Chapter 17

It has to be said, although Ye Xuan is somewhat cold and beautiful, she is definitely a rare beauty. If such a great beauty could be Qiao Wanxian's agent and accompany him, it would definitely be an extremely cool thing.

It's just a pity that this Ye Xuan seems... a bit too young.

In the afternoon, Qiao Wanxian went to the training ground with his head hanging low. Assistant coach Boas was taken aback by Qiao Wanxian's dejected appearance: "Wanxian, it doesn't matter if we lose tonight's match. After all, we are facing Ferguson's team."

Qiao Wanxian managed to force a stiff smile: "It's fine, I'm just afraid that if I beat Ferguson too badly, Her Majesty will revoke my citizenship."

Boas was speechless. Qiao Wanxian, on the other hand, vented all his frustration on the players, shouting and yelling non-stop.

As night fell.

The match was still more than an hour away, but the fans who came to watch the game at Stamford Bridge were already queuing up at the entrance. Just by looking at the jerseys, the number of Manchester United fans was almost equal to that of Chelsea fans.

The pre-match verbal sparring between the two team managers had already given the fans their fill. Qiao Wanxian's various bizarre statements and the early announcement of the starting lineup had caused a huge stir.

About half an hour before the match, the Manchester United bus arrived at Stamford Bridge surrounded by a crowd. Sir Alex Ferguson was the first to step out of the bus, waving to the reporters on both sides with a confident smile, as if the match was already in the bag.

The Manchester United stars also looked confident, smiling and listening to music as they entered the dressing room, changed into their uniforms, and then automatically ran onto the field for pre-match warm-ups.

In the Chelsea dressing room, Qiao Wanxian used the last few minutes before the match to give a brief "pre-match pep talk": "Guys, you all know what I said to the media before the match. Now the whole world is waiting to see me make a fool of myself! Whether I can stand tall in the world of football depends entirely on your performance in the next 90 minutes. I can say without exaggeration that our entire season's success hinges on this one match!"

As he said this, Qiao Wanxian's expression slowly changed, and he looked at the players with a fierce gaze: "I have a long memory, and if anyone lets me down in the match, well, you'll have to bear the consequences!"

It was a naked threat!

When Qiao Wanxian finished speaking, even the captain Terry and vice-captain Lampard couldn't help but shiver. Qiao Wanxian seemed to have gone crazy in the afternoon, being extremely harsh during training. This threat indeed made the players somewhat uneasy.

"Show all your courage, show all your energy. I need you to prove yourselves, and to prove me, Qiao Wanxian! Our slogan is..."

Terry, Lampard, Cech, Kaka, Cannavaro, Ramos, and a few other confidants immediately chimed in loudly: "Aggressive attacking football! Rather die in the opponent's penalty area than stay in our half like a turtle!"

Qiao Wanxian was in a good mood. These guys were great. He waved his hand: "Well said! Guys, the two pre-season friendlies disappointed the fans. This time, we'll put on a good show and let them see what Chelsea is, what the Blue Lions are!"

The players were already pumped up by the atmosphere Qiao Wanxian had created before the match, and were further confused by his mix of sweet talk and threats. Even the usually quiet Makelele couldn't help but raise his arm and shout: "Chelsea will win!"

"Will win..."

Qiao Wanxian sat down contentedly, looking at the 20 ml test tube on the table, a faint smile flickering in his eyes: "Sorry, Sir Alex Ferguson, it looks like I'll have to use my Source 1 on you for the first time..."

At 7:00 PM on August 14, 2004, the most anticipated match of the first round of the English Premier League was about to begin!

Qiao Wanxian faithfully lined up the starting lineup he had published in his column in The Times the day before.

Goalkeeper: Cech; defenders from left to right: Bridge, Cannavaro, Terry, Ramos; defensive midfielder: Makelele; attacking midfielders: Lampard and Kaka; left: Joe Cole; right: Duff; single striker: Mutu. It was a lineup that heavily favored attack over defense.

This left the media, who were waiting for Qiao Wanxian to renege on his words, extremely disappointed! It also slapped Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, in the face, as he had confidently stated at the pre-match press conference that Qiao Wanxian would never dare to play an attacking game against him.

Although Manchester United's lineup was not announced in advance, it was as many media outlets had predicted: Ferguson's classic 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Howard.

Defenders: Heinze, Silvestre, Ferdinand, Gary Neville;

Midfielders: Giggs, Scholes, Robbie Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo;

Forwards: Van Nistelrooy, Alan Smith.

Everyone thought Qiao Wanxian's pre-match rhetoric was a sign of madness, but he knew that only by doing so could he more quickly and dramatically enter the center of the world of football.

