Chapter 360 358: Leicester City, a Treasure Trove

After the eighth round of the Premier League ended, the league took a temporary pause as the October international break arrived right on schedule.

The 2016 European Championship qualifiers had now reached a stage where most of the qualifying teams were already determined.

Yet, before the qualifiers began, the traditional European powerhouses and rising forces like England, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Belgium had high expectations — but so far, only England had secured first place in their group early.

Belgium and Wales were still battling fiercely.

Germany and Poland were still locked in a tight contest for the top spot.

Spain and Italy both needed another match to seal first place in their respective groups.

Only England had breezed through — eight straight wins in the qualifiers, booking their place with ease.

Granted, the overall strength of England's group opponents wasn't particularly high.

But eight consecutive wins still said a lot — this England team was no longer the awkward, transitional "pseudo-giant" of two years ago.

Roy Hodgson had truly reaped the rewards of promoting young talent.

After elevating players like Maguire and Bertrand to starting roles in recent years, he heavily relied on young stars like Sterling, Harry Kane, and Barkley.

This infusion of youth undoubtedly helped restore the full strength of the England squad.

Now that England had secured qualification, Hodgson took the opportunity to call up even more new faces for October's two qualifiers.

Names like Drinkwater, Alli, Stones, and the recently Chelsea-promoted Trippier all appeared on the squad list.

On October 9th at Wembley Stadium, England hosted Estonia.

For this World Cup qualifier, Hodgson boldly started three Chelsea players in defense: Trippier, Maguire, and Bertrand.

His choices partly had an experimental element.

Still, seeing three Chelsea players forming the core of England's backline felt reassuring to many England fans.

After all, Chelsea's reputation in recent seasons had been built on defensive solidity.

And in this match, the Chelsea trio indeed played very steadily.

Trippier and Bertrand's energetic overlaps provided crucial support for England's attacking transitions.

Harry Kane, starting up front, reaped the benefits, bagging a brace and earning the Man of the Match award.

England crushed Estonia 4–0, a clean and beautiful win.

Of course, the English media wasted no time heaping praise after the match.

But while the media churned out their usual flowery rhetoric, the fans were more interested in something else: the unexpected appearance of Li Ang in one of Wembley's VIP boxes.

Li Ang declined media interview requests after the game, and Maguire later explained that he and a few others had invited Li Ang to come watch.

Still, the English press couldn't resist stirring things up.

After all, a superstar like Li Ang never participating in any national team matches felt highly unusual.

If Li Ang wanted, obtaining English citizenship would be a breeze.

A single nod, and the FA would take care of all the paperwork.

Imagine: an England squad filled with young talent across the pitch, and then Li Ang anchoring the midfield. How terrifying would that team be?

It wasn't just idle fantasy by the English media — fans from both England and Spain often discussed this possibility.

Even though Li Ang had repeatedly, through his agent, stated he would never change his nationality, the topic refused to die.

Because in football, you could never truly rule anything out — what if it did happen someday?

Once again, the rumor mill spun into high gear.

When Li Ang returned home after the match and saw the fresh batch of gossip, he could only shake his head.

It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.

He simply had his agent issue another public clarification.

As expected, after two days, the chatter died down.

And with the end of the international break, English fans shifted their focus back to the imminent return of Premier League action.

Li Ang's suspension was finally over — he would soon return to Chelsea's starting lineup.

In the ninth round of the Premier League, Chelsea would travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City, who were still unbeaten.

At the start of the season, Leicester had taken over the "dark horse" role previously held by Swansea and Southampton.

After eight games, they had four wins and four draws, sitting in fourth place with 16 points — brimming with momentum!

Their record included victories over West Ham and draws against Tottenham and Arsenal.

This wasn't just an easy run of fixtures — Leicester had genuinely proven themselves against Premier League's upper-midtable teams.

And with no European competitions to distract them, as long as they weren't bogged down by domestic cups, Leicester had a real shot at qualifying for Europe.

Chelsea's coaching staff had warned the players not to underestimate Leicester.

And Li Ang, of course, needed no such reminder.

He didn't believe Leicester would pull off a miracle title win this season.

But he was convinced that this Leicester team could evolve into a tough, resilient, top-tier Premier League side.

Just like Liverpool a couple of seasons ago.

Teams like this might not directly threaten Chelsea and Manchester City for the title, but they could certainly cause them plenty of trouble.

Ask any seasoned Chelsea or City player which teams they hated facing the most two years ago.

They hated facing each other first — but second? Definitely Liverpool.

Liverpool weren't just "scrappy" — they were like honey badgers. They didn't care who you were; they'd fight you to the end.

Li Ang looked forward to the match against Leicester and was fully prepared mentally.

Compared to him, some of his teammates, while not underestimating Leicester, were still somewhat shocked once the match started.

Because compared to last season, this Leicester City was almost an entirely different team.

Superficially, they hadn't changed many starting players.

But the entire tactical structure was radically different.

Ranieri not only balanced Leicester City's attacking and defensive capabilities but also fully unlocked the potential of Mahrez and Vardy.

It was a truly remarkable feat.

After all, neither player was particularly young anymore; this wasn't a case of a young talent suddenly blossoming into stardom overnight.

