Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

”Alright, the first half has come to an end! As the whistle blows for halftime, we can clearly see the disappointment written all over the faces of the Manchester United players.

However, there are still a full forty-five minutes to go. During the halftime break, adjustments from Manchester United manager David Moyes will be absolutely crucial.

As for Chelsea, this break gives them a much more relaxed opportunity to set up their strategy for the second half!

So, dear viewers, take a short break yourselves...”

With Jian Jun unable to hide the joy in his halftime commentary, domestic fans across China were all happily pulling out their phones and jumping into the major sports forums.

Even at nearly four in the morning in China, the rapid updates and countless posts flooding the sports forums were clear proof of the intense popularity of this red-versus-blue clash between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Right now, Manchester United fans in China were feeling a lot like how Barcelona fans did over the past two seasons.

Watching their beloved team get thoroughly beaten was obviously depressing.

But seeing Li Ang shine so brightly in the top-flight league filled them with joy and pride.

It was painful, yes, but it was also genuinely exciting.

For Chelsea fans in China, moments like these were pure bliss.

Even when the second half officially kicked off and Chelsea dropped deeper into defense, with Li Ang once again retreating to play as a holding midfielder, fans still watched with rapt attention.

But for the Manchester United supporters at Old Trafford, this was nothing short of a torment—both visually and mentally.

And yet, their boos and even verbal abuse had absolutely no effect on the Chelsea players.

Because there’s a significant difference between stubborn defending out of desperation and strategic defensive play when leading.

The former stems from lacking the strength to fight toe-to-toe with the opponent, so teams have to hunker down and avoid further goals.

The latter, however, is all about wearing down the opponent’s will to attack—an intelligent way to secure the win more safely.

Chelsea’s players, amidst the chorus of boos, actually felt mentally invigorated.

Just like what Mourinho had told them during halftime, encouraging them in his uniquely ruthless style:

”The louder their boos, the more it shows how scared they are!

They’re terrified that we’ll walk out of Old Trafford with a commanding win. They’re afraid we’ll tear off Manchester United’s glamorous facade in the simplest, most brutal way possible.

So go out there and enjoy defending!

Keep those two iron chains tight around their throats.

If the opportunity presents itself, loop a third one. If not, let them slowly suffocate!”

Mourinho’s words, ruthless as they were, seemed to echo once more in every Chelsea player’s ears.

And with Li Ang tirelessly running, covering, and intercepting across the pitch, all Ramires and Lampard had to do was offer backup coverage and occasionally step in for a direct block—they executed their roles perfectly.

By the 76th minute of the second half, Mourinho confidently subbed off Lampard for Matic.

Treating the remaining twenty minutes as ”garbage time” to integrate new players infuriated the Manchester United supporters to no end!

But this anger more and more began to resemble helpless rage.

After all, Manchester United had only managed two shots on target since the start of the second half!

Van Persie was completely neutralized by Chelsea’s targeted defense.

Deprived of sufficient service from his teammates and kept under tight watch by Terry, he had only two shots all match.

And neither of those even tested Petr Čech!

It was a rather embarrassing performance for Van Persie, who had just last season beaten out both Suárez and Bale to retain the Premier League Golden Boot.

Without the sharp edge and chemistry they once boasted in attack, this Manchester United side looked remarkably average.

Some Chelsea players who had been slightly nervous before kickoff were now completely convinced by Mourinho’s tactical acumen.

Moyes’ few tactical shifts in both halves were all well within Chelsea’s coaching staff’s expectations.

Being able to control the match rhythm this thoroughly gave Chelsea’s players enormous confidence.

That included Nemanja Matić, who came on in the second half.

This towering central midfielder, national teammate of Ivanović and last season’s Primeira Liga Player of the Year, had transitioned from a box-to-box midfielder to a holding midfielder—a move that was clearly leading him to shine and eventually return to Chelsea.

Now in his prime, Matic’s ability was never in question.

And once his mentality settled down, his performance immediately stood out.

In fact, the chemistry he developed with Li Ang during their first time on the pitch together was nothing short of remarkable.

One was tasked with all-around coverage, while the other stayed back to intercept and help initiate build-up play.

It was reminiscent of the midfield pairing between Li Ang and Xabi Alonso back at Real Madrid.

