lu Kai easily received the ball and looked up to find his teammates' running positions.

Valbuena suddenly accelerated, sprinting off the ball on the right side.

Lu Kai makes a long pass... seemingly a pass, but actually a lobbed shot!

Fortunately, Cudicini was alert and quickly ran back, managing to tip the ball away with one hand just as it was about to hit the crossbar.

I almost got outplayed by Lu Kai again.

The first half ended shortly afterward.

But at halftime, the media were shocked by the score.

They couldn't even analyze why Dartford could take such an easy lead, and by such a large margin.

"Datford's defense is good, but it should never be this good."

"The same principle applies to offense!"

"In just ten days, the two teams have become strangers."

"Hopefully Ranieri and Chelsea can quickly adjust their form and regain their dignity in the second half. However, given this score, it seems unlikely they can achieve that result."

"In Ancelotti's words, if you're leading by three goals in the first half, the only thing the team should do at halftime is pop champagne to celebrate!"

In fact, Dartford did not open champagne at halftime because it was Chelsea's home ground, and they did not prepare such an expensive prop for the away team's dressing room.

They are making tactical adjustments.

Alfred: "I spoke with Lu about it, and he'll be here to talk to everyone about the changes for the second half."

Lu Kai gestured for Ten Hag to bring out the whiteboard: "The second half is mainly about passing and control, but you all need to think clearly about where to pass and control in the front, middle and back lines, and listen to my instructions."

Even with the same passing and control strategy, the costs differ depending on the area.

Normally, passing and controlling the ball in the backfield is relatively easy.

However, if the opposing striker plays very aggressively, the pressure on the backfield to control the ball will actually increase.

At this point, passing and control in the midfield and even the attacking third becomes easier.

Therefore, not all possession-based football involves kicking the ball backwards; advanced possession-based football involves kicking the ball out of the opponent's pressing range.

For example, Chelsea's defenders worked harder than their midfielders and forwards today.

This "outside the opponent's pressing range" is variable, so it depends on Lu Kai's on-field command and the players' own feelings.

However, Dartford had seven or eight players involved in possession and passing, while Chelsea could probably only commit four or five.

Therefore, possession of the ball will inevitably be with Dartford.

“If they want to win possession, they need to commit more players.” Lu Kai moved the opposing players’ magnets. “When their full-backs come up, everyone will send through balls to the left and right flanks, exploiting the gaps on the wings.”

"If they come up from the defensive midfield, then our players will pay attention to receiving the ball in the flanks and then launch an attack from the flanks."

"It's that simple overall. If you have any questions during the specific operation, feel free to contact me."

"In addition, we need to pay attention to the flanks. When the ball is passed to the wingers, they can use their individual abilities to solve problems. But once the full-backs come up, we must coordinate well with them and focus on their attacking ideas."

"Use two different offensive strategies to repeatedly attack their defenses."

Valbuena, Ribery, Ashley Young, Williams and other players nodded.

Soon, the second half began.

In the 48th minute, Chelsea attempted to organize an attack.

But Dartford pressed too aggressively near the halfway line, with all three forwards pressing back, a situation rarely seen in modern football.

This is seriously unconventional.

Don't you big-name strikers have any pride?

Looking at the lineup, apart from Lu Kai, the others really aren't any big names.

Scott Parker made a risky through pass, and thankfully, his skill was there, and he made the pass.

But after Hasselbaink received the ball outside the penalty area, he was immediately harassed by Greendaf. Seeing that the defenders were coming, he could only take a long shot.

Kasper made an easy save.

In the 51st minute, Dartford made several passes in their own half.

Chelsea pressed high up the pitch in the midfield and attacking third, but couldn't win the ball back.

The boos from Stamford Bridge embarrassed the Chelsea players, so the full-backs rushed up to them.

Lescott was really confident today, making a long pass to Lu Kai who was making a run down the left flank.

He actually found it.

After receiving the ball, Lu Kai did not cut inside, but decisively went to the baseline, attracting the double defense of Parker and Terry, and pulling them out.

He then sent a through ball.

Drogba surged forward and accelerated, completely outpacing Gallas.

boom!
Drogba makes a cross in front of the goal.

Valbuena slotted the ball into the empty net.

Unfortunately, the linesman raised his flag.

Drogba was offside!
Both sides were somewhat dissatisfied with this.

Offside calls in this era are different from those in the future with VAR.

