Chapter 123: This Is What a Master Looks Like! Ferguson Always Gets These Deals!
Goalkeepers: Neuer, Begović
Defenders: Pepe, José Fonte, Koscielny, Thiago Silva, Maicon, Piszczek, Leighton Baines, Marcelo
Midfielders: Yaya Touré, Matić, Modrić, Rakitić, Lass Diarra, Matuidi, Aaron Ramsey
Forwards: Džeko, Lewandowski, Lambert, Di María, Arshavin, Gareth Bale, Walcott
This was Bayswater Chinese FC's official first-team squad for the season.
A total of 24 players.
In the summer transfer window, Danny Coyne left on a free to Tranmere.
The club sold Martin Škrtel, Danny Collins, Ashley Young, and Gökhan Inler—five departures in total, bringing in £73.5 million.
But only four players were brought in: Begović, Aaron Ramsey, Thiago Silva, and Rakitić.
Total spending on transfers: £7.3 million.
That meant the club spent exactly 10% of its transfer income on signings.
This triggered panic among the media and fans.
In the cutthroat environment of the Premier League, spending was crucial to securing results.
Just look at Arsenal—despite not insignificant investments over the years, they still couldn't rise to the top.
And Sunderland?
They came up to the Premier League alongside Bayswater Chinese FC, refused to invest properly, and got relegated right away. Now they were back, and had brought in 12 players in one go.
Except for Andy Cole and one other free transfer, the other ten players cost £35 million.
And that was net spending.
Because although Sunderland sold four players, all were free transfers.
They weren't the only ones.
Derby County, also newly promoted, spent £13 million on 10 players.
Birmingham invested £11.6 million, not including free transfers like Ried, Parnaby, and Richard Kingson.
Previously, British media had noted that Bayswater Chinese FC topped the entire Premier League—and even Europe—for transfer income.
But in terms of spending?
They ranked fourth from the bottom out of all 20 Premier League clubs.
Just above Bolton, Blackburn, and Wigan.
But Blackburn still spent £3.5 million to sign Santa Cruz from Bayern—without selling anyone.
Bolton only spent £3.2 million, but added four players on free transfers and loaned in the likes of Mikel Alonso and Guthrie.
That's typical Bolton—free agents and high wages for instant-impact players.
Wigan spent £6.35 million but earned £9.25 million in sales.
So some media outlets claimed that Bayswater Chinese FC and Wigan were the only two Premier League clubs to actually profit from the transfer market.
Especially Bayswater Chinese FC—
They sold two key starters and two main rotation players, and didn't seem willing to reinvest.
Plenty of media outlets were already calling it: Bayswater Chinese FC would regret it this season.
…
"Actually, our club account is still pretty flush with cash," Xia Qing said in public, as always standing unconditionally behind Yang Cheng.
She would never let him lose face in front of outsiders.
But privately, back at the apartment, she didn't hide her concern.
With the media going wild and Yang Cheng selling off so many players, it was hard not to worry.
"Didn't we make money last summer too?" Yang Cheng replied with a grin.
He wasn't worried at all—
Because he knew the strength of the squad he had.
Especially the starting lineup.
"Last year we earned £49.5 million, but Ribéry alone cost us £40 million. And we only spent £6 million on transfers…"
"Wrong!" Yang Cheng interrupted, raising a finger. "It was £6.01 million."
Then he burst into laughter.
Who cost that extra £10,000?
Lewandowski, of course!
Of course, the other party wasn't dumb. When Lewandowski eventually breaks out and sells for a big fee, a portion will go back to them—
Though not much.
"Be serious! I'm being real with you," Xia Qing frowned slightly, genuinely concerned.
Yang Cheng reined in the laughter, pulled her into his arms, and said softly, "Don't worry. I've got this. This squad is enough."
"Don't believe all that media noise. Trust me. Last season our average age was 21.2. This year, it's 21.125."
"In other words—basically the same."
The youngest? Aaron Ramsey.
But ironically, Yang Cheng had the highest hopes for him.
Why?
Because in his past life, Aaron Ramsey became the subject of a bidding war among Chelsea, United, Liverpool, and Arsenal—
All thanks to his stunning performance in the FA Cup, where he helped Cardiff reach the final.
