Chapter 235: Chelsea in Ruins! The Unsolvable Growing Pains! The First Dynasty in English Football History!
Collapsed.
Completely collapsed.
When the live broadcast cut to the home dugout and showed Villas-Boas with both hands covering his mouth, eyes blank with disbelief, the entire world watching understood—
It was over.
He was finished.
Not everyone can be Yang Cheng.
Not everyone has the ability to pull a team out of a crisis.
Villas-Boas's success at Académica and Porto made him overestimate himself.
He thought he could do it.
But in reality?
He couldn't do anything.
On the pitch, Bayswater Chinese's attacks continued.
They were already leading 8–0, but this West London side kept pushing forward.
That's how it is with rivals—there's no mercy.
In truth, Yang Cheng had already shown mercy.
He had subbed off three players at once: Gareth Bale, Robert Lewandowski, and Luka Modrić—his three best performers on the day.
And yet, Bayswater Chinese's advantage was still overwhelming.
Chelsea's players had nothing left.
They stayed behind the ball, offered no fight, no push forward.
Maybe they hadn't expected it to turn into this kind of defeat.
But that's football.
The 40,000 fans in Stamford Bridge were beyond furious.
They screamed at the players.
At the coach.
At everyone.
They didn't pay to come be insulted.
To be slaughtered on their own turf like this—is that really just a problem of ability?
If the players gave everything, if the squad was united, even if all eleven had parked the bus inside the penalty box—
Would they really have conceded eight goals?
When they lost 3–5 to Arsenal, they could at least say it was a failed shootout.
But now?
Every single big match this season—they lost. Badly.
So what if they beat up on weaker teams?
If you can't beat the top clubs, you're not getting into the top four, let alone winning a title.
And the game wasn't even over yet—
But Stamford Bridge had already turned into a stadium of abuse.
At kickoff, it was Bayswater Chinese who were being booed.
Now?
All the hate was aimed at Chelsea.
...
Roman Abramovich didn't even know how to describe what he was feeling.
The louder the fans booed, the worse his mood became.
Standing beside him, Marina Granovskaia glanced over at her boss, eyes full of helplessness.
She had followed him for years—watched the journey unfold from the beginning.
Back when Abramovich bought a Premier League club, it wasn't really about football.
He wanted a platform to integrate himself into British and European high society.
A move copied by nearly every Russian billionaire.
From time immemorial, it was always like this.
But over the years, whether it was emotional attachment or sunk cost, Marina could see it clearly—
Abramovich genuinely cared about Chelsea now.
Otherwise, why would he have invested so much?
Look at Fulham's Egyptian owner—
Did he ever care about Fulham's results?
Relegation? Who cares!
Or QPR's former co-owners, the Indian billionaire Mittal family—
Did they ever check on the club?
They probably didn't even know where the training ground was.
For investors like that, clubs are just numbers on a spreadsheet.
Win or lose, up or down—doesn't matter.
But not Abramovich.
He cared. Deeply.
And from an investment point of view?
He was losing, big time.
"Peter, tell me…"
Abramovich turned to his old friend, Peter Kenyon, and pointed at the pitch, voice heavy.
"What do I do now? We're playing like this—what do I do?"
Peter Kenyon wasn't a miracle worker.
He had made mistakes too.
But he was old, experienced, and had seen it all.
"At this point, there's nothing else—you have to sack the manager."
"Now?" Abramovich gave a pained smile.
"I just stood in front of the media and backed him. I told the dressing room I supported him. And now I fire him?"
Marina stepped forward with a reminder.
"This summer, we paid €15 million in buyout fees to get Villas-Boas. If we sack him now, we'll have to pay another large severance package."
As his assistant, she said what her boss couldn't.
"Football's never been a pure business. And from a business standpoint, this was a loss—a big one."
Peter Kenyon remained calm.
Of course Abramovich knew that.
"Maybe so. But definitely not right now."
Breaking a promise—he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not yet.
And worse?
After this match, he would have to continue defending Villas-Boas—
To the media. To the locker room.
