Chapter 127: Premier League Speed! They're Really That Brutal? Are We Talking About Money Here?
"Come on, can't you guys at least have a little faith in me?"
Yang Cheng really couldn't stand this group sometimes—each one doubting his brilliance and divine foresight.
Unforgivable.
So what if it's Real Madrid?
I've smacked them before, and I'll do it again.
Didn't we score four at the Bernabéu last season?
"Real signed a lot of players this summer," Brian Kidd reminded him.
"Yeah, and they're all strong: Robben, Sneijder, Škrtel…"
Škrtel, of course, had been sold by Bayswater Chinese FC themselves.
Every time Adam Crozier thought of Mijatović's face, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He really wanted to ask: "Hey Mijatović, when are you coming to play again? Long time no see—we miss you!"
Yang Cheng, naturally, was well aware.
"But have you guys thought about this—Real's problem is exactly that: they've made too many changes. Every line has new arrivals. Every position is in flux. That's their biggest issue."
After a moment of thought, Brian Kidd and the others realized—
he had a point.
Sure, the squad was stronger,
but new players = unfamiliarity = lack of chemistry.
Every advantage has its downside.
"In recent years, Real Madrid's defense has never been cohesive—not even under Capello last season. He couldn't build a proper defensive system."
"And Schuster? How good of a coach is he, really?"
Yang Cheng sneered.
In European football, there's never been a shortage of freeloaders.
What does that mean?
It's a weird little phenomenon—like the political revolving door in the U.S.
Old players, who once brought glory to a club,
retire and suddenly become "legends,"
and at some point, when the club's in trouble, they're brought back to coach or join the front office.
In the beginning, Yang Cheng didn't understand the hidden game behind it.
He even applauded.
"Hey, they know football—they'll do great managing a club!"
Most fans thought the same way.
So every time a club hit a rough patch, they'd roll out a club legend to calm the fans.
Look! We brought back So-and-So!
Some legends could actually do the job.
Some were glorified mascots.
Some actively made things worse.
Later on, Yang Cheng saw through it all.
These so-called legends had never done well in school.
Their general education was a mess.
What did they know about running a club?
Team-building strategies? Business acumen? Don't make me laugh.
Most of them would go bankrupt running their own side business—
and now they're running football teams?
If they were serious, they'd go get a degree, get trained,
not just ride on their name.
In reality, they used their "legend" status to gain fan support
and leveraged their network in football to pull strings.
Eventually, Yang Cheng came up with a simple litmus test:
Can a legend stay employed in Europe after getting sacked?
Look at Rijkaard—after leaving Barça, where did he go?
Now look at Schuster.
After leaving Real Madrid—what happened next?
And don't give me the "Real Madrid ruins everyone" excuse.
Look at Pellegrini, Benítez, Juande Ramos.
They all went on to manage in Europe's top leagues.
It's about one thing—did your flaws get exposed at Madrid?
Being a club legend sounds cool.
But once the illusion is shattered, it's not so fun anymore.
Some fans might ask: Wait, if Schuster was so bad, how did he win La Liga ahead of Barça?
Please.
Who was the runner-up in 2007/08?
Back then, before Atlético Madrid's rise, La Liga was just Barça vs. Madrid.
Barça imploded with internal chaos.
Real simply capitalized.
(Yes, that's a jab.)
Why did Real keep crashing out in the Round of 16?
Because before the knockout rounds, you can rely on individual brilliance and attacking prowess.
But once you hit the big stage, you need more—defense and cohesion.
Without defense, without unity—good luck.
And with these Real Madrid stars, it'll take a real alpha leader to build a defense and pull them together.
"These three teams in our group," Yang Cheng said, "I honestly think we're all pretty close in strength. I'd call it 'one top dog and three challengers.'"
If this were the media talking, they'd assume Real Madrid were the "top dog."
But Yang Cheng's meaning was clear—
Bayswater Chinese FC were the one on top.
…
At this year's UEFA awards:
Čech won Best Goalkeeper.Maldini was named Best Defender.Seedorf won Best Midfielder.Kaká swept Best Forward and Best Player.
