Great Britain vs. China's Hope

Chapter 127 Great Britain vs. China's Hope

After the match.

Upon learning that Liverpool had topped the Premier League standings.

The Liverpool players on the pitch began to celebrate.

Klopp on the sidelines also celebrated with the coaching staff.

After returning to the locker room.

A familiar system voice echoed in Jiang Yan's mind.

[Ding~ Congratulations on defeating Burnley! You have obtained Burnley Star Skill Pack x1. Would you like to open it now?]

"Open."

Jiang Yan didn't have high expectations for this skill set, since Burnley's most famous stars all date back to the golden age of the 19s.

Once the skill pack was activated, light instantly enveloped the entire room.

Three black figures appeared in front of Jiang Yan.

"Only three this time?"

Without thinking much, he casually touched the darkest shadow closest to him.

As his fingertips touched the shadow, the figure in front of him began to come into color.

A burgundy jersey and a muscular physique slowly came into view.

[Burnley Star Skill Pack Binding - Congratulations! You have obtained Burnley Barnes' exclusive skill pack, the team's relegation hero!]

Congratulations on obtaining the "Restricted Area Melee" skill pack!

Your attributes have been improved: Body 78 → 84

Your ability to compete in the penalty area has greatly improved, and you can still consistently complete shots even under close marking!

Ashley Barnes' on-field performances began to come to mind.

The scramble in the penalty area at Töfmore Stadium, the powerful turn and goal while holding off defenders, the volley of a powerful shot amidst the chaos, the dominant presence who overpowers the defense with his body —

Although he didn't have high hopes, the skill was still useful to him.

After all, in a physical jungle like the Premier League, Nedved's iron physique alone is clearly not enough.

Now his physical strength has been raised to 84, which is not bad. He's fast and tough, he's practically a tank!

Looking back at my stats panel, apart from heading and jumping being my weaknesses, all other stats are basically above the Premier League average.

Hopefully, I'll get the skill pack related to headers soon.

However, I've heard that frequent use of headers can increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Although this hasn't been confirmed by scientific data yet, it's probably not far off.

Just then, Klopp's voice came through.

"Hey Jiang, as the MVP of this match, don't forget the post-match interview!"

When he was at Real Madrid, Jiang Yan would generally avoid these post-match interviews if he could, but compared to La Liga, the Premier League media seemed to value them more. Even if he wanted to avoid them, he couldn't, because you never know when a microphone would be shoved in from different angles.

"Jiang, Liverpool has returned to the top of the Premier League under your leadership. What would you like to say?"

"This is the result of everyone's hard work. Without Sturridge's two goals, we wouldn't have beaten Burnley so quickly. You know, Burnley is a very resilient team."

"Jiang, although Liverpool is currently at the top of the Premier League table, Jose's Manchester United and Pep's Manchester City are close behind. Are you confident you can maintain this lead?"

Jiang Yan pondered for a moment: "José and Pep are both respectable coaches; they've achieved everything, but Yul and I..."

Just like Mr. Gen thought, we will maintain this advantage. After 38 rounds, if you look at the standings again, you will find that Liverpool is still at the top.

At the post-match press conference.

Klopp was beaming, after all, they won the game and topped the Premier League table.

Liverpool's glory days are sure to return soon.

After the second round of matches, not all of the top three teams in the standings were as optimistic as Liverpool.

Mourinho sits in his office at the Old Trafford training ground.

"Jiang Yan is indeed a tough opponent. One performance like this might be a coincidence, but a series of explosive performances is no simple coincidence. If we had bought Jiang Yan instead of Pogba this summer..."

Clearly, Pogba is not the kind of player Mourinho specifically wants to buy, and his poor discipline is no secret; such a person could easily become a cancer in the locker room.

Inside the Ittihad training ground.

Guardiola was watching Jiang Yan's match replay with a worried expression.

"I had been keeping an eye on this young Chinese man since I was at Bayern Munich. I was planning to wait until his contract with Manchester City was finalized before making a decision about Jiang, but I didn't expect Jürgen to snatch him away. Besides, Liverpool doesn't have any European competition worries this season, so they have plenty of energy..."

Guardiola shook his head: "Now it seems that he is the key to Real Madrid's Champions League victory."

The second round of Premier League matches has officially concluded.

There weren't any major upsets in this round of matches. Apart from the defending champions Leicester City drawing at home against Arsenal, there wasn't much to see.