Because there was no other choice.
"What bothers me most now," Abramovich muttered bitterly, "is what we're going to do next."
Peter Kenyon chuckled softly.
"It's easy. Once you fire Villas-Boas, the results will improve. The players will play better. Doesn't matter who the coach is—that's how it always works."
"They might even fight to bring home a trophy or two. That's just human nature."
He locked eyes with Abramovich, delivering the words slowly and clearly.
Abramovich blinked.
He understood.
This was why European football had a saying:
"Changing managers is like changing knives."
Whenever locker room tension reached a boiling point,
The manager was always the one sacrificed.
Because there's only one coach—
But a whole squad of players.
Sacking one man is easier than replacing a dozen.
"So that's it?" Abramovich asked, still reluctant.
Peter Kenyon smiled again.
"You're too emotionally invested."
"As a club owner, what you want are results—performance, revenue, valuation. How you get those? Why should that matter to you?"
Abramovich paused.
That was true.
Sack Villas-Boas, and the dressing room would have no more excuses not to perform.
"At the end of the season, don't renew their contracts if you don't want to. Sell whoever you want. Rebuild the squad however you like."
Then Peter gave a sly smile.
"You're the one holding the chessboard. Just don't lose yourself in the game."
And then, he added—almost as a sigh:
"Honestly, Roman… it's time to let go of this obsession with Bayswater Chinese. It's been years. You still can't let it go?"
He looked at Abramovich with a trace of pity.
"I'll tell you something you might not like—
In six months, their new stadium will be open.
When that happens, Bayswater Chinese will be completely out of reach."
"They'll have the best youth academy in the world. This West London Derby you keep clinging to? It's just for show now—for the fans.
Just like Real Madrid vs. Barcelona's 'Clásico'—a rivalry in name only."
"In truth, there's no need for things to be this tense behind the scenes."
Roman Abramovich understood that.
That's why, back when Bayswater Chinese invited Chelsea to participate in the International Champions Cup, Abramovich immediately agreed.
The West London Derby is a lot like marketing a power couple (CP)—the more drama, the more attention.
Look at Real Madrid and Barcelona—how vicious is their rivalry?
Yet does it stop the two clubs from maintaining backchannel coordination and understanding?
To a certain extent, the Spanish league has become nothing more than El Clásico and its two giants.
"After all this, you should realize by now—you can't just throw any coach into that locker room and expect them to take control of this group of proud, battle-hardened veterans.
Even if you brought back Hiddink or Mourinho, they probably wouldn't even want the job."
World-class managers aren't fools.
They have enough leverage to pick their own teams.
Even Hiddink, toward the end of his stint, had already begun to lose his grip.
And Mourinho? If he returned, he'd soon discover that this Chelsea isn't the one he once managed.
Could he really still handle Terry, Lampard, and the others?
The truly smart ones would wait.
Wait until the veterans had aged out, retired, or moved on.
Then step in to rebuild from scratch.
That would be the wise play.
Didn't the media once report that Mourinho warned Villas-Boas, saying he was two years too early to take the Chelsea job?
Exactly—two years too early.
Because two years from now, Drogba, Terry, Lampard, Ashley Cole... they'd all be gone.
Then you walk in—and that locker room? Yours, top to bottom.
...
Chelsea's 0–8 home loss to Bayswater Chinese
spread through Europe—and the world—like wildfire.
The strength of Yang Cheng's team had never been more vividly displayed.
Even Barcelona, in their most dominant days, only beat Real Madrid 5–0.
But in London?
8–0.
At Stamford Bridge.
Now that's catharsis.
Fans flooded the internet, singing praises of Bayswater Chinese and celebrating Yang Cheng's brilliance.
The media were equally impressed.
Sky Sports described the match with the headline: "Nightmare Reborn."
But they were careful to point out that this wasn't just a case of Bayswater Chinese playing beautifully.
Chelsea self-destructed—from the inside.
Sky Sports noted that rumors of discord between Villas-Boas and Chelsea's locker room leaders had been swirling for weeks—and this game only confirmed them.
