Chapter 206 – Winning the Community Shield! Premier League Debt Reduction! Yang Cheng: The Bayern Execs Are All Great People!
Since Yang Cheng fully took over the Bayswater Chinese in 2003, he had embedded his personal philosophy into every corner of the club.
Over the years, the club's tremendous success had elevated Yang Cheng's reputation to heights even he hadn't imagined.
People across the football world claimed he had a "Midas touch."
Any player Yang Cheng showed interest in usually ended up flourishing—and performing exceptionally well.
That's why Bayswater Chinese players always commanded high transfer fees.
And any player Yang Cheng had his eye on? Their market value skyrocketed.
So much so, that for a long time, Yang Cheng was frustrated—too many clubs and agents kept using his name for hype.
One day it was a rumor that he was after a center-back from Club A.
The next, a striker from Club B.
Then a midfielder from Club C…
Eventually, Yang Cheng stopped showing up in person—it was just too annoying.
But while the outside world could no longer track his every move, within the club, people still paid close attention.
Take one small but very telling detail:
The Bayswater Chinese had long been recognized as one of the first paperless, fully modernized sports organizations in football.
All scouting data was centralized in a digital player database.
This database had long been the subject of wild speculation.
Some said it was legendary; others dismissed it entirely.
The truth?
The scouting department knew it was advanced, but not magical.
Its biggest strength was player filtering.
You could input attributes, positions, and weights to generate a list of matching players—an approach that had helped with many transfers over the years.
For instance, the scouting and signing of Begović.
Or the shortlist of strikers after Carroll was sold.
All of these came from algorithmic searches, then verified by scouts on the ground.
But within this database existed a top-secret list.
Only a few people had the highest-level access—and Yang Cheng was one of them.
He had his own account.
From time to time, he would casually scroll through players in the database, and whenever he saw someone familiar, he would add them to his "Watch List."
This was almost instinctual.
He was afraid that over time, he'd forget players from his past life.
He'd been so busy for so long, it was inevitable some names might slip through.
So whenever he recognized a player he liked, he marked them—just in case he needed them later.
At first, he thought nothing of it.
But to others at the club, it was a revelation.
It started when Head Scout Gary Worthington accidentally came across Yang Cheng's watch list.
Over time, he noticed a pattern: the players on that list always turned out well.
It was like Columbus discovering the New World.
Then Sporting Director Dan Ashworth and Chief Talent Officer Mike Rigg learned about it.
Eventually, even CEO Adam Crozier caught wind.
And finally, Xia Qing.
When Xia Qing knew, Yang Cheng knew.
He laughed helplessly when he found out.
He'd never expected that a casual habit would become the club's equivalent of a sacred scripture.
It was like posting random follows on social media, only for people to analyze every single one like they were clues from a divine oracle.
He was proud—and also exasperated.
Crozier, realizing how valuable the list was, decided to keep it under wraps.
Only the core inner circle knew about it. No one was allowed to talk or leak anything.
Besides, many of the players on that list had since blossomed into European stars.
Like Agüero at Atlético, Suárez at Liverpool, David Silva at Valencia…
There were even some special cases—like Real Madrid's new signing, that dead-eyed German, Mesut Özil.
He was on Yang Cheng's blacklist.
So yes, the Watch List was important.
If it ever leaked? It would cause an earthquake in European football.
Comparable to Florentino Pérez's locker room tape scandal.
But at the same time, was it really that important?
Maybe not.
So the club's core team decided: keep it secret. Keep it safe.
But something interesting happened this summer.
Now that the club had acquired Nice, the two organizations shared a scouting system—and, naturally, a scouting database.
Nice's new Sporting Director, Emmanuel Perrin, used to be the Bayswater Chinese's French regional scout.
He'd heard rumors of the legendary list.
Once he got access to the database, he tried to find it.
No access.
During Bayswater Chinese's U.S. training camp, Nice held their own preseason.
New head coach Ronald Koeman was full of energy, promising a revival of his career and vowing to give everything to Nice.
