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Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Chapter 284 282: Everyone’s Showing Off—Except United, Who Are Getting Beaten Up · Nov 11, 2026

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Chapter List (401)

Page number / 9

251 Chapter 251 249: What the Hell, You Still Dare to Fight Back? 2026-11-11
252 Chapter 252 250: Iron-Blooded Blow to Özil, 8-Goal Rout of PSG 2026-11-11
253 Chapter 253 251: Facing Barça in the Quarterfinals — Li Ang’s Smile! 2026-11-11
254 Chapter 254 252: Arsenal, It’s Time to Stop Dreaming 2026-11-11
255 Chapter 255 253: I Don’t Want to Say Chelsea Will Clinch the Title Early, But That’s the Reality 2026-11-11
256 Chapter 256 254: Returning to Camp Nou Feels Just Like Coming Home~ 2026-11-11
257 Chapter 257 255: Damn, Messi, You’re Actually Going All Out?! 2026-11-11
258 Chapter 258 256: The Counterattack Begins Now! 2026-11-11
259 Chapter 259 257: What We’re Doing Is Pure Torment—Crying? That Counts Against the Clock Too 2026-11-11
260 Chapter 260 258: Stop Scoring, Man—You’re Already Fourth in the Premier League Golden Boot Race 2026-11-11
261 Chapter 261 259: See You Next Year, Leo 2026-11-11
262 Chapter 262 260: The Red Devils Are Dead—Long Live the Blues! 2026-11-11
263 Chapter 263 261: The Champions League Is Full of Giants Lining Up to Get Revenge on Li Ang 2026-11-11
264 Chapter 264 262: Chelsea’s Midfield and Defense Still Need Major Reinforcements! 2026-11-11
265 Chapter 265 263: Hey Kuan, Bro, The Boss Here’s Generous—High Salary, Come Quick! 2026-11-11
266 Chapter 266 264: You Know It—The Little Lion’s My Brother, and Zlatan’s a Beast 2026-11-11
267 Chapter 267 265: Reinforcements Assembled, Legends Return—This Time, We’re Taking It All! 2026-11-11
268 Chapter 268 266: Li Ang, When Are You Winning the Ballon d’Or and Becoming a Grand Slam Champion? 2026-11-11
269 Chapter 269 267: A Dominant First Win—The Rise of the Galactic Chelsea Begins 2026-11-11
270 Chapter 270 268: The “British Battleship” Makes His Premier League Debut — The Excellent Maguire 2026-11-11
271 Chapter 271 269: Not a Single One Can Keep Up 2026-11-11
272 Chapter 272 270: Rotation? Even Chelsea’s Rotation Is a European-Class Powerhouse 2026-11-11
273 Chapter 273 271: Replicating Kaka’s 2007 Season? Why Not! 2026-11-11
274 Chapter 274 272: A Premier League El Clásico Reimagined 2026-11-11
275 Chapter 275 273: Guardiola, I Am Your Nemesis! 2026-11-11
276 Chapter 276 274: Your Blade Is Sharp, But So Is Mine 2026-11-11
277 Chapter 277 275: Premier League’s Finest—A Duel Between Possession and Relentless Pressing 2026-11-11
278 Chapter 278 276: In This Era, I Am Destiny! 2026-11-11
279 Chapter 279 277: A Hat-Trick to Be Crowned! The One True God of the Premier League! 2026-11-11
280 Chapter 280 278: Ambition on All Three Fronts 2026-11-11
281 Chapter 281 279: It’s Not That We Played Well—The Opponent Was Just That Bad 2026-11-11
282 Chapter 282 280: What, Arsenal Wants to Be the New Top Dog Too? 2026-11-11
283 Chapter 283 281: Eden, Stand with Me at the Summit of World Football 2026-11-11
284 Chapter 284 282: Everyone’s Showing Off—Except United, Who Are Getting Beaten Up 2026-11-11
285 Chapter 285 283: Tyrant Leon 2026-11-11
286 Chapter 286 284: Smashing the Face of the Premier League’s ”Top Club” 2026-11-11
287 Chapter 287 285: Double Digits in the League – Top Scorer in the Premier League! 2026-11-11
288 Chapter 288 286: Closer to the Ballon d’Or Than He Ever Imagined 2026-11-11
289 Chapter 289 287: I Want to Face the Strongest—But If It’s Barça First, That’s Fine Too 2026-11-11
290 Chapter 290 288: Luiz, Don’t Let Your Loyalty Ruin You 2026-11-11
291 Chapter 291 289: If You Ever Get the Chance, Think About Us—I’ll Be Waiting at Stamford Bridge 2026-11-11
292 Chapter 292 290: The Winning Streak Ends, But an Undefeated Title Run Is Still Possible 2026-11-11
293 Chapter 293 291: Little Lion, Are You Seriously Going for the Golden Boot?! 2026-11-11
294 Chapter 294 292: Time for Everyone’s Favorite Event—Beating Spurs Again 2026-11-11
295 Chapter 295 293: He’s Already a Young Legend 2026-11-11
296 Chapter 296 294: Someone Please Shut His Mouth Next Time! 2026-11-11
297 Chapter 297 295: Aiming for a New Midseason Record—Time to Sharpen the Blade Against Sky City 2026-11-11
298 Chapter 298 296: Nineteen Wins, the Big Boss of the League—A Perfect Midseason Finish! 2026-11-11
299 Chapter 299 297: 2014 Silver Ball Winner—Leon! 2026-11-11
300 Chapter 300 298: Hype Helps, but Performance Is What Truly Matters 2026-11-11

