Chapter 299 West London Derby
After defeating Everton at home on November 6, Chelsea's next game will be on November 11, in the League Cup round of 16, against newly promoted West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.
No one in the club took this game seriously. One of the reasons was that West Ham United's strength was not enough to make Chelsea nervous. More importantly, the League Cup was a waste of time, so the focus should be on the league and the Champions League.
Although there are not many matches in the League Cup, if you keep advancing, your opponents will become stronger and stronger, and you may even face top teams like Manchester United and Arsenal in the semi-finals. Obviously, Manchester United's hope of winning the championship this season is slim, and Arsenal can only pin their hopes on Chelsea's mistakes if they want to surpass Chelsea in the league. In this case, the League Cup and FA Cup titles may become their goals. If they fight to the death with top teams in such a useless event for Chelsea, it will definitely not be worth the loss.
Although West Ham United is just a newly promoted team, head coach Mourinho still plans to use this game to train new players.
On the second day of the game with Everton, Mourinho had informed all the players of the news. In this case, Wang Li would most likely be placed on the bench or not be included in the roster at all.
However, he did not think anything about it and was somewhat happy in his heart, because November 11th was the day Angela returned to the United States.
These days, Angela's stay in London has entered the countdown, so Wang Li rushes home directly after training every day. The two of them seize every moment to live in a warm world of two, which makes their relationship heat up rapidly, and even makes Angela feel reluctant to leave.
Although the two had known each other for a short time and their relationship did not have a very solid foundation, they had lived together for several months anyway. Now, although Wang Li did not dare to say that he had fallen in love with this pitiful little princess, he was at least certain that he had already liked her.
………
Wang Li ran back home covered in sweat and opened the door.
Angela, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room, turned her head and said, "I'm back."
"Well, are you bored at home again today?"
"No, I went for a walk in Victoria Park today." Angela took Wang Li's coat and continued, "Hurry up and take a shower. You smell of sweat."
Wang Li smiled and said, "Are you having fun?"
"It's OK. I went to an Italian pizza restaurant next door for lunch. It was delicious."
"Where is that store?"
Angela hung her coat on the hanger, then sat on the sofa, stretched out her hands and gestured, saying, "Next to Victoria Park, on Marley Street, ... well, probably in the middle."
Wang Li also came over and sat next to her, put his arm around her and said, "I'll go try it when I have time."
"Go take a shower quickly, you reek of sweat." Angela pinched her nose and sniffed Wang Li's chest, then quickly pushed him away, stood up, and said with a slight frown.
"Okay, okay, oh my goodness."
…
Such homely conversations like this happen almost every day between the two of them. In the past, Wang Li didn't feel anything, but since he heard that she was going back to the United States, Wang Li could feel a kind of warmth from every little bit of this life---
Perhaps this is the reason why we only know how to cherish something after we lose it.
Since coming to this world, Wang Li has met many women who made his heart beat, such as Rita, Li Qitong, etc., but he knows that for other women, he is more attracted to them physically, and only Angela really makes him fall in love with her.
Maybe it's because habit forms naturally. Anyway, Wang Li feels that he has become accustomed to the feeling of Angela waiting for him at home. This feeling makes his life fulfilling.
However, there are always some helplessness in life. Now, perhaps he should achieve something in his career before considering marriage. After all, in reality, both of them are less than 18 years old.
………
Versace was founded in 1978. Its brand logo is the mythical snake Medusa, representing fatal attraction.
Versace's design style is very distinctive. It is a pioneer in art with a unique aesthetic sense, emphasizing happiness and sexiness. The neckline is often open below the waist. The designer combines the luxury and extravagance of the classical aristocratic style, while fully considering the comfort of wearing and the appropriate display of body shape. Versace is good at using noble and luxurious fabrics and using bias cutting to make high-end clothing.
Although Versace's development has been hindered to a certain extent, the company has always been one of the world's top ten brands in the field of high-end clothing. This time, they want to use the exhibition in London to enter the high-end brand market in England.
As the image ambassadors of this exhibition, Wang Li and Angela need to wear high-end clothes specially designed by designers and walk hand in hand through the exhibition site.
Today, this combination of golden boy and beautiful girl, coupled with the contrast of their clothes, attracted most people's attention as soon as they appeared at the exhibition.
