A month goes by in a blink of an eye.
The attention of the entire British football world is once again focused on their football mecca - Wembley Stadium.
Nearly a month before the game, the British media began to hype the final and gave the game the name "Pan Yi Derby".
Of course, the status of the two teams in English football is very different.
York City, which has been upset all the way and entered the final as a League One team, certainly has no history worth talking about.
Their best result in the FA Cup was already in the ancient 1955, when they also entered the semi-finals in an upset, but other than this, there is nothing worth mentioning.
As for Chelsea, let’s not mention the honors they have won in the Premier League and European wars. The FA Cup alone is enough for York City to look up to.
They have reached the final for the 13th time and won the cup eight times!
Last season, Chelsea also defeated Manchester United 2-0 in the final to win the championship, adding an important piece to their seven-time crown.
The man who led Chelsea to the championship at that time was none other than the current owner of York City, Pan Yi!
Now, Pan Yi leads York City to face his old club. Although he is not sitting on the coaching bench, it is eye-catching enough.
Of course, as a team from the English League One, York City is undoubtedly looked down upon, no matter how well they performed against Manchester United.
After all, Manchester United is Manchester United and Chelsea is Chelsea.
In recent years, thanks to the foundation laid by Pan Yi, no one can shake Chelsea's dominance in English football. Their players are unmatched by other teams in terms of technical and tactical ability and self-confidence.
But it is clear that York City fans also have confidence in their team.
This game attracted a total of more than 80,000 fans to the scene, of which more than 40,000 York City fans came from Yorkshire to follow the team, and this does not include York City fans from other places.
Of course, many Chelsea fans also came. The two sides were divided into one side, half blue and half red, which created a huge momentum in Wembley Stadium.
Pan Yi also appeared in the box at Wembley Stadium with Valentina, Jason McGill and others.
Although the game has not started yet, the momentum at the scene is very huge. Even in the box, you can clearly feel the strong atmosphere in the stadium and the buzz of people.
And soon, Pan Yi left the box and walked down to the players' tunnel.
This is because for this special "Pan Yi Derby", the Football Association of England also specially invited Pan Yi to put the FA Cup trophy on the trophy stand beside the pitch.
This is also a tradition, often completed by one or two team stars before the final.
And for today's final, there is no more suitable candidate than Pan Yi! Pan Yi also readily agreed.
When Pan Yi held the trophy and walked out along the players' tunnel, people kept nodding excitedly at him along the way, and he responded politely.
Although he may not necessarily know these people, they should all be his admirers.
Whether he is from Chelsea or York City, Pan Yi is now a legend of their clubs! — even for some neutral fans.
When Pan Yi walked out of the player tunnel, he felt suddenly enlightened again.
There were more than 80,000 fans in the entire stadium, and the sound was like a flood, swallowing up every corner of the stadium.
Pan Yi stood at the entrance of the passage, silently looking ahead, to the left, and to the right. They were all fans.
Regardless of whether they were wearing blue jerseys or red jerseys, when they saw him coming out, they all yelled at him crazily.
Especially Chelsea fans, they don't regard him as today's opponent at all, but just like they saw him last year, they still regard him as one of their own!
"Pan Yi! Boss Pan Yi!"
Suddenly there was a loud roar from behind.
Pan Yi turned his head and couldn't see the stands clearly, so he had to take a few steps back.
"Remember me? I'm Victor!" A Chelsea fan in blue above the tunnel entrance rushed to the guardrail and shouted at him.
Pan Yi recognized him at a glance. It was Victor, the security guard at the gate of the Cobham training base. It seems that he specially came to Wembley to watch the game today.
Pan Yi smiled and waved to him and said hello: "Why don't I remember you? Is your puppy still naughty? Doesn't it get lost often?"
The stadium was very noisy, so Pan Yi also raised his voice. When these words reached Victor's ears, he couldn't help but get wet in his eyes.
He was just a security guard, the most inconspicuous little person, but Pan Yi, a legend in Chelsea history, still remembered him and even his puppy!
Of course, when Victor wanted to say a few words to Pan Yi, Pan Yi could no longer hear him.
As Pan Yi placed the FA Cup championship trophy, all the fans in the stands also noticed Pan Yi, and more and more people were calling him.
Finally, everyone from all directions shouted Pan Yi's name at the top of their lungs.
He was suddenly moved.
For him, Chelsea is truly special.
He has received the greatest support from senior management and fans at Chelsea, and has also won all the championships he can win at a club. How could he not be special?
This made him hesitate.
The commotion in the stands naturally attracted the attention of the players from the two teams who were warming up on the court.
They all stopped and looked towards the sidelines.
Chelsea players, including coaches, had smiles on their faces, as if they were seeing an old friend.
First, head coach Arteta came over and gave Pan Yi a big hug, and soon, one after another Chelsea players came to the sidelines and hugged Pan Yi.
This also made all the Chelsea fans in the audience excited. They shouted the names of Pan Yi and Chelsea players crazily, as if they were back at Stamford Bridge.
Pan Yi was very happy and excited.