So don't be fooled by his age—this kid had serious game.
And with all the gifted young talents at Bayswater Chinese FC right now—who knows what kind of results they could produce when they clicked together?
By the way, even after selling Ashley Young, Danny Collins, and losing Danny Coyne, the club still had 10 homegrown players.
Aside from Lambert, Baines, Walcott, Bale, Begović, and Ramsey, there were also Modrić, Koscielny, Matuidi, and Piszczek—all meeting the homegrown rule.
Come January, Neuer would qualify too.
So, homegrown quota? Not an issue.
Just a bit short on actual British players—
But hey, it's not Yang Cheng's fault that English youth development is so bad.
"These funds—we'll need to manage them carefully. Once we start building the stadium, the upfront investment will be massive."
"Don't worry. I've been keeping an eye on it," Xia Qing reassured him.
"Contract renewals are coming up. That'll keep you busy. But this year's overall revenue is expected to increase significantly."
As she said this, Yang Cheng's hand slid under her robe—
Only then did he realize just how incredible her figure actually was.
Totally underestimated her.
Xia Qing's face flushed slightly, but she let him have his fun. "This year's Asia tour should boost our income again. But the big one will be the new Premier League broadcasting deal—our share's going up a lot."
Starting this season, the Premier League's new broadcasting contract would kick in, dramatically increasing income for every club.
Each team would get at least £25 million.
That's more than you make from the Champions League!
And renewals weren't something you could do all at once—they had to be staggered.
Otherwise, trying to handle them all at the same time would be chaos.
There was a whole strategy to who renewed when.
"As for that house in Holland Park, I've already talked to my mom. She'll handle the down payment and the monthly installments. She'll reach out to you to figure out how to transfer the money."
"Mm." Xia Qing gave a soft reply, tilting her head up. Her gaze toward Yang Cheng shimmered with affection.
Yang Cheng's heart stirred. He leaned toward her ear and whispered, "Senior…"
Xia Qing blushed and shot him a teasing glare before throwing her arms around him.
Funny, wasn't it?
In front of others, she was a decisive, competent executive—
But behind closed doors, she was nothing but gentle and tender.
What Yang Cheng never expected was that after they got together, Xia Qing became especially sensitive to being called "Senior."
It was as if that word touched some forbidden nerve, making her completely unable to resist.
The strange part? Yang Cheng had always called her that, even before they were dating—why didn't it have this effect back then?
Because of this little discovery, Yang Cheng now especially liked calling her that in public.
It was their little secret.
Next up, Bayswater Chinese FC would train in London for two weeks before heading to Asia.
Which meant the two of them would be apart for a while—
Making Xia Qing cherish their time glued together even more.
…
On July 3rd, Bayswater Chinese FC officially kicked off their summer training.
Except for right-back Maicon, who was with the Brazil national team for the Copa América, the other 23 players all reported in.
In the morning, they had medical checkups. In the afternoon, they went to Wembley Stadium for the new season's jersey unveiling.
Since sponsoring Bayswater Chinese FC last year, Puma had placed great importance on the partnership.
This season, they poured a ton of effort into the jersey design.
Yang Cheng had already communicated through Adam Crozier with Puma's team—
The key was to design something completely different from other clubs, targeting Bayswater's youthful fanbase.
The home kit remained red.
This year's Pantone Color of the Year? Chili Red.
According to Pantone, it's a charming, resonant shade—trendy, bold, refined, and vibrant.
Chili Red symbolizes extroversion, confidence, and a spirit of design.
Puma's designers used a brand-new high-tech fabric, with Chili Red as the primary tone.
Down the front and back center of the shirt, they added dense diamond patterns—not just for breathability, but also for style.
The collar and sleeve stripes, sponsor logo, Puma badge, club crest, and Umbro's "English Text" sleeve logo—
All were colored in last year's Pantone shade: Desert Gold.
It was a subtly brilliant hue, like sand in a desert mixed with golden sheen—elegant and soft.
The result was a home shirt bursting with style and dynamic energy.
The away kit flipped the scheme.
Its base color was Desert Gold, with all accents—stripes, logos, crests—in Chili Red.
The result? A completely different vibe. Subdued elegance infused with fiery passion.
Dozens of media outlets were invited to the event.
