Chapter 232: The Bale Zone! The Evil God Strikes! A New Standard-Bearer of the Premier League! A Monumental Achievement in Sports History!
The moment the final whistle blew, Aaron Ramsey felt completely drained.
He had only played one half, and just moments ago his energy was still full.
But now, he had the overwhelming urge to collapse right there on the pitch.
He was shaken.
That careless, emotional pass he had made earlier—it had been utterly irresponsible!
Had Liverpool capitalized on that attack, he would've gone down as the scapegoat for Bayswater Chinese.
It wasn't the first mistake he'd made in his career.
But never had he made one so stupid, so basic, and in such an important high-stakes clash.
Looking back now, even he couldn't understand what he'd been thinking at the time.
Maybe his brain just short-circuited in that one moment.
What followed was pure regret.
He regretted letting his emotions take over, cursed himself for not keeping his cool in such a crucial moment.
He felt like grabbing his head and crying.
His eyes were already burning, something inside trying to push its way out.
"The more moments like this, the less you can cry."
Toni Kroos's voice rang out beside him.
Ramsey lifted his head and saw the German's stone-cold expression—cool, flat, with zero emotion. His tone was the same as always.
Yet they were both born in 1990.
The difference was, Kroos was born in January. Ramsey in December.
"You're not a kid anymore. You have to take responsibility for your mistakes. Crying won't fix it."
Ramsey bit his lip. "I'm not crying."
"Good. Then you owe us an apology."
With that, Toni Kroos turned and walked away.
Aaron Ramsey froze.
An apology?
That's it?
Suddenly, this cold and blunt German didn't seem so hard to like after all.
"Don't mind him."
A big hand landed on Ramsey's head, ruffling his hair, as Pepe's voice came from behind.
"Young guys make mistakes. I made worse ones back in the day, didn't kill me."
"No one's blaming you."
Pepe grinned.
His scarred face bloomed like a white jasmine flower.
"Because we're teammates."
With that, Pepe slung an arm over Ramsey's shoulder and half-dragged him along.
As they reached the rest of the squad, a few teammates threw light-hearted jabs his way.
But no one mentioned the error.
That warmed Ramsey's heart.
Back in the locker room, before the head coach had even spoken, Aaron Ramsey suddenly stood up and walked to the center of the room.
He apologized to everyone for that reckless pass.
He knew he had made it out of desperation to win, but that didn't excuse it.
Yang Cheng and the rest responded with a round of applause.
Not just because they had won.
Even if Suárez's pass had gone through and Balotelli had scored, and they'd lost the match—
No one would have made Ramsey the villain.
Because that's the nature of the game.
Not everyone can be like Toni Kroos—always calm, always rational, always making the right decisions.
As some say, in football, mistakes and brilliance are two sides of the same coin.
If you want to enjoy the beauty of the game, you also have to learn to live with the sting of its regrets.
...
"I'm proud of my players."
"I've always said, in top-tier clashes like this, it's about who performs better—and today we were better and we won."
At the post-match press conference, Yang Cheng expressed his satisfaction with their first major showdown of the season.
The process wasn't perfect, but the result was what mattered.
When asked about Aaron Ramsey's blunder, Yang Cheng smiled and waved it off.
"You have to understand—he's only 20. You can't expect him to play with the maturity of a seasoned veteran. That's just not realistic. So sometimes, especially in key moments, emotional responses can lead to mistakes."
"That's just part of a young player's growth."
Yang Cheng made it clear that he had full confidence in Ramsey.
"He's going to become a top-class midfielder."
As for the 2–1 win at Anfield, Yang Cheng admitted it had been a tough match.
You could see that.
"Liverpool proved their strength today. They showed everyone their ambition—not just in the Premier League, but in the Champions League and every competition."
"This is a resilient team with real fight. No one can take them lightly."
A 2–1 away win—Yang Cheng said he couldn't have asked for more from his players.
On the other hand, Mancini looked frustrated. He believed the game should have ended in a draw.
"In fact, I think we should have won."