The difference was that this time, the deeper midfielder did more of the dirty work, while the more advanced one was both an attacking and defensive pivot—becoming the core engine of the team’s offense.

Though their responsibilities were different, the overall balance between offense and defense they created was nearly identical.

And so, the Manchester United attackers who had hoped to mount a late comeback were utterly out of luck.

Even if they managed to sneak past Li Ang’s defensive zone by sheer luck, what awaited them was no longer a makeshift holding midfielder like Lampard.

It was Matic—whose ability in direct interception had reached world-class level and was just a few more Premier League matches away from his peak.

Manchester United fans at Old Trafford grew more anxious and disheartened with each moment Matic played.

”Where the hell did Mourinho dig up this monster?! Is he planning to personally train every outstanding young defensive midfielder in football?!”

One frustrated fan couldn’t help but rant online—and was met with widespread agreement from Premier League supporters.

As the final whistle blew, Chelsea’s 2–0 shutout victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford rocketed to the top of England’s trending sports headlines.

Close behind was the highlight reel of Matic’s brilliant performance—compiled from less than twenty minutes on the pitch!

Yes, that’s right. In less than twenty minutes back in the Premier League in a Chelsea shirt, Matic had already put together a defensive highlight reel.

Even though he still had a few chemistry issues with his new teammates, his synergy with Li Ang was so instinctual that fans of every Premier League team could only sigh in despair:

”The iron-blooded Blues who tormented every Premier League team… might actually be back this season!”

A powerful holding midfielder. A versatile central engine. A dominant center forward. A solid backline. And an explosive, talented group of wing attackers…

Despite being away from the Premier League for years, Mourinho’s preferences hadn’t changed.

And once again, in a short span of time, he’d pieced together a terrifyingly strong lineup—one that made opposing teams nervous just by looking at their paper strength.

Whether or not they were fully gelled as a team was still a question.

But what Premier League fans now clearly saw… was just how scary Chelsea would be once that team chemistry kicked in.

Even the neutral ”spectator fans” who had just tuned in for fun were starting to take the Blues seriously.

Meanwhile, the Spanish media had already begun hyping up Mourinho and Li Ang’s blistering start to the Premier League season.

”La Liga > Premier League” – A Well-Worn Argument Gains Ground Once Again

But compared to the increasingly intense public opinion on the matter, the Chelsea players, having tasted the sweetness of back-to-back victories, remained low-key as they began their recovery and physiotherapy routines at the Cobham Training Ground.

The Blues, now the talk of the football world, seemed to have distanced themselves from the rest of the London football scene.

Veteran Chelsea players were diligently undergoing treatment to preserve their bodies, while the younger members of the squad were constantly showing up for extra training sessions, heavily influenced by Li Ang’s relentless work ethic.

Although the medical staff and coaching team kept a close watch on the young players—preventing them from overtraining like Li Ang—they were still allowed to dip into the physio pool and put in some extra work after completing their daily sessions.

After finishing another phase of tactical drills and team cohesion training, Chelsea prepared for the final Premier League match before the international break.

On the afternoon of August 31st, Chelsea hosted Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in what was technically a clash against a Premier League ”powerhouse.”

Though calling Villa a powerhouse might be a stretch—after all, they finished only 15th last season.

Following the departures of key players like Gareth Barry, James Milner, and Ashley Young, Aston Villa hadn’t cracked the top ten for the past two seasons.

However, it was precisely their impressive performance around 2010 with those players that continued to earn them a reputation among Premier League fans as a stubborn mid-table side.

José Mourinho certainly wasn’t one to underestimate such teams that were notoriously difficult to play against.

That said, there was no reason to show any weakness at Stamford Bridge.

Playing it safe in away matches, especially against passionate mid-table sides feeding off the energy of the crowd and referee bias, was understandable.

Sometimes you had to start off reserved, gradually wear down your opponent’s aggression and fighting spirit, and then finish them off with sheer strength.

But when Mourinho was at home, he often took the opposite approach right from kickoff.

And today’s match was no exception—Chelsea immediately flexed their midfield superiority and aimed to slap Aston Villa across the face.

Without the protective cover of a home-biased referee, Villa’s defenders were more likely to see fouls go against them whenever they got overly physical.

And even setting aside technical ability, in terms of raw physicality, was a Chelsea midfield anchored by Li Ang supposed to be afraid of Aston Villa?