"During the match, it was clear that Villas-Boas was deeply dissatisfied with what he saw."
At the post-match press conference, he lost control, lashing out at the players' disgraceful performance.
When a reporter asked if he believed the players were trying to get him sacked, Villas-Boas firmly denied it.
"He insisted it was poor execution, not malice. But his expression said otherwise—
He was barely holding in his fury."
Sky Sports speculated that while players may not have intentionally thrown the match, the internal conflicts had reached a boiling point.
Take Anelka, for instance—completely frozen out.
Chelsea currently had four forwards: Drogba, Eto'o, Anelka, and young Lukaku, who was a favorite of management.
And yes—don't forget Andy Carroll, already declared a lost cause.
Lukaku and Carroll aside, Eto'o still had blistering pace and goal instinct.
Drogba, aging, was struggling more and more in physical duels.
That made Anelka, with his all-round hold-up and distribution play, more valuable than ever.
And yet, Villas-Boas benched him completely.
It all stemmed from that 3–5 home loss to Arsenal.
According to The Daily Mail, which has strong ties to Chelsea, Villas-Boas was furious with everyone after the match.
He stormed into the dressing room and lashed out—at Anelka.
Why him?
"Because there was no one else he could safely scream at."
But Anelka wasn't one to stay quiet—
The two nearly came to blows.
That led to the now-infamous press conference, where Villas-Boas declared:
"Aside from Anelka, all other veterans would be offered contract renewals at season's end."
At the time, it was seen as Villas-Boas trying to reassert control—
Clean out Anelka, win the favor of the player committee, and move forward with his reforms.
But now, everyone saw the truth.
This wasn't a show of strength.
It was a desperate move from a man who had already lost control of the locker room.
He couldn't touch the five-man committee, so he took it out on Anelka.
Denying him a contract while promising renewals to others—
Not only did it fail to de-escalate the situation, it made it worse.
Because Villas-Boas said it would happen at the end of the season.
"According to sources inside the locker room, players believed that Villas-Boas wasn't seeing things from their perspective.
He saw himself as an executioner—holding the power of life and death over their careers."
"Even if they gave everything for him on the pitch, there was no guarantee he'd renew their deals."
"Drogba's contract was expiring, and others weren't far behind.
These veterans wanted to stay, to keep contributing.
But they all knew—they weren't in Villas-Boas's plans."
"That's the real, unresolvable conflict."
With Sky Sports leading the charge, the rest of the British media joined in.
The Sun reported that many Chelsea players had completely cut off communication with Villas-Boas.
"They don't even care if he gets fired."
But The Sun added one key detail:
"Before the match, players already knew Villas-Boas had been ordered to make changes.
But clearly, those changes didn't work."
"Except for a few—like Ramires and Bosingwa—most of the squad no longer believed Villas-Boas was the right man to lead Chelsea."
The Daily Mail went even further:
Many Chelsea players were now actively pushing for Hiddink's return.
"After such a humiliating loss at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's hopes of a top-four finish are slipping away fast.
Abramovich must be regretting his summer decision—and may already be considering bringing Hiddink back."
Meanwhile, over at Bayswater Chinese, Yang Cheng had received incredible news after the match.
Manchester City—who had been breathing down their neck all season—finally slipped.
The Blue Moon drew 1–1 away to Liverpool.
A clash between two Italian tacticians—Mancini and Ranieri—ended in a stalemate, with goals from Balotelli and Jerome Boateng.
For Yang Cheng, it was the best possible news.
Because of Manchester City's draw, Bayswater Chinese now stood alone at the top.
Manchester United scraped past Newcastle 1–0 at home.
Arsenal also managed a narrow 1–0 win over Fulham.
After 13 rounds, Bayswater Chinese led the Premier League table with 37 points!
City sat second with 35.
United and Arsenal were tied at 34, holding third and fourth.
Liverpool, after failing to beat City at home, had 30 points in fifth.
Chelsea remained on 22 points—but had now been overtaken by Tottenham, dropping them to seventh.