In the hearts of English football lovers, the appearance of Princess Angela is a highlight. As the only daughter of Earl Edward, although Angela rarely appears in public, this also adds a mysterious circle around her.
As soon as the two arrived at the exhibition, they immediately became the protagonists of the whole scene because they looked so well-matched.
This is the first day of the exhibition, and the guests present are all high-ranking figures in England, either wealthy businessmen or knights and nobles. These people will not chase stars, but they will think from another perspective, such as the huge commercial value contained in the English dance master, the influence of Princess Angela's father Earl Edward in the English upper society, and so on.
No matter from which aspect, Wang Li and his partner will become the protagonists of the scene. As long as the reporters can hype this golden boy and girl tomorrow, the Versace brand will definitely follow suit and do free advertising, and the purpose of inviting them to be image ambassadors will be achieved.
Wang Li and Angela's job is very simple, which is to greet every guest with a smile, chat with these elites at the exhibition, introduce Versace's latest new products, etc.
The two spent the whole morning in this boredom, but the income was quite generous, a full 12 million euros. Of course, it was impossible to work only half a day. In addition to shooting an advertising promotional video in the afternoon, the contract also stipulated that the two must shoot at least one advertisement for Versace every year within 3 years, and participate in Versace's exhibitions and promotions in other countries within the 3-year plan.
So, in the afternoon, the two of them wandered between the dressing room and the advertising site, being swayed by a bunch of professionals and constantly being verbally attacked by an Italian.
…
In a bright bar, Angela sat at the bar, her gloomy face showing that she was not in a good mood. At this time, Wang Li, who was wearing Versace, came over and snapped his right fingers, "Miss, a cup of coffee."
Then, Wang Li looked up and saw the beauty of the woman in front of him. His expression was very gentlemanly, but his eyes were fixed on Angela's body. He said, "Would you like a drink too?"
Angela looked up and smiled at Wang Li, saying, "No, ..."
"shit"
At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the side, saying: "Alan, your expression should be natural and your movements should be coordinated to show that cool temperament, don't be as stiff as a piece of wood"
“Oh my god, this is terrible.”
…
It has to be said that Wang Li really has no talent for acting, and he doesn't know how to do those cool-looking movements. He always looks very unnatural, which makes everyone around him very angry. It took the two of them several hours to shoot such a one and a half minute shot.
Fortunately, he finally passed it and he won't have a headache about it anymore. As for the future, he will think about it later.
After a busy afternoon, Wang Li felt very tired. After they returned home, they both lay down on the bed.
"Alan, I just realized that your acting is really bad." Lying on the bed, Angela turned her head to look at Wang Li, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing.
Wang Li rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not a professional actor."
"That's too bad. You're really not suitable to be an actor."
Being ridiculed by Angela, Wang Li felt depressed. He stretched out his hand to pinch her little face and said angrily, "I am a football player."
"Okay, I won't say anything." Angela, who was lying on the bed, said this as if nothing had happened, but then she couldn't help laughing.
…
In this kind of life, time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye it is already November 11th, the League Cup round of 16, Chelsea plays against West Ham at home.
In this game, just as Wang Li had imagined, he was not included in the roster at all. So, while many of his Chelsea teammates were still fighting on the green field, he had already arrived at the London airport and sent Angela on a flight to the United States.
This was the first time he felt reluctant to leave since he came into this world. Yes, he was very reluctant, but there was nothing he could do.
Now, even if he left Angela in London, Wang Li knew that he did not dare to really face the issue of marriage, nor did he have the confidence to say the three words "I love you" to Angela.
Although his heart told him that it was best for them to separate for a while, Wang Li was immersed in this feeling of reluctance for the whole day and couldn't extricate himself. He even didn't pay attention to Chelsea's game.
In any case, Angela is gone, and Wang Li feels that his life seems to have returned to the way it was before. He is the only one in the bright villa, which makes him feel lonely and depressed.
Wang Li seemed to miss the days when he and Harrison rented a house together.
At least that way you'll have company, right?
That night, while enduring this loneliness, Wang Li spent the time in meditation. Perhaps practicing Taoist inner skills has another benefit - it can kill time.
………
The next day, when it was just getting light, Wang Li got up, had breakfast and went directly to the training ground of Chelsea Club's first team.
