Chapter 133: Over Budget! Huge Bonuses! Goal Fest! Year-End Review!
In Xia Xi's words, ever since Yang Cheng and Xia Qing got together, their level of PDA had reached the point that even dogs couldn't stand it.
Yang Cheng had a great impression of his future brother-in-law—so great, in fact, that after hearing him complain, he rewarded him with a solid punch.
"Exactly! You've been disgusted by us the whole time," he laughed.
Xia Xi, the poor "dog" in this equation, was almost coughing up blood from the abuse.
Both Yang Cheng and Xia Qing believed that Xia Xi had found a girlfriend so quickly just to escape being tormented by the two of them.
After returning to Europe, Yang Cheng took things one step further and handed over all his personal finances to Xia Qing.
Even certain club responsibilities were gradually being delegated to her.
That way, he could focus all his time and energy on what mattered most—football.
This was a critical time for building his legacy.
The vast majority of Bayswater Chinese's success had been earned by Yang Cheng, clawed back one match at a time.
Xia Qing and Adam Crozier, at best, played supporting roles.
And especially now, and in the coming years, it was essential that Bayswater Chinese maintain this momentum. That meant continued success on the pitch.
Xia Qing and Crozier both understood this well.
Continuing their tradition from previous years, the club organized numerous Christmas activities throughout the community—visiting orphanages, children's hospitals, special schools, and more.
From Notting Hill to Brent Reservoir and around Wembley, Bayswater Chinese left their mark everywhere.
Yang Cheng and Crozier took this initiative very seriously.
The first team, however, had limited time. After the Premier League Round 18 match on the 22nd, they had training on the 24th, a one-day break on Christmas, and then an away match on the 26th.
So the players could only participate in a few key activities that best represented the club—like visiting hospitalized children or distributing Christmas gifts at orphanages.
On the 24th, club executives would also hold their annual year-end review.
But before that, Yang Cheng and Xia Qing held a little "family meeting" of their own.
Yang Cheng reviewed the club's financial reports for the season.
What surprised him the most was matchday revenue.
As he had often said, the Premier League's schedule was irregular. By the halfway mark of 18 rounds, some clubs had only hosted 8 home games—Chelsea, for instance.
Others, like Bayswater Chinese, United, Arsenal, and Liverpool, had already hosted 10.
Over the full season, that would favor Chelsea's late surge. At the top end of the Premier League, every home game was expected to yield 3 points.
But luck hadn't been on Bayswater Chinese's side in the domestic cups—they'd been drawn away in every round.
So far, they had hosted 13 home games.
Their average attendance? Just over 60,000.
That number was already very respectable.
The average ticket price hovered around £40.
That meant approximately £2.4 million in ticket sales per match—not including VIP boxes.
Multiply that by 13 matches, and you get over £31 million in ticket revenue.
Add in merchandise, food and drink sales, fan shop takings, and VIP packages—total matchday revenue from those 13 games had reached £43 million.
Far beyond Yang Cheng's expectations.
That's the benefit of Wembley's large capacity.
Even if Bayswater Chinese had the lowest ticket prices in London, and the lowest attendance percentage in the league—so what?
Only gossip rags cared about them being "bottom of the attendance rate chart."
No one mentioned that Wembley held 90,000 seats.
At 65% capacity, it looked bad compared to other clubs hitting 95%+, sure.
But the raw numbers? Unbeatable.
Now Yang Cheng understood why Adam Crozier had said 65,000 seats wasn't enough.
Given Wembley's location, the stadium was essentially a one-shot deal.
And the value of a big stadium? That was obvious.
Attendance rates could be improved gradually through long-term efforts.
Can't fill it in 5 years? Then work hard for 10.
But if you don't build big now, you won't get another chance later.
With that in mind, Yang Cheng made his decision.
He'd bet everything on this—pedal-powered bike becomes a motorbike!
...
