Chapter 219: Let's See What You're Made Of, Youth Brigade
With yet another goal in the Champions League, Lukaku's name was now echoing throughout Europe as one of the brightest rising stars.
It didn't matter whether the opposition had been tough or soft.
The fact that Lukaku, a rotation player, had scored three goals in five Champions League group matches was enough to label him a "star of tomorrow" in European football.
Sure, his positioning and role were still a bit undefined, but in today's modern game, a striker who could play both wide and central was actually very much in vogue.
Just like Álvaro Morata, who had shone across Europe the previous season.
Neither Lukaku nor Morata had polished all the rough edges from their game yet, but that didn't matter.
Thanks to the media's hype machine, no one focused on their technical flaws.
As long as they had age on their side and decent stats, fans quickly constructed a fantasy in their minds—of raw talent, unstoppable potential, and world-beating futures.
And to be fair, in the original timeline, that was the trajectory they followed.
For the majority of fans who hadn't actually watched them play match after match, numbers spoke louder than skill.
So even though neither had yet delivered performances truly worth their bloated transfer fees, they were already being treated as €80–100 million assets on the market.
But now, with Li Ang acting as a "butterfly" and altering the timeline, both Lukaku and Morata were significantly better off.
First, Morata.
Even after Mourinho left Madrid, he had specifically asked Zidane—recently promoted from technical director to first-team assistant—to keep working on Morata's finishing technique.
And it worked.
Morata's shooting—especially with his right foot—had improved considerably.
If he kept developing steadily, even if he couldn't beat out Benzema for the starting role, he would still become a better version of himself than in the original timeline.
The enhanced shooting skills and game time would make a huge difference.
A few days ago, when Li Ang teased Lukaku by calling Morata "double-weak-footed," it was mostly a joke aimed at his old Castilla teammate.
As for Lukaku, his path was looking even brighter.
He'd landed in the hands of a more patient Mourinho and was being personally mentored by Li Ang with tailored technical drills.
No one was forcing him to bulk up and sacrifice his agility or speed anymore.
His career trajectory had space to breathe—and expand.
Being micromanaged every day by Li Ang was exhausting, sure. The technical tweaks, the repetitive drills—it was a grind.
But three to five years from now, Lukaku would only feel gratitude.
Grateful that someone like Li Ang had taken the time to shape him while he was still young.
Of course, the part that made him want to cry?
Li Ang and Mourinho had both demanded that he use his right foot in every shooting drill.
Still, after about a week of focused training, progress was visible.
At the very least, his right-footed finishes inside the box no longer flew off into row Z due to uneven power transfer.
It was slow progress, yes. But that was expected.
Chelsea's coaching staff weren't demanding miracles.
This season, the goal was simple: get Lukaku to a point where he could consistently hit the target with his right foot on low-pressure finishes inside the box.
No need for power or accuracy yet. Just reliability.
Next season? That's when they'd sharpen the details.
He was still young. As long as he grew steadily, by 23, his right foot would be good enough for close-range finishes.
After a week of rest and fine-tuning, Chelsea's first-team squad returned to Premier League action.
Matchweek 13.
Chelsea were at home, preparing to clash with Southampton, who were sitting fourth in the league table.
It was, without question, the biggest matchup of the round.
Technically, Spurs vs. United might've had more media heat…
But with United sitting in ninth and Spurs dropping to fifth, it just didn't have the same punch.
Southampton, on the other hand, were legit.
They'd just beaten both Liverpool and United, and in the previous round, held Arsenal to a draw at the Emirates.
Even if you disregarded United, that was still two straight results against Premier League elite.
And all of it led by Mauricio Pochettino's youth-powered Saints.
Aggressive, bold, and with one of the youngest squads in the league—Southampton were winning admirers fast.
But at the pre-match press conference, Pochettino was humble.
"We're not Chelsea's rivals. We're just a young team challenging the league leaders."
"I've known José for a long time—we've faced each other often in La Liga. I've learned so much from him.
Of course, I've never beaten him as a coach.
Tomorrow's match will be tough, but it's a privilege to test ourselves against the top team in the table."
He ended with a smile and a nod:
"We'll try to give the fans a beautiful match."
His words were diplomatic, respectful—and strategic.
There was no pre-game trash talk, no mind games.
Mourinho, too, had high praise for his "old acquaintance" from La Liga days.
It wasn't lip service.
Back when Pochettino was managing Espanyol, Mourinho had pegged him as one to watch.
To take a low-budget Espanyol side to 8th in La Liga by the end of the 2010–11 season? That took real talent.
So Mourinho meant what he said.
He saw Pochettino as a genuine future star—and Southampton as a real threat in the league.
When the lineups were announced, both coaches smiled knowingly.
Same formation: 4-2-3-1. Same philosophy: balanced attack and defense.
Each had accurately predicted the other's tactical setup.
Chelsea leaned more defensive.
Southampton leaned more aggressive.
December 1st.
Chinese fans had enjoyed a smooth evening watching the 8 PM and 10 PM Premier League fixtures.
Spurs and United drew 2–2 in a forgettable game.
Hull shocked Liverpool 3–1 in a match full of fire.
But the main course?
Chelsea vs. Southampton.
Kicked off at 12:10 AM on December 2nd.
Not the most convenient hour, sure. But compared to the usual 3 AM Champions League games?
Pretty damn good.
Sina Sports pulled out the big guns for the commentary team:
Fan Zhiyi and Jian Jun were back.