Liverpool's next opponent is Burton Albion from League One in the EFL Cup.

In this match, Klopp did not field Jiang Yan. Apart from Mane, the lineup was basically a combination of substitutes and youth academy players.

After all, there's a three-tier difference between League One and the Premier League, not to mention the difference in squad size and player value.

Jiang Yan was happy to relax, since even if he defeated the English League One team, he wouldn't gain any new skill sets.

Liverpool ultimately defeated Burton 5-0, but the result didn't generate much buzz online.

Netizens are still more focused on the upcoming match against Tottenham.

After all, Tottenham Hotspur boasts Harry Kane, hailed as a rising star in England, and Son Heung-min, a South Korean.

"British Stars vs. China's Hope – this match is packed with exciting moments!"

"I heard that Korean guy surnamed Sun performed well at Leverkusen. I'm looking forward to his Asian showdown with Jiang Yan!"

"The match is at 7:30 PM, which is a great time!"

"Enough talk, brothers, tune in to CCTV's live broadcast! Can't wait to see Jiang Shen dominate the battlefield!"

"This match follows the international break, and it will determine how Jiang Yan will return!"

"Jiang Shenchong! Let the whole world see the Chinese dragon!"

The online discussion is in full swing, while Liverpool's players are already ready for this highly anticipated match.

The atmosphere in Liverpool's training sessions is becoming increasingly tense.

During training, Jiang Yan constantly tried to master the newly acquired skill pack of "penalty area melee". As Jiang Yan gradually became familiar with this feeling, Liverpool's defenders felt somewhat powerless when facing Jiang Yan's attacks.

"Jiang, have you gained muscle? You seem much tougher today!"

"I didn't intentionally try to build muscle; it's probably just a natural talent!"

Klopp, watching from the sidelines, nodded repeatedly after seeing Jiang Yan's performance. As the head coach, he clearly sensed the changes in Jiang Yan.

"With such talent and such hard work... this kid is the future of Liverpool."

On August 27, the third round of the Premier League resumed.

Liverpool, as the team playing the opening match of the third round, once again traveled to face Tottenham Hotspur away from home.

One was third place last season, and the other was eighth place last season.

Although the two teams are quite different in strength on paper, Liverpool this season has been completely transformed after Jiang Yan's arrival. They are no longer the team that couldn't even make it into the Champions League qualifiers last season.

White Hart Lane stadium was packed to capacity, a sea of ​​white interspersed with a splash of red from afar, its atmosphere no less impressive.

Inside the home locker room, Pochettino was still making final preparations for the match.

"Ali, pay attention to the timing of your forward movement."

"Dell, don't lose your position. Your coordination with Wanyama isn't good enough."

"Melavan, keep an eye on Kane's position."

"Everyone, if you don't know what to do, just pass the ball to Kane!"

Meanwhile, in the away team's locker room.

"When facing Tottenham, we must pay attention to their number 10 Harry Kane and number 20 Dele Alli."

"Mane, how are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"Remember, although they are stronger on paper, paper strength doesn't mean everything. Don't give up our high press. If you encounter a ball you can't handle, just pass it to Jiang Yan!"

"Get ready to go on stage!"

"Station! Station! Welcome to the third round of the 2016/17 Premier League season."

"This match was already generating a lot of buzz even before it started!"

Zhan Jun nodded: "That's right, I believe fans are really looking forward to Jiang Yan vs. Harry Kane, and Jiang Yan vs. Son Heung-min!"

'

"That's right! It's a showdown between Great Britain's Imperial Star, China's hope, and Asia's number one. Who will emerge victorious?"

"What? Let's wait and see!"

As the players from both sides walked out of the tunnel.

"Next, let's introduce the starting lineups for both sides!"

"First, there's Tottenham, who, with home advantage, fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation."

Goalkeeper: Vorm

"The central defensive pairing is as follows: on the left is the Belgian center-back Alderweireld, valued at €27 million, partnered with fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen; left-back Derrick Rose; and right-back Kyle Walker!"

"The double pivot midfield pairing is Eric Dier from England and Wanyama, a right-footed midfielder from Kenya."

"From right to left in midfield are Argentine midfielder Ramevan, England's new generation midfield prodigy Alli, and Dane Eriksen!"

"Leading the attack at the very front is our English superstar, Harry Kane!"

"Liverpool, playing away, continued to use their most effective 4-3-3 formation."

Goalkeeper: Mignolet.

"Defense line: Milner, Lovren, Matip, Clyne."

