Chapter 427: The Most Eye-Catching Shade of Blue (Daily Transition)

Chelsea without any traitors is truly fierce!

What insider? It's just the curse of changing managers.

Li Kang+Kanté+Fabregas, can they rival Liverpool's midfield iron triangle of old, the 'Outstanding Dragon Horse'?

It's a pity Matic left; otherwise Chelsea would have given birth to a supermodel midfield iron triangle.

If Li Mingdeng doesn't join, and Conte doesn't leave, Chelsea this season will likely suffer a minor collapse, midfield lacking control, front and back disconnected... No matter how strong individuals are, local matchups will also be at a numerical disadvantage.

On the sidelines.

Enrique squeezed the mineral water bottle flat.

He desperately suppressed the urge to swear.

He waved to summon Zakaria and others, adjusted his emotions, put on a gentle expression, and said:

"Stay calm, even if we're behind by one goal, we must maintain a low defensive block."

"We lost the ball because we were too aggressive; in the buildup, our midfield pressed too far up, and our ball distribution was a bit slow."

"Don't rush; there's still plenty of time left in the match."

Having said that,

He glanced deeply at Chelsea's bench, his eyes unable to suppress a hint of contempt...

Unable to suppress it.

The gap in coaching positions.

It made a feeling surge in his heart: "What level are you?"

"I am the head coach of Barcelona, the five-time champions."

"And you? The head coach who won the German Cup."

On the other side.

Tuchel felt the opponent's gaze.

Psychological warfare.

It must be psychological warfare.

He ignored it, instead calling Rüdiger and David Luiz to come forward.

He said seriously:

"During the defensive phase, don't both lose position and rush forward!"

"Maintain spacing and keep the defensive layers intact!"

"If the opponent has one or two top-tier explosively fast players, our back line has already been broken through three times!"

"Don't count on others to clean up your mess."

Xiao Heidan and Pengpeng Tou right now resemble elementary schoolers being scolded by a teacher; both are extremely aggressive defenders in this era.

What consequences would arise if the two defenders simultaneously lose position and rush forward during the defensive phase?

One can refer to Germany's 7-1 victory over Brazil.

Afterwards, the Brazilian team took lessons: they sued the domestic companies and newspapers that had mocked them, winning several tens of thousands of euros in compensation.

Dino stopped celebrating at this moment and continued to take notes seriously.

"Tuchel this guy has strong control desire, but his overall strategic direction has no problems."

VIP box.

Abu clapped approvingly.

"My demands are not high."

"I'm not aiming for a double crown; just matching the goal-conceding record of the 2004 Chelsea side will do."

All the Chelsea officials looked at each other, then turned their gazes toward Cech.

In the 2004/05 season, Chelsea set a record of 24 clean sheets in the Premier League; in a single season of 38 league matches, they conceded only 15 goals and lost just one game.

They renewed the Premier League records for highest points in a title-winning season and fewest goals conceded.

The goalkeeper back then was none other than the peak, uninjured Cech.

Cech had no choice but to step up and say, "Boss, we should still go for the double crown..."

The match resumed.

Arsenal players earnestly executed Enrique's tactical deployment.

During the buildup, the three formation lines were laid out flat.

The flanks of the forward and midfield lines maintained a distance of about 10 meters, increasing the passing and receiving demands on their own players, thereby reducing Chelsea's pressing intensity.

Ball possession resources leaned toward the wings... like this, like that, and then that.

It didn't have much effect.

Li Kang and Fabregas are too familiar with this style of play: Enrique's buildup deployment... how to put it? This guy, having come to Arsenal, is still relying on the old guard of tiki-taka Barcelona and Barça-style, possibly even until 2022.

Thus.

Arsenal's beautiful and fluid buildup was repeatedly interrupted.

"Oh dear!"

"Li Kang disrupted Arsenal's buildup!"

"..."

"Kanté's clean tackle!"

"..."

"Cahill's positioning was exquisite; he timely blocked Aubameyang's position, leaving Courtois under no pressure."

"..."

Lacazette dropped back, received the ball with his back to goal, ah, he couldn't turn!

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

Chelsea's midfield interceptions left Zaka, Ramsey and others feeling somewhat desperate.

Fortunately, Koscielny and others performed well, preventing the score from widening.

Gradually.

As Tuchel's gestures changed, the blues no longer clung to quick counterattacks, but instead slightly slowed the tempo, firmly pressing Arsenal into their own penalty box.