"After the game, my players told me Pepe committed a foul during that challenge."
"I haven't seen the footage yet, but I trust my players. I think Pepe fouled."
Mancini emphasized that even in the dying minutes, Liverpool were still threatening Bayswater Chinese's goal. That, in his mind, was proof of the team's quality.
"But that's football. Just because you play well and create chances doesn't mean you'll get the result."
The loss was tough to swallow for Mancini.
Because next Wednesday was the Champions League group stage, and the weekend brought the Merseyside Derby—an away match against Everton.
After that came the two-week international break, and then Liverpool would host Manchester United in the Red War.
The schedule might look spread out, but it was still a brutal stretch for Liverpool.
"There are definitely challenges ahead, but we're ready," Mancini said with confidence.
...
In the rest of the Premier League's Round 6:
Manchester City beat Everton 2–0 at home.
Arsenal, with a brace from Robin van Persie, won 3–0 over Bolton.
Chelsea cruised to a 4–1 win over Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United narrowly edged Stoke City 1–0 away from home.
With that, six rounds in, Bayswater Chinese remained top of the table with a perfect record—six wins in six.
Manchester City also had six straight wins and sat second.
Manchester United, also with six wins, were in third.
Post-match, the British and global media were ablaze with coverage of the Premier League.
Everyone agreed—Bayswater Chinese not only carried over their dominance from last season, they were even more polished, more commanding. The top favorite for this season's title.
But perhaps more importantly, all eyes were now on the looming three-way clash between Bayswater Chinese and the Manchester giants.
Three teams, all with six wins out of six. It was a rare and fascinating phenomenon.
It showed just how fiercely competitive the new Premier League season had become, and also gave a clear picture of the power dynamics.
As France Football put it in their commentary: the Premier League's top teams are now clearly several levels above the mid- and lower-tier clubs.
Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool have leveraged immense financial power to strengthen their squads in the transfer market.
Chelsea's struggles this year? Attributed largely to their inactivity in the market.
As for Manchester United—after missing out on the Champions League last season, they had spent over £100 million since the start of the year. The result? A strengthened squad and six consecutive wins.
The state of the Premier League now perfectly illustrated the nature of professional football in Europe:
In the end, it all comes down to investment.
Among all these heavy-spending clubs, Bayswater Chinese stood out like an anomaly.
They hadn't increased their spending—in fact, they maintained their level—but still managed to stay with the elite.
And every player they brought in was incredibly cost-effective.
"So much so that people are now saying, 'Bayswater Chinese players are just worth more than everyone else's.'"
"Why?"
"Because they've passed Yang Cheng's test!"
As the season progressed, Premier League competition was heating up, and fans were loving it more with each round.
At the same time, the Premier League began ramping up preparations for the next round of broadcasting rights auctions.
After the conclusion of Round 6, Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore announced that the next round of domestic broadcasting rights (for the 2013 season onward) would be auctioned in the summer of 2012—a full year in advance.
Simultaneously, the league would also launch preparations for the sale of overseas broadcasting rights for the same three-year period.
According to Scudamore, with the influx of international stars, the Premier League had become the most attractive and influential sporting event on the planet.
"Every round of our matches is broadcast live to every corner of the globe!"
"This is a monumental achievement in the history of sports!"
He expressed complete confidence in the upcoming rights auction.
Following this announcement, not just the UK, but the entire European football world—and even global sports media—turned their attention toward it.
Several British outlets had already picked up key signals and internal intel.
The biggest bombshell?
British Telecom was preparing to enter the bidding war for domestic broadcasting rights.
A massive shake-up.
For years, the Premier League had partnered exclusively with Sky Sports.
In fact, the league's very creation was made possible thanks to Sky's involvement.
But club owners and the league itself were increasingly dissatisfied with the stagnation in broadcasting revenues over the past three years. They wanted more competition.
Enter British Telecom.
Soon, Sky Sports, BT, and ESPN would be battling for Premier League domestic rights.
And according to British reports, even more competitors might join the fray.