Puma's designers introduced the concept behind every detail of the kit.
After winning the Premier League, Bayswater Chinese FC had become Puma's flagship club—
So the German brand devoted serious energy and resources to them.
Puma's CEO confidently called it a shirt full of design—"a wearable work of art"—that would surely win over fans, especially younger ones.
Yang Cheng and Adam Crozier were both impressed with the quality and aesthetic.
Most kits nowadays were just template-based—
Meaning every club got the same design, just in different colors.
Even a club like Manchester United wore red with a white rectangular frame around the AIG logo, white Nike swoosh and crest—hideous.
Crozier had even run fan surveys. The top complaint? Outdated styles and lack of design.
So Bayswater Chinese FC worked with Puma to break the mold.
Price-wise? No different from other clubs, even the big ones.
After all, the production costs were what they were.
Puma would launch the kits globally through all sales channels—
Bayswater Chinese FC would also sell them through their official website, fan shops, and Chinese e-commerce platforms like Taobao.
Global unified pricing.
From early media reactions, it was clear they were wowed by the bold, fresh designs.
But in the end, sales would be the real test.
And right now, Bayswater Chinese FC didn't have the global clout to match traditional giants—
Especially since the squad didn't feature any global superstars.
But this season, they did have a very handsome new face—
Aaron Ramsey.
The kid was seriously good-looking.
Yang Cheng joked he was maybe 70–80% as good-looking as himself.
A perfect candidate for shirt sales!
With Maicon on international duty, the full squad photo would have to wait until after the Asia tour.
…
Once training began, Yang Cheng dove headfirst into work.
Last season, he had already established the team's tactical framework.
In the 4-3-3 setup, Arshavin operated as a free-roaming attacker.
Maicon bombed forward on the right, while Lass Diarra swept up and protected that flank.
That system was already well-rehearsed.
But with Ashley Young gone, a replacement was needed.
Yang Cheng gave 19-year-old Ángel Di María the starting role on the left wing.
Di María and Young were completely different types of players.
Young—nicknamed "Yang the Left Minister"—was fast and had excellent crosses, but he was right-footed.
On the left, he usually cut in and crossed diagonally.
Di María?
Lightning-fast, great 1v1 dribbler, left-footed.
He could drive forward down the flank more naturally, easing pressure on Arshavin.
And with Leighton Baines and Marcelo behind him—
They could push up more freely and use the width.
Young mostly stayed near the corner of the penalty area, rarely getting to the byline.
With Di María in, tactics had to evolve.
Even Modrić and Di María's link-up would need adjusting.
Same for Džeko, Arshavin, and the entire attacking unit.
Di María could also play central left midfield or right wing—Yang Cheng tried both last season.
The results were mixed, but his versatility gave Yang Cheng confidence.
Now the challenge was getting him fully integrated.
Training camp was the time to sharpen those connections.
…
During training, the focus was on fitness and conditioning.
Yang Cheng carved out time to attend Norman Foster's planning meeting for the Bayswater Stadium site—
As well as a progress update on the Queen's Road redevelopment project.
The London city government took both projects very seriously.
Mayor Ken Livingstone personally attended the meeting, along with all relevant departments.
Because of this, having just Adam Crozier represent the club wouldn't have been enough.
So Yang Cheng led the delegation himself, with Xia Qing and Crozier in tow.
The meeting wasn't held at Bayswater Stadium—it was at London City Hall.
But what surprised Yang Cheng most was this:
The total budget for the project wasn't the £3 billion he remembered from his past life.
It had reached £4 billion.
It was clearly much bigger than in his previous life.
Yang Cheng had been puzzled at first, but after talking with Norman Foster and others, he finally realized where the difference lay.
In his previous life, the £3 billion budget had been for the renovation of Queen's Road.
While it did include the Bayswater Stadium site, it was only the street-facing section.
But now?
The new stadium for Bayswater Chinese FC extended all the way to the Notting Hill area.
That massively increased the scale of the project—so of course the budget ballooned.
Total budget: £4 billion.
Bayswater Chinese FC would contribute £1 billion; the London city government would provide the remaining £3 billion.
With Norman Foster—the best architectural designer in the UK—personally handling the design, there was little to question.
