Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

After securing their first trophy of the season, Chelsea completed a clean sweep over Spurs.

And, of course, Leon kept his promise to the Chelsea faithful: today, Wembley’s skies were indeed blue.

Even after the final whistle, Leon showed grace. He offered some comfort to the dejected Lamela and then sought out an old friend—Eriksen.

”You won again, Leon… I really don’t want to play against you in these big matches anymore. God, ever since we first met on a Champions League pitch, I’ve never beaten you once,” Eriksen said, managing a wry smile.

Unlike most of his teammates, Eriksen had quickly shaken off his disappointment. Perhaps he’d mentally prepared for this outcome before the match even started.

That’s why he could still joke, hug Leon, and offer genuine congratulations.

”Well, maybe I’ve just been lucky these past few years,” Leon laughed. ”Keep going, Christian. You’re going to shine in the Premier League—I believed that from the moment I heard you were leaving Ajax for Spurs. Keep pushing, brother.”

Leon gave Eriksen a firm pat on the shoulder and handed over his shirt in exchange.

Truth be told, if Mourinho hadn’t set his sights on Kroos last summer and acted early, Leon might’ve lobbied for Eriksen himself.

Eriksen had a different playing style from Kroos, but there was no doubt in Leon’s mind that, had he joined Chelsea, he would’ve lightened Leon’s creative burden and helped unleash his full attacking potential.

His relative lack of defensive ability wouldn’t have been an issue with Leon and Matic covering behind him.

Leon would’ve enjoyed playing alongside Eriksen—but it was only a fleeting thought. Kroos was ultimately the better fit for this Chelsea squad, and for him personally.

No need to bring up regrets or what-ifs now.

And who knows? With the butterfly effect Leon had already created, perhaps Eriksen’s future would be even brighter than in his original timeline.

Maybe, a few years down the line, this version of Spurs would achieve even greater success.

Hard to say.

Leon believed Eriksen had a bright future ahead of him—but right now, Leon had to keep chasing his own glory.

The trophy ceremony felt familiar—Chelsea had walked this path once before last season.

But for players like Kroos, Maguire, and Salah, it was their first taste of it.

A mix of novelty and pride filled the team as they once again climbed the podium, soaking in the joy of being champions.

Back in the center of the pitch, at the main platform, Leon and Terry dragged a reluctant Mourinho forward, and the three of them together lifted the trophy high above their heads to a roaring celebration.

Cameras clicked madly, capturing the iconic moment.

News of Chelsea winning their first title of the season spread across the globe.

And Leon’s now-iconic ”1/4” hand gesture became the hot topic of fan conversations.

Thanks to proud Chelsea fans explaining it across social media, more and more neutral fans came to understand what it meant:

One-fourth of the club’s season objectives—complete.

Leon wasn’t just dreaming about a treble in England. He had his eyes set on the Champions League as well.

If Chelsea could pull it off, they would become the most dominant single-season title collectors in English football history—no contest.

A European title would finally cement Chelsea’s place among the sport’s elite clubs.

Many neutrals admired Leon’s ambition.

Naturally, there were also skeptics and sarcastic critics.

But in this moment, with Chelsea just crowned League Cup champions, most of the media sided with them.

Especially in England. The narrative was unified: Chelsea and Leon were on a mission.

Success speaks volumes. Even without the FA publicly backing them, it was clear someone had given a quiet nod of approval.

And when it came to riding the momentum, no one in Europe did it better than the English media.

That evening, at the club’s celebration dinner, Roman Abramovich personally invited Chinese commentators and a few notable journalists.

Zhan Jun and his colleagues saw firsthand just how much Abramovich appreciated Leon.

Unfortunately, despite winning their first trophy, Chelsea had no time to rest.

Training resumed the very next afternoon.

The wild celebrations would have to wait until season’s end.

Chelsea were entering the final sprint.

Starting March 4th, they were diving into another brutal stretch.

The FA Cup followed immediately after the League Cup, crammed in between league fixtures and Champions League ties—draining the players further.

The good news? In the FA Cup quarterfinals, Chelsea had drawn Reading, a Championship side.

Unlike Villa, West Brom, United, and Arsenal—locked into Premier League civil wars—Chelsea could afford to rotate.

The main squad could fully focus on Matchday 28 in the Premier League and the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16.

Chelsea had originally been set to face Leicester in Matchday 27, but the League Cup final caused a scheduling conflict, and they skipped that fixture.

