Chelsea still have three games to play before facing Liverpool.
On October 29, the League Cup away game against York City.
On November 1st, the 10th round of the Premier League, they played against Queens Park Rangers at home.
On November 6, the fourth round of the Champions League group stage was an away game against Roma.
Then there will be an away game against Liverpool on November 8th.
The schedule of these games is also very tight!
The fourth round of the League Cup against York City took place on the third day after playing Manchester United.
Therefore, Pan Yi rested all the players who played in the Manchester United game and used a completely different lineup to play in the League Cup.
It also happens that Seat B and Gary Cahill have returned from injury, and this game can be regarded as a return to form for them.
It's just that because the "5-1-4 poke" was used in the last game against Manchester United, both centers were thrown up at once, so in this game Pan Yi used Oscar to play as a shadow forward in the middle, which can be regarded as coming. A frontless formation!
Forward: Schürrle, Oscar, seat B.
Midfielder: Cancelo, Ramirez, Loftus-Cheek, Azpilicueta.
Defenders: Ake, Christensen, Gary Cahill.
Goalkeeper: Cech.
Chelsea's opponent today, York City, is a typical "big city team".
What is Ayutthaya Squad?
The city is famous, but the team is not.
As we all know, due to economic, demographic, historical and other reasons, the strong football clubs in a country are often concentrated in big cities.
Among the five major European leagues, whether it is London, the capital of the United Kingdom, Paris, the capital of France, Rome and Milan in Italy, Munich in Germany, Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, there are numerous and strong teams in these big cities.
If it is outside the five major leagues, this situation seems to be more obvious.
Like Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Lisbon in Portugal, Kiev in Ukraine, Zagreb in Croatia, Belgrade in Serbia...
It also includes places as far away as South America, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, etc.
These cities bring together almost all the best teams in the country.
But there are exceptions to everything.
There are also some big cities, but there are no particularly good teams.
Just like Berlin, the capital of Germany.
Their main team, Hertha Berlin, plays in the Bundesliga all year round, but its reputation is really not that great.
Union Berlin plays in lower-level leagues most of the time.
Not to mention comparing these two teams to Bundesliga leaders like Bayern Munich, even compared to teams like Schalke 04 and Leku Watson, they are not on the same level.
Except for Berlin, Germany, including big cities like Frankfurt, Cologne, and Bremen, has no way to have a truly wealthy team.
Of course, there is actually Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany, here, but it is still the defending Champions League champion in this world line, so it is temporarily excluded.
There are so many "big city teams" in Germany, perhaps because of the German league's 50+1 policy, which makes even big cities unable to attract investors, which is naturally not directly proportional to the city's attractiveness.
There are relatively few examples from other countries.
The famous water city of Venice in Italy, its team is also a lift in Serie A and Serie B. Except for the Uruguayan star Recoba who once played for it, it really rarely left any impression on the fans.
There are actually cities like this in the UK.
Birmingham is the second largest international city in the UK.
But there are Birmingham, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa... there are many teams in this city, but none can be called a powerful team.
Of course, compared with Chelsea's opponent York City today, these are nothing!
York is an out-and-out historical and cultural city in the UK. For nearly 2000 years, York has been the capital of Northern England, with a status equivalent to London today.
In the city, there are also places of interest such as York Minster, which attract tourists from all over the world to visit every year.
As well as being a tourist attraction, York is also a transport hub, educational and commercial centre, as it is a major railway stop and is the meeting point between the Pennines and the UK's east coast.
New York, USA, is cool, right? Its name means "New York City" - although it can also be translated as "New Township".
But as a major club in this famous city, York City has a much bleaker name.
In their nearly 100-year history, their most impressive performance is in the second level of England, which is equivalent to 15th place in the current English Championship.
And this was already forty years ago.
They spend more time in the third and fourth tiers, and since they were relegated from English League Two in the 2003-2004 season, they have spent seven or eight years in the fifth tier, which is the National League. mix.
That is already the scope of the amateur league.
Although York City has always maintained its status as a professional club, it was only in the 2011-2012 season that they returned to League Two.
After struggling to avoid relegation the following season, they finished seventh in the 2013-2014 season, qualifying for the promotion play-offs.
But unfortunately, they lost to Fleetwood (Vardy’s parent team) in the semi-finals and failed to be promoted to League One.
This season, the English League Two has played 15 rounds, and York City is only ranked 22nd among 24 teams, and is in danger of being relegated.
But their performance in the League Cup was very good.
