At the Cambridge United Training Base, the team was about to begin today's training when Huang Hao suddenly called Darren over and whispered a few words to him.
After listening, Darren looked at Huang Hao, enlightened, and repeatedly gave Huang Hao a thumbs up.
Immediately after, Darren called together the coaches responsible for today's training and began to assign new training tasks.
It turned out that Huang Hao had directly changed today's defensive training program, adding a sense of novelty to the somewhat dull training items.
Soon, at the coaches' request, half of the players ran back to the locker room to change into blue away kits, while the other half continued to wear yellow traditional kits.
"Listen up! Today, I'm assigning everyone a new project. Everyone listen carefully to the rules. Although it's a new project, it will still be included in the assessment!"
Hearing Darren's shouting, the players groaned again.
Soon, under Darren's arrangement, the coaches used five white lines, each about 20 meters long, to divide the field into four rectangular areas, each about 8 meters wide, with two small goals placed at each end of these areas.
Seeing everything arranged, Darren shouted again:
"Vardy, Lewandowski, Ayu, O'Connor, Tadić, Kante, you six are one group!"
"Lacazette, Kane, Juninho, M'Vila, Mahrez, you six are one group!"
The players whose names Darren called out quickly stood in two rows, awaiting further instructions from Darren.
"6V6?" The players watching from the sidelines muttered to themselves.
"But why are there 4 small goals? Normal 6V6 requires a goalkeeper!"
Clearly, this was different from Cambridge United's usual group drills, which further piqued the players' curiosity.
"Listen closely! Vardy, Lewandowski, Lacazette, Kane, you each stand in front of one of the four goals!"
"Tadić, the four of you remaining, stand in front of Lacazette and Kane, and enter the four respective areas!"
"Mahrez, the four of you remaining, stand in front of Vardy and Lewandowski, and also enter the four areas!" As everyone took their positions, they gradually noticed the setup.
The area in front of both teams' forwards was occupied by the four midfielders from the other group. This meant that if the four midfielders wanted to successfully pass the ball to their team's forwards, they would have to break through the interception of the opposing four midfielders.
"Now for the rules! The eight people in the middle, you can move freely back and forth, but you cannot cross the white lines on either side, otherwise, it's a foul, and you lose one point!"
"The forwards on both sides, when you receive the ball, you must pass it to a nearby teammate before you can shoot and score, otherwise, the goal is invalid, and you lose one point!"
"Time: 30 minutes per group. The team with more goals wins!"
"This is the new task Huang Hao just assigned you. The winning team today will have their assessment score doubled!"
At the end, Darren directly brought up Huang Hao. Since it was the boss's task, if they didn't perform well, there would be trouble, which meant the players needed to take this assessment twice as seriously.
Huang Hao's new training plan quickly won the approval of all coaching staff members. This training method could greatly cultivate the players' chain-defense abilities while also significantly improving their through-ball passing skills.
Watching the players sweat profusely as they trained, Huang Hao also showed a relieved smile.
Having successfully obtained his UEFA professional coaching certificate, Huang Hao had made significant progress in both tactical skills and training methods.
He, who initially relied on his status as the Cambridge United owner to command respect from players and coaches, had now truly achieved respect through his "skill."
Only in this way could Huang Hao truly achieve something great at Cambridge United.
Leading the team to Reading's home stadium, Reading's attendance reached its highest since the start of the season, nearly full. However, they surely hoped to draw a Premier League giant, not Cambridge United.
It can only be said that Cambridge United's strength has been recognized, but their fame and influence are still incomparable to traditional Premier League giants.
Huang Hao fielded an entirely reserve lineup in this match.
Goalkeeper: Pantilimon.
Defenders: Sun Jihai, Vida, Parks.
Midfielders: May, O'Connor, Grenier, Smith, Gotze.
Forwards: Jordan Ayew, Lacazette.
The defense was led by Sun Jihai, an old hand with two new players. The two wingers had skill for cutting inside and speed. The center forward had good link-up play, physicality, and finishing ability. Added to this were Gotze supplying passes from behind and O'Connor orchestrating the midfield.
