Chapter 165: The Opening Decides the Victory! Bleed Barça Dry, But We United Won't Raise the Price!
March 21st, afternoon, Wembley Stadium in London.
Premier League Matchday 30: Beisworth Chinese FC vs. Manchester United.
By the 28th minute, the score was still 0–0.
Beisworth Chinese FC launched an attack down the left and won a corner kick.
Rakitić stood at the corner flag, raised his right hand high to signal, then whipped in a fast, low-driven corner.
At the near post, Pepe lost his marker, leapt high, and hammered a header toward the right side of United's goal.
Van der Sar had no chance—there was no stopping it.
Scholes, standing near the edge of the box, flinched and raised his arms in a reflexive defensive motion.
The ball slammed into his right forearm and ricocheted out.
At first glance, it really looked like a clean header clearance.
But referee Phil Dowd blew the whistle without hesitation.
Players from both sides crowded the scene.
Beisworth Chinese FC players shouted for handball—Maicon and others near the play were pointing to their own arms to illustrate.
United players insisted it was accidental, that the ball simply struck Scholes' arm.
But why was the arm raised in the first place?
A pure reflexive move, maybe—
But Dowd wasn't buying it.
He called Scholes over and brandished a red card.
He had judged it a deliberate handball.
As the red card went up, 90,000 fans in Wembley erupted.
Scholes didn't argue. He just grabbed his head and walked off.
Beisworth Chinese FC were awarded a penalty.
Yang Cheng glanced over to the away dugout.
Ferguson was still seated, unmoving. His face unreadable.
But it was easy to guess his reaction—probably not much.
"After that 4–1 thrashing by Liverpool last round, I bet he's given up on the league," Brian Kidd muttered.
Yang Cheng nodded slightly.
Down 12 points at this stage, Ferguson certainly knew the title was all but lost.
Yang Cheng wouldn't even mince words:
There was no more suspense in this season's Premier League title race.
Given that, it made sense that United were showing less and less fight in the league.
Džeko, the team's leading scorer, stepped up to take the penalty.
He walked up calmly and slotted it home.
1–0!
Wembley roared in celebration.
Up a goal and up a man—there was little left to doubt.
Because Scholes was a midfielder, Ferguson didn't use his last sub.
Instead, he dropped Rooney deeper.
Play resumed.
United now played even more conservatively, and Beisworth Chinese FC began to dominate.
In the 77th minute, Džeko drifted wide to the right, took a pass from Maicon, and crossed to the box.
Walcott burst past Vidić, chested it down, and hooked it in with a beautiful volley.
2–0!
That was the final score.
Beisworth Chinese FC won thanks to goals from Džeko and Walcott—
Beating Manchester United 2–0!
...
"This season feels like a repeat of last year,"
Yang Cheng said post-match as he hosted Ferguson to a private dinner at Wembley.
The wine, specially brought back by Wenger from France, wasn't famous—but it was superb.
He had saved some for tonight, and also shipped a few bottles to his father, future father-in-law, and future brother-in-law back in China.
"We both went for the treble... but now..."
Yang Cheng immediately cut him off.
"Sir, let me correct you. We're chasing the treble. You were."
He couldn't help but laugh after saying it.
Ferguson's face twitched, but he nodded calmly.
"Fair enough. But tell me—do we still have a chance?"
"There's a chance, but—"
"That's enough. A chance is all I need," Ferguson interrupted.
"Even if there's only 1% left, it's still a chance.
Besides, I never said my treble included the league."
Yang Cheng was speechless.
Come on, Sir. Don't start getting shameless with age, alright?
Just earlier, Ferguson had compared this season to the last, with both teams chasing trebles.
And now he's redefining United's treble as the League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League?
Well—technically, that was a treble.
But back when he bashed Liverpool's treble in the 1980s for being "low quality" due to the League Cup, he wasn't so generous.
Double standards much?
Even Ferguson, thick-skinned as he was, looked a little sheepish under Yang Cheng's stare.
On March 1st, United had beaten Spurs in the League Cup final to win the title.
"But this season's completely different from last," Yang Cheng added.
"Last year, we were neck and neck. But this year—we're already 15 points ahead."
He grinned broadly.
Ferguson's frustration deepened.
Why?
Because at least 9 of those 15 points had been dropped by United just recently.
