Chapter 268: The "British Battleship" Makes His Premier League Debut — The Excellent Maguire
As expected, Li Ang was once again named Man of the Match by the Premier League's official evaluation panel.
Three shots, two on target, one goal, one assist.
Two key passes.
Eighty-five passes attempted, seventy-eight completed—91.8% accuracy.
Six successful dribbles from six attempts.
Six tackles, four interceptions, four aerial duels—all successful…
When those stats appeared across social media and in post-match reports, they were met with universal awe.
All-around. All-around. And again—goddamn all-around!
If you separated Li Ang's offensive and defensive numbers, either half alone would already be considered elite.
But combined?
He looked like a player built in a lab.
Still, facing the wave of praise from on-site reporters, Li Ang didn't bask in it.
Instead, he grabbed a surprised Kroos, who was still fixing his hair on the sideline, and dragged him into the camera frame.
Suddenly, the post-match broadcast cut to two absurdly handsome men standing side by side.
Forget the female fans—even the guys watching the Premier League had to admit: this was too much.
"Talk to TK more," Li Ang said with a grin. "He's the real reason we won today.
Did you see this guy's pass completion rate? I swear, he's the most consistent passer I've ever played with!
And defensively, he helped Nemanja [Matić] a lot too. He's our midfield magician.
Honestly, I should be sharing this champagne with TK."
He popped the bottle mid-sentence, spraying both of them with champagne.
Kroos, already a bit shy from the public praise, just laughed and wiped his face.
Relaxed now, he confidently answered the reporters' questions in English, arm around Li Ang's shoulder.
Journalists on the scene had to admit—Li Ang's charisma and humility were something else.
Sharing the spotlight, publicly crediting his new teammate's contributions on both ends of the pitch?
What player could resist that?
After the interviews, reporters scrambled to file their stories.
There was so much to talk about today:
Chelsea's dominant win.
Mourinho's new attacking tactics.
Li Ang's near-perfect performance.
Outstanding debuts from Kroos and Thiago Silva.
And Drogba scoring in his return…
It was clear: until next week's fixtures, this was the match the media would milk.
Back in London, Chelsea fans celebrated the opening victory with joy and excitement.
But 1,000 kilometers away in Munich, many Bayern supporters watched Kroos thrive in his new colors with mixed emotions.
Everyone with a sense of fairness knew—Bayern's board had mishandled the Kroos situation.
Still, Bayern's executives had built a dynasty.
Criticizing club legends over one contract mishap didn't sit well.
But it was clear: many Bayern fans simply couldn't let go.
Kroos had been their midfield cornerstone.
Now, seeing him succeed elsewhere… it stung.
Still, for non-Bayern German fans, Kroos doing well at Chelsea was great news.
Chelsea were a strong side.
Kroos hadn't been happy in Munich.
Now he could stay sharp in another top team.
Their focus? The next European Championship, two years away.
Sure, another Champions League title for a Bundesliga club would be nice.
But a second straight international trophy for Germany? That was the dream.
No one could predict how Kroos would evolve over the next 3–4 seasons at Chelsea.
But one thing was clear:
He wouldn't be lacking in top-level match experience.
And his midfield partner, Li Ang, made German fans even more excited.
Playing alongside one of the most complete midfielders in football today?
Kroos might ascend to another level.
They were already dreaming of a reloaded German midfield with Kroos, Khedira, and Schweinsteiger going full Spain-mode.
In their eyes, the future of German football looked glorious.
Following the dominant win over Burnley, Chelsea's morale was sky-high.
Next up? Another newly promoted team: Leicester City.
Chelsea's young players were buzzing.
Training intensity shot up.
Mourinho and Holland praised several standouts—particularly Kalas and Salah.
But maybe the coaching staff's praise had gone a little too far…
Because on August 21st, during a routine scrimmage, Van Ginkel went in too hard and accidentally stepped on John Terry's foot.
Suddenly, the mood at Cobham flipped.
The captain was down—sent straight to the medical room.
Mourinho had to calm a shaken Van Ginkel before checking on Terry.
Thankfully, the injury was minor—no bone damage.
Just bruising around the right big toe.
A week or two of rest and he'd be fine.
Mourinho exhaled in relief.
Chelsea still had Gary Cahill.
For the upcoming match against Leicester, a Cahill–Thiago Silva pairing would do just fine.
Still, Terry's absence opened a door for Maguire—his first time making the Premier League matchday squad.
For the 21-year-old, it was an unexpected surprise.
On August 22nd, Chelsea released their squad list for Matchday 2.
As soon as Maguire's name appeared, English media lit up.
He had joined Chelsea during the winter window last season and featured in the FA Cup.
But now, he was potentially getting his Premier League debut.
And that was a big deal.
England's national team was in a rough spot—a generational gap.
With Terry and Ferdinand retired, Hodgson had to lean on Cahill and Jagielka.
No offense to them, but compared to England's past lineups, it felt… underwhelming.
Naturally, the press began turning their gaze toward England's next generation.
And they didn't find much.
Especially in the central spine—keeper, center-back, holding mid—there was no standout young English talent.
So even a semi-known name like Maguire drew attention.
And now that Mourinho himself was putting faith in him?
Maguire was firmly on the radar.
Truth be told, Maguire had been excellent in the Championship last year.
He deserved the spotlight.
After returning to Barnsley, Maguire quickly became a first-team regular and played almost every game during the second half of the Championship season.
