Chapter 1 Cobham Training Base

The tender green leaves were covered in crystal clear dewdrops, reflecting the figures sprinting across the training ground.

A football rolled out of bounds.

Li Kang watched Buffon walking towards him from a distance, wearing a Chelsea training suit.

A system notification sounded quietly.

[The detected teammate's affinity towards you has reached the upper limit! Overflowing!]

[Blue Bond Established: Dragon Vein Curse Lv3!]

[Description: In February 2012, at the San Siro Stadium, Buffon severed Milan's dragon vein.]

[Curse Effect: When fighting alongside Buffon, the AC Milan soul within you will be exceptionally enraged. When all AC Milan Legend modules are triggered, Buffon will briefly possess the reaction arc and ground speed of 2012.]

Li Kang: "..."

This curse is amazing.

After a significant decline in physical reactions, Buffon has transitioned in recent years, relying more on defensive positioning and anticipation to defuse dangerous situations. Fans rarely see him make brilliant saves anymore.

The highlight reel of De Gea's saves from a few games would take Buffon an entire season to match.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries.

Clap, clap, clap.

Buffon clapped his hands, calling Chelsea's defenders and goalkeepers together.

Čech smiled as he spread a large tactical board on the floor. He wasn't wearing his tank helmet today, and probably wouldn't have to wear it again.

"We don't need to overhaul Chelsea's defensive system."

"You don't need to adapt to me."

"I will adapt to you."

"We just need to unify our defensive thinking in terms of details."

"Like this, like this, and then like that."

"..."

The group discussed animatedly.

Buffon's voice was particularly loud, and he almost skewed Rüdiger's accent as he spoke.

Tuchel stood aside, stroking his chin, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.

That damn possessiveness had long since disappeared without a trace.

How wonderful.

Dino was taking notes diligently, feeling like a sponge, eagerly absorbing Mourinho's imprints, Conte's framework, and Italian defensive philosophies.

Čech occasionally offered his own opinions.

Captain Cahill constantly moved magnetic flags, actively integrating differences in defensive concepts.

The former top defensive players seemed to be building a "fortress."

By lunchtime.

Buffon had become an older brother figure in the eyes of the young players.

"Your idol is Ronaldo? I've played against him many times. We were both very young back then."

"Don't rush, I'll slowly tell you those stories..."

"Zidane again? Is no one's idol me?"

"Yes, yes, yes, if I had gotten married earlier, I could have had a Li."

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was filled with joy.

The key was that Buffon even knew sign language, and could accurately convey what Li Kang wanted to express.

"Did you see that?"

"Li's idol is me!"

Li Kang shook his head with a smile.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

September 10th.

Li Kang and his assistant went to Loughborough to complete the enrollment procedures.

Chelsea made a large-scale rotation, arriving in Swansea, at the Liberty Stadium.

The Jack Army fans welcomed Hazard with boos from all directions.

The story dates back to the League Cup match in January 2013:

Hazard "violently kicked" 17-year-old Swansea ball boy Morgan, shocking Europe.

After the match, he specifically apologized and obtained forgiveness from the ball boy and his parents.

But whenever the two teams clash, Swansea fans would bring this up to tease the Blues star.

The match was not suspenseful.

Swansea launched an offensive against the in-form Chelsea.

It wasn't stubbornness.

It was romanticism.

In the Premier League, including their time in the Championship, regardless of the opponent, the Jack Army would insist on beautiful, pleasing football.

In 2001, Swansea was on the verge of bankruptcy. Fans crowdfunded £200,000 to buy 21% of the club's shares, so Swansea is a fan-owned club.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long.

Last summer, two American businessmen acquired 60% of Swansea's shares, making sweeping reforms that injected American football management concepts into the club.

The fan trust's shares were also eroded.

They had money, but their investment in signings wasn't as good as during the difficult times.

Here's an example:

Swansea used to be frugal every day, eating three meat dishes and one vegetable dish, working hard, slowly repaying small debts, and life was getting better and better, but one day, two Americans appeared, they helped you pay off those small debts, and then made you eat shit every day, and all the money you earned from work had to be turned in.

Due to long-term malnutrition, you cannot complete your performance goals, and the "Premier League" wants to kick you out, relegating you to the "Championship."

In the early part of the 2017/18 season, the hollowed-out Swansea's overall strength was already at the mid-level of the Championship. In the talent-filled Premier League, the hope of staying up was so slim.

Liberty Stadium.

With goals from Hazard, Diego Costa, and others, the Jack Army was falling apart.

The Chelsea coaching staff also gradually substituted players around the sixtieth minute.

Finally.

The referee blew the whistle to end the match.

Chelsea completed a four-game winning streak to start the Premier League season!

Livestream.

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[Buffon's strength is just so-so. He happened to be standing in the opponent's shooting path, stunned in place, holding the ball. His number of saves is not as good as Caballero's (doge face)]

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[Fake game, why do Swansea's forwards always shoot into his arms?]

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[So perverted, Chelsea's defense and goalkeeper have a very unified defensive mindset, looking like a mobile fortress, and they've liberated Kanté and Bakayoko.]

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[Endgame lineup.]

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[Don't speak too soon, Chelsea hasn't met a real strong team yet. I'll jinx it first, Chelsea fighting!]

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[Let's see if they can defend against Barça in the Champions League. The "300 million" attack line led by Coutinho, Suárez, and Dembélé has already scored 10 goals this season!]

Post-match press conference.

The media reporters were more concerned about the Champions League group stage opener in a few days: Barça vs. Chelsea.

"Barça has invested nearly 400 million in signings in the last two seasons. Is Chelsea confident in getting away unscathed at the Camp Nou?"

Tuchel answered without hesitation:

"A bunch of...Valverde has completed the transformation of Barça. They have signed a group of brilliant talented stars. Chelsea will face a difficult match."

"The Stamford Bridge disaster? Perhaps something similar will not happen again."

"Chelsea is confident in solving all difficulties through victory."

Dino was equally confident: as long as Chelsea doesn't get their bus blown up like Dortmund, they won't be afraid of any opponent.

Barça first team training base.

Conference room.

The coaching staff members looked at the projected Chelsea starting lineup on the big screen, and couldn't help but feel a little despair deep down.

Valverde remained calm.

Having coached mid-to-lower La Liga teams, he had long been tempered by clubs such as Barça, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid, developing a tough and strong heart.

"Iniesta, Rakitić, and Messi are all in perfect physical condition."

"The Camp Nou has always only instilled fear in opponents."