Losing the rescheduled match, the 4–1 home loss to Liverpool, and now this 2–0 away loss to Beisworth.
The gap was growing too quickly.
"Honestly, Sir, if you don't strengthen your squad—especially the midfield—next season will be more of the same," Yang Cheng said bluntly.
And Ferguson knew it.
That blowout against Liverpool?
Everyone blamed Vidić.
But really—it was a midfield issue.
As Yang Cheng had said back when Vidić signed:
In the Vidić–Ferdinand pairing, Vidić steps up, Ferdinand sweeps.
The idea?
Vidić pushes into midfield to support—
Because the midfield is too weak.
With Hargreaves out for the season and Fletcher inconsistent,
Ferguson had been forced to rely on random trios: Carrick, Anderson, Scholes.
They were holding things together thanks to United's off-ball movement system and disruptive defense.
But this season marked a turning point.
Vidić was 27. Ferdinand was 30.
Neither could cover as well anymore.
And the midfield couldn't shield the defense.
Against Liverpool, Vidić had been humiliated.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, from the next season onward, Vidić stopped stepping up altogether—he sat back.
And when you stop stepping up, you make fewer mistakes.
Fewer mistakes means better media and fan perception.
But it also meant United's defense collapsed.
In 2009–10, they barely held on.
By 2010–11, they conceded 37 goals in the league.
In the season Ferguson retired, Manchester United did win the league title—
But they conceded 43 goals that year.
And in the Premier League, any team that concedes more than 35 goals and still expects to win the title? That's considered a lot.
So why did Manchester United collapse after Ferguson retired?
The truth is—they were already collapsing.
It was just that Ferguson, with his overwhelming personal strength and legendary status,
managed to hold the crumbling fortress together, slowing the decline.
Back then, the competition in the Premier League wasn't nearly as fierce as it is now.
The emergence of Beisworth Chinese FC further escalated the arms race in English football.
Just look at this season—
teams are fighting like rabid dogs just for a top-four finish.
From what Yang Cheng has observed,
this summer:
Manchester City will definitely step up their spending,Chelsea, if they want to rebuild, must invest more,And Arsenal will also be forced into the transfer market.
Under these circumstances, what hope is there for United?
"If you're willing to sell us Modrić, I'll swallow my pride and personally fight those Americans to get the money for the transfer," Ferguson said wistfully, looking at Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng snorted and gestured at the appetizers on the table.
"We've only had three dishes and you're already drunk?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… keep dreaming." Yang Cheng didn't hesitate to reject the idea.
After a pause, he added,
"Or how about this—I'll sell you Yaya Touré instead?"
Ferguson instantly flared up.
"You think I'm stupid? City and Real Madrid are already circling him.
Heard Barça and Arsenal are sniffing around too.
You think I can outbid them?"
Yang Cheng grinned.
"Heh. You can at least help drive up the price, right?
You guys are really good at that… aren't you?"
Ferguson looked baffled.
When have we ever been known for inflating market prices?!
Who are you accusing here?!
You think Manchester United plays dirty like that?
But he got the message.
Yaya Touré was for sale.
Modrić? Off-limits.
No question—Yang Cheng was sharp.
Speaking of sharp, Ferguson couldn't help but think of Yang Cheng's uncanny eye for talent.
He lowered his tone.
"How about this—help me make some recommendations?"
"Me? Give you advice?"
"Yes." Ferguson nodded.
"I'll make it worth your while—how about two cases of aged wine from my private collection?"
Yang Cheng paused, then held up five fingers.
"Five cases."
After all, he still had to please his father, his future father-in-law, and his future brother-in-law.
And keep a few bottles for himself.
"Also, I want the same wine you gave Wenger last time."
Ferguson winced.
That bottle was really expensive, and he didn't have many left.
But thinking of Yang Cheng's scouting instincts, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Fine. Five cases. I'll have them sent over tomorrow."
Then he sat up straight and looked at Yang Cheng seriously, waiting for the names.
"You know, your club's not like ours.
You've got money to burn.
We run a tight ship.
So your signings need to be plug-and-play, right?"
Ferguson nodded with satisfaction. That flattery landed nicely.
"If I were managing United—"
"Wait, wait—if you were managing United, then what am I?" Ferguson interrupted, annoyed.
"I said if."
"Okay, okay. Go on."