With VAR, there's no need to rush to call offside; wait until the attack is over before reviewing the call. The goal is to avoid killing any attacking opportunities.

Anyway, there's video evidence, so they can't escape it.

However, in this era, offside must be called immediately because there is no video assistant referee system, and if it is delayed for too long, it becomes unclear.

The ball was in an offside position when Lu Kai played a through ball; he was offside by the hair.

Blowing it is no problem.

But it's a bit unreasonable that Drogba had already run two steps before passing the ball, and then his teammate scored before the whistle was blown.

It's not that Chelsea bribed the referees; it's more likely that the linesmen were incompetent.

Of course, the linesman was also wronged.

It's already 3-0! Any calls that could lead to Chelsea conceding another goal must be made with extreme caution, or they might not be able to leave Stamford Bridge.

In the 57th minute, Madeira made a run down the right flank with the ball; he was Chelsea's only successful play of the day.

Because Ashley Young's forward runs were so aggressive, his attack was strong, but it also gave Madeira opportunities to attack.

Landoff was in a bad situation, facing Williams who barely made any contact with the defense. If he was a little slow, Toure and Essien would come over.

Furthermore, Green Dave's support was faster than Lescott's support to the left flank.

Thanks to Madeira's breakthrough, Chelsea finally pushed past the halfway line.

Glen Johnson immediately moved up and combined with Madeira on the wing.

He was originally a very aggressive full-back, but today he was completely outmatched by Ashley Young.

Madeira passes the ball to Johnson.

After taking two steps, Johnson didn't go to the byline but instead swept the ball across the field, finding Hasselbaink who was making a run.

This move was clever, because Chelsea clearly couldn't generate any aerial threat today.

Hasselbaink gently pushed the ball sideways.

Parker made a forward run and charged into the penalty area with the ball. His playing style was very similar to Lampard's, and neither of them are proper defensive midfielders.

Playing in the defensive midfield position is very grueling for them.

On the contrary, Parker was in his element inside the penalty area, with a clear mind.

After drawing the defense, he made a cutback pass.

Joe Cole was in perfect open space at the penalty spot, and he volleyed the ball... The ball flew into the stands!
Joe Cole covered his face in anguish.

Everyone was in disbelief.

On the one hand, after so much tough defense and tackling, Joe Cole had long lost his shooting touch.

On the other hand, the player that Lu Kai has guarded the most so far is Joe Cole!
[Freeze] is activated, and his condition is constantly declining.

Lu Kai's defensive focus should have been on Madeira, but Madeira was too fast, and Lu Kai often couldn't keep up.

On the contrary, Joe Cole got along very well with Lu Kai, and that's how he got poisoned by the cold.

Unfortunately, in the 62nd minute, Chelsea made two substitutions in their attacking line.

It was perfectly reasonable for Crespo to replace Hasselbaink.

While the latter is faster, he clearly wasn't effective today. Crespo, on the other hand, is tall, has a full range of attacking skills, and can provide a multi-dimensional threat in the attacking third.

However, substituting Mutu for Chelsea's only two key players, Madeira, was clearly influenced by the players' status.

Madeira was just a rookie who rose through the ranks from an amateur league; his background was too poor.

Ranieri has already faced a lot of pressure by putting him in the starting lineup despite opposition.

As an Irish international, a Premier League star, and a renowned super talent, if we don't consider his reputation, there might be problems in the locker room.

Those who understand football are not very optimistic about this adjustment.

But the fans are very excited, feeling that there is hope.

After all, Mutu came from Serie A, which is "a level higher," and was ranked 23rd in the Ballon d'Or rankings. His arrival will definitely change the situation.

However, Mutu does not play as a right-back in Madeira, but as a striker.

Joe Cole moved to right-back.

Chelsea switched to a 4-4-2 formation and abandoned the lone striker strategy.

To the surprise of professionals, Dartford substituted Ribery for the outstanding Valbuena early on.

"With this kind of play today, the strikers are actually the ones who are most exhausted." Ten Hag understood Lu Kai Alfred's intention.

Alfred nodded. So that's what Lu Kai meant.

In the 73rd minute, Paka intercepted the ball and then sent a through pass.

Mutu created an opportunity in the attacking third, but instead of going one-on-one with Lescott, he slowed down.

Clearly, the situation affected Mutu's judgment, or at least his exceptional confidence.

As the underdog team, you have fewer attacking opportunities and rely mainly on counter-attacks.

