Chapter 130: A Raging Slaughter! A Feast of Goals! Real Madrid—How Will You Respond?
In modern football tactics, there's a saying every fan knows well:
"Control the midfield, control the game."
So then, why are there still teams that neglect the midfield?
The answer is—they don't.
No team neglects the midfield.
But building a team is a systemic project.
Just look at Chelsea's signing of Shevchenko.
It disrupted their tactical structure so badly it led to Mourinho's departure.
That alone shows how critical transfers are.
A football club isn't just a team and a coach—
it includes countless departments and considerations.
Take Abramovich—do you think he's an idiot?
Why sign Shevchenko?
Because Chelsea needed a marketable superstar with commercial appeal.
At the time, who was more suitable than Shevchenko?
He only joined after multiple personal efforts from Abramovich to woo him.
Mourinho, as head coach, was within his rights not to like Sheva.
Peter Kenyon, as CEO, needed a superstar to boost commercial value.
Abramovich, as owner, was willing to spend big to match sporting and business needs.
So—where was the problem?
Running a football club is a complex system.
Ferguson's genius was that he could personally influence Manchester United's full operations, balancing tactics, business, and internal relations.
His bias for British players, the fact that his family profited from transfers—those were trivial in the grand scheme of things.
But that's exactly why, when he retired, United collapsed.
Now, Real Madrid was showing similar signs of fragmentation.
Why sign Van Nistelrooy?
When English tactics lagged behind continental Europe, why bring in a striker United had already discarded?
Because Calderón and Mijatović needed a superstar.
But they couldn't afford a Ronaldo, Kaká, or Ribéry.
So they settled.
Raúl? A tragic symbol of an outdated era.
He no longer fit modern football—whether at Real or with Spain.
But as club icon and flag bearer, no one dared bench him.
So, Van Nistelrooy and Raúl became locked starters.
Robben and Sneijder were big-money signings—both in form—must-play.
Robinho? A prodigious talent also in form—must-play.
The front line was fully booked.
Which meant Real Madrid's 4-4-2 became inevitable.
But then—if you're playing a 4-4-2, the midfield has to be strong, right?
Last season, Madrid actually had depth in midfield:
Diarra, Emerson, Pablo García, Beckham, even Iván Helguera could play there.
But by the summer window, most of them were gone.
And when Diarra got injured, they were suddenly exposed.
So what did they do?
Line up Guti and Gago in central midfield.
And in this match at the Bernabéu, when Madrid came out swinging,
Yang Cheng suspected Schuster didn't trust his own midfield's defense—hence the aggressive start.
After all, they were playing at home.
Yang Cheng and his players stayed composed, absorbing the pressure.
Then, in the 17th minute, Real's midfield made an error.
Lass Diarra intercepted, passed to Yaya Touré.
Time to play Yang Cheng's trump card.
I summon Yaya Touré.
Real Madrid—how will you respond?
...
"Quick counterattack after a midfield interception by Bayswater Chinese FC!"
"Yaya Touré is surging forward with the ball."
"He's moving fast!"
"Madrid scrambling to recover!"
"Let's see how Yaya handles it—"
"He plays a diagonal pass to the right, finds Arshavin."
"Arshavin at the edge of the box, one-on-one with Metzelder!"
"The Russian drops multiple feints—so technically smooth."
"Metzelder's not biting, but he's struggling."
"Drenthe comes over to help!"
"Arshavin keeps going along the baseline on the right!"
"Metzelder lunges—sliding tackle!"
"He missed!"
Metzelder, tall but clumsy, missed the first challenge and immediately got up to chase—
but Arshavin had already made it to the byline.
He didn't go deeper.
Not because Metzelder caught up, but because—
he saw his target.
From near the right goal line, Arshavin cut the ball back diagonally to the top of the box.
And there came Yaya Touré, charging like a tank.
Gago couldn't stop him—he had nothing to match the Ivorian's sheer power.
Yaya smashed the return ball with a thunderous strike.
It flew like a missile—unstoppable—into the Real Madrid net.
"GOAL!!!"
"17th minute! Bayswater Chinese FC strike first at the Bernabéu!"
"What a drive from Yaya Touré—the Ivorian beast with a stunning finish!"