Hazard’s brilliant performance today earned him sincere praise from every commentator.

Chelsea had only created two genuine scoring chances in the first half—and Hazard buried both of them.

On top of that, his wing play was sharp and menacing throughout.

Facing Arsenal’s newly acquired right-back Calum Chambers—signed this summer from Southampton for €20 million (in installments)—Hazard showed no mercy, completely tearing the youngster apart.

Chambers, in the first twenty-odd minutes of the match, didn’t even get the chance to showcase his offensive strengths.

At Arsenal, he couldn’t enjoy the tactical freedom he once had under Pochettino at Southampton.

Back then, Pochettino used a double-pivot midfield to cover for Chambers and Luke Shaw’s forward runs.

But now, not only did Chambers have to deal with his own defensive responsibilities, he also had to cover for Flamini’s errors.

Of course, he wanted to complain—but as a rookie Gunner, Chambers didn’t have the status to question the coaches. He had to grit his teeth and take whatever assignments they gave him.

All those defensive weaknesses that Pochettino’s tactics once covered up were now laid bare for the world to see.

To be fair, most Arsenal fans could accept the fact that Hazard was bullying Chambers.

After all, Hazard was now the Premier League’s top left winger, and he had already embarrassed more than a dozen established defenders.

Chambers wasn’t even 20 yet, and Wenger had bought him for his potential. The fans had patience.

But Leon—who had long since unlocked his ”third eye”—already knew that Chambers would never reach the ceiling Arsenal fans hoped for.

The kid just wasn’t built to be a right-back. He had missed the key developmental window to build the explosiveness needed for that position.

Some players don’t have top-end speed, but they make up for it with short-distance acceleration—Chambers had neither.

He had decent technique, but lacked the physical tools to match—something fatal for a fullback in the Premier League.

Leon thought that if Chambers realized his speed limitations earlier and transitioned to a holding midfielder or ball-playing center-back, he might’ve had a future.

But knowing what would later happen—his injury-plagued career—Leon could only offer a moment of silent sympathy.

”What are you thinking? Why the sudden head shake?”

During a break after Arsenal restarted play, Kroos noticed Leon looking pensive and asked curiously.

Leon gestured toward Chambers on Arsenal’s right side.

”Hey Toni, that kid over there—he won’t last ten minutes in the second half. You believe me?”

Kroos glanced toward Chambers and smirked.

”Ten minutes? No way. He’ll be subbed at halftime.”

