Starting with saving Manchester United

Although they won 2-1 against Barcelona away from home, Yang Fan did not arrange for the players to celebrate this time.

The reason is simple: it was already very late when I got back to Manchester from Barcelona.

Yang Fan's reward was that the training session on April 2nd would be postponed to the afternoon.

This is equivalent to giving the players half a day off.

The players had no complaints about it.

In such a disastrous season, the team has achieved a five-game winning streak in this recent grueling schedule, and everyone is giving it their all.

After the team disbanded, the coaching staff also disbanded.

Only Yang Fan and Jackie Kay remain in Carrington.

"Several messages, some good and some bad."

In the head coach's office, Jackie Kay reported.

"Listen to the bad news first."

Yang Fan was taught from childhood that hardship comes before reward.

"News from the hospital indicates that Ferdinand's final diagnosis is a hamstring strain in his right leg, and he is expected to be out for four weeks."

Upon hearing this news, Yang Fan couldn't help but lean back in his chair.

This is absolutely terrible news!

Ferdinand is old, but he still has experience and is quite good.

His injury will significantly impact Manchester United's defense.

Phil Jones delivered a stellar performance in tonight's Camp Nou match, particularly his energy and tenacity in midfield, which played a crucial role in Manchester United's suppression of Barcelona's midfield.

Fabregas was substituted early, and Phil Jones deserves much of the credit.

With Ferdinand injured and returning to Old Trafford, Phil Jones will have to move back to the defense.

Could Cleverley have kept the midfield in check back then?

Yang Fan's mind worked extremely fast, and countless pieces of information flashed through his mind in an instant.

"Is there anything else?"

"We have just received notification from the Premier League that Hull City has submitted an application to postpone the 34th round of the league again."

"Postponed again?"

Yang Fan was somewhat surprised.

He stood up from his office chair and walked straight to the blackboard on the wall, where a schedule of Manchester United's matches for the final stage of the season was posted.

According to the original schedule, the 34th round of the Premier League should have been played on April 12 (Saturday) and 13.

Manchester United are playing Hull City, and Arsenal are playing West Ham United.

However, the FA Cup has a huge influence in the UK and is held on weekends.

Therefore, the two league matches between Hull City and Arsenal, who have reached the semi-finals, have been postponed to April 15 (Tuesday) and 16.

But now things have changed again.

Hull City is currently fighting to avoid relegation.

Jackie Kay followed Yang Fan to the schedule and pointed to the dates on it.

"In terms of scheduling, cup competitions are given priority. The FA Cup comes before the league. In the two semi-final matches, Arsenal plays on the 12th and Hull City plays on the 13th."

"The postponed Premier League Round 34 matches also follow this order: Arsenal on the 15th, Hull City and our match on the 16th, but by the weekend, in Premier League Round 35, Hull City's home game against Arsenal is on the 20th at 14 PM."

"Our away game against Everton is in the afternoon."

"We can accept the schedule, but Hull City cannot, because playing Manchester United midweek and Arsenal at the weekend is very detrimental to them."

Yang Fan nodded slightly.

Even in the Premier League, the schedule is not entirely unchangeable.

To put it bluntly, it's all about human relationships and social interactions.

Hur must have put in a tremendous amount of effort to get things done.

Currently, even the bottom-ranked team in the Premier League can guarantee a £6200 million share of broadcasting fees.

Who wouldn't work their butt off?

According to the latest news, after adjustments, it is tentatively scheduled for May 6 (Tuesday).

That is, between rounds 37 and 38.

The reason is that Manchester United beat Barcelona 2-1 away and may be able to participate in the Champions League semi-finals.

Changing the schedule repeatedly is ultimately not a good thing.

After all, in addition to the two participating teams, the interests of the broadcasters must also be considered.

However, this isn't entirely a bad thing for Manchester United.

If Manchester United defeat Barcelona at home and advance to the Champions League semi-finals, then Manchester United will only have one game between the second leg against Barcelona and the first leg of the semi-finals.

That is the away game against Everton in the 35th round.

In other words, Manchester United can conserve their energy and concentrate all their efforts on preparing for the semi-final!

There is still plenty of time.

Thinking about this, Yang Fan felt much more at peace.

"Is there anything else?"

"Good news, Jonny Evans can participate in team training."

Yang Fan couldn't help but laugh when he heard the news.

Is this a case of slapping someone and then giving them a red date?

Ferdinand is injured over there, and Evans is back on the court over here?

But considering the time frame, it's about time.

Evans was injured in early February with a problem in his calf, and he was sidelined for exactly two months.

It's a bit difficult to start joint training now and catch the weekend's game, but I'm sure I can play next Wednesday.

Of course, that's a bit risky.

After all, he's been out for two months, so we'll have to see how he is doing.

Yang Fan now completely understands.

Coaching a professional sports team is much more difficult than managing a core business unit with dozens of employees in a multinational corporation!

Fortunately, Yang Fan had ample experience leading a team in his previous life, otherwise he would have been finished long ago.

……

"Good morning, Cass."

Yang Fan woke up naturally and walked into the head coach's office, where he saw Cass Phelps tidying up and cleaning.

"Good morning, Yang. Last night was a really great game."

Cass Phipps praised him with a very kind smile.

"Thanks."

Yang Fan walked over and poured himself a glass of boiled water.

"In the past few days, the atmosphere within the team has changed a lot, especially among the players. They are generally very passionate, and everyone walks past the front desk with their heads held high."

Cass Phipps smiled again as he said this, "I haven't seen these kids laugh this happily in a long time. The change you've brought about is truly remarkable!"

