Chapter 107: I'm Going for the Title! Good Luck, Wenger, I'm Rooting for You!
"This season just got a whole lot more complicated."
The moment Ferguson finished watching Bayswater Chinese's Champions League match against Real Madrid—more precisely, just the first half—he knew.
He was in trouble.
Big trouble.
"That kid's a monster," Ferguson muttered through gritted teeth.
He had placed high hopes on this season.
Evra and Vidic had solidified the defense since their winter arrival.
Carrick and Hargreaves were added in the summer to reinforce the midfield.
Van Nistelrooy was gone, and the tactical direction of the team was now crystal clear.
Cristiano Ronaldo had been retained, Rooney convinced, and the dressing room issues settled.
All signs pointed to this being United's year.
Especially when he saw Chelsea sign Shevchenko—
That's not a striker. That's a walking headache.
But now… Bayswater Chinese had arrived on the scene.
"They really are stronger than last season," Queiroz sighed.
That was not something you could say in public.
"The key is Yang Cheng," Ferguson added with a long breath. "If it was just the side that beat us in Matchday 6, I'd be a bit worried, but not too impressed. But the team that faced Madrid…"
"This adjustment… damn, it was genius."
Ferguson even dropped an expletive.
Part admiration.
Part frustration.
As a fellow manager, he couldn't help but appreciate it.
But as a rival—he was seething.
Queiroz nodded. He felt the same.
Giving Arshavin that much freedom? Not even Ribéry had that level of license.
And Džeko—he had incredible tactical responsibility.
Even Ashley Young, who had shifted from right to left, was playing brilliantly.
Judging by that first half alone, Yang Cheng had played every card to perfection.
"Well… it's good. It's fun to have a proper challenger," Ferguson said with a bark of laughter.
It sounded confident, but deep down, he was psyching himself up.
The stronger the opponent, the stronger he became.
That had always been his identity.
"It's a long season. Too many unknowns," Queiroz added with a smile.
Injuries, fluctuations in form, tactical misfires, opponents adjusting…
So many factors could derail even the hottest team.
One stunning win doesn't win you the league.
If it did, football wouldn't be half as interesting.
"Now Yang Cheng's challenge is to maintain this system, keep this form going. If he gets it wrong, it could all collapse."
And that was the truth.
"We just need to focus on ourselves and limit our mistakes."
After losing to Bayswater Chinese in Matchday 6, Manchester United had slipped to fourth.
Bayswater Chinese led the table with 5 wins and 1 draw.
Chelsea sat second with 15 points.
Portsmouth had 13.
United and Everton were both on 12.
…
"Hmph. Nouveau riche."
At Chelsea's training ground, north of Heathrow Airport, Mourinho scoffed after watching the Champions League carnage at the Bernabéu.
He saw the waves of media praise crashing down and rolled his eyes.
Even if he privately respected it, he'd never show it.
Because that was his sworn enemy.
Not just the team—the damn coach too.
"A team coached by Capello… if it had been me, I'd have put four past them too."
He paused, his brow furrowing.
"Well, never mind. Give it two more weeks—
I'll walk into Wembley myself and crush them."
"Avenge the shame."
…
North London. Colney Training Ground.
Wenger stared blankly at the screen, watching the replay from Madrid.
The deep furrows on his face seemed etched deeper than ever.
Already a rather melancholy figure, he now looked thoroughly bitter.
"They lost Ribéry, and it hasn't even affected them?"
"And that damn Russian—Arshavin—how is he that good?"
"Damn you, Yang Cheng. Damn Bayswater Chinese."
"Now how am I supposed to finish top four?"
"What, another season in the UEFA Cup?"
Wenger was a thinker—always had been.
And now, after watching the Bernabéu bloodbath, he realized:
Maybe this Arsenal team… isn't good enough either.
What now?
…
Yang Cheng had no idea what his rivals were thinking.
After returning to London from Madrid, his squad was met with a hero's welcome.
The mood around the club was electric.
But as head coach, Yang Cheng knew well—the victory was already yesterday's news.
Now, the mission was simple:
Keep the momentum going.