In the first three rounds, they defeated Blackpool, Leicester City, and Norwich respectively, and were able to advance to today's fourth round, which is the top 16, and can have a head-on showdown with Chelsea! ——
York City's home stadium is Busham Crescent Stadium, with a capacity of more than 9,000 spectators.
This is already a very good stadium in the lower leagues.
But the problem is that this is a stadium that was built in the 1930s and 1940s. The stadium even suffered air raids and was damaged by bombs during World War II.
Even after many renovations later, its infrastructure is still relatively dilapidated.
On the day of the game, it rained heavily, and then there was a large area of water on the stadium.
After inspection by the referee team, they felt that the venue was still acceptable, so they decided to continue the game as usual.
But as the game progressed, the rain became heavier and there was more and more water.
When players play football on the court, every kick they take will create a wave of waves, and every kick they step on will be filled with water, just like a water fight.
In this case, Chelsea players with more delicate footwork will obviously be more affected.
As for York City, their head coach Wilcox is obviously more familiar with York City's weather and venue. He early arranged a lineup with high center Jack Hyde as the core of the attack, focusing on defensive counterattacks and long pass rush. Hang.
This is obviously a very correct strategy.
With the strength of a League Two team, how could it possibly compete with a Premier League powerhouse like Chelsea?
As for physical fitness, they are not afraid of Chelsea.
In fact, York City relied on this move to defeat Premier League teams like Leicester City.
Today happens to be a rainy day again, and the field is muddy. It can be said that the right time and the right place and everyone are together, and York City is becoming more and more confident as they play.
Chelsea's performance was a bit difficult.
In fact, this strikerless formation is rarely used today, and the players will have some problems in coordination.
And because the court was covered with water, the ball became slippery and heavy, making it harder to control than usual. Chelsea's passing and receiving errors increased many times more than usual.
And their lineup is not easy to imitate York City in playing high ball.
After all, the two center forwards are not there, and there is not even an authentic center on the field. Should Oscar be allowed to compete for headers in front?
All these factors made the first half of the game extremely uncomfortable, and it was difficult for Chelsea to get any decent shooting opportunities.
A funny thing happened in the 35th minute.
Loftus-Cheek kicked the ball into the frontcourt with a big kick. York City center back Keith Lowe made a big kick to clear the ball but missed it. The ball leaked behind.
Oscar quickly caught up and swung the ball hard to get rid of the tall and bulky defender.
At this time, York City goalkeeper Oleinik attacked. The moment he fell to the ground, Oscar moved to the right and shook him over.
At this time, although Oscar's shooting angle was relatively small, the opposite goal was already empty.
So Oscar gave a slight push in the direction of the goal, and then turned around to celebrate the goal.
But the ball was rolling toward the goal. It was about to roll into the goal, but it stopped!
A puddle of mud in front of the goal "stopped" the ball on the goal line!
The ball didn't go in!
The York City defender who returned from defense rushed over and cleared the ball from the goal line, thus resolving the crisis.
God bless York City!
This scene, which is rare to see in the Premier League, also makes Chelsea players feel a little unhappy.
On the contrary, York City became more and more courageous as the game progressed. In the 43rd minute of the game, Coulson's ball from the wing was overturned by center Jack Hyde, and he smashed the ball into the Chelsea goal!
1:0, York City unexpectedly took the lead!
That was the score at the end of the first half.
Pan Yi, however, has no plans to make any further adjustments to the lineup.
After all, this is just a League Cup game.
This is a relatively useless event in English football. Many teams send substitutes or even youth teams to play. This is actually one of the reasons why some low-level league teams can always be upset.
Therefore, Pan Yi didn't take it very seriously.
Chelsea is not Tottenham!
They are not the kind of team that lacks a championship, especially the lowest level championship like the League Cup.
For the sake of a League Cup, let your players who just fought against Manchester United two days ago go up and fight again?
Or in such harsh weather and venue conditions, fighting against a English second-division team known for physical collisions?
After playing, he will go to the Premier League to face QPR and Liverpool.
forget it.
Just don't injure your own players.
And another thing is that the format of the League Cup is actually a bit strange.
That is, in the first few rounds, the competition was a single-game elimination system, but in the semi-finals, there were two rounds of games, and then the final became a single-game decision.
When it comes to the semi-finals, the Premier League often plays until the end of January, which is a more critical period.
It is really thankless to be distracted from playing in the League Cup at this time.
The "Deviled Christmas Schedule" that Ferguson mentioned is actually the devilish schedule that requires the addition of League Cup games.
