Chapter 214: In a League of Their Own! A Century of Shame! A Massacre in the Name of Football!
London, Knightsbridge.
Roman Abramovich stood frozen in his living room, eyes wide, staring in disbelief at the TV screen in front of him.
He didn't even remember when he had stood up.
His entire mind was consumed by one thing: this match. This horrifying scoreline.
9–1!
What the f—…
The Russian billionaire felt an overwhelming urge to spit blood.
He couldn't comprehend how such a ridiculous score had come to be.
It was beyond outrageous.
Who could've imagined a derby match would end like this? It felt like match-fixing!
If Abramovich wasn't Chelsea's owner, he would've sworn this was rigged.
No—scratch that—even as the owner, he was suspicious.
Had those damn players set him up and thrown the match on purpose?
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Sure, those players weren't highly educated—but they weren't that stupid.
You can lose to anyone—but not to Bayswater China.
And not like this.
Abramovich turned his head to find his assistant, Marina Granovskaia, equally shell-shocked, her face full of disbelief.
She'd already been wary before the match.
But not even in her worst-case scenario did she expect this.
"This is going to blow up…" Marina said quietly after a long silence, her voice trembling slightly.
As she spoke, she glanced carefully at her boss.
Abramovich had already sunk into the sofa. After hearing her words, he thought for a moment and nodded slowly. "The fans will riot tomorrow."
"No… they're probably already rioting right now."
Everyone knew how crazy British fans could get when they snapped.
Abramovich even worried they might smash his windows.
And this was his luxurious Knightsbridge estate in London!
"We need to calm the fans immediately," Abramovich ordered, pointing at Marina.
At the very least, he didn't want a mob shattering his glass doors.
"I'll call Bruce Buck and Ron Gourlay right away. We need to prepare for the worst."
Abramovich paused, took a deep breath, and sighed heavily.
For the past two or three years, Chelsea fans had grown increasingly frustrated with him.
Because Chelsea had already failed to qualify for the Champions League several times.
To many Blues fans, Abramovich's only job was to open his wallet and buy world-class stars.
Now, after a defeat like this, they'd unleash all their anger from the past few years on this one event.
Worse still, Bayswater China's overwhelming success would only amplify their rage.
Once the media got hold of it, headlines would explode worldwide, and fans would never stop talking about it.
This was a derby, after all.
"Marina, have Ron Gourlay make a public statement—say we promise to increase investment during the winter window and next summer. Major reinforcements are coming."
Abramovich had made up his mind.
If he had to dig a few more barrels of oil out of Siberia—so be it.
Damn it, I'll spend.
"What about Hiddink…"
Abramovich's heart skipped a beat.
Right—by European football tradition, this was the moment to sack the manager and calm the mob.
But he couldn't do it.
Hiddink was a friend.
Two years ago, it had been Abramovich himself who made the personal plea to bring him in and keep him.
Even if Hiddink had to go due to poor results, he deserved to leave with dignity.
Firing him now? Abramovich couldn't stomach it.
Besides, Chelsea were still relying heavily on the Dutch contingent.
"He stays. Give him more time. At least…"
Marina understood immediately.
"I'll handle it."
"Quickly," Abramovich urged.
After Marina left, Abramovich finally let all his emotions show—pain, regret, helplessness—all tangled together.
He didn't even understand how Chelsea and Bayswater China had become such bitter rivals.
Didn't everyone know Yang Cheng was a monster you don't provoke?
...
"No fan wants to see their team suffer a loss like this."
"This is a disgrace, incredibly hard to accept. All we can do now is apologize and regroup to fight for the next match."
Hiddink, at the post-match press conference, spoke calmly to the gathered reporters.
He didn't want to add fuel to the fire by referencing things like "a century of shame."
"It's just a defeat. We lost three points on the road. There's no deeper meaning to it."
He explained that Chelsea were in a difficult situation right now—mostly due to injuries to key players.
"We've been under heavy media scrutiny for a while, which hasn't helped."
"And the international break midweek severely disrupted our players' condition."
Hiddink said he'd even spoken with several national team coaches ahead of time—he himself had coached a national team before.
"But I understand how national teams work. They won't rest their players for our league games—not even for a friendly."
