Chapter 27

Chelsea's second round match will take place on August 21st, away at St. Andrew's Stadium against Birmingham. As usual, on August 20th, the sports section of The Times, in the column by Qiao Wanxian, published the starting lineup for Chelsea's next match in advance.

Goalkeeper: Cech;

Defenders: Bridge, Terry, Cannavaro, Ramos;

Midfielders: Joe Cole, Lampard, Makelele, Kaka, Duff;

Forwards: Owen.

It was still the aggressive 4-1-4-1 formation. After this starting lineup was announced, it once again sparked unanimous criticism from media experts.

The Guardian, The Sun, The Daily Mail, and other journalists all expressed deep criticism of Cannavaro's inclusion in the starting lineup. In the previous match, he was toyed with by Van Nistelrooy, becoming a laughingstock in English football. It seemed that this central defender from the Italian peninsula was only suitable for the Italian defensive counter-attack style and not for the fast-paced rhythm of the Premier League.

Even Spain's Marca joined the "anti-Qiao" lineup, directly calling Qiao Wanxian's decision to save face at the cost of suffering. Cannavaro couldn't get a game at Inter Milan, and at Chelsea, he still couldn't make the cut. Trading the in-form Veron for Cannavaro was an absolutely foolish deal, and only a coach with water in his head would agree to such a transfer.

At the same time, many football legends also questioned Qiao Wanxian's insistence on using Cannavaro. Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola, in an interview with London TV, pointed out: "Qiao Wanxian is an incredible young coach, but young people lack experience and rationality. From his use of Cannavaro, it's clear he has a long way to go..."

Zola, being a Chelsea person, spoke relatively modestly. However, the various media outlets caused Qiao Wanxian great dissatisfaction, and he felt he needed to write a dedicated article to properly teach these football experts a lesson!

However, compared to the external turmoil, the internal atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. The arrival of a star like Owen undoubtedly ignited the boiling point in the dressing room. Moreover, assistant coach Boas also believed that Cannavaro's ability and form were superior to the Frenchman Gallas, and there was no problem with him being the starting center-back!

At 10 PM on August 21st, Chelsea's away match against Birmingham and Liverpool's home match against Manchester City were held simultaneously.

Although Qiao Wanxian's starting lineup was not very reliable, the strong attacking power displayed in the first round of the league still made the media unanimously favor Chelsea.

The odds set by the bookmakers also clearly reflected this: Chelsea's win odds were 1-7, draw 5-1, and Birmingham's win odds were 10-1.

Birmingham could only be considered a Premier League newcomer, having only made their debut in the 2001-02 season. Therefore, before the match, Birmingham's manager Steve Bruce had already clearly stated that the team's goal was to secure a point. It was evident that this former Manchester United legend was determined to set up a defensive wall.

After learning of Bruce's comments at the pre-match press conference, Qiao Wanxian felt a bit depressed. A defensive wall, playing for a draw? Can I still win by 10 goals? Humph! If I don't get Cheryl tonight, Birmingham, I'll beat you up every time I see you!

To meet Cheryl's "rude" requirement of a 10-goal margin, Qiao Wanxian had to once again use his ultimate weapon—Shengyuan No. 1!

Shengyuan No. 1 was primarily made from a plant Qiao Wanxian discovered in 2023 in his previous life. This herb had the effects of relaxing muscles and restoring yang energy. Combined with a few common Chinese herbs, it created this cheating wonder drug. However, in London, Qiao Wanxian had only managed to find 200 grams of the herb, which only produced 200 milliliters of the drug.

The season was still long, and Qiao Wanxian had not planned to cheat as wildly as in the first match against Manchester United. However, Cheryl's existence forced him to arm the entire team again! All 11 starters were coated with Shengyuan No. 1.

With only 173 milliliters left, Qiao Wanxian was a bit troubled, unsure if the drug would last until the end of the season. Would he have to fly to China halfway through? But the Premier League has no winter break, and there would be no time to gather the herbs...

"Let's take it one step at a time. The primary goal now is to get the woman!"

Football brought Qiao Wanxian passion, and women allowed him to release that passion, especially a charming blonde like Cheryl.

As the commentator repeated the Chelsea starting lineup, which was identical to what was published in The Times the day before, the referee blew the whistle, and Qiao Wanxian's second Premier League match officially began.