So once you have the opportunity, you should act independently. The longer you wait, the more the enemy will outnumber you. Once the two armies are in normal combat, won't you be at a disadvantage again?
It's still that kind of disadvantage where there are no opportunities to attack.

Conversely, even though you appear to be outnumbered on the counter-attack, you at least have opportunities to attack.

This is a rather counterintuitive theory.

Because under normal circumstances, players on a counter-attacking team don't get much touch on the ball, so once a counter-attack is launched and the opportunity isn't great, they'll think about letting their teammates come up and touch the ball, get a feel for it, and organize an attack.

This touch, instead of increasing the goal-scoring rate, disrupted their own defensive formation, allowing the opponent to lure them out.

Therefore, some counter-attacking teams' midfielders and defenders really like Viktor Azir to go it alone.

My brother takes all the blame, good or bad, and won't cause us any trouble. We just need to focus on defense.

You're saying you're holding the ball alone in the attacking third and waiting for everyone, but we can't just not go.

Sure enough, Mutu saw Joe Cole coming over, passed the ball to him, and then went to the front line to look for opportunities. Other Chelsea players also came up to join him.

But Dartford came back earlier than them, and even their strikers are back, so how could their attack possibly be a threat?
He lay there for a while without getting a chance, and finally, Makelele's long-range shot ended the game quickly... concluding Williams' appearance.

Williams was hit in the head and had to leave the field due to injury.

Li Weifeng came on as a substitute, playing as a defensive right-back.

Chelsea made their final substitution, with Gronkjaer replacing Duff.

In the 79th minute, Cole took a corner kick.

Crespo did indeed win the header, but unfortunately, his shot went wide.

If he had stayed on the pitch, Chelsea would have had a better game today.

Dartford then used their last substitution.

Lee Fowler replaced Yaya Touré to strengthen the defense.

In the 84th minute, Lu Kai was pressed while dribbling on the left flank near the center line, so he passed the ball back to Essien.

Ashley Young dashed out in a flash.

Essien delivered a through ball over the top, linking up with Ashley Young, instantly piercing the entire left flank.

Ashley Young dribbled the ball at breakneck speed, and after reaching the left corner of the penalty area, he delivered a cross-court pass to Ribery in the right corner.

Unfortunately, he gave it too lightly.

After more than 80 minutes, the feel of the foot eventually declined due to physical limitations.

Terry quickly went to chase the football.

Makelele followed closely behind Ribery.

For a time, Ribery was both the male and female lead.

He stopped and moved on; that was the only way to handle it.

Unfortunately, Terry knew this too and prepared in advance, blocking the ball back.

Makelele hadn't anticipated this, and his chance to play the ball slipped through his fingers.

Ribery's turn to chase the ball was far more agile than Makelele's.

Makelele turned and chased after him. Since Terry was in a defensive position, Makelele intended to physically challenge Ribery and force him to make no room for Ribery to handle the ball.

Ideally, they should intercept the ball; at the very least, they should drive Ribery out of the penalty area to ensure its safety.

This is the mindset of a top-tier defender.

If we just stay behind Ribery without putting pressure on him, who knows how much of a threat he could pose once he turns around!
boom!
Ribery caught up with the ball and jumped forward.

A heel flick followed by a turn!

It wasn't a conventional dribbling turn or a turn during a challenge.

Makelele was completely wiped out.

Ribery caught up with the ball and raised his right foot from the right side of the penalty area.

Terry, who rushed over, fell to the ground to block the attack.

Fake shot!

Ribery calmly executed a triangular left-footed shot.

Drogba, who had already made a run back and forth inside the penalty area, received the ball with his back to the goal.

If he steps on the ball with his right foot and turns with the ball, Gallas, who is behind him on the right, could potentially intercept and block the shot.

But if you don't turn around, you can't shoot.

So he lifted his right foot, stepped on the ball with his left foot, pushed off the ground with his right foot, and forcefully turned to the left in mid-air.

After quickly controlling the ball's position with his left foot, he then quickly tapped the ground.

You can think of it as him with his right foot forward and his left foot back, doing a 180-degree aerial spin in place, but adding a right-foot flick and a left-foot penalty kick motion in the middle.

One word...utterly incongruous!
This movement has no aesthetic appeal whatsoever.

There is no coherence whatsoever.

It even requires great physical strength to fight against inertia; each movement is only half done, and then it is pieced together.