Leon wasn’t so sure. He figured Wenger would give the kid a bit more time to recover his confidence.

But in the end, Hazard’s dominance forced Wenger’s hand.

Despite wanting to help Chambers regain some composure, Wenger had to act after the youngster lost his head toward the end of the half—picking up a yellow and drawing a stern verbal warning from the ref.

So, the professor had no choice but to make a halftime change.

Seeing this, Leon mimicked one of Lukaku’s signature moves and gave Hazard a big thumbs-up from across the field.

Tearing up one entire flank before halftime and forcing the opposing coach into a substitution—Zha Ball King (as Hazard was lovingly called by fans) was absolutely phenomenal.

Nacho Monreal came on to replace Chambers, temporarily filling in at right-back.

He was much more diligent defensively and avoided any major mistakes.

But with Chelsea holding a comfortable two-goal lead, they didn’t need Hazard to keep hammering that wing.

After the 60th minute, De Bruyne was subbed off for Salah, and Chelsea shifted their wing attacks from the left to the right.

Now fully adjusted to the pace and intensity of the Premier League, Salah had been playing better and better recently.

That improvement was also due in part to the specific tactical role Chelsea’s coaching staff had carved out for him.

He wasn’t a regular starter yet, but he played a crucial role in the system.

He’d been promised sufficient minutes, faced minimal media pressure, and was free to attack aggressively whenever he played.

Salah felt seen and understood—so he had no anxiety about his future.

With a clear mind, his performances became more and more fluid.

And after coming on, he didn’t disappoint the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Using his individual skill and blazing speed, he repeatedly beat Kieran Gibbs one-on-one down the right wing.

Chelsea, playing mostly on the counter in the second half, leaned heavily on Salah’s wing play to keep up the pressure on Arsenal’s back line.

For a while, Arsenal maintained a siege around Chelsea’s box, but they couldn’t find a way in.

At the same time, they kept getting hit on the counter.

This growing frustration started to show on the pitch.

In the 76th minute, Matic and Thiago Silva pinched Cavani at the edge of the box, disrupting his link-up play with Cazorla.

Kroos, waiting nearby, poked the ball free and immediately sent it to Leon, who was already pushing upfield.

After glancing around, Leon delivered a pinpoint low cross-field ball that cut through half the pitch,

right into the path of Salah, who was sprinting behind Arsenal’s defense.

The two Arsenal center-backs were desperately scrambling back,

but Salah was already streaking into the danger zone with a full head of steam.

Gibbs, giving everything he had to catch up, saw Salah pulling away.

Panicking, he committed a last-ditch foul—inside the box—as Salah entered the area.

”BEEP!”

Chelsea’s players didn’t even have to protest.

The referee pointed straight to the spot—clear penalty.

”Salah, using his explosive pace, wins a crucial penalty that could kill off the match!

The Egyptian winger has been sensational since coming on! Let’s see what the ref decides for Gibbs…”

As the Sky Sports commentator’s voice rose with excitement, the live broadcast cut to the referee pulling a… yellow card out of his pocket for Gibbs!

Alright, maybe the ref wanted to keep the flow of the game smooth in its final stretch, so he chose not to hand down the harshest punishment.

With all eleven men still on the pitch, Arsenal technically still had a sliver of hope to claw something back from Stamford Bridge.

After a brief protest from Terry, Leon accepted the referee’s decision.

But instead of stepping up to take the penalty himself, he took the ball from Salah with a grin and gave it a few spins before handing it to Ibrahimović.

”You rascal…”

Zlatan had been standing outside the box, hands on hips, catching his breath.

When Leon passed him the ball, he was momentarily stunned. Before he could even decline, Leon had already nudged him smilingly toward the box.

Well, Leon had gone this far—how could Ibra possibly turn it down now?

He understood what Leon was doing.

Since the start of the season, despite being a year older, Ibrahimović had been putting in the hard work on defense.

Chelsea’s overall efficiency on both ends of the pitch had improved noticeably, but Ibra’s individual stats had inevitably taken a hit because of it.