St. Andrew's Stadium is not large, with a capacity of only 30,000 fans, but due to Chelsea's arrival, the stadium was packed.

Birmingham's starting lineup was: Goalkeeper: Taylor; Defenders: Tebily, Cunningham, Upson; Midfielders: Dunn, Johnson, Lazaridis, Savage, Carter; Forwards: Heskey, Morrison. This 3-5-2 formation was both offensive and defensive, not looking like the dead defense that Birmingham's manager Bruce had spoken of.

After all, it was a home game, and being beaten like a turtle would be embarrassing.

Due to the weaker opponent and Qiao Wanxian's strict order before the match—failure to win by 10 goals would result in severe consequences—Chelsea adhered to the aggressive policy Qiao Wanxian had implemented since taking over, playing very relaxed and beautifully. Just 1 minute and 28 seconds into the match, Birmingham's defender Cunningham fouled Chelsea's deputy captain Frank Lampard 26 meters from his own goal.

This free kick caused Qiao Wanxian some concern. Joe Cole, Lampard, and Kaka were all good at free kicks, but none of them were experts like Pirlo, Juninho, Beckham, Ronaldinho, or even Cristiano Ronaldo. For example, in the previous match against Manchester United, Chelsea won 7 excellent free kicks, but the stimulated Lampard only scored one.

Sure enough, amidst the sighs of the 2,000 traveling Chelsea fans, Kaka's shot hit the left post and rebounded to Upson, who cleared it with a long kick...

However, Chelsea fans quickly forgot this disappointment, as just 5 minutes into the match, the suspiciously underperforming Birmingham defender Cunningham, after giving Chelsea a free kick, generously provided an even greater surprise—a penalty!

The sequence of events was as follows: Kaka and Lampard executed a beautiful one-two in the penalty area, breaking through the opposition's defense. Kaka then delivered a perfect through ball. Owen, though seemingly frail, had considerable strength and used his body to shield the muscular Cunningham, sprinting past him and taking a shot.

However, Cunningham's malicious sliding tackle sent both the ball and Owen out of bounds, with Owen falling to the ground in pain, moaning...

The referee, appearing at the right time and place, awarded a yellow card to Cunningham, the "undercover" actor, amidst the cheers of the few Chelsea fans, and pointed to the penalty spot!

"Frank Lampard has always been Chelsea's top penalty taker, but since Qiao Wanxian's arrival, we don't know the changes in the team. Both Kaka and Owen are excellent penalty takers. We'll have to wait and see who takes this penalty!"

The Chelsea commentator spoke calmly, occasionally cracking a joke to liven up the atmosphere, as he believed Chelsea would easily defeat Manchester United and treat Birmingham like a pushover. However, the next moment, his eyes widened and his mouth opened wide.

"This... What's happening? The goalkeeper Cech is sprinting across the field to take the penalty. Could it be... that this crucial penalty will be taken by the goalkeeper?" The commentator's surprised voice echoed the atmosphere of the entire stadium.

Cech stood confidently in front of the ball, while Kaka, Lampard, Owen, and Joe Cole, all skilled players, gathered around him, whispering advice on taking penalties.

The Chelsea fans on the scene nervously covered their mouths, and some female fans who had come specifically to see Kaka and Owen were chattering incessantly. Qiao Wanxian, however, remained calm, sitting on the bench and proudly lecturing Boas: "Velas, winning is important for a team, but there's something even more important—building a cohesive team! My tactics are invincible, and no team can pose much of a threat to Cech. To make him feel his presence, having him take the penalty is the best decision!"

Boas quickly adopted a humble attitude, taking out a small notebook and attentively recording Qiao Wanxian's meticulous guidance.

At that moment, the entire stadium erupted in applause, not just from Chelsea fans but also from Birmingham fans!

The ball went in, and it was a spectacular goal! A Panenka penalty, with goalkeeper Cech tricking Birmingham's goalkeeper Taylor!

After Cech's windmill celebration, Qiao Wanxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Cech, who had started as a forward in his youth, should have good footwork, and as a goalkeeper, he should understand the mindset of goalkeepers. Having him take the penalty would not only ensure a high goal-scoring rate but also keep the media focused on him, maintaining his position at the forefront of English football.

Qiao Wanxian knew that to quickly become a god in the hearts of London and even English fans, he needed continuous victories and constant exposure.

Page break for AD

Page break for AD end