On the international side, the league was also pushing for more competition to prevent undervaluing of its overseas rights.
That was Scudamore's real confidence booster.
Sky Sports had already declared they'd spare no expense to retain domestic broadcasting rights.
On one hand, the Premier League's competition was becoming fiercer, the level of play and entertainment value rising.
On the other, the broadcasting rights auction was reaching a fever pitch.
All of this pointed to one thing: the Premier League was entering a brand-new stage of development.
As for Yang Cheng, he had long known about the league's push toward a competitive broadcasting model.
In fact, he'd even predicted that while domestic rights might not drastically outstrip those of his previous life, international rights absolutely would—because the Premier League's global expansion was thriving.
Every team had tasted the benefits and was eager for more.
Brunel University's renowned business school—now known as Bayes Business School—had one of its top professors, Brandy, interviewed by the press. He stated that the Premier League was currently in a phase of rapid growth.
"Global economies are struggling to varying degrees, but football, as a staple of people's lives, remains largely unaffected. In fact, amid this economic downturn, it's become a key area of focus for many investors."
Professor Brandy argued that the Premier League was becoming the world's top investment choice, though he added that the league must impose stricter controls on club debt and player salaries.
"In the current top six of the Premier League, every team except Bayswater Chinese has at least one player earning more than £200,000 per week—that's over £10.4 million per year!"
"Those are frightening numbers!"
"Even at Barcelona and Real Madrid, neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo earns that much."
Brandy recalled that just a few years ago, £100,000 was considered a top salary in the Premier League. Now, £150,000 wasn't uncommon.
"This undoubtedly increases the financial burden on clubs."
He warned that capital influx would surely bring more volatility to the league.
Therefore, both the Premier League and the FA needed to be proactive—drafting better regulations to guide investment and prevent a financial mess if the capital ever pulled out.
As for German media drawing comparisons between today's Premier League and the Bundesliga's wild boom of the late '90s, Brandy disagreed.
"That Bundesliga boom was built on KirchMedia's broadcasting investments. The Premier League's current success isn't nearly as reliant on Sky Sports as people think."
"Instead, it's fueled by domestic and international capital—something the Bundesliga never had."
In short, Professor Brandy believed the Premier League was still significantly undervalued.
The 2012 summer rights auction, he said, would make people take a fresh look at its true value.
Two other major events would happen in 2012.
One: the London Olympics.
Two: the grand opening of Bayswater Chinese's new stadium.
During this period, an interesting story emerged.
While scheduling venues for the men's Olympic football tournament, the London Organizing Committee once considered including Bayswater Chinese's Prudential Stadium as a host venue—even proposing to hold the men's final there.
Their reasoning?
Prudential Stadium was in central London, while Wembley was way out in the western suburbs.
From a fan-accessibility standpoint, Prudential was the better option.
Plus, if this had gone through, the very first match held at Prudential would've been the Olympic gold medal match.
But after speaking with Bayswater Chinese, the committee was flatly rejected by Yang Cheng and Adam Crozier.
The excuse?
Bayswater Chinese couldn't guarantee the stadium would be ready in time for inspection and handover.
Everyone knew that was just a pretext.
After all, the final was scheduled for August 11—right on the cusp of the new season.
And whether it was the stadium's construction firm, Norman Foster's design studio, Bayswater Chinese, or even the London city council, everyone publicly stated that construction was on schedule.
In other words, Bayswater Chinese would definitely be moving into their new stadium for the 2012–13 season.
So why reject the Olympic committee?
Simple—because those bastards wanted it for free.
The organizers had it all planned out: Prudential Stadium was closer to the Olympic Park, would attract more tourists and fans, and could ride Bayswater Chinese's popularity.
But they didn't want to pay a single penny.
When Yang Cheng heard that, he was livid and cursed them out on the spot.
"If it were you—after busting your ass to marry a beautiful wife—would you offer her up on the first night for free?"
"I really don't know what those idiots were thinking. The nerve!"
Yang Cheng refused to even meet with them. Just told them to piss off.