Therefore, Pan Yi's attitude towards the League Cup is to win if he can win, and to lose if he cannot win. He also regards it as a place for the team to test new playing methods and for the players to recover.
Of course, during the halftime break, Pan Yi still lectured the players.
After all, the game still has to be played. It's impossible to just tell the players, "Forget it, don't take it too seriously", right?
This will undoubtedly greatly undermine the confidence of the players.
As long as players play football, they always want to win.
Let alone these professional players, it may be linked to bonuses or something;
Even if we are playing amateur football or playing wild football with strangers, everyone is still thinking about winning!
Therefore, Pan Yi still encouraged:
"Today's game is indeed difficult, but it is also a test for you."
"The harsher the environment and the more difficult the challenge, the more courage and determination you have to show!"
"Go and fight. Now, it's time to show your fighting spirit! - But be careful not to get injured, the body is the capital of revolution!"
——
After changing sides in the second half, Chelsea continued to launch a fierce attack on York City despite the overwhelming boos from the York City fans at the scene.
But the rain did not stop in the second half, and there was more and more water in the field.
When the ball was kicked to the back, the ball even floated a little, making it impossible to carry out normal passing and cutting cooperation.
So Chelsea had no choice but to choose various high balls, but failed again and again.
Playing until the 90th minute, Schürrle took the ball on the left side of the penalty area and made a forced cut. As a result, he was fouled by the defensive player and won Chelsea a free kick in the frontcourt.
Oscar stood at the penalty spot without hesitation.
On the current court, he is the player with the best free kick skills and the number one free kick taker.
Moreover, this is the edge area near the left corner of the penalty area, and Oscar himself is good at free throws in this area.
And this is likely to be Chelsea's last chance in this game.
When it is difficult to open up the situation in sports battles, free kicks are also one of the most likely ways to score the opponent's goal!
Oscar held the ball and wiped it with his jersey, but it had no effect.
The jersey was soaked and the ball was soaked too. No matter how hard I wiped it, it wouldn't dry.
But he still wiped it very carefully, and when he put it back, the grass was full of water.
Seat B and Chick also came closer, discussing with Oscar what tactics to use.
But Oscar waved his hand, and the two walked away again.
What tactics do you need in this crazy weather and venue?
All tactics are in vain, just throw it away and it's over!
After seeing Oscar place the ball, he slowly stepped back, measured his steps, and stood upright.
After the referee blew his whistle, Oscar rushed forward quickly and stepped on the left side of the ball with his left supporting foot. He actually stepped into a mud pit. Fortunately, the ball was not affected.
Then, he quickly kicked a curve ball with his right foot.
This shot was so powerful that it directly brought up a large wave of water, but the football still flew out at a very fast speed, passed over the head of the wall, and then fell quickly.
I don’t know if it’s because of the water on the ball, but the ball fell harder than usual!
This caused Oscar's ball to be kicked towards the blind corner, but it turned into a half-high ball, but it was still within the goal range.
In other words, the banana ball was kicked into an elevator ball!
York City goalkeeper Oleinik dived sideways, but failed to save the ball.
The ball hit the net!
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Oscar! He scored York City's goal with a free kick! He tied the score at 1:1! This is a perfect goal!"
"It wasn't until the 90th minute that Chelsea attacked for a full hour and a half before they scored York City's goal! This goal was really not easy!"
"Although York City is only a League Two team, it has caused huge trouble for Chelsea. Even strong teams such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have not been able to let Chelsea realize this situation!"
"In other words, this is Chelsea's hardest game so far this season!"
"Of course, there are objective factors for this. Today's venue conditions were indeed too bad."
"Look at the slow-motion replay of Oscar's penalty kick just now... This ball is just like a water polo, wrapped in a lot of water and flying towards the goal. Maybe the York City goalkeeper was hit by the water mist. Lost my eyes..."
"Ah, not long after the York City players restarted the game, the referee blew the final whistle."
"The game was a draw within 90 minutes!"
"Although this is only a League Cup game, this is indeed Chelsea's first draw this season!"
"In a sense, their unbeatable record is ended!"
Pan Yi stood on the sidelines with no expression on his face.
This goal...how should I put it, is very beautiful, but...
The League Cup is a determined game before the semi-finals. If there is a draw within 90 minutes, there will be 30 minutes of overtime.
This is another kind of physical torture for Chelsea players...
So for a while Pan Yi didn't know whether he wanted the ball to go in or not.
Forget it, it’s all over now, let’s keep working hard!
