With the current ability of the Crystal Palace players, they can only barely play the tactics designed by Guardiola.

Moreover, Guardiola's tactics themselves are still in the process of constant exploration and improvement.

When the two problems were superimposed, the error rate in Crystal Palace's passing and receiving cooperation remained high today, which also left West Bromwich Albion with a good opportunity to counterattack.

A counterattack was ruined by Crystal Palace;

Two counterattacks were saved by Crystal Palace;

...

For the Nth time, I was not so lucky again.

The Crystal Palace goal was breached by a 30-meter ball from the West Bromwich Albion striker.

Crystal Palace trailed West Bromwich Albion 0:1.

Crystal Palace, eager to equalize the score after losing the ball, attacked West Bromwich Albion's penalty area fiercely.

It's a pity that not only did he not score a goal, but he was stolen by West Bromwich Albion.

Crystal Palace trailed West Bromwich Albion 0:2.

At this time, Guardiola was a little panicked.

During the halftime break, Guardiola, Southgate and Simeone came together.

"Josep, if that doesn't work, just replace him with Crouch. Although the twin-tower tactic is simple and crude, it works." Southgate couldn't help but put forward his own opinion.

"Diego, what do you think?"

Guardiola did not answer directly, but turned to look at Simeone.

"Well, I also think it would be more appropriate to replace Crouch. Josep, our players are not proficient enough in your tactics, leaving too many counterattack opportunities for the opponent. The most important thing now is that the game cannot

Lose, otherwise we won’t be able to explain to the boss.”

Simeone's last words touched Guardiola. Yes, he cannot let down his boss who trusts him so much.

Therefore, at the beginning of the second half, Crystal Palace switched to a twin-tower strategy.

And it did work, with Crouch scoring a goal as a substitute.

It is a pity that West Bromwich Albion were united and did not allow Crystal Palace to score a second goal until the end of the game.

In the end, Crystal Palace lost to West Bromwich Albion 1:2 away from home, ushering in their first defeat in the English Championship.

The next day, the English media, which had been following the Crystal Palace for a long time, used important pages to publish the news.

That formation was even grander than reporting that Crystal Palace won the championship ahead of schedule.

"The day has finally come. Crystal Palace's unbeaten record in the Championship has been officially ended by West Bromwich Albion."

"Winning the double crown, is this the last glory of Crystal Palace?"

"The day when we win the championship in advance is the beginning of the decline of Crystal Palace?"

"Fireworks or shooting stars? That's the question."

"Is that Chinese guy who mysteriously disappeared on the bench ready to give up on Crystal Palace?"

"After winning the championship, it seems that the Chinese guy has lost interest in Crystal Palace."

"Mr. Chen, if you have lost interest in Crystal Palace, please remember to pay off the loan."

...

Crystal Palace Club, President's Office.

Little fat boy Lewis walked in with a mean smile on his face, holding a stack of newspapers in his hand.

"Chen, come and take a look, you are on the front pages of many newspapers today."

"roll!"

Chen Ran glared at Lewis angrily and gave him the middle finger.

"What? Are you really angry?"

"No, I just feel a little sore."

"What did you say?"

"nothing."

Although he was mentally prepared to lose some money, when it came to this moment, Chen Ran still felt heartbroken.

This is a million euros in vain.

Forget it, it's worth exchanging money for people's hearts.

Chen Ran could only continue to hypnotize himself.

Soon, Guardiola came to Chen Ran's office with Southgate and Simeone, and Louis left with a wink.

"Boss, I'm sorry. I failed to live up to your expectations. I didn't direct the game well, which caused the team to lose. It seems that I am not suitable for the job of coach. You should let Gareth and Diego direct the game."

Guardiola took the initiative to stand up and reflect on himself. It seemed that the defeat in this game had a big impact on him.

"Don't be like this, Josep. This is just the first game you've directed. It's normal for some problems to arise. There are still seven games left. Just play these seven games well."

Chen Ran walked up to him, patted Guardiola's shoulder, who looked a little sad, and comforted him.

"Gareth, Diego, the same goes for you. Don't take this game to heart. Work hard and keep working hard. You will become an excellent coach. I have great confidence in you."

Seeing that Chen Ran was not only not angry because Crystal Palace's unbeaten record was ended, but instead comforted them.

For a moment, the three older men in their thirties couldn't help but feel a little moved.

Chen Ran saw all this in his eyes and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the 1 million euros were not wasted.

With the experience and lessons learned this time, Guardiola will no longer be obsessed with his offensive tactics in the next English Championship.

Instead, we discuss with Southgate and Simeone to alternately use three different tactics based on different opponents and different situations.

This time, the team that played against Crystal Palace suffered a disaster.

Crystal Palace's tactics have become more flexible and changeable, making it difficult for opponents to defend defensively.

And this was fully reflected in the results of the game.

In the 40th round of the British Championship, Crystal Palace defeated Sunderland 3-0 at home;

In the 41st round of the English Championship, Crystal Palace defeated Cardiff 3:0 away from home;

In the 42nd round of the British Championship, Crystal Palace defeated West Ham United 1:0 at home;

In the 43rd round of the British Championship, Crystal Palace defeated Wigan Athletic 2:1 at home;

In the 44th round of the British Championship, Crystal Palace narrowly defeated Crewe 3:2 away from home;

In the 45th round of the English Championship, Crystal Palace beat Walsall 5-0 at home;

In the 46th round of the English Championship, Crystal Palace defeated Coventry 2:1 away from home.

At this point, Crystal Palace ended the 2003-2004 English Championship season with a wave of seven consecutive victories, which also brought Chen Ran another 7 million euros in winnings.

In the end, Crystal Palace had 41 wins, four draws and one loss, accumulating 127 points, breaking the English second-tier league points record.

The unscrupulous English media once again praised Chen Ran for his unique vision and promoted a coach with no coaching experience like Guardiola.

It was as if those previous reports that were sarcastic and mocking Chen Ran had nothing to do with them.

The Sun even made a special feature on Chen Ran.

The above lists everything Chen Ran has done since taking charge of Crystal Palace, and lists Crystal Palace’s amazing record this season in a table.

Finally, The Sun made an even more sensational and bold prediction:

In the 2004-2005 Premier League season, there will be a five-strong competition for hegemony between Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

The Warring States Period of the Premier League is coming!

...

PS: At this point, "Volume 1. The Green Years of the Championship" has officially come to an end.
Chapter completed!