Chapter 124: A Flash of Genius in the Community Shield! Mourinho Still Can't Survive Three Seasons!
"I'm proud of what I achieved at Chelsea."
"I believe coming to England in 2004 was one of the greatest decisions of my career."
"It was a beautiful golden period in my life as a manager."
"I want to thank all the Chelsea fans—our love will never end."
"I wish the club great success in the future!"
"I hope all the players enjoy happiness both in football and in life!"
…
"Thank you to all Chelsea supporters!"
"We are saddened by José Mourinho's decision to leave the club. He has made tremendous contributions to Chelsea and English football."
"Today, we officially announce, by mutual agreement, that Chelsea and José Mourinho have parted ways."
"Over the past few months, we've had our differences. Despite many efforts from both sides, some issues remained unresolved."
"Avram Grant and Steve Clarke will officially take over the team starting today."
…
Chelsea and Mourinho simultaneously released open letters to the fans.
The impact was seismic—throughout England, across Europe, and even worldwide.
As early as last winter, after Chelsea's humiliating 0–5 defeat at home to Bayswater Chinese FC, the British media had been speculating about Mourinho's dismissal.
During the winter transfer window, there were even reports that Abramovich had halted some signings, waiting until the end of the season to make decisions once a managerial change was made.
But somehow, Mourinho stayed.
Rumors said that the managers Abramovich preferred weren't available to take over.
In short, there were many theories—
But Mourinho remained.
Even so, Chelsea remained in turmoil.
The biggest flashpoint? Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian striker was the club's marquee star and Abramovich's personal favorite.
Chelsea had spent a fortune to sign him, hoping to boost both the team's on-field power and global marketability.
But Mourinho?
From the U.S. tour onward, he iced Shevchenko out.
Eventually, he didn't even include him in matchday squads.
It was no longer subtle.
Rumors circulated that even Peter Kenyon and other top brass were unhappy with Mourinho's handling of Sheva.
A club's biggest star—left out entirely?
That's not normal.
Mourinho insisted: Drogba was in top form.
And the Ivorian had indeed scored in multiple preseason friendlies.
But the Daily Mail, known for its close ties to Chelsea's locker room, had reported that the board believed Mourinho was deliberately creating the illusion that Drogba and Shevchenko couldn't coexist.
An accusation impossible to disprove—
Yet highly believable.
Drogba's importance tactically was undeniable, but he didn't have Shevchenko's commercial weight or global brand power.
Ideally, both stars should've coexisted—
But it had become a binary choice.
Which was absurd.
And gradually, the media began pointing the finger directly at Mourinho.
In the end, he didn't survive the full three years.
…
"This fallout came at quite the timing," said Brian Kidd inside the coach's office at Bayswater Stadium, sorting through intelligence on Chelsea.
"From the start of preseason, Chelsea's been plagued with injuries. Right now, both Makelele and Terry are sidelined."
Makelele's injuries were understandable—he was aging.
Terry had suffered his injury in training and was expected to be out for at least a month.
"Drogba played and scored in their friendly against Brøndby a few days ago," Kidd continued, "but afterward his knee was sore.
Team doctors said he'd be fine in a few days and ready for the Community Shield."
"But as that match neared, Drogba still hadn't recovered.
Pizarro, who joined from Bayern this summer, also got injured.
Shevchenko? He's carrying a minor knock too.
Chelsea's attacking line is falling apart."
"After further scans, the initial conclusion is that Drogba definitely won't make the Community Shield.
His availability for the first two league games is also in question."
"Mourinho flipped out—he wanted to fire the medical staff on the spot."
Yang Cheng just shook his head.
Fans probably had no idea how bad things really were at Chelsea.
The media wouldn't report it either.
Both of their new signings—Malouda from Lyon and Pizarro from Bayern—
Arrived injured.
Pizarro was already out. Malouda could just barely play.
Chelsea currently had Kalou, Makelele, Bridge, Ballack, and Terry all out injured.
Malouda, Essien, and Lampard were playing through knocks.
It was a nightmare.
Mourinho had even blamed the club's management in interviews—
Accusing them of poor oversight leading to the injury crisis.
The board, in turn, blamed Mourinho's intense training methods and playing style.
