Anfield Stadium, Liverpool.
In the opening round of the Premier League, Leeds United were away to face Liverpool.
Just a week earlier, in the Community Shield, FA Cup winners Leeds United had drawn 2-2 with Premier League champions Manchester City and narrowly defeated them 5-4 in a penalty shootout to lift the trophy.
But it came at a cost.
Key defensive midfielder Declan Rice was injured and had to leave the field.
Pochettino had no choice but to field Tchouaméni as the team's lone defensive midfielder in this match.
Klopp was clearly aware of this weakness and pressed high from the start, relentlessly targeting Leeds United's defensive midfield and left flank.
Specifically, the areas covered by Tchouaméni and left-back Alphonso Davies.
Everyone knew that one of the main reasons for Leeds United's Champions League elimination last season was their vulnerability on Davies' flank.
Tchouaméni, having rarely played in such high-profile matches, became a clear target in Liverpool's tactical setup.
And it paid off.
Just three minutes in, Liverpool pressed down the right side of their attack—Leeds United's left flank.
Firmino drifted to the right edge of the penalty area, received a pass from Alexander-Arnold, and played it back to Salah, who was cutting diagonally into the box.
The former Leeds United player controlled the ball, cut inside, and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot. Alisson reacted brilliantly, diving to his side to push it out for a corner.
That loss of possession in their own half should have served as a wake-up call for Leeds United.
The White Roses responded quickly.
Pochettino immediately adjusted the structure. Enzo Fernández and Valverde dropped deeper, while Rashford, Haaland, and Sancho also fell back slightly.
This allowed Leeds United to concentrate more players in their own half. Enzo and Valverde in particular positioned themselves closer to the back line.
This summer, Leeds United had once again traveled to the United States to participate in the International Champions Cup.
In many ways, Leeds United had benefited the most among European clubs from this tournament. In recent years, their global influence, particularly in the U.S., had risen dramatically, and their commercial revenue had steadily grown as a result.
This year, Leeds United's preseason results weren't particularly flashy, with the focus placed more on building team cohesion.
Especially in how Enzo Fernández was used.
During the summer training camp, Enzo was mostly deployed on the left side of central midfield, with Valverde continuing on the right. This was partly because Valverde worked well in combination with Sancho and Achraf on the right.
This tactic had already matured last season. With players continuing to grow and improve, their performance was only expected to get better.
Enzo is right-footed, and placing him on the left allows him more space and better angles to distribute passes.
Just like Gao Shen had done with Toni Kroos at Real Madrid, placing a right-footed player on the left created more passing threat and control.
At the same time, Leeds United wanted to create an attacking channel on the left through Alphonso Davies, Enzo Fernández, and Marcus Rashford.
Once both flanks are opened up, Leeds United's attack becomes truly dangerous.
...
Although Liverpool started stronger and seemed to have more momentum, Leeds United were by no means overwhelmed and steadily established control over the tempo.
With Enzo Fernández, Tchouaméni, and Valverde in midfield, Leeds United maintained stability.
The defense's ability to control possession and distribute under pressure allowed Leeds to gradually settle under Liverpool's high press.
Twelve minutes into the match, Leeds United regained possession in their own half and played the ball to Alphonso Davies on the left wing.
Salah, Firmino, and Naby Keïta surged forward to apply pressure.
Liverpool's press was intense, but Leeds United's passing held up.
Tchouaméni dropped deep, almost level with Ruben Dias, to receive a pass, then returned it to the center-back who was also dropping back.
Liverpool continued to press, but Ruben Dias calmly returned the ball to Tchouaméni.
The French midfielder, standing at 1.88 meters tall, towered over Keïta at just 1.72 meters. Physically, they weren't even in the same league.
More importantly, Tchouaméni wasn't just tall and strong, he had technique too.
With his long legs, he calmly controlled the ball, spun away from Keïta, and just as the latter lost balance, Tchouaméni burst forward, breaking through the press before sending a quick pass upfield.
This move sounded complicated but happened in just a second or two on the pitch.
Before anyone could react, Tchouaméni had broken past the midfield line and passed to Enzo Fernández.
Enzo, already facing left and anticipating the pass, controlled the ball and, just as Fabinho rushed toward him, launched a long pass with his right foot.