Tonight's Stamford Bridge was like a neutral ground, with red and blue fans equally divided, which made Qiao Wanxian very angry: "I just announced the starting lineup in advance, and you all think I'll lose by a large margin, so you don't dare to come and watch the game?"

Qiao Wanxian was so angry that he vented his frustration on Manchester United. Especially when he saw Ferguson's excited and smiling face, it made him even more furious.

At 7:00 PM London time, the referee's whistle signaled the start of the most anticipated match of the first round of the English Premier League!

The Manchester United fans, who had traveled far, seemed more passionate than the Chelsea fans. As soon as the match started, they began to cheer loudly. The Chelsea fans, not to be outdone, finally began to cheer, albeit sparsely.

Less than a minute into the match, Chelsea launched an attack that almost made the 21,000 Manchester United fans' hearts jump out of their throats.

Lampard got the ball in midfield and glanced at Joe Cole and Duff, who were making high-speed runs on both sides. In a flash, he passed the ball straight, which landed perfectly at the feet of Kaka, who was sprinting forward.

Young Kaka, making his Premier League debut, was a bit nervous. Facing the Premier League's top defender, Ferdinand, he feinted, and the ball was cleverly passed to the striker Mutu. Unfortunately, Mutu's shot hit Sylvain's leg and went out of bounds.

Just as Qiao Wanxian had boasted before the match, Chelsea was indeed playing aggressive attacking football!

Although they didn't score, the fluid combination play ignited the passion of the Chelsea fans, and the waves of cheers finally echoed throughout Stamford Bridge.

Qiao Wanxian's lips curled, and he sat calmly on the bench, chatting casually with assistant coach Boas, as if the situation on the field was already under control.

"Joke, my Source 1 is no joke. In my previous life, I helped the Chinese team win over 500 gold medals in the Olympics with this kind of stimulant!" Qiao Wanxian was quite smug.

Qiao Wanxian was skilled in pharmacology, but he was short of materials in England, and he only had 200 ml of Source 1. This first match was crucial, so he decided to use it on all 11 starters, including goalkeeper Cech.

With such peak performance, wasn't it easy and pleasant to crush Manchester United?

As the match progressed, Chelsea had completely taken control of the game, with long periods of possession, elegant passing, and precise combinations, showcasing a beautiful attacking style. Seeing this, even the commentator on site couldn't help but exclaim: "My goodness, I've been watching football for decades, and this is the first time I've seen such nearly perfect and beautiful football!"

However, the lack of a goal despite long periods of possession was frustrating for Qiao Wanxian. He had already set his sights on the team's striker, Mutu.

"What's wrong with this guy? Even a goalkeeper using my Source 1 could score as easily as taking something out of a pocket, and you, a renowned striker, keep wasting opportunities?" Qiao Wanxian frowned, his eyes wandering, lost in thought.

Duff, receiving the ball from Kaka's breakthrough, decisively crossed the ball, and Mutu attempted a volley... but it went high into the sky!

Lampard's powerful long-range shot from outside the box hit the post, and Mutu's follow-up shot was weak and easily caught by Howard.

Kaka's clever through pass saw Mutu miss the ball completely, falling to the ground...

By the 15th minute, Chelsea had pushed the game into Manchester United's half, even preventing them from taking a single shot.

Qiao Wanxian noticed that Sir Alex Ferguson was already restless on the bench, walking to the sideline and shouting something. Cristiano Ronaldo, whether he understood or not, just nodded.

"Listen to the cheers at Stamford Bridge... the home team Chelsea has completely dominated the game, just as Qiao Wanxian said before the match, thoroughly suppressing Manchester United..."

The commentator was proudly praising Chelsea's attacking football, but suddenly stopped.

Mutu, with his back to the goal, was sandwiched by Sylvain and Ferdinand, who dispossessed him. The ball was passed to right-back Gary Neville, who, without hesitation, sent a long pass to the rapidly advancing Cristiano Ronaldo!

Ronaldo, facing Bridge's defense, did a few step-overs, but found Bridge unmoved, unaffected by his feints. In frustration, Ronaldo passed the ball to Van Nistelrooy, who was making a run into the center.

Van Nistelrooy, facing Cannavaro's challenge, cleverly dribbled and feinted, causing Cannavaro to fall to the ground!

Van Nistelrooy himself couldn't believe how weak this Italian was. But he didn't hesitate, taking advantage of the opportunity, he took a touch and shot with the inside of his foot. Despite Cech's best efforts, he was powerless to stop the ball.

1-0! Manchester United leads! Goal scorer: the Little King of the Penalty Box, Van Nistelrooy!