When Maguire and Aké first arrived, Barnsley had only won three of their 24 league matches, conceding 42 goals, and sat dead last in the table.
But by the end of the season, they had climbed all the way up to 17th in the Championship standings.
In 23 matches, they conceded only 26 goals—a staggering defensive turnaround.
A major part of that transformation?
Maguire's aerial dominance and strength in one-on-one defending.
The Championship, after all, is a league that thrives on long balls and aerial bombardments.
And in terms of physicality, it's arguably as tough as the Premier League.
Which made it the perfect stage for Maguire to showcase his strengths.
By the end of the season, Barnsley were even considering buying him outright.
But when Chelsea set the buyout fee at £20 million, Barnsley immediately backed off.
For fans who followed the Championship closely last season, Maguire was impossible to ignore.
That unmistakable big head, and his elite aerial prowess, had made quite the impression.
Now back at Chelsea, and making the matchday squad for only the second Premier League game of the season, Maguire's possible debut quickly became a hot topic.
He was 21 years old—young for a center-back—and being valued by a legendary manager.
His potential looked immense.
Even if "Golden Boy of England" might be too soon, he was certainly being hailed as one of England's rising stars.
But Maguire himself remained calm and composed.
He had a scholar's mindset—steady, logical. He turned down all media interview requests before the match and quietly completed his prep.
On August 23rd, he took his seat on the bench as Chelsea hosted newly promoted Leicester City.
Most of Chelsea's players weren't exactly underestimating Leicester, but they weren't overly cautious either.
And when Li Ang saw that Vardy was missing from Leicester's 18-man squad due to injury, he relaxed a little.
This version of Leicester was still far from the miracle title-winning side Li Ang remembered.
Drinkwater and Mahrez were still adapting to Premier League pace.
Kanté, Huth, Fuchs, and Okazaki hadn't even joined yet.
So yes, Leicester were nothing more than a newly promoted side fighting relegation.
Once the match began, Li Ang quickly identified numerous gaps in their midfield and defense.
And when he saw Mahrez struggling to get involved in the attack, he focused all his energy on organizing Chelsea's offense.
Compared to Burnley, who they'd dismantled in the opener, Leicester were slightly better offensively but had similar weaknesses in defense and midfield.
But those slight improvements meant little against Chelsea's system.
From kickoff, Chelsea completely controlled Leicester's midfield.
Leicester's few counterattacks were tidy, but too infrequent.
Each time, Chelsea's aggressive tracking made sure they never got past the final third.
Cahill and Thiago Silva barely had to break a sweat in the first half.
On the attacking end, Li Ang and Ibrahimović played a masterclass in manipulation.
Their interplay was subtle, but deadly.
Both were offensive focal points, constantly drawing Leicester's defenders into traps.
And once the defense collapsed on them, they would distribute to free teammates, tearing the backline apart.
Li Ang didn't register a goal or assist in the first half, but De Bruyne and Ivanović both scored after receiving clean setups.
Without even going full throttle, Chelsea dismantled both of Leicester's defensive layers, coasting to a 2–0 halftime lead.
But since this was just a match against a promoted side, most neutral Premier League fans saw it as business as usual.
Then, in the 63rd minute, Li Ang scored with a crashing header after a deep run.
And with the game essentially wrapped up, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally came.
Wearing the No. 5 shirt, Maguire stood on the sideline, freshly warmed up and ready to make his Premier League debut.
Mourinho made a double substitution—Cahill and Matić off, Maguire and Van Ginkel on.
With a 3–0 lead, Chelsea eased off the gas.
Leicester, having been suppressed all game, finally got a few attacking chances.
And down three goals, they switched to a simplified, high-tempo attack.
Like Burnley, they returned to their roots—4-4-2 with heavy crossing from the wings.
But against Chelsea's back line, that old-school aerial bombardment had little effect.
Still, Maguire probably hadn't expected to see so much action.
On the training pitch, Thiago Silva had already gotten a sense of each of his potential partners.
So when he saw Leicester going for high crosses, he encouraged Maguire to take the lead.
And the results? Stunning.
Leicester's strikers—1.85m Ulloa and 1.80m Nugent—looked tiny next to Maguire.
His positioning, his timing, his leap—he seemed to win every aerial ball like a man possessed.
With Silva covering, Maguire looked untouchable in the air.
Sky Sports' commentator could hardly contain his excitement:
"England have unearthed another defensive gem!"
Many England fans watching might've been influenced by their media's tendency to overhype.
But for once, they didn't mind.
Especially when they saw Li Ang run all the way back from midfield to give Maguire a roaring shout of encouragement.
England fans were overjoyed.
Chelsea cruised to a 3–0 home win over Leicester, bagging their second league victory of the season.
And just as he had praised Kroos after the first match,
Li Ang made sure to bring Maguire and Van Ginkel with him for the post-match interview.
He didn't play favorites.
He heaped praise on both young players.
But today, it was Maguire who stole the spotlight.
The English reporters only had eyes for him.
Li Ang understood.
England fans and media desperately needed new heroes to believe in.
And Maguire, on his debut, delivered an elite-level aerial performance.
As for tactical fit, growth potential, or long-term value—
None of that mattered to a media in need of hope.
For now, "The Excellent Maguire" was exactly the story England wanted.
And thus, at Stamford Bridge, a new star was born.
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