According to the Premier League's new broadcasting deal, the top four teams in the 2007/08 season were each expected to make over £50 million.
And that was just from domestic TV revenue.
Then there was the Champions League.
How far the team advanced would determine additional earnings.
Commercial income was already over £40 million annually.
With all three income pillars thriving, Bayswater Chinese's financial situation looked outstanding.
"Adam Crozier is really something when it comes to business," Xia Qing said, clearly impressed.
Even if his personal life was a bit wild, professionally he had nothing to prove.
"Based on last season's European club revenue rankings, we'll definitely break into the top ten this year."
Last season, they had just missed the top ten.
The bottom entries on that list—Inter Milan and Roma—had revenues just above £100 million.
But Serie A's growth couldn't compare to the Premier League's.
Take the new domestic TV deal, for example—it was a massive leap compared to last season, something Serie A couldn't match.
So based on performance, Bayswater Chinese breaking into Europe's top ten revenue clubs was a given.
The question was—how high could they go?
As a reference, Liverpool earned £134 million last season, largely because they reached the Champions League final.
Deloitte's report showed Arsenal earned just over £150 million—nearly £30 million less than expected because they missed Champions League qualification.
That figure even included the windfall from selling Thierry Henry and moving into their new stadium.
Commercially, Arsenal had underperformed. So had Liverpool.
This season, Premier League broadcasting revenue had increased substantially.
Arsenal's projected income was around £160 million, which didn't even outpace the broadcasting revenue hike—proof of their stagnant commercial growth.
And the reason? They didn't sell their captain this summer.
"I did some calculations on my own," Xia Qing leaned in close to Yang Cheng, "and it's pretty clear—our total budget for club expenses this season is £100 million."
Yang Cheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
Xia Qing smiled and nodded, "That's the number—more than enough."
"Including transfer fees?"
"Yes. It includes all the upfront payments received this season. But from next season onward, any installment payments won't be counted."
That was another big chunk.
"So, this season, we can allocate at least £50 million toward the new stadium project. And if we perform better in the Champions League, we could pull even more."
Yang Cheng burst into laughter, cupped Xia Qing's face with both hands, and gave her a big kiss.
"You're the ultimate housekeeper!"
To generate this kind of surplus in a single year—tens of millions of pounds—it was exhilarating just to think about it.
"Don't get too happy just yet. If you and Adam Crozier want to build the stadium even bigger, I'm guessing the budget will definitely exceed £1 billion."
That part had Xia Qing rolling her eyes.
Take the Brent training complex, for example. The budget was supposed to be £20 million.
And now?
They had already blown past £20 million.
Phase Two Isn't Even Completed Yet, and Phase Three Is Already Over Budget
The same goes for the satellite training centers—each one is over budget.
But you couldn't really blame Chris Hunter or anyone below him.
The main issue was Yang Cheng himself: he had high standards for everything and wanted it all done right in one go.
Chelsea had already moved into their Cobham training base—even though Phase One wasn't fully finished.
But Yang Cheng?
No way. He insisted Phase One be completed first. He wanted the player dorms fully renovated. He wanted everything perfect.
The training base was like that. So was the villa under renovation.
He had handed the project over to Norman Foster for design and hired a trusted long-term partner for the renovation.
Materials, workmanship—everything had to be top-tier. Absolute perfection.
The result? Over budget. Over budget. Over budget.
He wanted the best of everything—and it had to be done right.
If you don't run a household, you don't know how expensive rice and firewood are.
Well, okay... this particular household was funded by his future mother-in-law.
Still, Xia Qing gave Yang Cheng a raise.
Adam Crozier and the board unanimously agreed—Yang Cheng's annual salary was increased to £4 million after tax.
That made him the highest-paid manager in the Premier League.
Even more than Mourinho, who had just left Chelsea.
"Over budget? Let it be. I'm not worried," Yang Cheng said confidently. "Just wait—America's subprime mortgage crisis has exploded, and Europe's next. Those underperforming EU countries are going to drag the whole union into it."
