Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

”See? Li’s going on now, isn’t he? I told you already—Mourinho shouldn’t have started van Ginkel without someone to anchor Oscar,” blurted out the guest pundit General Fan on Sina Sports’ Champions League livestream, slapping his thigh with excitement as he praised Mourinho’s timely reaction.

”Exactly. As soon as that goal went in, Mourinho made a quick decision—he’s sending on Li Ang to stabilize Chelsea’s grip on midfield control,” added commentator Jian Jun. ”Now the only question is: who will Mourinho substitute out for him?”

Fans back home didn’t wait to speculate. Social media lit up with harsh criticism of Oscar’s underwhelming performance.

Sure, van Ginkel hadn’t dazzled in the first half, but that was largely because Oscar had monopolized the ball. At least van Ginkel had worked hard on defense and never complained about his limited touches.

In contrast, Oscar—playing selfishly and overlapping with Li Ang’s natural position—was drawing the ire of Chinese fans, who were in no mood to be forgiving.

A few minutes later, Chelsea took advantage of a stoppage in play to make their first substitution.

In the 30th minute of the first half, Li Ang was called upon in a time of crisis, replacing the underperforming Oscar.

The roar from Stamford Bridge was deafening. Applause rang out as the Chelsea faithful made their faith in Li Ang crystal clear.

High-fiving teammates as he jogged onto the pitch, Li Ang also brought with him Mourinho’s latest tactical adjustments.

First, the formation: Chelsea shifted from a more attacking 4-3-3 to a more balanced 4-2-3-1.

If Mourinho had wanted Li Ang to play as the lone defensive midfielder, the 4-3-3 could’ve continued—Li Ang alone could handle both distribution and defensive duties.

But now, Mourinho wanted Li Ang higher up the pitch, to wrest back control and reorganize the attack. The 4-2-3-1 was the most secure option for that purpose.

Van Ginkel had the potential to play as a lone pivot in the future, but he was still too young and untested. For now, pairing him with Essien as a double pivot gave Mourinho more peace of mind.

Up front, Hazard and De Bruyne dropped back into wide midfield roles.

With Li Ang at the center—dictating tempo and holding onto possession—Chelsea’s attacking rhythm finally began to take shape.

Unlike Oscar, Li Ang didn’t have a burning desire to shoot at every opportunity. If there wasn’t a clear chance to pull the trigger, he preferred to keep things tidy—distributing the ball out wide and letting his teammates open up the defense through their movement.

Only when De Bruyne and Hazard were both off form—as in the last league match—would he take the initiative himself, driving the ball forward and making aggressive late runs into the box.

Today, however, both Hazard and De Bruyne looked fine—it was just that Oscar’s selfish play had robbed them of chances in the first half.

Now, with Li Ang spreading the ball around more logically, even De Bruyne began making more attempts to take defenders on down the flank.

With both Belgian wingers pushing forward, Basel’s full-backs were clearly overwhelmed.

In the 36th minute, Li Ang made a forward run, received a pass from De Bruyne, and without hesitation, chipped a gorgeous through ball over the top of the defense.

It caught the entire Basel back line off guard—but unfortunately, it also seemed to catch Torres by surprise.

Rushing forward to meet it, Torres mistimed his header and sent it wide of the post.

On the bench, Lukaku sighed and clutched his head. A hint of disdain even flickered across his face, as if to say, ”If I’d been in that position, I would’ve buried it.”

But Mourinho, furious with the miss, wasn’t even thinking of putting Lukaku on.

Chelsea’s main striker, Zlatan Ibrahimović, had already begun warming up on the sideline under the watchful eye of assistant coach Rui Faria.

The sight drew some sheepish grins from Chelsea fans.

After all, many of them had mocked the club when Zlatan’s transfer was announced, joking that he had come to London for an early retirement.

Now it looked like he wasn’t here to retire—Chelsea were relying on him like a crutch.

With that in mind, fans stopped joking and started feeling grateful that the club had managed to sign such a reliable target man for less than £20 million.

Even so, Mourinho decided not to use his second substitution before halftime.

Seeing that his team had clearly seized the attacking initiative and was consistently thwarting Basel’s counters, he felt confident enough to head into the locker room with just one change made.

Zlatan, now fully warmed up, followed the rest of the squad into the tunnel.

Every Chelsea fan knew he would be on the pitch the moment the second half began.

And with both Li Ang and Zlatan involved, nobody felt too worried about the temporary deficit on the scoreboard.

Meanwhile, the thousands of Basel fans at Stamford Bridge weren’t too stressed about Chelsea’s halftime adjustments.