Fortunately, City stumbled after winning their 26th match—losing 3–1 to a red-hot Liverpool in Matchday 27.

So even with a game in hand, Chelsea still held an 11-point lead over City.

That cushion was huge.

The pressure was entirely on City. And as for Arsenal—currently third? They trailed City by six points. Not even close.

On March 3rd, Aston Villa and West Brom kicked off Matchday 28, setting the stage for the FA Cup quarterfinals as well.

Six Premier League teams played that night.

The next day, the remaining 14 clubs took the field.

With no real blockbuster fixtures on the docket, Chelsea’s away match at West Ham became the round’s focal point.

Earlier in the season, West Ham had been tipped by many fans as the team most likely to break Chelsea’s unbeaten run.

Their record had been stellar. They even forced their way into the top four, and their results against the other Big Six teams weren’t bad either.

But after losing to Chelsea, West Ham’s form collapsed.

Their momentum gone, they tumbled down the table—now sitting tenth.

It had been a harsh reality check for the players and coaching staff.

Even though this match was at the London Stadium, Chelsea could feel the drop in West Ham’s morale.

Their fans, however, still showed up strong.

Alongside 10,000 traveling Chelsea fans, the 60,000-seat stadium was packed to the brim.

The atmosphere was electric.

But the game?

Disappointing—at least for Leon.

West Ham’s resilience didn’t meet expectations.

Before the 20-minute mark, Ibrahimović latched onto a through ball from Kroos and scored with ease.

Eight minutes later, Hazard danced through the defense and smashed in a solo wonder goal to double the lead.

In the 44th minute, Leon fired in a low shot from the left edge of the box—sealing the game before halftime.

When the second half began, Mourinho pulled both Ibra and Hazard immediately.

Leon stayed on for 15 more minutes, subbed off for Lampard at the 60-minute mark.

Chelsea cruised to a 4–0 win at the London Stadium.

They maintained their commanding lead over City—and delivered a crushing blow to West Ham’s fading hopes.

And with that, Chelsea’s starting XI finally earned themselves a well-deserved, brief vacation.

Including Li Ang, almost all of Chelsea’s first-team regulars were able to enjoy a well-deserved two-day rest.

On the afternoon of March 7th, Mourinho led his team to Berkshire as Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter-final match against Reading kicked off.

Reading, this season, had been performing at a level barely sufficient to avoid relegation in the Championship.

Facing a Chelsea side made up entirely of substitutes, Reading still opted for a conservative, parked-bus approach. They had no other choice. Even though their defense might be mid-table in the Championship, their attacking problems were severe. In 36 Championship matches, Reading had only scored 32 goals. With numbers like that, they struggled to break down even lower-tier defenses, let alone Chelsea’s.

But even with their ultra-defensive setup and counterattacking focus, Reading couldn’t hold on at home. And who could blame them? Mourinho had chosen to start both Drogba and Lukaku up front—Chelsea’s very own ”big and little beasts” duo.

The starting lineup was a straightforward 4-4-2. The strategy was clear: attack down the flanks and deliver crosses into the box.

And it worked. Mohamed Salah, now brimming with confidence thanks to regular playing time, completely overwhelmed Reading’s right flank. It was a mismatch in pace and technique—he tore their defense to shreds almost single-handedly.

Drogba and Lukaku, both excellent at getting on the end of crosses, feasted on the service. Drogba scored one and assisted another, while Lukaku bagged a brace. By halftime, Chelsea had already secured a strong lead.

The final score? Chelsea 5, Reading 1.

Salah didn’t score, but he delivered a hat-trick of assists and was rightfully named Man of the Match.

With their ticket punched to the FA Cup semi-finals, Chelsea could now wait peacefully for the draw.

But fans had their eyes on another stage: the Champions League. The 4–0 away win over Barcelona in the first leg had made the second leg almost a formality.

A 4–0 scoreline, especially with four away goals, was a death sentence for any opponent. Barcelona fans were already despairing.

On March 10th, Barcelona’s squad arrived in London a day early. Their expressions at the airport were serious and heavy. No journalists or fans cared much about Enrique’s tactical plans anymore.

After all, it was obvious: all-out attack was their only option.

Even if Enrique got creative with his tactics, Barcelona had to push from the opening whistle.

Neutral fans were left wondering—would Chelsea take it easy and manage the game conservatively, or would they go for the kill against their longtime European rivals?

