Chapter 242 Is The Ball King Injured? It Doesn't Matter, We Have Su Luo

Generally speaking, even national football players can pull off flashy moves that world superstars make. On the field, many players can perform tricks more stylish than an oxtail flick with ease.

At Evergrande's youth training camp, Su Luo noticed that many of his teammates had impressive skills. Some of them, confident in their abilities, would show off their footwork during training, with streetball moves and even scoring five consecutive goals. But when it came to actual matches, these players often failed to perform.

As soon as they faced some real pressure, they couldn't replicate those moves. On the field, their feet seemed stiff, and they would struggle to control the ball, often sending it 10 meters away. Fancy tricks were out of the question.

This is the difference between professional football and amateur play. World-class stars don't just rely on talent; they train tirelessly to build muscle memory so they can execute perfectly even under intense pressure.

If you had told Su Luo back when he was at Evergrande that he could dribble past Manchester United's defense and score a solo goal, it would have seemed like a fantasy.

But Su Luo really did use a series of simple dribbles to bypass Manchester United's defense. Looking back, the biggest advantage that the fantasy superstar brought Su Luo wasn't just possession of skills—it was confidence.

Having experienced the pinnacle of the football world, he found that the defense of ordinary players didn't seem as daunting.

Frankly, Manchester United's defenders—Smalling, Phil Jones, and Rojo—could only be considered second-rate.

Before the first half ended, Su Luo once again outplayed Rojo and Smalling, creating a dangerous shot.

"Su Luo receives a pass from Cesc Fabregas... beautiful! He nutmegs Rojo!"

"A quick ball smash and a change of direction! Smalling is shaken off! He goes for goal!"

"David de Gea! What a save!"

"Su Luo's shot almost found the top corner, but De Gea's reflexes were incredible!"

Thanks to De Gea's brilliance, he managed to tip away what seemed like a certain goal from Su Luo. The teams headed to the locker rooms with Chelsea leading 1-0.

In the second half, neither side made any substitutions. Mourinho wanted to, but with so many injuries in the squad, he had no options left. Chelsea's attacks grew fiercer, and Manchester United could only resort to fouls to keep them at bay.

In the 65th minute, Su Luo took possession in the final third and passed to Ajal, who had just come off the bench. Conte had subbed in Ajal, hoping he could help Su Luo secure the victory and put the game to bed. Ajal worked hard, dribbling past two defenders. Just as he was about to cut inside and pass to Su Luo, Herrera, who had lost his position, made a reckless sliding tackle from behind.

Ajal screamed and went down just outside the penalty area. The whistle blew sharply, and the team doctor rushed onto the pitch. Ajal, clutching his ankle, looked to be in serious pain. After a quick examination, the doctor signaled for a stretcher.

Conte's face darkened. He had just put his ace on the field, and now he was injured.

Herrera, realizing the severity of his tackle, looked apologetic. He hadn't meant to injure Ajal but was just too slow in his challenge. Unfortunately, the damage was done.

With Ajal stretchered off, Conte had to use his final substitution, bringing on Bart. Herrera, who committed the foul, received a red card and was sent off. Now, Manchester United had to play with ten men.

It was already tough for them to handle Chelsea's attack with a full squad. Playing a man down was a disaster waiting to happen.

In the 71st minute, Chelsea launched another attack. Su Luo and Cesc Fabregas played a quick one-two with Pogba, and Su Luo saw Phil Jones stepping up. He seized the opportunity and slipped through the defense.

"Su Luo is in behind!"

"Excellent pass to Mount! He's onside! One-on-one with De Gea!"

"De Gea rushes out, but Mount slots it home!"

"Goooooal! 2-0! Chelsea extend their lead!"

Mount, assisted by his idol, couldn't contain his excitement and high-fived Su Luo.

Just three minutes later, Su Luo dropped deep to receive the ball and burst forward down the left flank. As Manchester United's defense shifted to cover, Su Luo cut back inside and switched the play to the right. Pedro, in a dangerous position, received the ball in the box.

"3-0! Manchester United, down to ten men, can't recover!"

In the 80th minute, Su Luo was subbed off to rest. Conte had just received bad news—Ajal had suffered a sprained ankle and would be out for at least six weeks.

With Ajal sidelined, Chelsea would have to rely on Su Luo to lead the attack. Su Luo couldn't afford any injuries.

After his substitution, Loftus-Cheek assisted Pedro for a second goal, sealing a 4-0 victory for Chelsea and securing their place in the FA Cup semifinals.

At the post-match press conference, Mourinho reflected on the game:

"We did our best and played well in the first half. It's just that Su Luo is an unpredictable player, and we couldn't handle him."

