Chapter 145 Open Training, Chelsea's New No.7

The next afternoon, US time, at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Jiang Yuan had his first joint practice with the Chelsea team. The training content was small-scale passing and receiving coordination. This was an open training match, mainly for performance.

The Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL team Carolina Panthers, can accommodate 74867 people at the same time. The only stadiums in the UK that can compare with it are Wembley Stadium and Old Trafford.

Since it was not an official match, only about 2 spectators came to the scene today. Of course, those who are willing to watch Chelsea's open training must be the team's die-hard fans, there is no doubt about that.

George and Williams are British international students studying at the University of North Carolina at Sherlock and are also die-hard Chelsea fans. When they learned that the home team was coming to their school to play a warm-up match, George and Williams were the first to grab tickets for the open training and warm-up match.

The two sat on chairs on the court. Williams ate popcorn and asked George, "George, there was a new Asian guy on the team yesterday. His name was... Jiang? Have you heard of him?"

George shrugged. "Who knows? It seems to be a Portuguese Super League player. It's not the first time Chelsea has bought a player from a Portuguese Super League team, but it's the first time I've seen an Asian. 1300 million euros, how exaggerated! They might as well buy me!"

Williams grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it into the air, then caught it in his mouth when it fell. "Well, that's not true. Mourinho is not a fool. Besides, Asian players are devalued. Maybe they can achieve the same effect as the one worth 1500 million euros?"

George waved his hand: "Don't even think about it. Do you know why Jiang's transfer cost 1300 million euros? Because his penalty clause is 1150 million euros. Chelsea is avoiding taxes in a reasonable way. In fact, this is a player worth 1100 million euros. But... there doesn't seem to be any essential difference between 1100 million euros and 1300 million euros?"

Williams looked calm: "Who cares? If he plays well, applaud. If he plays badly, scold. I had a quarrel with Mourinho when I was watching a game in London before. George, you know that Mourinho can't scold me!"

Suddenly, George pointed to the player tunnel and exclaimed, "It's out, it's out!"

"What's coming out?"

Williams quickly stood up and saw Chelsea players wearing blue home jerseys walking out one after another.

No. 10 Hazard, No. 19 Diego Costa, No. 28 Azpilicueta, and Jiang...

7...Number 7?
"asshole!"

Williams cursed and sat down on the chair angrily. Many Chelsea fans around him had the same idea as him.

Asian player, 17 years old, wearing the No. 6 jersey for the Premier League BIG7 team.

Do you think you are C Ronaldo?

“Xu——!!”

"Take off the jersey!"

As expected, as soon as Jiang Yuan showed his No. 7 jersey, there was a burst of boos in the stadium, and a few people even asked Jiang Yuan to take off his jersey.

Jiang Yuan didn't make any comment on this and could only touch his head to hide his embarrassment. He didn't expect Chelsea fans to react so strongly.

What Jiang Yuan didn't take into account was that most of those who were willing to watch Chelsea's pre-match training were the team's die-hard fans. The die-hard fans had a special feeling for each jersey number, and in their eyes, Jiang Yuan was not worthy of this number.

Hazard patted Jiang Yuan on the shoulder, and Jiang Yuan responded with a thumbs up. He knew it was useless to argue with the fans now.

"All right!"

Mourinho clapped his hands: "Free warm-up, wait for the next task"

Public training match performances are the main thing, and secondly, it is to help the players find their playing form. It can both make money and prepare the team for the next season, and it is the favorite thing for many owners of top teams.

Captain Terry began to lead the team in warm-up, starting with some simple shuttle runs.

However, this is an open training match. With the dual purpose of satisfying the fans and confusing the opponents, Chelsea will certainly not train as usual. So after running about 8 shuttle runs, the players started the circle-grabbing game.

The 24 players are randomly divided into groups of 8, and the goalkeeper also has to participate. After all, in the eyes of fans, the biggest attraction of the circle grabbing game is the goalkeeper. Many people think that the goalkeeper's footwork is not good, but this is actually a misunderstanding. The footwork of the goalkeepers in the top league is not weak at all.

As for Mourinho, the Portuguese coach has been sitting on the bench and being lazy. He has nothing to do today, and the fans will be satisfied as long as he shows up.

"Beep!"

Assistant coach Brown asked the stadium staff to set up a few small gates, and then it was a one-on-one game - the fans' favorite part.

In the stands, Williams ate popcorn and said confidently: "George, just watch it. The physical fitness of Europeans is not comparable to that of Asians. Jiang is wearing the No. 7 jersey. I don't think he can even get past people!"

George was noncommittal: "Williams, you haven't even seen Jiang play football, isn't that a bad thing to say?"