"Madrid's midfield couldn't handle him. They had no answer for his power and momentum."
"Gago gave everything trying to stop him—but it was hopeless."
On the sideline, Yang Cheng clenched his fist as the net bulged.
He wasn't surprised at all.
He'd been saying all along: Real Madrid is a mess.
Not just him—even Emerson, who recently left Madrid for AC Milan, said as much in an interview.
"I wanted to retire at Madrid. That's why I joined after the World Cup," he said.
"But after I arrived… I regretted it."
"Madrid's environment was toxic. I'm trying to forget I was ever there."
As a professional, no one says these things lightly.
Add that to Beckham's experiences last season, and everything became clear.
When a club goes from Galáctico central, to Capello's 1–0 pragmatism,
then to Schuster's open style—
and the roster keeps flipping every season…
Success becomes a fluke, not a plan.
They won La Liga?
That just means Barça were worse that year.
...
After Yaya's thunderous strike in minute 17, Bayswater stayed calm and compact.
Madrid pressed on aggressively.
The media frenzy, the fan expectations—
Madrid had no choice but to go all in.
This was their revenge match.
They had to beat Bayswater.
They had to cleanse the memory of last season's 0–4.
But Yang Cheng was ready for them.
If Real Madrid couldn't take down Bayswater Chinese FC, their own fans might just drown them in spit.
Schuster had no choice but to keep pressing the attack.
But in the 38th minute of the first half, another counterattack emerged—once again following a midfield interception.
This time, though, Madrid's retreat was faster.
When Modrić played the ball to the right for Maicon, who surged into the right side of Madrid's box, five white shirts had already dropped back to defend.
And yet… the center of the penalty area was completely empty.
A massive gap. No one home.
Maicon didn't exploit the gap directly.
Instead, he curled in a cross to the far post.
Džeko leapt high on the left side of the six-yard box, outmuscling Cannavaro, and headed it back into the middle.
Arshavin, with his back to goal and Metzelder blocking the shot lane, suddenly had a flash of brilliance—
An overhead kick.
Into the net.
"BICYCLE KICK!!"
"OH MY GOD!!"
"A stunning overhead finish by Russian genius Andrey Arshavin inside the box!"
"Madrid's defenders were rooted like statues—not a single challenge on him."
"That is some shockingly loose defending."
"2–0!"
Arshavin bolted out of the penalty area, sprinting in celebration of the goal-of-the-night.
Madrid's players stood frozen, disbelieving.
Two goals down.
"Madrid's fragile back line is once again exposed as the soft spot."
"We said it last match—if not for Casillas, Lazio would've shredded them apart. The 2–2 scoreline flattered them."
"Now against Bayswater Chinese FC, they can't keep them out."
"Gago and Guti may offer passing and control, but their defensive frailty offers no bite."
"Even if Maicon hadn't crossed to Džeko, the edge of the box was wide open."
"Just look at this slow-motion replay—only one player at the top of the box."
"That's Yaya Touré. He's just waiting for the next opportunity."
"This kind of defending… it's just too fragile!"
...
Halftime: Real Madrid 0–2 Bayswater Chinese FC.
In the second half, neither side made significant tactical changes.
But in the 67th minute, a combination between Arshavin and Di María on the left drew a foul from Gago, who picked up a yellow card.
Leighton Baines stepped up to take the free kick.
He delivered it perfectly—a half-height ball to the near post.
In the ensuing scramble, Yaya Touré jumped first and side-volleyed it with his right foot straight into the Madrid net.
3–0!
The Bernabéu was drowned in a storm of whistles and jeers.
Last season, Madrid had lost 0–4 to Bayswater on this very pitch.
Now, it was happening again.
Despite the millions spent, the new stars brought in—nothing had changed.
...
The match ended 3–0.
Bayswater Chinese FC had once again conquered the Bernabéu.
Yang Cheng was pleased.
At the post-match press conference, he remarked:
"Real Madrid should be thanking Casillas."
"He saved a brilliant chance in the first half and two guaranteed goals in the second."
Implying: if not for Casillas, this could've been another thrashing.
His sharp words set the press ablaze.
Spanish media countered, saying Madrid had 58% possession.
"But they only had 9 shots, compared to Bayswater's 17."