He immediately called a meeting with the entire first-team coaching staff to discuss the next phase of training.
Any football fan worth their salt knows:
training must replicate match conditions.
Because training exists to serve match performance.
That meant simulation not only in terms of pitch size, intensity, player roles, and positioning—
but also in terms of tactics and decision-making.
If you've ever watched professional training, you'll notice—
they rarely practice "4-4-2" or "4-3-3" formations explicitly.
Those are just positional frameworks.
In training, players are split into various functional groups.
In attack vs. defense drills?
You might have four defenders vs. five attackers.
When rehearsing the offside trap?
It's often just the back four working in sync.
For right-sided attacking drills, the setup includes the right-back, right center-back, right midfielder, and winger.
Left-side routines follow the same principle.
But the coaching staff doesn't just dump all their tactical demands onto the players at once.
That's not how learning works.
Even in school, students need time to digest, practice, and reinforce ideas through exercises.
Football is even more complex.
Professional football has evolved over decades.
Generations of coaches have developed a method:
Break tactical ideas into small, digestible training modules—
and let players discover the underlying concepts themselves.
Not only that, but the same drill often includes multiple difficulty levels.
Start simple. Build depth gradually.
What if a player doesn't understand?
Or understands, but can't execute?
There's nothing you can do.
If it's a young player, he'll start to underperform.
Fail to integrate.
Then get labeled as a flop.
Sometimes, his career never recovers.
So how does a coaching staff decide how to design these sessions?
They don't just say, "We're gonna play possession football."
Then immediately set up rondos.
It's not that easy.
If a manager says something like that?
He's a complete amateur.
"Possession football" is too vague.
You need to ask: what kind of possession football?
Like Barcelona?
Okay—which part of Barcelona's style?
Their small-sided, five-man combination passing patterns?
Sure. But to what degree…?
Then it all comes down to refinement, and more refinement.
The head coach must provide a clear and detailed training philosophy, so that every member of the coaching staff understands how the team is expected to play, how players should coordinate, and what results they are working toward…
From there, the coaching team takes that vision and breaks it down into realistic, match-simulating training scenarios, organized by difficulty level, allowing players to gradually internalize the ideas through repetition.
They must also constantly monitor training progress to adjust intensity.
Each training session must push players to their physical limits—no more, no less.
If it's too easy, it's ineffective.
If it's too hard, it damages player confidence.
This is where the true complexity of coaching lies.
Only when players give their all and succeed do they feel accomplishment. That's when you ramp up the difficulty.
This is how you guide development—step by step.
But the foundation of it all is this:
What's the head coach's tactical vision?
Now, Yang Cheng had made it very clear to everyone:
What the team showed in the match against Real Madrid—that is exactly what he wants.
That performance proved their training had worked.
Now, it was time to deepen, reinforce, and evolve.
If they were going to play a high defensive line…
If Arshavin was going to play as a free man…
If Ashley Young was stationed on the left…
The team's entire defensive framework had to shift.
That meant adjusting a huge part of the training syllabus.
For instance:
Arshavin on the left and Young on the left are not the same thing tactically.
Which means the right side, and how it defends, must also be adjusted.
Maicon's timing—when to go forward, when to stay—had to be re-trained.
This is where many fans get it wrong.
They think individual brilliance comes from nowhere.
But much of what players show on match day has already been rehearsed over and over again on the training ground.
Often, the coaching staff deliberately guide it.
Take Yaya Touré's driving runs.
When should he surge forward?
That's something Yang Cheng had trained him to recognize and execute for a long time.
But when it happens in a match, it looks like pure instinct.
Same with Arshavin.
During summer camp, the coaching staff noticed he liked power shots, especially when going for the corners.
But that often caused him to miss wildly.
So they built a specific training program to help him use different finishing techniques in various scenarios—to improve his decision-making under pressure.
As for Džeko?
His two chest controls and turn-and-pass moments against Real Madrid—those were not improvisations.
They were textbook drills from training.
One comment from Yang Cheng could send the entire coaching team into a frenzy of preparation.
Every drill, every session, had to be re-evaluated and adapted to the head coach's tactical adjustments.
