Chapter 267: A Dominant First Win—The Rise of the Galactic Chelsea Begins
Last season, Li Ang still saw himself as a "midfield caretaker"—constantly stretched thin, covering both ends, shouldering everything.
But this season, at least in preseason training and friendlies, he finally got to enjoy the role of a pure midfield orchestrator—just focusing on attacking with the ball at his feet.
Another core player might have been reluctant to relinquish control so easily, especially with Kroos being new to the team.
Most would want to observe first, maybe hold onto the reins a little longer.
But Li Ang was different.
He had total confidence in Kroos.
So much so that even Mourinho was surprised.
Li Ang's generous decision to give up some of the creative responsibilities actually helped Mourinho implement his tactical transition more smoothly.
Over the past few seasons at Bayern, Kroos had played various midfield roles, but was most often used in the No.10 position.
Yet during this summer's World Cup, he had shown excellent vision and command from the No.8 role.
His ability to thread threatening passes was elite.
Mourinho valued that—yes—but even more so, he was drawn to Kroos' exceptional passing consistency and big-picture field vision when orchestrating from deeper.
In terms of long passing and vision, Li Ang still trailed Kroos.
Their short-passing ability was about even.
Where Li Ang led, clearly, was in mobility, physicality, and those devastating late runs into the box.
Had Lampard been capable of controlling the game from deep last season, Mourinho wouldn't have needed Li Ang to do it all.
But now? With Kroos—arguably one of the best midfield organizers in the world—Chelsea had a perfect solution.
A World Cup-winning midfield general at just 24 years old.
Locking him into that No.8 role, where he could dictate the tempo and free up Li Ang, was the plan from day one.
And Kroos could run.
Despite his elegant, composed playing style, he wasn't soft.
Defensively, his work rate could even ease some of Matić's burden.
Compared to an aging Lampard, Kroos brought a lot more on the defensive end.
As for the transition from No.10 to No.8?
Not an issue.
Mourinho's demand for more defensive focus?
Still manageable.
Kroos had the skill set.
Mourinho wasn't making unreasonable demands.
And above all, the atmosphere at Chelsea was exactly what Kroos had hoped for.
The hunger for trophies was real, and his new teammates welcomed him with open arms.
From the moment he arrived, Li Ang handed over the keys to midfield leadership.
The younger players were respectful and easy to get along with.
Team bonding events were frequent.
Li Ang regularly organized team dinners and fun activities.
Everyone was included.
The vibe? Warm, united.
Compared to Bayern—where only Müller really took the time to joke around with him—Chelsea felt like a family.
As for honors, Kroos didn't lack any.
He had the full set of club trophies and the World Cup.
To him, this new chapter at Chelsea, filled with genuine respect and acceptance, was already a major win.
Still, Kroos wasn't blindly optimistic.
He knew the Premier League was a tough league, very physical.
He mentally prepared himself for the adjustment period.
Always a cautious, grounded personality, he planned to focus on the basics and do his job quietly at first.
Li Ang, meanwhile, never even considered the possibility that Kroos might struggle.
They'd faced each other before. Li Ang knew exactly how strong he was.
Yes, the Premier League emphasized contact.
But pace and adaptability were just as important.
And Kroos had just finished a full season playing the fastest-tempo football in Europe with Bayern.
He'd also gone up against Premier League clubs plenty of times.
He had the experience.
In fact, Li Ang probably believed in Kroos more than Kroos believed in himself.
And so, with tension and excitement building across the league, the Premier League season once again quietly arrived.
August 17th marked the opening day.
Manchester United—newly managed by Louis van Gaal after Moyes was sacked—faced Swansea.
Before the match, most United fans, and many neutral fans too, predicted an easy win for the Red Devils.
After all, they had spent £150 million in the summer transfer window.
They brought in a host of exciting talents: Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Ángel Di María, and Radamel Falcao.
Credit where it's due—United's board had gone all-in.
Beyond the goalkeeper, they had reinforced every key area down the spine of the team.
In terms of squad value, United dwarfed Swansea.
But football never follows the script.
On opening day, Swansea shocked the world, scoring two beautiful goals and handing United a season-opening defeat at Old Trafford.
To be fair, Di María and van Persie were unavailable due to injury.
That's the excuse most United fans leaned on.
Missing two key attackers could explain the lack of goals.
But what about defense?
How did they let Swansea repeatedly find space on the break?
Van Gaal's three-at-the-back formation clearly flopped.
His tactical setup? Murky at best.
Was he trying to revive United's old-school wing play?
Or going full tiki-taka?
Fans and pundits alike were confused.
Still, it was only the first match.
Early tactical stumbles happen.
No one was declaring United a disaster just yet.
After all, £150 million is a lot.
And Van Gaal had a much bigger reputation than Moyes.
Maybe he wouldn't win the league right away,
but a top-four finish? That seemed guaranteed.
Later that same day, five more matches kicked off.
Everton were held 2–2 by newly promoted Leicester.
Spurs scraped a late 1–0 win over West Ham.
Arsenal edged Crystal Palace 2–1.
The remaining three big clubs—Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City—would all play on August 18th.
Chelsea had it easy.
Yes, they were playing away, but the opponent was Burnley, a newly promoted side.
Earlier that afternoon, Liverpool and City each secured tight 1–0 wins.
Clean, professional—yes.
But not particularly convincing.
