Chapter 69

On November 13, the 13th round of the English League matches officially began, with Chelsea visiting Craven Cottage to challenge Fulham. Since both teams are in the London area, Chelsea's physical condition was not a problem. With goals from Gudjohnsen, Rooney, Cannavaro, and Joe Cole, Chelsea easily won 4-1, achieving a 13-match winning streak in the league.

After this round of matches, Chelsea continued to lead the league. Arsenal, with a record of 10 wins and 3 draws, was 6 points behind Chelsea. Manchester United, mired in internal conflicts, had only 16 points after 13 matches, ranking 10th, 23 points behind Chelsea, effectively ruling out any chance of winning the title.

On November 14, the famous football data website "Football Database" updated its latest world football club rankings. The Spanish giant Real Madrid topped the list, with Arsenal, who had been unbeaten for 53 league matches, in second place. Chelsea, who had won 19 consecutive matches in all competitions this season, was only in third place! Following were the Italian giants AC Milan, the Spanish giants Barcelona, the German powerhouse Bayern Munich, the Italian Juventus, and then the UEFA Champions League winners from the previous season, Porto of Portugal.

The 2004-2005 Spanish La Liga had already reached the 11th round. On the league table, Real Madrid, led by Mourinho, was leading with a record of 9 wins and 2 draws. Barcelona, under Rijkaard, was in second place with 8 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, 3 points behind Real Madrid.

It cannot be denied that Mourinho is indeed a genius coach. Ignoring the off-field issues, his command of the team on the pitch is undoubtedly among the top five in the world! With his strong presence and dominant methods, he not only kept the stars in the locker room in check but also took over the position of General Manager of Real Madrid, personally taking full control of the team.

With a plethora of top players at his disposal, it is natural for Mourinho to achieve such excellent results at Real Madrid. Unfortunately, Rijkaard, who created the Barcelona Dream Team, faced a coach who was not a mediocre like Camacho, and could only lament the saying, "If Zhou Yu is born, why must Liang also be born?"

When Jowan Xian saw this content, he felt somewhat frustrated: "Real Madrid, with its star-studded lineup and good results, is leading my Chelsea, which is understandable. But what does Arsenal have to be proud of? They are 6 points behind me in the league, yet they rank higher than my Chelsea? Is 53 matches unbeaten that impressive?"

On November 20, the 14th round of the Premier League began, with Chelsea hosting Bolton. Jowan Xian vented his anger on the unfortunate Bolton, winning 7-0!

Little Rooney and Kaka both scored hat-tricks in the first and second halves, Cech scored a penalty, and Lampard, Joe Cole, Ramos, and Gudjohnsen provided assists. Bolton only managed 4 shots throughout the match, all of which were far off target. Chelsea's goalkeeper Cech had little to do throughout the match, and in the cold winter weather, the first thing he did after the match was to take a cold and flu capsule from the team doctor.

As soon as the match ended, Jowan Xian handed the team over to his assistant Boas and flew to Barcelona, Spain, with his two beautiful girlfriends, Cheryl and Lucy. They checked into a hotel room and waited for the match at Camp Nou on the 21st—the Spanish Clásico, the match of the century!

At 5:00 AM on November 21, the 12th round of the 2004-2005 Spanish La Liga kicked off, with second-placed Barcelona hosting first-placed Real Madrid at Camp Nou!

This match featured the best players in the world at every position, with a combined value of 1.36 billion euros! Camp Nou was packed to the brim, with live broadcasts from over 40 countries, including commentary by Duan Xuan from China!

Compared to Camp Nou, Stamford Bridge was like a small training ground. The 100,000 capacity of Camp Nou, not only doubled that of Stamford Bridge but also added a frenzied and passionate atmosphere! The grandeur of a UEFA five-star stadium was evident!

Even though Jowan Xian had experienced the roar of the fans at Stamford Bridge many times, it was just a fraction of the red and blue sea at Camp Nou. This震撼 was enough to make anyone's blood boil! No wonder some people say that no matter how well Chelsea performs, it is still a pseudo-major club, lacking the atmosphere of a true major club like Camp Nou!

Cheryl wore a long red coat and a pair of sunglasses, her sexy red lips painted purple, exuding a seductive and cold beauty, with a queen-like demeanor; Lucy's outfit was simple, a tight beige sweater that revealed her stunning figure, with a light makeup that made her appear elegant and intimate.

Jowan Xian held one hand of each, afraid that the massive crowd and noise would overwhelm them. Lucy, a bit timid, leaned into his chest and whispered, "Dear, I feel like Barcelona is even stronger than Chelsea!"