But he had once managed Ajax, Feyenoord, Valencia, Benfica—Koeman's standards were sky-high.
And frankly, he wasn't impressed with the players left at Nice.
So he ordered a clean sweep—selling off surplus players and raising a few million euros.
Now came the hard part: rebuilding the squad.
That's when Emmanuel Perrin seized the opportunity.
While Yang Cheng's team played in the ICC in the U.S., Perrin flew to London and met with Ashworth and Rigg.
The three of them immediately thought of Yang Cheng's Watch List.
Nice, being where it stood in the European hierarchy, couldn't dream of signing top-tier talent or even breakout stars.
They didn't dare target the newer names Yang Cheng had added—like Anthony Martial from Lyon's academy.
Way out of reach.
But Emmanuel kept the name in his back pocket.
Instead, they used Koeman's requirements and filtered the Watch List based on current feasibility.
They selected four players:
Jorginho, 18, dual Italian-Brazilian, playing for Verona in Italy's third division.Marcelo Brozović, 17, from NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac in Croatia.Kalidou Koulibaly, 19, a French-Senegalese center-back from Metz's academy—then fighting relegation in Ligue 2.And the most unusual—Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 21, from AC Milan.
Now, Aubameyang wasn't some unknown.
He had French and Gabonese dual nationality and had even been called up to France's U21s in 2009.
That year, he was loaned by Milan to Dijon in Ligue 2.
He was lightning fast.
In 34 league matches, he scored 8 goals and added 2 assists.
He also netted 2 goals in 4 cup games.
A respectable showing.
Because of that poor season in 09/10, Aubameyang was loaned to Lille in Ligue 1 by AC Milan, but his performance there was disappointing.
He played as a winger on both flanks but made only 14 appearances, totaling 494 minutes, and scored 2 goals.
In the Europa League, he played 7 times for 352 minutes but had no goals or assists.
Naturally, Lille wasn't impressed.
So in the summer of 2010, after his loan ended, Aubameyang returned to AC Milan's youth setup.
Still unable to find opportunities at Milan, he was set for another loan.
But what puzzled Emmanuel Perrin, Dan Ashworth, and Mike Rigg was—why had Yang Cheng blacklisted Aubameyang?
However, Ronald Koeman was very interested in him.
Firstly, Mahrez, Salah, and Mané were all still very young—just seventeen or eighteen.
Aubameyang was already 21, and he could play on both wings as well as up top—a rare kind of front-line utility player.
After discussing with Ashworth and Rigg—and given their trust in Yang Cheng's watchlist—the group approved Nice's transfer plans.
And it must be said, Emmanuel Perrin proved extremely capable.
While the Bayswater Chinese were competing in the ICC in the U.S., he efficiently signed all four targeted players.
Only Aubameyang cost money—€1.5 million, paid over two years.
The others were all absolute bargains:
Marcelo Brozović: €300,000Kalidou Koulibaly: €100,000Jorginho: €100,000
Total: €2 million for four players.
So cheap that they didn't even need Yang Cheng's sign-off. Ashworth and Rigg had the authority to greenlight the deals themselves.
When Yang Cheng returned to London and saw Nice's first-team roster, he was stunned.
He even wondered if Emmanuel Perrin had been possessed by another time traveler.
After asking Ashworth and Rigg, he finally understood what had happened.
…
"Isn't this getting a little out of hand?" Yang Cheng said, both amused and exasperated.
He never intended to cultivate any cult of personality within the club.
On the contrary, he actively avoided and discouraged that sort of thing.
But he had to admit—it felt kind of awesome.
"You have no idea," Ashworth laughed. "According to Emmanuel, Ronald is extremely happy with the squad."
Of course he was.
A coach could tell a player's quality the moment training started.
Why?
Because training intensity is tailored to player ability.
The goal is to push players to their limits—without breaking them, but enough to help them grow.
That's why training design is an art form in itself.
Otherwise, why would Yang Cheng spend so much on the sports science department?
Only the head coach truly knows which players are good.
Once Koeman saw the training sessions, how could he not be satisfied?