Of course, the public explanation had to be more diplomatic—hence the excuse about construction deadlines.
It's worth noting that hosting the Olympic men's final is technically an honor.
But in reality, if the organizers didn't pay, Bayswater Chinese would've had to foot a massive bill.
Even just cleaning the stadium post-match would cost a fortune.
Not to mention maintenance and all the rest.
If it had been the World Cup or Euro final, Yang Cheng might've considered it.
But the Olympic men's football final?
Forget it.
...
September 27, evening.
BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany.
UEFA Champions League Group Stage – Round 2: Bayswater Chinese Go Away to Face Leverkusen
Before the match, Leverkusen's head coach Robin Dutt boldly declared to the media that even though they were hosting one of Europe's top teams, Leverkusen would not back down.
"We'll use this match to show every opponent that we're not pushovers!"
And on the pitch, Leverkusen did exactly that.
They lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Veteran Michael Ballack started on the bench.
Lars Bender and Simon Rolfes formed the double pivot, with Schürrle, Renato Augusto, and Sidney Sam ahead of them.
Up top, target man Stefan Kießling led the line.
Bayswater Chinese, despite just coming off an exhausting away battle at Anfield against Liverpool, made minimal rotation.
Yang Cheng's intention was clear—secure three points away to Leverkusen.
Finish the job early, gain control of the group stage—that was his top priority.
Starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defense: Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Pepe, and Łukasz Piszczek
Midfield: Javi Martínez as the holding midfielder, ahead of him Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić
Attack: Gareth Bale, Robert Lewandowski, and Ángel Di María
Toni Kroos had once played two seasons at Leverkusen before transferring to Bayswater Chinese.
He still had strong feelings for the club.
And the home fans welcomed him warmly, applauding his return.
Many still remembered the contributions of this talented German midfielder.
From kickoff, Leverkusen came out with aggression in front of their home fans.
Immediately after the whistle, they stormed into Bayswater Chinese's half, pressing hard.
It was clear Dutt had chosen to take an aggressive, proactive approach—especially with heavy pressing in the midfield and final third.
There was another disadvantage for Bayswater Chinese beyond the hostile away setting:
Rain.
And not just a drizzle—it was coming down hard.
Rainy conditions always affect passing-heavy teams, and this one was no exception.
But Yang Cheng's side had plenty of experience in European competitions and didn't let the weather throw them off.
If anything, Leverkusen looked more unsettled.
Despite trying to press high, the Bundesliga side clearly felt the pressure when facing Bayswater Chinese.
In the early stages, both sides were probing cautiously.
But in the 5th minute, under only light pressure, a Leverkusen defender rushed a clearance and kicked the ball out of bounds.
Bayswater Chinese were awarded a throw-in.
Robin Dutt was visibly furious on the touchline, shouting at his players in the pouring rain.
He probably thought most of the opposition couldn't understand German.
But Yang Cheng did.
Dutt was yelling: "What are you panicking for? Why are you afraid of them? Be bold! Push forward! This is our home ground!"
Ironically, hearing that made Yang Cheng feel a little awkward.
Was he really bullying them in their own house?
Back on the pitch, Bayswater Chinese began settling into rhythm and took control of possession and tempo.
By the 10th minute, they began to build momentum.
Particularly on the left flank.
In the 13th minute, an attack from the left bore fruit.
Gareth Bale carried the ball into Leverkusen's 30-meter area and played it across to Lewandowski.
The Polish striker couldn't turn, so he laid it back for Kroos.
Kroos quickly shifted it wide to the left.
Marcelo made a high-speed overlap but was chopped down near the left touchline by Gonzalo Castro.
The referee immediately showed Castro a yellow card and awarded Bayswater Chinese a free kick from the left flank.
This only made Dutt angrier on the sidelines.
After a brief discussion with Kroos, Modrić stepped up to take the free kick.
Kroos drifted centrally.
As the ref blew the whistle, Modrić quickly curled the ball into the box, aiming near-post.
On average, German teams tend to have taller players than Bayswater Chinese.
