Chapter 44

At home, Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-2, achieving their sixth consecutive victory and leading the league by 2 points over second-place Arsenal. However, after the match, the Premier League officials did not recognize the performance of Chelsea's players. In this week's Team of the Week selection, Chelsea's number of players selected fell below the 6-player mark for the first time, with only 4 players making the cut: Makelele, Kaka, Terry, and Rooney.

Even media journalists from The Daily Mail, The Sun, and The Guardian passed a simple vote, concluding that the best manager of the week was not the current hottest young manager in England, Jowan Xian, but rather Sam Allardyce, who led Bolton to a draw against Arsenal away from home.

Bolton, trailing by a goal in the first half, made adjustments in the second half and scored twice against Arsenal, nearly ending the Gunners' unbeaten record.

There was no need to mention Sam's capabilities; he was the most successful manager in Bolton's club history. However, what surprised Jowan Xian was not this English top-level manager, Allardyce, but the legendary captain of Manchester United, Roy Keane!

Since the first round's heavy defeat to Chelsea, many media outlets have continuously reported on the tension between Ferguson and Roy Keane. The 33-year-old Manchester United captain even publicly stated that Ferguson was too old to lead the great team of Manchester United!

Historically, Keane and Ferguson did have conflicts, but the situation was not as dire, and the timing was clearly advanced. Could this be... the butterfly effect caused by Jowan Xian's cheating in Chelsea's big win over Manchester United?

In this round of matches, Manchester United faced their arch-rivals Liverpool at home. Manchester United's captain, Roy Keane, was on the bench, and the young Fletcher took his place!

One move affects the whole body. Historically, Manchester United was also suffering from a three-year title drought. With Jowan Xian's appearance, Ferguson's team faced even more difficulties, from a poor start to now being in the mid-table. This was also the root of Ferguson's frustration and his search for a scapegoat in Keane.

Indeed, the match that historically ended with Manchester United winning 2-1 at home against Liverpool ended in a 2-2 draw. Without Roy Keane's restraining and intercepting, Manchester United's midfield was completely dominated by Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.

After the match, Ferguson openly expressed his disappointment, praising Gerrard as the best midfielder in the Premier League over the past 10 years. This was undoubtedly a direct attack on the team's captain, Roy Keane! In contrast, Benítez, who secured a point at Old Trafford, showed gentlemanly demeanor in the press conference, expressing his hope that Manchester United would soon recover.

After the match, some media boldly speculated whether the 33-year-old Keane was getting old, losing the king-like demeanor of his prime?

The Daily Mail even gossiped that Roy Keane would leave Manchester United in the winter transfer window! An article in The Irish Times further confirmed this, with Keane telling a local journalist, "I'm not as strong as I was in my prime, but I'm still better than my opponents!"

Keane's words had a bit of the "big mouth" tone, but the entire English football community would not doubt it. However, these words were indirectly challenging the manager, Ferguson: "You say Gerrard is the best midfielder? A dead camel is still bigger than a horse!"

This farce made Jowan Xian feel a bit guilty. His appearance really might accelerate the split between Ferguson and Keane, making it even more intense? He sat in his office, staring at the tactics board, lost in thought.

Assistant coach Boas knocked on the door and walked in, seeing Jowan Xian staring at the tactics board. On the whiteboard, a name was prominently circled in red—Makelele!

Although they won against Tottenham in the last match, the defensive flaws were evident. Fortunately, with Makelele anchoring the defensive midfield, Jowan Xian increasingly understood his importance.

Historically, after Makelele left Real Madrid, the team struggled for years. After he left Chelsea, the team also lost its championship. Makelele was truly a legendary figure. However, he was quiet and unassuming, not good at flattering, unattractive, and lacked attacking ability, which made Jowan Xian less fond of him.

"Oh, you're here. What's up?" Jowan Xian's stern face broke into a smile upon seeing Boas.

Boas placed a stack of dozens of pages on the desk and said, "The tactical arrangements and football philosophy you used in the last match against Tottenham gave me some new insights. I've prepared a detailed tactical reference on the 4-1-4-1 system with dual attacking midfielders and inverted wingers for your review."