Even the most basic one-touch passing routines.
For example, a drill Yang Cheng had introduced back in League Two:
A 20-meter square, with 4 vs. 4.
Each team has 2 players inside the square and 2 players on opposite sides.
Only one-touch passes.
Only linear runs along the square's edge.
The beauty of this drill?
It forced every single participant to master their positioning, angles, body orientation, foot selection, and how to control and move the ball under pressure.
Over the past 3 years, it had become a core part of training for Bayswater Chinese—even in the youth academy.
If you wanted to increase the difficulty?
Just change the numbers.
Add new rules. Restrict touches. Shift support patterns.
There were countless variations.
Want defenders to improve anticipation and spatial awareness?
Run a drill where defenders aren't allowed to tackle.
They must read the game, track movement, and intercept through positioning.
Or take Bale, Matić, and Di María—
Yang Cheng once banned them from using their left foot in training.
Walcott?
No right foot allowed.
Because all of them were actually very good with their weak foot—but they just didn't use it instinctively.
By forcing them to use it, he was breaking old habits and building new muscle memory.
…
Aside from this massive training overhaul, Yang Cheng held a meeting with Xia Qing and Adam Crozier.
He gave clear orders to the administrative department:
"Get logistics locked down. Especially for October's international break—ensure our national team players travel in comfort and on time."
"This is war."
"Logistics is the hidden key to victory on the pitch."
He didn't hold back:
"After beating Real Madrid, I'm more confident than ever. I want to go for the Premier League title!"
"That's why I need each and every one of you to give everything you've got!"
Yang Cheng's confidence was absolute.
Right now, Bayswater Chinese were top of the Premier League.
And after dismantling both Barcelona and Real Madrid 4–0, they were the hottest name in world football.
So when Yang Cheng declared his title ambitions—no one questioned it.
In fact, it energized the entire organization.
A league title?
Something that once felt like a distant dream...
Even Adam Crozier looked stunned.
He hadn't expected Yang Cheng to go public with that ambition so soon.
But it lit a fire in him too.
Xia Qing stood silently beside them, eyes soft, lips curled into a gentle smile.
That's what a man should be like, she thought.
Bold. Fearless. Ready to charge into battle.
…
October 1st, noon. Boleyn Ground, London.
Premier League Matchday 7: West Ham vs. Bayswater Chinese.
1 minute and 32 seconds in—
The high press worked instantly.
On the left, youngster Ángel Di María took the ball, danced past U.S. right-back Jonathan Spector with a flurry of feints, and tried to cut inside toward the box.
Spector tripped him just outside the 30-yard area.
Referee Uriah Rennie didn't hesitate—free kick.
And a yellow card for Spector.
A dangerous set-piece.
Leighton Baines stepped up.
Once the wall was set, he ran up, as if to swing it into the box—
Then changed direction, tapping it sideways.
Midfielder Gökhan Inler was waiting.
He controlled with his right, nudged the ball left, evaded Benayoun's charge—
Then let fly.
A thunderbolt.
The ball roared through the air like a cannon shell, flew past keeper Carroll, and smashed into the net.
1–0!
The entire Boleyn Ground was left stunned.
"Unstoppable!"
"Unmatched!"
"Unbelievable!"
"A worldie!!"
The Sky Sports commentators were absolutely stunned.
Not even two minutes in, and Bayswater Chinese had already fired a screamer into the top corner.
The most shocking part?
Their set-piece routines—there were so many!
And not a single one repeated!
It was outrageous.
Absolutely outrageous.
Inler's world-class strike earned Bayswater Chinese a 1–0 win over West Ham.
And West Ham?
They were completely smothered the entire match.
Alan Pardew's side held on through a rigid 4-4-2 defensive shell and an inspired performance from goalkeeper Carroll, which prevented a heavier scoreline.
Elsewhere in the league:
Liverpool lost 0–2 away to Bolton.
Chelsea drew 1–1 at home against Aston Villa.
Manchester United beat Newcastle 2–0 at home.
Arsenal came from behind to win 2–1 away at Charlton, with Van Persie scoring twice—a breakout performance.
