The next day in training, Guardiola and the others suddenly noticed that C.
Ronaldo was actually starting to pass the ball.
Although his timing still wasn’t perfect, it was at least a good sign.
What’s going on?
We just reported Ronaldo’s issue to the boss yesterday, and today he starts correcting it?
What kind of magic did the boss use to do this?
Or are the three of us just too incompetent?
Guardiola, Simeone, and Southgate looked at each other in dismay.
Was the gap between them and the boss really that huge?
Because the English 4-4-2 was familiar to everyone, the training results were good.
The various positioning, runs, and passing sequences quickly looked quite impressive.
At this point, Chen Ran decided to increase the difficulty.
Thus, the painful period for the Crystal Palace players officially began.
“Quick!
Move faster!
Switch to the Simeone formation!” Chen Ran was no longer just watching silently.
After the main squad played a 60-minute internal scrimmage using the English 4-4-2, he immediately demanded they switch on the fly to Simeone’s defensive counter-attack tactic.
As a result, the players on the pitch instantly fell into chaos.
Some ran to the wrong positions, some forgot their roles—it was a complete mess.
“F***k!
Where are your brains?
How many times have I said it?
How many times have we practiced it?
How can you still remember it wrong?
Have you fed your brains to pigs?!”
Everyone was dumbfounded.
This was the first time they had seen Chen Ran lose his temper and curse.
No one dared to make a sound; they honestly started over.
In the following days, Chen Ran would randomly switch the tactic from Southgate’s to Simeone’s in the middle of internal scrimmages, or from Simeone’s to Southgate’s.
One must realize that different formations have vastly different requirements for players.
Therefore, every day, someone was chewed out by Chen Ran until they were bleeding from the ears.
Chen Ran was also very helpless.
This was just switching between two formations, and it was already this chaotic.
If they added the hardest-to-implement Guardiola tactic, would it even be watchable?
With no other choice, Chen Ran could only rely on repetitive, relentless practice, hoping they would form muscle memory.
So that in the future, the moment they heard the code word for a formation change, the players would instantly know what to do.
Thankfully, before the start of the Championship season, the tactical transition drills finally showed some results and were presentable.
August 9th, the first round of the Championship.
Crystal Palace hosted Burnley at home.
After Chen Ran’s continuous hype previously, Crystal Palace had become the hottest team in the Championship.
It wasn’t that their squad was the strongest, but their media buzz was the highest.
Coupled with the winning streak in the warm-up matches, both the media and the fans eagerly anticipated the start of the season.
Everyone wanted to see if this brand-new Crystal Palace lived up to its name.
The match started at 3 PM, but many fans arrived at the stadium early, wearing jerseys and singing the club anthem in unison.
The atmosphere was incredibly lively.
When Chen Ran led the players off the team bus, they were immediately met with enthusiastic cheers from the fans.
Although Chen Ran, this new owner, often acted unconventionally and did baffling things, it was undeniable that since he arrived, Crystal Palace—a completely invisible club in the Greater London area—had instantly transformed into a hot topic on par with giants like Man Utd, Arsenal, and Liverpool.
Now, Crystal Palace had become a frequent topic of discussion among fans all over England, which made Crystal Palace supporters feel a sense of shared glory.
So, although fans still felt the club chairman acting as the manager was a bit unreliable, the winning streak in pre-season friendlies had rekindled their hopes.
Maybe our new owner really is a genius manager?
Many fans harbored this thought, wanting to see with their own eyes whether Chen Ran was truly cut out to be a coach.
Additionally, many Londoners who weren’t originally Crystal Palace fans came to join the fun out of curiosity about Chen Ran.
As a result, Crystal Palace’s small, dilapidated home ground, which could only hold a little over 26,000 people, was completely sold out for the first home game of the new season.
“So many people!” “Yeah, didn’t expect this.
This is a full house, right?” “Such high attendance for an ordinary Championship match?” “With that Chinese man here, how can you call this an ‘ordinary’ Championship match?” “True.
That guy is too good at hyping himself.
Was he in the media business before?” “Not sure.
But that guy is incredibly cunning.
He dodged every pit we dug for him.
He only takes advantages and never suffers losses; truly a little fox.” “Hehe, don’t be impatient.
Even the most cunning fox is no match for a good hunter.
How long has he been in England?
The days ahead are long; we’ll take our time playing with him.”
Today, not only the fans’ enthusiasm was high, but the media’s as well.
Before the match even started, these reporters already had their articles drafted in their heads.
If Crystal Palace wins, continue to flatter Chen Ran, pushing him as high as possible.
If Crystal Palace loses, then things get even more interesting, hehe…
Chen Ran currently had no mind to care about the media’s twisted schemes.
The design of English stadiums is highly advantageous for cultivating atmosphere.
The stands are so close you can almost talk face-to-face with the players, allowing every reaction from the crowd to directly impact everyone on the pitch.
Don’t be fooled by Selhurst Park’s small 26,000 capacity; when it’s full, the effect is still astonishing.
Right now, Chen Ran was completely awestruck.
The match hadn’t even begun, but the entire stadium singing the Crystal Palace anthem made his blood boil, and he was trembling slightly with excitement.
This, perhaps, is the magic of football.
Burnley’s manager, Stan Ternent, was also shocked by the atmosphere at Crystal Palace’s home ground.
He wasn’t a rookie like Chen Ran; he had brought teams to Selhurst Park many times.
When had it ever been sold out?
Stan Ternent glanced back at Chen Ran, whose hand he had just shaken.
This must be the Chinese man’s doing.
This guy was incredibly good at generating hype; he managed to turn a completely unremarkable team like Crystal Palace into a sensation.
Having managed for years, a man nearly sixty years old, Ternent was actually less famous than a Chinese rookie who just entered the industry.
It was maddening just thinking about it.
But this was fine.
Winning cleanly against Crystal Palace in such a highly-watched match—wouldn’t that be a massive boost to his own face?
Tomorrow’s papers would surely feature his name, maybe even his photo.
Mhm, I must grasp this excellent opportunity to boost my profile.
Thinking of this, Stan Ternent couldn’t help but feel incredibly ambitious.