I changed football.

"This is White Hart Lane Stadium. It's definitely huge."

"It only has 35,000 seats, which is far fewer than the Bernabéu-Camp Nou, but it is indeed much larger than our stadium."

"Hey, Killian, do you really like Real Madrid?" Li Yuan couldn't help but ask the question he had wanted to ask since his rebirth.

Upon hearing this question, Mbappe looked at Li Yuan with a surprised expression: "Didn't I already tell you? I'm a Real Madrid fan!"

"Really? I might have forgotten, but I've seen that photo of you. I feel like you like Cristiano Ronaldo more than Real Madrid. There's also a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Manchester United in that photo."

"I did like Ronaldo at first because we play the same position, but later I came to like Real Madrid because of Ronaldo, it's that simple."

"Would you consider going to Real Madrid in the future?"

"Definitely not for now."

Why?

"Ronaldo is still at Real Madrid. Although I can play as a center forward, I'm best at playing as a left winger. If I go to Real Madrid, would I be Ronaldo's backup? I definitely want to go to a team where I can be a starter."

Li Yuan thought to himself, "Mbappe, you won't be able to play left wing at all anymore."

What career plan do you want?

"Actually, my idea is to play for Monaco for a few years and then go to the Premier League."

"Huh? You want to go to the Premier League?"

"Yes, the Premier League is highly competitive, exciting, and has a great media impact. I am indeed quite interested in the Premier League."

Li Yuan and Mbappe were chatting happily on the bench.

The match had already begun at this point.

This match also garnered significant attention domestically.

Two days ago, Monaco officially released their 18-man squad for this Europa League group stage match, and Li Yuan's name was prominently listed.

Therefore, the popularity of this match in China has suddenly increased.

Les Sports also holds the broadcasting rights for the Europa League.

Originally, this group stage match between Tottenham and Monaco at Tottenham's home ground had very low buzz, but now that Li Yuan has been included in the squad, the buzz has suddenly jumped to the highest level.

Zhan Jun was assigned to this live broadcast, and his partner was Zhang Lu.

"Coach Zhang, what are your thoughts on this match?"

"After I received the assignment to commentate on the match, I watched a lot of Monaco's Europa League group stage matches this season, focusing on their first leg against Tottenham. I know Tottenham very well; we've commentated on many of their matches together. So, in my opinion, Monaco's chances of winning are very slim. Tottenham's attacking line is too strong: Alli, Son Heung-min, Lamela, and Kane, plus Dier in the middle and a host of excellent defenders. Monaco's defense is actually not very strong, and their forwards are struggling to score. I think the only way they might win is to change their formation and play faster. Monaco's current tactics are very slow, which may be related to the lack of speed on their flanks."

"Yes, Monaco's coach Jardim has moved Bernardo Silva, the Portuguese midfielder, to the right wing, which is somewhat like playing as a wide attacking midfielder, but it's also true that the wing lacks speed—that Zhang, do you think Li Yuan might play in today's match?"

"Of course it's possible. He only trained with the team for two days before the last match, and the head coach still gave him playing time. Now that he's been training with the team for a longer period, it's even more logical for him to get playing time. Also, if the team can't break through in the second half of this match, players with the ability to break through will definitely come on, and then Li Yuan and Mbappe on the left wing will have playing time."

……

Tottenham played a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Monaco played a 4-3-3 formation.

Tottenham showed no signs of letting up just because they had already qualified for the knockout stage; they fielded their full-strength lineup.

Tottenham have had a great season and are currently second in the league.

This season in the Premier League, traditional powerhouses have been in poor form, so when the season reached December, Leicester City was in first place and Tottenham Hotspur was in second.

For Tottenham, this season presents a very good chance of winning the league title.

Under these circumstances, the decision to field a full-strength squad for a relatively unimportant Europa League group stage match was met with objections from some members of the Tottenham squad.

However, Pochettino seemed determined and did not accept the suggestion to rotate players, instead fielding his strongest lineup.

"Tottenham will face Newcastle in the Premier League in three days. Tottenham is currently two points behind Leicester City, while Leicester City will face Chelsea. Newcastle is currently 18th in the league, while Chelsea is 7th. The difference in strength between the opponents is not small. At this time, the focus should be on the league. Why would they field their full-strength lineup for the Europa League group stage?"

This was a question raised by Zhan Jun before the game.

This is actually a question that many Tottenham fans have.

"Tottenham's starting formation for this match is 4-2-3-1, with Lloris in goal, and the defense from left to right consisting of Rose, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, and Walker. The two holding midfielders are Alli and Dier. Eriksen plays as the attacking midfielder. Son Heung-min is on the left wing, Romero is on the right wing, and Kane is in the center."

"Monaco is playing a 4-3-3 formation today. The goalkeeper is second-choice goalkeeper Naldi. The defense, from left to right, consists of Neuma, Carvalho, Wallace, and Fabinho. The defensive midfielder is Moutinho. The two attacking midfielders are Bakayoko and Bernardo Silva. The left winger is Costa, the right winger is Lemar, and the center forward is Traore."

"The competition has officially begun!"

Li Yuan felt that the most anxious thing in the world was sitting on the bench watching his team get dominated.

"In the first 10 minutes, it's basically like we haven't even gotten past the halftime mark!" Li Yuan couldn't help but say to Mbappe beside him.

Mbappe bit his nails and remained silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "If this continues, we're bound to concede a goal sooner or later. This defense is terrible. At least one of the two central midfielders should have come back to help with the defense, and neither of the wingers are tracking back either."

Li Yuan glanced sideways: "Aren't you also not defending?"

"How can that be the same? I can create threats, can they?"

The two sat on the sidelines, talking without any restraint.

The difference is that Li Yuan was genuinely complaining, while Mbappe was criticizing.

Complaining implies a degree of detachment, while criticism at least involves emotional investment.

Mbappe clearly has a deep affection for Monaco.

So I was a little angry at their lack of ambition.

At the 25-minute mark, Tottenham scored.

Alli tackled the ball in the backfield and launched a long pass to Kane.

Kane then dropped back and passed the ball back to Eriksen, who then passed it to Son Heung-min on the left.

Son Heung-min dribbled forward with the ball, and after a couple of steps, he suddenly flicked it to the right, shaking off Wallace. Then came a very subtle through ball, and Kane met it with a low shot, scoring the goal.

1-0, Tottenham Hotspur take the lead at home.

Li Yuan noticed that Mbappe's face had darkened even more.