Xia Qing nodded in agreement.
She was a former Goldman Sachs analyst and had excellent sources in the financial world.
"When it hits, European countries will slash interest rates—worse than the U.S."
Yang Cheng was practically rubbing his hands together in excitement.
"I've kept in close contact with several banks. And my colleagues at Goldman still keep me in the loop. When the time comes, I'll handle the financing. No problem at all," Xia Qing added, pleased.
She had fully embraced her role as Yang Cheng's behind-the-scenes partner.
"Also, Deloitte has been tracking everything. Premier League club wages have generally risen this season," she added.
That made Yang Cheng fall silent.
The media always churned out rumors, but actual salaries were top secret.
Even inside clubs, players didn't know each other's pay. No one talked about it.
Everything was under strict confidentiality.
But firms like Deloitte had their own sources and could compile relatively accurate figures.
They published a report every year.
Yang Cheng had already mentally prepared himself.
Hadn't someone once said? All the Premier League's broadcasting revenue had gone straight into player wages.
"To be honest, things change every season. At our current wage structure, we'll have to raise again next year," Xia Qing said helplessly.
This wasn't something Bayswater Chinese could control.
When revenue rises, salaries must follow.
Take Gareth Bale and Walcott, for example.
Keep them or sell them?
After nurturing them for two to three years, were they just going to let others pick the fruit?
If they stayed, salaries had to go up.
If the club wasn't making money, they could always sell. No money, no problem.
"But this season—no renewals. Hold the line. We'll handle contracts one by one next season. Anyone who makes a fuss—sell him!" Yang Cheng declared.
He wouldn't indulge this. Otherwise, the club would appear weak.
"Exactly. And the raise should be capped. I think £60,000 a week is the absolute maximum," Xia Qing agreed.
"Fine by me."
"I'm also thinking of designing a bonus structure. We won the league last season, right? This season, we can allocate up to £8 million. If we win both the Premier League and Champions League, the players get the full amount."
"I've crunched the numbers. If we pull off the double, we'll earn at least £15 million in direct revenue alone. That doesn't include post-title sponsorship boosts—especially from the Champions League. The potential upside is massive."
Same old tactic—what salaries can't cover, bonuses will.
After Xia Qing's calculations, the £8 million in rewards wouldn't cause the club any loss.
Quite the opposite—they'd profit handsomely.
"Okay, but we split it into three tiers. First tier goes to key players—regular starters who meet a minimum number of appearances and perform well."
"Second tier is for those who meet appearance thresholds but aren't core starters, or those with fewer games but notable performances."
"Third tier for everyone else."
Yang Cheng knew how to manage a locker room better than anyone.
In a season where every other club was raising wages, Bayswater Chinese wouldn't—but they'd offer a massive bonus pool instead.
That would keep players happy and motivated.
"As for club staff and employees, I'll leave that to you. Coordinate with all departments," Yang Cheng said, smiling at Xia Qing.
She was momentarily stunned—then looked up into Yang Cheng's eyes and saw deep trust and support.
This was one of the most lucrative responsibilities at the club.
By handing it to her, Yang Cheng was showing complete and heartfelt trust.
This was real leadership.
One hand on personnel, the other on finance.
True power.
Of course, Yang Cheng didn't delegate so casually.
He wasn't some love-blind character from a romance novel.
The truth was, Xia Qing had done an excellent job at the club over the past few years.
Yang Cheng had total confidence in her abilities.
Besides, with over 100 full-time staff and more than 300 employees overall, how could he possibly manage it all himself?
Now, he only focused on the heads of core departments.
Xia Qing, Adam Crozier, Omar Berrada, Chris Hunter, and the first-team coaching staff.
Also Dan Ashworth and a few senior figures on the academy side.
If he tried to micromanage everything, he simply wouldn't have the time or energy.
