Chapter 57

In October, it was once again time for the national team training camp to prepare for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. With only a group of substitute players left in the Chelsea squad, Jowan Xian handed the team over to Boas. With the help of his agent, Ye Xuan, he also signed image rights contracts with Coca-Cola and Barclays Bank, both three-year deals that would bring him about £1 million annually.

With this, Jowan Xian no longer had any financial pressure.

On October 9th, England defeated their opponent 2-0 in the British derby, thanks to goals from Lampard in the 3rd minute and captain Beckham in the 76th minute, securing their second victory in the World Cup qualifiers.

On October 14th, England faced the weaker Azerbaijan away. Captain Beckham was suspended, and Owen was injured from a match against Liverpool, so Chelsea captain Terry took over as England's captain. England managed a tough 3-0 win with a goal from Rooney.

After three consecutive wins, Eriksson's pressure eased, but Jowan Xian's increased. On October 17th, he would lead his team to face Manchester City away!

In Chelsea's lineup, players like Cech, Terry, Cannavaro, Gallas, Makelele, Lampard, Kaka, Joe Cole, Rooney, Duff, and Gudjohnsen were all absolute starters for their national teams. The FIFA virus was spreading widely within the team, and the fitness coach bluntly stated that players like Cannavaro, Kaka, Joe Cole, and Duff could only play half a game, otherwise, they might suffer from fatigue and risk injury.

Despite Chelsea's thin squad, Manchester City's manager, Keegan, did not dare to underestimate them. Although Jowan Xian was young, he had already gained Keegan's respect. Keegan discovered through his research that the reason Chelsea had conceded so much defensively to Liverpool was because Liverpool's manager, Benitez, had praised Jowan Xian in public, forming a very friendly relationship.

Keegan realized this and, ten days before the match, began using Manchester City's official channels and the media to praise Jowan Xian, speaking with sincerity and reverence, almost deifying him as a legend in world football.

After a brief discussion with Boas, Jowan Xian fielded the weakest lineup he had used since taking over Chelsea.

Goalkeeper Cech, with Bridge and Ramos, who did not play for their national teams, as the full-backs, and Terry and Gallas as the center-backs. The biggest change was in midfield, with Greme, Parker, Lampard, Duff, Rooney, and Gudjohnsen as the lone striker!

When Keegan saw Chelsea's starting lineup in The Times, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that his flattery had worked on Jowan Xian.

In the 9th round of the 2004-05 Premier League season, Chelsea won 2-1 away against Manchester City, thanks to goals from Rooney and Ramos, securing their 9th consecutive league win. However, Chelsea only led Arsenal by 2 points in the standings, as Arsenal had also achieved an impressive 8 wins and 1 draw in the first 9 rounds.

The following week, although there were two Champions League matches, Chelsea had home advantage and faced no significant pressure.

On October 20th, the third round of the UEFA Champions League group stage kicked off, with Chelsea hosting Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow. Amid the deafening cheers at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea easily won 4-0, with Rooney scoring twice, Terry with a powerful header, and Kaka with a world-class goal.

In Group H, Chelsea had won all three matches, securing a place in the knockout stage. More importantly, Owen returned to the field in this match, although he did not score, his form was good, and his injury was no longer a concern.

In the 10th round of the Premier League, Chelsea would face Blackburn Rovers at home, managed by Mark Hughes. A few days before the match, Manchester City's manager, Keegan, secretly called Mark Hughes, telling him that he had discovered a weakness in Jowan Xian: if he was flattered before the match, he would go easy on the opponent.

Keegan and Hughes had a good relationship, and considering Chelsea's matches against Liverpool and Manchester City, Hughes found this advice reasonable. So, Mark Hughes continuously praised Jowan Xian through the media, saying Chelsea would win the title and that Jowan Xian was the best manager in the Premier League.

However, Mark Hughes' influence was limited, and all the media attention was on the Manchester United vs. Arsenal match, where Arsenal had not lost in 49 league matches, and their star, Henry, confidently declared they would win away at Old Trafford.

Even Jowan Xian, Chelsea's manager, ignored the praise from Blackburn's manager and focused on the Manchester United vs. Arsenal match.