He also addressed the fans directly.
"Losing 1–9 is humiliating. I get that."
"It's a terrible day for us."
"We had several key players unavailable, and that absolutely affected our form."
"Our opponents, on the other hand, played at an extremely high level. That's why we suffered such a heavy defeat."
"I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize—on behalf of the coaching staff and the players—to all Chelsea supporters."
When asked by reporters whether he'd consider resigning over the loss, Hiddink said he would take full responsibility and accept criticism from fans and media alike.
But he wouldn't step down voluntarily.
"I leave that decision to the club. Until they give me an answer, I will keep going."
Yang Cheng's press conference came after Hiddink's.
Just before entering the room, he'd run into Hiddink in the tunnel. The two exchanged handshakes and a few words.
Even though Bayswater China had ruthlessly beaten Chelsea 9–1 on the pitch, Yang Cheng showed Hiddink respect off the field.
Still, Hiddink wasn't in the mood for small talk.
At the press conference, Yang Cheng first analyzed the match and praised his players' performance.
He also defended Hiddink.
"I think he's done quite well with Chelsea, but not everything is within a coach's control."
Looking back on Chelsea's decline over the past 2–3 seasons, Yang Cheng pointed out that one of the key issues was the club's lack of investment.
Especially when compared to clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal.
The press immediately seized on that, asking whether Yang Cheng believed the Premier League was becoming a playground for foreign investors.
A sensitive topic.
Yang Cheng joked first, "I am foreign investment—so is Chelsea!"
Laughter echoed through the press room before Yang Cheng got serious.
"I don't know how others see it, but in my view, European football has undergone dramatic changes in recent years."
"Just look around—Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1—they're all drowning in debt."
"The Premier League too."
"With globalization accelerating, many of the rules we've grown familiar with are being rewritten."
"I can't predict the future—just like many once-glorious clubs we used to know, now no one even knows which division they're playing in. That's just the reality of professional football."
"No one is immune!"
"I've always said—football has never been a simple business. In fact, from a commercial logic standpoint, it doesn't make sense at all."
"A lot of people focus on revenue, but you'll find that revenue alone never tells the full story of a football club."
"Some clubs are well-run operationally, but because of various reasons—sometimes just a string of bad luck, a wave of injuries, or other unforeseeable disasters—they get relegated."
"And then the next season, their income plummets, and a once-stable business suddenly turns into a massive loss-maker."
"Conversely, we see clubs that are brilliant on the pitch but absolutely terrible off it—drowning in debt."
"Some clubs even win titles one day, only to teeter on the edge of bankruptcy the next."
"All of this just proves again and again that professional football is an incredibly unique kind of business."
Yang Cheng paused, then smiled toward the British journalist who'd asked the question.
"What I mean is—whether it's domestic capital or foreign capital, once you step into football, this unique industry, at its core it's all the same."
This earned Yang Cheng a round of thunderous applause in the press room.
It was true.
The deeper you understand football, the clearer it becomes: in professional football, there are just too many uncontrollable variables.
To put it bluntly, the only difference between a giant club and a small one is that the big club has a longer health bar, and a higher margin for error.
But who can guarantee they'll always stand at the top of the pyramid?
That's why Yang Cheng bought Nice—and why he planned to continue acquiring clubs in the future.
The bigger your football empire, the longer and thicker your health bar becomes. The more leeway you have when things go wrong.
Even if something catastrophic happens down the line, you can cut the tail to save the body.
If it ever comes to that—abandoning Nice to protect Bayswater China—then so be it. Even if Nice gets relegated, as long as Bayswater China remains strong, Nice will always have a path back to Ligue 1.
...
A Massacre in the Name of Football!
That was the headline Sky Sports ran immediately after the final whistle at Wembley.
In their article, they called the 9–1 demolition the cruelest slaughter Chelsea had ever endured.
"This is the greatest humiliation in Hiddink's career!"
"And more than that—it's a brutal lesson for Chelsea's owner and management!"
Sky Sports argued that Bayswater China completely overwhelmed Chelsea in every aspect.
"Hiddink's team can come up with all sorts of excuses—injuries, international breaks, whatever."