Yang Cheng had always believed that Van Persie was only held back by injuries.
If not for all the setbacks, he'd have become a global superstar with a much longer prime.
After this round, Bayswater Chinese stood atop the Premier League with an undefeated record—6 wins, 1 draw, and 19 points.
Chelsea, due to their draw, were now 3 points back with 16.
United sat third with 15.
Arsenal and Bolton followed, both with 14.
…
With Matchday 7 in the books, the league paused for the international break.
Thanks to Bayswater Chinese's outstanding performances, their number of international call-ups had surged.
Just three years ago, when Jonathan Stead was called up to the England U21s, the entire club had celebrated for days.
Now?
Internationals everywhere.
After Cicinho's injury, Maicon was called up to Brazil's national team.
So was Pepe—although he declined Dunga's invitation and instead waited for a call-up from Portugal.
Other in-form players had also been recognized by their respective countries.
By now, having internationals was no longer a novelty at Bayswater Chinese.
Once they returned from their national duties, Yang Cheng immediately began preparations for Premier League Matchday 8: a home clash with Chelsea.
Both teams were affected by the international break and had upcoming midweek Champions League matches.
Bayswater Chinese had the tougher task—hosting Bayern Munich.
Yang Cheng and Mourinho both implemented rotations.
Even so, Bayswater Chinese came out swinging.
Arshavin was rested, so Ashley Young started on the right, and young Argentine Ángel Di María played the left.
Džeko was also unavailable due to international duty, so Rickie Lambert led the line.
Midfield trio: Matuidi, Inler (deep), and Lassana Diarra.
From the first whistle, they pressed Chelsea hard.
In midfield, Chelsea fielded Lampard, Essien, and Mikel.
But Bayswater's tireless pressing made it nearly impossible for Chelsea to play through the middle.
They were forced to hit long balls toward Drogba.
Pepe kept Drogba mostly contained.
Robben, on the left, was neutralized by Piszczek.
On the right, Shevchenko looked utterly lost.
The "Ukrainian Missile" managed just one shot—from 25 meters out.
Other than that?
He was invisible.
He didn't even appear in the match highlights—and barely in the broadcast footage.
Chelsea's defense, though, held firm.
Bridge, Terry, Carvalho, Ferreira, plus Cech in goal—they kept a clean sheet despite intense pressure.
In the end, a goalless draw.
Bayswater Chinese had dominated—but no goals.
Chelsea escaped with a point, but the criticism was fierce.
Most of the media agreed:
Mourinho was too conservative.
Not that Yang Cheng or his team deserved the blame.
The truth was—Mourinho had made too many enemies.
He'd feuded with the entire British press, even calling them dogs.
So now?
They pounced.
And the worst part?
They used his own words against him.
Mourinho once said:
"I only play defensively when I have no players."
Now?
You've got Shevchenko, a Ballon d'Or winner.
And what did you do with him?
One pitiful shot.
Milan fans watching this would be heartbroken.
Some reports claimed Abramovich was furious with Mourinho.
For failing to get the best out of Shevchenko.
In short:
Mourinho was in trouble.
Other results this round:
Arsenal beat Watford 3–0 at home.
United beat Wigan 3–1 away.
Liverpool were held 1–1 by Blackburn at Anfield.
Bayswater Chinese had 20 points.
Just 2 ahead of United.
Chelsea, Arsenal, and Bolton were all on 17.
…
Three days later – Wembley Stadium, London.
Champions League, Group Stage Matchday 3: Bayswater Chinese vs. Bayern Munich.
Despite weekend rotation, the hosts came out flying.
Just two minutes in, Arshavin tested Oliver Kahn with a rocket from the left channel.
The German legend fumbled the shot, but recovered quickly.
But Bayswater Chinese didn't let up.
Yang Cheng stuck with the same setup he used against Real Madrid:
Arshavin as a free attacker, Ashley Young back on the left.
Since Ribéry played on Bayern's left, it meant Maicon had a tough assignment.
But despite the pressure, Bayswater's left-sided attack kept pinning Bayern deep.
