Chapter 94

In the top five leagues, the Premier League does not have a winter break, as it has an additional League Cup compared to the other leagues. Therefore, even without a winter break, the Premier League's schedule is just as tight as the others.

On January 1, 2005, the 21st round of the 2004-05 Premier League season was set to kick off, with Chelsea traveling to Anfield to face Liverpool!

Following the London derby ten days earlier, this match also drew intense attention from all English media. The reason was just two words: transfers!

In the early hours of today, both Liverpool and Chelsea's official websites announced several player transfers.

Firstly, Chelsea's official website reported that the club had signed free agent and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane on an 18-month contract with a weekly wage of £30,000. This signing undoubtedly left all media reporters stunned and made the managers of other clubs envious. Chelsea's next transfer news, however, was somewhat comical.

"Chelsea has reached an agreement with Atlético Madrid to sign the club's forward Fernando Torres for £13.5 million! The player has signed a five-year contract with a weekly wage of £90,000, and the buyout clause is set at £90 million!"

Torres was far less well-known in England than in Spain, despite representing Spain at the 2004 European Championship, where his lackluster performance did not attract the interest of the picky English media. Since the news was revealed by Chelsea and Atlético Madrid, the English media did not hesitate to raise numerous questions.

The Sun: "Backed by the richest man in Russia, Joe Big indeed has the capital to splurge, but it must be said, this yellow-skinned man is irrational and clueless about players! A trip to the Maldives has corrupted his mind, and he is using the club's funds as the cost of his growth. It is truly a pity for Chelsea to have such a wasteful owner!"

The Guardian: "Joe Big has been using various methods to attract the attention of fans worldwide. Undoubtedly, this winter he chose to make a splash with a huge loss-making deal! It is said that Joe Big is also interested in Real Madrid's Morientes, Inter Milan's Adriano, and AC Milan's Shevchenko..."

Even The Times published an article titled "No One Is Perfect, Even Big Joe Makes Mistakes": "At the European Championship, Rooney shone, while Torres was unknown; in the first half of the league, Chelsea's Rooney scored goals aplenty, while Atlético Madrid's Torres only managed four! We can hardly imagine that such a huge transfer was made by Joe Big, who even compared Torres to our great English talent! Considering the summer signings of Rooney, Kaka, and Owen, Torres... is destined to become a blemish on Joe Big's career."

The English media focused on Chelsea's transfers but did not overlook Liverpool's two signings: the £4.5 million transfer of French center-back Gallas from Chelsea and the £6 million transfer of Spanish forward Villa from Zaragoza.

Villa was even less well-known than Torres, not even qualifying for the European Championship a few months earlier! Since the media reported that Joe Big and Benítez were on good terms, the English media also kept a close eye on the Spanish coach, using this opportunity to criticize him even more! Even Liverpool's Echo newspaper said that Benítez was getting too close to Joe Big and was learning his strategy of only buying young prospects and not stars!

At 20:45 on January 1, 2005, amidst the cheers of over 40,000 fans at Anfield, the match officially began. The pre-match press conference was extremely friendly, and the game itself was exceptionally smooth, with the Kop stand roaring throughout. Unfortunately, they did not get to see the return of the "Windrunner" Owen at Anfield.

For this match, the media's focus was not on the outcome but on the performance of the new signings. Both teams had signed forwards from Spain, and the journalists were eager to compare whether Joe Big's or Benítez's eye for talent was better.

They would never know that the signing of Villa was actually a suggestion from Joe Wanxian to Benítez.

The reason Joe Wanxian sent such a high-quality and cost-effective striker to Liverpool rather than keeping him was mainly because Villa's playing style was too similar to Owen and Rooney, both being small and agile. In contrast, Torres had excellent footwork and top-tier heading ability, capable of dribbling, passing, and playing as a target man, making him a perfect fit for Chelsea's tactical diversity.

In this match, Joe Wanxian used Source 1 on Lampard, Kaka, and Makelele, and indeed, Chelsea's control in midfield was significantly enhanced, with waves of attacks. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Joe Cole cut in from the right flank and unleashed a powerful shot. Dudak made a flying save, but Rooney and Kaka were there to pounce, with Rooney getting to the ball first and poking it in, making it 1-0.

