The players left the Cambridge United Training Base one after another, until only Huang Hao and Darren remained.
"Want to chat?"
Darren was somewhat surprised by Huang Hao's suggestion. Although he really wanted to pull out his watch and show Huang Hao the time, he decided against it.
"A bar?"
A dejected Darren could only manage these two words.
Seeing Darren's expression, Huang Hao burst out laughing.
"Don't worry, Old Jack, it won't be long, hahahaha!"
With that, Huang Hao put his arm around Darren's neck and walked towards Ron's bar.
Because Cambridge United had temporarily moved their home stadium to Selhurst Park in London, without a stadium to watch the matches, the bar's business inexplicably improved, likely due to more people unable to attend in person.
Seeing the two suddenly burst into the bar, Ron couldn't quite believe his eyes.
"Alright, if I'm not mistaken, you two are the Head Coach and assistant coach of Cambridge United, right?"
"Hahaha, boss, you're not mistaken. Let me introduce myself, I'm Huang Hao, the Head Coach of Cambridge United, and this is my assistant, Darren."
Huang Hao seriously played along with Ron's question.
"Hahahahaha, congratulations to you two, you almost overturned Chelsea!"
Hearing Ron's words, Huang Hao quickly waved his hand,
"We just scored one goal. I hope next time at home, we can show them what we're made of."
"Huang, I like that spirit of yours. I've never seen it in any Head Coach of Cambridge United."
Ron kept nodding, looking at Huang Hao as if he were an artwork.
Huang Hao felt uncomfortable under Ron's gaze and quickly said:
"Alright, boss, two beers! I need to quickly chat with Darren, otherwise I might be accused of employee abuse."
Hearing this, Darren quickly pointed to his watch at Ron, then shrugged, looking utterly resigned.
"Hahaha, no problem, it's on me!"
With that, Ron pushed the beers in front of the two of them.
After the three clinked glasses and took a sip, Huang Hao asked Darren:
"Old Jack, do you think Manchester City will use a substitute lineup against us?"
Hearing this question, Darren thought seriously for a moment, then nodded.
"Uh, I think so. After all, Manchester City's upcoming schedule is very tight and difficult."
Darren's answer did not get a response from Huang Hao.
Huang Hao stared at the beer in his hand, his index finger lightly tapping the table, as if deep in thought.
"Mr. Ron, what do you think?"
After a long pause, Huang Hao did not state his own answer, but instead asked Ron.
"If you ask me, I think Hughes definitely won't use substitutes. As for how many main players, I'd say at least 60% or more."
Hearing this, Darren looked at Ron with curiosity.
"I agree with Ron's point of view, but I think Hughes will use 80% of the main players."
Seeing the two of them full of curiosity, Huang Hao smiled slightly,
"Ron, you go first with your reason."
"My reason is simple," Ron said, "According to rumors in the bar industry, Hughes is about to be sacked."
"Yes, that's also why I believe Hughes will field his main players," Huang Hao interjected, "And we are the weakest, and we have defeated Manchester City. Reporters from all sides will constantly remind Manchester City's leaders of this matter."
Cambridge United had previously defeated the formidable Manchester City in a cup match. For Manchester City, who hoped to rise, this slight would certainly not be easily swallowed. This match would be the first encounter between the two teams in the Premier League, and Balack would surely want Hughes to teach this younger brother a good lesson.
When Huang Hao returned to his apartment, it was already two in the morning.
Looking at the sleeping Lin Kexin, Huang Hao felt a pang of guilt. The continuous matches had greatly reduced the time they spent together.
After a quick wash, Huang Hao chose the sofa, as waking Lin Kexin at this hour would not be appropriate.
Just as Huang Hao was about to fall asleep, he suddenly saw a missed call on his phone from an unfamiliar number.
However, considering it was already 2:30 AM, Huang Hao did not call back and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when Huang Hao woke up, it was already ten o'clock.
Lin Kexin had already gone to the hospital, and a thoughtful breakfast was laid out on the table. She had also placed a thin quilt over Huang Hao to prevent him from catching a cold.
A unique warmth quickly filled Huang Hao's body. Perhaps, it was time to give Lin Kexin and his family an explanation, but Huang Hao had another plan in mind for this matter, and the results would be known at the end of this season.
After a quick breakfast, Huang Hao immediately ran towards the Cambridge United Training Base. For many years, he had developed this habit, and even now as the first-team Head Coach, nothing had changed.
"Morning! Old Jack!"
"Hey! Good morning, Huang! Yesterday's match was such a shame!"
Seeing Huang Hao, Jack's first thought was yesterday's match.
"Hahaha! Old Jack, you're getting arrogant too! Our opponent was Chelsea!"
Huang Hao gave a helpless smile. The Cambridge United fans certainly had high expectations now.
"So what! We can still win!"
Old Jack stroked his long beard, clearly unconvinced.
"Okay! I promise you, when we return home, we'll definitely beat them!"
Huang Hao clenched his fist at Old Jack, looking like he was ready to take on the world.
"Hahaha! Yes! That's the Huang I know! Have a great day!"
"You too!"
After a brief exchange with Jack, Huang Hao arrived at his office.
At this moment, he seemed to suddenly remember something, took out his phone, and dialed the missed call from yesterday.
"Hello, boss!"
The voice of an elder came from the phone. Huang Hao was stunned, not knowing who the other party was.
"Good morning, who is this?"