So much so that Magath used a double-pivot—Van Bommel and Demichelis in midfield, with Schweinsteiger on the right.
That showed just how wary Bayern were of Bayswater's attack.
That first-half blitz against Real Madrid had terrified Europe.
But even with all their caution, Yang Cheng's team found a way.
11th minute.
Yaya Touré surged forward.
At the edge of the box, he received a square ball from Ashley Young.
And suddenly—he let fly.
A blistering shot.
Kahn dove, but couldn't hold it. The ball spilled loose.
Chaos erupted in the box.
Lucio and Van Buyten were locked on Džeko.
But like a slippery eel, Arshavin darted in front of Lahm, who was tugging his jersey, and stabbed the ball into the net.
1–0!
The Russian was ecstatic—he danced along the touchline, arms wide as 55,000 fans inside Wembley roared his name.
But Bayswater Chinese weren't done.
They kept pressing Bayern, creating more chances.
First, Ashley Young cut inside and fired just wide.
Then, Džeko forced Kahn into another save, earning a corner.
On the ensuing corner, Pepe couldn't get the better of Lucio and failed to get a shot off.
Then in the 26th minute, Bayern launched a swift counterattack.
Ribéry broke through on the left, beating Maicon with a series of feints before powering his way along the byline into Bayswater Chinese's penalty area. He pulled the ball back toward the top of the box in a classic cutback.
Podolski arrived right on cue and slotted it into the net, equalizing for Bayern.
1–1.
But just six minutes later, Arshavin broke down the right and drew a foul from Lahm, winning a free kick in a dangerous position.
Ashley Young stepped up to take it.
But once again, they couldn't convert.
For the remainder of the first half, Bayswater Chinese kept up the pressure, but Magath's Bayern defended tightly.
It seemed like there were no gaps to exploit.
Halftime: 1–1.
…
When Yang Cheng walked into the dressing room, he noticed many of his players looked deflated.
Some were outright frustrated.
And understandably so—Bayern's defense had been extremely well-organized.
Truthfully, it wasn't even really a 4-4-2. It was more like a 4-3-1-2.
Ribéry floated freely on the left, while Schweinsteiger—nominally on the right—often dropped deeper to help as a holding midfielder.
They had to.
Bayswater Chinese didn't just have Arshavin—they had Modrić, too.
Plus Lassana Diarra and Yaya Touré, both of whom could make late runs.
Especially Yaya.
That early thunderbolt had made a lasting impression.
Magath was clearly concerned about central penetration.
Yang Cheng knew exactly what his players were feeling.
So he said nothing at first.
Let them stew.
Then, once the silence had settled, he smiled and asked:
"So? How's Bayern? Easy game?"
Nobody spoke.
They had underestimated Bayern.
Especially now that Ribéry had joined—he somehow looked even better, more confident.
Maybe that transfer fee wasn't just a number—it was a statement.
"Truthfully, 1–1 is nothing to be ashamed of. We've pushed Bayern this far. That alone is something to be proud of."
As he spoke, Yang Cheng pulled out a live stats sheet from the data team.
"We've had 67% possession. Twice as many shots as they've had. Our overall play has been miles better."
"But when we show our best, they'll push themselves just as hard. They'll throw everything at us, trying to disrupt our rhythm."
"So the fact that they're playing like this is proof of one thing: respect. Fear."
That rhetorical question hit home.
The players nodded.
"But we're not here for a draw, are we?"
This time, the head nodding was even more vigorous.
"Second half—we target the left side. Schweinsteiger is drifting central to help the midfield."
"Leighton!"
He pointed to Baines.
"Push higher. Be decisive."
"Ashley, Luka—you two draw defenders toward the middle, then switch it wide to Leighton."
"Edin—you position yourself centrally, look for the gap between Lucio and Van Buyten."
"But remember, Leighton—low crosses only. No high balls."
Yang Cheng raised both hands in mock exasperation.
The whole room laughed.
Džeko looked sheepish.
Against Lucio and Van Buyten, high balls were a lost cause.
"That's the plan—start the second half with a wave of attacks."
At that moment, Baines raised his hand.
