Chapter 590: Chapter 589: Winning Without a Fight
Deng Kai was indeed a good leader.
Shouting slogans might not always be good, but ensuring everyone is well-fed and quenched surely can’t be bad!
Deng Kai, YYDS!
For a moment, the crown atop Deng Kai’s head shone brighter, and the throne beneath him became more secure.
And the players invested themselves more in the League Cup.
On December third, the fourth round of the League Cup kicked off.
Manchester City still fielded a full-strength lineup.
Their opponents, the Black Cats Sunderland, knowing Manchester City’s determination, gave up pointless resistance and fielded their youth team.
Fowler scored twice and assisted once.
Adriano and Chiellini both completed headers that breached the goal.
Deng Kai and Grosso provided the assists.
Four to zero.
Manchester City easily entered the quarterfinals of the League Cup!
Only then did England revisit Manchester City’s actions this season, as if awakening from a dream.
Manchester City’s goals were really too clear!
Premier League relegation-strugglers?
Middle-of-the-table Premier League teams?
It didn’t matter at all!
Manchester City never even considered how they would perform in the Premier League this season.
As long as they weren’t relegated, they would have completed their Premier League mission for the season.
This was why Deng Kai went out to indulge himself for half a month after the Golden Ball award ceremony.
Sky Sports: "With Arsenal’s triumph last year, the Wenger-style Gunners perfected their art! And this summer, Manchester United also returned to their peak with the introductions of Ronaldo and Ferdinand."
"Other competitors like Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Everton, and Blackburn are also strong."
"Manchester City picked a challenging time to rise, as the Premier League these years is not about chaos breeding heroes but rather a pattern of dominant super clubs with no room for ordinary teams to emerge."
"So instead of floundering in the Premier League, better to focus on the cup competitions!"
"Manchester City exhibited several exaggerated victories in the League Cup this season. An important reason is that they fielded their best players in these matches."
"Lehmann, Grosso, Robbie Fowler—Manchester City’s best-performing players—have not often appeared in league matches, but they haven’t missed a single League Cup game."
Marca interviewed Real Madrid’s president Florentino on this matter: "Manchester City’s strength is not just in preparing to win the championship money. With their prior actions and the news of the prize money, they have managed to psychologically dominate all their opponents!"
"In China, this might be called winning a war without a battle! This is the highest realm of warfare!"
"Didn’t this round’s Sunderland voluntarily surrender?"
"This is a royal tactic! Very similar to us at Real Madrid! This must be Maxa’s influence... the clear season goals, steadfast execution, orderly cooperation... Maxa will succeed at Manchester City!"
"Real Madrid would very much welcome such an excellent manager to collaborate on great endeavors!"
Florentino was dissatisfied with Real Madrid’s current coach, Bosque.
This coach was too... low-profile!
That certainly shows steadiness.
But today’s Real Madrid does not need steadiness.
We have the best soccer stars in the world!
Zidane, Figo, Raul, Ronaldo... how many active Golden Ball winners are there?
Half of them are at my Real Madrid. Being low-profile now wastes all the hype and traffic generated by my signings, doesn’t it?
Do you really think I sign a superstar every year just to boost the team’s strength?
Improving strength is for winning championships, winning championships is for gaining attention and recognition.
But I can achieve these goals through signings alone, so what does strength matter!
Isn’t it better to be bold?
Let everyone know that Real Madrid is the world’s number one club, right?
Lastly, Manchester Evening posed a question that put a period on this wave of extravagant Manchester City bonuses: "If Manchester City has already given up on the Premier League, given their current form, they seem to still have some energy left."
"The League Cup will end in February... Will Manchester City then focus their energy on the FA Cup?"
"And what would their FA Cup goal be?"
"Semifinals? Or perhaps... the Champions?"
Buzz!
It seemed like an earthquake had struck the English football scene.
The Sun Newspaper seized the moment: "Fun fact! Deng Kai began in the youth team, and in the four years since his debut, if we only count club honors, his first year in the U15 squad earned him the fewest championships."
"Only a league championship and a youth Champions League."
"The second year, he won the U17 league, the Primeira Liga, and the Portugal Cup."
"In the third year, he grabbed the Portugal Super Cup, the Europa League, the Primeira Liga, and the Portugal Cup championships."
"In the fourth year, he nailed the UEFA Super Cup, Portugal Super Cup, Primeira Liga, Portugal Cup, and the Champions League champions!"
"This is his fifth year, a fresh start for Deng Kai, and maybe it’s back to square one! So..."
"Two of them!"
"After all, the confirmed girlfriends or rumored girlfriends of Deng Kai are only Hathaway and Keira now!"
Jiang Yunzhu: ???
Jiang Yunzhu: Who was it few days ago that slandered me for what happened at Deng Kai’s villa? Now I don’t count?
...
December 8th.
Deng Kai posted a Photoshopped image on "Understand Ball Emperor."
The picture featured Aragorn from "The Lord of the Rings" wielding the holy sword, looking dashing.
But Aragorn’s face was replaced with Deng Kai’s face.
Deng Kai: "Brothers! Join me to watch ’The Lord of the Rings 2’!"
That day, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" premiered simultaneously in North America and England.
The opening day racked up thirty million US dollars, breaking this year’s North American premiere record.
The Lord of the Rings drama crew was overjoyed.
December 9th, the 17th round of the Premier League.
Sunderland, who just suffered a 4-0 drubbing by Manchester City in the League Cup, immediately bounced back.
They thrashed the invading Manchester City 3-0 at home.
This also affirmed that Sunderland’s decision to forfeit the League Cup was a correct one.
December 12th.
Hathaway finished shooting "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
She went straight to Manchester staying one night at Deng Kai’s place before immediately flying back to the United States.
She had been squeezing in lots of endorsements, meetings, and commercial activities as this movie had taken too long to shoot.
Whether you’re rich or not, you’re enslaved and squeezed by work.
The first few years of making your mark are never quiet.
Of course, once that’s behind you, there’s plenty of time to relax.
Deng Kai and Hathaway were both very optimistic about this.
December 14th, the 18th round of the Premier League.
Manchester City visited Charlton.
Robbie Fowler and Ribery scored goals.
Deng Kai and Grosso provided assists.
The teams drew 2-2.
Manchester City’s standing in the league steadily slid.
But no one criticized them.
Because everyone knew that the league was just Manchester City’s training ground.
Their real battlefield was the cup competitions!
That was an unexpected benefit Deng Kai hadn’t foreseen.
Because in truth, if they could win in the league, they definitely wouldn’t aim to lose.
It’s just that they couldn’t win.
Premier League teams played too fiercely.
And it wasn’t for this attack-strong, defense-weak Manchester City to dictate.
