Chapter 81

After a simple warm-up on the pitch, in Chelsea's dressing room, Qiaowanxian unbuttoned his windbreaker and flung it back, revealing a neatly pressed black suit underneath. The air of authority... was no different from that of Xu Wenqiang in the Great Shanghai!

Seeing that his disciples did not display the various expressions of amazement he had expected, Qiaowanxian felt a bit dispirited: "It seems we still need a gentleman's hat and a cigar!"

He no longer wore sunglasses on the sidelines, as a fan had reported that Qiaowanxian's appearance with sunglasses scared children, and the FA had already issued a warning to Chelsea.

Taking off his sunglasses and tossing it aside, Qiaowanxian cleared his throat and said lightly, "It's been a long time since we've played against a strong team. I almost forgot how to give a pre-match pep talk."

"Ha ha..." The Chelsea players looked relaxed, showing no signs of tension over the highly anticipated match.

Indeed, looking at Chelsea's starting lineup—Rooney, Kaká, Lampard, Čech, Ramos, Cannavaro—each one was a player made for big moments. For them, the bigger the stage, the more excited they would be! In this regard, the disciples truly embodied the mindset of their coach.

Qiaowanxian gently waved his hand, and the laughter abruptly stopped. He spoke calmly, "Alright, let's review our game plan."

"Aggressive and relentless attacking football!" Terry, Ramos, Rooney, and Kaká shouted the loudest.

"Alright, Arsenal's unbeaten run has lasted 56 games, and Wenger and Arsenal have had their moment in the spotlight." Qiaowanxian's tone remained calm, but at this point, he suddenly became excited, raising his fist and shouting, "Now, it's your turn to show the world that Arsenal's 56-game unbeaten run is because they haven't faced me, Qiaowanxian, and our great Chelsea! Defeat Arsenal, and we will be unstoppable! Defeat Arsenal, and we will aim for the league title, creating a true legend of our own! Gentlemen, I only have one word to say to you: Attack!"

"Attack! Attack! Attack..." The players were instantly fired up. Qiaowanxian squinted his eyes and added with a grimace, "Highbury may be a bit small, but I believe that seeing over 30,000 Gunners fans in tears will be quite satisfying!"

"Ha ha..." Laughter rose, and Terry added with a sly grin, "Arsenal is 'guns,' and we have 'cannons.' The result is naturally in our favor!"

"Ha ha!"

Qiaowanxian's face turned red, and he chased Terry around the dressing room, trying to kick him...

...

At 0:05 on December 13, 2004, the 17th round of the 04-05 Premier League season finally kicked off at Highbury! The referee was Jeff Winter, and the teams were Arsenal (The Gunners) vs. Chelsea (The Blues).

Chelsea's starting lineup was exactly as published in Qiaowanxian's column in The Times the previous day. The goalkeeper was Petr Čech, the right-back was the young Spanish player Sergio Ramos, the center-backs were the steady Cannavaro and Terry, and the left-back was the Englishman Ashley Cole. The lone defensive midfielder was Claude Makélélé, the left attacking midfielder was Kaká, and the right attacking midfielder was Frank Lampard. The left winger was Damien Duff, the right winger was Joe Cole, and the striker was Wayne Rooney!

Qiaowanxian remained unchanged, and Wenger did not fall for his tactics, fielding Arsenal's strongest lineup in history: the goalkeeper was the German Jens Lehmann, the right-back was Lauren, the center-backs were Campbell and Kolo Touré, and the left-back was Ashley Cole. The midfielders were Freddie Ljungberg, Gilberto Silva, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires. The forwards were Thierry Henry and Reyes.

Wenger still chose the most popular 4-4-2 formation of the era.

History has shown that a three-line formation is completely outclassed by a four-line formation! Just looking at the lineup, Qiaowanxian's face showed a look of disdain.

On the sidelines, Professor Wenger was known for his elegant and gentle demeanor, and Arsenal's football was renowned for its beauty worldwide. Similarly, Qiaowanxian was undoubtedly the coolest and most stylish coach in the world, and Chelsea's attacking football had won the hearts of countless Brazilians, who even considered it the true samba football.

Before the referee's whistle, the two coaches, one old and one young, became the focus of the fans and media from around the world.

"The two most legendary coaches in all of England are finally facing off! One has led his team to 56 unbeaten games in the league, and the other has achieved a 16-game winning streak! One is the league leader, and the other is the defending champion. The clash between the traditional and the new powerhouses is about to begin. I don't know what the audience thinks, but as a Londoner, it is a fortunate and happy moment to witness a London derby that has captured the world's attention..."