Yang Cheng, while not neutral, had a relatively objective take:
Both sides had issues.
Chelsea's aging squad was a fact.
Recruitment was poor. Medical misdiagnoses were another problem.
Mourinho's style put enormous physical strain on his players.
It had worked for two years—
But as players aged, the cracks started to show.
Drogba's injury became the tipping point—
The trigger for an explosion of tension that had been simmering for months.
So Mourinho resigned, and Chelsea didn't try to stop him.
This was exactly the kind of internal strife Yang Cheng had always worked to avoid.
If a club allowed these issues to fester, the consequences would always be disastrous.
For Chelsea, losing their manager before the season even started was a massive blow.
Avram Grant might be competent—
But only just.
It remained to be seen if he could unify the locker room at the start of the campaign.
…
Mourinho's resignation was a bombshell for the Premier League.
Yang Cheng, Ferguson, Wenger, Benítez—all expressed their admiration for him and lamented his departure as a major loss to the league.
Ferguson, who had a good relationship with Mourinho, directly criticized Chelsea's board, saying they disrespected the manager.
Of course, whether that was genuine sympathy or a calculated dig at a rival, Yang Cheng couldn't say.
Looking at the current landscape, United's schedule this season was the most favorable.
Ferguson had also signed several high-quality players, further strengthening his squad.
The Red Devils were hungry and ready to reclaim the title.
Bayswater Chinese FC, meanwhile, had sold four key players—
Naturally, their strength had taken a hit.
But the core lineup was maturing fast.
So for now, no one knew exactly how far this team could go.
On the surface, Yang Cheng remained bold and ambitious—but deep down, he wasn't entirely confident.
The league was so long. Who could predict what would happen?
If they ran into something like Chelsea's injury crisis, not even a god could save them.
No club in the world keeps a bloated squad just to prepare for a freak injury crisis that may never come, or happens once every few years.
It's unhealthy. And unrealistic.
For Bayswater Chinese FC, the obvious shortcoming was the youth of their bench.
But that wasn't a big deal.
Given time, those players would grow.
Arsenal and Liverpool, meanwhile, had different goals from the top three contenders.
Their focus was more pragmatic: to fight for a top-four finish.
After finishing fifth two seasons in a row, Wenger was fired up for a breakthrough.
The Guardian had already reported on Arsenal's financial troubles.
Everyone could see the difficult position the club was in—
A vicious cycle, nearly impossible to break.
Arsenal had truly paid a high price for their new stadium.
Still, as the media exposed more of the club's problems, many Arsenal fans began to understand the crisis—
And became more open to foreign investment, even a potential takeover.
The Premier League was already filled with clubs backed by foreign capital.
Bayswater Chinese FC had been acquired by a Chinese consortium.
Chelsea by Russian billionaire Abramovich.
Manchester United by the American Glazer family.
In February 2007, Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks jointly acquired Liverpool—
Total cost: £470 million.
That summer, they proposed building a new stadium with a capacity of 80,000.
But unlike the praise Bayswater Chinese FC received, Gillett and Hicks were met mostly with ridicule.
Portsmouth's owner was a Russian-Israeli.
West Ham was backed by Icelandic businessmen Eggert Magnússon and Björgólfur Guðmundsson.
Fulham had been acquired even earlier—back in 1997—by Egyptian Mohamed Al-Fayed for £32 million.
Aston Villa was taken over by American Randy Lerner.
And Birmingham, newly promoted this season, had just sold 30% of the club in July to a Hong Kong gambling tycoon for £15 million.
Then there was former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who took over Manchester City.
In total, 10 of the 20 Premier League clubs were now under foreign ownership.
And that was just the beginning.
Stan Kroenke from the U.S. and Russian billionaire Usmanov were both vying for Arsenal.
Another American, Daniel Williams, was in talks to buy Blackburn.
If both deals went through, foreign ownership in the league would rise to 12 clubs.
Yang Cheng wasn't surprised. In fact, he was already used to it.
But for the British—especially those within the English football world—
It was still shocking, and their feelings were mixed.
That contradiction perfectly reflected Arsenal's current dilemma.
On one hand, they knew they couldn't change the situation. They were powerless to break the deadlock.