And speaking of Spurs—they were proving to be very clever operators.
In recent years, they hadn't spent heavily, instead lurking behind City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, scooping up bargains.
And those bargains had somehow formed a genuinely competitive squad.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's situation was rapidly deteriorating.
The biggest problem?
They'd lost every match against the current top five.
Sure, they could beat weaker sides through sheer talent.
But in big games, Chelsea's flaws were brutally exposed.
Lost 1–3 at Old Trafford.Lost 3–5 at home to Arsenal.Lost 1–2 to Liverpool.And now… 0–8 at home to Bayswater Chinese.
As many media outlets had already stated, this Chelsea didn't even look like a top Premier League team anymore.
In contrast, their West London rivals had pulled 2 points ahead—and while that gap wasn't massive, it was a clear signal.
From the opening day of the season, Bayswater Chinese had been in the lead every single week.
"It's hard to see how anyone stops them from winning a fourth straight Premier League title."
"That would be an unprecedented achievement in the 123-year history of English top-flight football."
"Yang Cheng is leading Bayswater Chinese in the creation of the first dynasty in English football history."
Indeed, in the history of England's top division, no club had ever won four consecutive titles.
Three was the record.
If Bayswater Chinese defended their crown again this year, they'd have won five league titles in seven seasons since their promotion in 2005.
That would put them on par with the greatest dynasties:
Aston Villa (1894–1900)Liverpool (1976–1982)Manchester United (1993–1999)
Each had five league titles in seven years.
"But to be fair," The Times noted,
"Bayswater Chinese didn't win the league in 2005/06, their first season after promotion."
Which means:
If they win both the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons, they'll have six titles in seven years.
Only two dynasties have exceeded that:
Liverpool (1976–1984): 7 titles in 9 yearsManchester United (1993–2001): also 7 titles in 9 years
And as The Times pointed out, Yang Cheng's squad was still incredibly young.
They had every chance to chase those records—and possibly surpass them.
...
After Matchday 13, the team had a brief rest—then jumped straight into the League Cup quarterfinals.
Their opponent?
Manchester United.
Ferguson, having just come off a tough weekend match against Aston Villa, also fielded a rotated lineup filled with youth and backups.
Ravel Morrison started.
Yang Cheng did the same—sending out his full reserve team, with Paul Pogba, Harry Kane, and others all starting.
At Old Trafford, the game was tight and intense.
In the 65th minute, Raheem Sterling, who had just come off the bench, collected a pass from Hazard at the top of the box.
He beat Gibson and Evans, then slotted it home.
1–0!
But just four minutes later, Bayswater Chinese's defense made a rare mistake, and Macheda equalized for United.
As the match neared full time, Paul Pogba made a surging run and unleashed a rocket that was parried by Amos.
Sterling reached the rebound first, cut inside Fabio with a quick feint, and squared the ball into the box.
Harry Kane fired it home.
2–1!
Bayswater Chinese secured a hard-fought away win at Old Trafford!
It was a narrow victory—but one that showcased Sterling's brilliance, with a goal and an assist.
His pace and technique made a huge impression.
On the night, he even outshined Pogba and Morrison.
In the other quarterfinals, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City all advanced to the semifinals as well.
While media and fans were focused on the League Cup semis, one bombshell report broke.
Chelsea's dressing room had finally exploded.
It all started after their 0–3 home loss to Liverpool.
In the 22nd minute, Terry handled the ball during a header challenge.
The referee pointed to the spot.
Torres converted.
Then, in the second half, Chelsea conceded twice more in just five minutes.
A second straight humiliation after the 0–8 disaster against Bayswater Chinese.
Two matches. Two competitions.
Chelsea's credibility as a top team—shattered.
At the post-match press conference, Villas-Boas was defiant:
"My football philosophy will not die."
"At Chelsea, no player has the right to question it."
"If they want to stay at Stamford Bridge, they must learn to accept it."
He then claimed that his relationship with the players was "very good. Very good."
Yes—he said it twice.