"Podolski's been active on my side. Will that be a problem?"
Yang Cheng turned to José Fonte.
The Portuguese defender nodded.
"Don't worry about it—I'll cover him."
Baines gave a thumbs-up.
"And one more thing—watch for Van Bommel's late runs."
Everyone nodded.
Yang Cheng clapped his hands, calling the room to attention.
"They've studied us, from Chelsea to Bayern. Every elite team is analyzing us, trying to find weaknesses."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we've made it. They're worried. They fear us."
"Forget what they say—look at what they do. Mourinho's a perfect example. That bastard talks tough, but he's the first to park the bus."
Yang Cheng still hadn't forgiven that 0–0 draw at home to Chelsea.
He swore he'd get revenge at Stamford Bridge.
"So trust yourselves. Be patient. Be confident."
"We're not last season's promoted side anymore. We're not some lower-league Cinderella story."
"We're the club every giant in Europe fears!"
"We don't need to adapt to our opponents. All we need to do is play our game. Understood?"
"Understood!"
With renewed belief and fire, the players left the dressing room, ready for battle.
…
Second half.
Bayswater Chinese came out swinging again.
Bayern continued their defensive stance, waiting for a counter opportunity.
But in the 51st minute, the home side broke through.
Ashley Young cut inside from the left, dragging Sagnol with him, then played it back to Modrić.
The Croatian wasted no time—he pinged a lofted diagonal over the top, landing it near the left side of Bayern's box.
Baines was already sprinting in full stride.
By the time Sagnol realized what was happening and turned around, he was already half a step behind.
The England full-back controlled the ball near the byline and whipped in a low cross toward the six-yard box.
Džeko, sandwiched between Lucio and Van Buyten, tried to dart in for the near post—but Van Buyten grabbed a handful of his shirt and slowed him down.
Even Van Buyten couldn't reach it.
Lucio stepped forward to clear it, but the ball took an awkward bounce right in front of him.
It hit his foot wrong and redirected toward goal.
Dangerous.
Cech had to react instantly.
He dove and made a reflex one-handed stop.
The ball rebounded into chaos.
Van Buyten was stunned—he tried to hack the ball clear, but in his panic, he sliced his kick.
Džeko, who had missed the first opportunity because of the shirt pull, suddenly found the ball rolling toward him.
Casillas was down. Lucio was down. Van Buyten was frozen.
The goal was wide open.
And the Bosnian didn't miss.
He simply tapped it in.
Goal.
The ball rolled gently into Bayern's net.
All at once, the entire stadium leapt to its feet.
2–1!
Wembley erupted with a thunderous roar!
The Bayswater Chinese players were overcome with joy.
The only one who looked a bit embarrassed was Džeko—
He'd just poached a goal out of nowhere.
If anyone deserved the credit, it was Leighton Baines.
That low cross…
utterly filthy.
…
Having struck again, Bayswater Chinese intensified their assault.
Yang Cheng knew Magath would respond quickly.
So they had to take advantage of Bayern's moment of disarray—score again before they regrouped.
58th minute — another left-flank combo.
Baines advanced to the edge of the box and passed to Ashley Young,
who flicked a clever chip into the left side of the penalty area.
Džeko cut diagonally, beat Lucio to the ball, and volleyed it over the defender with a single touch.
He turned to control the dropping ball—
Just as he was about to shoot, a red blur streaked across.
Someone poked the ball toward Kahn's goal before he could shoot.
Džeko blinked.
It was Lassana Diarra.
What the hell? You're supposed to be defending! Why are you up here stealing my goal?
He'd fought for the position. He'd timed his run.
This was a striker's moment!
But Diarra didn't care—he was too busy losing his mind.
He sprinted across the field, celebrating wildly.
Džeko gave chase, but couldn't catch him.
3–1!
…
Bayern completely lost their cool.
63rd minute — Bayswater Chinese attacked again down Bayern's right.
As Sagnol tracked back into the box, he tangled with Džeko—and clearly elbowed him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Modrić arrived at the scene and, without hesitation, shoved Sagnol hard in the chest.