"What do you know?" Cheryl shot her a glance, also leaning into Jowan Xian's chest, cooing, "Barcelona just has a grander stadium. Chelsea, with my husband in charge, is the best team in the world!"

Jowan Xian chuckled, patted Cheryl's butt, and said, "Cheryl understands football better!"

Cheryl giggled, looking at Lucy with a smug smile. Lucy pouted, feeling a bit wronged, and quietly leaned into Jowan Xian's chest, her bright eyes curiously and shockingly scanning the Camp Nou.

At 5:02 AM, the referee's whistle blew, and the match officially began! Camp Nou instantly erupted in deafening cheers, startling Lucy, who buried her head in Jowan Xian's chest, covering her ears and complaining, "It's so noisy!"

Cheryl, however, was excited, murmuring with reverence, "If I could hold a concert here one day, with so many fans cheering for me, it would be amazing..."

Seeing Cheryl's hopeful expression, Jowan Xian's heart stirred. He narrowed his eyes, looked at the Barcelona bench, focused on Rijkaard for a moment, then gently hugged Cheryl and whispered, "Sweetheart, don't worry, that day will come!"

Cheryl smiled sweetly but said nothing. She knew Jowan Xian was just comforting her; having 100,000 fans cheering live was something only a world-class star like Madonna could achieve.

Barcelona's starting lineup for today had some changes. Perhaps due to the 2-1 loss to Real Betis in the previous round, Rijkaard did not continue with the Puyol and Edmilson central defense pairing. Instead, he moved Marquez back to partner Puyol in central defense, with Motta playing as a defensive midfielder.

The lineup was: Goalkeeper 1 Valdés, right-back 2 Belletti, central defenders 5 Puyol and 4 Marquez, left-back 12 van Bronckhorst; midfielders 6 Xavi, 3 Motta, 20 Deco; and the front three 10 Ronaldinho on the left, 9 Eto'o as the central striker, and 8 Júlio on the right.

Mourinho's style has always been to remain unchanged in the face of any challenge, especially in such an important match. He had no reason to change the starting lineup.

The lineup was: Goalkeeper Casillas, right-back Salgado, central defenders Carvalho and Helguera, left-back Roberto Carlos; midfielders Zidane, Essien, Beckham, and Figo; and forwards Ronaldo and Raul!

Raul, at this time, was not only the prince of Bernabéu but also the prince of Spain, excelling in both attack and defense, and being diligent. Even though Mourinho preferred the physically stronger and taller Drogba, he had to rely on Raul.

Mourinho did not use the 4-3-3 formation that made him famous at Chelsea but opted for a more conventional 4-4-2. Of course, Zidane on the left would often move to the center, looking like a playmaker, while Raul, squeezed by Ronaldo's position in the box, would often move to the left, looking like a left winger. This formation also had elements of a 4-2-3-1.

Unfortunately, the right flank of Real Madrid was firmly held by Figo. Despite Beckham's reputation as the "King of the Right Flank" and the "Golden Right Foot," he had to stay in the center, working with Essien to complete defensive tasks, looking more like a defensive midfielder.

Clearly, Florentino's star policy, leading to overlapping star positions, presented significant challenges for the coach's lineup.

From the start of the match, Barcelona's fans cheered non-stop for their team, the red and blue colors filling the night at Camp Nou. As expected, both teams played an attacking style of football!

However, despite the focus on attack, both teams were also wary of each other's strong offensive capabilities, keeping their defenses tight. Especially Real Madrid, when Barcelona had the ball, even Ronaldo would retreat to the midfield, adopting a defensive counter-attacking strategy.

After 10 minutes, neither team had created a significant scoring opportunity. Whenever Figo got the ball, the Camp Nou would erupt in boos and jeers.

"Dear, why does that uncle get booed every time he touches the ball?" Lucy asked, her face red and her voice soft.

Jowan Xian laughed, seeing her cute expression, and couldn't help but kiss her smooth face, saying, "Because... Figo was once the king of Barcelona!"

At that moment, Camp Nou erupted in the most intense and enthusiastic cheers and applause since the start of the match!

"Huh? Did someone score?" Jowan Xian quickly looked at the field and saw Zidane calmly controlling the ball.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Jowan Xian was puzzled.

"Dear, look at the big screen!" Lucy's white face flushed with a hint of happiness, pointing to the large screen in the center of the field.

Jowan Xian looked and immediately smiled.

---

[AD begins]

[AD ends]