The other party seemed not to mind Huang Hao's question and quickly replied:
"Boss, I'm Peters, the scout for Cambridge United."
Huang Hao then realized, the other party was the oldest member of the current Cambridge United team.
The 63-year-old Belgian, Johnny Petersen, had played for Anderlecht and Manchester United for 20 years.
Originally, at the age of 60, Petersen terminated his contract with Manchester United, planning to enjoy his retirement.
Unexpectedly, Evans came knocking.
The stubborn Evans knew the old man had a sharp eye for selecting players, and he would visit Peters almost every other day.
Whether it was fishing or golf, Evans dedicated almost all of his leisure time to the old man.
Finally, Petersen was moved by Evans's spirit and decided to join this inconspicuous Cambridge United.
However, Petersen and Huang Hao had almost no interaction. More often, Evans would compile the information and then report it to Huang Hao.
This was the first time Peters had spoken to Huang Hao, so for a moment, Huang Hao didn't realize who the other party was.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Petersen, I didn't recognize your voice."
"Haha! It's alright, after all, we rarely communicate."
Peters seemed very tolerant towards this young man.
"I saw your call was made in the early hours of the morning yesterday, so I didn't call you back. Is there something you need?"
"I want to recommend a young man to you. I'm very optimistic about him."
"Boss, this is an investment for our future. I believe he will be a fortune for the club."
Hearing Peters's certainty, Huang Hao realized that this must be a very good player.
"No problem, Peters, just send me the information directly, and we'll do an evaluation when we have time."
"Alright, boss, you'll definitely be satisfied."
After ending the call with Peters, Huang Hao quickly received the information sent by his secretary.
Haaland, Norwegian, 10 years old, plays as a forward, currently in the youth academy of Bryne FK in Norway.
Having made up his mind, Huang Hao immediately called Adams.
"Boss, Penambucano is settled. If nothing unexpected happens, the contract will be signed in the next two days. Lyon disagrees with Umtiti's transfer and says they will report us to FIFA, which is indeed difficult. You need to give me some time."
Before Huang Hao could even ask, a somewhat haggard Adams rattled off a report on his recent work.
Huang Hao nodded with satisfaction, giving Adams a thumbs up.
"I have to say, Adams, your efficiency is simply impeccable. However..."
"Boss, if we poach Umtiti, we'll have poached four players from Lyon. Lyon's management is angry, especially since we didn't spend much money."
Adams thought Huang Hao was going to urge Umtiti's transfer again and quickly complained to Huang Hao.
"Hahaha, I trust you with this. Have Owens coordinate it; we can't let him take our money and do nothing. I have another task for you."
Hearing this, Adams didn't know whether to be happy or cry, and could only listen obediently.
"Here's the information, Haaland, from Norway, should not be too difficult. His father is Alf, you can approach him through him. I can offer him a U16 Head Coach position here."
After speaking, Huang Hao pushed the information provided by Petersen to Adams.
"No problem, wait for my news."
With that, Adams left Huang Hao's office, afraid of staying a moment longer and another task popping up.
Watching Adams leave, Huang Hao also began to consider reforming the club's current scouting reporting model. It wasn't that Evans was doing things wrong, but he couldn't stand from the perspective of the club's long-term planning to select suitable candidates for Cambridge United. The club couldn't just focus on immediate combat power; future reserves were equally important.
It seemed that Huang Hao still needed to participate in the weekly scouting meetings.
However, this matter had to be put aside for now, as there was only one day left until the match against Manchester City.
When Darren received the Manchester City starting eleven lineup released by Mark Hughes, he was immediately filled with admiration for Huang Hao.
As Huang Hao had predicted, Manchester City fielded almost all of their main players.
Robinho, Tevez, Barry, and Adebayor were all included. It seemed Mark Hughes had no intention of leaving any chances for Cambridge United at home.
Manchester City's starting players did not affect Cambridge United's training plan.
Cambridge United still decided to travel to Manchester on the morning of the match day, allowing them a full day of preparation time at the training base.
Today's Cambridge United training still included multiple defensive drills. What surprised the players was that the afternoon was reserved for two hours of tactical analysis.
After a full day of training, the Cambridge United players returned to the familiar room.
Huang Hao stood in front of the projector, waiting for the players to take their seats.
"How about it, does it feel familiar?"
Everyone laughed when they heard Huang Hao's words.
It was their magical Eastern Head Coach who had taught them that tactical lessons could also turn into foul compilations.
Normally, Cambridge United players would only come to the tactical analysis room for a refresher when they had seven days of preparation time.
But this time, it was clear that Huang Hao was going to provide extra lessons for everyone.
After joking with the players, Huang Hao quickly got down to business.
"Today we will watch three matches, and Darren will also give you a detailed explanation of the specific analysis. The next two hours are very important for our match tomorrow."
"So, pay attention, everyone. If I find that you haven't listened carefully tomorrow, you know the consequences."
With that, Huang Hao even placed his palm flat on his neck and made a sharp pulling motion!
This action immediately made the Cambridge United players shrink their heads.
The three matches Huang Hao selected for everyone were Cambridge United 3:0 Arsenal, Chelsea 3:1 Cambridge United, and Manchester City 2:2 Fulham.
Two hours flew by, and when the players walked out of the tactical analysis room, their eyes showed an added anticipation for tomorrow's match.
After more than four hours of long-distance travel, Cambridge United finally arrived at Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
Fortunately, the players were all in good spirits, as Cambridge United had maintained this special tradition for over three years prior.