He first bowed deeply to the fans in the stands above the tunnel entrance, then turned around and bowed deeply to the fans in the stands on all sides, thanking them for their love for him.
This action earned Pan Yi more shouts.
Seeing this scene, the York City players were all stunned.
Is this still an opponent?
It's like a fan meeting with Pan Yi. Fans from both sides feel like one family!
It can even be seen that Chelsea fans love Pan Yi more than York City fans!
It's a sentiment that York City players find a bit difficult to understand.
For most of them, Chelsea is an opponent, a powerful opponent, without any other emotions mixed in.
If we talk about emotional players, then one of them is Rice, who came from Chelsea's youth training.
But the problem is that he was the one abandoned by Chelsea.
If it weren't for Pan Yi's efforts when he took office, Rice would have been kicked out two years ago;
After Pan Yi left office, Rice was still not very popular, and finally accepted Pan Yi's invitation and went to York City.
So this relationship is also complicated, and Rice should be even more motivated in his heart to prove himself to his old club in this final!
And another person who has some emotions is "Chelsea fan" Alphonso Davies.
But fans are fans, and professional players are professional players. The two cannot be equated.
When I was a child, I was a fan of a certain team, but when I grew up, there were not many professional players who went to their rivals.
Let’s just talk about Chelsea’s old captain Terry, who is undoubtedly a Chelsea legend, but when he was asked if he supported Chelsea since he was a child, Terry’s answer was: Manchester United, because his grandfather and father were both Manchester United fans since childhood, and that At that time, Manchester United was a team that could win everything.
According to rumors, Terry was rejected by Manchester United as a child because of his thin body. When Terry began to become famous at the age of 14, Ferguson tried to bring the Manchester United fan back to Old Trafford, but unfortunately he was unsuccessful. .
Another example is Raul. As a meritorious player of Real Madrid, Raul’s status in the Real Madrid club and among Real Madrid fans is unquestionable. However, Raul has been a fan of Atletico Madrid since he was a child and has also entered the youth training system of Atletico Madrid. The proud man of competition.
It's a pity that fate played a trick. Atletico Madrid's youth training system collapsed due to financial problems, and Raul was recruited by the youth training system of Real Madrid next door. From then on, there was one less Atletico Madrid star and one more Real Madrid hero in the world.
There is also Liverpool's future meritorious captain Henderson, who is also an out-and-out "Manchester United man".
You must know that in the world-famous Champions League final at Camp Nou in 1999, Henderson was the one who cheered for Manchester United at the scene. The photo of him and Manchester United stars is still displayed in his parents' home.
Henderson, who has been a "Manchester United man" since he was a child, failed to join Manchester United as he wished because of his weird running posture that easily led to injuries. However, his final destination was Manchester United's real rival, Liverpool.
There are many such examples, including Zeko, Gerrard, Solskjaer, Harry Kane, Carragher...
It can only be said that when people are in the arena, they really can’t help themselves most of the time.
In short, whether it is Rice or Alphonso Davis, what they are thinking more about now is how to kill Chelsea, and they are unlikely to get any applause from Chelsea fans.
But Pan Yi is different. He has real feelings for Chelsea, and vice versa.
For most of these York City players who have "never seen the world", this scene is really shocking!
Moreover, Pan Yi's appearance not only attracted the attention of fans, but also attracted the attention of hundreds of media reporters from all over the world. Immediately, all guns and short guns were set up and aimed at Pan Yi.
"Pan Yi's popularity is so high now." Someone in the media gallery said with admiration, "He is truly worthy of being the number one coach and boss in world football!"
Everyone looked around and saw that it was Lineker from Sky Sports.
It turned out to be the famous "Pan Chui", no wonder.
Nearby reporters and commentators also started discussing:
"Lineker is right. Pan Yi is not only very popular at Chelsea, but in fact, he is also the most popular in the world. I think even people at the level of Ferguson and Wenger may not be as good as him now. .”
"I don't know if Ferguson is not as good as him, but I see the way Chelsea fans treat Pan Yi. His historical status in the Blues is definitely in the first place."
"I wonder if they still want to let Pan Yi go back to coach?"
"No, it's not like that. He led the team very well. Although he wasn't as dominant as when Pan Yi led the team, he still won the Premier League championship, didn't he? And he also reached the Champions League final."
"Besides, Arteta himself was recommended to Chelsea's senior management by Pan Yiji. It is impossible for him to steal his apprentice's position."
"Look at today's game. Although Arteta also said that he often consults Pan Yi, after all, he is not as often as Pan Yi. If Scaloni leads York City to win against Chelsea, wouldn't it be illustrate……"
"What are you thinking? Chelsea will lose to York City? Are you dreaming? They are not Manchester United!"
"I think so too. Whether it's Manchester United, Tottenham or Arsenal, they have more or less problems. But Chelsea was brought out by Pan Yi personally, and these players are becoming more mature. I really can't find them losing. reasons."
"But York City is Pan Yi's biological son! With York City's progress, it has defeated three BIG6 teams now. What's impossible about defeating another one?"
"This is a final. Chelsea players have played in many finals and are very experienced. What do York City have? Most of them have never played in a final."