After losing to Kaká in last season's knockout round, even Yang Cheng had to admit—
The Brazilian was unstoppable in 2006/07.
Especially in AC Milan's Christmas tree formation,
Kaká's brilliance was fully unleashed.
Whether it was these awards, the Ballon d'Or, or FIFA World Player of the Year—
he deserved them.
According to the Champions League schedule,
Bayswater Chinese FC would open the group stage at home against Lazio.
Adam Crozier noted that the club should focus promotion efforts on this match
to boost ticket sales.
At the start of the season, season ticket sales had just surpassed 50,000.
As CEO, Crozier had just barely hit his goal.
Both of Bayswater's home matches so far had pulled crowds of around 60,000.
Yang Cheng and the others were quite pleased.
With average ticket prices at £40, that meant each home match brought in £2.4 million.
Add in matchday retail sales—very lucrative.
While exact revenue figures weren't out yet,
one thing was certain:
As the team's results improved, more fans followed.
Crozier even joked,
"Long-term, will 65,000 seats even be enough?"
Yang Cheng paused—
but he started thinking seriously.
In a past life, he'd seen a report:
Premier League attendance data,
tracking from 2013/14 through 2022/23.
In 2013/14, the average attendance was 36,657.
Now?
In 2006/07, it was 34,359.
By 2018/19, it had climbed to 38,188.
In 2022/23, it reached 38,557.
But here's the thing—
Most stadiums weren't new.
Between 2006 and 2023,
how many Premier League clubs actually built new stadiums?
Very few.
Most clubs just expanded existing grounds—
like Manchester City, which did multiple upgrades.
So, these numbers are capped by capacity.
As Yang Cheng put it:
"Two students both score 100.
One maxed out the test.
The other couldn't get more even if he tried."
In this case, the Premier League's top clubs were the former.
The Championship had decent stadiums,
but they were rarely filled.
In 2006/07, average Championship attendance was 17,027.
By 2013/14, it dropped to 16,609.
But by 2018/19, it rose to 20,138.
By the 2023/24 season, the Championship had reached an average attendance of 22,350.
Overall, attendance in the Championship had been steadily climbing—
a 30% increase compared to 2006/07.
And just like the Premier League, very few Championship clubs had built new stadiums during that time.
It wasn't just England either.
Other second-tier leagues across Europe—2. Bundesliga, Segunda División, Serie B—had also seen significant attendance growth.
Even post-COVID, they bounced back quickly.
Between the 2013/14 and 2023/24 seasons:
Bundesliga attendance rose nearly 60%Serie B rose 55%Segunda División rose 40%
Only Ligue 2 lagged behind, with just 7% growth.
Of course, you had to look beyond growth rates and consider absolute numbers.
Bundesliga had the highest growth,
but many of their tickets were standing-room only.
Serie B saw the second-biggest growth,
but their 2013/14 base was abysmal—just 5,641 on average.
The Premier League, on the other hand, had all-seater stadiums, expensive tickets, and a massive fan base.
And still posted a 30% increase.
That was remarkable.
Beyond the big picture, there was the local context—London itself.
This season, London had six teams in the Premier League:
ChelseaArsenalBayswater Chinese FCWest HamTottenhamFulham
Charlton and Watford—both in Greater London—had been relegated.
Among them, only Chelsea, Arsenal, and Spurs had consistently stable support.
Bayswater Chinese FC was on track to join that club.
The others were inconsistent, riding waves of promotion and relegation.
Yang Cheng remembered a bit of info from before he transmigrated:
Arsenal once considered expanding the Emirates Stadium from 60,000 to 75,000.
But the plan wasn't feasible.
Why?
The Emirates is boxed in—railways on the east and west sides, buildings on the north and south.
So eventually, Arsenal settled for maximizing the existing space inside the stadium.
Matchday income might not look huge, but it was incredibly stable.
Before Yang Cheng transmigrated, Chelsea had the lowest average home attendance in the Premier League.
Their matchday revenue paled in comparison to Arsenal—
even to Spurs (with their new stadium) and West Ham (renting the London Stadium).