"But none of them justify a 1–9 loss."
"This goes beyond football. This was an organizational showdown between two clubs—and Chelsea lost utterly and completely."
Sky Sports noted that while both teams had players returning from national duty, the contrast in preparation was staggering.
Both sides had players sent to Qatar. But Bayswater China's Marcelo, Thiago Silva, and Di María didn't even appear in this match, while Chelsea's Alex and Ramires started and played the full 90 minutes.
"And everyone saw just how badly those two Brazilian internationals performed."
Given their displays, they would've been better off benched.
Which brings up another issue: squad depth.
For years, Chelsea had talked about "youth development" and "building for the future."
But which academy product has truly stepped up?
Take today's scapegoat—Mikel.
Once hailed as the next Messi-level talent during the U-20 World Cup, he was originally a No. 10 playmaker. At Chelsea, he was forced into the mold of a defensive midfielder.
"And they expect him to carry Chelsea's entire midfield defense alone?"
Sky Sports criticized Chelsea's failure to adapt. Injuries are part of football, but with Bayswater China's rise, most top clubs in England had invested heavily in injury prevention and squad rotation.
So why was Chelsea hit with an injury crisis?
Was it bad luck—or bad management?
If injuries meant key players were unavailable, then where were the youth players who should be stepping up?
"While Chelsea talk about promoting youth, yet refuse to trust them, Bayswater China fielded Toni Kroos (20) and Aaron Ramsey (19) in midfield."
"And these two youngsters orchestrated the entire massacre."
Sky Sports also highlighted 21-year-old Ryan Bertrand.
A Chelsea academy product, now at Bayswater China, playing as Marcelo's backup—and consistently impressive.
In this match, he even outperformed Ashley Cole.
"If not for the jersey colors, you'd wonder who the real Ashley Cole was."
This exposed yet another problem.
Why were Chelsea's players so out of form?
Andy Carroll, Ashley Cole, and Mikel were all in the headlines for the wrong reasons leading up to the match.
The result? A locker room in no condition to prepare for a derby.
In conclusion, Sky Sports said blaming Hiddink alone was irresponsible.
Chelsea's collapse was complete and systemic.
From the owner to the boardroom to the coaching staff, the players, and even the support team—Chelsea were thoroughly outclassed by their rivals in this West London Derby.
"This was a brutal derby."
"In Chelsea's 100-year history, they've never experienced a humiliation like this. And maybe for the next hundred years, they won't again."
"But this day will go down as Chelsea's eternal disgrace."
"Bayswater China, in front of billions of fans worldwide, delivered a psychological death blow to Chelsea in this West London Derby."
"From now on, whenever West London is mentioned—whenever Chelsea face Bayswater China—they'll stand one step lower."
...
Martin Samuel, renowned columnist for The Times and long-time Chelsea supporter, also weighed in.
A close friend of Lampard and Terry, even Samuel couldn't hold back in his post-match column.
"This match ripped away Chelsea's last fig leaf."
"It exposed what many had already suspected: since 2003, Chelsea has always been Abramovich's toy. And the moment he stops investing, the club collapses."
Why?
Samuel argued Chelsea was never built to be a self-sustaining football club.
From the Peter Kenyon era onward, they tried to generate revenue—but the results were mediocre at best.
The root of this fragile foundation?
Roman Abramovich himself.
Why?
From Crespo to Shevchenko, Then Ballack on a Free Transfer—Chelsea Always Chased Superstars, Dreaming of Building a Galácticos Rival
But in the end, Real Madrid remained Real Madrid. Chelsea was no longer the Chelsea of old.
"When Abramovich complains about Chelsea's £170 million annual wage bill, maybe he should ask himself—where exactly is all that money going?"
"That's a question no one in Chelsea's dressing room dares to discuss."
"Maybe this winter, or next summer, Chelsea will continue bringing in new stars and strengthening the squad. But unless they fix their financial structure, those stars will just be shiny illusions."
"Chelsea will forever be like the emperor with no clothes."
"Today's little boy is Bayswater China. But tomorrow—who will it be?"
Chelsea's legendary captain Dennis Wise also spoke to the media, saying the club was losing its traditional strengths.
