Chapter 11: Championship debut!
Saturday afternoon, January 11, 2014.
More than 20,000 Leicester City fans poured into the King Power Stadium, turning most of the seats in the stadium blue.
The Derby County fans, who accompanied the visitors, were huddled in the stands, shivering as the home fans sang the Foxes' anthem.
In the midst of the singing, the players of the two teams led the little ball boys and slowly walked into the court from the players' tunnel.
And Ling Feng, who was wearing a blue fox jacket, also walked into the stadium with other substitute players.
It was his first visit to the King Power Stadium, the home of Leicester City's team
The singing of the Blue Fox fans sounded in his ears, making Ling Feng truly feel the passion of the twelve members of the team.
Not long after he came to the bench and sat down, the commentator's magnetic voice rang out in the stadium:
"Welcome to the 25th round of the English Championship as Leicester City host Derby County."
'The home team's starting eleven for Leicester City has not changed anything from the squad that beat Millwall in the previous round of the league. The goalkeeper is still Kasper Schmeichel..."
"As for the bench, there is a young face. The hero who eliminated the Premier League team Stoke City in the third round of the FA Cup, the eighteen-year-old Ling Feng, entered the league squad for the first time! β
Accompanied by the commentator's words, the broadcast camera on the sidelines was very timely aimed at Ling Feng, who was sitting on the bench.
Seeing this, Ling Feng just showed a handsome and sunny smile in the direction of the camera.
This laughter, which appeared in the broadcast screen, immediately melted many female fans watching the game in front of the TV.
Even the narrator couldn't help but joke:
"Let's not talk about how the ball is, what a handsome young man!"
"I think Leicester manager Pearson is also trying to protect his players and doesn't want to pull out the seedlings. My guess is that the youngster should come off the bench in the second half to get a feel for the pace and intensity of the Championship. β
"Yes, I agree with you. Putting an 18-year-old with no league experience straight into the starting line-up is probably the only Frenchman at Arsenal who would do that..."
Hearing this conversation between the two commentators, Ling Feng on the bench couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.
It's no news that "Professor" Arsene Wenger likes to nurture young goblins.
Being promoted to the starting team in the first team when he was a teenager and then playing in the Premier League is also a basic exercise.
In contrast, he has not yet started the Championship team at the age of 18, which seems to be a bit of a failure.
Even so, Ling Feng is still very confident, with his vision and passing, he is fully capable of establishing himself in the Championship.
Once you become a starter, you will never return to the bench!
Although Pearson does not have the courage of Arsene Wenger, he directly uses the league to help the demons in the team level up.
But he also attaches great importance to Ling Feng, a youth talent who was born out of nowhere.
In the home dressing room, head coach Pearson told him that if there were no accidents, he would come off the bench in the second half of the second half to gain some time.
To be able to promise playing time to a newcomer who has just been promoted to the first team is a testament to how much Pearson values him!
When he heard the head coach say this, Ling Feng even felt the envious and jealous gazes of the other two substitute midfielders.
No way, who made him pass the ball well and be handsome?
γγγ
Soon, with a long whistle from the referee, the game officially began!
Having just been beaten 1-0 at home to Wigan Athletic in the last round, Derby County came to the King Power Stadium and did not have any advantage against a team at the top of the table who have been on a hot streak of late.
And at home more than 20,000 fans "Blue Fox, forward!" With the loud cheers, the home team Leicester City firmly controlled the situation on the field from the beginning.
Jamie Vardy and Nugent, two powerful forwards, took turns attacking the Derby defence.
David Nugent is physically stronger and more capable of fighting than the quicker Vardy, and is at home in the highly contested Championship.
If Vardy is a knife to the heart of an enemy, Nugent is a battering ram.
In both seasons at Leicester City, he was able to contribute more than a dozen league goals.
This season, he remains Leicester's top scorer.
He has scored 12 goals in 23 league appearances so far, and his goal efficiency is also the highest in the Championship.
It's just that with Ling Feng's wonderful cooperation with Vardy in the last game, as well as his relationship with Vardy off the field, he felt a faint sense of crisis.
Therefore, he intends to show the manager his value in the team with aggressive running and pressing.
The hard work paid off, and he soon found the opportunity to score!
"Nugent !!"
"Header! GOALοΌοΌοΌ β
"The score has been rewritten! Leicester City, who are playing at home, will go first! β
Amid the deafening cheers of the Leicester fans, the first half was over quickly.
The Leicester City crowd returned to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead.
"Well done, guys!"
"We completely suppressed them..."
After praising his players' performance in the dressing room, Pearson added some details of the attacking tactics before ending a brief reprimand.
After the break, players from both sides returned to the pitch again.
With Pearson's wave of the hand, Leicester pressed Derby County into the half to continue the onslaught.
In the 65th minute of the game, "Brother Drinker" Drinkwater made a long-range shot in the penalty area to rewrite the score to 2-0.
The two-goal lead made Pearson, who was standing on the sidelines, suddenly relax a lot.
Looking down at his watch, he immediately turned around, came to the bench, and waved his hand:
"Ling!"
"Mahrez!"
"You two go warm up!"
Hearing this, Ling Feng and Mahrez, who were carefully watching the situation on the field, immediately got up.
Seeing Ling Feng come to the sidelines to warm up, the cameramen on the sidelines immediately pointed the cameras in their hands at the "Blue Fox Rising Star" touted by the media.
'With a two-goal lead, Leicester seem intent on making a substitution...
Ling Feng, wearing an orange vest, appeared on the big screen of the stadium, which immediately aroused the applause and cheers of most Leicester City fans in the stadium.
In their opinion, Ling Feng, who came from Leicester City's academy, is their own child.
Feeling the encouragement and enthusiasm of the fans, Ling Feng also warmed up and waved to the stands.
And Mahrez, who warmed up with him on the side, was very envious.
"Ling, the fans are applauding you."
Hearing this, Ling Feng just smiled slightly, and then said with a serious face:
"Riad, I'm sure with your strength, the fans will soon applaud and cheer for you!"
After saying that, he saw Pearson waving to the two, and quickly patted Mahrez on the shoulder, reminding:
"Let's go, it's time for us to put on a show!"
Walk to the sidelines and take off your jacket and training pants, revealing the blue jersey underneath.
"Ling, like the FA Cup, when you go up, you stand behind David (Nugent)..."
"Riad, you're on the right..."
After a brief tactical lay-up for the two, there was a dead ball on the field.
"No. 23 Ling Feng, and No. 26 Mahrez, ready to play..."
As the fourth official on the sidelines raised the substitution card, Ling Feng took the lead in stepping onto the flat turf of the King Power Stadium.
In this way, Ling Feng ushered in his debut in the Championship!