Williams said calmly, "You are right, but Jiang is not good enough. Have you ever seen any Asians playing football in the Premier League who are particularly good?"

"It seems to be the same..."

George thought about it and it was true. Although he could remember those faces, Asian names were not easy to pronounce for people from Latin-speaking countries. Unless they were very familiar with them, George would definitely not be able to call out the complete names of Asian players.

Although the training is not as exciting and interesting as the game, the fans watched it very attentively. This was the first time for 99% of the people to see Jiang Yuan. It can be said that today was the "inspection session" for Chelsea fans!
The teams were still randomly divided, Jiang Yuan faced Chelsea captain Terry.

"Jiang Yuan, come on!"

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded on the court. Because it was in Chinese, Jiang Yuan caught it immediately.

When I looked up, I saw Gao He and his wife and children cheering me on!
Jiang Yuan was quite happy and gave a thumbs up to the opening ceremony.

"Why, does anyone know him?"

Terry asked with a smile. He is 35 years old today and is definitely a veteran of Chelsea. Terry also has the calmness that is unique to veterans. When he speaks to Jiang Yuan, he always has a strange kindness, which always makes Jiang Yuan feel that he is being taken advantage of.

Jiang Yuan kicked the ball to Terry: "Haha, they are Chinese like me, it's not easy for them to stand here"

"Indeed, I felt the same way during my time in Moscow. I felt at home when I heard English on the street."

"Moscow?"

Jiang Yuan was puzzled: "I remember that you played football in England since you were a child. Have you played for a Russian team?"

According to Jiang Yuan, Terry has only played for Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and England national team, so he should have no experience in the Russian league.

"UEFA Champions League final 08, Moscow"

"Oh my god, that's amazing!"

Jiang Yuan finally realized that what Terry was talking about was the Champions League, and the final!

Terry curled his lips and kicked the ball back to Jiang Yuan: "There's nothing worth talking about. In the end, we still lost to Manchester United. Okay, let's get started. It's a good opportunity for me to see if you are as strong as Jose said. Jiang, you have to know that if you want to start at Chelsea, you need more than just the few kicks you have in the Portuguese Super League. Or... did you come to Chelsea just to be a substitute?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I will definitely fight for the starting position."

After saying that, Jiang Yuan started to pass the ball, and Terry made a defensive move.

"ta,ta"

Jiang Yuan used the outside of his foot to push the ball to the right twice. Terry stood diagonally with one foot in front of the other, which allowed him to avoid being penetrated by Jiang Yuan and to chase back when Jiang Yuan made a sudden move.

Jiang Yuan just kicked the ball to the right with his right foot and suddenly started to accelerate.

!!!

Terry quickly moved to his right.

He knew that Jiang Yuan was fast and would definitely not give Jiang Yuan a chance to fall. However, it was with this move of his that Jiang Yuan's chance came.

"Snapped!"

He kicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, and the ball rolled out between Terry's legs.

Crotchless!

"asshole!"

Terry cursed, there was no doubt that he lost.

Although he cursed, Cherry was not very angry. He became even more excited!

Terry pulled his pants up and said, "Come on, kid, keep going!"

Jiang Yuan trotted back with the ball and passed it to Terry, who hit it back.

continue!

……

"Boy, that's pretty good!"

Terry said with a smile that Jiang Yuan succeeded 10 times out of 1 1v4 situations.

Facing Terry, he had a 40% success rate in one-on-one dribbling. Apart from Jiang Yuan, I'm afraid only Hazard in the Chelsea team could do it!

"haha, thank you!"

Jiang Yuan was quite happy to get the recognition from the captain. This was almost his first step to integrate into Chelsea.

Terry and Jiang Yuan played a close-range volley pass. The requirements were simple: pass the ball to each other, but the ball could not fall to the ground.

"Eden's dribbling is mainly based on the change of rhythm, but Jiang, I feel that you don't have too many changes of rhythm. Every change of direction is very crisp, which makes me feel like you are really going to break through over there, hahahaha!"

Terry was right. The reason why Jiang Yuan's change of direction was so confusing was that his dribbling had a very strong impact from the defender's perspective.

When Jiang Yuan changed direction to the left, the twisting of his knees and the movement of his center of gravity made the defender feel that if he didn't kick his foot, he would be unstoppable when he passed by!

Then, Jiang Yuan suddenly moved to the right, and the defender who had already stretched out his legs was completely helpless and could only watch Jiang Yuan pass through his left side.

Jiang Yuan suddenly asked a question: "Captain, do you think this way of passing the ball is feasible in the Premier League?"

Terry took Jiang Yuan's pass and stepped on it: "Of course, you have two of the three most important points of dribbling, namely deception, speed, and rhythm change. Are you still worried about not being able to dribble past the opponent? With your level, you should be the Portuguese king of dribbling, right?"