Naturally, Xia Qing wouldn't handle everything personally either.
Her finance department had plenty of staff now.
At this scale, Bayswater Chinese was more than just a football club—it was a sizable enterprise.
Annual revenue in the hundreds of millions of pounds—well over a billion yuan.
In China, that would qualify as a key enterprise, the kind that could sit down with city leaders.
Let alone the fact that a football club held massive social influence and market appeal.
It also drove consumption and created jobs in the surrounding area.
Each home game required the hiring of several thousand part-time workers.
Westminster was wealthy, no doubt.
But even they now recognized Bayswater Chinese's growing influence.
What if the club left?
They were the only football club in the entire borough.
And there was more—this tied directly into the Queen's Road redevelopment and the revitalization of the Bayswater area.
So Westminster's attitude toward the club had completely changed.
Yang Cheng could no longer manage the entire club like he had in the past, handling everything himself.
...
After the "family meeting," it was time for the mid-tier meeting.
Yang Cheng and Xia Qing called in Adam Crozier and the others for a core departmental strategy session.
And after that—came the general assembly.
Bayswater Chinese Officially Announces a Series of Major Initiatives for 2008
The most media-grabbing announcement was the £8 million bonus fund.
Even now, many still believed Bayswater Chinese was that little club with empty pockets—unable to compare to the traditional Premier League giants like Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool.
Some even ranked them below clubs like Tottenham and Everton.
A long-standing bias, to be sure.
More importantly, Bayswater Chinese had always projected a "we're seriously broke" image—quietly making money while selling players year after year.
It just didn't give off that "big club" aura.
Which is precisely why the £8 million bonus bombshell had such an explosive impact.
Not only did it set the media abuzz—it sent shockwaves through the locker room.
The players were thrilled.
According to Xia Qing's tiered bonus structure, the core players could receive up to £350,000 each.
That's basically two months' wages—like getting a 14-month salary.
The players in the dressing room were practically ecstatic.
Yang Cheng could only shake his head.
Some things never change, no matter where in the world you are.
Doesn't matter how much footballers make—they're still just working stiffs.
Grind it out all year just to get a 14th paycheck—look how happy they are.
Do they even know… that his wife secretly gave him a £2 million raise this year—after taxes?
Which proves: No matter how good your job is, it's nothing compared to marrying right!
...
Annual Christmas parties at football clubs were nothing new.
Bayswater Chinese had theirs every year too.
But this year? This year was different.
First came Newcastle's Joey Barton.
On Christmas, he and two friends assaulted two men in Merseyside. He was arrested by local police.
Footballer brawls weren't unusual. But here's the kicker: Barton's "friends" were a man and a woman, and the incident happened in the early morning hours. All three were drunk, and the fight happened right on the street.
And it wasn't Barton's first.
Back at Manchester City, he was always in trouble—even assaulted a fan once.
But Barton was just the appetizer.
Then News of the World exposed Manchester City's 19-year-old defender Micah Richards.
He and a teammate reportedly played a very risqué game with a girl under 20—footage and all.
Apparently, the video included some... technical moves. Let's just say they were unprintable.
Worse? Richards himself recorded it—and shared it everywhere.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but sigh, No education really is dangerous.
Which reminded him of what Adam Crozier once said: "In Britain, attending football matches is a real cultural institution."
But this crowd? They had way too much free time. Maybe they needed to try a little 996 to keep them grounded.
And then came the real scandal.
Manchester United's center-back Jonny Evans was accused of rape—at the team's own Christmas party.
Reportedly, due to a packed schedule, United hadn't officially organized a party. The players threw their own.
Every senior team player attended—except Cristiano Ronaldo.
Most explosive of all?
None of the players brought wives or girlfriends.
Reporters, who'd gotten early tips, waited outside—and saw dozens of women lining up outside the venue.
"Only the prettiest women were allowed inside."
Everyone knew exactly what that meant.