The answer came on the night of March 11th.

Chelsea, at home, lined up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation.

It wasn’t their full-strength squad, but key players along the central spine were all in the starting eleven.

Li Ang and Toni Kroos both started in midfield. It was clear that Mourinho wasn’t about to cede control of the center of the pitch.

Barcelona’s reaction was mixed: surprise and rage.

Surprise that they didn’t have to face a defensive bus; rage that Chelsea and Mourinho showed no fear of a comeback.

From the kickoff, Barcelona went all-out attack, driven by this emotional cocktail.

Chelsea, bursting with energy, responded in kind with their high-pressing, relentless running strategy.

Barcelona wanted to increase the game’s tempo and create more attacking sequences.

Chelsea obliged—but they raised the pace to a level Barcelona hadn’t anticipated.

In this frantic, physical, and tactical battle, Barcelona quickly realized they weren’t dictating the rhythm.

Chelsea simplified everything. Organized pressing, numerical superiority in small zones, increased physicality, stamina challenges, and sprint duels—this was Chelsea’s bread and butter.

But for Barcelona’s aging backline and midfield, this was a nightmare.

They might survive 10 or 20 minutes, but after half an hour of relentless tempo, their defensive structure collapsed.

It was like watching two teams from different eras on the same pitch.

Chelsea didn’t need complex tactics. They just relied on an entirely different playing philosophy and intensity to shatter Barcelona’s fragile setup.

Messi, starved of possession, looked helpless. He needed time to orchestrate the attack, but his teammates couldn’t give him that space or support. Worse, they needed him to drop deep into his own half just to relieve pressure.

This was exactly the scene Mourinho and Li Ang had envisioned.

And yet, as they watched Messi struggle, both felt a tinge of pity.

They respected him enough to target him, and respected him enough to feel sorry for his circumstances.

But such is the cruelty of football.

When Barcelona were in their prime, Messi could perform miracles, scoring and assisting at will.

But now, as the team aged and declined, Messi had to carry the entire squad on his shoulders.

It happened to Messi, it happened to Cristiano Ronaldo, and one day it might happen to Li Ang too.

Unless he makes the tough decision to transfer during the tail end of his prime and join a team with fresh legs and ambition, this might be his fate as well.

But for Messi, Barcelona was unique. Making that choice wouldn’t be easy.

At least for now, facing Chelsea’s hurricane-like assault, Messi didn’t give up. He still tried to lead his team in resistance.

But Mourinho, Li Ang, and the entire Chelsea squad weren’t willing to give Barcelona even a glimmer of hope.

Barcelona tried to hold on and counterattack, but their weak and aging defense was the first to break.

In the 21st minute of the first half, Iniesta finally gained possession and passed to Messi, who had dropped back to receive.

But before Messi could even turn, he was double-teamed by Hazard and Li Ang near the touchline.

The tight space offered no room for Messi’s dribbling magic.

Li Ang stepped in decisively and won the ball off him cleanly.

With Barcelona still pushing forward and out of defensive shape, Li Ang launched a long pass to start a counterattack.

Ibrahimović, stationed just outside the Barcelona box, muscled past Piqué and headed the ball down.

Hazard, ghosting into space with perfect timing, collected the ball inside the penalty area and immediately connected for the finish.

Enrique had opted not to start Mascherano, choosing Mathieu instead—he paid the price.

Mathieu couldn’t keep up with Hazard, and Ter Stegen had no chance at close range.

As the ball crossed the line, Chelsea effectively sentenced Barcelona to death.

With a combined score of 5–0 over two legs, the result screamed to the world:

This was a ruthless annihilation.

Barcelona, backs to the wall, launched desperate attacks, but their tactics were in disarray. There was no plan, no cohesion, no confidence.

Enrique stubbornly signaled for more offensive pressure.

But in the 36th minute of the first half, Li Ang made a late run into the box and smashed home De Bruyne’s cross, extending the lead.

Barcelona were stunned. Even after halftime, they couldn’t recover their morale.

Later in the second half, with Drogba having replaced Ibrahimović, he too got his goal in the 82nd minute from a corner kick.

And just like that—

The world erupted.

Fans couldn’t believe their eyes.

Barcelona fans would never forget this painful, humiliating day.

March 11th, 2015—Chelsea fed Barcelona ”7-Up” at Stamford Bridge.

A brutal, shocking Champions League massacre was born.

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