Just from the renderings, you could feel the refined, modern, and high-end British aesthetic.
It gave Yang Cheng a very clear thought:
If they could bring that design to life—not even fully, just capture the essence—then this street could easily become London's next major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the world.
The renovation of Queen's Road was focused mainly on the façade.
They had to preserve the original silhouette while blending in modern design elements.
A true test of the designer's skill.
But Norman Foster had done an outstanding job.
He also addressed numerous questions—on materials, functionality, and more.
When the renderings for Bayswater Stadium were first shown, the room was filled with audible gasps.
Everyone was amazed.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but mutter in his mind: holy shit.
One glance at Xia Qing and Adam Crozier confirmed—they were just as stunned.
Yang Cheng remembered it perfectly—this angle, the view in the rendering—
It was the exact same angle where Foster had stood with him on the opposite street corner days earlier, explaining all his ideas and inspiration.
Back then, Yang Cheng had barely understood a word.
Now, seeing the final render—it was mind-blowing.
All Yang Cheng could say was:
So this… is what a master can do?
That day at the street corner, staring at an abandoned building, Foster could already "see" this?
And the real shock came next—Foster first unveiled four renderings of the stadium from the north, south, east, and west angles.
As he'd described before, the stadium would be surrounded by four buildings, placed at each corner, with 50 meters of space between them.
Each building would be six stories tall, and the spacing would allow passersby to take in the full view of the stadium nestled inside, along with the surrounding public areas.
The entire scene would present the full grandeur of the stadium's architecture.
Add to that the public space layout, zoning functions, and the curved designs of the buildings—
The project wasn't just architecture; it was art. Something to marvel at.
Foster also explained how they had taken full account of natural factors like lighting and ventilation during the design phase, ensuring the inner stadium's usability to the maximum.
Beyond that, the public space surrounding the stadium would be integrated seamlessly with the rest of Queen's Road.
It would include green zones, rest areas, playgrounds, and more—
All to be carefully designed by Foster to ensure a cohesive aesthetic throughout.
That part of the design hadn't started yet.
In fact, so far, only the site survey, master planning, and preliminary designs had been completed.
Once all parties approved the concept, Foster's team would begin full-scale design—
The actual blueprints to be used for construction.
Even though he'd only seen the renderings, Yang Cheng was truly stunned—
Especially by the stadium.
After the briefing, Mayor Ken Livingstone personally sought out Yang Cheng to discuss the project.
He believed the new stadium would be the core of the entire redevelopment, playing a critical role.
He asked Yang Cheng sincerely—was he confident they could pull it off?
Yang Cheng gave a firm yes.
As long as the city approved the design, Bayswater Chinese FC would stop at nothing to build the stadium and supporting infrastructure—even if it meant selling everything they had.
Everyone present was sharp—nobody was naïve enough to think they could bluff their way through.
One look at the design, and it was obvious what Yang Cheng was planning.
Ken Livingstone, for his part, wasn't the rigid bureaucrat type. On the contrary—he understood the game well.
Why let that entire block rot and become a scar on West London, when it could be revitalized?
"I'll say it again—this project must be finished before the Olympics!" Livingstone stressed.
Yang Cheng confidently promised it would be.
Now it was up to the mayor to negotiate and get things moving.
On Bayswater Chinese FC's end, they just needed to have the money ready.
As the lead party on the project, Yang Cheng went straight to Norman Foster after the meeting to ask for more details.
Specifically: the stadium's capacity.
Foster revealed that, based on their site measurements, the maximum capacity was 65,000.
Many fans didn't realize that increasing stadium capacity wasn't just about stacking more seats.
Sure, you had to build upward, but there had to be slope, sightlines, proper viewing angles.
The higher the stands, the more the footprint had to expand.
In simple terms: the taller the stands, the larger the stadium had to be.
Foster said their calculations showed 65,000 was the upper limit. Any larger, and the surrounding public space would be compressed—
The stadium and the four surrounding buildings would be too close together.
It would feel suffocating and cramped.
At 65,000, the layout still felt spacious, airy, and comfortable—for both inside and outside the stadium.
Yang Cheng agreed—
65,000 was more than enough for Bayswater Chinese FC.
If they could sell out every game, that would be incredible.