After all, few of them had dared to dream their side would be leading at halftime in London.

For them, joy was the only thing that mattered right now.

Singing and cheering from the away section, they passed their energy on to the Basel players—especially to Salah, who had scored the beautiful opener. His confidence was soaring.

He believed tonight was his chance to become a star.

But when the second half began, Chelsea emerged as a different beast—one that pressed higher, harder, and with significantly more defensive aggression.

Basel’s midfielders, Frei and Díaz, were suffocated by Li Ang’s relentless pressure. Their passes became rushed, their movement disjointed.

Salah, who had thrived on the wing in the first half, had to start dropping deep to help his teammates carry the ball out of midfield.

With Chelsea nullifying Basel’s star winger, they pushed down both flanks with renewed intensity.

On the right, Azpilicueta played it safe and sat deeper, so De Bruyne wasn’t as aggressive.

But on the left, Bertrand and Hazard looked like they wanted to set up camp in Basel’s half.

Backed by Li Ang’s sweeping coverage and protection, Bertrand marauded forward without restraint.

The scene reminded many Chinese fans of Li Ang’s time at Real Madrid, when he, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo turned the left wing into a highway of destruction.

It was hard not to wonder whether Mourinho had modeled Chelsea’s new left-side tandem after that iconic Madrid setup.

One thing was certain: Mourinho only trusted that kind of explosive wing pairing when Li Ang was on the pitch to cover them.

Sure, Bertrand and Hazard weren’t Marcelo and Ronaldo. You could say they were a budget version of that legendary duo.

Hazard couldn’t match Ronaldo’s raw power, but in terms of close control and dribbling to break down defenses, he wasn’t far behind.

And this was only Basel’s defense they were facing, not Bayern Munich or PSG.

With both Bertrand and Hazard surging forward, Chelsea’s left side practically overwhelmed Basel’s right in what felt like a different weight class altogether.

Salah tried to fight back—attempting to catch Chelsea on the counter with a few solo runs.

But once his marker changed from Essien to Li Ang, he learned a hard truth.

The same defender who had limited Messi in a one-on-one battle two years ago… yeah, he was still terrifying.

In terms of individual skills—tackling, interceptions, reactions, acceleration—Li Ang might not rank No.1 in each category.

But when it came to reading the game and neutralizing a threat in critical moments?

He was, unquestionably, elite.

But now that Li Ang had reached a world-class level in nearly every core attribute—some even brushing the threshold of elite—when combined with his unquantifiable sense for defensive positioning, he had become the most formidable one-on-one defender in the modern game.

After being schooled a few times by Li Ang, Salah had no choice but to accept reality. The only edge he had over Li Ang was a slight advantage in explosive acceleration. But how could an experienced defender like Li Ang ever give him enough room to hit top speed?

So naturally, Salah’s influence on the match began to fade.

Then, in the 61st minute, Zlatan Ibrahimović latched onto a low cross from Hazard following a dribble into the box and smashed home the equalizer!

The goal was a showcase of Zlatan’s superior physique and technical ability—he simply outclassed Basel’s defenders in every way.

Seeing Zlatan level the score, Mourinho pumped his fists furiously on the sidelines in celebration.

But once the rush of joy passed, the manager couldn’t help muttering under his breath.

”If you’d just listened to me back then and changed your playstyle earlier… you wouldn’t have wasted those prime years. And now look—aren’t you doing exactly what I told you to do back then?”

Faria, who caught Mourinho’s half-joking complaint, chuckled knowingly.

Back when they both moved to Inter Milan, Mourinho had taken a strong liking to Ibrahimović. He even crafted a detailed plan for Zlatan’s transition and personally asked him to stay, hoping to win major silverware together in Milan.

Of course, everyone knew how the story turned out.

Zlatan ended up missing the best chance of his career to win the Champions League and squandered part of his prime.

Still, even though the two didn’t part ways on that particular journey, Ibrahimović never lost respect for Mourinho.

He had publicly expressed many times that he admired and appreciated the Portuguese manager—especially his sincerity and belief in him.

Perhaps it was this very sincerity that swayed Zlatan’s decision this past summer.

After receiving back-to-back phone calls—one from Li Ang, one from Mourinho—Ibrahimović didn’t hesitate. He quickly submitted a transfer request to PSG.

Sure, Zlatan was no longer in the absolute peak of his career, unlike when he first worked with Mourinho. But his physique and technical prowess remained. If he embraced the role of a classic striker—using his body and aerial strength to the fullest—he could still dominate inside the box.