The ball flew over Liverpool's back line and landed near the left edge of the attacking third.
Rashford accelerated instantly, sprinting into the space.
Alexander-Arnold tracked him closely, sticking tight to Rashford's inside line.
But Rashford reacted first, controlling the ball behind Arnold with his right foot before suddenly stopping and cutting inside, catching up with the ball near the left corner of the box.
Center-back Matip arrived immediately.
Rashford stopped again, cut inside Matip, shifted slightly to the side, and just before Joe Gomez could close him down, he didn't look for Haaland in the middle but took the shot himself.
He unleashed a powerful right-footed strike. The ball skimmed the grass and rocketed into the bottom left corner of Liverpool's net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"Rashford!"
"In the 12th minute, Rashford opens the scoring for Leeds United!"
"A brilliant and lightning-fast counterattack!"
...
After conceding the opener, Liverpool ramped up their intensity, launching wave after wave of fierce attacks on Leeds United.
Leeds responded with composure, dropping deep into their own half and focusing on limiting Liverpool's threat.
But the Reds' relentless pressing created several dangerous moments for Leeds before the break.
Wijnaldum fired a sudden long-range shot that nearly found the net, but Alisson made a spectacular save, tipping it over the bar.
In the 28th minute, Leeds United broke out on the counter again, this time down the right.
Achraf Hakimi received a pass from Valverde, spotted the opportunity, and launched a long ball toward the edge of Liverpool's box.
Haaland sprinted forward, while Matip and Gomez chased him. The three were locked in a race.
Matip rose first, trying to head the ball toward Gomez.
But under pressure from Haaland, Matip misdirected his header. Haaland reached the loose ball first, nodded it past Gomez, and sprinted after it.
The young Norwegian reacted quickly, getting ahead of the onrushing goalkeeper and chipping the ball calmly over him.
The ball floated past and dropped into the net behind him.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"2-0!"
"Leeds United score again!"
"A brilliant performance from the fearless Leeds United and their young stars!"
...
"Ha, I love Leeds United so much!"
After watching Haaland's goal, veteran Arrigo Sacchi jumped up in the stands, cheering loudly along with the rest of the Leeds United fans.
Gao Shen and Wenger, sitting beside him, couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
"Alright, alright, I know you're the biggest braggart alive, calm down, this is Anfield!" Gao Shen quickly pulled him back into his seat, worried that the old man might get into trouble.
But Sacchi wasn't done yet and kept on praising them.
"So exhilarating! So satisfying!"
"Seriously, in recent years, the most attractive and well-preserved playing style in European football belongs to Leeds United."
Real Madrid could be very defensive at times. Barcelona and Manchester City sometimes overdo their possession and make fans sleepy.
Other Premier League teams each had their own flaws.
But Leeds United had consistently stuck to their exhilarating, high-tempo attacking style, scoring freely.
To a large extent, this had become Leeds United's identity — dynamic and full of energy.
"Haaland has improved," Sacchi said confidently.
Both Gao Shen and Wenger nodded in agreement.
He chased Matip at full speed but didn't rush to get in front. Instead, he applied pressure and waited to seize the second ball. It was a very clever decision.
Even if he won the initial aerial challenge, it would have been difficult to control the ball.
Later, when facing the goalkeeper one-on-one, he stayed composed. It looked simple, but executing such a delicate chip at high speed was extremely difficult.
Timing, strength, and angle all had to be perfect.
Haaland's judgment, decision-making, and composure were all outstanding.
This was what Sacchi meant when he said, "This kid has really improved."
"The biggest highlight of this Premier League season is Leeds United," Wenger chuckled. "Will Haaland maintain his form from last season? Will Rashford break out? And..."
He paused, giving Gao Shen a teasing look.
"...who will come out on top between Leeds United and Manchester United?"
Sacchi burst out laughing too.
The clash between Leeds United and Manchester United was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated fixtures this season.
No one believed the FA hadn't taken this into account when arranging the fixtures.
Placing the Roses Derby just before Christmas had clearly made it one of the season's marquee matches.
"Hmph, that's just Ratcliffe's delusion. I never saw him as a rival," Gao Shen said dismissively. "With the way he burns money, even if he throws in another few hundred million, he might still not catch up to Leeds United."
Gao Shen spoke boldly, but he had the confidence to back it up.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)