That's why the new stadium project had always been a thorn in Abramovich's side.
"Adam, get someone to run a feasibility study," Yang Cheng instructed.
He wasn't totally sure himself.
But in a growing football market, in the heart of central London,
as long as the team performed, attendance wouldn't be a problem.
The bigger the stadium, the greater the potential revenue.
That's why clubs like Barça and Real Madrid were so desperate to build new stadiums.
At present, 65,000 was enough.
But in the future?
This might be the only chance to build a new stadium in central London.
In the future, even renovations would be tough.
Stamford Bridge was a prime example.
So Yang Cheng believed—they had to be cautious, but decisive.
…
Adam Crozier had more to report—
on online marketing and social media.
Clubs across Europe were placing greater importance on digital platforms,
but strategies varied.
Some outsourced to third-party companies; others kept it in-house.
Yang Cheng's stance:
For English-speaking markets, the club had to take charge themselves.
YouTube? They needed to run it themselves.
Crozier had already assembled a new media team,
recruiting professionals from the digital content world.
So far, they'd posted interviews, behind-the-scenes promos, and other general content.
But engagement wasn't great.
The most successful video?
A short film showcasing the club's football culture.
It continued to circulate and gain traction.
Now the media team wanted permission to film training sessions,
extract interesting clips, and upload them online.
Yang Cheng gave the green light.
He came from the mobile internet era—he knew full well that traditional PR didn't cut it anymore.
Or rather, the results were very limited.
"Shooting training and daily life is a great idea," Yang Cheng said.
"But coordinate with the coaching staff.
Decide what can and can't be filmed. Keep clear boundaries."
Regular training was often open to the public, so filming wasn't an issue.
But specific tactical drills—those were off-limits.
"Actually, I think you should talk to the Premier League, Sky Sports, and BBC."
"Talk about what?" Crozier asked.
"Ask for permission to use match highlights. After every game,
cut together clips and post them online for fans to watch free of charge."
Crozier nodded. "We've considered it, but you know—highlights are sold for profit."
The Premier League monetized everything—
including match highlights.
"We don't need their highlights. We can edit our own footage. That benefits them too, doesn't it?"
Sure, there were benefits—
but how much? That was up to broadcasters to decide.
"I still think they'll make us pay," Crozier said.
"Just not too much," Yang Cheng grinned.
He was willing to pay a fee—but not a fortune.
They were doing their own edits.
If broadcasters got a little cut, that was fine.
But don't overcharge.
"Alright, I'll talk to them. See if we can make this happen," Crozier agreed.
He also thought it was a good idea.
Match highlights were short and punchy—perfect for online viewers.
…
After wrapping up the meeting with Crozier and co.,
Yang Cheng had one more meeting—just a private one with Xia Qing.
They visited their villa in Holland Park West.
While Yang Cheng had been in Asia, Norman Foster had begun working on the design.
The villa was now surrounded by construction fencing.
Xia Qing stood beside him, calculating costs and muttering.
She had discovered just how fast money disappeared—
like feeding a gold-devouring beast.
"The stadium project—we haven't even started construction,
and we've already burned through £30 million," Xia Qing said in exasperation.
Design fees, site surveys, deposits, permits…
All gone.
"And this villa? Another gold-eater."
"So…"
She turned to Yang Cheng with a mock-serious face.
"President Yang, I'm sorry… but I'll have to give you a raise."
Yang Cheng blinked—then let out a silent "WTF" in his mind.
"Senior, is that how you give people a raise now? So timid and polite?"
He burst out laughing.
"Well, only you, President Yang.
Otherwise, with all the expenses piling up, if I don't raise your pay,
we'll go bankrupt."
"And by the way—you do know your current salary isn't very high, right?"
Of course Yang Cheng knew.
"Well then," he said with a grin,
"since you put it that way,
I guess I'll reluctantly accept your offer."
"Later, discuss it with Adam Crozier and send it up for my signature."
Xia Qing gave Yang Cheng a helpless look—this guy was clearly pretending.