Possession? That's what Bayswater let them have.
Madrid had only 2 shots on target—Bayswater had 11.
Yang Cheng wasn't wrong.
Casillas saved Madrid from total humiliation.
If anyone doubted Yang Cheng's comments, Casillas himself confirmed it afterward in a somber interview.
"I don't even know how to describe this match."
"My feelings are conflicted, torn."
"We lost a huge match at home, conceded three… and now everyone's calling me the best player on the pitch. That makes me feel ashamed."
"As the goalkeeper, my job is to stop goals. And they scored three."
"Some I couldn't have saved… some maybe I could. But I didn't."
He pointed to Madrid's defending and misjudged expectations as the real issues.
"Honestly, we never imagined losing. Certainly not like this."
British media showered Bayswater Chinese FC with praise—no surprise there.
Spanish media acknowledged their brilliance too,
but most of the analysis focused on what was wrong with Real Madrid.
The criticism was unanimous—a fragile midfield, a disastrous back line.
Even AS wrote:
"Casillas is the only Real Madrid player who deserves to stand upright."
"He is the last line of dignity at the Bernabéu."
"He is the war god in the eyes of Madridistas."
"If Real Madrid want to return to the pinnacle of Europe, they'll need 11 Casillases."
Schuster, who had talked big before the match,
saying Madrid would take revenge and were stronger than last season?
Post-match, those comments were torn apart.
"Yes, Schuster's team has made tremendous progress this season," one sarcastic journalist wrote.
"They conceded one less goal than last time."
...
Bayswater Chinese FC returned from Spain with a 3–0 statement victory—and stunned the football world once more.
Even against Real Madrid, they showed relentless attacking power.
In the other group match, Werder Bremen beat Lazio 2–1 at home.
Bayswater were now just one step away from qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Their next match? Home vs. Real Madrid.
That fixture instantly became the most anticipated group match, a potential decider.
After the Bernabéu blitz, ticket sales for the return leg at Wembley skyrocketed.
But first, Bayswater had to return to England for Premier League Matchday 11.
This round was already shaping up to be historic.
Because Bayswater's league match would be played a day later than the others, due to their midweek Champions League duties.
October 27th:
Manchester United crushed Middlesbrough 5–0 at home.
A brutal result that kicked off a weekend goal-fest in the Premier League.
Later that day, Chelsea tore Manchester City apart at Stamford Bridge.
6–0.
Two goals from Drogba, three assists from Lampard.
A rampage.
Sven-Göran Eriksson's Manchester City simply couldn't stop Chelsea.
Yang Cheng made sure to watch the match live.
To be honest, Chelsea hadn't changed all that much in this game.
Same players, same structure.
What did change was that Grant completely abandoned the Shevchenko–Drogba double-striker setup and reverted to Mourinho's familiar 4-3-3.
Drogba spearheaded the attack alone, with Kalou and Joe Cole on the wings.
In midfield, it was Lampard, Mikel, and Essien.
The result? A 6–0 annihilation of Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
A long-overdue eruption.
"Talk about a slap in the face," Brian Kidd snorted after the match.
Not a slap to City—their strength was still a notch below the top teams.
It was a slap to Abramovich.
Yang Cheng didn't deny Abramovich's love for the club, nor his past and present investments.
But in this case—he really messed things up.
"The players are desperate to prove Mourinho was right," Kidd observed.
"They've gone back to the style that suits them best: fast transitions, physical domination through midfield and the center forward."
"And the most ironic part?" he added.
"Shevchenko came on for Joe Cole in the second half and still didn't do anything."
"He only scored after Pizarro replaced Drogba—when they were already up 5–0."
That didn't prove anything.
By that point, Chelsea were just cruising.
The takeaway was simple:
This squad was still tailor-made for Mourinho's tactics.
And that's obvious.
Mourinho brought in most of them.
Then Shevchenko was forced in.
No wonder Chelsea fans, watching this match, missed Mourinho more than ever.
Meanwhile, Liverpool and Arsenal drew 1–1 at Anfield.
...
October 28, evening – Wembley Stadium.
Bayswater Chinese FC vs. Newcastle United.
As referee Phil Dowd blew the opening whistle, Bayswater launched into a high press.