Arsenal, at this rate, would just keep selling their captains and top players.
Sure, Premier League broadcasting revenue was growing, and the club's financials would gradually improve.
But how many years would that take?
Yang Cheng knew the truth. But did those people know?
No one could predict the future.
Arsenal only had two options:
Either become a fallen giant like Newcastle,
Or sell the club.
But selling felt like a betrayal to many—especially to people like Arsenal chairman Hill-Wood,
Who clearly wanted the money but acted like it was investors begging them.
That contradiction summed up the English mindset perfectly.
…
August 5th, afternoon, Wembley Stadium.
The Community Shield.
Bayswater Chinese FC vs. Chelsea.
Yang Cheng followed both teams out onto the pitch.
Instead of heading to the away dugout, he walked straight to the home technical area to shake hands with Avram Grant.
They weren't close—just exchanged a few words—then Yang Cheng returned to the visitor's bench.
Even though the match was at Wembley, the Community Shield was run by the FA,
So Bayswater Chinese FC were designated the "away" team.
It felt odd.
But when he looked up and saw the crowd—
More than 80,000 people!
Over 80,000!
God, if Bayswater Chinese FC could sell out 80,000 seats every game—how much money would that be?
Forget VIP boxes. Just ticket sales.
Let's say ticket prices don't change—£40 average. That's £3.2 million per match.
Over 22 home games in a season, that's nearly £70 million.
Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.
But dreams are full, reality is lean.
Even after winning the league, Bayswater Chinese FC had sold only just over 40,000 season tickets.
United and Arsenal?
60 to 70 thousand, sold out months ago.
Compare yourself to others, and you'll die of frustration.
"What are you thinking about?"
Brian Kidd looked puzzled, watching Yang Cheng's expressions shift as he walked—
Glancing around, deep in thought.
Did he argue with Grant or something?
"Nothing. Just wondering… when will we ever have a stadium for 80,000?"
Kidd burst out laughing.
Moments like this reminded him—Yang Cheng was still young.
Young enough to dream out loud.
"There are only a handful of 80,000-seat stadiums in Europe.
And didn't we just design ours for 65,000?"
Yang Cheng gave him a look of mock disdain and sighed.
"Brian, you're getting old. You've lost the courage to dream."
Before Kidd could reply, Yang Cheng silenced him with one line:
"If we ever get 80,000 fans per match,
You better believe I'll have Norman Foster design me an 80,000-seater."
"And how's he going to do that?" Kidd laughed. He didn't believe it for a second.
It was impossible.
"You think I'd tell you?" Yang Cheng grinned.
What he really wanted to say was:
That's why I'm the boss and you're an employee.
He had no clue how it would be done—
But he was going to make Norman Foster figure it out.
How?
That's the architect's problem.
Kidd clearly thought Yang Cheng was just joking.
The two turned their eyes to the pitch.
The coin toss was done.
Modrić had won, and picked the side more favorable under the west-slanting sun.
It was 3:00 PM.
Chelsea lined up in a 4-3-3—
A formation clearly carried over from Mourinho's summer prep.
Starting XI:
Goalkeeper: Petr Čech
Defense: Ashley Cole, Ben Haim, Ricardo Carvalho, Glen Johnson
Midfield: Mikel (deep), Lampard, Essien
Forwards: Malouda, Shevchenko, Wright-Phillips
From this lineup alone, it was clear how badly Chelsea was hit by injuries.
The Premier League would kick off on August 11, one week away.
So the Community Shield was, for both sides, a high-profile warm-up match.
Yang Cheng didn't rotate this time.
He went all in with his first-choice lineup.
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
Defense: Marcelo, José Fonte, Pepe, Maicon
Midfield: Yaya Touré (holding), Modrić and Lass Diarra
Forwards: Di María, Džeko, Arshavin
Aside from Leighton Baines, who was out with an injury and replaced in the starting lineup by Marcelo, this was essentially Bayswater Chinese FC's first-choice XI for the new season.
From current performances, Di María still had the edge on the left flank.
Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott could also play there, and both were players Yang Cheng was committed to developing further.
Up front, Džeko had locked down the starting striker role, and Lewandowski had looked solid in preseason too.