If you are not strong enough, you will strain your muscles or sprain your bones if you try to imitate this movement.

But its advantage lies in its speed!

The advantage lies in the fact that the opponent couldn't react in time!
boom!
Drogba turned on the spot and unleashed a right-footed shot.

The momentum is strong and sinking.

What else can Kudinic do besides clap?
“GOAL!!!”

"Four to zero!"

Chelsea suffered a humiliating defeat!

"The combination of Lu Kai and Ashley Young completely dismantled their defense. Ribery and Drogba's performance utterly trampled on Chelsea's dignity!"

"They were like two swans, performing a free-flowing ballet in Chelsea's penalty area!" "If Ribery's devilish footwork in the penalty area resembled Maradona and Zidane, then Drogba's series of stiff and jarring movements inevitably reminded us of one person!"

"Before he appeared, Drogba's move was considered luck, coincidence, a fluke, or a case of bad luck bringing good fortune!"

"But now, I can say with absolute certainty and pride that Drogba is a quintessential Lu Kai player!"

"That was a classic Lu Kai-style dribble!"

"No inertia! No smoothness! No forward or backward swaying, to hell with fluidity, I'm stuck on this very frame!"

"Drogba is the first genius after Lu Kai redefined genius!"

"He is a land-based magical beast!"

The entire stadium of Green Gunners fans chanted Drogba's name.

Because this land monster completed a hat trick today!
God of War!
Abu, sitting in the private room, stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "This is simply a black god!"

"No one is more suited to playing at Stamford Bridge than him!"

The assistant understood what the boss meant as soon as he heard this and nodded, saying, "We will closely monitor his situation and reach an agreement with Dartford before the end of this season."

"However, his value has increased significantly since Dartford bought him, and he is now listed at eight million pounds on Transfermarkt."

Abu shook his head.

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief, because negotiating with Dartford was no easy task.

Since Abu also thinks it's expensive, then...

“Eight million pounds is really not enough to justify his performance today.” Abramovich sipped a Super A grape. “If he can finish the season playing in this style, he can be bought even if his price doubles.”

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief.

Sixteen million pounds?
Negotiating with Dartford is not a difficult task if you have enough money.

Green Gun is really lucky.

A player bought for five million pounds was sold for sixteen million pounds after one season.

"Speaking of which, their milk tea is really good. Lu was right, he wasn't exaggerating." As the host, Abu had someone specially bring Lu Kai Green Gun Tea Princess's new milk tea when he came here to play football today.

Thinking about it this way, the pain of losing 0-4 and being eliminated from the EFL Cup is much lessened.

After all, sugar always makes people feel happy.

The assistant looked at the smiling Abu and thought that his boss was really easy to talk to.

The EFL Cup is Chelsea's easiest and most likely trophy to win this season.

The Premier League and the Champions League... to be honest, Abramovich dares to dream of them, but Chelsea fans who are used to suffering don't even dare to dream of them.

As a result, the team failed to win the EFL Cup, and Abramovich didn't say a single harsh word to Agnelli.

Little did anyone know... that at the very moment the final whistle blew in that match, Abramovich had already made up his mind not to use Ranieri next season.

He needs to find a new head coach.

One that can win the championship.

A manager who can hold his own against Dartford.

Or perhaps we shouldn't say "find," but rather "wait."

Abu doesn't need to know who the other person is, because the other person will fight their way out from a large group of excellent coaches and get to the most conspicuous place so that Abu can see them.

Then Abu waved the check at him and begged him to come over.

Chelsea's true rise is that simple!
……

BBC: "The Land Beast, Unstoppable! Drogba's Hat-trick Shakes Up Chelsea!"

Sky Sports: "From now on, if anyone says Lu Kaika's frame is going to be a problem, I'll get angry. That's called zero-gravity dribbling!"

Les Echos: "Silky smooth is elegant, but jarring shots reveal brutality! Lu Kai and Drogba team up for a 4-0 victory over Chelsea!"

The Times: "Green Gun? Sorry, Dartford has become a green Gatling gun!"

Manchester Evening News: "The third-placed team in the Premier League suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Dartford! Three goals in twenty minutes – a display of brilliant tactical dominance!"

After the match, Ranieri was frustrated: "We made mistakes, two of them. Conceding two goals too early is fatal to a football game."

"Drogba? A striker like that shouldn't be in a League One team. I thought we were facing Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo, Batistuta, any super striker."