"It's all thanks to everyone, including you, Cass," Yang Fan said with a smile, expressing his gratitude.

The reason why Kas Phoebus was able to stay at Manchester United for so long and work in the manager's office is not only due to her loyalty to the club, but more importantly, her character and interpersonal skills.

Especially her relationship with the players.

How so?

She has a kind of approachable charm, and she's a great conversationalist and knows Manchester United very well, so people always want to confide in her.

Anyone who has worked in a large company or organization will likely find a "veteran" like this among their acquaintances.

Yang Fan knew that ever since he took the initiative to curry favor with Cass Phelps and gave him gifts, Cass Phelps had often praised Yang Fan, intentionally or unintentionally, when communicating with the players.

This has played a certain role in smoothing the relationship between Yang Fan and the players.

"The most important thing is that you did a great job. I can't help you much." Cass Phipps said this, but he smiled very happily.

At her age, what else can she ask for besides praise and affirmation from others?

"Oh, right."

Yang Fan suddenly remembered something, quickly walked back to his room, and soon came out carrying a gift bag.

The gift bag features a very prominent Visens logo.

Cass Phipps's aged eyes lit up immediately.

"Our hotel in Barcelona was very close to this century-old shop. I saw it while I was strolling around, so I went in and bought some of their signature nougat to bring back, especially the chocolate nougat. You must try it."

Cass Phipps doesn't have many other hobbies, except for a sweet tooth, especially chocolate.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you." Yang Fan handed over the gift bag, which she accepted with great delight.

"I've heard of the Vicente brand before and bought some, but it's never as authentic as the one you brought back from Barcelona yourself."

Yang Fan neither confirmed nor denied it.

This thing isn't worth much money; the most important thing is the sentiment behind it.

……

After having breakfast at the restaurant, when Yang Fan returned to his office, Jackie Kay had already prepared the news briefing and placed it on Yang Fan's desk.

And the itinerary for the next few days.

The away game against Newcastle is at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Barcelona at home is next Wednesday evening.

The distance from Carrington to Newcastle is 250 kilometers, and the bus ride takes nearly 3 hours.

Taking the train would actually be more troublesome.

Chartering a plane is unnecessary, since it's not that far.

As is customary, Manchester United would travel to the away game a day earlier in this situation.

Manchester United's support team has already identified and contacted hotels.

The match was on Saturday afternoon, and the team arrived in Newcastle on Friday evening.

After carefully reviewing the itinerary, Yang Fan found no problems and signed it directly.

"By the way, Jackie, after the Barcelona match, CCTV from China wants to do an interview with me. Could you let them know in London and see if there's anything we need to prepare in advance?"

Jackie Kay was somewhat surprised. "China's most authoritative and influential CCTV?"

This is a golden opportunity for Manchester United to rapidly increase its influence in the Chinese market. Jackie Kay doesn't believe that Woodward can't see the business opportunities and potential hidden here.

"Okay, I'll pass it on right away."

After seeing Jackie Kay off, Yang Fan quickly glanced through the briefing, which was filled with nothing but praise.

Furthermore, most media outlets remain concerned about Manchester United's second leg match.

Even after winning 2-1 away, they still felt that Manchester United's chances of advancing at home were slim.

Ultimately, the difference in strength is still too great.

Moreover, Manchester United this season really seems to be a hopeless case.

Yang Fan didn't seem to feel anything.

He specifically opened domestic websites to check the news.

Interestingly, he actually saw many high-definition photos of himself directing matches at Camp Nou on the sports channel of a certain portal website, mostly taken from the media area behind him.

Hmm, the photos turned out pretty good!

Special photographer: Zhang Han.

Yang Fan casually picked up his phone and sent Zhang Han a WeChat message, telling her that he had already relayed the message to Manchester United and that she could contact Manchester United's public relations department directly with the CCTV staff.

"Thank you, Mr. Yang. I wish you and Manchester United another great weekend!" Zhang Han replied politely.

Once the coaching staff arrived for work, Yang Fan got busy again.

Manchester United will definitely rotate their squad for the match against Newcastle.

The difference lies in how much effort should be put into it?

Newcastle are currently 9th in the Premier League, with nothing to play for.

But it's their home turf after all.

Yang Fan's idea is simple: complete rotation to prioritize ensuring the team's fighting strength for the crucial Champions League match next Wednesday.

"Everyone rotates?" Mike Phelan clicked his tongue in surprise.

But Yang Fan was very certain, "Yes, including De Gea!"

The core coaching staff members looked at each other in bewilderment.

Everyone knows that prioritizing playing Barcelona at home is the priority.

But Yang Fan's rotation was indeed too drastic.

What if we suffer a crushing defeat to Newcastle away from home?

So, can they go all out to defeat Barcelona when they return to their home ground?

Don't say it's impossible.

In the Premier League, especially in recent years, where the competition is extremely fierce, anything is possible.

Generally speaking, a safer approach is to rotate half of the staff, for example, five people.

Six or seven people rotating in is already considered a lot.

But now, Yang Fan's idea is to completely rotate the squad.

In other words, except for the three center-backs who are truly unavailable, almost all other positions need to be replaced.

Yang Fan made the decision without much explanation, and then let the coaching staff arrange the training and preparation plans.

After noon, once the players returned to the club, Yang Fan immediately called Juan Mata over.

When Mata, who had three green lights above his head, arrived at Yang Fan's office, Yang Fan's first words upon entering left Mata completely stunned.

"Juan, do you want Mourinho to regret this?"