"The Chelsea I knew was strong, tough, and defensively solid. They had no weak points."
"But now? Look at them at Wembley—just a bunch of reckless brawlers getting toyed with by their opponents' passing moves. They looked clueless."
"Hiddink once brought stability to the team, but at Wembley, he failed to do so."
Wise pointed out the squad's aging structure and mounting injury issues.
"What Chelsea need now is a new batch of stronger, younger, more balanced players."
...
After the match, everyone had an opinion.
Often, those opinions contradicted each other.
But Chelsea fans weren't here to debate—they were venting.
Even before the team had left Wembley, London's police issued an alert.
Not long after, over a thousand Chelsea fans took to the streets.
They were enraged by such a humiliating derby defeat.
Some were even chanting for Hiddink to be sacked—for Abramovich to "go back to Russia."
A century of shame!
Soon, more and more furious fans flooded the streets of London, unleashing their anger. Some lost control, smashing nearby shop windows.
Not to mention the parked cars along the road.
The police responded swiftly, deploying reinforcements to contain the situation.
Chelsea also quickly held a press conference to publicly apologize to all their fans.
Ron Gourlay claimed the defeat was an anomaly.
A perfect storm of injuries, international call-ups, and dressing room tension.
But he also acknowledged the club's issues.
Chelsea would increase their investment during the winter break and the next summer transfer window, aiming to rebuild the team as soon as possible.
"We promise—the strong, unbeatable Chelsea will return soon!"
"Everyone at the club will work harder than ever!"
Though captain Terry and vice-captain Lampard were both injured, they soon released statements urging fans to go home and calm down.
On their official website, Chelsea called the 1–9 defeat both "a disgrace and a timely, valuable lesson."
A new beginning is coming.
Fortunately, the number of fans on the streets wasn't overwhelming—just several thousand. With pressure from the police and repeated calls for calm by the club, the situation was quickly brought under control.
Several opportunistic vandals were arrested.
But this 9–1 derby massacre made it very clear:
The sky over London had changed.
Bayswater China was now the most dominant force in the Premier League.
And as their crosstown rival, Chelsea—already missing out on Champions League football and no longer getting the same investment from Abramovich—couldn't keep up anymore.
But not all big clubs were suffering.
In Matchday 14 of the Premier League, Arsenal hosted Tottenham at the Emirates. After squandering a 2–0 lead, they snatched victory at the death thanks to a goal from Koscielny, winning 3–2.
Wenger's team was also affected by the international break, but they stood their ground.
Manchester United beat Wigan 2–0 at Old Trafford.
Liverpool thrashed West Ham 3–0 at Anfield.
Manchester City crushed Fulham 4–1 in West London.
In short, all the top teams won.
Except Chelsea.
That made the Blues' fans even more furious.
They couldn't accept Chelsea's decline.
Especially not in this brutal fashion.
...
November 23, Evening — Amsterdam, Netherlands
Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 5: Bayswater China vs. Ajax (Away)
Unlike Ajax, who fielded their full-strength squad at home, Bayswater China made a few rotations after their 9–1 demolition of Chelsea in the West London Derby.
Several internationals who had missed the derby—Modrić, Rakitić, Thiago Silva, Di María, and Marcelo—all returned to the starting lineup.
Even players who had starred in the derby, like Gareth Bale and Lewandowski, remained in the XI—putting Ajax on high alert.
Truthfully, Ajax had little to offer up front.
After Luis Suárez's move to Liverpool, their attack had no recognizable names.
The only familiar face was Siem de Jong—not Nigel de Jong, and not Frenkie de Jong, the one Yang Cheng knew—but the lesser-known De Jong, who would later join Newcastle and fail to make an impact.
Oh, and on the bench sat a young midfielder—Christian Eriksen.
Ironically, it was Ajax's defense that boasted real talent.
Vertonghen, Alderweireld, and Van der Wiel, plus keeper Stekelenburg—solid across the board.
Their defense held firm for 35 minutes.
Then, after launching a counter from deep, Toni Kroos sent a pinpoint long ball to the right wing. Di María whipped in a cross, and Lewandowski smashed it in from the edge of the arc.
1–0!