Now look at this Nice squad:
They have a proper striker, lightning-fast wingers, creative midfielders, and enforcers like Matuidi and Kanté.
With the group providing resources and the board offering full support, if Koeman still couldn't get results—and they ended up battling relegation in Ligue 1—Yang Cheng would have to consider a coaching change.
Still, Yang Cheng had good reasons for all this.
Nice was the first step in his expansion blueprint—and he wanted it to succeed.
A strong start would make everything else smoother going forward.
With that in mind, after Ashworth and Rigg left his office, Yang Cheng gave Koeman a call to check in.
Koeman sounded confident—but admitted the team still faced challenges.
The main issue was chemistry.
Nice was a newly assembled team. Integration would take time.
But Koeman firmly believed they could perform well this season.
Yang Cheng, of course, gave him encouragement and support.
When discussing the new signings, Yang Cheng briefly explained the rationale behind the call—especially regarding Jorginho and Brozović.
Both players were ideal for deep-lying midfield roles.
Koeman had already noticed this himself.
He may have struggled in recent years, but he was still a coach with pedigree—he had an eye for talent.
Yang Cheng praised him further.
The current Ligue 1 landscape was weak.
Lyon's reign was over, and the club was in financial turmoil.
Marseille was also struggling—constantly rumored to be up for sale.
Lille had lost their biggest weapon—Eden Hazard.
If Yang Cheng remembered correctly, Monaco had even been relegated this season.
So, Ligue 1 was in chaos.
To put it nicely: a wide-open battlefield.
To put it bluntly: a scrap between chickens.
That wouldn't change until the Qatari investment group entered Ligue 1 next year.
And Yang Cheng was certain Qatar would go to France.
Why?
Because this went beyond football.
It was a political transaction.
If Qatar wanted to host the World Cup, they needed UEFA President Michel Platini's support.
Join the Premier League?
Impossible. The UK was also bidding for the World Cup—they were Qatar's competition.
All it took was a little French persuasion, and England lost its pull.
The Bundesliga was too closed. Spain lacked political clout.
So France was the obvious choice.
Qatar would go to Ligue 1.
That moment would mark the start of a new era of foreign capital in French football.
…
Back in England, the Bayswater Chinese returned from the U.S. and entered the final stretch of preseason.
The Community Shield was the first major test of the new season.
League champion vs. FA Cup winner.
Part friendly, part official—it was the perfect match to assess the squad's readiness.
On August 8th, at Wembley Stadium, the Bayswater Chinese faced Hiddink's Chelsea.
Chelsea had made very few summer signings—a surprise to many.
Apart from signing midfielder Ramires from Benfica, they only brought in Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool and defender Tomáš Kalas from the Czech Republic.
No marquee arrivals.
In fact, they sold former starting center-back Ricardo Carvalho to Mourinho's Real Madrid.
And players like Deco, Joe Cole, Ballack, and Belletti all left on free transfers.
Very odd.
Chelsea had now missed out on the Champions League two years in a row.
Were they giving up?
In the Community Shield pre-match press conference, Hiddink explained the summer's transfer moves.
He said that selling players like Carvalho, Ballack, Cole, Deco, and Belletti freed up wage space and squad slots—it was part of a squad restructure.
Going forward, Chelsea would give more minutes to younger players.
Players like Carroll, Kalou, Bruma, and Kakuta would get more chances.
In addition, Hiddink revealed that Chelsea were currently in talks to sign Benfica's Brazilian center-back David Luiz.
"We all hope to finalize this deal before the transfer window closes."
The media's interpretation of this was spot-on.
With the financial crisis hitting hard, Roman Abramovich's funds had also been affected.
The big-money signing of Carroll hadn't delivered, and with players like Sneijder and Eto'o joining, plus a squad full of aging veterans, Chelsea had posted massive losses for years.
Those losses had all been covered by Abramovich's injections.
In this context, offloading aging players and promoting youth was clearly a move to reduce financial pressure.
Why let Joe Cole leave and join Liverpool?
According to The Sun, Joe Cole asked for wages Chelsea couldn't match—but Liverpool could.