Besiege!

Role reversal after many years!

Aggressive Chelsea, pragmatic Arsenal.

On the sidelines.

Dino put away his little notebook and said, "Boss, at this stage, the role Fabregas is showing isn't obvious enough."

Tuchel nodded, twisted open a bottle of water, and took a sip:

Wait a bit longer.

That kid can unleash Li's attacking ability in the positional play stage.

No, once we lose possession, our high defensive line will face great pressure.

Let's try bringing on Bakayoko in the second half.

In the past, his substitutions had no pattern at all.

Even the fans' post-match comments were inconsistent: trash, awful substitutions/famous coach, divine substitutions.

Arsenal's defensive line was under great pressure.

In the past, when facing Chelsea, it was enough to concentrate defensive strength to limit a 'pass-stop-carry MAX' Hazard.

Now?

In the central arc-top area, there was also an extra Li.

Two attacking cores that can coexist and are not mutually exclusive?

This damn lineup is something only a superpower club possesses!

Match minute 44.

Hazard received the ball from Fabregas.

He slightly eased his speed.

Then he launched explosively!

Koscielny, Wolbi, and Zaka quickly intercepted.

Ospina was on high alert.

Premier League dribbling king!

Others' highlights mostly consist of one-on-one dribbles, only Hazard's, Messi's, and Lingard's highlights frequently show one-on-many!

Little quick steps.

Simple breaking motion, weird rhythm.

Too agile!

Tackle king!

Chelsea fans' cheers enveloped the entire Wembley Stadium.

Hazard swayed his big hips, standing amidst the red-and-white crowd.

At the moment he neared the arc top.

Smack!

The ball left his left foot, rolling toward the diagonally rear Fabregas.

The distance between them was very close, very close.

Again came a smack.

Chelsea's number 4 touched the ball with one kick!

The camera followed the light trajectory, moving to the left side of Arsenal's penalty box.

Perfect lofted pass!

Arsenal's captain tore apart Arsenal's defense!

Li Kang!

!

In Li Kang's vision, two phantoms appeared simultaneously.

Red-black number nine.

Black-white number ten.

Inzaghi FirstTouch.

Piero area.

The ball descended.

Time seemed to slow down severalfold.

Li Kang spread his arms, blocking Mustafi's close approach.

He adjusted two steps.

He lifted his left foot.

A flawless volley striking posture.

It made the 90,000 spectators on site hold their breath.

They came.

Divine Might!

Accompanied by a crisp sound.

Over Arsenal's penalty area, a beautiful arc was traced.

Ospina exerted all his effort; the orange gloves... still couldn't reach the fiercely spinning ball!

0:2!

!

"Beautiful!"

"The ball went in!"

"Li Kang's area!"

"No trap, a volley shot!"

"An expressive arc blending hardness and softness!"

"A goal that astonished the whole stadium!"

"Li Kang scored his first official goal for Chelsea!"

"He is the brightest splash of blue at Wembley Stadium!"

"Fabregas's lofted pass assist was equally brilliant! A link between the two La Masia prodigies!"

Fabregas instinctively wanted to celebrate, but before he could take a few steps, he saw Li Kang refusing to celebrate.

Instantly, his expression became complex.

That vivid Arsenal crest on the stands was so glaring.

On the sidelines.

Tuchel finally began celebrating, even sprinting specially toward Enrique's direction to celebrate.

Dino followed closely behind.

This provocative act caused the Wimbledon fans to erupt in vulgarities.

Enrique had a blank expression, dragging his chin, head lowered.

Past events surfaced again.

"Let's sell him."

"He'd be suitable as a substitute for Rakitić..."

Awkward.

The awkward feeling was like being slapped hard, and also like streaking naked under the gaze of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium.

Beep!

Beep~beep!

The head referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the first half.

"A fantastic 45 minutes."

"Tuchel's Chelsea displayed a suffocating dominance!"

"Let's take a brief rest..."

Kante clung to Li Kang's shoulder, lifted his head, excitedly recalling their unspoken rapport.

Hazard glanced at the scoreboard, like a student awaiting the school bell... a life without pressure is too blissful.

Everyone basked in the applause of Chelsea fans.

Morata patted Rudiger's head and, speaking like a veteran, said: "Still adapting? The Premier League is just like this!"

Chelsea locker room.

Dino's tactical review was interrupted.