But she had to admit, to give Head Coach Yang Cheng a raise, she did need Vice Chairman Yang Cheng's signature.
Thinking about it that way, Xia Qing couldn't help but feel like she was serving two masters—
and honestly, that felt a little… exciting.
"Hey, listen, make sure you stay on top of Norman Foster," Yang Cheng reminded.
"He promised me he'd personally design this villa. Don't let him just hand it off to someone at his firm."
Xia Qing nodded. "You already said that. You also said Norman's a man of his word."
"I don't trust that old guy," Yang Cheng added.
"You think Foster personally designing it is the same as Foster + Partners just slapping something together?"
Xia Qing burst out laughing.
She'd already figured out Yang Cheng's little scheme—she just didn't expect him to say it so shamelessly.
But honestly? She supported him completely.
If there's an advantage to be had and you don't take it—
what are you even doing with your life?
As the saying goes: not one family, no entry through the same door.
She and Yang Cheng were absolutely one family.
Yang Cheng hadn't even told her that Norman Foster had become increasingly lazy in recent years.
Forget villas—even major projects, the guy mostly just lent his name and showed up for the PR.
He rarely did hands-on design anymore.
But Foster's reputation? Still climbing.
In a few years, when foreign investors come pouring into London
and see a bespoke villa personally designed by Norman Foster himself?
What kind of value are we talking about?
Not money.
Art. Luxury. Legacy.
…
The two-week international break kept Yang Cheng's schedule packed.
But even while traveling, he closely monitored every single one of his players on national team duty.
Most of all—he feared injuries.
Thankfully, everyone from Bayswater Chinese FC came back unscathed.
Just a bit fatigued.
After all, many of them had played two full matches for their countries.
And with a Champions League group-stage opener coming up midweek,
it was no surprise that most clubs underperformed in this round of league fixtures.
United scraped a 1–0 away win over Everton, with Vidic scoring from a corner in the 83rd minute.Liverpool were held to a 0–0 draw away at Portsmouth.Arsenal won 3–1 away at Tottenham.Chelsea drew 0–0 at home with Blackburn.Bayswater Chinese FC drew 1–1 away to Sunderland.
They had conceded in the 29th minute, but Matuidi equalized just two minutes into the second half.
Thus, their early-season win streak ended at four.
Six matches in: 4 wins, 2 draws, 14 points, sitting second in the table.
…
September 18, evening. Wembley Stadium, London.
Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 1: Bayswater Chinese FC vs. Lazio.
Before the match, Lazio manager Delio Rossi looked at his squad list and sighed.
Including himself, only four people in the entire team had any European competition experience.
And that included 43-year-old goalkeeper Ballotta.
At the pre-match press conference, Rossi was humble and pragmatic:
"We'll stick to Lazio's traditional defensive-counter style.
If we can leave London with one point—it'll be a victory."
And he meant it.
He lined up with a 4-3-1-2—and parked three defensive midfielders in front of the back line.
It screamed: "We're going to defend from minute one to minute ninety."
In the Premier League or La Liga, this kind of ultra-defensive, passive football was frowned upon.
But in Serie A?
It was a trademark.
Yang Cheng had been burned by AC Milan's triple-pivot last season in the knockouts.
But that was Milan.
They had Pirlo. Kaká.
Their counters were dangerous.
Yang Cheng didn't dare fully commit.
But what did Lazio have?
So Yang Cheng didn't show any mercy.
In the locker room, just before kickoff, he told the players:
"Let's show them what Premier League speed really means."
Lazio hadn't played Champions League football in four years.
In that span, they'd played in Europe just once—in the UEFA Cup.
They'd had friendlies, sure,
but nothing like this.
And they never expected the match to start like this.
From the very first whistle, Bayswater Chinese FC went all in.
A full-team press, aggressive attacks from every angle.
In the weekend's 1–1 draw against Sunderland, Yang Cheng had rotated the squad heavily.
That meant his first-choice players were well rested.
And tonight—they were on fire.
Just four minutes in, Bayswater executed a high press.
Di María won the ball, passed to Modrić in the left half-space.