And during that party, Evans went upstairs with a 26-year-old woman.
She later accused him of rape.
The British press reported that Ferguson exploded in fury—lashing out at Ferdinand, Giggs, and Gary Neville.
Especially Rio Ferdinand, who had organized the whole thing and spent £100,000 on it.
The scandal made for a wild, noisy Christmas.
Yang Cheng, meanwhile, wasn't all that shocked.
It was just people using each other.
The woman—and all the others there—why were they there to begin with?
Obvious.
So why did she bite back?
Well, that's complicated.
Maybe they didn't settle the price. Maybe there were other disputes.
British tabloids love paying "victims" for juicier scoops.
And the "victims"? They'd love to ride the fame train.
Some even had the skills to turn into full-blown football WAG celebrities overnight.
Like that Sun Page Three model who shared her name with an NBA legend.
More mature clubs had ways to handle these things.
Usually it was just trading favors with the media to keep things quiet, then privately settling with the "victim."
Brush it off, move on.
At the end of the day, footballers are paid to play football.
As long as they perform on the pitch, the public doesn't care. These stories become gossip.
Just ask Ronaldinho. Or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's absence from this year's party? Likely had something to do with his own recent accusation.
...
That was the tone of this Christmas—loud, messy, and scandal-filled.
At the same time, the media went wild with year-end rankings and awards.
Bayswater Chinese obviously weren't contenders for the Ballon d'Or or FIFA World Player of the Year.
But in the young player categories? They were killing it.
FourFourTwo, the respected British football magazine, published its annual Top 20 list of the most promising young players in world football.
All under 20 years old.
Bayswater Chinese had five players on the list—one quarter of the entire selection.
They were: Rakitić, Lewandowski, Di María, Gareth Bale, and Walcott.
Rakitić had long been a known quantity in European football—a technically gifted midfield maestro who shone at Basel in the first half of 2007.
After joining Bayswater Chinese, he showed tremendous potential for development.
Di María, meanwhile, had won the U20 World Cup with Argentina in Canada this year.
Before the tournament, all the hype was around Sergio Agüero.
But in the end, it was Di María who stole the show.
After Ashley Young's transfer to Manchester United, Di María took over the left wing at Bayswater Chinese and quickly impressed.
Gareth Bale and Walcott needed no introduction. The British media had been hyping them to the moon, and the rest of Europe now agreed: these two were future superstars.
Lewandowski was the most surprising inclusion.
But since joining Bayswater Chinese, the Polish striker had gradually displaced Lambert and become a regular rotation option—his performances consistently solid.
Outside of Bayswater Chinese, Arsenal's Denílson (born in '88) and Mexican forward Carlos Vela also made the list.
Manchester United had Gerard Piqué.
Liverpool had Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva.
Piqué and Vela hadn't played much yet. Denílson and Lucas, on the other hand, had already featured frequently for the senior team.
As for Bayswater Chinese's five?
They weren't just prospects—they were performing.
Across continental Europe, other hot young talents included:
Agüero at Atlético Madrid, Benzema at Lyon, Bojan and Giovani dos Santos at Barcelona, Pato at AC Milan, and Toni Kroos and Breno at Bayern Munich.
At This Year's U-17 World Cup in South Korea, Toni Kroos Captained the German Youth Team
Although he didn't lead them to the title, he won the Golden Ball and was praised by FIFA as the future No. 10 for Bayern Munich and Germany.
Five goals and four assists—Kroos displayed his full range of ability.
The award was presented by the Kaiser himself, Franz Beckenbauer, who praised him by saying, "I've never seen a player this young perform with such maturity and composure."
In addition to the U-17 World Cup, Kroos also shone during the U-17 European Championship qualifiers.
In the three matches played during the final three months of 2007, he scored three goals and provided one assist.
At the club level, Kroos had little playing time this season but left a very strong impression.