Man, this old guy's still so defensive.
No wonder Queiroz ran off in a hurry.
Who knows how long Ferguson plans to cling on?
Yang Cheng started listing names.
"Barça's holding midfielder—Busquets.
He's getting a lot of flak lately. His spot isn't fully secure yet."
With Yaya Touré gone, Busquets had risen quickly—
But also drawn more criticism.
Still, Guardiola was backing him, so he'd likely stay.
Yang Cheng was just throwing out suggestions.
Whether Ferguson could actually land the player?
Not Yang Cheng's problem.
He's a scout, not a miracle worker.
"Second: Schweinsteiger from Bayern.
He's wasted on the wing. I think you could convert him into a deep-lying playmaker. He'd be fantastic."
"Third: Daniele De Rossi from Roma.
World-class midfielder. No question—I rate him very highly."
Ferguson nearly let loose a curse.
I rate him highly too, damn it!
Of the three, De Rossi was clearly the top target.
Problem was—could they even afford him?
Those were all premium-tier signings.
"How about someone cheaper? More realistic?" Ferguson asked, trying to sound patient.
Yang Cheng clicked his tongue, full of disdain.
"Want great players, but don't want to spend money?"
Ferguson nodded sheepishly.
"Fine. Jérémy Toulalan from Lyon.
Consider him."
"And of course, there's always Yaya Touré from our club.
Pay up, and he's yours."
Ferguson now had no doubt—
Beisworth Chinese FC had failed to reach a contract extension with Touré.
And Yang Cheng definitely already had a midfield replacement in mind.
All the players he suggested were top-class—but also expensive.
Even Toulalan, the "cheap" option, would cost at least €20 million.
Convincing Jean-Michel Aulas, Lyon's bloodsucking president, wouldn't be easy.
"Don't look at me like that," Yang Cheng said.
"I swear, Toulalan really is on my shortlist."
He sounded so earnest it was almost touching.
And he wasn't lying—
Toulalan was on the list.
Just… you had to scroll pretty far down to find him.
"But if I were you," Yang Cheng added,
"I'd go after Busquets. You've poached from Barça before. What's one more?"
Ferguson was speechless.
Busquets, Schweinsteiger, De Rossi...
Big names, sure.
But not yet at their peak—and certainly not cheap.
Still, Yang Cheng's confidence made Ferguson think—
Maybe these were names to watch.
Not that United had the money to buy them.
"Alright, I've spilled my guts—remember those five cases of wine," Yang Cheng reminded him.
"I've got family to bribe, you know."
Ferguson, ever conservative with transfers, had always shown more tolerance for British players than foreign signings.
Lately, with United deeply in debt, the transfer budget had grown tighter and tighter.
He'd become even more cautious.
Often refusing to make moves simply because the prices were too high.
At the end of the day—it was the Glazers' fault.
...
After seeing Ferguson off, Matchday 30 of the Premier League wrapped up.
The league went on pause.
March 28th — International Break.
National team players left to join their squads.
The next Premier League matchday was April 4th—
Followed immediately by the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal,
at home against Chelsea.
During the international break, Yang Cheng did nothing else but one thing:
Study Chelsea.
He reviewed every single match since Guus Hiddink took over.
And if we're talking about Hiddink—
He's the real deal.
A former Real Madrid manager, with success at PSV, South Korea, Australia, and more recently, Russia.
He had a breakout tournament at Euro 2008.
After Chelsea sacked Scolari,
Hiddink—who had close ties with Roman Abramovich—was brought in as the emergency head coach at Stamford Bridge.
Since taking over, Hiddink has been incredibly successful.
So far, in 8 matches, he has achieved 7 wins and 1 draw, remaining unbeaten.
Aside from a 2–2 draw away at Juventus, Chelsea have conceded only one goal in the other 7 games.
That's the hallmark of a Hiddink-coached team.
Relentless running, a highly disciplined defensive structure, and lethal counterattacks—
These qualities have made his résumé shine at nearly every stop.
Of course, he's not without critics.
For instance, during his time at Real Madrid, he was sacked midway through the season due to poor form.
And his stint at Real Betis went even worse.
Many believe his tactical philosophy simply didn't mesh with Spanish football.
He has always excelled in defensive counterattacking football, which was far from popular in La Liga during the late '90s.