But the next day, the Daily Mirror reported that things blew up on the team bus returning to Cobham.
Villas-Boas and the players argued fiercely.
Abramovich had to rush to the training ground to maintain order.
What no one expected?
The fight continued right in front of Abramovich.
According to The Mirror, the Russian owner had gone to Cobham to show public support for Villas-Boas, hoping to calm things down.
"Given the current situation, that was all Abramovich could do."
But then some senior players openly questioned the manager's tactics, leadership, and man-management.
Some of the comments were blistering.
"Several players questioned whether Villas-Boas was even qualified to manage a club like Chelsea."
"Just three or four years ago, he was Mourinho's scout, chasing after us players, trying to earn our favor."
"Now he thinks he can lead Chelsea?"
Villas-Boas fought back, and the verbal battle escalated—into a full-blown screaming match.
Even Abramovich said nothing.
He just stood there, silent, watching it unfold.
And once things finally calmed down?
He repeated his stance—
"Villas-Boas will not be fired."
The Daily Mirror analyzed that the only reason Villas-Boas still held onto his job was due to two key factors.
First, no top manager was currently willing to take over Chelsea.
Second, his contract buyout was prohibitively expensive.
While the exact terms weren't public, it was known that six months ago Chelsea had placed great faith in Villas-Boas, signing him to a long-term deal.
Terminating it now—on top of the €15 million buyout they paid to Porto—would bring the total cost to nearly £30 million. A steep price.
"More importantly, Abramovich and the technical team still believe Villas-Boas has the ability—it's just that he lacks the skills and authority to manage the dressing room."
The internal conflict at Chelsea had become the most talked-about topic in England and across the football world.
If Villas-Boas were sacked, no one would be surprised.
But the bigger question remained—where would Chelsea go from here?
...
Yang Cheng heard the news the next morning while having breakfast after the League Cup match.
His first reaction wasn't schadenfreude.
Because there was no reason to gloat.
These kinds of problems could happen to any club.
Even Bayswater Chinese.
If a coach wanted to forge a fighting force, they first needed a united locker room.
People kept criticizing Chelsea's so-called "player committee,"
But those five veterans were the foundation of the club's golden years.
Terry wasn't wrong when he said,
"We made Chelsea what it is."
The locker room once rallied around them—that's how Chelsea reached its peak.
But now they were aging. Their performances had declined.
Yet their influence had only grown.
What do you do?
Yang Cheng had seen this before.
His mind went back to Inter Milan in 2010, after they won the Champions League.
What happened next?
They renewed all the veterans' contracts in one go—and the team nosedived.
AC Milan had a similar experience, though they had Ancelotti there to paper over the cracks.
In Chelsea's previous timeline, it had been Ancelotti who managed the club.
He'd done well, but in the end, the boardroom's decisions got him sacked.
No doubt—Ancelotti was a master at managing egos in the dressing room.
But relying on aging stars always led to a rapid decline in competitiveness.
Most top clubs usually choose one of two paths:
Delay the inevitable.
Wait until results dip, fans and media grow frustrated, and even the players accept that it's time to move on.
Peaceful farewells, but it takes one or two seasons of underperformance.Cut clean and fast.
Brutal, but effective.
The coach gets branded as heartless for pushing out club legends.
And there's no guarantee it builds a competitive team right away—it's high risk.
"Are you thinking that our team will eventually face something like this too?"
Summer Qing, seated across from Yang Cheng, saw his furrowed brow and guessed what was on his mind.
Yang Cheng didn't answer, just nodded.
"There's no solution to it," she said, gently.
"Every modern organization goes through this—it's called a transition pain period."
"Honestly, you're already doing great. You've been promoting youth players, challenging the veterans for spots, maintaining a constant cycle of renewal. That's rare."
How rare?
Take José Fonte, the team's long-time vice-captain and one of the most popular figures in the locker room—
He only played cup matches or dead rubbers.
"But this kind of system only works because I'm here," Yang Cheng admitted.
"It's not something just anyone can pull off."
He felt more and more like Ferguson at United.
Authority isn't inherited—it's built.