Right before halftime, Ajax gave away a free kick 23 meters from goal.
Gareth Bale stepped up with icy calm and delivered a perfect knuckleball into the net.
2–0!
After scoring two free kicks in the previous match, Bale once again found the net from a set piece.
Bayswater China led 2–0 at the break and resumed the second half in complete control.
Just two minutes after the restart, Lewandowski had a one-on-one chance—but missed.
Then in the 60th minute, Di María stole the ball off Anita high up the pitch. He cut inside and slipped a diagonal pass into the left side of the box.
Gareth Bale surged in and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
That was his sweet spot—his favorite angle—and he rarely missed.
3–0!
Ajax tried to mount a response in the final 30 minutes, but Bale nearly scored again with a direct free kick that just missed, barely grazing the post past a helpless Stekelenburg.
Then, a Foul by Emanuel Inside the Box on a Dribbling Modrić Went Unpunished—Ajax Barely Hanging On
A string of threats had left Ajax helpless.
Outclassed. Outmatched.
Eventually, the Dutch side could only surrender.
Bayswater China secured a comfortable 3–0 away win at Ajax.
Meanwhile, in the other group match, Shakhtar Donetsk won 2–0 away at Žilina.
With both Bayswater China and Shakhtar playing their final matches at home, Yang Cheng could breathe easy.
Securing top spot in the group was now just a matter of routine.
...
Back in the Premier League, Matchday 15 arrived.
Yang Cheng rotated again as his team traveled to face Fulham—yet another West London club.
Fulham hyped it up as a derby, but… well… let's not even go there.
In the end, Bayswater China won 2–1 away thanks to goals from Giroud and Javi Martínez.
The one player from the match who left an impression on Yang Cheng? Mousa Dembélé.
Now playing centrally…
Blame all those damned videos he'd seen in his past life—Yang Cheng couldn't help but keep glancing at the guy's backside during the match. Hopefully the cameras didn't catch it…
Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4–2 away.
Manchester United edged Blackburn 2–1 at home.
Manchester City won 1–0 at Stoke.
Liverpool drew 1–1 away at Spurs.
Funny enough, both goals were scored by Škrtel.
Wrap your head around that.
Chelsea? They drew 1–1 away at Newcastle.
After 15 rounds, Bayswater China sat top of the league with 14 wins and 1 draw—43 points.
Yang Cheng's team remained the only unbeaten side across Europe's top five leagues.
Second place was Manchester City, with 38 points.
Arsenal followed with 34.
Liverpool in fourth with 33.
United and Chelsea trailed with 28 and 26 points, respectively.
Bayswater China had officially broken away from the pack.
...
Midweek: League Cup quarterfinals.
With backups and youth players on the pitch, Bayswater China still managed a narrow 2–1 win over Aston Villa at home.
Walcott opened the scoring in the 12th minute, assisted by Hazard.
But in the 30th, Villa struck back with a lightning counter—Agbonlahor equalized.
Neither side could break the deadlock until the 84th minute.
Hazard initiated an attack down the left, curled a cross to the far post, Giroud headed it back across goal, and substitute Harry Kane tapped it in.
2–1!
Bayswater China advanced to the semifinals!
It was a clutch goal from 17-year-old Harry Kane, earning a thunderous ovation at Wembley.
Though still mainly a substitute, Kane had impressed in the league, Champions League, and now the cup.
Elsewhere, a major upset unfolded.
West Ham thrashed Manchester United 4–0 at home.
A stunning result.
As The Sun put it: this Premier League season is truly unpredictable.
Everyone says the strong get stronger—but United and Chelsea kept getting smacked around with big scorelines.
Ferguson later explained United wanted to focus on fewer competitions.
It was a passable excuse.
But to be humiliated like that, even with the reserves? Not a good look.
Arsenal, also fielding a rotated squad, beat Wigan 2–0 at home.
The other semifinalist? Championship side Ipswich.
The draw results:
Bayswater China vs. West Ham
Arsenal vs. Ipswich
...
December arrived.
Premier League Matchday 16.
Arsenal beat Fulham 2–1 at home.
