On December 26th, after two days of rest, Cambridge United hosted Leyton Orient, who were in ninth place in the League standings, at Abbey Stadium.
After just stepping onto the League One pitch, Huang Hao's Cambridge United had a resounding 5-2 away victory against their opponent.
For this home match, the two teams were ranked second and ninth in the League standings, with a 16-point difference between them. Leyton Orient's form had clearly declined.
Cambridge United, fielding their full main squad, defeated their opponent 4-1 with a hat-trick from the Bosnian youngster Dzeko and a goal from Tadić, allowing the 7,000 fans at Abbey Stadium to witness Cambridge United's brutality!
Just two days later, Cambridge United was set to face Cheltenham Town, ranked twenty-second, at Whaddon Road Stadium. The extremely tight schedule was somewhat suffocating Huang Hao's team.
Although Cambridge United still held an absolute advantage during the match, Cheltenham Town's immense motivation to avoid relegation led them to play above their usual level, and Cambridge United was unable to break through their opponent's defense. In the end, they narrowly secured an away victory thanks to an own goal from Cheltenham Town defender Rob Dickie!
After the match, news came from Swansea that they were also struggling with the highly congested fixture list, drawing with their opponent again. Cambridge United successfully narrowed the gap with them! At this point, the League had reached its 27th round, with Swansea in first place with 60 points, and Cambridge United in second with 58 points, trailing by two!
Four days later, Cambridge United would host Premier League powerhouse Manchester City!
To prepare for this match, Huang Hao uncharacteristically held a closed training session! This was the first time he had conducted a closed training session since taking charge of Cambridge United!
On the first day of the New Year, Huang Hao received a message from Lin Kexin: Coach, Happy New Year! Go for it!
Huang Hao smiled wryly when he saw the message, thinking, 'It's all because of you!' But his reply was still four words: 'Happy New Year!'
At today's press conference at Abbey Stadium, there were still only two or three reporters. After answering a few routine questions, his old friend Stewart asked Huang Hao again:
"Hao, the team has now broken its club record with 15 consecutive wins, and you've conducted a closed training session this time. Are you aiming to defeat Manchester City and continue your winning streak?"
"Manchester City is a great team, and I cherish the opportunity to play against a renowned coach like Sven-Göran Eriksson. No one dislikes winning, Mr. Stewart."
Upon hearing this, the other two reporters smiled and shook their heads, clearly feeling that Huang Hao was getting a bit carried away.
At the Manchester City training base, the Manchester City press conference presented a completely different scene from Cambridge United. Dozens of reporters filled the room, flashlights constantly flickering, as every media outlet hoped to capture a perfect photo to accompany their news story.
Sven-Göran Eriksson was very gentlemanly, patiently answering reporters' questions. The press officer had to remind everyone again that there were only 2 minutes of questioning time left.
Simon from Sky Sports raised his hand high, signaling he had a question for Sven-Göran Eriksson:
"Mr. Sven, we hear that Huang Hao's Cambridge United has achieved an astonishing record of 15 consecutive wins. Do you think they will cause Manchester City any trouble?"
"Mr. Reporter, if Manchester City's U23 team were placed in League One, perhaps our record would be even longer."
Sven-Göran Eriksson's reply was full of disdain for lower-tier competitions, as the teams he coached were always at the top of the pyramid.
"Huang Hao said he greatly respects you and Manchester City Football Club, and he is very excited to play against such a big team. Are you also looking forward to this match?"
Sven-Göran Eriksson was very displeased with this reporter, frowning slightly, but still replied, "Manchester City experiences many matches every year. I am indeed very much looking forward to an entertaining match like the FA Cup. We will also undoubtedly secure the victory."
"Hello, Mr. Sven, I'm a reporter from The Sun. We hear that the Thai government has launched an investigation into the source of funds used by Manchester City Chairman Thaksin Shinawatra to acquire Manchester City, and Manchester City Football Club's funds have been frozen. Is this true?"
"Nonsense," Sven-Göran Eriksson was clearly a bit angry, "Thaksin Shinawatra is Thaksin Shinawatra, Manchester City is Manchester City. The chairman's acquisition of the club was completely legal and compliant."
"Then why do we hear that Barça rejected Manchester City's bid for Ronaldinho because Manchester City couldn't afford the 80 million transfer fee?"
The press conference host, seeing Sven-Göran Eriksson's face turn ashen, quickly said, "Today's press conference concludes here. Please exit in an orderly fashion."
Walking out of the press conference, Sven-Göran Eriksson said to Grip with some worry, "The chairman is finished. I don't know what will happen to Manchester City once everyone receives the news."
"Yes, this month's salaries haven't been paid. The players are fine, but the staff are all inquiring, Sven. We should also make plans early."
On January 2nd, at Abbey Stadium, Lin Kexin still chose to arrive early. Around the stadium, besides small vendors loaded with club souvenirs, there were countless fans holding handwritten signs: 'I need a ticket!' desperately waiting for an admission ticket. But clearly, no one was willing to sell them the tickets they held.
