Chapter 373: You Guys Are Really Good, But Unfortunately, You Met Us Too Early
Time flies — it had already been several years since that heart-to-heart talk that had once helped Li Ang untangle his mental burden.
But in this moment, Belleti's sincere words floated more clearly to Li Ang's mind than ever before.
Still, there was no time for reflection now —
the shrill sound of the referee's whistle jolted him back to reality...
"The match has begun! Dear viewers, you're now watching the UEFA Champions League 2015-2016 season…"
Across the world, commentators launched into their various distinctive opening lines.
The global viewership for this game was staggering.
After all, the other match in the same time slot was just Benfica versus Zenit — hardly a draw for neutral fans.
With a direct showdown between Chelsea and PSG,
nobody could find a reason not to watch these two domestic giants clash.
The roaring cheers inside the stadium said everything.
Both teams' star-studded starting lineups had more than justified the price of admission.
And with these superstars came an expectation —
tonight's match quality had to be worthy of their enormous price tags.
Blanc had spent two full seasons meticulously refining this Paris Saint-Germain team,
and now, they were far from the lightweight side of previous years.
With the successful signing of Matuidi from Real Madrid last summer,
PSG's defensive capabilities had stepped up another level.
It wasn't an exaggeration.
Matuidi was an elite "midfield destroyer."
Mourinho had once highly valued him at Madrid, giving him regular playing time.
Now, Matuidi was even sharper —
having been personally molded by Mourinho and having trained alongside Li Ang and Xabi Alonso.
Offensively, he was still somewhat limited,
which was why he eventually lost his starting spot to Casemiro at Madrid.
But purely as a defensive, ball-recovery machine,
Matuidi remained half a level above Casemiro.
Still, in football,
pure ability alone doesn't guarantee a starting spot —
it depends on the coach's tactical needs.
Ancelotti didn't want just a ball-winner;
he needed someone to also contribute offensively.
Matuidi could play box-to-box,
but he needed time and adjustment,
while Casemiro seamlessly fit in right away —
thus, Matuidi became expendable.
After losing his place for half a season,
Matuidi didn't hesitate when PSG's president Nasser offered him a lucrative contract and a guaranteed starting role.
Returning to France,
now a recognized star,
he joined the country's most dominant club — Paris Saint-Germain.
In Ligue 1,
Matuidi's defensive prowess was simply overwhelming.
He helped PSG storm through the league with a jaw-dropping 23 wins and 3 draws,
leading second-place Monaco by nearly 30 points!
And it wasn't just Ligue 1.
In the Champions League group stage, PSG rebuilt their reputation abroad —
strong defense, aggressive pressing, rapid transitions.
Much of this stemmed from Matuidi's influence.
Mourinho understood him.
Li Ang understood him.
Thus, when they squared off tonight,
the entire Chelsea camp wore an expression of "so it's true."
Matuidi had unlocked PSG's full midfield potential.
Motta was now free to conduct from deep,
showing his veteran brilliance.
Verratti played with more courage,
passing forward more decisively,
knowing Matuidi would recover any lost balls.
That's what a great holding midfielder brings —
psychological freedom to his teammates.
This new PSG midfield trio was also perfectly balanced.
Motta orchestrated from deep.
Verratti advanced or spread the play wide.
Matuidi provided support without hogging the ball.
If it had been a selfish playmaker or someone like Pastore instead,
their efficiency would have dropped significantly.
And in modern football,
a drop in passing efficiency meant losing several attacking phases per game.
The stronger the midfield spine,
the more chances the forwards and wingers got to create danger.
Chelsea knew this intimately.
Their own consistency stemmed from having Li Ang and Matić anchoring midfield.
Even when out of form,
having more chances inevitably dragged players back into rhythm.
Tonight's PSG already showed strong Chelsea DNA.
The first 10 minutes were a cautious mutual probing.
Chelsea weren't sure how deep PSG's strength ran,
but they now respected them:
"They're no pushovers anymore."
PSG were shedding their old image.
Meanwhile, many neutral fans, watching PSG seriously for the first time this season,
were visibly impressed.
Li Ang quickly abandoned his pre-match idea
of bulldozing through PSG's central midfield to test them.
It simply wasn't feasible.
Matuidi's relentless harrying,
Verratti's tenacity,
and Motta's deep positioning made it suicidal to charge straight in.
Thus, he opted for flexibility.
Matić anchored alone.
Li Ang and Kroos advanced —
forming a roaming two-man midfield attack unit.