Bayswater China hosted Spurs. After conceding early in the 19th minute due to a set-piece lapse, Yang Cheng's side bounced back with goals from Modrić and Kompany to win 2–1.
City edged Bolton 1–0 at home.
Liverpool crushed Aston Villa 3–0.
Manchester United pulled off a dramatic 3–2 comeback win at Blackpool.
Only Chelsea disappointed—held 1–1 at home by Everton.
Since that 0–3 loss to Sunderland in Matchday 13, Chelsea had gone four games without a win: 2 draws, 2 losses.
And the 1–9 thrashing by Bayswater China still loomed like a shadow.
...
Midweek: Final round of the Champions League group stage.
Bayswater China hosted Žilina.
Though already qualified, Yang Cheng wanted top spot, so he fielded a partially rotated squad—no all-reserve lineup here.
In the 30th minute, Giroud set up Walcott to open the scoring.
From that point, the hosts dominated.
In the second half, Yang Cheng brought on Pogba, Harry Kane, and De Bruyne.
In the 73rd, Kane latched onto a beautiful pass from Ramsey, turned past a defender, and fired into the net.
2–0!
Just four minutes later, Pogba carried the ball forward and delivered a sublime through ball to Hazard, who danced past a defender and slotted in at the near post.
3–0!
Žilina pulled one back in the 82nd minute, but the 3–1 final was never in doubt.
Elsewhere, Shakhtar beat Ajax 2–0 at home.
Bayswater China topped the group. Shakhtar finished second.
In the tournament's "Group of Death," Ancelotti's Manchester City stunned everyone by finishing ahead of both Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Mourinho's Madrid took second.
Milan, in third, dropped to the Europa League.
The European press erupted.
Serie A's decline was no longer news.
But now even AC Milan, one of Italy's traditional giants, couldn't make it out of the group stage?
It was time for everyone to re-evaluate Italian football.
...
While the world mourned Milan's elimination, Yang Cheng welcomed a delegation of Italian coaches to the Brent training facility the very next day.
It was part of Bayswater China's regular programming.
Each month, the club invited elite figures from across the football world—managers, trainers, analysts—for workshops, exchanges, and development sessions.
Italian football might be in a slump, but their tactics and training remain top-tier.
Under Yang Cheng's direction, Bayswater China had established a strong connection with Coverciano—the famed Italian coaching academy.
Coach exchanges were frequent and fruitful.
Sometimes Italians came to London. Sometimes Bayswater China sent staff to Italy.
It was a mutual learning process—with benefits on both sides.
This Time, Coverciano Sent a Particularly Large Coaching Delegation—Nearly Forty Members
It was said to be part of their end-of-term study tour, and of course, they were covering their own expenses.
Over the next few days, they would observe operations at the Brent Training Centre.
This was nothing new.
With Bayswater China's rapid rise to fame, Brent had become a revered location among coaches and fans worldwide.
Especially with Yang Cheng's name attached—it had elevated the center to near-mythical status.
Yang Cheng welcomed such exchanges with open arms.
In football—whether playing, coaching, or anything else—working behind closed doors never works.
Besides, Italian tactical theory really was on another level.
Initially, Yang Cheng thought it was just a bunch of young coaches coming over for some experience.
But when he finally met them, he realized several among them were already fairly well-known names—coaches currently between jobs.
Coverciano had arranged the trip specifically to allow them to study modern tactics and training methods in London.
As usual, there were no secrets at the Brent Training Centre.
Bayswater China had always been generous and transparent, carrying the attitude of a true leader in the industry.
Within professional coaching circles, their reputation was exceptional.
As the architect of the team, Yang Cheng was naturally a figure of great admiration.
Among the visitors, one man immediately caught Yang Cheng's eye: Gian Piero Gasperini with his signature silver hair.
The two didn't know each other personally, but Gasperini's white hair stood out in any crowd.
He was, without a doubt, the biggest name in the delegation.
He had just been dismissed by Genoa in early November.
"Hello, Gian. Welcome to London."
After greeting the rest of the group, Yang Cheng walked over to Gasperini with a smile and addressed him in Italian.
That surprised the Italian tactician.
"I've always heard you're fluent in multiple languages. I was half-skeptical," Gasperini laughed.
