Chapter 270: Rotation? Even Chelsea's Rotation Is a European-Class Powerhouse
Roberto Martínez, for all his strengths, was never the type of coach to make bold in-game adjustments.
Put generously, his tactical approach was steady and reliable—he preferred to stick with a familiar setup and avoid unnecessary risks.
Put bluntly? He just didn't have the guts to gamble when things got tough.
Unless he was truly backed into a corner, you'd rarely see him roll the dice with a drastic tactical switch.
So when Mourinho went into halftime of the Everton match, he was already mentally prepared for Martínez to swap Adebayor for Eto'o in the second half.
After all, Everton had spent £11 million in the winter transfer window to bring in both Eto'o and Adebayor, and had been rotating the two ever since.
Even when Adebayor exploded in the second half of the previous season, Eto'o still got plenty of minutes—13 league appearances and 6 goals wasn't a bad return at all.
At 33, Eto'o wasn't the lightning-quick predator from his Barcelona days anymore,
but his experience and timing in the box still made him a threat in the Premier League.
So now that Adebayor was being completely shut down by Maguire, it only made sense that Martínez would bring on Eto'o to shake up Everton's attack.
But to everyone's surprise—including Chelsea's players and Mourinho—Martínez stuck with his starting XI when the second half began.
He kept using Adebayor as the target man.
Mourinho, delighted, shelved his substitution plans.
The biggest beneficiary? Maguire.
Mourinho had actually planned to sub him off at halftime to give him a rest.
But if Martínez was going to be stubborn, then Mourinho would let Maguire continue locking down the center forward.
Li Ang glanced over at Martínez's shining bald head and silently sent his best wishes to Hazard, De Bruyne, and Lukaku—the Belgian trio that would be under his guidance in the national team.
If Martínez couldn't adapt at club level, how would he handle the pressure of managing Belgium?
And if he continued down this path with Everton, it was only a matter of time before the club parted ways with him.
A coach who focuses only on offense—with a rigid attacking setup and no defensive foundation—is doomed to fail in both league and cup competitions.
Once Mourinho had fully decoded Martínez's tactical mindset and substitution habits, he stopped pressing for a third goal right away.
After the 60th minute, he brought on Kalas and Aké for Thiago Silva and Bertrand.
He used Everton's attacks to blood his young defenders.
Martínez, annoyed by the move, finally reacted—subbing on more attackers to go all-in.
But it was too late.
By then, Chelsea had already shifted to a 4-2-3-1, with Li Ang and Matić sitting deep.
Martínez's attackers couldn't even get past that midfield wall, let alone threaten Chelsea's back line.
And speaking of the back line—Maguire and Kalas complemented each other perfectly.
Maguire dominated in the air and sat deep. Kalas was aggressive, mobile, and clever with his positioning.
Whether it was Adebayor or Eto'o, neither could get the better of Chelsea's young center-backs.
Sure, a big win was great.
But getting to test your squad against a solid, top-half team like Everton?
That was an even more valuable opportunity.
The match ended 2–0.
Mourinho was thoroughly satisfied with both the result and the performance.
Of course, that didn't stop Goodison Park from echoing with frustrated boos.
Martínez, fuming, even refused to shake Mourinho's hand after the match.
Mourinho didn't mind. He got what he wanted.
He was all smiles at the post-match press conference and wasn't bothered by taking a few verbal jabs from the media.
Meanwhile, the players celebrated on the pitch with the traveling fans.
With three wins in three games, Chelsea had launched their season in style.
Now, with the international break looming, the players with national team duties could focus without any domestic distractions.
As for players like Li Ang, who had no international obligations?
It was time to rest up.
Well, sort of.
Li Ang wasn't the type to waste time.
With Anastasia still in China handling her study abroad paperwork, she wouldn't be back in London for a while.
So after one day of rest, Li Ang was right back into extra training.
But this September, he wasn't alone.
Maguire and Aké both volunteered to train with him during the break.
This wasn't a requirement from Li Ang or the coaching staff.
They asked him directly to help them improve.
Li Ang already had his own plan for international break workouts.
And Mendes' personal training team?
Handling one player or three was about the same.
Especially after Li Ang paid them extra to expand their services.
Aké was extremely talented—no question.
But his tendency to push forward too aggressively was still a flaw.
Li Ang's advice was simple:
Work on your one-on-one defending.
Mourinho had always been hands-on during defensive drills, and Aké wasn't the rebellious type.
He took the feedback seriously.
Li Ang reminded him:
With Bertrand and Ashley Cole both strong attackers, Aké didn't need to focus on bombing forward.
Even the aging Cole could still outplay him in the final third.
"If you want playing time, the coach needs a reason to pick you," Li Ang told him bluntly.
"What are you good at? What makes you stand out from the guy ahead of you?
You need to give them a reason to trust you."
It was the same principle that had guided Li Ang's own rise.
Whether he was loaned out or playing for Real Madrid's first team, he earned his minutes by doing what others didn't—defending with relentless effort.
At the time, players like Canales and Granero were technically superior.
Even Özil, who won the La Liga assist title in Li Ang's rookie year, was seen as more valuable.
In terms of market value? Li Ang was well behind all of them.
But in the end, he became Madrid's starting defensive midfielder.
His journey was inspiring—especially for young teammates like Aké.
To many of Chelsea's rising stars, Li Ang was the dream.
Some even hoped to become "the next Little Lion."