But in this case, when Modrić's delivery came in, Pepe made a powerful run and leapt high to meet it with a thunderous header from close range.
The Portuguese center-back outjumped Leverkusen's defense and slammed the ball into the back of the net.
Pepe sprinted off the pitch and screamed into the pitch-side camera, unleashing all his emotion.
"That goal came at the perfect time."
"13th minute—off a well-worked set piece, Pepe heads home."
"Bayswater Chinese take the lead, 1–0."
"Their set pieces have always been a dangerous weapon. But Leverkusen seemed unprepared, giving away a great free kick opportunity."
"1–0 up!"
"Leverkusen's pre-match planning clearly wasn't thorough enough!"
...
From the 13th-minute goal to the 40th minute, the game became a tense stalemate.
Leverkusen's players worked extremely hard, pressing and defending with full commitment.
Bayswater Chinese created a few decent chances, but nothing clear-cut.
They only managed five shots in the first half.
However, they maintained over 70% possession.
Leverkusen, sticking to a gritty, physical style reminiscent of the Heynckes era, pressed high and hard.
But as the minutes ticked by, their players began to tire—and the cracks started to show.
By halftime, Leverkusen's passing accuracy was only 61%.
In contrast, Bayswater Chinese were at 88.9%.
That stat alone showed the difference in control.
Leverkusen had to cover that gap with relentless running and physical defense.
But once the legs started to fade, their problems were exposed.
In the 41st minute, Courtois launched a long goal kick.
Leverkusen center-back Manuel Friedrich headed the ball back toward Bayswater Chinese's left side.
Gareth Bale dropped deep, tracking the ball's descent.
Right-back Gonzalo Castro followed closely, glued to Bale.
That was his biggest assignment of the night—stick with Bale, step for step.
Toni Kroos also moved over but didn't challenge for the ball. Instead, he stayed a little off, calling Bale's name.
Castro, at just 1.72 meters, was at a clear disadvantage against the 1.86-meter-tall Bale.
The Welshman won the header cleanly and nodded it toward Kroos.
As soon as the ball left his head, Bale pushed off with both legs like an arrow released from a bow—sprinting forward at full throttle.
Friedrich was startled and moved to help.
But Kroos didn't pass it back to Bale.
Instead, before Castro could reach him, Kroos cleverly played it to an open Lewandowski near the center circle.
That hesitation by Friedrich was costly.
Lewandowski, facing left, didn't even stop the ball—he lofted a first-time pass over the defense into the gap behind Friedrich.
That moment of hesitation cost Friedrich the chance to block Bale's run.
Bale was already sprinting at full tilt, blasting past the defense and slicing through the heart of Leverkusen's backline.
Just outside the box, Bale took a touch and surged into the penalty area.
Faced with an onrushing Bernd Leno, the Welshman swung his left foot through the ball—
It rocketed forward like a missile, slicing past Leno and smashing into Leverkusen's net.
2–0!
The entire BayArena was stunned.
Gareth Bale's speed was absolutely terrifying!
From the moment Bayswater Chinese recovered possession and launched their counterattack, every pass was executed with just one touch—lightning-fast, dizzying in its intensity.
With that kind of explosive force, who could possibly stop them?
...
After switching sides for the second half, the match opened up completely.
Down by two goals, Leverkusen could no longer afford to sit back.
This was their home ground, after all.
Their first burst of aggression came in the 51st minute, with a quick counterattack down the right.
Schürrle surged past Marcelo and delivered a diagonal ball to the back post.
Kadlec arrived late and headed it into the net.
1–2!
But just four minutes later, Toni Kroos picked up the ball in midfield and, with the precision of a master archer, launched a perfect through ball straight to Gareth Bale's feet.
At that moment, Bale was in the left channel, perfectly positioned between full-back Castro and center-back Friedrich.
The Welshman, sprinting at top speed, took the ball in stride and drove it into the penalty area. A quick left-footed strike sent the ball flying into the far corner.
That zone—just left of center—is Bale's trademark kill zone.