"No, no, my dribbling times are only ranked 8th, I can't be considered the dribbling king."

Jiang Yuan told the truth that the Portuguese Super League's top dribbler last season was a Benfica player who completed 85 dribbles in total, but Jiang Yuan only completed 60.

"But you only played for half a season!"

Terry smiled and said this most critical question. Yes, 5th in the scorer list, 8th in the successful dribble list, and the best rookie of the season, these are the honors Jiang Yuan has achieved in half a season. If he plays the whole season, I am afraid he will rise several places!
At this moment, Mourinho stood up on the sidelines and said, "Shoot!"

Terry patted Jiang Yuan on the shoulder and said, "Boy, look at your shooting skills!"

Jiang Yuan gave a thumbs up: "I won't let you down!"

Outside the court, George grabbed a handful of golden popcorn from Williams' popcorn bucket: "Williams, what do you think of Jiang's passing?"

Williams simply gave all the remaining popcorn to George and took out a bag of marshmallows from his backpack: "Not bad, I passed Terry 4 times, but Terry might be letting me win, it's hard to say."

"You are really rigorous. I feel that his dribbling is quite good. Although it is a training, it can be seen that Jiang starts very quickly, even faster than Hazard!"

George was a little excited. At this time, the Chelsea fans in the stands had stopped booing Jiang Yuan.

The booing was one thing, but the main reason was Jiang Yuan's performance so far. The biggest difference between watching a football game on TV and watching it live, besides the atmosphere, was the players' sense of speed when watching it live.

On TV, you might think that wingers are average in speed when they dribble and sprint along the sideline, but if you watch it live you’ll find that top league wingers run as fast as dogs!

Williams stretched out his index finger and shook it in front of George: "A striker still has to focus on shooting. If you can only dribble past the defense, you might as well play street football."

“You’re so strict!”

Williams shrugged: "Of course, the players from the top clubs play like the players from the top clubs!"

On the field, Fabregas passed the ball in from the back, Hazard turned with the ball and faced goalkeeper Courtois. Courtois attacked, sitting on the ground with his arms outstretched, and Hazard's shot was blocked by Courtois' left foot.

"Clap clap clap!"

There was applause from the fans in the stadium, of course the applause was not for Hazard, but for Courtois.

Then it was William. He received the ball and turned around in the same way. Before Courtois rushed out, William made a long shot that hit the dead corner of the goal.

"Shit! Good ball!"

Hazard gave William a thumbs up.

The pressure was put on Jiang Yuan.

"Hey!"

Fabregas called out and kicked the ball out. Jiang Yuan pulled the ball with his right foot and turned around, then kicked it sideways with his left foot and approached the penalty area from the left.

"What a quick change of direction!"

Zouma's eyes lit up, and Terry on the side said with a smile: "The Chinese boy is really fast. I'm afraid he can make Premier League defenders suffer a lot. Look at his shot!"

Jiang Yuan's choice was the same as William's. They both wanted to get over there as quickly as possible and kick the ball before Courtois blocked the shooting angle. So Jiang Yuan turned around and took only three steps before he started shooting.

Point your left foot toward the far corner and look toward the far corner.

"Snapped!"

The ball rolled steadily into the near corner of the goal.

Courtois stood there blankly (Courtois was only 23 years old at the time and did not have the ability to react and aim far or near)
Azpilicueta laughed out loud: "Haha, Courtois, what are you doing? Why don't you save the ball?"

Hearing the ridicule from his Spanish teammates, Courtois raised his middle finger and then looked at Jiang Yuan: "Chinese boy, let's do it again!"

Jiang Yuan made an "OK" gesture and shouted to Fabregas behind him: "Cesc, please pass it to me again!"

Fabregas didn't say anything, the ball he passed was his best answer.

"Hey!"

Jiang Yuan met the ball and turned around, and also took three steps before shooting directly at the goal, also from a distance.

This time Courtois learned his lesson and was not fooled by Jiang Yuan, but it was too late for him to make the save and the ball rolled into the net again.

"shit!"

Kultur sat on the grass and gave Jiang Yuan a thumbs up: "Jiang, awesome!"

Sure enough, there is a reason why Mourinho took a fancy to this Chinese boy. The speed of his shot is deceptive and he doesn't look like he is only 17 years old at all!
All this was seen by the head coach Mourinho and assistant coach Brown. Brown handed Mourinho a bottle of purified water and said, "Jose, did we win the lottery?"

Mourinho took the water and shook his head, correcting: "It's not us, it's me! Also, this is not a lottery, he should have behaved like this!"

The corner of Leon Brown's mouth twitched. He has worked with Mourinho for many years, but to this day he still can't get used to the Portuguese's way of speaking.