The reality was that even after releasing a group of veterans, Chelsea's wage bill remained one of the highest in the Premier League.
According to a Deloitte annual report, in the 09/10 season, the Premier League was still the richest league in the world.
But wage growth was outpacing revenue growth.
In 09/10, total wage spending in the Premier League increased by £64 million, exceeding £1.4 billion overall.
The exact figures were unverifiable, but wage expenses made up 68% of total revenue—an all-time high.
This confirmed what Yang Cheng had predicted earlier:
With the pound depreciating and income tax increasing, wage burdens would keep growing for all clubs.
On top of the wage ratio increase, total losses across the Premier League reached £445 million—also a record.
Of course, with the league's immense income, this figure needed to be addressed—but it wasn't threatening the league's viability.
So who had the highest wage bill among the 20 clubs?
Not free-spending Manchester City.
Not Manchester United.
Not Arsenal.
Not even Yang Cheng's Bayswater Chinese.
It was Chelsea.
The Blues were spending £174 million annually on wages—far and away the most.
Even second-place Man City was only at £133 million.
Yang Cheng and many others in the league found this baffling.
Where was Chelsea's money going?
£174 million wasn't a small figure.
Real Madrid and Barcelona had high wage bills, but they also had bigger stars and far more revenue.
Chelsea, though?
Year after year of massive losses.
Sky-high wages.
How was this sustainable?
The only explanation: Chelsea's internal wage structure was a mess.
Bayswater Chinese had a wage ceiling of £120,000 per week.
At Chelsea, that was only slightly above average.
Players in the Bayswater middle tier would be considered low earners at Stamford Bridge.
Carroll joined and immediately earned £90,000 a week.
But don't get too comfortable—Bayswater Chinese were now considered the main culprit in the Premier League's debt crisis.
Last season, the league's net debt stood at £3.3 billion.
According to initial projections, this was supposed to fall below £3 billion this season—maybe even £2.5 billion.
But once the Bayswater Chinese's new stadium loan kicked in, debt reduction stalled.
The league's total debt still remained over £3 billion.
Why? Because the Bayswater Chinese alone accounted for several hundred million.
That said, Deloitte also noted: Bayswater's debt was healthy—it funded long-term assets, and the club had tight wage control, with revenue constantly setting new records.
They even had a shot at catching up to Real Madrid in the future.
So, despite the debt, Deloitte named the Bayswater Chinese the Premier League's most competitive club.
Once the new stadium was complete, the club would become one of the most powerful in Europe.
Meanwhile, Arsenal was selling off real estate from Highbury.
City and Liverpool had begun converting debt to equity.
And clubs like Blackburn were being bought by foreign investors.
So in the coming years, Premier League debt would continue to fall.
All things considered, it remained the best-run and most competitive league in the world.
Against this economic backdrop, Chelsea's spending cuts were easy to understand.
Having missed the Champions League two years in a row, their revenue had dropped to around £200 million.
And with a £174 million wage bill?
Totally unsustainable.
Chelsea's annual losses—tens of millions—weren't fiction.
Depending solely on Abramovich's funding was a bottomless pit.
Last season had been their final gamble.
After failing to break into the top four, it was time to clean house and rebuild.
Of course, the summer transfer rumors had linked Chelsea with Ibrahimović, Agüero, and Suárez—none of whom arrived.
Fans were disappointed.
Meanwhile, the Bayswater Chinese soared.
Last season, they had launched Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott—England's new twin stars—plus Lewandowski, Di María, and Aaron Ramsey.
By now, they were London's most attractive big club.
…
In the Community Shield at Wembley, Hiddink stuck with his 4-3-3.
Chelsea lineup:
Goalkeeper: Čech
Defense: Ashley Cole, Terry, Ivanović, Ferreira
Midfield: Mikel (holding), Lampard, Essien
Attack: Malouda, Eto'o, Anelka
Alex was injured. Drogba and Sneijder were on the bench.
By contrast, the Bayswater Chinese fielded a much more star-studded team.