"Ashley Young? I don't appreciate his style of play. In fact, his brilliance is built on Lu Kai's versatility. In addition, he needs excellent defensive players like Essien and Lescott to clean up his messes."

"Without these players, Ashley Young wouldn't have been that outstanding. At least even in this game, Madeira still dominated Ashley Young in his own area."

It must be said that Ranieri's judgment was quite accurate.

He recognized the excellence of Dartford's products.

What made Ashley Young feel uneasy was that, for this epic battle, the media was actually digging up all of Dartford's excellent players... except for him.

Look at those headlines:

"The New Ferdinand! Lescott's long pass orchestrates the attack, the aerial threat delivers the ball—who can resist this?"

Can you call a long pass or two a play?

That pass, which went several meters off course, was lucky that Lu Kai received it in a wide-open position; otherwise, it would have been a disaster.

With this kind of accuracy, how dare you call it a long-pass guidance system?

Are they missiles made in India?
Makelele's defense + Guardiola's attack = Essien! You can call him a mini-Vieira, or a larger version of Vieira!

Ashley Young is really hard to criticize, because Essien really helped him a lot in this match.

Otherwise, his position would indeed be riddled with bullets.

"Europe's toughest center forward! You only noticed Drogba's three goals, but did you notice the three stripes on his knee slide?"

The picture shows Lu Kai, Drogba, and Ashley Young.

He slid down on his knees and got eight stripes.

Whoever is less will be embarrassed!
In the interview, Lu Kai also praised Drogba, saying, "A Lu-style player? That's an interesting way to put it, but I hope Transfermarkt won't lower his value because of this characteristic."

“In fact, I think Drogba can go further in this style because his physical talent is far superior to mine, and his ceiling is extremely high.”

"My nomination for the Ballon d'Or this year has caused a lot of controversy. I believe that if Drogba had been nominated, none of these controversies would have existed."

"In my opinion, he is a Ballon d'Or caliber player. I'm not talking about Ballon d'Or nominees, I mean he is the kind of player who is truly capable of challenging for the Ballon d'Or and winning it."

Lu Kai knew that Abu and his team would definitely see these news reports.

Of course, he also casually added his own opinion: "The only player on our team who can match Drogba in physical confrontation is Lescott!"

"They are rivals of the same caliber."

"They are all incredibly strong!"

"Our victory over Chelsea was not a fluke, nor was it entirely a tactical maneuver; it was also because we have many talented players that haven't been discovered yet. They deserve more exposure and more to look forward to!"

"The French Maradona, Valbuena! And Ribery, the devil's steps!"

"Freezing Ireland's Duff: The Ultimate Defending Skills of an All-Around Defender... Ashley Williams, What is the Welsh National Team Waiting For? For England to Call Him Up?"

There's so much news in this issue.

One memorable match is more valuable than playing ten rounds of league matches.

However, as the vice GOAT, Ashley Young would be embarrassed if he received less media attention than his teammates.

So he had no choice but to ask Jiang Mengyun for an advance on next month's salary.

Jiang Mengyun stated that she needed to know the purpose of the funds; otherwise, the application would not be approved.

Ashley Young could only admit it.

Jiang Mengyun later regretfully stated that the advance salary could not be used to buy advertising on the BBC, but if she wanted to buy the headline for "The Voice of Green Guns," she could get a 2% discount.

Ashley Young immediately agreed.

After all, he was really struggling to keep up with buying BBC products. He had to give a large portion of his salary to his family every month, leaving him with very little to spend on himself.

The next day, Ashley Young bought hundreds of copies of The Voice of Green Guns and placed them in prominent locations such as the Pond Convenience Store, the training ground, and the locker room.

"A longer reach makes a greater impact, and for assists, look to Ashley Young!"

The accompanying picture shows three people sliding on their knees across eight bars.

Ashley Cole excels at offense, Ashley Williams excels at defense, and Ashley Young excels at everything!

Ashley Young completely outplayed his former teammate Madeira in attack, and his overall contribution was even comparable to Drogba's!

Why isn't Transfermarkt increasing Ashley Young's market value? Is it because your connections can't afford a nine-figure sum?

Rumor has it that Time magazine booked Ashley Young for a cover shoot, but he was too busy with work to make it!

The accompanying photo shows Ashley Young wiping a table in a convenience store.