Then Yang Cheng brought up his idea of a retractable pitch, which could sink underground.
Foster replied that he'd try to discuss it with a Cambridge professor to see if such a mechanism could be engineered.
Especially when it came to load-bearing.
Their rough estimates suggested the turf—if divided into three sections—would weigh hundreds of tons.
Worse, the dimensions.
Assuming a pitch of 110 meters by 75 meters, each third would be 110 by 25.
Could the steel trays holding that weight avoid warping?
And there were other factors: force distribution, mechanical stress…
Even if you could lower the grass underground—how would you maintain it? Lighting? Irrigation?
Foster admitted:
"Honestly, the architecture is the easy part."
"You've really given us a massive challenge here," he said with a wry smile.
Yang Cheng just laughed. "Hey, who knows? Maybe once it's done, you'll win another Pritzker Prize."
Foster chuckled but didn't mention that you can only win the Pritzker once.
But Yang Cheng wasn't in the architecture business—he wouldn't know.
And anyway, it's never smart to embarrass your client.
Yang Cheng also brought up his new villa in Holland Park West, and asked Foster to design the renovations—
Both the façade and the interiors.
"I'm planning to use it as my wedding home, so you'd better design it properly!" Yang Cheng said, unashamed.
Having worked with him closely, he'd come to appreciate that Norman Foster was, truly, the real deal.
"Alright, just for that, I'm taking the job!" Norman Foster replied cheerfully, glancing at the slightly shy Xia Qing as he agreed without hesitation.
…
The entire planning meeting concluded smoothly.
But construction on the new stadium wouldn't begin so soon.
Next, Foster's firm would provide a detailed site plan, blueprints, and the full construction proposal, which would have to be submitted to the Westminster Council for approval—expected to take at least a year.
During that year, Foster's team would further refine the construction designs and complete the full set of technical plans.
On the club's end, they would also begin scouting suitable construction contractors.
If all went well, approvals could come by mid-2008.
The earliest possible start of construction? Late 2008.
And even then, demolition would have to come first before any building could begin.
While Bayswater Chinese FC was deep into preseason training, a few hiccups appeared in the schedule for their Asia tour.
Originally, the plan was to visit China, Japan, and South Korea again this year and play two matches in the Premier League Asia Trophy against Portsmouth and Fulham.
During the tour, the club was also invited to participate in the Peace Cup in South Korea.
The tournament featured eight teams split into two groups of four. Each team played three group matches, and the group winners faced off in the final.
All invited teams were well-known clubs from across the globe.
Bayswater Chinese FC drew a group with River Plate, Lyon, and Shimizu S-Pulse—all formidable opponents.
It was a great opportunity to prepare for the season.
And beyond that, the club hoped to crack open the South Korean market.
The Koreans were offering serious money: £1 million per match in appearance fees, or €1.5 million.
And if they won the tournament, they'd pocket another €2 million in prize money.
With a chance to warm up for the season and cash in? There was no reason not to go.
After the Peace Cup, the team would head to China and Japan, playing one match each in the Premier League Asia Trophy.
Originally, the plan was to also play a friendly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But because the Asian Cup final was scheduled to be held there at nearly the same time, AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam requested Bayswater Chinese FC to cancel.
The concern was that the club's friendly might split the fanbase and affect the Asian Cup final's attendance.
Unexpected scheduling conflicts like this were common with international friendlies.
Now, Adam Crozier and Omar Berrada were traveling around Asia, negotiating with sponsors and partners to potentially relocate the final match to Singapore, Indonesia, or Thailand—
Anywhere that wouldn't conflict with the Asian Cup final in KL.
If no alternative could be found, that match would simply have to be scrapped.
It was a case of unavoidable force majeure.
Even FIFA President Sepp Blatter personally called Yang Cheng to help Hammam plead the case.
In the world of football, respect for the big shots goes a long way.
…
After a week of physical training in London, Bayswater Chinese FC played their first friendly of the summer.
Their opponent? Brentford, in London's west end.
And they played it away.
Bayswater Chinese FC had become a serious box office draw, and this friendly brought in solid revenue for Brentford.
Final score: a 1–0 win.
Still, the team was sluggish—expected after a week of pure fitness training.