Even Brian Kidd, respected though he was, couldn't carry it if Yang Cheng left.
Right now, Kidd could manage the dressing room because Yang Cheng was above him.
If Yang Cheng stepped down, chaos would follow.
Bring in an outsider?
Even worse.
It might blow up immediately.
Thankfully, Bayswater Chinese didn't have the kind of personalities that would cause Chelsea-style implosions.
Modrić, Thiago Silva, Bale—they weren't that kind of player.
But still, when Yang Cheng was gone, disorder was inevitable.
Otherwise, everything he'd built over the years would be meaningless.
He let out a long sigh.
If he were just the manager, he wouldn't need to worry about all this.
But he was also the club owner.
And a club like Bayswater Chinese would, sooner or later, face this same dilemma.
In comparison, Yang Cheng actually admired how Florentino handled Real Madrid.
In that legendary run—three Champions Leagues in five years—they only kept a few veterans long-term:
Modrić, Kroos… maybe one or two others.
The rest?
Ronaldo, Ramos, Benzema, Casemiro, Varane—all moved on.
Pepe and Di María?
Sold early.
That strategy?
Smart.
The club refreshed itself, earned transfer fees, and players cashed in while still performing.
Everybody won.
Friendly partings. Players remained club legends after retirement.
Meanwhile, clubs like Inter—or Chelsea right now—had handled it poorly.
...
Despite the storm, Chelsea's actual results weren't as catastrophic as people feared.
They hadn't totally collapsed.
Even a dying camel is still bigger than a horse.
The players remained professional.
In the next Premier League match, Villas-Boas's Chelsea won 3–0 away at Newcastle.
Lampard converted a penalty in the first half.
Drogba scored in the 38th minute.
It was a clean, impressive win.
Just like the media had said—against weaker teams, Chelsea could still overpower opponents.
But Yang Cheng still believed:
High pressing doesn't suit this aging Chelsea squad.
Meanwhile—
Manchester City thrashed Norwich 5–1 at home.Arsenal beat Wigan 4–0 away.Manchester United, thanks to a goal from Phil Jones, edged Aston Villa 1–0 away.
Speaking of Phil Jones—he had real physical talent.
Stocky and bullish, with a tough, aggressive style.
But Yang Cheng had one big question:
"Ferguson signed both Phil Jones and David Luiz—two front-foot defenders.
How does he plan to balance them?"
It was an interesting dilemma.
At the moment, Jones looked more like a utility player—capable at right-back, center-back, or defensive midfield.
Constantly shifting roles.
Bayswater Chinese, meanwhile, hosted Sunderland this round.
Thanks to two first-half goals from Lewandowski, the home side won 2–1.
Sunderland pulled one back in the 52nd minute.
Lewandowski had now scored 15 goals in 14 Premier League matches.
His efficiency was staggering.
Since arriving in England, the Polish striker had improved year after year.
Though last season had seen a slight dip, this season?
He was on fire.
With 15 goals in 14 league games, Lewandowski's scoring efficiency was already rivaling that of the La Liga giants.
In this round, Liverpool played away at Fulham. After 72 grueling minutes, Lucas Leiva was sent off with a red card.
Just when it seemed like Liverpool were doomed, Rakitić stepped up and, with a thunderous strike, blasted the ball into Fulham's net—securing three points on the road.
...
December 7th, evening — Wembley Stadium, London.
Champions League Group Stage, Final Matchday: Bayswater Chinese vs. Leverkusen.
With the group already secured and Yang Cheng having publicly stated he wouldn't field his strongest XI, attendance at Wembley was modest—just over 70,000 in a 90,000-seat stadium.
Still, it was enough to create an intimidating atmosphere.
As expected, Yang Cheng sent out a heavily rotated side filled with young players—not a single starter from the first team.
But before the match, he still rallied his squad with one message:
"Play for the 70,000 fans out there."
Leverkusen, meanwhile, were in a tight spot.
According to UEFA rules, they were level on points with Napoli.
