Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 214: Cold Palmer

Michael Sterling stood on the touchline. He looked at his new formation on the pitch.

The Slingshot was gone. Endrick was gone.

Now they had The Hammer.

Jean Luc Dubois stood in the center circle. The French giant looked massive in the purple kit. Next to him, Victor Osimhen looked like a sprinter ready to explode.

"It is a big frontline Boss," Arthur Milton whispered, hiding behind his notebook. "Very big. If they jump, they will block the sun."

"We need big today Arthur," Michael said. "Chelsea are fast. They have Cole Palmer. They have Mudryk. They are like mosquitoes. We need to be the swatter."

Chelsea lined up in blue. They looked small compared to the Barnsley giants. But they looked confident. Mauricio Pochettino, their manager, was smiling. He knew Barnsley had lost their speed.

THE KICKOFF

The referee blew the whistle.

BARNSLEY vs CHELSEA

Jean Luc Dubois kicked the ball to start the game. He did not pass it gently. He smashed it back to Sergio Ramos. The ball made a loud thud.

"Power," Jean Luc grunted. "I like power."

Barnsley tried to impose their new style immediately.

Minute 5

Enzo Silva played a long ball forward. It was not a precise pass. It was a bomb aimed at the head of Jean Luc.

Jean Luc jumped. He rose above the Chelsea defender Disasi.

Jean Luc won the header easily. He flicked it towards Osimhen.

Osimhen chased it. But the pass was too heavy. It rolled out for a goal kick.

"Too strong!" Osimhen shouted, clapping his hands. "Softer Jean Luc! Softer!"

"I do not know soft!" Jean Luc shouted back. "I am a tank!"

Diego Nunez was watching from defense. He nodded approvingly.

"He is strong," Diego muttered. "I like him. But he has feet of concrete."

THE ICE COLD SHOCK

Chelsea did not care about strength. They cared about intelligence.

And they had the smartest player on the pitch.

Cole Palmer.

Minute 10

Chelsea started to play. They kept the ball on the ground. Quick passes. Zip. Zip. Zip.

Barnsley were chasing shadows. Without the speed of Endrick or the intelligence of Kai Sora, the midfield was open.

Leo Stone was trying to cover the ground, but he was alone against Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo.

Cole Palmer received the ball in the pocket of space between the midfield and defense.

"Smash him!" Michael shouted.

Diego Nunez stepped out. The Bull charged.

"I have you little man!" Diego roared.

Diego slid in. He was a purple missile.

But Cole Palmer was ice cold. He did not panic. He waited until the last millisecond.

He rolled the ball to the left.

Diego slid past him. He slid for five yards and stopped near the halfway line.

Palmer was free.

He drove forward. He saw Sergio Ramos backing off.

Palmer did a body feint. Ramos moved his weight to the right. Palmer went left.

He was on the edge of the box.

He curled the ball.

It was not powerful. It was precise. It looked like he placed it with his hands.

Jan Visser dived. But the ball curled around his fingers.

It hit the inside of the side netting.

GOAL.

Chelsea 1. Barnsley 0.

Cole Palmer stood still. He rubbed his arms as if he was cold. The "Cold Palmer" celebration.

"He is freezing us," Arthur shivered on the bench. "He is so calm Boss. It is annoying."

"We are too slow," Michael whispered. "Diego committed too early. The Hammer is heavy, Arthur. It takes time to swing."

THE FRUSTRATION

1 to 0.

Barnsley tried to respond. They tried to use their strength.

Minute 18

Jean Luc Dubois got the ball. He held off two defenders. He was like a tree with roots deep in the ground.

He turned. He tried to shoot.

But before he could swing his leg, Moises Caicedo stole the ball.

"Hey!" Jean Luc shouted. "Thief!"

Caicedo was already gone. He passed to Mudryk.

Mudryk was fast. Lightning fast.

He ran down the wing. Pavard tried to catch him, but it was like a tractor chasing a Ferrari.

Mudryk crossed the ball.

Sergio Ramos cleared it. But he looked tired.

"They are running circles around us," Ramos gasped, pulling up his socks. "We need to keep the ball! We are chasing ghosts!"

THE YELLOW CARD

The frustration boiled over.

Minute 22

Diego Nunez was angry. He had been humiliated by Palmer. He wanted revenge.

Nicolas Jackson, the Chelsea striker, tried to hold up the ball.

Diego ran through the back of him.

CRASH.

It sounded like a car accident. Jackson went flying.

The referee blew the whistle immediately. He ran over with his hand in his pocket.

Yellow card for Diego Nunez.

"What?" Diego shouted, looking innocent. "I just wanted a hug! He fell over!"

"No hugs like that Diego," the referee said sternly. "Calm down."

Michael Sterling put his head in his hands.

"He is losing his head," Michael said. "The Bull is angry. An angry Bull is dangerous, but mostly to himself."

THE SECOND BLOW

The game was slipping away.

Barnsley could not connect the passes. The gap between the defense and the attack was too big. Osimhen and Jean Luc were isolated on an island up front.

Chelsea were enjoying themselves. They passed the ball around the Barnsley giants like they were training cones.

Minute 28

Cole Palmer got the ball again.

This time, nobody stepped out. They were scared.

Palmer looked up. He saw the Barnsley defense was disorganized. Diego was still arguing with the referee in his head. Ramos was trying to organize the line.

Palmer played a through ball.

It was a genius pass. It cut through the heart of the Barnsley defense.

Christopher Nkunku ran onto it.

He was onsides.

Jan Visser came rushing out. "MAKE YOURSELF BIG!" Jan screamed.

Nkunku did not shoot. He went around the goalkeeper.

It was too easy.

He rolled the ball into the empty net.

GOAL.

Chelsea 2. Barnsley 0.

The Fortress went silent.

Usually, the fans would be singing. But they were shocked. Their team looked broken. They looked heavy. They looked old.

MINUTE 30

Michael Sterling stood frozen on the touchline.

The scoreboard glared down at him.

BARNSLEY 0 - 2 CHELSEA

TIME: 30:00

Only thirty minutes gone. And they were being destroyed.

The Slingshot tactic was gone. The speed was gone. And The Hammer tactic looked like a relic from the past.

Arthur Milton looked like he was going to cry. He was holding a bag of jelly babies, but he was not eating them.

"Boss," Arthur squeaked. "We look like dinosaurs. Slow dinosaurs. The meteors are hitting us."

"I know Arthur," Michael said, his voice low.

He looked at the pitch.

Jean Luc Dubois was standing with his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

Diego Nunez was kicking the grass.

Victor Osimhen was adjusting his mask, looking at the sky for answers.

They were four games away from a title. They needed to win every game.

And now, in thirty minutes, the dream was turning into a nightmare.

"We need to change," Michael whispered. "We cannot play heavy metal against an orchestra."