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

Chapter 39 – The Data Maestro

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Danny Coyne

Defenders: Laurent Koscielny, Kevin Foley, Tony Capaldi, Roger Johnson, José Fonte, Danny Collins, Łukasz Piszczek, Martin Škrtel

Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Tom Huddlestone, Leon Andreasen, Gökhan Inler, Blaise Matuidi, Lassana Diarra

Forwards: Franck Ribéry, Rickie Lambert, Dave Kitson, Ashley Young, Aaron Lennon

This was Bayswater Chinese FC's official first-team squad for the new season.

After securing Lassana Diarra, Yang Cheng basically shut down the club's transfer operations.

There were only 21 players, but Yang Cheng believed that quality trumped quantity.

It was enough.

A lean squad meant more match time for each player—crucial for their growth and development.

With the exception of veteran keeper Danny Coyne, the oldest player in the squad was Dave Kitson, born in January 1980.

He was just 24 years old.

From a player development perspective and considering the club's finances, Yang Cheng was convinced this was the right size.

Of course, if injuries piled up, there'd be nothing they could do.

Compared to last season, the squad had many new faces, but the team's core spine remained intact:

Joe HartLaurent KoscielnyRoger JohnsonTom HuddlestoneLuka ModrićFranck RibéryRickie LambertDave Kitson

This consistency ensured the continuity of the tactical system, which Yang Cheng had carefully cultivated.

The club signed 11 new players this summer.

Three—Fonte, Coyne, and Matuidi—came on free transfers.

The other eight cost £4.1 million.

For Bayswater Chinese FC, that was a massive outlay—among the highest in the Championship.

But they also earned £6 million in player sales, including Martin Rowlands, Martin Devaney, Chambers, and others.

Some of the fees helped cover stadium rental and other expenses.

So in the end, Bayswater Chinese FC had a slight positive balance in their summer transfer window.

And that was thanks to the European Union.

With Poland and Slovakia joining the EU, Yang Cheng capitalized on the new work permit rules to bring in Škrtel and Piszczek—cheap but high-potential players.

Whether the overall strength had improved, however, would depend on the summer preseason and integration.

…

Back in London, Yang Cheng dove headfirst into the chaos of preseason.

The youth academy overhaul was progressing steadily.

Dan Ashworth and his team were now fully onboard, and the priority was trimming the fat.

Under Yang Cheng's plan, each academy player needed to play at least 40% of the season's matches.

That meant limiting squad sizes for each age group.

This wasn't theory—this had been tested across Europe, and Yang Cheng had seen it himself in his previous life.

For year one, the academy's focus would be internal consolidation.

Some players would be cut for not meeting standards.

Only after that would they begin external recruitment.

And even then, there was a mountain of work to do.

They'd need to build relationships with local communities, schools, and football associations.

Fortunately, that wasn't Yang Cheng's job.

That would be handled by Dan Ashworth, Gary Worthington, and the team.

But the training base?

That was something Yang Cheng had to personally oversee.

On his second day back from Le Havre, he met with representatives from AFL Architects at the temporary office near Brent Reservoir.

This up-and-coming architectural firm had made a name designing sports complexes—like the City of Manchester Stadium.

They sent five representatives to meet with Yang Cheng:

Bruce Caldwell and Marcel Ridyard (Directors)John Roberts (Design Director)Neil Tootill (Deputy Director of Sports & Leisure)One assistant

They came with a full preliminary design concept, including hand-drawn sketches that integrated the complex with the scenic lakeside environment.

As a total rookie in architecture, Yang Cheng couldn't understand much of the technical jargon.

But the vision?

He loved it.

It aligned with local zoning requirements too—any destruction of the lakeside views would have the city council and community up in arms.

Thankfully, AFL Architects had years of experience dealing with government bureaucracy.

That alone would save the club tons of headaches.

On the football side, Yang Cheng's demands were clear:

A total of 16 professional-grade pitches (across Phases I & II)All with Premier League-standard drainage and under-soil heatingPlans for a full-size indoor training pitch

As for the first-team players' dorms?

Built to 5-star hotel standards.

In his past life, Yang Cheng had always hated having to travel to third-rate hotels before matches.

Now that he had a say?

He'd do it right.

A top-class dormitory on-site would ensure comfort, privacy, and convenience.

…

After finalizing the training base logistics, Yang Cheng turned back to the first team.

Now in the Championship, the club had more debt, but also more cash flow.

So he instructed Lin Zhongqiu to hire a Player Integration Officer—someone to handle off-pitch matters for the players.

Still, Yang Cheng couldn't sit idle.

He personally oversaw the housing for the new signings, visiting apartments and inspecting each one by hand.

This was a detail most managers would skip.

But for Yang Cheng?

It was part of the job.

With the influx of foreign players, translators became a necessity, and recruiting them was on the to-do list.