Too many female fans! Female fans bought out the bubble tea brand just to see Ashley Young!

The accompanying photo shows Ashley Young opening a door for a female customer. Due to the way the photo was taken, it's hard to tell that she was there to buy bubble tea and wasn't a fan.

Ashley Young is driving a new economy with her "Green Gun Tea Queen"! Tickets to her handshake events range from £5 to £20, and you get a free Green Gun milk tea after the handshake!

The accompanying picture shows Ashley Young handing milk tea to a customer.

Who can tell whether the other person got the milk tea because of the handshake, or was forced to shake hands with him, Victor, because of the milk tea!
This wave of news greatly satisfied Ashley Young's vanity.

It looks pleasing to the eye.

Now all the Page 3 girls posters on his walls have been replaced with his own news headlines.

So this is what it feels like to be rich... Pshaw... So this is what it feels like to be famous and recognized.

……

February 3rd, the 30th round of English League One.

Dartford will play Watford away.

Ashley Young volunteered, wanting to return home in luxury.

Alfred satisfied him.

Ultimately, the team defeated the Yellow and Blacks of England 4-2.

Unfortunately, Ashley Young failed to score.

On the contrary, both of the opponent's goals were scored by exploiting the gaps created when he made runs forward.

However, before the match, Ashley Young brought his newspapers and milk tea to find a few of his former youth teammates who were still at Watford.

Half of my old friends have already drifted apart.

These trainees at Watford are all 18 or 19 years old and still haven't made it into the first team.

There are even some people who haven't made it into the reserve team.

This is enough to prove the cruelty of the professional football youth training system.

For the sake of the milk tea, his former friends also took the newspaper, only to be humiliated by Ashley Young.

There's no way around it, Green Gun Tea is very popular in the UK right now, with several stores in London, and you have to queue at every one of them.

In retrospect, it's just that they were too outstanding back then.

If it had been them, instead of Ashley Young, who were released by the youth academy, they would be the ones making headlines today.

Life is truly like this: losing is winning, and winning is losing!
After the match, Dartford's players drew cheers from the fans in the team's waiting area.

Because Lu Kai stopped to sign autographs for the fans who were waiting there.

If I, Lu Shang, am like this, how dare others not follow suit?

For a time, the stamp-collecting fans were very satisfied, and even their resentment towards Dartford for defeating their home team dissipated.

This is how many top teams gradually win over visiting fans.

Moreover, Watford is also in Greater London, which is within my Green Gun's potential territory.

Ashley Young, who thought he would be welcomed, found himself surrounded by few fans. To ease his embarrassment, he looked around and actually saw a very shy and helpless chubby boy.

“You want an autograph, right?” Ashley Young pointed at the other person.

The chubby boy was very surprised that the other person knew what he was thinking.

“Give it to me, I’ll help you!” Ashley Young said.

The chubby boy was very grateful and handed Ashley Young a brand new jersey.

“Oh? You’re from Watford’s youth academy?” Ashley Young recognized the jersey. “A brand new training jersey. You must have kept it specifically to wear and collect.”

"This must have special meaning for you."

Ashley Young signed his name on it as he spoke.

Considering their shared history, he didn't even use cursive; instead, he wrote each letter clearly. Then he added, "Wishing you success as much as I have, to..."

Ashley Young: "By the way, what's your name again?"

The chubby boy: "Harry Kane."

Ashley Young: "Okay, all done. Harry Kane, keep it up! I hope you can join the first team someday!"

Harry Kane's eyes were already red.

Ashley Young: "No need to be so touched, signing autographs for you is what I should do."

Harry Kane couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears: "This is the jersey I specially kept to ask Lu for my autograph! Waaaaah, you ruined it! I'll never have another jersey like this again, waaaaah..."

Ashley Young was quite embarrassed.

The important thing is not to cry!

Now everyone's looking over here, and they all know I'm just trying to get autographs.

It's embarrassing if a non-fan gets caught asking a player for an autograph.

Even if he's not an idol, he'd still feel awkward if he got caught signing autographs for others!
Lu Kai inquired and rushed over.

After learning of Kane's needs, he quickly asked Ten Hag to bring him one of his spare jerseys.

Not only did he sign his name, but he also addressed it to "Harry Kane, the future England's number one center forward"!
The chubby boy cried again.

Ashley Young chuckled inwardly, thinking that the chubby kid must be annoyed that Lu had written too much and gotten his jersey dirty.