For the next week, Aké trained like a man possessed.
He honed his one-on-one defending relentlessly.
Maguire's situation was different.
Mourinho had asked Li Ang to help him cut weight.
During the international break, expecting Maguire to significantly drop weight in the middle of the season wasn't realistic—it would interfere with his training rhythm.
But now, with a rare gap in competitive fixtures, this was the perfect window to trim down a bit.
Li Ang agreed—Maguire did look a bit heavy.
At 1.94 meters and 95 kilograms, Maguire's frame gave him an enormous advantage in physical duels.
But the truth was, in modern football, true "heavyweight" strikers were becoming rarer.
Across the top four leagues, especially in Champions League-level clubs, aside from Llorente and Ibrahimović, there weren't many strikers who could match Maguire in physicality.
So there wasn't much reason to keep the extra weight.
If he could get down to 92kg, he'd improve his lateral mobility and turning speed, both crucial for defending at the elite level.
With a revised diet plan and scientific training, Maguire dropped over a kilo in just ten days.
He wouldn't suddenly become agile like a winger, but he definitely felt lighter and more responsive.
Li Ang had a hunch:
Maguire might earn an England call-up before the season's end, and might even fight for a starting role.
Two years from now, in the European Championship…
It could be Maguire's first true international showcase.
Add a more mature Harry Kane into the mix…
"Could it be that England makes the final against France?
Did my butterfly effect just bring forward the rise of England's golden generation?"
Li Ang smirked at the thought, half-joking in his mind.
But when he remembered he didn't even have a national team to play for, the fantasy instantly faded.
Once the break ended, Chelsea's internationals returned to Cobham one by one.
Terry had recovered from his injury, which was great news for Mourinho.
But looking at the weary faces of his first-team stars, Mourinho could only sigh and begin drawing up his rotation plans.
After Premier League Matchday 4, Chelsea had just 3.5 days before kicking off their Champions League campaign.
So most of the internationals—especially the veterans—would sit out the weekend league game.
Thankfully, their Matchday 4 opponent was Swansea, and the game was at Stamford Bridge.
Even with a rotated lineup, Chelsea still held the edge in strength.
That didn't mean Swansea weren't dangerous.
Under new manager Garry Monk, they had started the season with four straight wins—three in the Premier League and one in the League Cup.
Most impressively, they had opened the season with a 2–1 win over Manchester United.
Monk quickly earned praise from the fanbase and looked more confident with each match.
Seeing Chelsea resting most of their starters, Monk figured he had a real shot at pulling off another upset.
On September 13th, one hour before kickoff, Mourinho released his lineup—and stunned the media.
He started Drogba and Torres together, unveiling a rare 4-4-2 formation.
Monk didn't expect Mourinho to bring out such a "vintage" setup.
In midfield, Li Ang and Van Ginkel held the center, with Ramires and Salah on the flanks.
Azpilicueta slotted in at left-back, partnering Terry and Cahill at center-back, with Ivanović on the right.
In goal? Chelsea's newest signing, Begović, who had arrived just before the summer window closed.
Though he was brought in as Čech's backup, the coaching staff promised him plenty of playing time.
And to get him, Chelsea had paid Stoke City £12 million, a significant fee.
Originally, Courtois was supposed to return this season.
His performances at Atlético had proven he could replace Čech.
But after the well-known falling out between Courtois and De Bruyne, Mourinho chose to loan him back to Atlético for another year.
Realistically, Courtois might never return.
The scandal had forced Chelsea to choose between the two, and with De Bruyne's current form, Mourinho sided with him.
So while Čech was aging, Begović was a reliable short-term solution.
Long-term? Chelsea still needed to find their next superstar keeper.
As for the rotation lineup?
It was anything but weak.
And whatever plans Monk had for an aggressive start quickly fell apart.
Even with De Bruyne and Kroos rested, Li Ang and Van Ginkel controlled the tempo with ease.
When Swansea tried to use numbers in midfield to regain control, Chelsea didn't take the bait.
Instead, they unleashed their wingers and went wide.
Ramires acted as a decoy on the left, while Azpilicueta's underlapping runs were the real threat.
On the right, Salah was given freedom—Hazard's usual license to drive at defenders.
Chelsea appeared to have just two strikers up top, but Li Ang's late runs made it a three-pronged attack.
Azpilicueta and Ivanović bombed forward, sending crosses into the box with precision.
Salah's inside cuts added even more variety to the attack.
Swansea's defenders suddenly felt like they were back in the old Premier League days, getting bullied by Drogba again.
And Li Ang, exploiting the chaos Drogba created, made his move.
In the 22nd minute, he crashed the box and headed home a cross past Fabiański.
After that goal, Chelsea slowed the pace and waited to counter.
Just before halftime, Torres wasted a golden chance from a Drogba flick-on.
But in the 59th minute, he finally converted, slotting home from a Ramires cutback.
It was his first official goal of the season, and the Bridge roared with delight.
Monk, at that moment, finally saw the truth.
Comparing their previous opponents to Chelsea had been laughable.
This wasn't United—still rebuilding under a new system.
United might've had a star-studded XI, but they were still tactically vulnerable.
Chelsea, under Mourinho, had completed a full season of tactical drilling.
And this rotated squad?
It could still beat most mid-table Premier League sides with ease.
Rotation?
Even Chelsea's rotation was Champions League-caliber.
Not just Swansea—every mid-table club this season was going to feel it.
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