Last season, the two combined for fewer than ten league goals. Yet now, just eight matches into the season, they had already contributed ten goals and five assists together!

Their attacking efficiency was through the roof!

Both had rapidly become the hottest names in the Premier League.

Well, even if they were "old rising stars," they were still rising stars!

Today, a brimming-with-confidence Mahrez beat Azpilicueta and fired a threatening shot as soon as the match started.

Vardy wasn't to be outdone — in the seventh minute, he latched onto Albrighton's diagonal pass and successfully broke the offside trap!

If not for Maguire's brave, well-timed sliding tackle, Vardy might well have opened the scoring one-on-one!

In the right tactical system, forwards with real ability could always shine brightly.

Mahrez's individual skill and Vardy's off-ball movement and poacher's instinct immediately impressed Chelsea's coaching staff.

However, Mourinho remained composed — after all, he had even coached players like Cristiano Ronaldo, the ultimate attacking monster.

But once Chelsea seized control of the ball and pushed up for sustained attacks, Mourinho's eyes were drawn to another figure — someone whose tireless running and outstanding defensive positioning stood out.

"My God! Where did Leicester dig up such a monster? He runs just like Li Ang! And they say he only played his first full Ligue 1 season last year?!"

Holland couldn't contain his amazement, exclaiming loudly on the bench, while Mourinho silently committed the player's name to memory.

Kanté.

The French midfielder had just joined Leicester from Ligue 1 that summer and had only secured a starting spot in the last round.

Mourinho didn't care how Ranieri had discovered this small but explosive midfielder, or how he had decided to promote him to a starting role.

He only knew one thing: he was now extremely interested in signing him, just as he had been with every top defensive midfielder he'd ever coached.

Kanté, unaware he had caught Mourinho's eye, was simply playing with a mix of nervousness and excitement as he collided with Chelsea's midfield trio.

And with his tireless running and relentless pressing, Kroos found himself struggling in the first twenty minutes.

It couldn't be helped — Kroos had always disliked facing midfielders with high stamina, aggressive tackling, and huge defensive coverage.

Back at Bayern, when he first faced Li Ang, he had been neutralized in exactly the same way.

Fortunately, Kroos had since adapted to more midfield roles.

Finding it difficult to operate as an attacking midfielder under Kanté's harassment, he smartly dropped deeper to help organize play.

As for carrying the ball forward?

That was clearly Li Ang's job.

Kanté and Drinkwater's midfield combination was excellent, but neither could truly handle Li Ang.

Li Ang possessed a rare blend of technique and strength. When he had a physical advantage, he didn't bother with fancy footwork — he bulldozed through like a tank!

Thanks to Li Ang's consistent ball progression and passing, Chelsea's attacking system continued to run smoothly.

At the King Power Stadium, Leicester fans could only smile bitterly.

"This is Li Ang for you! His physical and technical versatility lets him adapt perfectly to every game scenario!

Kanté has been outstanding today, and Drinkwater too, but they still can't completely shut Li Ang down.

And as long as Chelsea's midfield general is playing normally, their suppression of Leicester will be inevitable..."

The Sky Sports commentator shook his head in admiration.

And just as he predicted, after about twenty minutes of probing, Chelsea finally began to clamp down on Leicester's attacking threat.

Previously dangerous Mahrez and Vardy were forced to track back and help defend.

Overall, Leicester's defenders did fairly well.

Under Chelsea's pressure, they didn't panic, and Morgan's marking of Suarez inside the box was disciplined.

But they simply couldn't handle Chelsea's world-class wing play.

Li Ang controlled the distribution but didn't hog possession. Instead, he used his monstrous carrying ability to keep feeding ammunition to the wings.

With Suarez drawing defenders centrally, it was time for Belgium's twin stars — Hazard and De Bruyne — to shine.

They took turns stretching Leicester's flanks, working together with Chelsea's overlapping fullbacks.

Leicester's fullbacks, nowhere near elite level, struggled mightily.

Chelsea remained patient in attack, continuously pulling Leicester's defensive structure apart and gradually exhausting their energy and focus.

With reduced errors in possession, Chelsea rarely gave Leicester chances to counterattack.

Without their usual efficient transitions, Leicester's greatest strength was nullified.

By the 34th minute, Chelsea finally found the breakthrough.

After right-back Simpson's failed interception, Chelsea ruthlessly punished Leicester's defense.

Kanté's frantic recovery forced Hazard to abandon an inside dribble toward the box.

But Hazard's cutback pass was inch-perfect, finding the onrushing Li Ang!

Morgan rushed out to intercept, but Li Ang simply lifted the ball over him!

Suarez, arriving perfectly, lashed a shot without hesitation!

Schmeichel reacted slightly late, and the ball nestled into the near corner of Leicester's goal!

After nearly a half of grinding, Chelsea finally cracked Leicester's defense and scored the match's opening goal.

Countless Chelsea fans watching on TV instinctively exhaled in relief.

Today, they had truly felt how resilient Leicester's defense could be.

Mourinho clapped his hands encouragingly from the sideline, but his eyes often drifted toward Leicester's half...

This new-look Leicester City, he thought, was truly a treasure trove~

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