Liverpool's double pivot of Alonso and Gerrard remained unchanged today, and this setup increasingly worried Benítez. Seeing Makelele's lively performance on the field, which outshone both Alonso and Gerrard, made him eagerly anticipate the summer to bring this tiger into his team.

Sure enough, in the 42nd minute, Makelele won the ball in midfield and passed it to Kaka. The Brazilian juked past Alonso, broke through Gerrard, and with an incredible "Maradona turn," easily bypassed Hyypiä. He feinted with his left foot, then cut with his right, and finally dribbled past the recently recovered Carragher, scoring a remarkable goal with a calm finish into the near post!

Seeing this goal, Liverpool's commentator Kenny Dalglish even commented, "This goal is a combination of Ronaldo, Zidane, and Piero, and the next Brazilian football king has been born!"

Such a goal was almost unbelievable for the Premier League! In a league known for its physicality and aggressive tackles, such a beautiful play was impossible! This kind of goal could only happen in lower leagues or in the Spanish league, which emphasizes attack over defense!

Of course, Kaka's goal, comparable to those of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, was also due to Benítez's pre-match warning to his players to avoid any malicious fouls against Chelsea.

In the second half, Chelsea made a simple substitution, with Joe Cole being replaced by Damien Duff. The media were somewhat disappointed, as they were most eager to see Torres perform poorly, which would give them a strong reason to criticize Joe Big.

Chelsea continued their offensive in the second half. In the 65th minute, Kaka took a corner kick, and Ramos outjumped Carragher to head the ball into the net, scoring the third goal of the match!

The Kop stand remained fiery, sending their most passionate cheers, while fans in other stands began to leave. However, they did not show much disappointment, as Liverpool was facing a Chelsea that had defeated Manchester United and Arsenal, a team of great strength.

In the 73rd minute, the entire stadium erupted in applause as Chelsea's No. 14, Roy Keane, came on the field!

Once, Liverpool hated this Manchester United captain, but now, hearing that he had fallen out with Ferguson and even declared his intention to wear blue and defeat Manchester United, he won the hearts of all Liverpool fans, who gave him a warm welcome.

Indeed, good deeds bring good rewards!

Just three minutes after the Liverpool fans applauded Roy Keane, Chelsea's left-back Ashley Cole gave them a gift. He dribbled carelessly, and the alert Luis García intercepted the ball, sending a long pass to the rapidly advancing Baroš.

Baroš headed the ball to the second point, where Harry Kewell received it and unleashed a powerful shot, scoring Liverpool's first goal, making the score 3-1.

However, the commentator on site did not seem overly excited, and Dalglish's tone was rather calm: "This goal mainly came from Ashley Cole's mistake. Chelsea's two center-backs, Terry and Cannavaro, are world-class, and I once thought the 18-year-old Ramos would be a weak point in Chelsea's defense, but after watching a few of their matches, I found that the young Spaniard performed consistently. It was the left-back Ashley Cole who made repeated mistakes."

Seeing Ashley Cole's mistake again, Joe Wanxian, sitting quietly on the bench, sighed inwardly: "No wonder he couldn't secure a starting position at Chelsea in his previous life, and even at Manchester City, he was a substitute, eventually ending up at West Ham United and Reading."

Boas, seeing Ashley Cole's poor performance, tightly closed his eyes, turned his head, and then covered his mouth, whispering to Joe Wanxian, "This winter, we must strengthen the left-back position, or it will be a problem in the Champions League!"

Joe Wanxian sighed, knowing this issue all too well, but with the left-back position already lacking in talent, who could they sign?

"Who do you think is a good player?"

"Ah?" Boas was surprised by the sudden question, then frowned and answered, "In today's football world, the best left-back... is naturally Real Madrid's Roberto Carlos. Hmm... Van Bronckhorst, Lizarazu, and Zanetti are also top-notch, and Ashley Cole has unlimited potential, but the greatest left-back... should still be the man from Milan—Maldini."

"Wait... wait!" Hearing Boas's words, Joe Wanxian's eyes lit up, suddenly having an idea, and he burst out laughing, "Boas, you're wrong! The greatest left-back isn't Maldini, but someone else!"

"Ah? Greater than Maldini?"

Boas's eyes widened, clearly not believing that there could be a left-back greater than Maldini in this world.