To Yang Cheng, the most vivid example of Hiddink's coaching style was the 2006 World Cup Round of 16 match—
Australia vs. Italy.
In that game, Italy's center-back Marco Materazzi was sent off in the 50th minute.
But Hiddink didn't press his advantage.
He continued playing ultra-cautiously, refusing to commit more to the attack.
His plan was to drag Italy into extra time—wear them down and kill them off.
But in stoppage time, Italy's legendary left-back Fabio Grosso won a penalty, and Totti buried it to send Italy through.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, Hiddink did such a good job with Chelsea that he made fans forget about Mourinho.
But even against Guardiola's "Dream Team," Chelsea under Hiddink parked the bus.
People often focus on the controversial officiating in the second leg at Stamford Bridge—
But forget that in the first leg at Camp Nou, Chelsea actually benefited from several favorable calls.
If Barça had finished that first leg more clinically,
there would've been no second-leg drama.
Still, Hiddink's Chelsea were undeniably effective—
They nearly killed off Guardiola's Dream Team.
And they did it through ironclad defending.
That's why Yang Cheng had to dig deep to figure out how to break down Hiddink's defense.
He didn't just review match footage himself—
He assigned the entire coaching staff, especially Gianni Vio's data analysis unit,
to study every aspect of Chelsea under Hiddink.
The strategic objective was clear:
The first leg would be at Wembley—
So Beisworth Chinese FC had to do everything possible to score first.
The first goal would put them in control.
While national teams trained during the break,
Beisworth Chinese FC's staff worked like a finely tuned machine—
Everyone focused, everyone efficient.
On the evening of March 28, Yang Cheng received troubling news:
In the World Cup qualifier between Portugal and Sweden in Porto,
Bosingwa was injured and taken off.
...
"We've confirmed it through our scouting network—it'll be at least three weeks,"
reported chief scout Gary Worthington.
Brian Kidd walked up to the tactics board and marked a big question mark next to the tactical line connecting Bosingwa to Drogba.
Since joining Chelsea, Bosingwa had been a key figure on the right flank—
His crosses to Drogba were a major part of their attacking plan.
With Bosingwa out, neither Ferreira nor Ivanović could replicate that quality.
Their delivery just wasn't at the same level.
"They'll go with Ivanović," Yang Cheng said confidently.
If he were Hiddink, he'd choose Ivanović too—
He was the more stable defender.
Ferreira had been shaky in several big matches.
Brian Kidd erased Bosingwa from the board and replaced him with Ivanović at right back.
That gave Chelsea a likely back line of Ashley Cole, Alex, Terry, and Ivanović.
Now the issue was midfield—
Which directly influenced the front line.
In recent matches, Hiddink had alternated between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1.
Lampard was the undisputed starter.
Essien, Mikel, and Ballack rotated.
But Yang Cheng raised another possibility:
Essien at right wing—to directly suppress the opponent's left back.
When had Hiddink used this setup before?
In the Champions League semifinal first leg at Camp Nou.
That match, Hiddink played a 4-2-3-1:
Lampard as a No. 10 to pressure Barça's deep-lying TouréMikel and Ballack as double pivots to cut off Iniesta and XaviBosingwa, a right-footer, was played at left back to double-team Messi with the rest of the back line
That tactical scheme worked brilliantly.
Yes, the referee made some favorable calls—
But tactically, it was effective.
Barça had no answers.
Yang Cheng had played out these scenarios in his head.
Beisworth Chinese FC were not like Barcelona.
In both lives, Barça lacked a true center-forward.
Eto'o and Henry couldn't link up play in the front three,
so Guardiola had to move Messi central and shift Eto'o wide.
But Beisworth Chinese FC had Džeko—a powerful, traditional target man.
Both flanks—Bale and Walcott or Di María—were lightning fast and dangerous.
Their midfield might not match Barça's possession play,
but their passing combinations and chance creation were just as good.
Still, Yang Cheng couldn't guess what Hiddink would do.
And that was normal.
The key wasn't to guess Chelsea's strategy—
It was to decide how Beisworth Chinese FC would play.
"Over the past week and a half, our analysis team has run countless tactical simulations,"
said Gianni Vio, presenting the data team's findings.
"We've reviewed every Chelsea match since Hiddink took over,
and we're convinced—trying to break them down head-on is extremely difficult.
We need to stretch them wide."