Bayswater Chinese lineup:
Goalkeeper: Courtois
Defense: Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Pepe, Piszczek
Midfield: Matić (holding), Toni Kroos, Modrić
Attack: Bale, Lewandowski, Walcott
Even just comparing frontlines, Bayswater had far more star power.
In midfield, Modrić ran the show.
Matić had proven himself last season.
And at the back, Thiago Silva and Pepe were among the best center-backs in the world.
No wonder Chelsea fans at Wembley were uneasy.
There was a time they didn't even respect the Bayswater Chinese.
Now?
Their West London neighbors had completely overshadowed them.
When the new season's schedule dropped, all three major betting firms in Europe put out title odds.
Despite selling Neuer, the Bayswater Chinese still led the pack.
After dominating the ICC, Yang Cheng's team had become title favorites.
At Wembley, when referee Andre Marriner blew the whistle, Bayswater came out aggressively.
The front three surged forward.
Their first attack came from Toni Kroos.
From the left side of his own half, he hit a long diagonal ball behind Chelsea's defense on the right.
Walcott darted forward at lightning speed, chasing it down.
Ashley Cole sprinted back, desperate to catch up.
But even England's top left-back couldn't match Walcott's pace.
As He Was Already Positioned Deeper, He Got to the Ball First and Cleared It Out
The two English speedsters clashing down the flank lit up the 90,000 fans in the stands!
"This kind of pure speed battle is exactly what gets the blood of the fans pumping!"
"Walcott is blisteringly fast, and Toni Kroos's long ball was perfectly timed."
"You have to say, the player Bayswater Chinese brought in from Bayern this summer really has his own special qualities."
From the opening whistle, Chelsea had dropped deep into their own half.
Bayswater Chinese, in contrast, pushed high with bold intent.
Just 4 minutes and 30 seconds in, it was Toni Kroos again near the halfway line with a diagonal long ball.
Walcott made a sharp angled run.
The Little Tiger was lightning fast.
He started two steps behind Ashley Cole, which gave the England left-back the impression that he had the situation under control.
But Kroos's pass dropped right between Cole and Terry, behind the defensive line.
Walcott accelerated, storming into the box, and beat Cole to the ball.
He took it down neatly and tried to chip Čech—who had already come halfway off his line.
But perhaps his run was too fast—his final touch lacked precision.
The ball slipped just wide of the post.
Two explosive sprints, and Walcott had already showcased his jaw-dropping pace.
He turned and gave Kroos a thumbs-up.
Just over a minute later, after winning possession near midfield, Toni Kroos dropped back to his own half, turned, looked up, and launched a perfect lofted pass over the top.
It sailed straight into the left side of Chelsea's box.
Gareth Bale, also blisteringly fast, blew past Paulo Ferreira.
Outside the area, he was met by Ivanović.
Bale controlled the ball, drove into the box, but couldn't shake Ivanović and scuffed his shot wide under pressure.
In the 8th minute, Bayswater Chinese launched an attack down the right.
Walcott and Piszczek combined beautifully to progress.
The Polish right-back got the ball on the flank and played a lateral pass to the top of the box.
Kroos made a late run into the area.
He set his feet, planted his left, and struck with his right—a classic guided pass shot.
If this had been peak Toni Kroos, it might have gone in.
But the young German was still maturing—the shot went wide.
The opening 10 minutes saw Bayswater Chinese pummeling Chelsea nonstop.
Hiddink's side hunkered deep in their half, defending with discipline.
With Drogba and Sneijder on the bench, Hiddink's tactics were even more conservative.
Still, Chelsea managed their first shot in the 11th minute.
Anelka's long-range effort was parried by Courtois.
Eto'o rushed in for a follow-up but was shut down by Thiago Silva before he could pull the trigger.
Later, Malouda earned a free kick on the left, but the resulting header wasn't threatening.
…
Yang Cheng stood on the touchline, watching quietly.
Toni Kroos had transformed the Bayswater midfield.
Nearly every attack so far had begun with him.
He was the orchestrator, the distributor—the playmaker.
His most dangerous weapon?