3–1!
After conceding again, Leverkusen went absolutely all-out.
They quickly created another chance up front.
Kießling took a powerful shot, but Courtois went full stretch and deflected it with one hand, then immediately got up and smothered the ball before anyone could pounce on the rebound.
It was such a brilliant save that even Yang Cheng on the sidelines couldn't help but applaud.
Then in the 64th minute, Ballack—who had just come on—started a quick counter from midfield.
Schürrle dribbled down the right, fed Kießling, who laid it back to Ballack.
Ballack sent it wide left to Renato Augusto.
Augusto charged into the left side of the box and fired a shot into the far corner.
2–3!
But in the 72nd minute, Di María picked up the ball on the right after a pass from Piszczek. He stopped abruptly, then cut inside, bursting between two defenders into Leverkusen's box.
Facing center-back Schwab, Di María used a slick feint to juke past him and reached the edge of the six-yard box on the right.
He took a low right-footed shot.
The ball nutmegged Leno and rolled straight into the net.
4–2!
Yang Cheng roared with joy from the sideline!
When it comes to a shootout, Bayswater Chinese fear no one!
But over 20,000 Leverkusen fans at BayArena responded with deafening boos.
With energy draining fast, Leverkusen couldn't keep up with Bayswater Chinese's tempo.
In one sequence, Kießling beat Thiago Silva in the air to reach a cross and headed it on target. The angle was good, but the power was lacking.
Courtois made an easy diving save, stretching out both arms to catch it cleanly.
Then in the 86th minute, substitute Walcott received the ball on the right flank, turned past his marker, and played it down the wing.
Piszczek sprinted forward and broke into the right side of the box before whipping in a cross.
Lewandowski charged in and headed the ball home from close range.
5–2!
Everyone could see the gulf in class.
Leverkusen fought hard, trying to compensate for the skill gap with sheer grit—but it just wasn't enough.
Before the eyes of 25,000 home fans, Bayswater Chinese dismantled Leverkusen 5–2.
...
Matches between English and German clubs always stir the pot.
Bayswater Chinese's 5–2 away thrashing of Leverkusen set both the British and German media ablaze with commentary.
The difference between the two teams was plain to see.
Bayswater Chinese had 74% possession, with an 89% pass accuracy.
Leverkusen? Just 26% possession and only 62% passing accuracy.
The second half was slightly better than the first, but not by much.
Even Kicker, in its Champions League special edition, admitted that German clubs are currently behind the Premier League tactically—especially Leverkusen in this match.
"This didn't look like a contest between teams on the same level."
Kicker went so far as to say that with Leverkusen's current quality, they'd only be a mid-table team in the Premier League.
But to lose so badly at home, and to a rival nation's club no less—that stings.
While the German media reflected in frustration, the British press erupted in celebration.
In past years, Manchester United had always been the Premier League's face in Europe.
Though Chelsea and Arsenal had performed well at times, United was still seen as the ultimate representation of the league.
But in recent seasons—especially after Bayswater Chinese successfully defended their Champions League crown—the London club had not only become the pride of the capital, but the new banner carrier for the Premier League.
Now, with Manchester United missing out on this year's Champions League, that role had shifted even more clearly.
Among the four English clubs in this year's competition, Liverpool was met with skepticism, as Mancini had a poor European track record and the squad still lacked quality.
Wenger's Arsenal hadn't convinced anyone either, having relied on a heavily defensive semifinal run last season.
Ancelotti's Manchester City still felt like they lacked true pedigree.
But Bayswater Chinese? A different story entirely.
This London club had maintained top form across the board, and under Yang Cheng's leadership, their performances had been consistently brilliant.
Naturally, they inherited the mantle that once belonged to United—as the Premier League's flagship team.
And now, they had gone into the heart of Germany, crushed Leverkusen 5–2, and strutted out with their heads held high.
The other Group C match produced a surprising result.
Villarreal, who had lost 0–2 at home to Leverkusen in the first round, suffered another 0–2 defeat—this time away to Napoli.