With superiority in both technique and physical battles, Chelsea seized control of the midfield and quickly pushed beyond the halfway line, relentlessly tearing at Villa’s defensive structure.

Villa’s young central midfielder Ashley Westwood simply couldn’t handle Li Ang’s constant ball-carrying charges.

Standing at just 1.75 meters and weighing just over 70 kilograms, Westwood was no match for Li Ang in one-on-one duels.

Even with the support of Karim El Ahmadi—who had the height (over 1.9 meters) but only weighed 76 kilograms—the two of them still couldn’t stop Li Ang’s surging runs.

Li Ang, engaging his core, used his 85-kilogram frame like a compact cannonball, nearly knocking the air out of El Ahmadi with one clash.

Seeing their midfielders getting physically blown apart, the referee had to occasionally whistle Li Ang for offensive fouls, just to restore some order.

But even that didn’t stop Aston Villa from collapsing once the midfield line was breached.

Li Ang used the simplest and most effective method to break the deadlock on offense.

With Chelsea maintaining a steady flow of possession in the final third, the forwards didn’t let their fans down either.

In the 17th minute of the first half, Eden Hazard received a pass from Li Ang after one of his classic driving runs and decisively burst down the flank.

Villa’s right-back, Matthew Lowton, was just a fraction late on the take-off—and that was all Hazard needed to leave him in the dust.

All Lowton could do was watch as Hazard sliced into the penalty area.

Hazard then delivered a perfectly timed cut-back that outwitted all of Villa’s defenders who had swarmed toward him and Ibrahimović.

On the edge of the penalty area, in a pocket of space, Li Ang arrived right on cue to unleash his trademark short-swing power shot for his first Premier League goal!

It was only Li Ang’s second official shot attempt of the season.

The previous one had come in the second half against Manchester United, a long-range effort that David de Gea managed to save.

But today, shooting from a closer range, Li Ang’s strike was even faster.

And with Villa keeper Brad Guzan nowhere near De Gea’s level, he had no chance of stopping this rocket.

As the ball slammed into the top corner of the net, Li Ang raced to the corner flag and struck his signature masked celebration pose—for the first time in the Premier League!

It was a special moment: Li Ang’s first-ever Premier League goal.

By this point, he had already recorded three assists across three matches. Adding this goal brought his tally to one goal and three assists—an incredibly impressive return.

His strike opened the scoring for Chelsea.

By halftime, both Ibrahimović and Lampard had also found the back of the net.

With Chelsea holding a commanding 3-0 lead at the break, it seemed inevitable that they would go on to secure their first high-scoring win of the season.

In the second half, Li Ang added a second goal to his name, connecting with a cross from Kevin De Bruyne for a powerful header.

At that point, every Premier League fan knew—there was no longer any serious competition for the Player of the Month award in August.

Three matches, five direct goal involvements.

Two goals and three assists in league play across the month—flawless numbers no matter what position you played.

Chelsea went on to thrash Aston Villa 5–1, and with the final whistle, the early shape of the new Premier League season had taken form.

Chelsea stood alone at the top of the table, three wins from three, leading thanks to their superior goal difference.

Liverpool, surprisingly, had also won all three of their matches—each by the same quirky 1–0 scoreline—putting them right near the top and looking like early dark horses.

Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur all broke into the top six, each with two wins and one loss.

Only Manchester United had fallen apart.

After losing in the second round, they suffered another 0–1 defeat to Liverpool in the third.

Not only had they lost the derby, they had also plummeted to 16th in the table.

One win and two losses from their first three matches—an embarrassing start for the Red Devils.

Of course, it was still early in the season and these standings were more entertaining than meaningful.

Real gaps between top teams and mid-to-lower table clubs wouldn’t really begin to form until December.

But as of now, Chelsea’s dominance and Li Ang’s explosive form had won over the entire Premier League.

On the morning of September 9th, Li Ang received the Premier League’s official Player of the Month award at the Cobham Training Ground, dressed in his training gear.

Photos and interviews were a given.

But what surprised the Premier League staff was that after completing the promotional shoot, Li Ang immediately dove into extra training.

When the official Premier League account posted a series of photos of his individual drills, fans swarmed the announcement tweet declaring him Player of the Month with a single unified comment:

Well deserved!

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