Looking at it this way, Cambridge United's reserve squad had made a qualitative leap compared to two or three years ago.
There's a saying to measure a team: the worst in a team represents its level.
While not entirely correct and somewhat one-sided, it often holds true.
A team needs not only a strong starting lineup but also a reserve squad with a certain level of strength, capable of being used. Otherwise, if the starting lineup encounters any problems and the reserve lineup becomes a huge liability, wouldn't all efforts be ruined?
The players in this Cambridge United lineup were filled with desire and motivation to play. Even playing away, they still displayed a fierce, wolf-like intensity.
O'Connor and May formed a formidable interception barrier in midfield. Their active running and intense duels made it almost impossible for Reading to organize effective ground attacks. They were forced to play high balls and long passes at home, a style that gained no advantage against the tall, strong, and incredibly physical Vida and Parks.
Cambridge United's offense, however, was calm, unhurried, and well-organized. Gotze linked up the attacking plays, continuously creating scoring opportunities for the front line.
In the 21st minute, Gotze played a one-two with Smith outside the box. Smith, having cut into the box, crossed the ball towards the far post from the byline. Grenier burst in from the other side, heading the ball into the net!
Cambridge United opened their scoring account, and the rest of the match proceeded even more smoothly.
Just before halftime, Lacazette received a through ball from O'Connor inside the box, shielded the ball from the defender, turned, and then unleashed a shot that rocketed into Reading's goal!
His powerful physicality and footwork left the Reading defenders helpless.
In the second half, Cambridge United played even more relaxed and open.
In the 58th minute, Lacazette received Grenier's cross outside the box and headed it back. In reality, Grenier hadn't delivered a good cross, so Lacazette, who had been running into the box, had to turn and head the ball to Gotze instead.
After touching the ball outside the box, Gotze's stunning performance shattered Reading's defense. He juggled the ball once with his thigh, then, facing the pressing defenders, he simply chipped the ball over them. The ball flew over the heads of the entire defensive line, and Gotze sprinted past the opposing defenders to create a one-on-one situation. After taking a touch to adjust, he shot.
The ball flew into Reading's net without any suspense.
This was Gotze's fourth goal of the season, easily achieved.
Seeing Gotze's performance, Huang Hao couldn't help but stand up from the dugout, smiling and applauding.
Playing with extreme relaxation and enjoyment, Cambridge United did not slack off. For the reserve players, limited playing time was their stage to showcase themselves and earn more opportunities.
In the 67th minute, Cambridge United's attack surged forward, but Jordan Ayew's shot ultimately hit a defending player and rolled out for a goal kick.
O'Connor took the corner kick. Vida, who was anticipating the ball in the box, shook off his marker and headed the ball in, scoring his first goal since joining Cambridge United!
Even if it was just icing on the cake, Vida celebrated with extreme excitement.
Reading was completely overwhelmed!
Meanwhile, Cambridge United's attacks came in waves.
In the 79th minute, Cambridge United, once again besieging the opponent's goal, had three consecutive shots blocked. When Gotze's long-range shot was parried out of the box by the goalkeeper, Sun Jihai, who had come up to assist, met the ball and, as if without thinking, unleashed a volley. The ball, as if by magic, deflected off an opposing defender's outstretched leg and flew into Reading's goal.
5:0!
With this, the number of Swansea first-team players who had scored in official matches this season reached a terrifying 15!
Excluding the goalkeeper, every starting player had a goal to their name.
A comfortable 5:0 victory was exhilarating. Huang Hao praised the team's performance after the match and proudly declared in an interview that Cambridge United possessed a group of young men full of potential and fighting spirit!
After returning to Cambridge, Huang Hao specifically paid attention to Chelsea's match.
Chelsea, who were miles ahead in the League, also won 4:1 at home against Cardiff City in the FA Cup. Drogba, Balack, and Kalou all scored, with young Sturridge adding icing to the cake.
Huang Hao smiled upon hearing the news that Chelsea had successfully advanced.