Having made up his mind,
Li Ang called for a positional reshuffle,
with Mascherano staying deep to distribute,
while he and Kroos pushed higher.
(
When the three of them switched positions like this, the entire Paris Saint-Germain team immediately became alert.
Blanc hesitated for a moment as he glanced across the pitch at Mourinho, who stood on the sideline seemingly without issuing any tactical instructions.
He didn't know that it was Li Ang who had made the tactical adjustments based on the flow of the game;
he thought Mourinho had pre-arranged some hidden moves before the match.
Mourinho, unaware of this misunderstanding, wouldn't have cared even if he knew.
What he cared about more was what tactical surprise Li Ang might produce next.
He could guess why Li Ang was pushing forward alongside Kroos —
to compress PSG's midfield line, to draw out their midfielders' focus onto defending.
But what would be Li Ang's real plan for breaking through?
Mourinho smiled slightly.
He was looking forward to it.
The balance of the match began to tilt as Li Ang led Kroos forward into PSG's half.
The initially aggressive PSG cautiously withdrew their midfield line,
while Chelsea became the team pressing higher.
To many spectators, this shift seemed natural.
Even PSG's own fans thought so.
Sure, PSG had improved.
They were stronger, more tactical, more composed than before.
But today, they were facing the European juggernaut —
Chelsea, undefeated across all of Europe since last season.
If PSG had dominated Chelsea from start to finish,
now that would have seemed bizarre.
Chelsea's reclaiming of possession wasn't accompanied by wild attacks.
Li Ang and Kroos methodically spread the play,
stretching PSG's defense sideways without forcing vertical passes.
Every ball they pushed wide was soon recycled back.
Today, PSG's wide defenders were sharp.
Hazard and De Bruyne couldn't win their one-on-ones,
and risky dribbling would only result in lost possession.
Thus, both wings held back,
waiting for Li Ang's next instructions.
It was a tedious, repetitive cycle,
but Chelsea's squad had drilled it over the past two seasons.
Tedious, yes — but not difficult.
Li Ang kept observing.
The broadcast frequently cut to his focused face,
his eyes reading every movement on the field.
Yet no one could guess what exactly he was waiting for.
Some fans began wondering if Li Ang simply had no better plan —
just probing aimlessly, hoping PSG would slip up.
Commentators spun various theories as the match crawled forward.
Then, at the 23rd minute —
with both teams still locked in a cautious standoff and no shots yet recorded —
Li Ang struck.
After releasing a pass, he suddenly sprinted forward!
PSG's midfield and defensive lines instantly tightened to react.
Kroos, recognizing the opportunity, quickly shifted the ball wide.
De Bruyne received it,
but instead of attacking immediately,
he calmly passed it back to the onrushing Li Ang.
Wherever Li Ang moved,
Matuidi and another PSG midfielder would follow,
swarming him.
But this time,
just as they prepared to double-team,
Li Ang, as if equipped with a 360-degree radar,
immediately fired a sharp, fast pass toward the opposite wing!
It was as if he had known beforehand that Hazard would be sprinting into space!
The ball sliced PSG's seemingly impenetrable defense like a surgeon's scalpel.
Hazard controlled it effortlessly at full speed,
then, without slowing down,
he deftly cut inside, breezing past Van der Wiel!
The Dutch fullback was left stumbling,
nearly falling over from sheer momentum.
Hazard now had a clear path to goal.
He drove into the box unchallenged.
Only ten seconds had passed since Li Ang's initial movement,
yet Chelsea had completely flipped the match!
Hazard, adjusting his steps,
seemed poised to shoot.
But at the last moment,
he cleverly swept the ball across the face of goal instead!
Suárez, reading the play perfectly, lunged for the near-post touch.
Trapp threw himself desperately across —
and miraculously parried Suárez's shot!
But the clearance bounced outside the box.
Kroos caught it,
calmly sidestepped Motta's lunge,
then spotted Li Ang gesturing for the ball.
Kroos rolled it to him smoothly.
Li Ang adjusted his stride,
no theatrics,
no hesitation.
He sighted the bottom corner of Trapp's goal,
then delivered a classic Kroos-style push shot!
It wasn't flashy,
but it was devastatingly precise.
The ball zipped across the turf,
eluding two desperate PSG defenders' stretching legs,
and buried itself neatly inside the near post!
For a moment, the Parc des Princes fell silent.
Li Ang ran to the corner flag, arms outstretched,
celebrating with a broad, satisfied smile.
Truthfully,
he admired this new, stronger PSG.
But still—
They had met Chelsea too early.
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