Fresh off their 3–0 away win at the Bernabéu, the home side was flying with confidence.
Newcastle were on a two-game winning streak themselves.
Sam Allardyce's team was in solid form.
"Bayswater have rotated a few positions, but the system remains the same."
"Under Yang Cheng's guidance, this team is extremely mature and stable."
"They're still young overall, though."
"For example, Gareth Bale on the left wing tonight—only 18 years old."
"And what a breakout season he's having."
"Newcastle must be careful. Bayswater's trademark is the blitz start."
"Last season, many teams were undone in the opening minutes."
"And it's worth noting—Newcastle's midfield anchor tonight is Leon Andreasen,"
"a former Bayswater player, now paired with Joey Barton."
Right from kickoff, the tempo skyrocketed.
And barely 2 minutes and 48 seconds in, Newcastle made a midfield error.
"Joey Barton dribbling on the right side of midfield…"
"Modrić steals it cleanly!"
"Beautiful defensive read!"
"He passes to Lass Diarra—let's see what he does."
"Quick through ball to Džeko!"
"Claudio Cacapa goes in for a slide—he misses!"
"Džeko… what a turn and control!"
"He's charging forward!"
"Chance!"
"SHOOTS!"
"GOAL!!!"
"Džeko scores from outside the box in just under three minutes!"
"Given had no chance—it was a rocket."
1–0.
"We just mentioned how dangerous Bayswater's opening salvos are, and they've proven it yet again."
"We didn't even finish the sentence, and the ball's in the net."
"Look at the replay—Džeko's control, turn, and strike were flawless."
"That's his sixth league goal of the season."
...
Conceding so early rattled Newcastle.
They tried to regroup, but clearly, they weren't handling Bayswater's high pressing well.
Yang Cheng had pushed his back line way up,
with Diarra and Modrić directly pressing Newcastle's midfield and back line.
The result?
Newcastle couldn't play out from the back.
10th minute—another back-line error.
Lass Diarra intercepted and fed Džeko.
The Bosnian received it with his back to goal, held it up, and slotted a left-footed diagonal pass to the left.
Gareth Bale sprinted onto it, bursting past Habib Beye on the right.
He pushed the ball into the box, reached the byline, and whipped in a low cross.
Arshavin, having charged forward, arrived at the perfect moment—
and coolly slotted it in at the near post.
2–0!
Wembley erupted—65,000 fans roaring in delight.
Bayswater had scored twice in the opening 10 minutes.
What better way to start a match?
...
Newcastle were in disarray.
Bayswater's morale was soaring, and their players were in peak form.
They kept hammering away.
The front three were everywhere—
Arshavin shooting, Džeko assisting, Bale firing from distance.
The hosts were camped in Newcastle's half.
The fans were loving it—cheers and gasps with every attack.
In the 25th minute, they struck again with a brilliant team move.
Yaya Touré sent a mid-range pass from deep, finding Džeko near the edge of the box.
The Bosnian held off his marker and laid it off to Arshavin.
And right after the pass—Džeko turned to sprint forward...
But Arshavin didn't stop the ball. Instead, he met Džeko's pass in stride and fired a deadly through ball—
it sliced perfectly between right center-back Faye and right-back Beye, threading into the left side of the penalty area.
Gareth Bale made a blistering diagonal run into the box, catching up with Arshavin's ball.
It was a tough one—long distance, high speed, and intense pressure from Beye on his heels.
Bale used his left foot to control it, adding a slight drag, spinning as he did so.
At that moment, he shielded the ball with his body, standing between it and both defenders.
The ball was right by his left foot.
Planting with his right, he swung his left leg and struck.
The ball blasted into the back of Newcastle's net—
Given was a fraction too late diving.
Wembley exploded.
3–0!
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
On the sidelines, Yang Cheng pumped his fist in delight—thrilled with the opening salvo.
"That was a high-difficulty goal," he said to Brian Kidd, sharing a celebratory high-five.
Catching a fast pass at full sprint, under defensive pressure, one wrong touch and it would've all unraveled.
Bale wasn't the most elegant technician, but in that moment?
Perfectly executed.
He simply shielded, touched, shot—
and no defender would dare foul him inside the box.