The Frenchman stumbled backward a few steps, then… hesitated… and collapsed to the turf.
The referee rushed in, but both teams surrounded him instantly.
Everyone was shouting their version of the story.
Yang Cheng and Magath were both on the sidelines, shouting for their players.
The referee was Danish official Peter Hauge—the same one who sent off a Chelsea player against Barça last season.
This time, he was far more cautious.
He separated the players, spoke to each side.
Džeko had blood at the corner of his mouth—clear evidence of an elbow.
Sagnol insisted it wasn't intentional.
But Modrić had gone straight in and shoved him to the ground.
In the end, Hauge issued a yellow to Sagnol, and another to Modrić.
"Kid doesn't even check that he's a whole head shorter than Sagnol," Yang Cheng laughed from the sideline.
He'd seen plenty of incidents like this in his years as a manager.
Sagnol was known for playing dirty.
Two goals down, tempers running high—this was classic.
Ideally, a player would apologize after the game.
But what surprised Yang Cheng was Modrić.
He was young. He was small.
And yet he was the first to stand up for his teammate.
"He looks soft," Brian Kidd said, chuckling, "but he's tougher than he looks. Got that inner fire."
Brian was more convinced than ever that Yang Cheng made the right call giving Modrić the captain's armband.
Forget tactics—just that moment, standing up for Džeko?
It would win over the whole locker room.
Everyone wants teammates like that.
At the very least—when a brawl breaks out, you don't feel alone.
Yang Cheng also noticed something else:
When Bayern players surrounded the ref to complain, Ribéry didn't join them.
Instead, he walked over to check on Džeko.
The kid had a conscience.
…
Final score: Bayswater Chinese 3–1 Bayern.
In the group's other match, Real Madrid beat Sporting CP 2–1 away.
Since Sporting had also lost to Bayern in Matchday 2 (0–1 at home),
that meant the Portuguese club had lost all three matches so far.
Bayswater Chinese: 3 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses. 9 points. Top of the group.
No one had seen this coming.
More astonishing?
10 goals scored. Only 2 conceded.
Both their offense and defense were eye-catching.
And with a 4–0 demolition of Madrid and a 3–1 home win over Bayern,
people were finally beginning to understand—
this Premier League club was no fluke.
Bayern: 2 wins, 1 loss, 6 points. Second.
Real Madrid: 1 win, 2 losses, 3 points. Third.
Spanish media were starting to panic.
Especially about Real Madrid.
Their remaining matches?
Home vs. SportingHome vs. BayernAway to Bayswater Chinese
Given their current form, Madrid's group stage survival was in serious jeopardy.
As the club's media mouthpiece, AS went for blood—
Blaming Capello, saying that if Real failed to advance, he should resign immediately.
Marca warned that missing the knockout stages would be a disaster.
Everyone was now watching the group nervously.
Among all the teams, Bayswater Chinese were the brightest star.
Especially recently—not only were they winning, they were doing it in style.
In the Premier League and Champions League, they kept knocking down the giants.
After the Bayern game, Bayswater Chinese returned to domestic action—next up: Arsenal.
Another high-stakes battle.
Held at Wembley once again, over 50,000 fans packed the stands.
Midweek, while Bayswater Chinese hosted Bayern,
Wenger's Arsenal had to travel to Turkey for their UEFA Cup fixture—
and he was furious with the league's scheduling.
Wenger publicly complained that the fixture list was unfair.
Normally, Yang Cheng didn't attend press conferences.
But this time? He showed up.
Not only did he show up—
he backed Wenger's complaint.
"Unreasonable? Of course it's unreasonable!"
"We've been screwed!"
Chelsea, then Bayern, then Arsenal—back to back. It's killing me!
And Arsenal had to travel to Turkey?
"So what? Just a longer flight."
"UEFA Cup opponents are way easier than Bayern."
"As last season's UEFA Cup champion," Yang Cheng added with a straight face,
"I fully support Wenger!"
"You've got this, Professor! Go get 'em!"
Somewhere in Turkey, Wenger nearly spat blood.
"Go get 'em my ass!"
Who the hell wants to play in the UEFA Cup?!
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