Soccer: I’m Building a Giant in the Premier League

Chapter 24 – Chelsea Can't Handle It

Even before Christmas, Yang Cheng had already started planning how to face Chelsea.

And once the FA confirmed the match would be played at Stamford Bridge, Yang doubled down on his research into the Blues.

Up to that point in the season, Chelsea had played 9 home matches, with an impressive record of 7 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss.

The two slip-ups?

Round 4 vs. Blackburn, and Round 16 vs. Bolton.

Yang Cheng studied those two games over and over—and he discovered a critical weakness in Chelsea's setup.

Claudio Ranieri was still using a traditional 4-4-2, but the personnel had changed.

In the match against Blackburn, Makélélé had not yet arrived from Real Madrid, leaving the midfield soft—especially the defensive midfield.

That's how Blackburn scored just 19 seconds into the match:

Desailly, as the left center-back, lost the ball at midfield, and Blackburn launched a swift counter.

Jansen assisted Andy Cole to finish it off.

Blackburn then repeatedly attacked Chelsea's right flank.

Why?

Because Chelsea's right-side defense consisted of two youngsters: Glen Johnson and John Terry.

By the time they played Bolton in mid-December, the issue still hadn't been fixed.

Though Terry had assisted Crespo to score in the 22nd minute, he later scored an own goal, handing Bolton the win.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce also zeroed in on Chelsea's right side.

In just the 8th minute, midfielder Nolan sprayed the ball wide left to Gardner, who crossed into the box—Kevin Davies nearly headed it in.

Had it gone in, it would've changed the match entirely.

Even the final own goal came from another left-side attack and a low cross.

Chelsea had issues on both ends of the right flank.

Hence, the rumors of them targeting Blackburn's Emerton in the winter window—a top-performing right winger.

As for the right-back position, Glen Johnson was gradually taking over from Melchiot.

Terry was also edging out Desailly, forming a new partnership with Gallas.

Managers Souness (Blackburn) and Allardyce (Bolton) had both shown Yang Cheng exactly where to attack.

…

"I'm not planning to play counterattacking football against Chelsea."

As Yang sat with his staff for the final tactical meeting, his words silenced the room.

"Chelsea might be packed with stars, but that doesn't mean we can't go toe-to-toe."

Even Brian Kidd looked stunned.

Dude… this is Chelsea, not Chesterfield.

This is the club that just spent nearly £200 million building a superstar squad. Are you serious?

Yang noticed everyone's expressions and smiled slightly.

Without saying another word, he pulled the tactical board closer.

Soon, he had Chelsea's likely 4-4-2 drawn out.

"Here's what we can confirm:

Goalkeeper: Cudicini

Center-backs: Gallas (left), Terry (right)

Midfield: Makélélé and Lampard in the center

Left midfield: Duff

Forward: Mutu."

As he spoke, he marked each player on the board.

No objections from the rest of the staff.

"Right side is the only real question—could be Glen Johnson, could be Melchiot. We're a League Two side, after all."

Brian Kidd chuckled. "We're not just any League Two side. We're top of the table."

Everyone laughed. Tension eased a bit.

"Johnson's defending is weak. Melchiot's big but slow and clumsy."

"Lampard usually covers the right, next to Makélélé.

But the right midfielder could be Joe Cole or Gronkjaer—neither likes tracking back.

That leaves Chelsea's right flank constantly exposed."

"Left side? Duff's aggressive. Whether it's Bridge or Babayaro at left-back, it's fine."

"Up front, Mutu's a lock. Partner could be Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen, or Crespo."

Verón was often a starter but didn't pair well with Lampard.

In a traditional 4-4-2—especially in England—the two central midfielders are supposed to cover from box to box.

But times had changed.

This style was already outdated.

Even Wenger's unbeaten Arsenal played 4-4-2 in name only.

Bergkamp functioned more like a deep-lying 10 than a true striker.

Same for Chelsea—despite having strikers like Hasselbaink and Crespo, it was Mutu who best fit this system, playing a Bergkamp-like role.

In truth, Chelsea's shape was more of a 4-2-3-1.

That's where Verón and Lampard together didn't work—no defensive balance.

Which made Makélélé indispensable.

And with Lampard being the untouchable English ironman, Verón was benched.