"Honestly, I'm starting to lose track," Yang Cheng said with a wry smile.
Kidd chuckled too.
He knew exactly what Yang meant: Bale's improvement had been staggering.
Physically gifted, tall, rapid—
his explosiveness in the box made him more dangerous than Di María or Walcott.
This was already the third time tonight Bale had broken through from the left.
But hey—it's the kind of problem you love to have.
…
Three goals down, Newcastle were all but resigned.
In the 36th minute, Arshavin was fouled at the edge of the box while attempting a dribble.
The culprit?
Leon Andreasen.
Since joining Newcastle, the Danish midfielder had been solid.
But facing his former club tonight, there was some melancholy in his eyes.
Even after fouling, Wembley didn't boo him.
In fact, it seemed most fans had already forgotten he'd ever played for them.
Bayswater Chinese FC had grown too fast.
And Andreasen had long been left behind.
Bale stepped up to take the free kick—his left foot was lethal.
After a quick run-up, he curled it over the wall and inside the left post.
4–0.
Brace for Bale.
The stadium went wild again.
Newcastle—one of England's traditional giants—was being embarrassed at Wembley.
At halftime, Yang Cheng was full of praise for his squad's first-half performance.
He urged them to stay focused and maintain their momentum in the second.
Sam Allardyce made two substitutions, bringing on Alan Smith and N'Zogbia to reinforce the midfield.
But Bayswater resumed with another wave of attack, started by none other than Gareth Bale.
He cut in from the left and fired a rocket at the start of the second half—
Given barely stopped it.
In the 52nd minute, Modrić chipped a pass to the right edge of the six-yard box.
Džeko darted in, heading on goal—
Given parried it, but the box was in chaos.
Arshavin pounced and tapped it in.
5–0.
61st minute, Arshavin again on the right—
he slipped it wide to Maicon, who overlapped at full speed.
The Brazilian hit the byline and whipped in a cross.
Džeko rose between two defenders and powered home a close-range header.
6–0!
A massacre.
Not just this match—
Bayswater, United, and Chelsea had all annihilated their opponents this round.
Yang Cheng, seeing the result sealed, started rotating players.
Even so, Bayswater kept threatening—
chances came, but either Given saved them, or shots went wide.
Final score:
6–0.
Wembley witnessed another brutal statement.
...
After Matchday 11, the British media exploded.
Three high-scoring blowouts had fans completely captivated.
No one expected such fireworks in the middle of a packed fixture week.
After 11 rounds:
Bayswater Chinese FC: 8 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 26 points. Second in the league.
Manchester United: also 26 points, but trailing on goal difference.
Arsenal: unbeaten, 8 wins, 3 draws. Top of the table.
But this week's biggest story?
Gareth Bale.
Nobody expected that, just a few games after being named Man of the Match,
the young Welshman would score twice and steal the spotlight again.
He was only 18 years old.
Even Yang Cheng dropped his usual protective tone and gave direct praise.
"Sure, he's still very young," Yang Cheng said.
"But he's already showing exceptional qualities."
"I hope he continues this upward trend and keeps pushing his limits."
"I truly believe he has what it takes to become one of the best players in the world."
The British media pounced on the opportunity, digging deep into Bale's backstory—
his journey from Wales, the ups and downs, how he nearly got released by Southampton.
Who could've imagined this star cost just £1.5 million?
From Bale to Walcott, The Times called it a triumph of Bayswater's youth system.
"Unlike clubs chasing galácticos and big-name signings,
Bayswater Chinese FC invested in development from the very beginning—
even back when they were still in the lower leagues."
"According to our sources, from 2003 to now,
they've spent over £50 million on youth development—
the highest of any Premier League club."
"But the return on that investment?"
"Absolutely extraordinary."
From the once-glorious youth forward Jonathan Stead, to England's current No.1 Joe Hart, to Aaron Lennon, and then players like Ribéry, Ashley Young, and Škrtel—
all of them had joined Bayswater Chinese FC young, developed under Yang Cheng's tutelage, improved, and only then left the club.
And in their transfers, Bayswater made a fortune.
"Last season, when Ashley Young joined Manchester United, everyone worried that Bayswater's attack would suffer,"
wrote The Times.