With those two battling it out, Lambert's situation was starting to look awkward.
As Brian Kidd had said—
Lambert had followed the club all the way from League Two to the Premier League, and now to being Premier League champions.
That was already his limit.
Yang Cheng always made sure to show loyalty and respect to the players who had been there from the start.
Even with the competition heating up between Thiago Silva, José Fonte, and Koscielny, if the Portuguese center-back lost his place, Yang Cheng would still keep him in the squad.
Having someone like him in the dressing room was invaluable.
…
From the opening whistle, Bayswater Chinese FC went on the attack.
Their attacking trio of Di María, Džeko, and Arshavin took turns driving at Chelsea's back line.
Chelsea, just through a coaching change and still dealing with a severely depleted squad, started cautiously.
The midfield battle was intense, the tempo as fast as always.
But both sides looked rusty—it was still the first competitive game of the season, and the players were clearly still getting back into rhythm.
In the 7th minute, for example—
Lass Diarra made a midfield interception and immediately played a through ball behind the defense.
Arshavin sprinted after it but was blocked off by Ashley Cole.
The left-back tried to use his body to shield the ball, but somehow both players ended up on the turf just outside Chelsea's box on the right side.
Before going down, Ashley Cole reacted quickly, sticking out a foot to knock the ball out of bounds.
Then, Mikel hesitated on a backpass to Čech, his pass drifting dangerously close to Džeko.
The Bosnian stretched out a leg and got a toe to it, but couldn't quite control it.
By the time he got into the box, Čech had already come out to collect.
Clearly, both teams were not fully in sync yet.
Chelsea's first real threat came in the 18th minute.
Wright-Phillips tried to beat Modrić and Marcelo down the right and slipped a pass behind the Brazilian full-back.
Shevchenko made a wide run to receive it and tried to beat José Fonte—
But the Portuguese center-back timed a brilliant sliding tackle and snuffed it out.
The crowd erupted in applause.
Yang Cheng stood and clapped enthusiastically from the touchline.
José Fonte was a fascinating player.
He gave off the vibe of a veteran—someone well into his 30s—
But he was only 23.
Younger than Pepe.
In this timeline, with none of the setbacks he'd experienced in Yang Cheng's past life, and having steadily developed within the Bayswater system, his overall strength was clearly better.
At 23, his future looked brighter than ever.
As for Marcelo—
Being shaky defensively? Totally normal.
A Brazilian full-back who defends well? Now that would be strange.
Why didn't Yang Cheng buy Dani Alves instead of Marcelo?
Simple: Marcelo was cheaper.
If Alves had been priced the same as Marcelo, Yang Cheng wouldn't have hesitated—he'd have taken both him and Maicon.
But regardless of whether it was Alves or Marcelo, they both had the same issue—
If the team couldn't keep the opposition pinned back in attack, the flanks would be exposed defensively.
By the 20-minute mark, Yang Cheng noticed that Chelsea's right-back Glen Johnson was constantly out of position—too far forward.
And this guy wasn't even that young anymore—23 already—
But he still played with reckless abandon.
That's a common problem among young English players.
Their tactical education was simply lacking.
Just look at Di María—he adapted to multiple roles much faster than Gareth Bale or Walcott.
And looking further back—
Why couldn't Gerrard and Lampard coexist in the national team?
Yes, they both tried to adapt,
But maybe it was also because their tactical awareness wasn't high enough—
They could only play as functional midfielders, never true central conductors.
That's why Bayswater Chinese FC was now heavily focused on tactical education in their youth development.
Yang Cheng had recruited several elite youth coaches from Italy.
Even in the first team, there were Italian coaches overseeing tactical work.
Young players like Bale and Walcott received regular training on that front.
But Glen Johnson's weakness was now Bayswater's opportunity.
Yang Cheng immediately walked to the touchline and relayed instructions to Modrić.
…
Bayswater wanted to hit Chelsea's right flank.
But Chelsea had the same idea—they were targeting the space behind Marcelo.
The Brazilian had been highly active going forward since kickoff.
In the 24th minute, Essien tried to play a ball behind him.
But before Wright-Phillips could get there, José Fonte stepped up and intercepted.