On September 26, in Bundesliga Round 7, during Bayern Munich's home match against Energie Cottbus, Kroos came on as a substitute for 18 minutes and became the youngest player to debut in Bayern's history.
And within those 18 minutes, he delivered two assists.
Toni Kroos had truly announced himself to the world!
However, Bayern's head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld and the club's upper management responded by trying to cool the hype.
They urged the media not to give him too much attention.
Bayern's chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, publicly stated that Kroos was not yet ready to play a bigger role in the first team. "His most important task right now is to learn and develop."
German media believed Bayern were intentionally keeping a low profile to shield the youngster from too much pressure.
Yang Cheng had been closely watching Toni Kroos for a while.
After Kroos played against Cottbus, Yang Cheng even sent him a congratulatory message.
Kroos replied with a thank-you message.
That was the extent of their communication.
...
This year's Christmas fixture schedule still featured three matches: December 26th, 29th, and January 1st.
Three matches in just seven days—an intense grind that few could endure.
Everyone agreed the toughest match was the one on the 26th—away, and scheduled for 1 PM.
If it were a local derby, that would be manageable. But for longer-distance fixtures, teams had to hit the road at dawn.
Which meant that, on the morning after Christmas, players barely had time to sleep before being dragged out for travel.
This is where the early-season fixture input process paid off.
Looking across Round 19, most away matches were either local or short trips.
For instance, Blackburn played Manchester City, and Arsenal visited Portsmouth—both relatively close cities.
Bayswater Chinese played away to West Ham, while Fulham played Spurs—both London derbies.
In truth, arranging Premier League fixtures was no easy task.
In their match against West Ham, Bayswater Chinese played a poor first half.
It wasn't until the 42nd minute that Yaya Touré broke the deadlock with a lobbed finish.
Then in the 61st minute, Leighton Baines assisted Lewandowski for the second goal.
Final score: a 2–0 away win for Bayswater Chinese.
Chelsea, on the other hand, drew 4–4 at home with Aston Villa.
Drogba was injured and absent; Shevchenko scored a brace with one goal coming from a penalty.
But in the first half, Villa scored twice on the counter.
It was during first-half stoppage time that Ballack surged into the Villa box and was taken down by Knight, resulting in a red card and a penalty.
Shevchenko converted.
However, replays cast doubt on whether it was really a foul, and Villa were set to appeal.
In the second half, the referee sent off Chelsea's Carvalho and Ashley Cole—possibly as an attempt to "balance" things out.
In the end, the game finished 4–4.
Liverpool beat Derby County 2–1 away thanks to goals from Torres and Gerrard.
Manchester United crushed Sunderland 4–0 with a brace from Saha.
Arsenal drew 0–0 away at Portsmouth.
...
The day after Round 19 ended—December 27—Bayswater Chinese received their first transfer bid of the winter window.
Chelsea submitted a £20 million offer for Russian star Andrey Arshavin.
Russian players had impressed all season in the Premier League.
But Bayswater Chinese rejected the bid.
Later, Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon called Adam Crozier directly to ask if the club would consider selling Arshavin.
Following Yang Cheng's strategic directive, Crozier firmly stated that Bayswater Chinese would not sell any players during the winter window.
British media soon reported that Chelsea had shifted their focus to Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka.
...
Premier League Round 20.
During the packed Christmas schedule, every club had to rotate heavily.
No one could play three matches with the same starting eleven.
That made rotation strategy crucial—and risky.
Chelsea had dropped points at home to Aston Villa, and this round was just as shaky.
Essien opened the scoring in the first half.
But Newcastle equalized in the second.
Then, in the 87th minute, Kalou scored a blatantly offside goal that was somehow allowed to stand.
Newcastle were furious.
Last round, it was a red card that turned things around for Chelsea. This time, it was an offside goal.
Two controversial results in a row—both sparked heated media debates about fairness.
Manchester United, meanwhile, lost 1–2 away to West Ham.