"But in reality, Gareth Bale already has 4 league goals, Di María has 2, and Walcott has 3."
"Džeko has scored 7, Arshavin has 10."
And that's not even counting Lewandowski and Lambert.
Their conclusion?
Bayswater's attack hasn't weakened—it's been unleashed.
The biggest surprise? The British Twin Stars—Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott.
Lightning-fast, technically sound, and lethal inside the box.
Something Ashley Young couldn't offer.
Same position, left wing—but Bale and Di María's threat far surpasses Young's.
...
Even Yang Cheng was surprised by Bale's sudden surge in form.
But with his age (just 18) and still-developing physique,
Yang Cheng wasn't planning to overuse him.
Just like now:
Arshavin starts, with Di María, Walcott, and Bale rotating.
It was the ideal balance.
Players compete, pushing each other to perform,
without overburdening young bodies with too many games and injuries.
Meanwhile, Yang Cheng had Adam Crozier increase lobbying efforts at the FA and Premier League—
calling for stricter officiating standards.
Especially around reckless fouls.
This had long been a Premier League issue:
defenders too rough, endangering young talents.
Yang Cheng remembered clearly—this was the season Arsenal's Eduardo had his leg shattered.
Last year, the Croatian-Brazilian forward helped preserve Čech's life.
But now? He couldn't even protect himself.
For years, Yang Cheng had spoken out at every opportunity.
Even if only to protect his own players.
...
Midweek: League Cup Round of 16 — Away at Coventry City.
This Championship side had just stunned Manchester United 2–0 at Old Trafford.
Now they faced Bayswater.
Fans were eager—could Coventry be giant killers again?
Yang Cheng didn't care. He fielded a full reserve squad.
For the first hour?
0–0. A stalemate.
Then in the 68th minute, Coventry scored from long range.
Just 3 minutes later, Di María dribbled past two defenders and assisted Lewandowski, equalizing.
In the final minutes, Di María again burst down the left and assisted Walcott,
who went one-on-one and scored.
2–1.
A hard-fought away win.
...
Weekend: Premier League Matchday 12.
With Real Madrid at home in the Champions League on Wednesday—
a match that could seal group qualification—
Yang Cheng rotated the squad.
The Madrid game had sold 75,000 tickets, the largest crowd since moving to Wembley.
It was a must-win.
So Yang Cheng saved his strongest eleven for midweek.
But in the 18th minute, Fulham hit on the break.
Kamara earned a penalty, and Simon Davies converted.
0–1.
Fulham dug in deep.
Bayswater launched wave after wave of attack but couldn't break through.
In the second half, Yang Cheng brought on Lambert to boost offense.
54th minute—from a set piece, Leighton Baines sent in a beauty,
and Lambert headed it home.
1–1.
Bayswater pushed hard.
67th minute—defender Omozusi got a second yellow, sent off.
Fulham bunkered down and held on.
Final score: 1–1.
Elsewhere:
Liverpool drew 0–0 at BlackburnChelsea beat Wigan 2–0 away
(Grant's Chelsea were looking stronger under Mourinho's old tactics)
The headline clash?
Manchester United vs. Arsenal.
Final result:
2–1 to United, with a Gallas own goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo winner sealing it.
After 12 rounds:
Man United: 29 pts — Top of the tableBayswater: 27 pts — 2nd (better GD than Arsenal)Arsenal: 27 pts — 3rdLiverpool: 25 ptsChelsea: 21 pts — 8th
With Matchday 12 complete, Yang Cheng and his squad returned to Bayswater Stadium to prepare for Real Madrid.
But on Monday morning, Reuters dropped a bombshell.
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov had acquired more Arsenal shares last Friday.
He now held over 25% of the club—Arsenal's second-largest shareholder.
Even more shocking?
Those shares included the 14.65% once held by Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.
That meant Dein, the man behind Arsenal's rise since 1983,
no longer owned a piece of the club.
It rocked English football.
This was the man who brought in George Graham, Arsène Wenger, spearheaded transfer strategy, and oversaw the building of the Emirates.
The man who led Premier League reform, was FA Vice-Chair, and even Chair of G14 Europe.
Now he was out.
The only question on everyone's mind—
What is David Dein planning next?
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