Even against a lower-tier team, the players were far from sharp and couldn't play to their usual standards.
After Brentford, Yang Cheng led the squad straight to Seoul, South Korea.
The team had visited Korea the previous summer, but this time it was different—
This time, they arrived as Premier League champions.
And it showed. A crowd of fans greeted them at the airport.
While in Korea, the squad also visited a local orphanage as part of a charity event.
Then Yang Cheng led the team in attending a sponsorship signing with Hankook Tire.
Starting in 2007, Hankook would officially sponsor Bayswater Chinese FC for three years. The exact amount was undisclosed.
But Hankook's brand would appear on all pitchside boards at the club's home matches—
Which alone brought the annual sponsorship value to £2 million.
Additionally, the club signed another deal with Korean telecom giant KT.
South Korea's biggest mobile operator was SK Telecom, with nearly half the market.
KT hoped to use the club's rising influence to challenge SK's dominance.
That contract was worth £1 million annually, but only applied within South Korea.
Before even playing a match, Bayswater Chinese FC had already signed two sponsorships in Korea—earning £3 million.
Korean media were full of praise, saying the Premier League champions had incredible pull in Korea.
Despite their busy schedule, the team stuck to regular training.
On the 12th, they played Argentine side River Plate in a friendly—
Their second match of the summer. They won 2–1.
On the 15th, they drew 1–1 with Ligue 1's Lyon.
Then on the 18th, they defeated Japan's Shimizu S-Pulse 3–0 to top their group.
In the Peace Cup final on the 21st, they beat Mexico's Guadalajara 1–0 and lifted the trophy.
Four matches, £4 million in appearance fees, plus €2 million in prize money—
Add the two commercial sponsorships, and Bayswater Chinese FC had raked in a fortune in Korea.
The Korean fans were thrilled, too—
After all, they were watching the Premier League champions play in their own backyard.
…
After the Peace Cup, Yang Cheng flew the squad to Japan on the 22nd.
They took two days to rest and adjust.
During that time, the club took part in another sponsorship event.
NTT, a major Japanese telecom provider, signed a three-year sponsorship worth £1 million per year.
It was exclusive to Japan and did not conflict with KT in Korea.
This was part of Adam Crozier and Omar Berrada's strategy to restructure—
Or rather, upgrade—the club's sponsorship model.
There were simply too many companies eager to sponsor the team.
For example, Korea's Cass Beer wanted in and offered a strong bid—
But Bayswater Chinese FC's sponsor was Budweiser, whose contract was global and exclusive. So Cass was ruled out.
Several other Japanese and Korean brands were interested, too, but couldn't reach a deal due to exclusivity clauses.
So Crozier and Berrada decided to adopt a regional partner model.
Japan's NTT would be exclusive within Japan.
Korea's KT would be exclusive within Korea.
Of course, some sponsors like Hankook Tire were global and exclusive.
On the 24th, in Yokohama, Bayswater Chinese FC faced Fulham in a Premier League Asia Challenge match.
Unlike Bayswater Chinese FC's full Asia tour, Fulham had flown in solely for the two Premier League Asia Trophy matches.
After a long flight and still being in the preseason adjustment phase, Fulham's overall performance was lackluster.
Bayswater Chinese FC won 2–0.
…
After the match in Japan, the team flew overnight to Shanghai.
Even though it was quite late when they landed, a number of passionate fans still came to greet them at the airport, which moved the players and staff deeply.
Over the following three days, the team balanced recovery and participation in Premier League-organized events, as well as attending an Umbro China event and a Puma product launch.
All of these had been scheduled and coordinated well in advance.
On the 28th, in Shanghai, Bayswater Chinese FC narrowly defeated Portsmouth 1–0.
By this match, Yang Cheng could clearly see that Pompey's strength this season had not declined compared to last year.
Under Harry Redknapp's guidance, the team had progressed even further.
Also in Shanghai, Brazilian international Maicon rejoined the squad after his Copa América duty.
During the recently concluded tournament, Maicon played five out of six matches as Brazil's starting right-back, scoring one goal and providing two assists—playing an instrumental role in Brazil's title win.
In the final, Brazil defeated Argentina 3–0.
Based on his training since rejoining, Maicon's fitness and condition were well maintained.