Seeing the dozens of pages Boas handed over, Jowan Xian felt a bit overwhelmed. Boas was great in every way, but he was a bit too rigid. As a manager, how could he have the time to read all these detailed notes?

Jowan Xian waved his hand generously and said, "Villas, haven't I told you that the main tactical ideas are set by me, and the specific details are arranged by you? Have you forgotten our initial commitment? We are two young men working together to create a football empire. You are not just a figurehead; you play a crucial role!"

Boas was moved, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Jowan Xian kindly pulled Boas to the sofa and sat down, softly saying, "After being with me for so long, do you understand the kind of football I'm promoting?"

"Isn't it the kind that emphasizes overwhelming attacks?"

Jowan Xian smiled and shook his head. "That's just the surface, or... a point for the media to hype. The true essence... is total football!"

"Total football?" Boas was taken aback. In this era, total football was an overused term, with the Dutch trio being the typical representatives, but their achievements were not impressive. He frowned and slowly thought, "Michels, the creator of total football, was indeed a genius, but in this era, total football... seems outdated."

Jowan Xian shook his head. "Michels himself stood on the shoulders of giants, combining the strengths of various schools to create his own version of total football. The true concept of total football originated from a British football legend, Jack Reynolds."

"Oh, I know him. He established the Ajax youth academy, ensuring that the youth and senior teams followed the same attacking philosophy. This tradition continued until Michels' arrival, which finally brought decades of accumulation to fruition."

Boas' knowledge of football was truly impressive. Jowan Xian had spent the whole morning researching this information.

Jowan Xian nodded solemnly. "You're right. The success of Guardiola later on was largely due to Cruyff... but I digress. Let's talk about total football. With my profound understanding of football, I believe that even though Michels became a great figure, his understanding of total football was still one-sided and singular. It's like the葵花宝典 (Kuihua Manual) being the pinnacle of martial arts, and the辟邪剑谱 (Perverse Sword Manual) only needing a part of it to become invincible."

"What... what?" Boas was confused. "What Kuihua Manual? What Perverse Sword Manual?"

Jowan Xian glared. "I've told you many times to read more literary classics, not just focus on football! I've told you many times that football philosophy is not just tactics, but also psychology, medicine, literature, mathematics, astronomy, geography, and more!"

Feeling he had gone a bit overboard, Jowan Xian rubbed his nose and coughed heavily, then continued to impart his carefully thought-out total football philosophy to Boas: "In fact, true total football is a football philosophy. Based on this philosophy, the entire team of 11 players must work together in harmony, which is the true art of football!"

Boas was lost, his eyes wide open in confusion as he stared at Jowan Xian.

Jowan Xian rolled his eyes and patiently explained, "Look at how so-called football experts comment on total football. They say everyone attacks and everyone defends? That's a joke! The core of true total football lies in the freedom of roles!"

"Freedom of roles?" Boas was incredulous, exclaiming, "Xian, if the core is freedom, why do we need to distinguish between forwards, wingers, attacking midfielders, defensive midfielders, center-backs, and full-backs? Wouldn't it just be a chaotic mess?"

Jowan Xian waved his hand. "Freedom does not mean lack of constraints! In our Western countries, we are the most free, but does that mean there are no laws? Can we just randomly kill and set fires? Clearly, we need to pursue maximum freedom within the constraints! This applies to life, and to the pitch... as well!"

"Hmm... I think I understand a bit..." Boas frowned and slowly thought, "You mean the positions on the field should still exist, but the boundaries should be blurred, and players should be free to change roles based on their abilities and the game situation. The true definition of total football is not that everyone attacks and everyone defends, but that... everyone must attack and everyone must defend!"

Jowan Xian gave a thumbs up. "You finally get it."

Boas scratched his head and chuckled, then hesitated, "But Kaka, Joe Cole, and others never participate in defense. Isn't that contrary to your tactical philosophy?"

Jowan Xian said earnestly, "Attack is defense, and defense is attack. Where is the balance? It's in ball possession! With ball possession, you have the attack, and with the attack, you have the defense. Can you say that Kaka, Joe Cole, and others have no defensive role?"

Boas was thoroughly amazed. Jowan Xian's football philosophy was unfathomable, and the gap between them... was immeasurable.