"Brother Guanhai, would you like to invest in Leeds United?"

On the way back to London, Li Shiguang's words kept repeating in Chen Guanhai's mind.

He never expected that his idol would offer him such a huge opportunity at their first meeting. Overwhelmed with excitement, he didn't even ask for details before immediately expressing his willingness to invest.

Seeing Chen Guanhai's keen interest, Li Shiguang suggested he first ask his family's opinion, since the money ultimately came from Chen Guanhai's father. Chen Guanhai, however, looked completely confident, telling Li Shiguang that his father would definitely agree, because his father had previously told him that when he wanted to start a business, he would first give him 500 million yuan to lose...

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Upon returning to Leeds, Li Shiguang immediately threw himself into intensive preparations. Next week, Leeds United will play three more matches. This Saturday, they will travel to Middlesbrough for an away game, next Wednesday they will return to Elland Road to play the first leg of the League Cup against Arsenal, and next Sunday they will face Everton at Elland Road.

In the battle for Champions League qualification next season, apart from Chelsea, who are currently in first place and have no worries, the competition for the other three spots is still extremely fierce. Especially in the fourth position, Arsenal and Liverpool are very close, with the two teams only one and two points behind Leeds United respectively. If Leeds United fails to win a single game, they could very well be overtaken by Liverpool. Therefore, Li Shiguang dares not take it lightly in the league.

In Saturday's match, Li Shiguang once again deployed a 4-5-1 formation, and new signings Rivaldo and Camoranesi made their debuts for Leeds United. Due to Falcao's injury, Berbatov was the starting striker for the day.

The two teams delivered a thrilling goal-fest for the fans in today's match, with Middlesbrough ultimately losing 1-3 at home to Leeds United.

Rivaldo, who provided two assists in the match, proved many of his critics wrong. The midfield trio of Rivaldo, Modric, and Alonso was incredibly effective today, and Li Shiguang demonstrated what possession-based football is for the first time in a straightforward Premier League match.

Before Rivaldo was substituted by Li Shiguang, Leeds United had a terrifying 70% possession rate. The three players' excellent teamwork in the midfield and attacking third completely outmaneuvered Middlesbrough's defense, making the opponent feel exactly what it meant to be caught in a dilemma – whether to press or not.

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With the FA Cup already out of contention, the League Cup, which had previously held a relatively low priority for Li Shiguang, became the only trophy Leeds United had a chance to win this season. Therefore, Li Shiguang was prepared to go head-to-head with Wenger in this match, expecting a tough battle. However, seeing Wenger field an almost entirely reserve lineup before the game relieved Li Shiguang, who knew that Wenger had essentially given up on the League Cup.

On second thought, it's not hard to understand. Like Leeds United, Arsenal were also eliminated from the FA Cup last round, but they have already reached the round of 16 in the Champions League. In addition, the competition for the top four in the league is becoming increasingly fierce, so it is understandable that Wenger would make some choices.

However, after the match, Wenger's ability to develop young players once again amazed Li Shiguang. Arsenal, a group of players who had hardly ever started in the league, managed to hold Leeds United to a 0-0 score for nearly 70 minutes. Just as Li Shiguang was preparing to make substitutions to strengthen the attack, Modric finally broke the deadlock with a direct free kick. Ultimately, Leeds United only managed a one-goal lead at home, which infuriated Li Shiguang, leading to a furious outburst in the locker room after the match. After all, they would be traveling to Highbury in two weeks for the second leg against Arsenal. If Wenger changed his mind and fielded his strongest lineup by then, the outcome would be uncertain.

After a few days of rest, Leeds United faced Everton for their second match of the season on Sunday afternoon.

Leeds United suffered their first defeat since being promoted to the Premier League at Goodison Park in the first half of the season, so this time at Elland Road, Li Shiguang didn't need to do much motivation; the whole team was full of fighting spirit.

Because Rivaldo has started consecutive matches, his physical reserves are not very high. Therefore, Li Shiguang returned to the regular 4-4-2 formation for this match. The forward line consisted of Vardy and Dzeko, a tall and fast combination. Apart from Ribery returning to the starting lineup, the other positions were no different from the lineup in the last match.

Everton's form has been poor lately, with the team suffering two consecutive defeats. Their playmaker, Arteta, sustained a minor injury in the last match and will be unavailable for this round's match against the in-form Leeds United, causing Everton manager David Moyes a major headache.

The Scotsman, who would be handpicked by Ferguson to succeed him a few years later, was thoroughly outmaneuvered and taught a lesson by Li Shiguang in this match.

Li Shiguang also witnessed how much Arteta's absence affected the current Everton team. In the first half, for a full 45 minutes, the only two attacks that reached Leeds United's penalty area were both launched from the flanks. Everton did try to launch attacks from the middle, but Arteta's absence greatly weakened their control in midfield. Under these circumstances, Yaya Toure alone disrupted their midfield.

In the 18th minute, Bale received the ball on the left wing and cut inside. He then played a beautiful one-two with Toure on the edge of the penalty area and broke into the Everton penalty area. After attracting most of the defense, he passed the ball back from the byline, and Dzeko, who followed up, unleashed a powerful shot from the penalty spot, opening the curtain on this massacre.

Three minutes later, Everton launched a quick counter-attack down the right flank, but right-back Hibbert, who had the ball, was dispossessed by Lahm just past midfield. Lahm then launched a long ball to Dzeko on the edge of the penalty area. Dzeko headed the ball back, and Toure, who was on the run, unleashed a beautiful long-range shot that nestled into the top corner of the Everton goal. 2-0!

Two goals in a short period of time seemed to have stunned Everton. Under Leeds United's wave after wave of attacks, they conceded two more goals in the 33rd and 41st minutes, going into halftime trailing by 4 goals.

Fifteen minutes later, back on the pitch, it seemed that Moyes's roar in the locker room during halftime had not woken up the Everton players.

Despite Li Shiguang substituting Modric and Alonso early on, their attack remained ineffective. On the contrary, Leeds United became increasingly dominant in the second half, with Vardy scoring three goals through sharp breakthroughs, achieving his first hat-trick since his debut!

Leeds United ultimately secured a resounding 6-0 victory over Everton at home, avenging their defeat in the first half of the season!