Historically, this match saw Ferguson's Manchester United defeat the invincible Arsenal 2-0 at home, breaking their 49-game unbeaten run and their dominance in the Premier League. But with Jowan Xian's arrival, the conflict between Ferguson and Keane had erupted early and uncontrollably. Could Manchester United still stop Arsenal's juggernaut?

The match was on October 24th, and on October 23rd at 10 PM, Chelsea's home match against Blackburn Rovers began.

After 10 days of rotation and rest, the FIFA virus had dissipated in Chelsea, and Jowan Xian fielded his strongest 11 players.

Cech, Bridge, Terry, Cannavaro, Ramos, Makelele, Rooney, Kaka, Lampard, Joe Cole, and Owen. Seeing these 11 players warming up on the pitch, Blackburn's manager, Mark Hughes, felt a bit anxious, especially with the packed Stamford Bridge, which felt like a scorching pot, roasting the Welsh manager.

Just 2 minutes into the match, the entire stadium erupted in cheers as Joe Cole dribbled down the wing and delivered a quick, low cross, with Owen making a lightning run to score with a sliding shot, 1-0, giving Chelsea a dream start!

Mark Hughes raised an eyebrow and glanced at Chelsea's bench, noticing that Jowan Xian showed no sign of joy, instead holding his phone as if sending a text message. He had a bad feeling, wondering if his flattery before the match had not been enough to satisfy Jowan Xian's ego.

Sure enough, Chelsea showed no mercy, attacking fiercely and defending aggressively. In the 20th minute, the score was changed again, this time by Chelsea's left-back, Bridge, who scored his first goal of the season, celebrating wildly.

Mark Hughes looked grim, standing alone on the touchline, and angrily sat down on the bench, feeling annoyed with Keegan.

At halftime, the electronic scoreboard in the center of the pitch showed a glaring 3-0 in red numbers.

Just before halftime, Rooney scored a world-class goal from the left side of the penalty area, curling the ball into the top right corner. Blackburn had no chance of a comeback, and the match was already a formality, with Chelsea achieving their 10th consecutive win, setting a new club record!

In Premier League history, the longest winning streak was 14 matches, set by Arsenal in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. Could Jowan Xian's Chelsea break this record?

After Chelsea's 6-1 home win against Blackburn, media experts discussed the team's winning streak. In the upcoming matches, Chelsea would face West Bromwich Albion away, Everton at home, Fulham away, Bolton at home, Charlton away, and Newcastle at home.

These six matches were against relatively weaker opponents, and given Chelsea's strength and current form, achieving another 6 consecutive wins after the 10th win was not a problem! This would mean Chelsea would set a new record of 16 consecutive wins!

The media and journalists predicted 16 wins rather than 17 because in the 17th round of the Premier League, Chelsea would visit Highbury to face the defending champions, Arsenal!

Which team was the most eye-catching in the Premier League now? It was not Chelsea, led by the controversial Jowan Xian, but the invincible Arsenal, led by Wenger!

In the 10th round of the Premier League, Wenger's Arsenal defeated Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, with Henry scoring twice and Gilberto Silva adding a goal, extending their unbeaten run to 50 matches!

In that era, the undisputed world's top club was not the nine-time European Cup winners, Real Madrid, but the Red Devils of Manchester United, built by Ferguson. However, this team was going through one of its most painful periods, having not won a league title in three years since selling Beckham, and currently ranked 12th in the Premier League with only 12 points.

Gradually, the media and football legends reached a consensus: in this era, Chelsea and Arsenal were the two super teams, and the other Premier League teams could only defend against them, lacking the ability to counter. This situation made people realize that the Premier League's landscape was similar to La Liga.

After Benitez left for Spain, La Liga became a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona. What about the Premier League? Chelsea and Arsenal seemed to be a step above the rest.

The Spanish Clásico could ignite the passion of football fans worldwide, so what about the English Clásico? Would it be Chelsea vs. Arsenal?

This was not just a national derby, but also a London derby! The entire British Isles looked forward to the clash between Chelsea and Arsenal with great reverence!