——
About forty or fifty minutes later.
At this moment, the audience at Busham Crescent Stadium watched in silence.
In this Carabao Cup round of 16 match, York City faced Chelsea at home, and the penalty shootout has entered the fifth round.
Yes, they had a goalless draw in 30 minutes of overtime and could only enter a penalty shootout.
In the first four rounds of penalty shootouts, York City and Chelsea each missed one penalty.
York City took the first penalty kick. After scoring a penalty kick in the first round, Chelsea's first appearance on the field was Schurrle, who missed the penalty kick.
But in the fourth round, Chelsea goalkeeper Cech saved Coulson's penalty kick, saving the Blues and dragging the penalty shootout into the fifth round.
In the fifth round, York City center Jack Hyde hit the upper corner with a powerful shot and gained the upper hand.
Cheek, the fifth player on Chelsea's side, became the key.
If he can make the penalty kick, the penalty shootout will become a one-on-one death showdown.
And if he fails to score a penalty, the game will be over and York City will qualify for the League Cup quarter-finals.
Chik versus Oleinik, this penalty kick will determine the outcome.
Everyone's eyes fell on the narrow penalty area.
As the referee blew his whistle, everyone in the audience held their breath, but many York fans also booed to interfere with Loftus-Cheek.
Young Chick showed a slight hint of nervousness on his face, but he still gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and rushed forward quickly.
In the process, he stared at the opponent's goalkeeper Oleinik, trying to see the opponent's figure, and then kicked the ball in the opposite corner.
But Oleinik is also a veteran goalkeeper who is always rich and very calm.
He didn't move ahead of time, nor was he shaken by Chick's fake move.
This disrupted Chick's original plan.
After all, he was still a young player. He was a little panicked for a moment and made a temporary decision to push the ball to the lower right corner.
But it was obvious that his shot was too weak, and Oleinik also guessed Chick's intention.
So, Oleinik suddenly made a sideways dive, and actually pressed the ball firmly under him!
At this moment, the entire Busham Crescent Stadium erupted like a volcano.
All York City fans rushed out of their seats, cheering and screaming wildly.
Head coach Wilcox even raised his arms high and kept shouting, venting his inner excitement.
York City beat Chelsea on penalties!
Although this is not Chelsea's strongest lineup, and perhaps it is not a particularly important game for them, it still makes everyone in York City excited!
For a low-level league team like York City, there is nothing more satisfying than being able to defeat a strong team in the cup!
Not to mention that Chelsea is an invincible team this season!
York not only tied with Chelsea in regular time, but also eliminated them and entered the quarterfinals!
While everyone in York City was celebrating wildly, Pan Yi came to Chick, who missed the penalty kick, hugged him and smiled:
"It's okay, it's okay. Congratulations, you have also completed the main mission that you must take on the road to becoming a superstar..."
is not that right?
Which one of Baggio, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, including the team's old captain Terry, has never missed a penalty kick in an important game?
As long as you can come out of it and become more tenacious, this kind of failure is nothing.
Hearing what Pan Yi said, the expression on Chike's face that was about to cry was suppressed. Xuerle, who was standing aside and also felt a little uncomfortable because of the missed point, even couldn't help but laugh.
At this time, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties walked up to Pan Yi and stretched out his hand: "Hello, I am Jason McGill. Can we chat for a while?"
This is a decent man wearing a suit and trousers, with a red scarf representing the city of York wrapped around his neck.
Although the rain had not stopped, he did not hold an umbrella and his hair was soaked.
"Jason McGill..." Pan Yi followed him to a covered place to protect him from the rain, but repeated the name with a confused look on his face, "I'm sorry, you are..."
"I'm the owner of York City."
"Oh..." Only then did Pan Yi react.
It turns out that this is the "old man" that the FM anchor often talks about!
Damn, that's too much. This guy is quite young. Why is he an old man?
"What's the matter with you?" Pan Yi asked curiously.
What does the York City boss want from him?
Generally speaking, when the owner of a football club finds a football coach, it is nothing more than talking about joining the team to coach.
But York City?
After all, it’s just a League Two team.
And he, Pan Yi, is now a world-class coach who is famous all over the world, and the coach with the highest annual salary in the world!
Even in the five major leagues, if it is not a wealthy team, they will not dare to touch his idea, let alone a mere English second team?
What does this old man want to do?
Oh, not the old man. What does this York City boss want to do?
At this time, Jason McGill smiled and said: "I want to ask you, are you interested in investing in or buying our team?"
(End of chapter)