Fonte immediately played the ball forward to Marcelo,
Who advanced a few paces, scanned the field, and threaded a sharp pass up the left touchline.
Glen Johnson had pushed up past the halfway line and was still deciding whether to press Marcelo—
Then he realized too late—he'd been caught out.
Di María, in his red shirt, was already sprinting at full speed into the space behind him.
Johnson turned and sprinted back.
He wasn't slow—but Di María was faster.
Even while carrying the ball, the Argentine left him trailing.
By the time Di María reached the edge of the penalty area on the left, Johnson was still a step behind.
Fortunately, Carvalho had been tracking inside and blocked the route to goal.
But Di María wasn't interested in cutting in—
He whipped in a low left-footed cross.
The ball zipped across the face of the box, just inches above the grass.
Džeko, reading the play, had deliberately slowed down.
He knew he lacked the speed to beat his marker in a footrace, so he slowed just enough to draw Ben Haim and Mikel toward him.
All eyes were now on Džeko in the center.
He reached the top of the box—
Was the danger over?
No!
In a flash, a red blur exploded into view—
Arshavin, surging in at full speed,
Blazed into the six-yard box, caught up to Di María's cross, and struck it first-time with his right foot.
Ashley Cole was the first to react.
The moment he saw Malouda losing Arshavin on the track back, he knew it was bad.
He launched into a desperate sliding tackle, throwing his whole body at the shot.
Too late.
The Russian's right-footed finish slotted the ball perfectly into Čech's goal.
Even for a keeper as brilliant as the Czech giant, there was no stopping a low shot from such close range.
"GOOOAAALLLLLLL!!!!"
"Andrey Arshavin!!"
"In the 24th minute, Bayswater Chinese FC breaks the deadlock against Chelsea!"
"A goal from the Russian star, Arshavin!"
"1–0!"
"What a rapid counterattack from Bayswater Chinese FC!"
"Especially down the left flank—Di María, who started the move, accelerated with frightening speed, giving Chelsea's defense no time to regroup."
"It's a completely different approach compared to last season with Ashley Young. Di María's electric pace and sharp dribbling, plus his left-footed delivery—this shows a whole new attacking style for Bayswater on the left."
"Chelsea were clearly caught off guard."
"Honestly, even if it wasn't Glen Johnson, and Ferreira had been on instead, it would've been just as hard to stop Di María's burst."
"Now Grant has a decision to make…"
…
"Listen, brother. Your talent is way higher than mine. Your team is better than mine. And your manager fully believes in you. You've got to push harder—put in the work. You can achieve things even you can't imagine!"
That was what Kolo Touré had told his younger brother Yaya Touré this summer when they were back in Côte d'Ivoire on vacation.
Kolo thought his younger brother was still a bit too laid-back and wasn't tapping into his full potential.
Kolo was two years older.
Growing up, Yaya had always trained alongside his big brother. They'd worked hard together since childhood.
Even after Kolo joined Arsenal, he tried to get Yaya in front of Wenger for a trial.
Wenger passed.
But after bouncing around a bit, Yaya made it to the Premier League and proved himself.
He used to envy his brother, looking up to him all the time.
Now? Kolo was the one looking up to him.
That shift gave Yaya a massive sense of pride.
But after going through the grind of the Premier League, and especially the pressure of the Champions League, he wasn't satisfied with where he was.
He was only 24—he knew he hadn't reached his peak yet.
He wanted more.
In the Premier League, in the Champions League, in the African Cup of Nations, and the World Cup—
He remembered clearly the pain of losing the 2006 AFCON final on penalties.
He remembered the heartbreak of losing at the San Siro in the Champions League last season.
He didn't want to feel that again.
He wanted to become stronger.
Stronger than anyone.
His coach once told him he was the best midfielder in the world.
He still remembered the exact wording—Yang Cheng didn't say "will be."
He said "is."
This summer, Bayswater Chinese FC signed Yaya to a brand-new contract—
£40,000 per week.
Not much compared to what top clubs were offering, but the highest salary at Bayswater Chinese FC.
That was enough for him.
Throughout training camp, Yaya gave it everything. He wanted to take his career to the next level.
Because his manager said he could still get better.