Midfielders: Coutinho, Henderson, Lallana.

Forwards: Firmino, Jiang Yan, Mane.

Beep!

The first half of the match was kicked off by Tottenham.

Kane passed the ball to Alli behind him, and the moment he passed it, Liverpool began a high-pressing attack.

Clearly, Liverpool were the first team to get into the game.

Faced with Liverpool's high-pressure pressing, Tottenham were forced to pass the ball back, and it eventually reached Toby's feet.

Jiang Yan was incredibly fast; he was already in front of Toby the instant he received the ball.

Seeing this, Toby had no choice but to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yan ran towards goalkeeper Vorm.

With no other option, Vorm had to launch a long ball forward.

"Second penalty kick!" Henderson shouted.

Seeing that there was no one around, Lallana leaped high to meet the incoming ball, thinking it would be Liverpool's for the win.

However, unexpectedly, after Lallana brought the ball to a steady stop at his feet, Ali suddenly appeared and took possession of the ball.

"Alli! The talented player from England! He's won the ball!"

"Not only that, he now only has one defender by his side!"

The commentators for this match will once again be Martin Tyler and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.

Ali dribbled the ball toward the penalty area, and facing Clyne who was marking him, he made a simple change of pace and cut inside, successfully reaching the vicinity of the goal.

"Ali is dribbling the ball closer to the goal, what will he choose?"

"Normally, the ball should be passed to Kane, since his shooting is very consistent, and the game has only just begun, so it's definitely necessary to..."

Carragher hadn't finished speaking.

boom!

Ali took a direct shot from outside the penalty area.

After a loud, crisp bang, Tottenham fans in the stands covered their faces in disbelief.

Ali's long-range shot was so fast that even the goalkeeper couldn't react in time. The only downside was that he was chasing the ball too closely and it hit the crossbar.

"What a pity! If that ball had been just a little off target, it would have gone in!"

Before the fans could recover from their disappointment, the ball hit the crossbar and bounced back onto the field. This time, however, the one who received the ball was none other than the British superstar, Harry Kane.

"Kane catches the ball! What kind of script is this? The ball just had to bounce to the feet of the most dangerous player!"

boom! ! !

Kane's shooting form was extremely standard, but this time, Liverpool's goalkeeper Mignolet was already prepared.

Just as Kane was about to shoot, a desperate save was made, and the ball was caught.

Kane, having missed a golden opportunity, crouched down, clutching his head.

"Kane!! He shouldn't have missed that shot!"

The fans in the stands covered their heads again, their expressions even more exaggerated than before.

They missed two crucial opportunities in a row.

Is today a bad day for Tottenham fans?

Mignolet didn't dare to delay and delivered a powerful throw-in that accurately found captain Henderson, who remained remarkably composed upon receiving the ball.

Faced with pressure from Tottenham players, he calmly made a feint by lowering his shoulder, deceiving the defender's center of gravity, and then passed the ball to Lallana on the other side.

However, Ali appeared by Lallana's side once again.

Fortunately, Jiang Yan is back this time.

He reached out to Lallana for the ball.

Just as Lallana was about to pass the ball, Alli ruthlessly tackled him away, sending him crashing to the ground.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yan immediately turned his gun towards Ali and ran.

However, Alli knew how formidable Jiang Yan was, and after observing him, he launched a long pass to Kane in the attacking third.

After receiving the ball, Kane remained calm despite being double-teamed by Lovren and Matip, two central defenders.

As a top Premier League striker, his ability to receive the ball with his back to goal is already superb. With a light touch of his foot, he leans against Lovren, who is rushing forward, and firmly blocks the ball between himself and the defender.

Seeing this, Matip immediately stepped forward to assist in the defense, attempting to block Kane's turning route.

But just as he got close, Kane suddenly flicked his foot, completing a light half-turn, instantly shaking off Lovren's entanglement and facing the goal directly!

At this moment, Kane was positioned at the edge of the penalty area, with a wide-open shooting space in front of him, and no Liverpool player was able to track back in time.

He faced goalkeeper Mignolet directly.

His eyes were fixed on the far corner of the goal, and he steadily exerted force with his right foot, using his thigh to drive his lower leg, and completed a textbook shot!

boom!

Mignolet flew towards the far corner of the goal.

But Kane actually pulled off a long-range shot that hit close range!

The ball went into the net.

"Kane!"

"Just five minutes into the game, two shots gave Tottenham the lead at home!"