Knowing Leon, there was no way this gesture was out of pity. If it were, Ibra would’ve been furious.

This wasn’t sympathy. It was respect.

As he looked around and saw the admiration in the eyes of his younger teammates, Ibrahimović’s heart softened.

Leon wasn’t just speaking for himself.

He was representing the entire squad in showing appreciation for Zlatan—not for his flashy skills or stats,

but for the sacrifices and humility he’d shown for the good of the team.

Ibra took a deep breath and placed the ball on the spot.

After taking two steps back, he waited for the whistle, then ran up and struck the ball without even glancing at Szczęsny.

The shot was a rocket—straight down the middle.

Szczęsny dove to his left and was completely fooled.

Goal!

With that thunderous penalty, Ibrahimović extended Chelsea’s lead to 3–0.

But rather than his usual over-the-top celebration, he casually jogged toward the end line, smiling and hugging each of his younger teammates, offering and receiving encouragement.

Mourinho watched from the sideline, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

Leon’s decision to give up the penalty had done more for team unity than any ”team spirit” speech he could give a thousand times over on the training ground.

Selflessness. Unity. Mutual respect.

These things are easy to say—but to actually carry them out on the pitch, in the heat of battle? That’s something else.

Mourinho had every right to be proud.

His Porto, Chelsea, Inter, and even the Galácticos of Real Madrid—all of them had achieved this rare harmony.

And now, his new Chelsea side was becoming the next great example: a team tough both tactically and spiritually.

How could he not feel proud?

Still, Mourinho knew this squad had a lot of youth.

Encouragement was important—but so was the occasional reality check.

So when the players looked over after the celebrations, they saw their manager signaling calmly for them to keep their composure.

Last season, this might’ve made some of the younger Chelsea players uncomfortable.

But after going through the grind together, they had come to understand that the boss was cold on the outside but warm within.

So, with jokes and laughter, they jogged back to their half.

Up 3–0, every player knew what came next: tighten up defensively and close out the match.

Before the restart, Wenger brought on Giroud and Podolski, both already warmed up.

With more aerial threats, Arsenal shifted to direct long balls to save time and create chaos.

Giroud and Mertesacker were tasked with fighting for headers.

Cavani and Podolski lurked nearby, ready to pounce on second balls.

Against most Premier League teams, this desperate approach might’ve worked.

Giroud and Mertesacker were rare heavy-duty battering rams.

But Mourinho countered with a monster backline: Terry, Maguire, Gary Cahill, and Thiago Silva.

Arsenal’s last-ditch offense was totally neutralized.

Maguire, once again, was the standout.

Every time his giant head appeared on camera, Arsenal fans collectively flinched.

Instead of Arsenal staging a dramatic comeback, the final minutes turned into a personal highlight reel for Harry Maguire.

Neither Giroud nor Mertesacker could do anything against his dominance in the air.

The score stayed at 3–0.

Another crucial win for Chelsea, handled with clinical precision—exactly the kind of performance expected from a Premier League juggernaut.

And just like City fans had done before them, Arsenal supporters tasted bitter disappointment.

All the pre-match hype from the media had convinced them that the gap in quality between Arsenal and Chelsea had disappeared.

The more they believed, the harder the crash.

To be fair, City had at least gone toe-to-toe tactically with Chelsea.

They only lost because Leon went supernova.

But Arsenal fans were facing the painful realization that they’d been outclassed tactically from start to finish.

They had reason to be even more pessimistic.

Still, their sadness didn’t last long.

Because just as they were processing their disappointment, they turned on the TV and saw…

Manchester United losing 1–3 at Old Trafford to Everton.

Suddenly, Arsenal fans felt better about their own situation.

United had now won only two of their first seven Premier League matches this season.

Two wins, two draws, three losses—eight points total.

Once again, Manchester United was the biggest laughingstock in the league.

And when Leon checked the fixture list afterward, he quietly began sharpening his knives.

Soft targets?

Leon loved soft targets.

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 40 Chapters In Advance: /johanssen10

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