The commentator from London TV tried to remain impartial, although there were more Arsenal fans in London, the "cannon fodder" fans were more fanatical, making him nervous and cautious, careful not to say the wrong word and upset the fans of either side.

Compared to the cautious commentator from London TV, the Chinese commentator Duan Xuan was much more relaxed. He knew that over 90% of the fans in China were "cannon fodder" fans, so he could confidently flatter them.

"Hello, dear viewers, I am Duan Xuan from CCTV. You are watching the 17th round of the 04-05 Premier League season, brought to you by CCTV. The teams are Arsenal and Chelsea. Let me introduce the two coaches, Wenger and Qiaowanxian! Wenger needs no introduction, a well-known French coach. As for Qiaowanxian... he is no stranger to Chinese fans!"

Perhaps moved by the 80-pound dinner Qiaowanxian treated him to last night, Duan Xuan began to mimic Qiaowanxian's style, speaking boldly: "After three months, seeing Qiaowanxian again, my first impression is that he has become even more stylish and more like a world-class coach! Of course, this applies not only on the pitch but off it as well. I can reveal a small secret to the audience: last night, Mr. Qiaowanxian treated our CCTV commentary team to a top-tier Western restaurant in London, and it is said that he spent 80,000 pounds on that meal! Of course, this is a small amount for the hottest coach in the world, but such a gesture is enough to move anyone."

CCTV did not initially have the broadcasting rights for the Premier League, but due to Qiaowanxian's immense popularity in China, the CCTV leadership decided to introduce Premier League matches. CCTV5 and ESPN reached a broadcasting agreement, allowing the Chinese people to finally watch Premier League matches on TV.

Finally, Jeff Winter's whistle sounded, and the match officially began!

On the pitch, both teams came out with full intensity, aiming to give each other a strong start. In the current era, before the establishment of the Dream Team II and the even more distant Dream Team III, Arsenal and Chelsea were undoubtedly the two most stylish teams in the world.

From the start, both teams abandoned any pretense of probing and launched a full-scale attack. Chelsea captain John Terry lost the coin toss, but it was this opportunity that led to a series of exciting moments in the first two minutes, with the crowd, commentators, and coaches all reacting with excitement.

Kaká received a pass from Rooney and quickly passed it to Lampard. Lampard, with his wide vision, connected the midfield and immediately found his club and national team teammate Joe Cole.

Joe Cole, known for his speed, made a high-speed run forward. Arsenal's left defensive midfielder Patrick Vieira, with his fierce demeanor, charged at Joe Cole, planning to work with left-back Ashley Cole to surround him.

Although Joe Cole was at his peak, facing Vieira, any player in the world would feel intimidated! He glanced up and, just as Vieira was about to collide with him, passed the ball across the center to the stylish and sunny Brazilian Kaká.

Qiaowanxian knew that Arsenal might be his strongest opponent, so despite his seemingly relaxed demeanor before the match, he had made thorough preparations. To deal with this crucial match, he decided to go all out and use 5 milliliters of Source 1. He had already used 3 milliliters before the match, on Rooney, Kaká, and Lampard, and kept the remaining 2 milliliters as a reserve.

Kaká felt that his condition today was excellent. After receiving the ball, he took two quick steps forward. As a fellow Brazilian, Gilberto Silva's pace was average and could not keep up with Kaká, who quickly left him behind. The central defender Kolo Touré felt as if a blue whirlwind had passed by him, and before he could react to the wave of cheers from the stands, he saw the ball already pass by him, with Rooney sprinting forward!

Lapses in concentration in the defense had become a tradition for Arsenal!

"Rooney, it's Rooney again! His speed is incredible, and Arsenal's defender Campbell is trying to hold him back, but it's clear he can't. Rooney's build is like a tank!" Duan Xuan was emotionally charged, more excited than the commentators from other countries: "We see that Lehmann has come out to challenge! This ball... Ah! Lehmann has cleared the ball, unfortunately. If Rooney could have been just a step faster, we would have seen a goal..."

Right from the start, the match saw an exciting moment. Chelsea took advantage of Arsenal's lack of focus in the early stages and launched a fluid attack. If not for the German national goalkeeper Lehmann's heroic save, the "little fat" Rooney might have already been celebrating a goal.

However, the cheers in the Highbury stadium had barely subsided when they rose again! The danger for Arsenal was not over, and the ball that Lehmann cleared landed right in front of the well-positioned Frank Lampard!

Lampard did not let the ball touch the ground and launched a powerful volley!

Goalkeeper Lehmann did not have time to get up, and he could only watch in shock and despair as the ball flew over his head!

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