"So we attack down the flanks!"
"We must use the wings to pull their defensive structure apart,
then bring the ball back inside,
where Džeko, the wingers, and late-arriving midfielders can create multi-layered threats."
"We suggest overloading," Vio added.
Yang Cheng understood instantly.
"Push the fullbacks high."
"Exactly. Use the fullbacks to pull Chelsea wide.
That will force them to stretch their back line.
Then we rotate movements between Džeko, Bale, Walcott, or Di María through the channels.
Bale and Džeko both have strong hold-up play.
Meanwhile, midfielders like Rakitić, Modrić, and Yaya Touré can arrive late to create a second wave of attack."
"We've designed over fifty specific attacking routines based on Chelsea's defensive shape," Vio concluded.
"Fifty?!" Yang Cheng was surprised.
"That's just preliminary. Most are still rough and untested.
After filtering, we'll probably end up with about a dozen usable patterns—
Each suited for a specific game scenario and to help players react on the fly."
"Let's hear them."
With that, Gianni Vio and the data team began walking through each set piece and offensive routine, one by one.
Each attacking routine came with detailed breakdowns—targeting specific player weaknesses, responding to particular match scenarios, and highlighting how to maximize the strengths of Beisworth Chinese FC's squad.
Yang Cheng, Brian Kidd, and the rest of the coaching staff listened with full attention.
They knew their players far better than Gianni Vio's data analysts did.
They also understood Chelsea's squad in more depth.
So they could immediately tell which routines had low feasibility—
But many showed high potential.
For instance, several plays centered around long balls to Džeko, aiming to have the Bosnian striker win aerial duels.
The data team had analyzed Džeko's aerial success rates against Terry and Alex, providing probabilities.
If Džeko won the header—what was the next step?
If he lost it—where was the ball likely to drop?
How should the team react to secure the second ball and form a layered attack?
Football is fast, fluid, and unpredictable.
Many in-game moments can't be replicated in training or modeled through data.
All Yang Cheng and his coaches could do now was prepare as much as possible—
Equip the team with clear ideas and tools to break down Chelsea's defense.
After filtering and refining the plays, they settled on 23 attacking routines—
Each of them carefully polished over two full days by the coaching staff.
On top of that, Gianni Vio had also prepared his specialty: set-piece and corner routines.
Everything was ready.
As soon as the players returned from international duty and had some rest,
they'd dive straight into targeted training.
Before the Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Chelsea,
Beisworth Chinese FC would face Liverpool at home in Matchday 31 of the Premier League.
Yang Cheng made a decisive call:
Use the Liverpool match to test the plans!
A necessary move—
After all, training can never fully replicate the intensity of real matches.
Still, he wasn't about to burn out his starting XI before the Chelsea clash.
Instead, he started Di María, Džeko, and Modrić,
With pre-arranged plans to sub them off around the 60-minute mark.
...
April 4th, evening — Wembley Stadium.
Premier League Matchday 31: Beisworth Chinese FC vs. Liverpool.
With Chelsea waiting midweek, Yang Cheng rotated heavily.
Everyone understood.
With such a huge lead in the league, it only made sense to focus on the cups.
From kickoff, Beisworth Chinese FC dominated.
Di María took the ball on the left, dribbled past Arbeloa with ease,
Cut into the box and whipped in a cross.
Džeko rose above Carragher and powered a header on goal—
Reina made a brilliant one-handed save to push it over the bar.
The resulting corner produced another shot, but nothing dangerous.
Beisworth Chinese FC kept Liverpool pinned back early on.
The Reds lined up in a familiar 4-2-3-1, using their strongest midfield trio.
Clearly, Benítez wasn't taking this lightly.
From the sideline, Yang Cheng watched the intense start and felt a twinge of nostalgia—
He really missed Toni Kroos.
Against deep defensive blocks, Beisworth Chinese FC relied heavily on short passing across the flanks to stretch the defense.
If the defense was pulled wide enough, gaps would appear.
That created opportunities.
But Toni's long-range passes could skip two or three passes with one ball.
That was why, in his past life, Toni often played from the left at Real Madrid—
To maximize the angle and range of his passing.
Currently, Beisworth Chinese FC were still stronger in vertical passing,
But their lateral switches needed work.
In the 10th minute, after struggling to build through midfield,
Thiago Silva launched a long ball from the back.