Ten Hag shook his head, saying, "Oh, this kid's personality is too weak; he'll never become a star player."

Ivanka, who was traveling with the team, had a keen intuition and asked, "Little one, why are you crying?"

Harry Kane was heartbroken: "I'm a deep-lying midfielder."

“Hahaha!” Ashley Young laughed mercilessly.

"They said I'm underdeveloped and short, so they won't let me play striker, they'll make me play midfield. If I can't even play midfield well, I'll have to play full-back!" Little Kane was taken aback by Lu Kai's comment about England's best center forward.

No one knows how much he wants to play striker.

That sentence gave him strength.

He vowed that no matter what position he plays now, he will strive to become a great striker!
The chubby boy's eyes gradually hardened as he found his life motto.

Oh oh oh!
Ashley Young, on the contrary, burst into tears.

Ivanka was puzzled and said to Lu Kai, "This can't be that serious, can it? It's just that nobody wants his autograph."

Lu Kai shook his head: "That's not the reason."

"It's just that Kane's experience is too similar to his. Ashley was also unable to play as a striker because of his short stature, and was eventually even fired by the team."

Ashley Young got into the car heartbroken, tears streaming down her face.

Not only because of that painful past, but also because... he's playing defense now!
As the team bus drove away, Ashley Young rolled down the window and said to Kane, who was waving beside him, "Little fatty, try to play for Dartford someday, I'll protect you!"

"I'm waiting for you to come and assist me in the England national team!"

Harry Kane nodded firmly.

……

February 8th, FA Cup fifth round.

It's hard to say whether this is the persecution of money-driven football by traditional English football strength.

Dartford have drawn Chelsea again.

The two teams met three times in twenty days, a feat that other Premier League teams don't have as easily encountered as Chelsea.

The good news is that Chelsea is preparing for the Champions League.

They also temporarily overtook Manchester United in the league, climbing to second place.

It's clear they can't easily get away from the FA Cup.

Ranieri advised Abramovich to abandon the FA Cup and field a reserve team.

This means we're guaranteed to win either the Champions League or the Premier League!

But Abu said he wanted all three.

I gave you over thirty players, most of whom are star players, and you're telling me that having three lines is too much?

Why don't you take a look at Dartford?

Is fighting on four fronts a good idea?

In reality, Dartford rotates its players across all four competitions, and every player is in good form.

Chelsea have been using the same lineup throughout the game, and with three or four key substitutes, they don't really have much energy left.

Many star players are out of form, and if they are brought onto the field rashly, the effect may not be as good as that of ordinary players.

Abu wouldn't listen.

Ranieri had no choice but to field a star-studded lineup once again at the Green Penguin Stadium.

Crespo, Mutu

Joe Cole, Makelele, Lampard, Parker

Bridge, Desailly, Terry, Melchiort
Cudicini
-

This lineup is still top-notch.

In contrast, Dartford's star power was dim:
Gilardino, Drogba, Valbuena
Patton, Essien, Touré

Lu Kai, Lescott, Duff, Li Weifeng
Casper

-

It's still 433, just Ashley Young is resting.

As a result, Lu Kai's move to full-back directly countered Raniere's tactic of using midfielder Parker to shut down Ashley Young on the wing.

Compared to Lu Kai, who was more independent, had a better vision, and better combat skills, Parker was unable to play any role throughout the game.

If Madeira is used, at least his speed can surpass that of Lu Kai.

On the other side, Ranieri still couldn't solve Dartford's high pressing and relentless attacking play.

Despite creating dangerous situations for both sides in the first half.

But Chelsea conceded a goal early in the second half.

Ultimately, thanks to Lu Kai's explosive impact on the left flank, Gilardino and substitute striker Crouch scored in quick succession.

Dartford beat Chelsea 2-0, securing a double victory.

He has firmly secured his position as the King of London.

This encounter not only eliminated Chelsea from the FA Cup, but also provided some teams in the Champions League and the Premier League with insights into how to beat Chelsea.

Those with enough foresight could have foreseen Chelsea's tragic end to this season.

They probably won't win any championships.

Even a team like Real Madrid, with its proud attacking stars, is willing to play the same kind of desperate, aggressive attacking pressure as Dartford in the Champions League.

Not to mention the other Premier League teams.

Chelsea's big money has been punctured by the Green Gunners.

The others followed the crack and broke the gold coins to shreds!
(End of this chapter)