Football: I can see player entries.

Chapter 286 The Clique Culture of the Premier League (Part 1)

Three days later, Burton Albion faced the second round of the FA Cup.

League, FA Cup, UEFA Cup...

They have an incredible number of matches now.

During periods of intense competition, the frequency of three matches per week is very high.

The good news is that after playing against Young Boys of Nepal in three days, they will have a thirteen-day break.

Then came a series of matches...

Li Yanqing decisively launched a training program during the FA Cup.

All the players who didn't get much playing time were put on the field.

Especially the young men brought up from the youth training team, and the backup goalkeeper Karius.

He decided to use the latter as the starting goalkeeper for the FA Cup, or at least to help Joe Hart in some league matches.

Key defensive midfielder Lars Bender will also be rested for this match, with David Luiz and Blind forming the double pivot.

Quinn continued to play in midfield.

His replacement is not yet available, so for now he and Dybala can only take turns playing.

Previously, a young man named Rafael performed well in the youth training camp and was loaned by Li Yanqing to Huddersfield, a club with which the club had a history of conflict.

As for why we had to go to Harbin...

A year ago, after they suffered an unfortunate demotion, their management underwent a major change.

The boss has disappeared and the senior executives have absconded.

Most of the players also transferred to other teams.

Just when this club was about to declare bankruptcy, the fans who truly loved the club stood up.

Led by a local small business owner, enough funds were raised to maintain the team.

This club is now 51% owned by the fan club, truly belonging to the fans.

Although they were relegated to League Two, to everyone's surprise, they made it back to League One that same season.

With the assistant coach remaining on the team and a group of players on loan, they managed to secure the team's success.

Li Yanqing loaned Raphael there because he was sure he would have no shortage of opportunities there.

Moreover, he was happy to applaud the other person's inspirational story.

In short, Rafael's six-month loan spell ends during the winter transfer window, and he can return for the second half of the season to serve as Quinn's backup.

If his performance is satisfactory, he won't need to leave.

As for defense, this is the only position where Burton has a sufficient number of players, and they can maintain a strong lineup in every game.

It seems that we could add another striker during the transfer window.

Let's get back to the match.

Burton's second-round FA Cup opponent was only from the Championship level, and even though they fielded most of their rotated key players, the game was relatively easy.

Only a few youth training players will probably hold us back.

However, they came on as substitutes and will not have a significant impact on the outcome of the game.

Most of the problems can be solved in the first half.

To Li Yanqing's surprise, Murphy seemed to have been stimulated by something, and his desire to attack was extremely strong today.

He roamed among the opponent's defenders, constantly reaching out for the ball, ready to break the offside trap at any moment.

And Quinn...

Most of the time, they won't refuse their teammates.

"That's the second goal!"

"The game has only been going on for twenty minutes!"

Lehmann sighed, realizing that the team had now embarked on a path of dominating weaker opponents.

In less than half an hour, they had each other completely disoriented.

If they continue playing like this, it's very likely that another high-scoring game will result.

"Three goals should be enough."

"Make Murphy stop."

"What on earth does this kid want to do?"

"Are you manipulating data?"

Li Yanqing actually understood very well what it felt like to be brutally defeated by the opponent by a score of seven to zero or eight to zero.

This isn't an important match, and the opponent has no grudge against me...

There is no need for this.

He also needs to maintain good relationships with Championship teams, so that he won't have trouble finding teams when he goes out on loan to gain experience.

Harbin is doing quite well now, but it's not a good idea to keep sending people there.

"Speaking of which, Li."

"What they're discussing now is whether Burton is on the 'red' or 'blue' side..."

Lyman suddenly remembered a topic he had recently come across.

In the Premier League, the rivalry between the red and blue teams has always been a constant theme.

This doesn't just refer to elite clubs, but rather to most teams in the Premier League, whose main jersey colors are red or blue.

Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester City...

Arsenal, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest...

This is true from the Premier League to the Championship.

Although this doesn't mean anything, it's a topic that many people enjoy discussing.

"No, we are a bright yellow."

"Hmm... it means it's very bright yellow."

Li Yanqing shrugged; he bet Lyman wouldn't understand what he was saying.

"Speaking of which, I'm more concerned about something else."

"I recall there being some connections between Premier League clubs."

"Right?"

He was actually referring to the football scene in the English Premier League, a culture unique to that region.

Just like a boss leading a group of underlings, when a big club wants to buy players, the clubs that support them will prioritize selling their best young players to them.

When their arch-rivals are vying for points in the later stages of the league, they will also do their best to help their leader snipe the opponents.

Correspondingly, top clubs will send some of their veteran players to these smaller clubs for almost nothing.

Help them boost their popularity and player performance.

It can be considered a form of mutual help.

Manchester City's willingness to let Joe Hart come over at a low price suggests they might not have had that intention.

I just didn't expect Burton to improve so quickly.

"What do you mean?"

"You're looking for a Big Brother club?"

Lehmann looked up and thought for a moment. He felt that Manchester City and Arsenal were both suitable options.

First, let's talk about Manchester City. They had a very pleasant deal before, and Nasri's transformation also proved Li Yanqing's ability.

As for Arsenal, although they have lost to Burton, big clubs don't care about such things.

They wouldn't care about anything as long as talented young players from within the team kept coming over.

Even if it's an exorbitant price, we'll prioritize selling it to him.

And given their poor relationship with Manchester United, perhaps...

"No, you're overthinking it, Jens."

"What I mean is, why can't we be the big brother ourselves?"

"Huh?" Lyman looked at Li Yanqing, whose face was full of determination, with a puzzled expression.

Having this idea is good, but...

They've only been in the Premier League for a few years.

What team would recognize their talent so quickly?

"I don't think this is a difficult thing."

"As for the teams that recognize us..."

"There is a very suitable candidate right now."

"Who?"

"Huddersfield..."