Chelsea would also be fighting on three fronts in the second half of the season; they even had the possibility of fighting on four fronts before, but unfortunately, they were eliminated by Blackburn in the League Cup semi-finals.
Now that they hadn't been eliminated from the FA Cup, this was good news for Cambridge United, meaning Chelsea's future schedule would still be very demanding.
As for Manchester United, although they were eliminated early from the FA Cup, they still had the League Cup final and Champions League matches to play, so their schedule was also very demanding.
Manchester City drew 1:1 with Stoke City and would have to play a replay. Tottenham drew 1:1 with Bolton and also had to play a replay. The teams ranked above Cambridge United all had heavier schedules than Cambridge United, so it couldn't really be considered good news.
As for the next FA Cup draw, the results hadn't been released yet because some matches ended in draws and needed to be replayed on another day.
After the weekend, Fleet Street began to turn its attention to Europe.
But Europe had nothing to do with Huang Hao.
Huang Hao called Li Jianqin and asked them to come over for lunch.
At half-past twelve, Li Jianqin arrived. As soon as Huang Hao opened the door, a fluffy white Samoyed ran in, circled the living room, then ran back to Li Jianqin's feet, barking happily twice.
Huang Hao smiled and said, "Haha, you've started keeping a dog?"
Li Jianqin shrugged helplessly and said, "This is Ouyang Bing's dog. I've never brought it out before, and you never visit my home, so you haven't seen it. Sometimes when she and I go for a walk, we bring it along. I was originally planning to take it to the pet hospital for grooming and a trim this afternoon, but you happened to call for lunch, so I brought it along."
Huang Hao gently nudged the Samoyed with his foot. The little dog then bit his slipper and started playing. Huang Hao laughed, "It won't relieve itself anywhere, will it? If it does, we'd better tie it up in the yard."
Li Jianqin shook his head and said, "It shouldn't. It's trained."
The two sat down at the dining table, which was laden with a variety of vegetables, beef, lamb, and seafood, forming a tripod-like arrangement. Huang Hao was not polite and said, "If you feel anything is missing, go to the kitchen and get it. The seasonings are on the cabinet."
Li Jianqin was indeed not polite and started eating as soon as he sat down.
The two chatted about work and daily life. Li Jianqin was also preparing to get married. He planned to get married this summer, and his fiancée was Ouyang Bing, whom he had been dating for a relatively long time.
Huang Hao asked him why he had made up his mind, and he replied, "Work is too busy, so having an intellectual wife at home makes me feel more at ease. There are many women prettier than her, and many who know better how to please a man, but she is the most worry-free woman I've met. This is good enough, especially when I think about having children in the future; her knowledge and upbringing will at least ensure our children are well-educated more than mine would."
Huang Hao turned to look at the Samoyed, which was no longer playing with the slipper but was obediently lying on the carpet in front of the sofa in the living room. He suddenly said, "Li Jianqin, is your dog a purebred?"
Li Jianqin followed Huang Hao's gaze towards the living room and said, "I'm not too sure, but it should be purebred. At least, I've been with it for over a year and haven't noticed it growing oddly, and its fur color is very normal. I don't know much about this, but other Samoyeds I've seen at pet centers and pet hospitals are basically no different from mine."
Huang Hao withdrew his gaze, turned around, and put some vegetables into the pot, saying, "I suddenly want to buy a dog for Lin Kexin. I'm very busy and rarely have time to spend with her, so I thought of finding her a companion. Today, seeing your Samoyed, I had this idea. If you're sure your dog is purebred, then please help me buy a purebred dog as well."
Li Jianqin chuckled, "Alright."
After lunch, and a short rest, Lin En and Li Jianqin drove to work.
Huang Hao arrived at the club's training base and proceeded with the team's recovery training as usual.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Recovery training this afternoon, and tomorrow would be Saturday. Cambridge United's match was on Sunday, which could be considered the English Football Association's consideration when arranging the schedule. If they were unfeeling, Cambridge United would have to play on Saturday, which would literally leave them no time to breathe.