And this wasn’t wishful thinking from Faria or Mourinho.

Zlatan had proven it himself with four goals in four matches across all competitions to start the season.

Watching him now on the pitch, locked in a celebratory embrace with Li Ang and pumping his fists toward the crowd, Faria felt a rush of emotion.

He and Mourinho had already built dynasties at Porto, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid.

The only regret?

Not lifting the Champions League trophy with the iron-blooded Blues of Chelsea.

Now, the chance to rewrite that history was right in front of them.

Faria firmly believed this time, at Stamford Bridge, there would be no tears of sorrow—only triumph.

After the equalizer, Chelsea’s morale skyrocketed.

Li Ang continued to bellow instructions, urging his teammates forward with raw energy.

With a leader shouting and guiding them, Chelsea’s young players suddenly had a clear direction.

Watching from the bench, veteran captain John Terry nodded with approval.

Earlier, he’d worried that a trailing Chelsea side, without himself or Lampard on the pitch, might struggle to stay focused or find the spark to push on.

In past seasons, he, Lampard, or Drogba had always been there to keep the fire burning.

But today, with both Terry and Lampard resting, he’d been understandably concerned.

Yet after watching Li Ang’s on-field leadership and tireless spirit, Terry felt at ease. He could relax on the bench knowing the team was in safe hands.

Even if the match ended in a draw, Terry believed the young Chelsea players had gained something far more valuable.

After all, the iron-blooded spirit of the Blues couldn’t always reside in the veterans. The next generation needed to inherit it—and build on it.

And Li Ang’s presence on the pitch had proven to Terry that a new leader had emerged.

In the 82nd minute, Li Ang bulldozed through Basel’s midfield enforcer Díaz and broke into the penalty area, earning a crucial penalty.

Terry’s satisfaction turned to sheer exhilaration.

At nearly 33 years old, he leaped up from the bench and roared with the same passion as the youngest players on the team.

But while his teammates swarmed Li Ang in celebration, the man himself quickly picked up the ball, cradled it in his arms, and jogged straight to Frank Lampard, who had only just come on as a substitute minutes earlier.

”Li Ang, you’re not taking the penalty?” Lampard asked, clearly surprised.

He had already braced himself to step aside and let Li Ang soak in the glory—earning the applause after leading the comeback.

But Li Ang simply smiled and shook his head, tossing a light-hearted joke.

”You’re our designated penalty taker, Frank. Besides, the boss didn’t say we could decide among ourselves. I’m not about to get hair-dried after the match.”

Lampard laughed, clapped Li Ang on the back, and strode confidently toward the spot with the ball tucked under his arm.

Despite only entering the game in the 76th minute, Lampard showed no nerves.

When the referee blew the whistle, he didn’t even glance at Basel keeper Yann Sommer. He just struck the ball with power, straight down the middle.

Sommer dove left—wrong guess.

The ball slammed into the back of the net.

Chelsea had completed the comeback.

Lampard was the one who scored the winner.

But on the touchline and in the stands, all eyes turned once again to Li Ang, who was grinning and celebrating with his teammates.

He hadn’t notched a goal or assist in the match.

But his influence had been unmistakable to everyone watching.

When the final whistle blew, Stamford Bridge erupted with thunderous cheers and applause.

Salah looked dejected.

When Li Ang approached him, the cameras immediately zoomed in on the two standout players of the night.

Li Ang offered a few words of encouragement—as he always did after besting a rising star of the post-90s generation.

Salah, initially disheartened, quickly brightened up. The two exchanged shirts, hugged, and shared a few words.

Claiming their first Champions League win of the season with a comeback victory was a milestone worth celebrating.

But before Li Ang could even speak in the locker room post-match, it was Terry and Lampard who took the lead.

They invited the entire squad out for dinner in the city.

This kind of team bonding—passionate, inclusive, and bridging generations—was something Mourinho had no interest in interfering with.

All the players came, including injured veterans Ivanović and Mikel.

Chelsea had won every match across all competitions since the season began.

For the veteran players, it had been years since they’d enjoyed such a near-perfect start.

That night, every face was beaming with joy.

And the very next afternoon, the squad returned to Cobham Training Ground for recovery training.

Not because Mourinho wanted to overwork them—but because the fixture list was relentless.

In three days, Chelsea would host Fulham in the fifth round of the Premier League.

Then they’d play in the EFL Cup.

Then came a trip to Tottenham in the sixth round of the league.

Two consecutive London derbies and a domestic cup fixture—

Chelsea’s first real fixture gauntlet of the season had arrived.

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