Chapter 195: The Calm Little Lion and the Beast Zlatan
When Leon broke the deadlock and scored the first goal, Kevin De Bruyne was thrilled—
Not just because it meant he got an assist, or that his overall performance had been solid.
He was happy because, at last, someone on the field was on the same wavelength as him.
In football terms:
They thought the same, played the same.
He had played with Hazard and Lukaku in the Belgian national team.
But Lukaku's runs rarely hit the right areas, and Hazard—though he could get into position—loved to overdribble and hold the ball too long.
The three of them never clicked properly.
If Oscar had been playing in Leon's No. 10 role today, De Bruyne, Hazard, and Lukaku probably still wouldn't have found their rhythm.
Oscar, after all, was an attacking midfielder by nature.
He preferred to crash into the box for goals or dribble into defenses—not orchestrate the entire front line.
That wasn't a bad thing.
But this Chelsea team was already overflowing with attacking talent.
What they lacked was someone who could bind it all together—a central point of connection.
That's what Leon brought.
He used Lukaku's wide runs as misdirection. He temporarily froze out Hazard to give him time to reflect.
He accelerated Chelsea's attack as a whole.
And he gave De Bruyne space and freedom to shine under Mourinho's tactical system.
Only after this foundation was set, did Chelsea finally produce a sharp, clean, flowing goal.
Of course, the only one bold enough to deny Hazard the ball this blatantly was Leon.
Mourinho was supposed to do the tough-love coaching.
But today, Leon did it himself.
With his goal, he sent a loud, clear message:
You need to change, Eden. You need to fit the team.
More bluntly?
Leon was showing Hazard who really ran the show now.
Hazard—who had no ambition to be "the man" and generally kept a low profile—suddenly felt deeply aggrieved.
He thought he had welcomed Leon with open arms.
He had no issue with Leon being the core of both defense and attack.
All he wanted was to start, to improve, and to shine.
But now?
He couldn't even get touches.
Yes, it was just a friendly, but Hazard could feel the mistrust—Leon didn't see him as reliable on the ball.
His mood, which had been decent before, instantly dropped.
Even when celebrating the goal, his smile was strained and hollow.
Leon, acting like nothing was wrong, high-fived and hugged Hazard, then turned to rally the team with applause.
The firm embrace only made Hazard more confused.
Then the second half kicked off.
Leon continued linking with De Bruyne and even Lukaku.
But with Hazard? Still minimal involvement.
In fact, most of Hazard's touches came from deep—via Ashley Cole launching forward from full-back.
Terry and Lampard, watching from deep, noticed this.
They glanced toward the coaching staff, quietly processing Leon's decision-making.
At halftime, Chelsea still led 1–0.
Back in the locker room, the mood was mostly light.
Mourinho didn't single out Leon—no praise, no critique.
He gave a quick overview of the team's performance, then adjusted the second-half tactics slightly.
He wanted Leon and Lukaku to try more link-ups through the middle.
But then Leon did something no one expected.
"Let Eden push more down the left. We need to reliably break open one side of their defense. That'll free up space for everyone else to play more comfortably."
The entire locker room turned.
No one was more surprised than Hazard.
After freezing him out for 45 minutes, Leon was now advocating for him?
Hazard didn't understand.
But when Mourinho looked over, questioning, Hazard immediately puffed up his chest and nodded.
"I've got it, boss. I can handle it."
When the second half began, Hazard braced himself.
Would Leon ignore him again?
He didn't.
Chelsea returned to their fluid, last-season rhythm.
The young attackers showed their flair.
And without Mata monopolizing the right, Hazard now saw more of the ball.
His dribbles and flair lit up the crowd.
The Americans were thrilled.
But by the 70th minute, Hazard's heart was sinking again.
Inter Milan's defenders were ready.
Every dribble into traffic. Every forced 1v2.
It was like running into a wall.
Early on, Cambiasso worried Hazard might dribble past two and then dish a killer ball.
But as the half wore on, he saw through it.
Hazard wasn't a threat.
He was tilting at windmills.
And Hazard?
He knew.
He remembered how Leon ran the offense in the first half—how every attack had flow, movement, pace.
Now?
Hazard was stubbornly dribbling into nothing.
And finally, he understood.
He understood why Leon froze him out earlier.
He'd been slowing everything down.
Leon didn't do it to humiliate him.
He did it to send a message.
And now, seeing it all play out, Hazard had no complaints left.
The facts were right in front of him.
Leon had been right all along.
When Leon saw Kevin De Bruyne celebrate his goal with such joy, he couldn't help but smile in amusement—and also with a bit of emotion.
Who would've thought that De Bruyne, who would one day become a strong contender for the title of best midfielder in the world at Manchester City, was now so excited just to start a friendly for Chelsea?
"Kevin, you remember the tactical instructions from the coach, right?"
Leon turned to ask suddenly.
De Bruyne snapped back to focus immediately.
"Yeah, I remember… support your forward runs, stay wide, look for balls behind the defense…"
Before he could finish, Leon patted him on the back.
"A task like that shouldn't be difficult for you, right? First secure your spot, then prove to the boss how much talent and vision you really have. Don't worry—I've got your back, Kevin."
Leon's encouragement and promise struck De Bruyne deeply. He understood the truth behind Leon's words.