The long ball.
And the receivers?
The wings.
But that wasn't a secret anymore.
The football world had already taken note of Bayswater's new midfield trio during the International Champions Cup.
What Yang Cheng wanted to see now was how Modrić would adapt.
Before the match, he had spoken with the Croatian in depth.
He encouraged Modrić to push higher whenever possible.
In the early minutes, Matić anchored the back, Kroos stayed deeper on the left, and Modrić was still trying to find his spot.
But in the 18th minute, Kroos launched another attack.
Marcelo played a through ball down the left.
Bale sprinted past Ferreira, trapped the ball and tried to cut inside—but the angle wasn't ideal, and Ferreira stayed tight.
So Bale crossed it instead.
The ball reached the middle, where Terry beat Lewandowski to it and headed it clear—just outside the box.
Chelsea's backline had been pushed all the way to the six-yard box by the attack.
In the rush, even their midfielders had dropped deep to mark Lewandowski and Walcott.
No one covered the edge of the area.
Modrić read the trajectory perfectly and chested the ball down.
Essien immediately charged out to pressure him.
Chelsea's line pushed up—trying to squeeze Bayswater out of their half.
Lewandowski had to retreat too.
Modrić faked left, eyes and body pointing in that direction, giving the illusion he'd combine with someone on that side.
Essien bit.
At that instant, Modrić used the outside of his right foot to cut the ball back right.
With a quick adjustment, he scooped a lofted pass over the defenders.
The ball dropped to the right edge of the six-yard box.
Lewandowski, who had just backed off, suddenly surged forward.
He reached the ball before anyone else.
Čech rushed out of goal.
Lewandowski let the ball bounce and smashed it on the half-volley—
Čech blocked it out for a corner.
The Wembley crowd erupted with thunderous applause.
"Bayswater Chinese are relentless on attack!"
"They've been dominating Chelsea since kickoff!"
"That was Modrić's first truly dangerous moment—a clever chip over the defense."
"You can tell—Kroos's arrival has pushed Modrić further up."
"Modrić has always been capable of playing the No. 10 role, but in recent years, he's been pushed deeper and deeper, organizing from behind."
"But now, Kroos frees Modrić, letting the Croatian spend more energy on attacking passes and movement in the final third."
On the sideline, Yang Cheng clapped emphatically.
This was exactly what he wanted to see.
Kroos and Modrić working in tandem.
The front three constantly rotating.
These patterns had all been drilled during the ICC matches against top clubs.
…
On one side, Bayswater Chinese's attack was gaining momentum.
On the other, Chelsea's defense was holding firm—but only just.
Although Chelsea Were on the Back Foot, Their Defense Remained Sturdy
Bayswater Chinese continued to construct and orchestrate attack after attack but struggled to break through Chelsea's iron-clad defense.
In the 26th minute, Toni Kroos once again sent a long diagonal ball to the right edge of the penalty area. Piszczek, arriving from deep, controlled the ball and crossed it to the far post. Gareth Bale got his head to it but glanced it just wide.
Four minutes later, a similar setup—but with a completely different attacking sequence.
Kroos, positioned just inside his own half, sent a long diagonal ball toward the right flank. Lewandowski sprinted into the channel, reaching the ball just ahead of Terry, and without even taking a touch, whipped in a low cross with his right foot.
While everyone's attention was on Lewandowski, Walcott suddenly darted diagonally into the box.
Ashley Cole had been tracking straight back, aiming to challenge for the ball. But realizing he'd have no chance, and noticing Terry had followed Lewandowski out of the box, he chose to cut diagonally inside to provide cover behind Terry.
As soon as he spotted Walcott's movement, he sprinted to recover.
But the Little Tiger was too quick.
By the time Lewandowski's cross reached the edge of the six-yard box on the right, Cole was left trailing behind, and Čech had come out, attempting to close down the angle.
Walcott calmly side-footed a waist-high shot past the keeper.
The ball sailed over Čech and landed in the back of the net.
1–0!
Yang Cheng leapt from the sideline in celebration.