Džeko dropped deep, muscled Carragher off the ball,
Controlled it on his chest, then gently tapped it down.
Then, with a cheeky backheel, he flicked it behind him.
Right as he did, Di María made a diagonal run behind Carragher,
Got to the ball, broke into the box—
And calmly chipped Reina with his left foot.
1–0!
Yang Cheng clapped with delight.
"Angel's in great form. We'll use him on the left and Bale on the right,"
he told Brian Kidd.
Di María's side was clearly more active early on.
Hazard, playing on the right, looked quiet—
No surprise there.
After what he did to Liverpool in the FA Cup,
Benítez had clearly marked him for special treatment.
When facing Chelsea, it would be all about breaking through defenses.
Bale's strength and physicality made him more useful than Walcott.
Hazard and the Little Tiger, meanwhile, would be held in reserve—
Yang Cheng's hidden weapons to unleash when needed.
...
This match was always meant to be a tactical test,
A chance to trial the new setups.
Especially the opening sequences of each half.
After taking the lead, Beisworth Chinese FC eased off the throttle,
Allowing Liverpool to push forward and create a more even contest.
At one point, Torres hit the post.
Later, Rakitić returned the favor—hitting the crossbar on a late run into the box.
At the start of the second half, Beisworth Chinese FC pressed again—
But Liverpool had clearly prepared, and their response was effective.
Overall, Yang Cheng believed that Hiddink would use a 4-2-3-1 against him—
Very similar to Benítez's setup here.
In that sense, this match was extremely valuable.
If anything, Yang Cheng wanted the team to expose weaknesses.
That way, they'd be more confident and better prepared for Chelsea on Wednesday.
From the 60th minute onward, Yang Cheng began his pre-planned substitutions.
Liverpool slowly increased their pressure.
But Benítez didn't dare go all in.
His substitutions were measured and defensive—
Clearly still haunted by that FA Cup exit.
In stoppage time, a substitute passed to Gerrard.
In the chaos, Gerrard slipped a through ball toward Torres,
Kompany blocked it—
But failed to clear.
Gerrard pounced, drove into the box, and fired a shot from just right of the penalty spot.
Goal.
92nd minute.
With Gerrard's last-gasp equalizer, Liverpool escaped Wembley with a 1–1 draw.
In other results from Matchday 31:
Arsenal beat Manchester City 2–0 at homeChelsea beat Newcastle 2–0 awayManchester United, behind a brace from Ronaldo and a 93rd-minute winner from Macheda, defeated Aston Villa 3–2 at Old Trafford.
After returning from the away match at Newcastle, the very first thing Hiddink did in London was instruct his assistant, Ray Wilkins, to gather the coaching staff and review footage of Beisworth Chinese FC's match against Liverpool.
Everyone's immediate reaction was: Yang Cheng was saving energy.
"Leading by 15 points—he can afford to be so willful," Wilkins said, half envious.
Hiddink said nothing.
By contrast, Chelsea were still in a battle for a top-four finish.
That's why, at St. James' Park, Hiddink fielded a near full-strength squad.
The match itself wasn't particularly spectacular, but aside from securing 3 points, Hiddink was specifically observing Mikel.
Few knew that in the previous few games, Mikel had failed to meet Hiddink's standards.
In fact, in the two matches before Newcastle, he'd been outright frozen out.
Hiddink even preferred using Essien as a lone defensive midfielder rather than giving Mikel a single minute.
But against Newcastle, with Drogba and Bosingwa unavailable,
Hiddink brought Mikel back and freed up Lampard in the process.
The result?
Lampard finished with a goal and an assist, earning Man of the Match—
But Mikel was arguably Chelsea's best performer.
He reduced Lampard's defensive workload and orchestrated the midfield flow.
In this match, his impact surpassed even Ballack's.
So Wilkins recommended a midfield trio of Lampard, Mikel, and Essien.
"What do you think—if we use that midfield, can we hold down the right flank?"
Hiddink asked.
"Especially if Anelka doesn't track back much."
Because if Anelka did track back aggressively,
then what would be the point of starting him?
Using Anelka or Kalou was about counterattacking threat, not defense.
Wilkins and the staff hesitated.
From the footage, whether it was Di María or Walcott off the bench,
Beisworth Chinese FC created a lot of danger down the left.
