Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 71 What if I lead Manchester United to the Champions League final...? [Seeking first-time subscriptions]

Cleverley is gone.

I received Yang Fan's promise three days in advance.

He will definitely start against Barcelona on Wednesday night.

Yang Fan had only one requirement for him: to stop the ferocious Barcelona!

A 2-1 away victory did not intimidate Barcelona.

The La Liga teams will launch a fierce counterattack at Old Trafford, and no one knows just how much fighting power they will unleash.

Especially talented superstars like Messi, Neymar, and Sanchez.

No sooner had Cleverley left than Mike Phelan and Steve Lund arrived.

Yang Fan briefly explained Cleverley's situation and the promises he had made.

Both assistants felt there was no problem, as this was part of the original plan.

"Tom is a good player, it's just a bit of a shame!"

Yang Fan nodded, "We need to focus all our efforts on preparing for the Barcelona match over the next three days."

One very important point is to learn from the problems and lessons learned in the first leg of the match.

In the first leg, Barcelona started Fabregas, but the effect was not ideal.

Yang Fan guessed that it would likely not be used again in the next round.

Neymar, Messi, and Sanchez are very likely to play together.

How can we prevent this?

Manchester United must prepare early, especially regarding the weaknesses on the flanks of their three-man defense.

Although this three-defender formation has been tested in six matches, this time they are facing Barcelona.

Who dares to say it's foolproof?

"Let's go check out the training ground."

After saying that, Yang Fan slapped his thigh and stood up.

"Wait a minute," Steve Lund called out to him quickly.

"What's wrong?" Yang Fan and Mike Ferran were both completely confused.

"The training session is only 15 minutes long, but the examiners will be here this afternoon."

Mike Phelan almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

Today is Sunday, and Yang Fan has an exam!

"The Champions League is important, and the big picture comes first," Yang Fan said confidently.

Steve Lund was somewhat taken aback.

Does this mean the exam is cancelled?

Or is he just being unreasonable with himself?

Yang Fan walked at the front, also feeling a headache. He thought that the classes were just for show, and what was the point of having a training plan?

I'm leading a team in the Champions League quarterfinals, a match worth tens of millions of pounds. You want me to play like a seven or eight-year-old?

A 1-minute training plan?

God who controls time travel, you might as well just strike me dead with lightning!

Why didn't you give me a coaching certificate when I time-traveled?

Which bastard came up with this setting?

Yang Fan was not really involved in Manchester United's training.

He just stood by and watched.

After the training session ended, Yang Fan took the opportunity to approach Rooney, Carrick, and the others, pretending to be concerned and asking them a question.

Damn, they've already finished preparing.

"Coach, it's just a 15-minute training session, and it's just a bunch of kids. Just do it casually," Rooney said rather magnanimously.

Just something casually made?

Instead of preparing properly, what kind of training plan did you give me?

If you don't perform well against Barcelona, ​​I'll kill you!

But I must say, it's actually quite easy.

After finishing lunch, Yang Fan returned to his office and, based on the notes Steve Lund had given him in class, as well as the training plan that the old man had used back then, "translated" them, and a training plan that looked quite decent was produced.

"I miss my little Yi so much!"

In Yang Fan's previous life, many of his PPT presentations were made by Xiao Yi.

In the afternoon, two examiners from the Manchester Football Association arrived in Carrington, and were received by Brian McCuller.

When they met Yang Fan, they naturally exchanged pleasantries once again.

This six-game winning streak has made Yang Fan a household name.

Now, who would mock Yang Fan for not having a coaching certificate?

If a rookie without a coaching certificate can lead a Manchester United team that is in terrible shape to six consecutive wins, then wouldn't all the certified coaches who are not performing well in their teams commit suicide?

During the assessment, the examiners kept nodding in approval when they saw Yang Fan's training plan.

"It was done very carefully and meticulously, to a very high standard. It must have taken a lot of time."

Yang Fan nodded seriously, "It took me several sleepless nights to finish this."

Steve Lund, who was standing next to him, almost spat out his saliva.

Damn, how many nights have you been staying up?

You really dare to say that?

You clearly only spent less than half an hour, and you even took a nap at noon. I was the one who checked the typos for you.

But when he saw the examiner praising him again, Steve Lund was filled with despair.

What a shameless world!

He finally understood why he had never been able to coach solo in his entire life.

The written part was easy; it only tested the content in the notes, so you could pass by just memorizing it.

The practical part is not difficult either; it involves organizing a 15-minute training session, which is also a youth training session for children.

The only thing to be careful about is to always speak positively and provide children with sufficient emotional value.

For example, if a child passes the message well, you immediately shout, "Well done!"

If you manage to take a shot, regardless of whether it's on target or not, the immediate reaction is always, "Fantastic!"

What if you don't play well?

"Well done!"

In short, no matter how badly the kids play, you can't blame them or show any dissatisfaction.

This can be considered a kind of unconventional test.

Those who work in youth training generally have good tempers.

After the assessment, the examiners gave scores on the spot.

Yang Fan and several Manchester United players all passed with full marks.

This made Yang Fan realize that the process had to be followed, including taking photos and videos, and then sending them back to the FA headquarters in London for archiving.

But the ending will definitely be good.

After scoring, a certificate is issued on the spot, but it is only an electronic certificate.

"Now I'm a Manchester United manager with a coaching certificate!" Yang Fan said self-deprecatingly, looking at the electronic certificate on his phone.

Everyone around burst into laughter.

This kind of strange thing is truly unheard of!

"This will probably be on the front page again tomorrow," the examiner said with a smile as he left.

