With the start of the Premier League season approaching.

Many media outlets and experts have also begun predicting the performance of each team this season.

Interestingly, due to Leeds United's sudden rise, the original "BIG4" of the Premier League has been replaced by "BIG5".

Of these five teams.

The most favored team is undoubtedly Chelsea, who have already won two consecutive Premier League titles. Their squad is already strong, and this season they have also brought in two superstars, Shevchenko and Ballack. This makes people have no doubt about their competitiveness in the domestic league. What the outside world is even more looking forward to is that Chelsea can make a breakthrough in this year's Champions League!

Second on the list is Ferguson's Manchester United. Although Manchester United let go of Van Nistelrooy in the summer transfer window, they also brought in Berbatov and Carrick from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur to strengthen their squad. Therefore, the media and experts generally believe that Manchester United will still be Chelsea's biggest rival this season.

As for the remaining three teams, most people think they are all pretty much the same, and it would be quite good if they could secure a top-four finish and even compete for a top-three finish.

Leeds United were already embroiled in controversy over the departures of Falcao and Berbatov. Experts generally believed that although the two new signings performed well in the last match, the opponent was just a small club from the Middle East with a weak overall strength, and it was difficult to tell much from just one match.

Besides signing Milner, Liverpool also brought in Dutch striker Kuyt from Feyenoord, but they also let go of Morientes and Cissé. So, it seems like they didn't really strengthen the team.

This year, Li Shiguang vividly remembers Arsenal, as they left Highbury last month and moved into the Emirates Stadium.

But this also means that Wenger's era of robbing Peter to pay Paul has officially begun. Arsenal is suffocating under the weight of huge debts, and this summer they have only invested less than 15 million euros in transfers.

But Li Shiguang wouldn't pay any attention to these idiotic analyses; winning the league championship this season was his primary goal.

Before the start of last week's competition, Li Shiguang received another task from the system.

The rewards for this mission are extremely generous, but the starting point is also high.

The lowest-tier Diamond Chest reward requires winning the league championship, while higher-tier chests, such as those for Star Master, King, and Glory King, require achievements in the Champions League. Therefore, it's quite attractive to Li Shiguang, who hasn't even opened a Diamond Chest yet...

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Saturday, August 19th.

The first round of the 2006-2007 Premier League season was held as scheduled.

The first to play are Leeds United, Liverpool, and Arsenal, who are considered to be only able to secure a top-four finish and compete for a top-three finish this year.

Leeds United are playing away against Newcastle United, who are playing at home in St. James' Park. Michael Owen, the British superstar, is the captain of Newcastle United.

Unfortunately, during the World Cup in June, Owen once again demonstrated his injury-prone nature. In the group stage match against Sweden, just one minute into the game, he suffered a severe ligament injury in his right knee while unmarked, essentially ending his season. Under these circumstances, Newcastle United spent a lot of money during the transfer window to bring in Martins and Duff from Inter Milan and Chelsea respectively to strengthen their squad, hoping to make a breakthrough in the new season.

But in Li Shiguang's eyes, these two stars, whose combined value is not even as tall as Torres, are definitely not good enough for his Leeds United team.

Considering that Leeds United would be heading to the Middle East for the second round of the Champions League qualifiers immediately after this match, Li Shiguang made adjustments to the lineup before the game.

In the goalkeeper position, Neuer replaced Schmeichel. Considering that a team had already made an offer for Schmeichel last month, Li Shiguang plans to give the young Neuer more playing time this season so that he can develop as soon as possible and Li Shiguang can sell Schmeichel to raise funds sooner.

In defense, new signings Cannavaro and Sun Jihai, who played last week, were rotated, while veterans Maicon, Kompany, Thiago Silva, and Lahm became the starters.

Li Shiguang made significant changes to the four midfielders, with Mascherano and Garcia playing as the double pivot, and Bale and Ribery, who did not play last week, playing as the left and right wingers.

For the forward line, Li Shiguang fielded a combination of Ibrahimovic and Podolski, one tall and one fast.

Newcastle manager Glenn Rode reacted quickly. When he saw the lineup Li Shiguang fielded during the pre-match photo, he knew that Leeds United would be playing a two-wing attacking style. So, before the game started, he specifically told the players to pay attention to the defense on the flanks.

But some things can't be done just because you think about them.

After a season of growth, Bale and Ribery have greatly improved in terms of speed, dribbling ability, and inside cutting ability. In fact, when Li Shiguang checked the players on the system at the beginning of the month, both of their speeds had reached a terrifying 95 points.

Sure enough, Leeds United gave Newcastle United no chance to react after the match started, launching a fierce attack from the moment the ball was kicked off.

Just seven minutes into the game, Bale and Lahm executed a beautiful one-two pass on the left flank, and Bale, after receiving a pass back from Lahm, surged forward to the byline. After briefly assessing the situation in the penalty area, Bale decisively delivered a precise cross, the ball heading straight for the far post of the Newcastle United goal. There, Ibrahimovic, who had been waiting patiently, used his less-than-stellar header to breach the Newcastle United defense, making it 1-0!

Leeds United did not relax after taking the lead. Li Shiguang kept directing his players to press forward and not give the opponent too much breathing time.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!