It was Fan's second time this season commentating a Chelsea game.
And the moment the broadcast started, he and Jian Jun launched smoothly into their familiar banter.
Among the Chinese pundits who followed the Premier League closely, General Fan was undoubtedly one of the most knowledgeable.
Right from the start of the broadcast, he playfully brought up how he almost joined Liverpool back in the day.
It didn't take long for him to smoothly steer the conversation to Liverpool's shocking defeat earlier.
Jian Jun could only shake his head and smile wryly while fans watching on their phones or computers howled with laughter at Fan's antics.
At that moment, the broadcast cut to the players walking out with the referees.
Jian Jun jumped on the opportunity, and with the player lineups appearing on screen, began introducing the starting elevens.
"Chelsea are at home today, lining up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
Petr Čech starts in goal.
Across the back: Bertrand, Terry, David Luiz, and Azpilicueta.
In midfield, it's Matić and Lampard holding.
Li Ang plays the No.10 role, flanked by Hazard on the left and Ramires on the right.
Up top, Zlatan Ibrahimović leads the line."
"Southampton are also using a 4-2-3-1.
In goal, Polish international Boruc.
Their backline consists of Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, José Fonte, and Calum Chambers.
Midfield holding duo: Schneiderlin and Wanyama.
Lallana plays behind the striker, with Jay Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse on either wing.
Up front, it's Osvaldo starting instead of Lambert."
"Both teams made a few changes in the attacking line.
Chelsea replaced De Bruyne, still recovering from injury, with Ramires.
Southampton started Osvaldo, likely because Rickie Lambert's still nursing a muscle strain."
Jian Jun nodded. "Some media outlets had claimed De Bruyne returned to training, but Mourinho's playing it safe by not including him.
As for Osvaldo… if Lambert were healthy, I doubt Pochettino would have started him again."
As they analyzed, the referee checked his watch and blew for kickoff.
Chelsea, having won possession, calmly spread out under Li Ang's direction and began pressing forward.
Li Ang looked across the field at several familiar, youthful faces.
But he didn't feel even a shred of guilt about going hard at them.
During the first wave of attack, he used his strength to bulldoze through Lallana before quickly laying the ball off under pressure from Wanyama.
Chelsea's first attack came through Hazard, as usual.
But Southampton were clearly prepared.
Ward-Prowse and Chambers doubled up on Hazard and dispossessed him.
The Saints immediately launched a counterattack.
Wanyama's cross-field switch found Luke Shaw, who looked up to see Azpilicueta closing in fast.
The fearless youngster, who had impressed in the previous ten Premier League matches, went for a bold dribble.
But Azpilicueta met him head-on and delivered a clean, punishing challenge—a harsh welcome to Stamford Bridge.
Both teams had clearly done their homework, and the early exchanges reflected a clash of well-prepared strategies.
Pochettino watched Chelsea's full-backs—Bertrand and Azpilicueta—start the match and glanced over at Mourinho.
Southampton's wide play didn't rely on their wingers.
Instead, their two young full-backs—Shaw and Chambers—were the real weapons.
With their wide midfielders cutting inside to drag the opposing full-backs, the Saints' full-backs often had open space to charge forward and deliver dangerous crosses.
This had been the backbone of Southampton's attacking success in the league.
But Mourinho had seen it coming.
He deployed younger, more mobile full-backs specifically to shut it down.
Chelsea also had the defensive personnel—Matić, Lampard, and Li Ang—to handle Southampton's wide overloads.
Lallana? Forget it.
With Li Ang dropping back to help, Lallana had almost no space to operate.
Mourinho's use of Bertrand and Azpilicueta wasn't just about rotation.
It was a calculated strike to suffocate the Saints' flanks.
Everything was part of a cohesive defensive web.
Mourinho even sacrificed some possession early on to ensure Southampton couldn't exploit their preferred style.
Pochettino now understood—Mourinho wasn't just flattering him at the press conference.
He had truly done his homework.
Watching Shaw get forced back twice in a row by Azpilicueta, Pochettino clenched his fists unconsciously.
Back on the pitch, Azpilicueta's cross-field pass found Li Ang again.
Li Ang shrugged off Lallana's pressure and drove forward toward midfield.
Luke Shaw quickly cut inside to intercept.
He caught up and went shoulder-to-shoulder with Li Ang—
Only to bounce off and lose position.
Schneiderlin ditched his post and charged in.
But this was exactly what Li Ang had baited him into doing.
The moment Schneiderlin stepped up, Li Ang lofted a diagonal through ball over his head—
Straight to the sprinting Ramires on the right flank.
Zlatan was already making his run.
Ramires didn't hesitate.
He drilled a low cross to the near post.
Lovren and Fonte tried to close the gap, but the box turned chaotic.
Zlatan stretched out those long legs and poked it toward goal.
Boruc reacted sharply, diving low to push it wide for a corner.
Stamford Bridge roared in approval!
Li Ang clapped, slightly disappointed, and jogged into the box for the corner.
His intensity left Lallana, Shaw, and Chambers feeling uneasy.
They couldn't shake off the legend that had been circulating in the football world:
"Li Ang loves facing rising stars. He tests them.
And once he does, they rarely shine again.
Don't believe it? Watch his games against Isco, Griezmann, Götze…"
Lallana and Shaw exchanged glances.
Was it their turn now?
Was Li Ang here to test them today?
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