The Red Devils' match exposed an unexpected issue.
Despite having defenders like Ferdinand, Vidic, and Wes Brown, they conceded back-to-back headed goals.
People began to notice that United's "impenetrable" backline had some real weaknesses in the air.
Arsenal fell behind early away to Everton, but stormed back to win 4–1—again, the goal they conceded was a header.
Liverpool drew 0–0 away to Manchester City.
But the most shocking result of the round?
Bayswater Chinese's trip to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur.
From the 6th minute, the match was a wild ride.
Marcelo was immediately targeted down the left.
With Yaya Touré rested, Matic and Matuidi failed to protect that side, and in the 6th minute, Robbie Keane exploited the weakness—assisting Berbatov for the opener.
Because of their similar play styles, the Bulgarian striker had often been compared to Džeko this season.
There were even rumors that United were considering either Džeko or Berbatov for a summer transfer.
In this match, Berbatov looked especially fired up.
Conceding early had caught Yang Cheng and his coaching staff off guard.
But there was no time to dwell—Yang Cheng immediately adjusted tactics and launched an all-out assault.
In the 16th minute, after Gareth Bale's free kick was blocked by the wall, Bayswater Chinese reorganized their attack.
Marcelo, positioned just outside the left edge of the box, struck a fierce shot that beat the Spurs keeper and tied the game.
The Brazilian left-back redeemed himself.
And from there, the match spiraled into chaos.
Bayswater Chinese soon earned a corner—Koscielny rose and powered in a header to make it 2–1.
Then, Still on Bayswater Chinese's Left Flank, Defoe Crossed in and Berbatov Once Again Won the Header and Scored, Making It 2–2!
The match was heating up fast.
Džeko, who had started as Bayswater Chinese's center-forward, seemed fired up by Berbatov's performance. Soon after, he met a cross from the left flank with a powerful header to beat Spurs' goalkeeper, reclaiming the lead.
3–2!
After the second-half restart, Spurs again targeted Bayswater Chinese's left side and won a free kick.
Berbatov stepped up once more—and completed his hat-trick.
3–3!
Shortly after, Rakitić delivered a beautiful through ball. Džeko picked it up just outside the box, weaved past Spurs' two center-backs—Ledley King and Younès Kaboul—and neither could stop him as the Bosnian stormed into the penalty area and slotted it home.
4–3!
The game had completely gone off the rails.
Both Juan de Ramos and Yang Cheng were desperate to make substitutions and tactical changes—but the match's tempo was entirely out of their control.
The players on both sides were playing out of their minds.
In the dying minutes, Robbie Keane drove down the right wing and broke into Bayswater Chinese's penalty area.
Marcelo chased him all the way—but fell for Keane's trick, brought him down, and gave away a penalty.
Robbie Keane stepped up and converted.
4–4!
The goal-fest had White Hart Lane on its feet—the crowd loving every moment.
But for Marcelo, the young full-back, it brought tremendous pressure.
Before this, through 19 rounds of Premier League action, Bayswater Chinese had only conceded 11 goals—the second-best defense in the league behind Manchester United—and also had the most goals scored.
Yet in this one game, they conceded four.
It was also the first time in Neuer's career that he'd conceded four goals in a single match.
In the dressing room after the match, before Yang Cheng even arrived, Neuer had already lashed out at the defense.
He didn't name names—but everyone knew where the issue was.
Other defenders and midfielders were also disappointed with the left flank's performance.
Especially the final penalty—it was clear that Robbie Keane had gone down too easily.
And yet Marcelo still stuck out a foot.
When Yang Cheng entered the dressing room, he immediately sensed the tension.
He could see it in the coaching staff's eyes.
But he pretended not to notice.
He didn't even offer Marcelo any direct comfort.
Regarding the draw, Yang Cheng said he could accept it—but not the team's defensive performance.