"There are quite a few. Alonso has played in Real Madrid and Bayern. The three Swedish internationals have played in the European Cup finals. Even Westermann was the captain of the Hamburg team that won the Champions League..."
"Anyway, it's far worse than Chelsea. I think the championship still belongs to Chelsea. The difference in strength between the two teams is here!"
The reporters in the media area were arguing passionately. They started fighting before the game even started.
But they soon became quiet.
Because the starting lineups of both sides have been announced at this time, both reporters and commentators have to start their work.
In this game, Chelsea sent some unconventional main players.
First of all, the goalkeeper is Martinez, the second goalkeeper from Argentina. Chelsea has used him as the main goalkeeper in domestic cup competitions in the past two years. This is not surprising.
And today Chelsea’s captain on the field is none other than the old captain John Terry.
Terry's contract at Chelsea will also expire at the end of this season, and he has decided to continue his football career at Aston Villa next season.
Due to his age, Terry's competitive status has also declined significantly. He has rarely been able to play this season. He has only played 9 times in the league and scored 1 goal.
Today's FA Cup is likely to be the last game he plays for Chelsea, so it is also very meaningful.
In an interview with the media before the game, the Blues' meritorious captain felt that it was of profound significance to meet Pan Yi's York City in such a very memorable game.
"I already feel a little bit out of my depth, so I won't stay at Chelsea and hold back. I will leave this season and retire after one or two more seasons. Arteta knows what I think, so he wants to play in this game." I am very grateful to him because I really want to play in this final!"
In other positions, the three central defenders partnering with Terry are David Luiz and Ake.
Van Dijk has a slight injury on his foot. Considering that the Champions League final will be played a week later, Arteta gave him a rest just to be on the safe side.
In the previous quarter-finals of the Champions League, Chelsea successfully eliminated Dortmund, then defeated Juventus in the semi-finals, and finally reached this season's Champions League final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
And their opponent is Real Madrid again!
Real Madrid defeated their city rival Atletico Madrid 3:0, 1:2, with a total score of 4:2 in the Madrid derby in the semifinals, and entered the final again.
It is precisely because of the impact of this Champions League final that Arteta has to consider more when arranging his troops.
But the FA Cup is also very important, so the main players who have no physical problems are still sent on the field.
The two wing-backs on the left and right are still Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta. Among the three midfielders, Kante is in the defensive midfielder. In front of them are Hazard and Gnabry.
Today, Chelsea has the upper hand. Of course, Arteta wanted to quickly use his powerful attacking firepower to knock on the door of York City, so he first used a single defensive midfielder + double front midfielder, which is more offensive. combination;
Secondly, in the selection of two offensive midfielders, he also chose two players who are faster and have stronger breakthroughs. They can also cooperate with the center to limit the performance of the opponent's two full-backs.
The two main centers are still Lukaku and Harry Kane.
Although Mbappe has made great progress in the past two seasons, he still mainly plays as a surprise player and cannot shake the main position of these two forwards.
The statistics of Chelsea's two forwards this season are still strong.
Harry Kane scored 29 goals in 30 appearances and won the Premier League Golden Boot this season.
Lukaku played 37 times, scored 25 goals and won the Silver Boot.
In other words, just like last season, the top two scorers in the Premier League belong to Chelsea!
This kind of attacking power can be said to be very terrifying for a League One team like York City.
And it was obvious that Scaloni was well prepared for this.
The starting lineup he sent today is not the usual 4-3-3, but has some changes.
The goalkeeper is still Isaacson, and in addition to Alphonso Davis, Westerman, De Ligt, Fiyasu Jianyang, the back line also has Rice!
That is a five-back formation.
This clearly shows that York City will be based on defense in today's game.
In front of the five backs, two veterans, Karlström and Alonso, serve as double midfielders. On both sides of them are Lin Liangming and Kulusevski.
There is only one Baker at the front, and Thomas Amang is sitting on the bench today.
"This 5-4-1, it seems that York City is going to defend it?" Alan Shearer was still the commentary partner with Lineker today. He now asked his partner with a somewhat surprised smile, "But what? Why is Baker the forward instead of Armand when playing counterattack?"
Lineker nodded and guessed: "I guess now York City may still want to not concede the ball first, so they are not eager to increase the speed of the frontcourt counterattack. Instead, they need Baker to be a fulcrum in the frontcourt, that's okay. Keep Chelsea's defense at bay."
Alan Shearer exclaimed: "This approach is a bit unexpected, but whether it will work or not, I'm afraid we still have to practice it on the field to know!"
Lineker smiled and shook his head, "No, Pan Yi never fights an uncertain battle. They have such a long preparation time, and it is definitely impossible for Pan Yi not to participate in the tactical design of the coaching staff. Now since If you dare to play with this lineup, you must be prepared. I believe that Chelsea will try to limit the response between York City's forwards and midfielders in this game. Baker's starting may be to solve this problem, because he is You can go directly to the backcourt to catch the pass..."
"Then let's wait and see!" Alan Shearer also laughed. (End of chapter)