The Croatian fired a through ball behind Lazio's line.
Džeko ran onto it, rounded the aging Ballotta, and tapped into an empty net. 1–0!
On the sidelines, Rossi was in shock.
Barely 4 minutes had passed.
By the time Bayswater returned from celebrating,
it was still only 5 minutes on the clock.
Ridiculous.
And just 3 minutes later—
8th minute, Di María picked up the ball on the left.
One-on-one with De Silvestri.
De Silvestri had started his career as a center-back before moving to right-back.
He was 1.85 meters tall, strong as an ox.
But Di María danced with the ball outside the box,
feint after feint—
and though he didn't fully beat De Silvestri, he found space near the byline,
cut into the box, and played a low pass back across goal.
Džeko was marked and the keeper was in front of him—
so he let it run.
Arshavin came crashing in from the right—
and with one touch, side-footed it into the empty net.
2–0.
And the clock hadn't even hit 9 minutes.
Rossi stood frozen on the touchline, completely lost.
What the hell kind of tempo is this?!
How is this even sustainable?
Lazio collapsed further into their shell.
Now they weren't just defending—they were desperately clinging on.
The rest of the match slowed down.
Lazio parked the bus.
Bayswater dominated possession and patiently probed for openings.
With a two-goal cushion, there was no need to go all-out.
They could bide their time.
In the 31st minute, Bayswater nearly had a third—
Arshavin timed his run perfectly, beat the offside trap,
but his shot was saved by Ballotta.
Second half, Lazio still couldn't figure out what to do.
They continued to struggle—out of ideas, out of breath.
They just weren't ready for this level.
In the 55th minute, Di María latched onto a through ball from Arshavin after a brilliant dribble, broke into the box, rounded Ballotta, and calmly slotted it into the net.
But the referee blew his whistle—the assistant had raised the flag.
Di María was offside. The goal didn't count.
After the 60th minute, Yang Cheng began making substitutions.
His starters still had to play in the Premier League, after all.
In the end, Bayswater Chinese FC beat Lazio 2–0 at home.
The Serie A side managed just four shots all game, none on target.
After the match, the Italian media heavily criticized Lazio.
They accused Rossi of using overly conservative tactics and showing no intent or spirit to take points away from London.
"They fully deserved to lose 2–0," mocked La Repubblica.
Poor Rossi had no words.
All he could do was swallow his tears and scream in his heart:
Is it really Lazio that played badly? No!
It's just... they were too damn brutal!
We weren't even ready and they were already—
…
If you asked Yang Cheng which Premier League manager he considered the best tactician,
he'd probably hesitate.
Because he'd be too embarrassed to say: me.
But if you asked him who placed the most emphasis on player fitness and injury prevention?
Yang Cheng would confidently declare:
"Me!"
Forget the lower leagues.
Since joining the Premier League, Bayswater Chinese FC had consistently been one of the least injury-prone teams.
Not a single player had suffered a long-term injury that kept them out for months.
Also, they were one of the cleanest teams in the league, with very few fouls.
From medical staffing to training and testing infrastructure,
Yang Cheng spared no expense—he invested heavily in player health.
Since they shared Wembley with the England national team,
Yang Cheng took note that during the September international break, England hosted two Euro qualifiers there:
September 8: England 3–0 IsraelSeptember 12: England 3–0 Russia
After the Russia match, Yang Cheng personally inspected the pitch—
and found it in poor condition from back-to-back games.
So he immediately contacted grounds staff,
and had them assess the uneven areas and begin partial turf replacement.
Luckily, Bayswater's Round 6 match was away to Sunderland on September 15,
so they had time.
By the time they hosted Lazio in the Champions League,
Wembley looked brand new.
And that was just a small part of the coaching staff's routine work.
From training to matches, the coaching team carefully monitored every player's health.
But sometimes, even with precautions, injuries just couldn't be avoided.
September 22: Premier League Round 7. Bayswater Chinese FC vs. Wigan Athletic at Wembley.
Even during warm-ups, Džeko informed team doctor David Fevre that his knee was feeling off.