Before he could fight for freedom and creativity, he had to prove he could execute the system. Only then could he earn more influence in Mourinho's tactics.
Tonight's game was the perfect start.
Meanwhile, Lukaku—also in the starting lineup—was in high spirits, his earlier worries about Zlatan's arrival seemingly forgotten.
At 8 PM sharp, with thousands of local fans and eager tourists cheering them on, the match kicked off.
Inter Milan started strong, using a long-ball attack right from the whistle, while Chelsea held their shape and Leon won the first aerial duel in defense.
Chelsea's starting lineup was a 4-2-3-1, and aside from De Bruyne getting the nod over Oscar, it matched the media predictions.
GK: Čech
LB: Ashley Cole
CBs: Terry and David Luiz
RB: Bertrand
CDMs: Ramires and Lampard
CAM: Leon
LW: Hazard
RW: De Bruyne
ST: Lukaku
The backline was solid, though slightly aged, but still full of grit and experience. The front four, however, represented Chelsea's youth revolution: Hazard (22), Leon (22), De Bruyne (22), and Lukaku (just 20).
Fans were thrilled to see such a vibrant and dynamic setup.
Especially with Leon at the heart of it all, Chinese and East Asian fans tuned in by the millions, despite the early hour.
Seeing Leon in Chelsea blue still felt strange to many Real Madrid fans back in China, but as he took control of the game like a true midfield general, that discomfort turned to pride.
Even fans who still grieved his departure from Madrid found themselves supporting him anew.
Leon had never explained his move. But once it became clear he was Chelsea's undisputed midfield leader, the truth spoke for itself.
At Madrid, he would've had to keep sharing attacking responsibilities with Cristiano Ronaldo. Even if Ronaldo accepted tactical compromises in the short term, long-term tension would've been inevitable.
Now, with time to reflect, even Madridistas began to understand Leon's choice.
No longer bitter, many simply started watching Chelsea matches, continuing their support for the "Little Lion."
And just as he did at Madrid, Leon immediately showed his defensive brilliance.
Now playing further forward, he didn't confront opposing strikers much—but he did battle their playmakers.
Mourinho had given him the freedom to roam, and Leon covered ground like a machine.
In the first five minutes, he dispossessed both Guarín and Álvarez cleanly.
The first interception launched a counter that ended with a failed Hazard dribble—too slow, too sticky, intercepted by Cambiasso.
The second time, Leon took matters into his own hands, bursting forward and launching the attack himself.
Hazard was clearly still not in sync. Compared to Di María or even Callejón, he lacked tactical discipline and delayed the tempo.
If he didn't change, Chelsea's counterattack game would suffer.
But when Leon shifted toward the right, Inter's defense naturally followed his movement and focused on De Bruyne.
Then Leon pulled a brilliant fake.
He didn't pass to the overlapping De Bruyne. He ignored Hazard completely.
Instead, he sent a long pass over the top toward Lukaku, who had drifted left and was already accelerating down the line.
For the Chelsea coaching staff, this wasn't surprising. They knew Lukaku loved pulling wide.
But for fans?
That pass-and-run combo between Leon and Lukaku was electric.
Backstage, Mourinho grinned.
It wasn't a system Leon was fitting into.
Leon was the system.
(Chapter continues…)
Zlatan had arrived in New York and joined the team.
Chelsea's veterans like Essien, Terry, and Lampard greeted him with warmth and familiarity—after all, they were legends in their own right.
But the younger players looked at him with awe.
Only Leon treated Zlatan like an old friend—because he was.
They fist-bumped and hugged like brothers, while others watched with envy.
They had only played together for half a season at Milan, but their bond was famous.
Some even said Leon played a role in bringing Zlatan to Chelsea.
That rumor seemed less like gossip now.
Having kept up with PSG's preseason, Zlatan arrived in good shape.
He jumped straight into training and, thanks to his history with Mourinho and Leon, settled in instantly.
With only three sessions before their next game against Milan, few expected Zlatan to start.
But Mourinho had other plans.
When the starting lineup dropped, fans were stunned:
Zlatan was starting.
The Milan reunion—Zlatan, Leon, Abate, Abbiati, Boateng, Kaká—moved fans to tears.
Without the financial crisis, this Milan squad might've stayed together.
Zlatan, Leon, even Pirlo—gone.
Milan fans sighed.
No one was more frustrated than Allegri.
"They were mine! My striker! My midfielder!"
He greeted them warmly, but his heart raged.
If Mourinho knew, he might've replied smugly:
"They were mine first."
The match? A wild, end-to-end shootout.
From the sixth to the eightieth minute, the crowd never stopped cheering.
Zlatan and Leon stole the show.
They combined for five different scoring plays.
Leon: 1 goal, 2 assists.
Zlatan: Hat-trick.
For the first time, De Bruyne and Hazard felt the joy of delivering a pass and watching a real striker finish.
Chelsea edged Milan 5–4, taking another preseason win.
New York sports media went crazy.
Leon was hailed as the most composed and fearless midfield commander of his generation.
Zlatan?
A beast. Hungry, explosive, dominant.
Together with Hazard and De Bruyne, and with Leon orchestrating behind them, Chelsea had formed a terrifying new attack.
And under Mourinho's command—
It was only just beginning.
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