Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 64 Overturning Camp Nou

Zhang Han, you've traveled through time too?

Yang Fan almost blurted out those words.

Fortunately, he stopped in time, thus preventing himself from being exposed.

But look at the person in front of her again, she is exactly the powerful woman from the Southern Province who recruited her at the celebration banquet before she transmigrated.

At best, he just looks young and a bit green.

"Mr. Yang?" Zhang Han's gentle voice rang in Yang Fan's ears once again.

Yang Fan quickly regained his composure.

It wasn't that he was bad-tempered, but he was inevitably surprised to suddenly see an acquaintance from before he transmigrated.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

"I am Zhang Han, a freelance photographer for the sports channel of XX portal website."

Freelance photographer?

Yang Fan quickly guessed what it was.

Despite England's professional football industry attracting top talent from around the world, there are very few Chinese players.

In Yang Fan's original memory, he was the only one who worked for a Premier League club.

However, I do see a few people working for clubs in lower-level leagues, or on the fringes of professional leagues, as well as some third-party service providers, such as the Premier League's social media in China.

Many Chinese portal websites or sports media outlets don't actually have that much budget to hire people who are stationed in the UK year-round.

However, they also need to report the news in a timely manner, usually by reposting news from foreign websites or by hiring Chinese students to work part-time for them, with photographers being one such example.

As Zhang Han spoke, he handed over a media pass issued by the Premier League.

Zhang Han's name and photo are on it.

"So you're Miss Zhang, hello." Yang Fan glanced at her and nodded slightly.

"Well, Mr. Yang, I've been taking photos for domestic websites and sports media, and recently I've been following your news and Manchester United's news. Yesterday, a friend from CCTV contacted me."

"CCTV?"

"Yes, they actually wanted to contact you, but they couldn't get in touch with you. They also felt it was inappropriate to contact Manchester United so rashly, so they asked me to ask for your opinion first."

"What is it?"

"They want to arrange for someone to come and do an exclusive interview with you, see when is convenient for you."

"Interview me?" Yang Fan was somewhat surprised.

That's CCTV!

"Has Mr. Yang not been paying attention to domestic news lately?"

"Yeah, I've been incredibly busy lately."

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"understand."

Zhang Han had been following the news story about Yang Fan and Manchester United all along, so she naturally knew that Yang Fan had been living on thin ice every day during this period.

Most importantly, the consecutive weeks of two matches left him with absolutely no time to rest.

Even British media outlets are reporting that Yang Fan has been so busy lately that he's been living in Carrington.

"Mr. Yang, you are quite a celebrity in China now."

""

A famous person?

Yang Fan was initially surprised, but after thinking about it, he understood.

How much of a shock would it cause in China if a 25-year-old Chinese man suddenly took over as manager of a top club like Manchester United?

No wonder even CCTV came to interview them!

Thinking about it, it's actually pretty cool!

"Okay, then let's schedule it after next Wednesday. I'll be more free around that time." Yang Fan thought for a moment and readily agreed.

This weekend is the 33rd round of the Premier League, with Manchester United playing away against Newcastle.

This is a tough match, not easy to play, and Manchester United will need to rotate their squad.

Next Wednesday is the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, where they will host Barcelona.

The match was originally scheduled for this weekend, with Manchester United hosting Hull City in the 34th round of the Premier League.

But this weekend features the FA Cup semi-finals: Hull City vs. League One side Sheffield United, and Arsenal vs. Championship side Wigan Athletic.

Therefore, the Manchester United vs. Hull City match will naturally be postponed.

Yang Fan and Manchester United can also take this opportunity to relax and prepare for the next match.

"Okay, I will pass it on."

""

Even before Zhang Han was commissioned, CCTV had already said that they would coordinate with Yang Fan's schedule.

Yang Fan noticed that Zhang Han seemed hesitant to speak. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Let's add each other on WeChat. You can contact me directly if you need anything."

After saying that, Yang Fan took out his phone.

Zhang Han was overjoyed, "Great, I'll scan you."

After the familiar "ding" sound, we easily added each other on WeChat.

"Is Miss Zhang also from the Southern Province?"

How did you know?

""

"Accent." Yang Fan really wanted to say: I knew that in my past life.

But he also said the accent was true.

Many people say that the soft Wu dialect spoken in the water towns of Jiangnan is exceptionally gentle, but Yang Fan has always felt that the voices of women from southern provinces are even clearer and more melodious.

Zhang Han's voice is among the most beautiful.

"I'm from the provincial capital."

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My home is in Jiangcheng.

"I know that authoritative media outlets in China have interviewed your parents." Zhang Han's tone became noticeably more intimate.

When two people from southern provinces are living abroad, they can be considered fellow villagers.

Moreover, the two cities are neighbors.

Yang Fan's parents were just ordinary people. His father worked at a state-owned bank in Jiangcheng, and his mother was a teacher at a key middle school in the old city, which was also Yang Fan's alma mater.

It was only because they all had stable jobs and decent incomes that they were able to barely support Yang Fan's studies abroad.

The father, who had always been low-key and cautious, only learned that his son had become the manager of Manchester United when a reporter from an authoritative media outlet came to his workplace for an interview.

As a result, the son was a complete novice, and the father was an even bigger novice.

He didn't even know what Manchester United was.

Yang Fan couldn't help but laugh whenever he thought about the tone of his father's voice when he hurriedly called him to verify the truth of the matter.

During that phone call, his father kept reminding Yang Fan to be cautious and steady.

Naturally, I wouldn't tell him about my fame in the country.

Caution is something Yang Fan learned from his father.