By the end of the first round, among all the winning teams,
none had won by more than a single goal.
As the final team to kick off the new Premier League season, Chelsea were naturally under the microscope, with nearly every English football fan watching closely.
In preseason friendlies, Chelsea had notched up several big wins, giving the impression that their attacking firepower had grown significantly stronger compared to last season.
But friendlies were just that—friendlies. They offered hints, not guarantees.
Most Premier League fans were curious:
If Chelsea could win their opening fixture, would they be the ones to finally break the trend of every other winner only scraping through with a one-goal margin?
With the eyes of millions of fans around the world watching, Chelsea's first team lined up at Turf Moor for the pre-match ceremony against Burnley.
At 3:00 p.m. local time, the final match of the Premier League's opening round officially kicked off.
Burnley, true to form, rolled out their trademark 4-4-2 and were the ones to start aggressively.
Brave move from the newly promoted side—not many teams would try to press last season's champions right out of the gate.
But their courage was admirable.
The problem? Against Chelsea's new-look 4-3-3, Burnley's imagined midfield superiority evaporated instantly.
Hazard and De Bruyne both dropped back to help in the middle.
Burnley weren't up against a Chelsea trio—they were up against five in midfield.
With better squad depth this year, even Ibrahimović was tracking back with more commitment.
Last season's Champions League semifinal exit still haunted him.
His form remained strong, but time wasn't on his side.
He didn't know how many more chances he'd get to win the Champions League as a starting striker.
This season, he was ready to do whatever it took—even defend more, to better fit into Mourinho's system.
That change was clear to everyone—Mourinho, Li Ang, the squad.
And if Ibra was putting in defensive work? You bet the younger attackers would follow his example.
Chelsea had finally reached that level Bayern had shown last season—a team where everyone pressed, everyone fought for the ball.
Burnley were caught off guard.
They couldn't understand why they were being dominated despite the numbers being equal.
No matter where the ball was, Chelsea seemed to always have more players in the area.
Burnley's passes kept flowing toward Chelsea's strong side, and every time Chelsea countered, their backline just couldn't keep up.
TV viewers quickly noticed Li Ang's aggressive positioning.
Unlike last season, when he had been more conservative with his forward runs, he now charged into the final third like a man on a mission.
Mourinho's new tactical setup amplified his strengths—
His off-the-ball movement, his one-twos, and his link-up play were a constant threat.
Hazard's diagonal runs, Ibra's touches in and around the box, and De Bruyne's sharp through balls all became far more lethal with Li Ang pushing forward.
De Bruyne's diagonal passes from the right wing repeatedly set up Li Ang's late runs into the box, giving Burnley fans heart palpitations every few minutes.
Meanwhile, Kroos—calm and composed—managed the midfield with such precision that it allowed Matić to focus entirely on defense.
Had Chelsea been facing one of the league's top sides, Li Ang would've tracked back more often.
But against a newly promoted Burnley?
His energy was better spent leading the attack.
And that attacking intensity paid off early.
After probing Burnley's defense and assessing their resilience, Chelsea struck in the 18th minute.
Li Ang timed a perfectly angled run from midfield, weaving through Burnley's disorganized lines.
After dancing past center-back Shackell, he found Ibrahimović unmarked at the far post.
The Swede calmly slotted it home, low and into the corner.
Chelsea had broken the deadlock.
But they didn't let up.
Burnley, now chasing the game, tried to raise their tempo.
But without control in midfield, trying to trade blows with Chelsea was suicide.
Their high backline was a disaster waiting to happen.
Chelsea's counterattack—led by Li Ang and Hazard—sliced them open again and again.
This time, Li Ang burned past David Jones, didn't pass, and instead smashed a shot from the edge of the box.
Burnley keeper Tom Heaton had decent reflexes, but the shot's pace was too much.
He could only wave at it as it flew into the top corner.
31st minute—Chelsea 2, Burnley 0.
Li Ang had a goal and an assist.
He was dominating the match.
Burnley finally backed off.
No more wild counter-attacking fantasies.
Now it was about damage control.
Surprisingly, Mourinho didn't signal for a tactical retreat.
Chelsea kept attacking.
Wave after wave.
Just before halftime, they bagged a third.
In the second half, Ibra and De Bruyne were subbed off.
Lukaku and Salah came on—and both looked dangerous.
Neither scored.
But Lukaku, after a burst into the box, squared the ball back for Hazard to score his first goal of the new campaign.
Then Salah, full of fire, bulldozed into the box and earned a penalty.
But this time, Li Ang didn't step up.
Instead, he handed the ball to Didier Drogba, who had just come on in the 80th minute for Hazard.
Wearing his iconic No.11 shirt, Drogba stood at the spot.
It had been two years since he last played in the Premier League.
His eyes were calm, confident.
Two seconds later, he buried the penalty with clinical precision.
His first goal back at Stamford Bridge.
The younger Chelsea players raced over to him, slapping his shoulders, pulling him into hugs.
Drogba smiled and pointed straight at Li Ang—the man who gave up the penalty for him.
They embraced near the corner flag.
Flashbulbs popped all around them.
It was a moment of legacy and transition.
From Čech, Terry, and Lampard to Drogba—
All the club's greats now recognized Li Ang as the leader of this new Chelsea.
And with this dominant opening match victory, Chelsea had just announced to the world—
This new, galactic version of the Blues was here.
And their journey had just begun.
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