Since the Kuala Lumpur friendly had been canceled and no suitable replacement venue could be arranged, the team returned directly to London after the Shanghai match.
…
As August approached, the Premier League fixture list was officially released.
As many fans know, the fixture schedule in the Premier League is often chaotic—
There are seasons where two matches between the same teams both fall in the first or second half, and sometimes the home-and-away order is skewed.
Before the schedule is drawn up, each club receives a questionnaire.
They are asked for feedback on the previous season's fixtures and can make suggestions—
For instance, which teams they'd prefer to face at certain times.
The league does its best to accommodate all teams' preferences, but naturally, not everyone can get what they want.
Yang Cheng had also submitted his requests, asking to avoid back-to-back big matches—
Especially during the brutal Christmas schedule, which he felt hurt both team performance and fan experience due to the tight turnaround.
Apparently, Ferguson and Chelsea had made similar requests.
But when the fixtures came out, everyone was a bit stunned.
There were no big matches during Christmas.
But as Newton's Law reminds us: energy is conserved. If you don't play the big games then, you'll play them somewhere else.
Bayswater Chinese FC had a brutal start to the season:
Community Shield against Chelsea,
League opener away at Manchester United,
Second round—home against Chelsea, midweek.
This wasn't some conspiracy to target Bayswater Chinese FC—
Arsenal didn't have it any easier:
Round 11 away to Liverpool,
Round 12 home to Manchester United,
Round 13 away to Bayswater Chinese FC.
Chelsea had to face Bayswater Chinese FC in Round 2 and Liverpool in Round 3.
If anyone had a dream start, it was Manchester United.
Ferguson's team didn't face any consecutive tough opponents.
All of their matches against Bayswater, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal were spaced out.
"This guy Ferguson always gets the soft draws!"
Brian Kidd scoffed after reading through all the fixtures.
Yang Cheng just smiled and didn't respond.
Kidd could never look at Ferguson without rolling his eyes,
But even so, United definitely got lucky with the schedule—
That was a fact.
"To be honest, our first three rounds are tough," Yang Cheng frowned.
Round 3? Home to Everton.
Another extremely tough team.
Sure, there are no easy games in the Premier League,
But there are definitely harder ones.
David Moyes' Everton was a notoriously difficult opponent.
"Our approach for this season stays the same—
We'll use youth and backups for the League Cup and FA Cup.
Wherever we go in those, we go.
The core squad will focus on the League and Champions League."
Even so, the fixture congestion was going to be brutal.
Especially with the 2008 Euros compressing the calendar—
Two matches per week would become the norm.
Even worse, September, October, and November all had international breaks.
And youth national team call-ups too—
For example, Aaron Ramsey was heading to Sweden for training camp.
Thanks to the team's stellar performances last season,
Players like José Fonte were now receiving full national team call-ups.
Rakitić was also called up by Croatia for September's matches.
So Bayswater Chinese FC would have more and more internationals,
Which meant more players missing time for national duty.
Unlike other big clubs, Bayswater Chinese FC had a unique squad composition.
Yang Cheng had signed players from Bosnia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Ivory Coast…
And national teams from those countries had much lower selection thresholds.
That meant a higher chance of being called up.
(England being the exception.)
Now there was a media frenzy pushing for Theo Walcott to be called up again.
Yang Cheng really wanted to ask those people:
"You've got nothing better to do than hype up an 18-year-old?"
On a side note, former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson had just taken over at Manchester City.
That guy had been completely torn apart by the British tabloids over the past few years.
With the fixtures now set, Bayswater Chinese FC's coaching staff immediately started preparing for the season.
Yang Cheng and his staff carefully reviewed the full schedule and began formulating a season strategy.
Meanwhile, the players entered their final stage of preparation.
Before the league started, Bayswater Chinese FC would face FA Cup winners Chelsea at Wembley—
The Community Shield—
The first official match of the new season.
There's a superstition that says whoever wins the Community Shield doesn't win the Premier League.
But come on—if you've made it to the final, are you really going to throw the game over a silly superstition?
Of course not.
Yang Cheng had no time for that kind of foolishness.
While he focused on preparing for Chelsea in the Community Shield,
A bombshell dropped on the otherwise calm preseason.
A public letter from Mourinho.
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