Tuchel waved the flag: "Our positional attack can be even simpler; we needn't fear losing possession, nor fear failing to complete an attacking chain! At the right moment, pass the ball to Li."

"Li at the top of the arc."

"Li on the left side of the penalty box."

"Li pulled out to the flank."

"..."

"If Li contains most of the opponent's defensive power, then anyone can have the right to shoot, limited to this match."

"Now don't think about anything else; for most of the second half we'll be in a positional attack phase!"

Having said that.

He called over the Monaco-born little black egg—Bakayoko to the side; a few minutes later, he turned and walked toward Li Kang.

Li Kang was about to use his brain.

Tuchel had already instilled the second-half midfield deployment into his mind.

Like this, like this... and then that!

"I will lessen your burden on the pitch."

Li Kang nodded seriously: Actually, the head coach hadn't assigned him any specific task.

The fifteen-minute halftime break ended quickly.

The officiating crew led both teams back onto the green field.

Wembley Stadium, the clamor rose again.

"Chelsea made the first substitution adjustment!"

New signing Bakayoko replaces Fabregas!

This is a like-for-like substitution.

Just by his looks, you can tell he's a beast in the waist.

Black and hard!

What kind of chemistry will this young Monaco midfielder spark with Li Kang and Kanté?

At this stage, Bakayoko is not yet a big troublemaker, not Lin Daiyu, and his off-ball awareness is worse than the national team's.

Last season he was a regular midfielder for Monaco's surprise package.

Nicknames: "Defensive Pogba", "Defensive Li Kang", "King of Physical Duels".

Beep!

Accompanied by a whistle from the referee.

Chelsea possession.

Morata kicks off and passes back to Li Kang.

The ball is quickly passed.

A blue flood instantly sweeps across Arsenal's half.

Enrique's face is ashen as he frantically signals the team to fall back and play low defense.

Bakayoko sitting deep frees Kanté and David Luiz.

Li Kang receives the ball again but does not pass to William.

He chooses to break through himself.

Beautiful!

Crazy thud-thud-thud!

Li Kang wants to pass, but in Tuchel's second-half pushing plan, there are few nearby support options, with all forces packed forward, stretching the attacking width.

Having no task is the most arduous task.

From the optimal rhythm perspective, he can only choose to break through himself.

He purely uses his body to burst through Ered eye.

He changes direction and nutmegs Ramsey.

He bursts forward at high speed with a cow-tail move to take on Zakaria.

Solo advance!

The shadow in his mind spreads to the extreme.

All his energy is squeezed out.

Like a water-soaked towel rolled into a strip and wrung hard.

Muscle memory and balance adjustment have peaked.

Papapa!

Applause like a tide.

Chelsea fans like this style of play.

Abu in the box seats also likes it.

The genius midfielder on the pitch is the brightest splash of blue.

Dino glanced at the smiling Tuchel:

"Boss, do you call this reducing the burden?"

"Yes, reduce defensive burden and unleash Li's attacking ability!"

"This is the charm of a top midfielder."

Dino carefully observed the advancing formation and breathed a sigh of relief: the number in the high defensive line is not small either.

The theme of the second half was indeed accurately predicted by Tuchel.

Positional warfare occupied most of the match's time.

Li Kang had few opportunities to frenetically surge through the middle.

Strolling to recover, conserving energy.

Chelsea kept Arsenal pinned in the penalty area for most of the time.

Bakayoko sitting deep, Kanté's two-point sweep and tracking back.

The static and dynamic black-and-hard combination guarantees the stability of the high defensive line.

It allows Rüdiger and David Luiz, two defenders with strong attacking desires, to take turns pushing forward.

It lets Li Kang continuously stay active in the area behind the forward line.

Under the movement restraints of Morata, Hazard, and William, Wembley Stadium was swept up in a suffocating blue storm.

Off camera.

Courtois can only follow the fans in making a celebratory gesture of raising hands and waving arms.

Finally.

Beep! Beep-beep~

The head referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the match.

Arsenal 0:5 Chelsea.

Enrique slumped in the dugout, constantly hearing the Yinsilindun fans' curses.

"Get out!"

"!"

「Enrique get lost!

」!

「Get lost back to Barça!

」!

Back to Barça?

Can't go back.

Because of the strong resistance from Barcelona players, the few trusted assistant coaches he had left at Barcelona were also all purged by the club.

Tuchel rushed onto the pitch and fiercely embraced Li Kang.

「2017 Community Shield champions, Chelsea! 」