Wembley erupted with cheers from the Bayswater Chinese supporters!
This was the tactical vision Yang Cheng had been building toward— relentless movement from the front three, combined with long switches from midfield, constantly pulling apart the defensive structure.
Like just now—Chelsea's back line had been forced into a reactive state.
Terry had no choice but to track Lewandowski, as Ashley Cole would've been physically overpowered by the Polish striker.
So Terry had to chase all the way from left center back to the right flank, but he couldn't match Lewandowski's straight-line speed.
That gave the striker all the time he needed to deliver a clean cross.
And Walcott's diagonal run into the box? That was his specialty.
More importantly, his finishing was ice cold, even in the face of Čech.
Meanwhile, Ivanović—the right center back—didn't even make it over in time to help.
When the ball hit the net, he was still retreating toward the penalty spot.
It was the kind of goal that's virtually impossible to defend against when executed correctly.
…
Halftime: Bayswater Chinese led 1–0.
After the restart, they didn't press as aggressively, instead waiting for Chelsea to open up.
The Blues were trailing and naturally eager to find an equalizer.
But in the 53rd minute, Toni Kroos launched another pinpoint long ball from the back, landing it behind Chelsea's defensive line—right in Bale's path.
The Welshman peeled away from Ferreira, receiving the pass on the left side of the box.
Ferreira was already outpaced. Ivanović recovered in time to shadow Bale.
Bale initially slowed to control the ball.
Then, suddenly, he exploded into gear, driving the ball past Ivanović with blistering pace.
Inside the penalty area, Bale blasted a shot with his left foot—his sweet spot.
The ball rocketed into Čech's bottom-right corner.
2–0!
Now two goals behind, Chelsea stepped up their pressing game.
Drogba and Sneijder both came on from the bench.
But in the 65th minute, with Chelsea's defenders locking in tighter on Kroos and Modrić, it was Matić who stepped up to orchestrate.
A former attacking midfielder, Matić had the vision and technique to distribute.
He laid the ball off to Piszczek on the right.
The Polish full-back threaded a pass behind the defense.
Walcott once again blazed between Terry and Cole, sprinting into the right side of the box, latching onto Piszczek's through ball, and cut back a low cross.
Lewandowski failed to reach it under Ivanović's pressure.
But Bale came charging in from the back post and side-footed it in with his left.
3–0!
Chelsea's morale visibly dipped.
Bayswater Chinese took the chance to ramp things up, pinning the Blues deep into their own half.
In the 80th minute, a slick series of short passes on the right between Piszczek, Modrić, Lewandowski, and Walcott created a dangerous move.
Modrić lofted a beautiful chipped pass behind the line.
Lewandowski timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and fired a thunderous strike into Čech's net.
4–0!
Wembley became a stage for Bayswater Chinese's celebration.
Chelsea managed a late consolation.
In the 92nd minute, Drogba fired a shot from the right that forced a save from Courtois.
With the match nearly over and Bayswater easing off the pressure, Eto'o capitalized on the rebound.
4–1!
But it was too little, too late.
Bayswater Chinese, with goals from Bale (2), Lewandowski, and Walcott, thrashed Chelsea 4–1 to claim the Community Shield!
Though considered a charity match, the competition was still similar to a Super Cup.
So after full-time, there was a short awards ceremony.
Chelsea, as runners-up, stepped up first to receive commemorative medals.
Then came the champions.
Bayswater Chinese players took the stage to collect their winner's medals and lift the Community Shield.
Yang Cheng was the last to ascend, greeted all along the way by fans and guests offering their congratulations.
Especially once he reached the podium, where FA chairman David Triesman, CEO Alex Horne, and others warmly offered their praise.
This match made it abundantly clear—Bayswater Chinese were even stronger than last season.
Especially with Toni Kroos's arrival, their attacking arsenal had deepened immensely.
"I just can't understand how Bayern Munich sold such a world-class player to you for only 10 million euros," Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore asked, completely baffled.
Yang Cheng laughed heartily.
"It's simple, Richard—the Bayern board are all great guys!"
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