Fevre performed an initial assessment and suggested a hospital scan after the match.
Yang Cheng made the call—pulled Džeko from the lineup,
replaced him with Lewandowski in the starting XI.
Since it was a home match, Yang Cheng didn't take it lightly.
He fielded a strong squad:
GK: Neuer
Defense: Baines, José Fonte, Pepe, Maicon
Midfield: Yaya Touré (holding), Modrić, Lass Diarra
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Lewandowski, Arshavin
Wigan had narrowly escaped relegation last season,
and over the summer replaced manager Paul Jewell with Chris Hutchings.
A classic English coach, Hutchings had previously managed Bradford with poor results,
but had been Jewell's assistant at Wigan since 2001.
Now promoted, he was desperate to prove himself and earn a long-term contract.
That desperation showed—Wigan played rough.
Referee Mike Riley let things slide.
But overall, it was still within reason.
The match followed a familiar pattern:
Bayswater went on the offensive, Wigan parked the bus.
Just more fouls than usual.
But only 11 minutes in,
Yaya Touré pulled up and sat on the ground during a defensive run.
The medical team rushed on. After brief treatment, he returned to the pitch.
But five minutes later, the Ivorian signaled he couldn't continue.
Yang Cheng had no choice—subbed him off.
After some thought, he brought on Rakitić.
Lass Diarra dropped into the holding role;
Modrić and Rakitić formed the central midfield duo.
With two Croatian internationals, there was no need to worry about chemistry.
The midfield stabilized quickly.
But in the 32nd minute, just as Bayswater's attack was starting to click—
José Fonte clashed heads with Wigan defender Titus Bramble.
Both went down.
Unfortunately, Fonte had to be stretchered off.
Bramble stood up soon after.
It was a clean clash—just unlucky.
Bramble was 1.92m and built like a tank.
José Fonte always had a tough time marking him.
Second forced sub.
Yang Cheng brought on Thiago Silva.
Halftime: 0–0.
But Bayswater had already burned two subs.
…
"Good news!"
In the home dressing room at Wembley, during the break,
Yang Cheng waved his Nokia and shouted.
Everyone immediately looked up.
"The hospital just called—all three of them are fine."
Originally, only Fonte and Yaya were sent for scans,
but Yang Cheng figured he might as well send Džeko too—just to be safe.
Džeko? Nothing serious.
Yaya Touré? Mild muscle strain. One to two weeks out.
Fonte? Slight concussion. Out about a week.
Everyone sighed in relief.
Three injuries in one game—that was brutal.
Just a few weeks ago, Chelsea had been hit by an injury crisis.
It was scary.
So the players were understandably worried about a repeat at their own club.
Thankfully, it looked like everything was under control.
"Alright, the medical team will handle that.
Now, let's focus on the second half," Yang Cheng said, bringing everyone back on task.
Scoreline? Still 0–0.
Not ideal.
Considering the two injury-forced subs, the situation was understandable,
but they still had to find a way to win.
"In the second half, we need to give the 60,000 fans in the stands a proper answer!"
Yang Cheng's tone was serious as he reminded everyone—this is our home turf!
"Our problem in the first half was obvious. First—we were too slow."
"In the second half, we need to increase the pace, especially in transitions. No more dragging our feet."
"Wigan tonight is playing pure defense and counter. So our focus should be simple—how to break them down. Defensively, we're fine. Got it?"
The players all nodded in unison, fully fired up by Yang Cheng's words.
"And one more thing: our back line needs to push up past the halfway line."
"Thiago, Pepe."
Yang Cheng called out the two center-backs.
"You have to press higher. Don't be afraid of Bent running in behind. I trust your pace. Understood?"
Thiago Silva and Pepe exchanged glances, then nodded firmly.
Wigan's striker was Marcus Bent, not Darren Bent.
Darren Bent, known for his blistering pace, had just transferred to Spurs that summer from Charlton for £17 million.
Marcus Bent, on the other hand, was a traditional target man—1.88 meters tall.
Interestingly, the two weren't even remotely related.