He was indeed in London to learn and recharge.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, this silver-haired coach would receive an offer from Inter just six months after leaving Genoa, taking over the Nerazzurri.
But after only five matches, he was dismissed.
Aside from that brief stint, he never managed another top club, so most casual fans wouldn't know his name.
But make no mistake—Gasperini had real tactical depth.
He began his career at Juventus and, after retiring, started coaching in their youth system.
In 2003, he took charge of third-tier Crotone and led them to second place in his first season, earning promotion to Serie B.
He was sacked halfway through his second season due to poor results, only to be brought back just six months later.
In the 2005/06 season, Crotone finished 9th in Serie B.
Then in the summer of 2006, he moved to Genoa and guided them to promotion in his first season.
The other two clubs promoted that year? Juventus and Napoli.
Talk about elite company.
In 2007/08, Genoa finished 10th in Serie A. In 2008/09, they rose to 4th. The following season, 9th again.
This past summer, Genoa's owner, Preziosi, made a bold move.
After selling Bocchetti, Zapater, and Papastathopoulos for €23.5 million, he spent over €40 million on transfers.
The most eye-catching signing? Former Bayern striker Luca Toni.
A free transfer, sure—but a whopping €4.5 million annual salary.
Yes, you read that right—4.5 million.
In Serie A, especially outside the top clubs, that was insane money.
Genoa brought in 14 players, spent a fortune… and still ended up mid-table.
Preziosi became the butt of jokes.
By early November, he couldn't hold back anymore—Gasperini was sacked.
And that's why this silver-haired Italian found himself in London now.
Situations like this were commonplace in European football—happening every season, every month even.
In professional circles, no one looked down on Gasperini for it.
Quite the opposite. His work with Crotone and Genoa had already proven his coaching acumen.
"I believe, Gian, it won't be long before you're back on the touchline," Yang Cheng said with a smile.
Gasperini was indeed waiting for the right opportunity, though his base wasn't in the Premier League.
He was the only one in the group who could really hold a conversation with Yang Cheng, so the two began chatting.
Yang Cheng was fascinated by Italian tactical theory.
Especially the three-at-the-back system.
Gasperini's specialty? The 3-4-3.
Italy's history with three-center-back formations is long and storied.
Even in more recent times, coaches like Mazzarri and Gasperini himself favored it.
According to Gasperini, the system was more necessity than choice.
Why? Because Italy lacked both center-forwards and wingers.
Domestic development wasn't producing them, and the better foreign players were being scooped up by the Premier League, La Liga, or the Bundesliga.
So, tactically, they had to adapt.
"In this situation, we can't make 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 work—not even 4-4-2."
"But nowadays, since everyone's trying to exploit the half-spaces, we're forced to play with three center-backs… which really means five defenders."
Gasperini's honesty spoke volumes about his tactical integrity.
Defensively, his full-backs would drop deep while his three center-backs covered the channels effectively.
Offensively, the wingbacks pushed high, and the wide center-backs could step forward and act as auxiliary full-backs.
For Gasperini, this was a compromise when his team couldn't dominate possession.
And in Serie A, this approach had become quite common.
Which, truthfully, was a bit tragic for Italian football.
A sign of the league's decline.
Yang Cheng hadn't realized that a "trending formation" came with so many layered reasons behind it.
But thinking it through—it made perfect sense.
Italy had long struggled to produce quality wide players.
They once had Luca Toni, Amauri, Iaquinta, Gilardino… but now?
Oh, right—there's still Balotelli. A world-class striker… from the neck down.
As for the rest?
Put them on a European stage—Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga—and they simply can't compete.
"Actually, I don't think it's that bad," Yang Cheng said. "Three-at-the-back systems will spread beyond Serie A sooner or later."
"Especially now, with Europe's growing trend toward cohesive, integrated attacking and defending. That's where Italian coaches really shine."
"And look at Ancelotti—he's running a 4-3-2-1 Christmas Tree in the Premier League, and it's working beautifully."
Gasperini couldn't help but laugh.
Exactly—everything goes in cycles.
In a Premier League obsessed with wing play, Ancelotti was playing a narrow system… and thriving.
Who would've thought?
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10