Their only goal against Liverpool had come from Di María.
Even Arbeloa, one of the Premier League's most renowned defensive fullbacks, struggled to contain him.
Could Ivanović really do better?
That was the dilemma.
"If we use Essien on that flank, the defense will hold…
But our right-sided attack will be completely nullified," Wilkins warned.
What most people didn't know was that Chelsea had actually trained this setup already.
It came down to a key problem with the 4-3-3 formation—
The distance between winger and fullback is significantly wider than in other shapes.
So unless your players have high individual ability,
you can't pull it off.
In a 4-3-3, fullbacks often have to face opposing wingers on their own.
Hiddink had anticipated this long ago.
That's why he'd rehearsed Essien on the right wing—
To relieve defensive pressure on the fullback.
If Bosingwa played, the plan was to give the Portuguese full freedom to attack.
If it was Ivanović, the idea was to further reinforce the back line.
Hiddink made his thoughts known.
"Looking at this from a two-legged perspective,
what's more important in the first leg at Wembley—
scoring, or defending?"
No one had a clear answer.
The away goals rule is the trickiest and most brutal part of Champions League knockout rounds.
Especially for the away team in the first leg, scoring is golden.
A valuable away goal can be worth more than two at home.
But Beisworth Chinese FC were a team famous for their attacking firepower.
Is scoring important?
Of course. Chelsea wanted to score.
But wasn't defending even more important?
"In my opinion," Wilkins spoke up,
"our top priority in the first leg should be defense.
Only by holding off Beisworth's attack can we counter effectively and create chances of our own."
"And if we don't score, that's fine.
As long as we don't concede, 0–0 is a good result."
The second leg would be at Stamford Bridge.
Wilkins glanced at the rest of the coaching staff—they all nodded in agreement.
There was no absolute right or wrong here.
It came down to what the manager chose.
And right now, everyone knew:
Yang Cheng would come out swinging at home.
Just look at the Liverpool match—
They launched aggressive attacks at the start of both halves.
It was clearly a live-fire tactical rehearsal.
Same for Chelsea's rotation at Newcastle.
Mikel's return to the lineup?
That was a message.
Hiddink was assessing his condition.
Yang Cheng had surely deduced by now:
Mikel would definitely start—
Because his form was excellent.
In professional football, there are very few "surprise" weapons or miraculous schemes.
Try to get too clever with unexpected tactics, and you're more likely to trip over yourself than the opponent.
"My plan:
Start Essien on the right wing.
In midfield, stick with Lampard, Ballack, and Mikel in a triangle—
Have Lampard man-mark Yaya Touré.
Mikel and Ballack will shield the back line and clamp down on Modrić and the other central midfielder."
To this point, Chelsea still hadn't figured out whether Yang Cheng would start Rakitić or Matuidi.
Both were viable options.
Rakitić was box-to-box, an excellent passer with great movement.
Matuidi was a defensive workhorse—tireless, disciplined, and superb in short passing.
Either choice would make sense.
Yang Cheng tended to favor Matuidi in Champions League matches—
A signal that he wanted stability.
"Set aside one full training session for tactical drills.
Especially focus on Essien covering their left flank.
We'll abandon attacking down the right.
Stack everything on the left—focus on defensive counterattacks."
Wilkins nodded, understanding Hiddink's intention.
This manager really did resemble Mourinho in some ways.
When the pressure was on, he always prioritized stability before anything else.
And it suited Chelsea.
The players were accustomed to this style.
That's why the club had accepted Hiddink so quickly.
Some fans even joked, "With Hiddink here, who needs Mourinho?"
And it wasn't just blind loyalty—
Their tactical philosophies were remarkably similar.
"One more thing—we need to be extremely cautious about their early-game blitz."
Hiddink's brows furrowed.
He'd been reviewing Beisworth Chinese FC's recent matches,
And especially that Liverpool game.
He realized: Yang Cheng loved and excelled at early attacking waves.
Any team looking to sit deep and counter must first survive the storm.
If they concede early—
There's no counterattack, only surrender.
"Get the video department to compile all of Beisworth's opening attacks from recent games."
"Schedule a session.
Get the players focused."
"We cannot—must not—concede early!"
By the end, Hiddink's voice was firm, unwavering.
He had a strong feeling:
This battle at Wembley… the opening would decide the match.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10