Straightforward, tricky, and to the point.

Brown looked at the players in training and said, "Jose, do you think Jiang can compete with William for the starting position on the right side? But I remember that he played on the left side. Wouldn't he be unable to adapt to the sudden change of position?"

Mourinho's expression was calm: "If he can't adapt, he can only be a substitute"

"what?"

Brown raised his eyebrows: "But you told me before that Jiang is fully capable of starting on the right side? Then aren't you harming him by buying him now?"

Mourinho shook his head: "Harm him, how could that be. Jiang also played on the right in Porto. I watched the video and the effect was pretty good. Now he is only 17 years old, anything is possible, substitute or starter, it all depends on him. William is a good kid, but he has reached his ceiling. Lyon, I told you, as a winger, William is too slow and has no confrontation"

"So your idea is..."

Mourinho unscrewed the bottle cap: "We need an impactful striker on the right to attract the opponent's defense to our right and fully unleash Eden's potential"

"We can't do what Real Madrid did with 200 million euros, but we can create a unilateral explosion on the left flank!"

……

The open training lasted for about two and a half hours. Although the process was not exciting, the fans were satisfied as long as they could see their favorite players. What's more, the tickets for this open training were very cheap.

After training in passing, 1v1 confrontation, shooting, and circle-grabbing games, Chelsea players' mission for the day was over.

George watched the closing performance on the court and said as he watched, "Williams, I've watched for more than two hours. What do you think of Jiang? Is he worth 1300 million?"

"Hey, say something!"

"Huh? Williams, shit, where are you?"

George turned his head and found that Williams, who was sitting next to him, was gone.

On the other side of the player tunnel, Williams called out from the high stand: "Hey, hey! Jiang, I'm your fan. I've watched you play in the Portuguese Super League since half a year ago. Can you give me an autograph?"

Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard what Williams said.

I started watching my own games half a year ago, I’m an old fan now!
So Jiang Yuan happily took the pen handed to him by Williams and said, "Dude, can I sign your jersey?"

Williams was stunned when he heard this. The jersey he was wearing was the No. 10 Hazard jersey. There was nothing wrong with letting Jiang Yuan sign on it, but the problem was that Jiang Yuan and Hazard were both left wingers, and they were in a competitive relationship. It seemed a bit inappropriate to do this?
Seeing that Williams didn't say anything, Jiang Yuan scratched his head, asked the staff on the sidelines for a warm-up match ball, and wrote his name on it.

"Hey man, this is for you!"

……

At 7 am on July 26th, Beijing time, the match between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain officially started. The stadium with a total capacity of 6 people had nearly 7 people sitting today, which is already a very good figure.

Two hours before the game, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Chelsea first
The goalkeeper position is still the 23-year-old Belgian national goalkeeper Courtois who has already established himself as a main player.

The back line is composed of Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, Zouma and Azpilicueta.

The midfield positions are defensive midfielders Matic and Oscar, and attacking midfielder Fabregas.

The forward line is the best striker trio in the Premier League last season: right winger Willian, left winger Hazard, center forward Diego Costa

Then there is Paris Saint-Germain, the French Ligue 1 giants also have a very luxurious lineup.

Defenders: Maxwell, Thiago Silva, Aurier, Van der Wiel

Midfielders: Matuidi, Stambouli, Verratti
Forwards: Lucas Moura, Ibrahimovic, Augustin

Goalkeeper: Trapp
……

At the beginning of the game, the two sides fought fiercely for 45 minutes in the first half, and the final score was 1-1, with Hazard and Ibrahimovic scoring a goal respectively.

This evenly matched match was extremely exciting to watch for fans from both sides!

During the halftime break, George looked at Williams and asked, "Man, do you think Jiang will play?"

Williams took a handful of candy from his backpack and stuffed it into his mouth: "Of course, it's a warm-up match now, of course I have to check the goods!"

George smacked his lips and said, "I remember Jiang joined the team just the day before yesterday. Isn't it a bit too hasty for him to play today? I think Mourinho can let Jiang Yuan have a try in the next game against Barcelona."

However, facing George's speculation, Williams shook his head: "I have to play today. Everyone is waiting to check it out. I didn't enjoy it enough yesterday!"

"Speaking of yesterday, what did you do yesterday? Why did you leave without telling me?"

"My stomach hurts a bit"

"Your stomach aches. You might have eaten something dirty. How do you feel today?"

"George, don't worry, I'm fine now, just focus on the game!"

Before the start of the second half, the commentator picked up the microphone and announced the substitution plan.

No. 22 William was replaced and the new Chelsea No. 7 that the fans had been longing for came on the field!

……

(End of this chapter)