Just like now, he didn't even ask Zhang Han why, as the only daughter of the richest man in the South Province, with such a wealthy family, she could easily study in the UK, so why did she still need to work as a photographer to earn money?

Also, it's 2014 already, why are you still using that old Nikon film camera that looks very worn but is maintained in a very meticulous way?

In his previous life, he had never heard anyone say that Zhang Han liked photography.

Could it be the butterfly effect?

Yang Fan watched Zhang Han's departing figure and shook his head.

He had a feeling that in his past life, what he and everyone else saw might not have been the real Zhang Han.

At least now, Zhang Han is beautiful, but she no longer has the coldness that kept people at arm's length in her previous life.

It must be something that happened in the future.

Yang Fan thought to himself.

Manchester United pulled off a major upset, beating Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou!

On the plane carrying Yang Fan back to Manchester, news of this upset spread rapidly around the world.

Major media outlets rushed to report on it.

Catalan media focused more on the controversial decisions made by referee Brych.

Whether it's Mundo Deportivo, Meet Sports, or other media outlets, they all pointed the finger at the German referee, unanimously agreeing that Smalling's foul should have been a penalty.

"The penalty was clear and indisputable."

"Barcelona players demanded a penalty, but German referee Brych did not award it."

Mundo Deportivo concluded that if that penalty had been awarded, Manchester United would not have been able to escape the Camp Nou unscathed.

However, the Spanish newspaper Marca pointed out that "the slow-motion replay showed that the Manchester United defender's tackle was not a foul, but a beautiful tackle, and the German referee's decision was accurate!"

'

AS further pointed out that it was unreasonable for Barcelona, ​​from the head coach to the players, to point the finger at that referee's decision after the match.

"The decision itself wasn't the problem. The problem is why Barcelona, ​​after losing at home, is blaming Brych for all the blame?"

"Do they think that this accurate ruling caused them to lose at home?"

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In a subsequent article, AS further pointed out that the reason for this major upset at Camp Nou was that "Barcelona fell for Manchester United's trick!"

""

What does that mean?

"Neither of Manchester United's goals was unfounded; both were achieved by utilizing Fellaini's aerial prowess to suppress Mascherano."

"Yang Fan's tactics were very targeted, precisely addressing Barcelona's weakness in defending against high balls."

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In contrast to the divisions within the Spanish media, the British media has been remarkably united.

The Daily Mail interviewed Pol, a referee with 26 years of officiating experience, immediately after the match.

The latter stated that Brych's ruling was very accurate.

"If the Barcelona players just watch the game videos, they can easily make the right judgment. They shouldn't feel wronged."

"What they really need to realize is why they conceded two goals to Manchester United at the Camp Nou?"

"If they don't figure this out, they'll lose again when they come to Old Trafford a week later."

"Just like the two losses to Bayern last season."

"Don't forget, Barcelona's away record is far worse than their home record."

The Times even published a commentary on the match afterward, with a particularly eye-catching headline.

The worst Manchester United ever has upset Camp Nou!

In this article, The Times not only reviewed the match but also highlighted Yang Fan.

"Compared to teams like Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Manchester City, the Manchester United team under Yang Fan is significantly inferior in terms of both squad composition and morale."

"But even under these many unfavorable circumstances, Manchester United pulled off a major upset away from home that shocked the world!"

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"Frankly speaking, even if Manchester United wins 2-1 away from home, with their current squad and strength, they will still be in a tough spot against Barcelona at home."

""

"But since Yang Fan was able to defeat Barcelona away from home, who can say that he and his team cannot create another miracle and advance to the semi-finals when they return to their home ground?"

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"Even if we take a step back and assume that Manchester United is ultimately eliminated in the quarterfinals, Yang Fan and Manchester United's performance at Camp Nou alone is absolutely worthy of respect!"

'

More importantly, on that night at Camp Nou, Yang Fan and Manchester United once again showed everyone what the indomitable spirit of the Red Devils truly means!

'

Manchester United's 2-1 away victory over Barcelona has been highly praised by major European media outlets.

Yang Fan, a rookie head coach who was only 25 years old, was previously criticized and humiliated by many media outlets for rashly becoming the head coach of Manchester United.

After the Camp Nou match, whether it was the German newspaper Bild, Kicker magazine, Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere della Sera, or the French newspaper L'Équipe, everyone had to praise this name.

Kicker magazine even featured a photo of Yang Fan directing the game from the sidelines on the cover of its midweek Champions League special the following day, with the headline, "Manchester United's Hero, Yang!"

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If Yang Fan's success was a turnaround in reputation and a surge in fame, then Fellaini's was a triumphant triumph.

Scoring twice and defeating Barcelona away from home, the Belgian has completely shed his reputation as a flop.

This also made everyone realize Fellaini's tactical value again!

Even Barcelona coach Martino said in the post-match press conference that defending against Fellaini will be Barcelona's biggest challenge in the second leg at Old Trafford!

But Martino expressed great confidence for the second leg.

"As long as we perform normally, we will definitely advance!"

Martino wasn't the only one who thought this way; Xavi also expressed his disappointment at the loss at Camp Nou in a media interview.

"The result was not good, but we still have the second leg, away at Old Trafford, and we will show the fans the real Barça!"

'

Messi stated that Manchester United's performance exceeded Barcelona's expectations.

"The intensity of the match was very high, and the pace was fast from beginning to end. Our opponents were very well prepared."

"We played better in the second half, but missed a lot of chances."

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A 1-2 home defeat?

"They might have a slight home-field advantage, but I think the chances are 50/50!"

Messi said this with great confidence.

Yang Fan received several messages as soon as he returned to Manchester.