Thanks to his experience coaching numerous internationals and clubs in his previous life, Yang Cheng was fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and German, so he wasn't worried at all about communication with players.

But what he valued the most was coaching staff recruitment.

Not long ago, Yang Cheng called Pedro Jaro, the goalkeeper coach of the Spanish youth national team, to inquire about his situation and explore whether he'd be interested in coming to England to coach.

Pedro Jaro had worked under Yang Cheng at Real Madrid in his previous life. He was highly skilled and had a real knack for training goalkeepers.

Pedro Jaro came through Atlético Madrid, and his current role with the national team was laid-back but not particularly well-paid, nor did it offer much in terms of growth.

Yang Cheng's offer stirred his interest.

Though he had some concerns about the British weather, Pedro Jaro ultimately chose to take the risk.

However, he wasn't the one Yang Cheng was most excited about.

…

North gate of Hyde Park, near Lancaster Gate Tube Station.

Accompanied by Brian Kidd, Yang Cheng entered the five-star Royal Lancaster Hotel.

The concierge recognized him and came forward to ask if he needed anything.

Yang Cheng went straight up to the 15th floor, where a guest room had been booked under the club's name.

The room was occupied by a middle-aged Italian couple. The registered male guest was Gianni Vio, aged 51.

When Yang Cheng knocked, the door was opened by a bald Italian man, the most distinctive feature being his graying full beard.

"Ciao, Gianni. Welcome to London!"

Yang Cheng greeted him in fluent Italian.

This left Brian Kidd deeply impressed.

He's only 23—how the hell is he this good?

English fluency? Sure. But French, Italian, Spanish too?

If he hadn't gone into coaching, Yang Cheng could've made a killing as a top-tier translator.

In the year they'd worked together, Brian Kidd often felt like Yang Cheng was a bottomless well of surprises—always full of hidden aces.

Just like Gianni Vio.

Where the hell had this guy come from?

Yang Cheng had stumbled upon Vio after buying an Italian-language book on set-piece tactics titled "The Extra 30%".

The book had two authors:

A psychologist named Alessandro TettamanziAnd a bank employee from the Mestre branch of UniCredit named Gianni Vio

Yang Cheng emailed the contact address in the book, and the rest was history.

Now, Gianni Vio was here in London at Yang Cheng's personal invitation.

"Sorry for the delay, Gianni. I've been traveling and things got a bit hectic after I got back," Yang Cheng apologized as they sat down.

"Have you enjoyed London so far?"

The question was addressed to both Vio and his wife.

"It's been wonderful. Thank you so much for the warm welcome, Mr. Yang," replied Mrs. Vio with a smile.

Brian Kidd, meanwhile, had been quietly observing Gianni Vio.

There was a definite academic aura about him—quiet, scholarly, unassuming.

But he was clearly very enthusiastic in his interactions with Yang Cheng.

The conversation quickly turned to The Extra 30%.

Vio had spent most of his life working in banking. Mestre, adjacent to Venice, was famous for its brandy and sparkling cocktails—a laid-back town, but monotonous in the eyes of a number-crunching bank employee.

In his spare time, Vio had enrolled in Italy's national coaching school in Coverciano, earned his coaching license, and dipped his toes into the football world.

In that sense, he was similar to Maurizio Sarri, who also came from a banking background.

The difference?

Sarri went into coaching. Vio went into research.

As he explained it, he had always had a natural affinity for numbers, and after spending years dealing with data and analytics in banking, he developed a fascination with the probabilities and statistics within football—especially in set-pieces.

His graduation thesis at Coverciano was titled:

"Set-Piece Tactics: The Equivalent of a 15-Goal Striker Over a Season"

The ideas in that paper formed the backbone of "The Extra 30%".

The book wasn't just about numbers and tactics—it also addressed psychological battles between attacker and defender.

Hence the involvement of a psychologist as co-author.

According to Vio, a team with effective set-piece tactics could boost their goal output by up to 30%.

In Yang Cheng's past life, he had met Vio and had numerous deep conversations with him.

He firmly believed that Vio had an almost supernatural instinct for data.

When it came to set-pieces alone, this Italian man had crafted 4,830 unique routines.

It was absurd—but it worked.

And Yang Cheng believed that Vio's talents were wasted if confined only to set-pieces.

In his previous life, by the time they met, Vio was already in his 60s, short on energy and time.

But now?

He was only 51. Still full of fire.

Still obsessed with football data.

That's why Yang Cheng had used the book as a pretext to reach out—and had brought him to London.

To others, Gianni Vio was a set-piece expert.

But to Yang Cheng?

He was a football data genius.

More importantly, he was a licensed football coach—and in Italy, where every coach is practically born a tactician.

Yang Cheng's expectations for Vio couldn't be higher.

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