The exclusive interview concluded with Chen Ran’s “genuine and emotional” speech.
As they said their goodbyes, Kirsty Gallacher shook Chen Ran’s hand and gave him a playful eye-roll.
“Mr.
Chen, you must have been the champion of the debate team in university, right?” “Miss Gallacher flatters me.
I’m actually quite an introverted person.” “…”
Walking out of the Sky Sports building, Chen Ran couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.
His first live television interview in this life went pretty well.
He rambled, flattered, and hyped, hoping to divert the English fans’ attention away from Simeone, even if only partially.
In the internet age, information travels incredibly fast.
The major media outlets hadn’t published their reactions yet, but online, the British netizens were already engaged in fiery discussions about Chen Ran’s interview performance.
“I didn’t expect that, despite Chinese football being backward, there are people with good eyes there.” “Exactly.
Plus, this Chinese man knows that the Premier League is the number one league in the world.
That makes him a hundred times better than those idiots in continental Europe!” “Even people in distant China are optimistic about us winning the World Cup again.
It shows that the strength of the England team is universally recognized.” “This kid from China is named Chen Ran, right?
I think he’s alright.
Beckham?
Don’t mention that traitor to me.” “Agreed.
I never really paid attention to this Chinese guy before.
I heard he bought Crystal Palace, right?
I’ll be keeping an eye on Crystal Palace’s performance from now on.” “I declare that from now on, besides Man United, I am also a Crystal Palace fan.
Let that money-grubbing Beckham and Posh Spice screw off to Spain.” “Hey sisters, did you notice how handsome this Chinese man is?
Tall, handsome, and rich.
Cheryl must be dying of happiness.” “Yeah, I’m drooling just looking at him.
That btch Cheryl better move aside; this man is mine.”*
Going off-topic seems to be a universal trait of netizens worldwide, regardless of nationality.
Most British netizens generally felt that although Chen Ran came from a backward footballing nation, he had a good eye and spoke well.
Coupled with his high attractiveness and considerable wealth, he unexpectedly garnered a group of English fangirls.
Of course, Chen Ran had painstakingly praised English football, even resorting to the shameless flattery of predicting England would win the World Cup again.
How could the effect not be good?
As Chen Ran hoped, most people stopped clinging to the Simeone issue.
The few who remained unforgiving were quickly shouted down by others.
This was partly because it was exactly the time when Beckham was pushing to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid, causing his national support to plummet to rock bottom.
Even Man United fans treated him as a traitor, let alone fans of other clubs.
The timing, the environment, and the people all seemed to stand on Chen Ran’s side.
The major media outlets the next day also seemed to be influenced by public opinion online and stopped harping on the Simeone issue.
Perfect!
This crisis wasn’t without its benefits; at the very least, the cohesion of Chen Ran’s brand-new coaching team had massively improved.
What’s more, he had successfully earned Simeone’s gratitude.
The most intuitive reflection of this was the significantly improved efficiency of the coaching staff.
The Crystal Palace team, which had essentially been pushed to a complete rebuild by Chen Ran, faced no major issues.
The new arrivals and the remaining veterans got along fairly harmoniously, at least keeping up appearances.
“Boss, these are the tactical setups I designed for the team after observing the characteristics of the players.”
The fully devoted and exceptionally hardworking Simeone was the first to present his plan, which instantly provoked Guardiola and Southgate.
This is exactly how intense internal competition starts.
However, Chen Ran indicated that he was very pleased.
As expected, Simeone’s tactic was still a defensive counter-attack; it was likely a gene ingrained in his bones.
And Chen Ran’s transfers this time provided plenty of room for Simeone’s tactics to be executed.
Luca Toni (Target Man) Peter Crouch (Striker) C.
Ronaldo (Winger – his center-forward attributes were yet to be developed) Franck Ribéry (Winger/Wide Midfielder) Luka Modrić (Attacking Midfielder/Central Midfielder) Guardiola (Defensive Midfielder) Simeone (Defensive Midfielder) Yaya Touré (Defensive Midfielder) Pepe (Center-back) Giorgio Chiellini (Left-back/Center-back) Nemanja Vidić (Center-back) Gareth Southgate (Center-back) Thiago Silva (Center-back) Maicon (Right-back) Petr Cech (Goalkeeper)
Chen Ran had stockpiled a massive number of players in the midfield and defense; even the backup center-back positions were fully stocked.
One must know that in his previous life, Simeone was an oddball who once fielded an extreme formation with four defensive midfielders, showing just how important defense was in his heart.
After inspecting the current squad, Simeone felt like he had found a treasure trove.
Although there was a large number of youngsters, some still very raw and lacking experience, there was no denying they were all highly talented players, without exception.
Simeone was astounded by this.
Where did the boss find all these geniuses?
Why have I never heard of any of them?
Could the boss be hiding a top-tier global scouting network?
Looking at the young Chen Ran before him, Simeone opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t voice his questions.
He wasn’t a reckless kid; some things were better kept to oneself.
What he was meant to know, the boss would naturally tell him.
Anyway, the more powerful the boss was, the greater the benefits he would reap.
This young Chinese man treated him well; all he had to do was work hard to repay him.
Chen Ran was deeply engrossed in analyzing Simeone’s tactical design, completely unaware that this tough-looking guy possessed such a rich inner monologue.
“Not bad, Diego.
This tactic fully utilizes Crystal Palace’s current characteristic of having many defensive players.
Starting tomorrow, you will lead the team to train according to this tactic, let’s see how effective it is.”
“Okay, Boss.”
When Simeone brought Chen Ran’s orders to Guardiola and Southgate, the two instantly panicked.
Damn it, one step behind means you’re always behind!
Our tactics aren’t even finished yet, and Diego is already starting to train the team?
If his tactical training yields great results, will the boss even consider our plans?
There was no helping it; Crystal Palace’s signings were now complete.
As the interim head coach, Chen Ran had started spending all day at the training ground watching the team train.
Although the assistant coaches ran the sessions, what they trained, how they trained, who was working hard, who was slacking off, and how effective the training was—everything was under Chen Ran’s complete control.
Although Guardiola and Southgate were unwilling to concede, they were still players and possessed professional dedication.
They joined the other players in practicing the defensive counter-attack under Simeone’s command.
Of course, the tactical setups they designed were swiftly handed over to Chen Ran over the following days.
When Chen Ran opened them, he immediately burst out laughing.