But a new problem emerged:

Makélélé and Lampard couldn't control or create in midfield.

Not a minor issue.

Even Mourinho, when he took over, couldn't fully solve it.

That's why Drogba, a tactical forward who linked up play and helped midfield, fit better than Shevchenko or Torres ever did.

And this wasn't just Chelsea's problem.

It was England's problem, one they'd wrestled with for decades.

"Brian."

Yang looked at Brian Kidd with a smile.

"Remember what I told you the first time we met?"

"Of course," Kidd nodded.

Back then, Yang had explained the structural flaws in English football, youth development, and the broader tactical evolution across Europe.

These weren't secrets—guys like Ferguson and Kidd knew all this.

But Yang's solutions had caught Kidd's attention.

"My current team is still far from what I envision.

But Chelsea? They're not England's strongest either.

So I want to test us at Stamford Bridge."

Kidd's eyes lit up.

He even stood up, visibly excited.

…

January 3, evening, Stamford Bridge.

FA Cup Third Round: Bayswater Chinese FC vs. Chelsea.

Yang Cheng stuck with his 4-3-3.

GK: Joe Hart

Defense: Capaldi – Koscielny – Johnson – Steve Jenkins

Midfield: Huddlestone (deep), Rowlands, Modrić

Forwards: Ribéry – Lambert – Devaney

He didn't start Dave Kitson, despite his hat trick on debut.

Instead, he chose Lambert, whose tactical intelligence suited the plan better.

At right-back, young Kevin Foley had been good recently, but Yang preferred Jenkins' experience for this test.

Chelsea, as expected, rotated.

Ranieri clearly wanted to win a trophy amid league struggles.

Chelsea XI:

Cudicini

Babayaro – Gallas – Terry – Melchiot

Gronkjaer – Makélélé – Lampard – Joe Cole

Mutu – Hasselbaink

Yang had guessed wrong on one player—Duff didn't start.

Clearly, Ranieri didn't take the League Two side seriously.

And why should he?

Even Chelsea's worst player probably cost more than Bayswater's entire squad.

No reason to worry—on paper.

Referee Alan Wiley even warned the Bayswater players pre-match, concerned they'd resort to rough tactics.

Then the match kicked off.

And Stamford Bridge went silent.

This was Bayswater's first televised match—their first time in front of a global audience.

And they started with a series of crisp, one-touch passes.

Smooth. Sharp. Confident.

Chelsea's forwards tried to press—but couldn't get close.

Until the ball reached Modrić near the center circle.

He turned to take on Makélélé—only to be bumped off the ball.

Short but powerful, Makélélé's tackle won cheers from the crowd.

Over 38,000 fans in the stadium.

Only 5,000 supported Bayswater—and many weren't even diehards.

After losing the ball, Bayswater immediately pressed.

Lambert harassed the backline, Rowlands jumped in—and won it back.

Yang's tactic: press hard after losing the ball; if regained, keep possession in midfield.

Chelsea had only two midfielders, both playing deeper.

If Bayswater controlled midfield, Lampard and Makélélé would be forced to push up.

And Lambert, acting as a false 9, would drop deep.

That would pull Chelsea's defense up—and create space behind.

In the 4th minute, it happened.

Rowlands, under pressure from Lampard, passed to Modrić.

He barely held off Makélélé and fed Lambert.

Lambert, without stopping, laid it off to Huddlestone.

Huddlestone looked up—and launched a long pass.

The crowd gasped.

Ribéry, in red, sprinted down the left flank like a blade slicing through butter.

He reached the ball near the corner flag and controlled it.

But by then, Melchiot had recovered.

Ranieri's Italian discipline meant defense was tight.

One-on-one.

Ribéry didn't wait.

He feinted toward the byline, then cut inside.

Melchiot read it—moved in.

Ribéry suddenly stopped and shifted back outside.

Melchiot, all 6'2" and packed with muscle, couldn't adjust.

Ribéry flew past him.

With two slick touches, he was inside the box.

Terry closed in.

Ribéry stopped again, narrowly avoiding the tackle, then cut the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box.

Rowlands arrived, struck it first-time—

GOAL!

Silence.

Stamford Bridge was stunned.

On the scoreboard, 0–0 became 0–1.

The world had just witnessed the moment of shock.

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