The Real Premier League Begins Now

Lu Yang's blessing—who knew whether Arsenal had received it.

But Newcastle themselves would take another step in their Conference League campaign two days later.

Would they reach the Conference League quarterfinals, or be overturned by Anderlecht? No one could say for sure.

Because Newcastle's decision to fight on three fronts had made the outcome of every upcoming match incredibly difficult to predict.

No ordinary team had ever been this audacious.

They did not even have enough substitutes, yet they still dared to open three fronts?

Had Chelsea's painful experience of becoming the super-invincible triple runner-up two years ago not made Lu Yang feel even a trace of fear?

Lu Yang: No. Because that year, we beat Chelsea to win the Champions League!

On March 10, the second leg of the Conference League Round of 16 began.

Newcastle continued to use their usual formation for this match.

Tavares returned to the starting lineup.

In truth, playing with the same lineup for such a long stretch was unscientific.

Players' physical and mental conditions fluctuated. When starting players were in a slump, they might perform worse than substitutes.

That was why many head coaches liked to keep one phrase on their lips: "My starting lineup depends on the players' form." It was not merely empty talk meant to assert their authority.

But there were exceptions.

Most of Newcastle's players this season were young and had not previously experienced a large number of top-level league matches.

Even Chiesa had only been a rotation player at Fiorentina before, hardly daring to call himself the Viola's crown prince.

But after coming to Newcastle, they had all become undisputed starters.

The players had spent the entire season in an extremely excited state.

Their physical condition was good most of the time.

Even when it was occasionally poor,