Their head-to-head results were two draws: 1–1 in Italy, 2–2 in Germany.
Due to the away goals rule, Napoli held the edge.
That meant Leverkusen had to beat Bayswater Chinese and hope Napoli lost or drew against Villarreal.
A desperate situation.
For Yang Cheng and his young team, though, it was a perfect test.
Right from kickoff, Leverkusen came out swinging, pressing aggressively, determined to devour Bayswater Chinese whole.
The home side, made up of youngsters, were immediately under pressure, forced to defend deep.
They looked shaky.
But once they survived the initial wave, the match gradually leveled out and the tempo slowed.
Leverkusen still wanted to score, but they were also wary of being hit on the counter.
Minutes ticked by.
Still 0–0.
Yang Cheng understood: Leverkusen were waiting.
They were tracking the result in the other match.
At halftime, Napoli and Villarreal were also 0–0.
But the game changed in the 60th minute.
Hamsik assisted Cavani, who scored for Napoli.
Leverkusen began to panic.
Just three minutes later, coach Robin Dutt subbed on their main striker, Stefan Kießling, to join Eren Derdiyok up front—two tall center-forwards.
But that move disrupted their shape.
In the 67th minute, Hazard dribbled down the left, slipped past two defenders, and fed Giroud at the top of the box.
Giroud laid it off into the area.
Hazard darted through, picked up the pass, and squeezed a low shot between defenders—GOAL.
1–0. Bayswater Chinese take the lead.
Leverkusen unraveled.
They launched a furious assault.
Bayswater Chinese's young squad came under heavy fire, forced to retreat and hold on desperately.
In the 76th minute, news arrived from Spain: Napoli had scored again. 2–0.
Leverkusen now needed two goals just to have a chance.
Still, they kept attacking.
But it was clear—Dutt knew the game was over.
In the 80th minute, Yang Cheng sent on Pogba, Harry Kane, and Sterling.
By then, Leverkusen's players had mentally checked out.
Their attacks lost steam.
In the 87th minute, a brilliant pass from Harry Kane found Pogba, who smashed in a second goal.
On the sidelines, Brian Kidd grabbed Yang Cheng's arm in excitement.
"Did you see that? That angle—two defenders around him—and he still spotted Pogba's run!"
"The awareness is just superb!"
Yang Cheng had seen it. He was used to Kidd's enthusiasm.
Anytime an English talent shined, Kidd got emotional.
Especially when it was a striker.
The last time he was this excited?
Andy Carroll.
But Kane was very different.
Kane was homegrown—a product of Bayswater Chinese's youth academy.
"The kid didn't spend all those years in our academy for nothing," Yang Cheng said with a grin.
Kane was only 18, but had already played across all competitions—including the Champions League—and scored in each.
Still, Yang Cheng hadn't given him a major role.
He wasn't ready for that kind of pressure.
But Kane was improving—fast.
It was no wonder Kidd was excited.
England had never produced a "modern" striker before.
Not like Kane.
Rooney? Sure, he was a beast at United.
But his style had always been classically English—charging forward with raw power.
Kane didn't have Rooney's explosive physicality.
That's why Arsenal let him go back in the day—they thought he was just a pudgy kid.
But the boy had grit and smarts.
At Bayswater Chinese, he'd been nurtured with Europe's best tactical education.
Now, Kane had excellent passing and first-touch ability—better than his "previous life."
More importantly, he had elite tactical awareness, far beyond most strikers of his age.
He'd grown into a complete, modern forward.
Even physically, he now resembled the archetype of an English striker.
The only thing he lacked?
That killer's instinct. That "I'm the guy" energy every great striker has.
Kane's first thought when receiving the ball was always:
"Is there a better pass I can make?"
Not:
"I'm the striker. I shoot."
Brian Kidd once said Kane was like a cross between Bergkamp and Alan Shearer.
Not wrong.
Yang Cheng had thought about coaching that trait into him—
But a player's style often comes from their personality.
And Kane's nature just wasn't that kind.
Changing it would be tough.
For now, all they could do was take it one step at a time.
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