The ticket office at Abbey Stadium closed early once again. This was something they had never dared to imagine before.
After repeatedly turning down several fans, Lin Kexin finally managed to get through security and arrived behind the coaching bench. Huang Hao had reserved the best seats in the entire stadium, except for the executive boxes, for her.
Li Jianqin also entered the substitute bench directly as a staff member for this match. After investing in Cambridge United, what made him most delighted was being able to attend matches in person and watch football games up close. And as Cambridge United's performance improved, he was increasingly coming into contact with teams he had only seen on television before. Huang Hao's deal was too good!
In the Abbey Stadium home team changing room, after assigning each player's task, Huang Hao began his final motivational speech:
"Do you remember last year's FA Cup third round?"
Most of the team's main players had experienced the FA Cup match against Chelsea, which the team ultimately lost 1-4.
"That's right, back then, when you saw your idols, you couldn't even play football in the first half!" Hearing this, the players all laughed awkwardly.
"Today, our opponent is also not weak! But there's good news!"
"I heard Manchester City hasn't paid salaries for a month, the owner Thaksin Shinawatra is under investigation, and Manchester City's funds have been temporarily frozen. Do you think Petrov and Dietmar Hamann can still focus on playing?"
Upon hearing this news, the players exchanged glances and smiled, their apprehension significantly reduced.
"And Mpenza isn't in the squad list. Without that explosive point, Suxi, Zhu Lu, you push forward boldly. Let's give Sven-Göran Eriksson a little surprise!"
"The combined value of all of us might not even match one player on Manchester City's pitch. But I believe that if all of us gang up on one player, even if he's a god, he can't beat us!"
"So, use your actions to make your idols notice you! Don't be like a shy little girl, timidly staring at the opponent!"
"Sven-Göran Eriksson can indeed look down on us. This match, perhaps in his and Manchester City players' eyes, is just an entertaining game!"
"Since it's an entertaining game, let's give them some fun! Don't forget, we love to make them eat their words!"
"Barnet!!!" Cole shouted loudly again!
"Victory!!!" The players' response was full of determination.
With that, everyone prepared to walk towards the player tunnel, but Huang Hao suddenly said from behind:
"Oh, and maybe if you help me win this match, I might get a girlfriend."
Upon hearing this, the Cambridge United lads felt that this match just got more interesting!
Originally, Huang Hao was somewhat pessimistic about defeating Manchester City, but the news about Thaksin Shinawatra's situation gave Huang Hao a glimmer of hope for beating Manchester City. After all, in his previous life, after the Thaksin Shinawatra incident exploded, Manchester City only managed three victories in all competitions during the second half of the season.
Amidst great anticipation, the players of Cambridge United and Manchester City finally emerged from the player tunnel!
Abbey Stadium immediately erupted in huge cheers! Fans chanted the name of every Cambridge United player.
The Cambridge United players looked determined, while the Manchester City players, who were already accustomed to grand occasions, remained unfazed. After all, a stadium with a mere 8,000 people paled in comparison to the Manchester City Stadium.
Sven-Göran Eriksson had just finished a tough battle against Tottenham three days prior. Normally, fielding mostly substitute players in this match would be a common tactic for any Head Coach, but Sven-Göran Eriksson was a Head Coach who disliked rotation. Therefore, Manchester City used the same starting lineup as their previous match:
Goalkeeper: Schmeichel Jr.
Defenders: Corluka, Richards, Dunne, Garrido
Midfielders: Elano, Dietmar Hamann, Michael Johnson, Ireland, Petrov
Forward: Bianchi
Cambridge United lineup: Goalkeeper: Pantilimon
Defenders: Mark Bola, Zhu Lu, Suxi
Midfielders: Tadić, Wilshere, Lansbury, Bennett, Cole
Forwards: Dzeko, Vardy
Huang Hao still deployed a 3-5-2 formation, with Mahrez and Kante also on the substitute list.
Huang Hao looked at Manchester City's substitute bench, and a familiar face appeared: Sun Jihai. He hadn't played much this season and was serving as a substitute for this match.
Andy from BT Sport was once again commentating on a Cambridge United match. This time, he could already pronounce Huang Hao's name perfectly.
"Good afternoon, everyone, I'm Andy. Today, I'll be bringing you an exciting FA Cup third-round clash."
"Today's teams are Sven-Göran Eriksson's Manchester City from the Premier League."
"And the other is Huang Hao's Cambridge United, who have been promoted two Leagues in two years and are currently second in League One!"
"Manchester City has fielded the same starting lineup as their last match today. The 11 starting players of Manchester City have an astonishing combined value of 58 million pounds!"
"While their opponent, the entire Cambridge United team, is only worth a paltry 2 million pounds. Well, I have to admit, today Manchester City will win this match with an absolute advantage. Although Huang Hao always brings me surprises, today, I think keeping the goal difference within 3 goals would already be a victory!"
Andy was still the same, as if he had forgotten how Huang Hao had made him eat his words before. However, today, as he said, even the betting companies had given odds of 9 to 1 for Cambridge United, while Manchester City was only at 1.23 to 1.