Wang Li's training was still on free kicks, and he really worked hard on this aspect. In the absence of any martial arts moves that could help him make progress in this area, he could only use continuous training to improve his ability in this area.
However, this also gave him a sense of accomplishment.
Because, in Wang Li's view, his other abilities were almost all assisted by martial arts, and only free kicks were truly improved through his own training. This ability that has been improved slowly really makes people feel happy.
After all his teammates arrived at the training ground, Wang Li also learned the result of yesterday's game---
2:0, Chelsea wins.
, with the cheers of the home Blues fans, these substitute players performed very well, and with a pure substitute lineup, Chelsea still won the game.
,,, all had very good performances in this game.
In the 77th minute of the second half, the score was fixed at 2:0. The Dutch rising star has been scoring goals recently and his performance has been recognized by all Blues fans.
The victory in this game surprised Mourinho but also gave him a headache. Victory is of course worth being happy about, but this means Chelsea will have to participate in the League Cup quarter-finals again.
Even if the League Cup is just a useless thing, it is still a trophy. If you are eliminated directly in the round of 32 or the round of 16, it won’t be a big deal, but if you can make it to the semi-finals or even the finals, it would be a pity to give up directly.
This also makes Chelsea's schedule more compact, which is what Mourinho is worried about.
However, Chelsea's recent schedule of matches is too intense, which means the Portuguese has no time to think about these things, because after the match with West Ham, Chelsea will soon face the fireworks-filled West London Derby.
Chelsea vs Fulham.
………
Although it is the oldest team in London, Fulham has nothing to show for its team honors. It cannot be compared with Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and West Ham in the same city. Nicknamed "The Farmers", Fulham has never won the top league championship, the FA Cup or the League Cup. In the 1960s, they mostly played in the old First Division (the predecessor of the Premier League) but did not win any major championships. In 1975, they reached the FA Cup final, but this was their only time.
This year may be of some significance to Fulham, as they just celebrated the 125th anniversary of their founding in September, but their achievements are obviously inconsistent with the length of their history. Many Fulham fans are hoping that the team can achieve a leap in strength after the 125th anniversary and win some honors this season.
But the media are clearly not optimistic about Fulham's form this year.
Although Fulham had a strong momentum last season, they got rid of the image of a relegation weak team and finally won the ninth place, but this summer, their strength has obviously been weakened to a certain extent. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for them to surpass the achievements of last season.
On the other hand, Chelsea's performance in the league can almost be described as "appalling". Their 12 consecutive league wins have made them almost unmatched.
Therefore, the media are of course still optimistic about Chelsea in this game.
However, the focus of this game is not who wins or loses. As a derby, sometimes the competition outside the field is even more intense than that inside the field, and the game is likely to put Chelsea into a quagmire, which is what everyone is concerned about.
Compared to other derbies, such as the North London Derby and the Merseyside Derby, the rivalry between Chelsea and Fulham is not particularly obvious due to the fact that they have not been in the same league for a long time. In fact, the two teams have only played in the same league for five seasons, and even then, due to the disparity in strength, the two teams rarely fought for a common goal.
However, since Fulham was promoted to the Premier League, the competitive relationship between the two teams has become extremely tense, and historically, the fans of the two teams have hated each other.
Even though it is only a small microcosm of the Premier League derby, this game is extremely important to both teams. Many fans believe that beating their city rivals is more important than winning the league title, so even if it is not for league points, Chelsea can only win this game and cannot lose. If they lose to Fulham, then even if they can win the treble this year, this season will be imperfect, and this game will become a flaw in the hearts of fans.
There is a deep-rooted hatred between the teams in the same city. As teams in North London, both teams attach 120% importance to this game.
Therefore, even though Fulham fans feel that the chances of winning this game are not high, they still hope that the team can play with their momentum, and even let Chelsea players get injured in the game to weaken their strength.
In an interview with the media, even a radical Fulham fan declared: "I hope in this game,"
"The score I most want to see is 1:0, with Fulham winning the championship thanks to the referee's misjudgment"
"Chelsea better come to the game with a losing attitude, we will give them a lesson on the day"
…
Before the game, such radical and threatening remarks were heard one after another, making the West London Derby even more explosive. Many Chelsea players knew that even if the team could win the game, it would never be a good memory.
Moreover, Chelsea is playing away.
………