"This isn't just on the back line. The midfield—no issues there? The forwards—no fault at all?"
Both teams had lost their heads in the heat of battle.
No one dared say a word in response.
In the end, Yang Cheng said: the match was over, and the issue would not be brought up again.
As for Marcelo, Yang Cheng didn't go out of his way to console him.
With his playing style, situations like this would happen again.
Yang Cheng believed he needed to learn how to deal with that kind of pressure.
He had never doubted the Brazilian's talent, especially his attacking flair.
But a disciplined Brazilian—that's what made a world-class player.
Just like the old football saying: If Brazil plays with discipline, they win the World Cup.
One goal, four goals conceded from his flank—that was the Marcelo story in a nutshell.
...
Though he didn't say anything in the dressing room, Yang Cheng did attend the post-match press conference.
There, he publicly defended Marcelo.
He said Marcelo was a player he believed in deeply and would continue to trust.
"At just 19 years old, I don't think he should bear the blame for this match."
"If anyone must take responsibility for conceding four goals, then it should be me—the head coach."
Yang Cheng also made it clear he would continue to play Marcelo.
"I don't know what others see, but what I see is a young man who scored a goal today and produced several brilliant moments during the match."
"I hope people focus more on those moments."
The message was clear: the media needed to stop focusing only on the negatives and give the kid some credit.
But of course, the media didn't listen.
By the next morning, nearly every outlet covering the 4–4 thriller spotlighted Marcelo's disastrous performance.
Since joining Bayswater Chinese, Marcelo had constantly been criticized for his attacking prowess and defensive frailty.
But this match was especially bad.
All four goals conceded came down his side.
And the final penalty?
Completely unnecessary.
The defense was already in position—Keane might not have even scored had he gotten the shot off.
But Marcelo's challenge gave Spurs a lifeline.
Fans joined the backlash too.
With Manchester United losing, Bayswater Chinese had a golden opportunity to take the top spot.
And it was squandered by that last-minute penalty.
Many supporters even felt that Danny Collins—now at Manchester City—would've been a better backup for Leighton Baines than Marcelo.
At least Collins was a reliable English defender.
"Letting Danny Collins go and keeping Marcelo was Yang Cheng's biggest mistake of the summer window!" the headlines screamed.
...
Yang Cheng ignored the outside noise and didn't respond.
Time moved forward. The calendar turned to 2008.
January 1st—Premier League Round 21.
Bayswater Chinese hosted Portsmouth at home.
They came out on fire.
Marcelo was dropped for this game—Leighton Baines started in his place.
Just four minutes in, Baines made a run down the left and pulled the ball back for Yaya Touré, who struck a long-range effort from the edge of the box.
Then Maicon sent in a cross from the right—Walcott met it with a header, but it went wide.
Wave after wave of attacks—especially from the flanks—completely overwhelmed Portsmouth.
In the 13th and 16th minutes, Arshavin scored twice.
One of those goals came from a Di María cross, smashed home with a volley near the penalty spot.
Though Portsmouth pulled one back in the second half, Džeko responded with a brace of his own.
Final score: Bayswater Chinese 4–1 Portsmouth.
The win helped relieve pressure on Marcelo.
After all, he wasn't a starter—and this match, he wasn't even in the squad.
Chelsea, meanwhile, came from behind to beat Fulham 2–1 away—with the winning goal coming from a controversial penalty.
Manchester United didn't play well, but an early goal from Tévez gave them a 1–0 win over Birmingham.
Arsenal beat West Ham 2–0.
Liverpool were held to a 1–1 draw by Wigan Athletic.
After 21 rounds, Bayswater Chinese had 15 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses—49 points, sitting second in the table.
Manchester United led with 50 points.
Arsenal were third with 46.
Liverpool and Chelsea were both on 41, but Liverpool held the edge on goal difference, placing them fourth.
And that had many Chelsea fans worried—
Was their club about to follow Arsenal's path?
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