Who made Yang Fan so famous?

There are many people outside eagerly waiting to see Yang Fan fail the exam and make a fool of himself.

After seeing the examiners off, Yang Fan, Rooney, Van Persie, and others followed Brian McCuller to his office.

Because the certificates were issued on the spot, Yang Fan and others could immediately register for the Level 2 Coach Certificate Training Course.

Compared to Level 1 certificates, Level 2 certificates are more expensive.

In Manchester, it's £180.

It's relatively more expensive in London, costing up to £220.

But money is only a small part of it.

The fact is that many amateur football enthusiasts take the Level 1 certificate exam, and some even take it specifically to coach their children.

However, the difficulty of obtaining the Level 2 certificate increases significantly.

This is evident from the training courses.

First, there was a week of intensive training, with every day from nine to five.

In addition to theoretical lessons, students also have to play football on the field themselves.

This is also to allow coaches to practice and experience football training and matches firsthand.

After a week of training, there's no way to take the certification exam directly. Instead, you have to find a team on your own and lead them in 12 training sessions.

This is not just any kind of training; it requires detailed records and data.

Then, I will continue to participate in intensive training over several weekends.

From registration to assessment, the normal process takes at least 2 to 3 months.

Not to mention the content of the Level 2 coach training course and the team training programs, the standards far exceed those of Level 1.

"In the UK, the Level 1 certificate is not difficult at all; any normal person can pass it."

"What truly eliminates the vast majority of people is level 2."

Yang Fan thought about it carefully and realized it made sense.

After all, once you get a Level 2 certificate, you can work and earn money in lower-level amateur teams or some amateur youth training institutions. The difficulty of obtaining the certificate is definitely higher than that of Level 1.

"Wait, Brian, it's already April. I need to register for UEFA League B before the season ends. Is there enough time?" Yang Fan thought of the most serious problem.

"If there's not enough time, we can continue when the season is suspended," McCuller replied matter-of-factly.

"What if Manchester United makes it to the Champions League final, and UEFA doesn't let me sit on the bench?"

Everyone around was stunned.

Everyone, including McCallie, Steve Lund, and Rooney, stared at Yang Fan in disbelief.

Coach, how dare you say such a thing?

Lead Manchester United to the Champions League final?

Isn't that just wishful thinking?

If you actually succeed, wouldn't all the professional head coaches in European football be depressed on the spot?

Do you know what this means?

"Haha, Yang, that was a lame joke, but don't tell it again," McCallie waved his hand and laughed.

"Just in case, I mean just in case, you can't deny that possibility, can you?"

Steve Lande chuckled, patted Yang Fan on the shoulder, and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's certainly a possibility, but do you think UEFA would prevent you from sitting on the coaching bench if you actually led Manchester United to the Champions League final?"

Yang Fan immediately understood after hearing what he said.

Isn't it?

Only a loser should have to cater to UEFA's whims.

If Yang Fan can lead the team to the Champions League final, then he'll be truly amazing.

At that point, UEFA will have to defer to Yang Fan's opinion.

If anyone dares to exclude Yang Fan from the bench, believe me, all the media and fans will come out and accuse them of match-fixing!

With that thought, Yang Fan became much more alert.

"By the way, the course only says that you have to lead and guide 12 training sessions, but it doesn't specify that it has to be a youth team, right?" Yang Fan looked at McCallis with a grin.

Manchester United's youth academy director felt a chill run down his spine. "You mean—"

"I trained Manchester United's first team, so wouldn't you say that counts?" Yang Fan's true intentions were revealed.

Awesome!

Rooney and the others standing nearby almost impulsively gave him a thumbs up.

They all only dared to think about the youth team, but Yang Fan actually wanted to lead the first team directly.

Holy crap, this is the first time in history that someone has taken a top-tier first team to take the Level 2 coaching certificate exam!

Unprecedented and unparalleled!

"Theoretically speaking—no problem." McCallie really didn't know how he should react.

Where the hell did this monster come from?

Yang Fan counted on his fingers; 12 training sessions would only take him a little over two weeks, and he could finish them in a little over half a month.

"Also, are you going to teach the training courses that week and the following weekends?" Yang Fan asked Steve Lund.

Steve Lund wanted to say "no".

So embarrassing!

But he was worried that if he said it out loud, Yang Fan would suddenly attack and kill him on the spot.

"I'll do it!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Fan immediately laughed and clapped his hands vigorously. "See, that works! We can squeeze in some time, compress the courses, and make full use of our weekdays to try to get the Level 2 certificate—uh, pass the exam—before the end of this season."

"Is everything alright?"

Yang Fan's gaze swept over everyone present.

Anyone who dares to say there's a problem, I'll kill them!

Steve Lund and McCuller finally understood.

It seems Yang Fan is no longer satisfied with just being admitted through a guaranteed admission program.

He was trying to take the shortcut and skip a grade!

"That kid—"

After Yang Fan, Rooney, and the others left, McCallis shook his head with a wry smile at Steve Lund.

He's even more unconventional than the players.

We dare to think bigger and dare to act bigger!

"You know what, his academic score was really good, all correct. Most importantly, he really did cram right before the exam, he hadn't even touched it before. His learning ability is amazing!"

That's insane!

"Alright, let's do as he says. I'll handle things with the Manchester Football Association."

Steve Lund nodded. "I'll arrange the classes. Rooney and the others are with him too."

"These guys are getting off easy!" McCuller couldn't help but laugh.

Becoming classmates with Yang Fan actually allowed me to hitch a ride on his coattails.

If the process is strictly followed, they probably won't even pass the test on their first try.