Now in matches, he was actively working to change some of his old habits.
He was learning to restrain himself, to stay focused, to play smarter.
His understanding of the game deepened. His reading of the pitch improved.
Like in the 37th minute—
Marcelo pushed up along the left wing, and Yaya glanced ahead. Seeing Di María drifting inward, he shifted slightly left but didn't push forward.
Why? He needed to stay in a position to receive a back pass.
Before, he would've bombed forward without thinking.
But now, he paused and asked himself—is a forward run necessary here?
With growing experience, he realized something—
Sometimes, staying in place was just as effective.
Marcelo and Di María's link-up on the left didn't create danger.
Wright-Phillips tracked back, supported by Essien and Glen Johnson.
Three-on-three numbers on that flank.
Even with Modrić sliding over to help, they couldn't break through.
Essien won the ball and hoofed it clear.
So close.
If the final ball had gone through…
Yaya sighed—and quickly sprinted toward the center.
He saw the clearance dropping right into his zone.
When Chelsea were under pressure, their midfield dropped deep and wide—
Leaving just Malouda on the left and Shevchenko up front.
The Ukrainian was isolated.
Yaya received the ball completely unmarked, standing in the center circle of his own half.
He took a touch, then scanned the field.
And the more he focused, the more he noticed details he once overlooked.
For example, right now—
Chelsea's shape, which had shifted right to defend moments ago, was slowly resetting.
Mikel and Carvalho were pulling back to the center.
But Marcelo was still deep in Chelsea's half.
And Di María was still there too.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Yaya's mind.
Could this work?
He didn't know.
He'd never tried it before.
But he was going to.
He stopped the ball—then sent a diagonal long pass sweeping toward the left flank.
It had a low trajectory, good speed, but still cleared the heads of Essien and Wright-Phillips.
The Chelsea players had to be thinking:
"What the hell? Picking on us short guys again?"
The ball dropped into the space on Chelsea's left flank.
Marcelo had shaken off Wright-Phillips, sprinted forward, and met the ball in stride.
That was where the Brazilian's technique really showed.
He caught the ball with the inside of his left foot—
A slight bounce, then it settled right in front of him.
Just that one touch—
Most pros would be jealous.
On his second touch, Marcelo gently nudged the ball midair to Di María, who had moved centrally to receive.
It all happened so quickly—
One smooth motion.
Essien and Wright-Phillips had no time to intervene.
Marcelo yelled, and Di María immediately flicked it forward with his left foot—
One-two!
A textbook wall pass.
The ball zipped past Essien and Glen Johnson toward the byline.
Marcelo chased it down—no defenders in sight.
Ben Haim rushed across to cut him off—
But the Brazilian didn't wait.
Left foot—high cross.
Landing just outside the six-yard box.
Ball arrives—Džeko arrives.
The Bosnian striker timed his run perfectly.
He leapt with power, making his already imposing frame even more dominant.
Ricardo Carvalho stood helplessly beside him, watching in despair as the Bosnian striker rose and smashed a powerful header past Čech into the net.
"GOAL AGAIN!!!"
"2–0!!"
"A stunning one-two combination between two South American players!"
"Absolutely brilliant!"
"That's some slick technique—classic Latin American flair!"
"Plays like this are extremely rare in the Premier League, especially Marcelo's first touch to set up Di María."
"Marcelo may lack physicality, but you can't deny how delicate his technique is."
"And of course, let's not forget that beautiful long pass from Yaya Touré."
…
Yang Cheng stood on the sideline, stunned by the goal.
It wasn't the combination between Marcelo and Di María, nor Džeko's header.
That kind of technical link-up between South Americans was common within Bayswater Chinese FC.
They often played that way during indoor football sessions.
What caught Yang Cheng off guard was—Yaya Touré.
This wasn't in the script!
"There's something different about that kid," Yang Cheng muttered, confused.
Brian Kidd nodded in agreement. "He's starting to look like an actual playmaker, isn't he?"
Yang Cheng laughed. "Exactly! I had to do a double take!"
Experts saw the structure; fans saw the spectacle.
No doubt, the supporters would be raving about Marcelo and Di María's interplay.
And that was fair—it was beautiful to watch.
But the key moment in that whole sequence?
