Chapter 55: Welcome the first league championship!
Two days later, on March 6, the next league game will be at home against St. Mirren.
Chen Xiaoliang still clearly remembers that more than half a year ago, his first appearance for Rangers was in the second round of the league at home against St. Mirren.
Everything that happened afterwards was like a dream.
But the climax of this dream is about to come.
After 31 league rounds, Rangers have 27 wins and 4 draws, scored 74 goals and conceded 9 goals. They have been leading since the third round of the league.
Currently they are 18 points ahead of the second-placed Celtics in the standings. If their team wins in the next round and the Celtics lose, they will not only be able to break their opponent's nine-game winning streak, but will also be able to lock up the championship six rounds in advance!
For all the homeless people in the city of Glasgow, this is the day they have been waiting for for nine years and countless days and nights!
St. Mirren is now ranked fifth in the league, 7 points behind Aberdeen and just ahead of Livingston who lost to Rangers in the last round.
They are also fighting for qualification for the European Championship.
But what all Glasgow fans are discussing is how many goals can be scored in this game!
The Celtics were also in an awkward position. The huge gap between them and the title race had already made it clear that the Celtics were in a very difficult situation. What they wanted to do was to slow down their old rivals' efforts to win the title early.
They must win this round because the next round will be Celtic's home game against Rangers.
Not only could the Rangers' early championship be pushed back one round, but there would also be a chance to humiliate them in person.
But the fight had a huge impact on both sides. Celtic, who were missing five main players, challenged Dundee United away, especially midfield core Callum and offensive core Kento Furuhashi, who were both suspended. Chairman Banker was so angry that he not only fined the players' wages, but also punished the entire coaching team.
The nine consecutive championships came to an end. How could we swallow this?
Chen Xiaoliang prepared very thoroughly for this competition.
In the last game, he received a mission reward of 3 hours of training and 2 physical recovery cards.
Adding the 50 hours accumulated from the last 10 days of training and the remaining 9 hours, there are now a total of 62 hours of training value.
He spent 40 hours of training to improve his crosses from 2 to 10, leaving the remaining 22 hours of training for later use.
Since there was only one day of rest between the two games, he simply used up the stamina recovery card the night before, so that he could use another one if needed in the next day's game.
At the end of the season, facing the intensive schedule, physical recovery cards are crucial treasures. He was reluctant to use the remaining three in training.
Looking at his attribute panel, Chen Xiaoliang is full of expectations. He wants to help the team win in a more direct way in tomorrow's crucial battle!
However, when I get excited, I can't fall asleep easily...
I tossed and turned in bed, my mind filled with all the things that had happened over the past six months.
Steals, injuries, the first goal from a tackle, the team's 15th consecutive win, the Europa League match against Leicester, Mourinho's notebook... Oh my God! And that night in Luss that I will never forget...
He looked out the window. It was already 1 a.m., and the light in the bedroom on the second floor of the small courtyard next door was on.
"Are you still asleep?" A text message was sent to Helena.
"without."
"Chat for a while?"
"oh."
"In the yard?"
"oh."
Chen Xiaoliang had long been accustomed to her thriftiness with words. He put on his clothes, went downstairs quietly, and walked to Helena's yard next door.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable? Take it off."
When Helena saw him, she said impatiently, "She thought Chen Xiaoliang was still here for physical therapy."
"I'm not feeling uncomfortable, I just can't sleep and want to chat. Can we not meet and take off our clothes..."
"My job is to make sure you're healthy."
"Let's not talk about work now. If you talk about it, I'm going to lose sleep even more."
The two sat down on the stairs outside the house.
"Why can't you fall asleep?" Chen Xiaoliang asked.
"If you can win the championship tomorrow, it will be the first championship I have won in this career."
Chen Xiaoliang nodded: "Me too. And it's not just us. It's also the first championship for Gerrard and Riise after they changed their identities."
"So you should go to sleep instead of chatting here."
Hearing Helena's concern for him, Chen Xiaoliang smiled and took out a game ticket from his pocket.
"This is for tomorrow, come and see."
Helena took the ticket and took advantage of the dim light from the room to see it clearly.
"Box tickets? You bought them? 2,000 pounds ? Oh my God!"
"Yes! It says your name, Helena Schmidt. I don't have any other relatives or friends here. My parents are in China. The only fellow countryman from the Red Country I met before has also gone back to his country. But I will still ask the club to book a box for you and Riise tomorrow! Thank you for your help over the past few days!"
Faced with the sudden gift, Helena was a little stunned, but more surprised .
"Um... I have a sister who happens to be in Glasgow these days. Can I take her with me?"
Chen Xiaoliang's eyes lit up. He was eager for more people to come and witness his first championship, which he might very well win!
"Okay! This ticket allows you to bring five people in. Your sister... is she also a female doctor?"
“No, she’s an athlete.”
"Oh? Same as you, Judo?"
"She is a sprinter and will go to Tokyo to participate in the Olympics this year."
Chen Xiaoliang was shocked: Wow... So fierce, this family really has fierce genes...
"By the way, there is something...I haven't mentioned it to Mr. Reese yet."
"What's the matter? It's the same if you tell me, after all, I'm the boss!" Chen Xiaoliang patted his chest.
"I want to accompany my sister to the Olympics in July. As her physiotherapist, I may not be able to return until early August, and I will miss your pre-match training for next season."
Chen Xiaoliang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was something...
"No problem. Remember to talk to Reese tomorrow and tell him that I agree."
Chen Xiaoliang stood up, dusted off his butt, waved goodnight to Helena.
The next morning , Chen Xiaoliang and Gerald had what was probably the most delicious breakfast of the year.
March 6, 2021, 15:00, Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow.
All 57,000 seats are full!
Countless fans walked into the stadium holding inflatable championship trophies, wearing crowns and singing team songs.
The commentator shouted out the starting lineup for this game!
Goalkeeper, No. 1 McGregor!
Defenders: No. 31 Barisic! No. 26 Balogun! No. 3 Uglumba! No. 16 Nathan Patterson!
Midfielder, No. 17 Joe Aribo! No. 18 Glen Kamara! No. 33 Captain Chen Xiaoliang!
Forward, No. 14 Kent! No. 20 Morelos! No. 7 Inis Haji!
Head coach, Steven Gerrard!
Excited! So damn excited!
Chen Xiaoliang, who has stepped into this venue dozens of times for training and competition, has never been so excited!
At the pre-match press conference in the morning, when Gerrard told the media that Tavernier would be suspended today and Chen Xiaoliang would be the captain on the field, he was eating in the restaurant and looking at the TV screen, and he almost shed tears!