As it stands, Bayswater Chinese top the group with two wins from two.
Napoli and Leverkusen sit tied on three points, and Villarreal sit bottom with none.
Next up for Bayswater Chinese: back-to-back games against Villarreal in Matchdays 3 and 4.
This season, the Yellow Submarine were struggling in La Liga—nowhere near the form they showed last year.
The departure of manager Manuel Pellegrini to the "La Liga version of Manchester City" (Málaga), along with several key player exits, had clearly taken a toll.
...
After the away win over Leverkusen, Yang Cheng's squad returned to London to prepare for Premier League Matchday 7.
Before Liverpool's Merseyside Derby against Everton, their outlook seemed grim.
But Mancini delivered when it mattered.
With goals from Suárez, Torres, and Kuyt, Liverpool beat Everton 3–0 away.
Manchester City won 4–0 at Blackburn.
Manchester United won 2–0 away at Norwich.
Arsenal, in the North London Derby, beat Tottenham 2–1 at White Hart Lane.
Chelsea, led by a Frank Lampard hat-trick, thrashed Bolton 5–1 away.
And in a mini West London Derby, Queens Park Rangers were humiliated 0–6 away by Fulham.
Rumor has it American owner Steven Ross was livid.
After seven rounds, QPR sat 18th—right in the relegation zone.
Yang Cheng wasn't surprised by their struggles.
No investment, yet expecting Premier League results?
Wishful thinking!
What frustrated him more was how teams like Bolton would go full throttle against clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea—even at home—only to get battered in return.
Every time they face Bayswater Chinese, they park the bus.
And it's not just a coincidence or the odd match.
Yang Cheng had come to realize that Premier League teams had basically stopped playing attacking football against Bayswater Chinese.
Frustrating, to say the least.
But soon, Yang Cheng didn't feel so envious anymore.
In this round, Bayswater Chinese hosted Newcastle United at home.
Alan Pardew stuck with his 4-4-2 formation.
Yang Cheng, after two tough back-to-back matches, made significant squad rotations.
But within just 4 minutes of kickoff, Giroud assisted Kyle Walker in scoring against Newcastle.
Yes, that Kyle Walker—starting in place of Piszczek, the bullish young Englishman.
Reckless as he may be, the kid had blistering pace and elite physicality. He bulldozed his way through and bagged a goal.
Two minutes later, another assist from Giroud, this time for Walcott, who made it 2–0!
In the 20th minute, it was Giroud again with the assist, and Walcott again on the finish.
3–0!
By now, Alan Pardew was fuming on the sideline.
Then, in the 34th minute, Giroud delivered yet another pinpoint flicked assist, and Hazard stormed into the box to score.
4–0!
Alan Pardew completely lost it.
He was screaming profanities from the technical area.
What kind of nightmare defending was this?
His two center-backs—captain Coloccini from Argentina lacked both the height and strength to deal with Giroud.
The other, Williamson, stood 1.94m tall but was too sluggish and nowhere near as agile. He couldn't handle a striker of Giroud's caliber.
And they allowed the Frenchman to tally four assists!
My god!
Pardew looked like he was ready to explode with blood.
Maybe he tore into the squad at halftime, because Newcastle's defense showed some improvement in the second half.
But just as everyone thought they were stabilizing, in the 63rd minute, Walcott used his speed to bulldoze past former Inter defender Davide Santon on the right and crossed into the box.
Giroud rose above Coloccini and powered a header into the net.
5–0!
Pardew looked on the verge of tears.
Why him again? Why always him?
Even Yang Cheng hadn't expected this.
He'd picked the right tactics, used the right players—and suddenly Giroud was an unstoppable force, tormenting Newcastle's back line.
He truly lived up to his reputation as the "three-legged man."
Brilliant!
...
After two weeks of international break came Premier League Round 8.
Of the three clubs who had been neck-and-neck at the top, someone finally slipped.
Manchester United drew 1–1 away to Liverpool in a fiercely contested Red War derby.