Mourinho seemed to have lost his former edge, with more gray in his hair than ever before. The once self-assured "Special One" had always seen himself as the protagonist, but failures at Chelsea and now Manchester United had worn away his aura. Seeing the confident Su Luo only deepened Mourinho's frustration. He had once managed to neutralize even peak Messi, yet now he couldn't contain Su Luo.

Mourinho's downcast demeanor surprised the reporters. They had expected him to restore Manchester United to its former glory, but now it seemed uncertain who could lead the club out of its slump.

As feared, the hospital's diagnosis confirmed Ajal had torn his ankle ligament and would indeed be out for six weeks. This meant he would miss both legs of the Champions League knockout tie against Atlético Madrid and could only hope to return for the second leg of the semifinals—if Chelsea made it that far.

Headlines like "Chelsea in Crisis: The Beginning of a Collapse?" and "Su Luo Can't Do It Alone—Ajar's Injury Opens the Door for Rivals" started to circulate.

Many of Chelsea's players were struggling with fitness, including Kante and David Luiz, who both had muscle strains. The team's once unshakable form was starting to waver, and the prospect of Chelsea's collapse loomed large. Other Premier League teams, especially Manchester City, who had only the FA Cup and the league left to fight for, saw this as their chance.

As Chelsea's fortunes began to falter, the media that once praised them turned critical, accusing Conte of overextending the squad with his ambitions on four fronts.

In a tense interview, Conte was visibly upset.

"No, we're still unbeaten. Didn't we just beat Manchester United? Where are these signs of collapse you're talking about?" he retorted, clearly frustrated. "Yes, Ajar's absence is a blow, but we have Su Luo! I believe in him. He will carry this team to the end."

Conte's unwavering trust in the €155 million Ballon d'Or winner, Su Luo, was evident. In such a pressure-filled situation, Conte had no choice but to place his faith in Su Luo. After all, if Su Luo could lead Union Berlin to unimaginable heights, he could surely guide Chelsea to the pinnacle of European football.

Five days of rest may not seem like much, but for Chelsea, who are used to playing two or three matches a week, it was practically a vacation.

After their emphatic 4-0 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Chelsea's attention shifted back to the Premier League. In the 29th round, they faced a tough away match against Stoke City. With key players like Ajar, Kante, and David Luiz still sidelined, this game promised to be a challenge.

Stoke City's aggressive defense made life difficult for Chelsea, forcing even their midfield into errors. If not for Courtois' solid goalkeeping, Chelsea might have conceded two goals early on.

As the team's star player, Su Luo was forced to drop back from his usual forward position, playing deeper in the midfield to help organize the game. Although he didn't have Modric's vision, Su Luo compensated by observing the opposition closely.

His careful study paid off in the first half when he delivered a pinpoint cross, allowing Lukaku to power a header into the net. Chelsea took a 1-0 lead, and Su Luo notched his 27th Premier League assist of the season—a statistic that left the media in shock.

In previous seasons, a player with 19 assists would easily be crowned the assist king, and even 10 assists would mark someone as the core of their team. But 27? That's unheard of. To put it in perspective, the player ranked 423rd on the goal-scoring list didn't even have that many goals!

And that's not to mention Su Luo's 53 goals—his combined goals and assists were nearly equal to the total output of three mid-table teams!

Su Luo was a one-man wrecking crew, and the media were scrambling to capture his brilliance. But before they could finish writing their stories, Su Luo struck again, this time with a signature long-range shot that found the back of the net.

"Soviet Cannon! Chelsea lead 2-0! That's Su Luo's 54th Premier League goal!"

With a 2-0 lead at halftime, Chelsea were in control. In the second half, during a chaotic scramble in front of Stoke City's goal, Su Luo's quick thinking led to another goal as he poked the ball into the net.

"Two goals! 55 goals in a single season! That's 20 more than the previous record! This is Su Luo, the man who makes miracles happen!"

With Su Luo's two goals and an assist, Chelsea comfortably defeated Stoke City 3-0, extending their lead at the top of the standings. The collapse the media had predicted was nowhere in sight; Chelsea was still charging forward on their path to glory.

Following the victory over Stoke City, the international break arrived. Conte could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Su Luo would get some much-needed rest, as he hadn't joined the national team. Ajar, David Luiz, and Kante could also use minor muscle strains as excuses to skip international duty. Even Lukaku was someone Conte didn't want to release, but the Belgian national team begged desperately.

"Ajar can't make it. At least let us have Lukaku! Our World Cup hopes next year depend on him!" they pleaded.

Reluctantly, Conte agreed to let Lukaku go. Other internationals like Willian, Matic, and Marcos Alonso were also called up, leaving Conte hoping they would return unscathed.

Because after the international break, Chelsea would face Crystal Palace immediately, followed by a Premier League showdown with Manchester City—the Battle of Tianwangshan! And then, the Champions League quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid!

The success of Chelsea's season would be determined by the outcomes of these crucial matches.

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