Last season, in Pepe's first year in the Premier League, he picked up six yellow cards.
So far this season, he had only one—and that came against Manchester United.
A good sign.
Yang Cheng's evaluation had been right all along.
Pepe's aggressive style at Real Madrid was more about the team and manager (i.e., Mourinho) than his own nature.
Yang Cheng believed—with the pace of Thiago Silva and Pepe, even if Marcus Bent got in behind, they could recover.
"Full-backs—Maicon, Leighton—your job is to support the attack."
With that, Yang Cheng stepped to the center of the dressing room, standing before his players.
"Gentlemen, we have to win this game tonight."
"Once you're back out there, you don't need to overthink it. Just focus on one thing:
put the ball into Wigan's net."
As his eyes swept across the room, each player nodded with determination.
…
The second half had barely started when Bayswater launched a blistering one-touch passing move that stunned everyone.
Baines to Lass Diarra to Thiago Silva to Modrić—
each pass perfectly timed and executed.
Rakitić then fired a quick through ball to Lewandowski at the top of the box.
The Polish striker controlled and turned, but his first touch was too heavy—
a Wigan defender got there and cleared.
Still not strong enough.
If he'd been a bit more solid, that ball would've stayed close.
A turn and strike—and it would've been dangerous.
Football, in the end, often comes down to physical battles.
Wigan tried to counter immediately.
But as Marcus Bent received the ball near Bayswater's 30-yard line,
Pepe charged in, executed a clean slide tackle, and took the ball.
Still on the ground, Pepe hooked the ball to Lass Diarra.
The Frenchman spun and launched a vertical pass upfield.
Lewandowski dropped back to collect, then laid it off left.
Gareth Bale took off like a wild stallion, tearing down the flank.
Too fast.
By the time he crossed into the box, Arshavin hadn't even arrived yet.
A collective sigh echoed through Wembley.
Arshavin gave Bale a thumbs-up.
He had tried, but Bale's speed was just unreal.
Only Walcott could probably match that.
Arshavin thought to himself—he was better at controlling the game with the ball at his feet.
Bayswater quickly launched another wave of attacks.
They pressed Wigan back into their final third.
Eventually, Maicon pinged a diagonal pass into the D.
Lewandowski chested it down and laid it off to Modrić.
The Croatian chipped it over the top.
Lewandowski made the run, looking to head it—
but under pressure from the center-back, he couldn't reach it.
The Wigan keeper claimed it cleanly.
Lewandowski turned to protest to referee Mike Riley—
said he was being held, couldn't jump.
But the ref waved play on.
These kinds of challenges? Routine in the Premier League.
Soon after, Bayswater earned a corner.
They ran a set piece, and Lewandowski's header lacked power.
Still, Bayswater's constant attacking ramped up the energy at Wembley.
The quick tempo, the fluid passing, the players giving their all—
it lit up the crowd.
Just look at Lass Diarra.
Rarely used as a lone holding mid,
tonight he was everywhere.
In the 51st minute, he tracked back to the left side of the box,
combined with Thiago Silva, and took the ball off Marcus Bent.
Then he carried it forward two steps, looked for Lewandowski, and tried a vertical pass.
But Wigan's double pivot read it, intercepted cleanly.
Their counter, however, went nowhere.
On the right, before the ball even got to Maicon,
Diarra had already chased it down and made the interception himself.
A wave of applause broke out in the stadium.
Yang Cheng applauded too—though he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"This kid clearly had the option to pass to Modrić or Rakitić. He could've even gone wide.
But no—he wanted the killer ball to Lewandowski."
Why?
Because those passes are the most dangerous and speed up the tempo.
Wigan had obviously anticipated it.
Brian Kidd chuckled from the sideline.
Lass Diarra's only real flaw now? Slight decision-making issues in passing.
Like that last play—he'd won the ball himself.
Maybe he was afraid Yang Cheng would chew him out if he didn't go forward.
But honestly, Yang Cheng's refinement of Diarra had been a massive success.
No one is perfect.
No player is flawless.
Trying to mold someone into that?
Totally unrealistic.
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