Ferguson had even used a private jet to bring his international players back early for this match.
But in the end, they still couldn't take all three points from Anfield.
Manchester City beat Aston Villa 4–1 at home.
Chelsea won 3–1 at home over Everton.
Arsenal, thanks to a van Persie brace, beat Sunderland 2–1 at the Emirates.
Bayswater Chinese, despite heavy rotation, defeated West Brom 2–0 away.
Walcott and Lewandowski were the goalscorers.
...
Midweek brought Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage.
Though Villarreal had been struggling recently, they were still a formidable opponent.
At Wembley Stadium, Villarreal set up in a 4-2-3-1, playing a deep defensive-counter style and caused Bayswater Chinese plenty of problems.
In the 4th minute, Gareth Bale opened the scoring for the home side.
But in the 43rd minute, Villarreal equalized from a set-piece routine, with center-back Marchena scoring.
Despite relentless attacks, Bayswater Chinese couldn't find a way past Villarreal's defense.
That is, until the 84th minute, when Piszczek assisted Lewandowski with a pinpoint cross for a header.
2–1!
Bayswater Chinese narrowly avoided a scare and secured the win.
In the other match, Napoli and Leverkusen drew 1–1.
That left Bayswater Chinese with 9 points.
Napoli and Leverkusen were tied with 4, and Villarreal sat bottom with 0.
...
Back to the Premier League—Round 9.
Bayswater Chinese hosted newly promoted Swansea City.
Despite being a new team and playing away, Brendan Rodgers' side held their ground for a while and matched Bayswater Chinese toe-to-toe.
But in the 24th minute, Lewandowski opened the scoring.
In the 35th, he assisted Modrić for a second.
2–0!
The second half followed a similar pattern.
Then in the 74th minute, Walcott struck again to make it 3–0.
Two minutes later, a rapid counter saw Walcott deliver a diagonal cross to the back post, where Gareth Bale buried it.
4–0!
A dominant home win for Bayswater Chinese.
Elsewhere:
Liverpool edged Norwich 1–0 at Anfield.
Arsenal, thanks to another van Persie brace, beat Stoke 3–1.
The most shocking result? Manchester United lost 0–4 at home to Manchester City.
Ferguson's rotation, following their Europa League match, backfired spectacularly.
After Zlatan Ibrahimović scored in the first half, United were pushing forward early in the second—until Jonny Evans was sent off.
From there, City took complete control.
Ibra, Agüero, and David Silva each scored again, delivering a humiliating defeat to United at Old Trafford.
The result sent shockwaves through England.
Losing 0–4 at home—what a disaster for United.
Even Ferguson admitted afterward it was "cursed," saying he had no idea what went wrong.
And in the round's final match, the highly anticipated West London Derby, something even crazier happened—
QPR pulled off a stunning upset!
In the 10th minute, they converted a penalty to go 1–0 up and held on to beat Chelsea at home.
Bosingwa and Drogba were both sent off.
Coach André Villas-Boas was also shown red for berating the referee.
Two reds. Eight yellows.
Almost every Chelsea player left the match with a "souvenir."
The media declared the weekend cursed.
And the chaos wasn't limited to England.
In Italy, AC Milan went down 0–3 in the first half to Lecce—only to come back and win 4–3 in a miraculous second-half display.
In Germany, Bayern Munich conceded a penalty, got a red card within five minutes, and lost 1–2.
La Liga saw more madness.
Barcelona hosted Sevilla and were held 0–0 into stoppage time.
In added time, the referee showed two red cards and two yellows to Sevilla players—and awarded a penalty to Barça in the 95th minute.
But Leo Messi, at the decisive moment... missed it.
Barça dropped points, drawing 0–0 at home.
People couldn't stop shouting: "What the hell is going on?!"
Meanwhile, Real Madrid took the league lead, thanks to a 15-minute Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.
After the game, José Mourinho grinned from ear to ear.
When asked by reporters if this weekend had been cursed, the Portuguese madman proudly declared:
"Me? I'm immune to all curses!"
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