Yaya Touré's diagonal long ball.
"If it had been the old him, he would've carried the ball forward, charging all the way to the edge of the box—maybe even inside it. That's the Yaya we know."
But that pass? That wasn't the same guy.
He'd recognized Chelsea's shifting defensive line and deliberately played it across to the left, catching everyone off guard.
Of course, Marcelo and Di María executed their part perfectly.
Especially that sublime first touch from Marcelo.
If only he weren't so physically weak, Yang Cheng might already have made him the regular starter.
"He's grown," Brian Kidd said, pleased. "He's matured."
Yang Cheng knew—he meant Yaya Touré.
"That long ball had everything—technique, pace, and precision."
Yang Cheng couldn't help but laugh.
"We can finally play some real long passes now!"
Before, Modrić and Inler could deliver those balls, but they were often too far forward.
If Yaya, playing from deep, could consistently deliver those long diagonals—
The damage they could do was immense.
But what pleased Yang Cheng most was Yaya's evolving game awareness.
His understanding of space. His grasp of the game's tempo.
That meant he was taking it seriously.
He was genuinely improving.
Of course, this might just be a flash of brilliance.
What mattered was whether he could turn it into consistent brilliance.
Still, for now, Yang Cheng was thrilled.
Moments of real growth like that were worth far more than a Community Shield trophy.
…
After falling behind by two goals, Chelsea began to feel the pressure.
As the TV commentators noted:
Even though Bayswater Chinese FC had sold Ashley Young and were missing Leighton Baines due to injury,
Di María and Marcelo's play down the left had caused real damage.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were struggling on their right side with Glen Johnson and Wright-Phillips.
They failed to create danger and were leaking defensively.
With his team down 2–0, Avram Grant focused on tightening up the defense.
Chelsea dropped deeper and looked to regroup.
The first half ended 2–0.
After the break, Chelsea tried to mount a comeback.
But in the 49th minute—Di María again. Marcelo again.
The Brazilian supported Di María on the overlap.
Di María beat Glen Johnson and whipped in a low cross.
Arshavin got on the end of it in the box and fired on goal—
But Čech made a stunning save.
The Czech keeper was no pushover.
That stop was pure world-class.
Bayswater Chinese FC continued pressing, looking to extend their lead.
Chelsea pulled back and tried to counterattack.
In the 55th minute, Grant made a change—Pizarro on, Malouda off.
The Frenchman had struggled all match under Maicon's pressure.
With that switch, Chelsea shifted to a 4-4-2 with two strikers.
Yang Cheng responded with two changes in the 65th and 70th minutes—
Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott came on—The Twin Stars.
By now, it was a routine move.
Last season, whenever Bayswater had the lead, Yang Cheng would sub them in to give them experience—
And occasionally, one of them would pull off something magical.
Like this time.
In the 73rd minute, Bale beat the offside trap on the left and latched onto a through ball from Modrić.
And who is Gareth Bale?
Completely different from Di María.
If Di María was a graceful South American magician,
Then Bale was a full-speed British freight train.
He barely caught the ball before Ben Haim rushed over—
But Bale didn't care.
Ball on one side, body on the other.
In a flash, he left Ben Haim eating dust.
But after that brilliant move, when he reached the box and faced Carvalho's recovery—
He tried to fake past him for a shot.
Yang Cheng facepalmed on the sideline.
"You're not that kind of player, alright?"
If it had been Walcott, maybe he'd pull it off.
Or fall over in the process—
His trademark "fall-over dribble."
Kidding. Under Bayswater's care, Walcott rarely fell these days.
Maybe Bale's clumsy finish spooked Grant—
Because he immediately brought on new signing Steve Sidwell for Glen Johnson to shore up the defense.
At that point, it was clear to everyone—the game was over.
But Walcott wasn't done.
In the 84th minute, he drifted centrally and beat the offside trap.
Džeko spotted him and slipped a pass through—
Walcott burst into the box from the left channel—
But Čech and Carvalho closed him down just in time.
In the end, Bayswater Chinese FC couldn't add to their tally in the second half.
But thanks to first-half goals from Arshavin and Džeko—
Bayswater Chinese FC defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the Community Shield!
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