英超切尔西两连胜仍非阿隆索真章,科莫客胜那不勒斯显成色

切尔西4-3力克布莱顿豪取两连胜,可这般赢法恐怕撑不起整个赛季

或者说得更直白些——就算真撑得起来,成绩也好不到哪儿去。从场面看,这绝不是一支志在争夺欧冠冠军的球队该有的样子;即便是像切尔西这样以重返欧冠为目标的队伍,也不该打出这样的比赛,尤其是在自家主场。丢三球固然刺眼,但细究之下倒不必过分忧心:一球是终场哨响前最后一次触球(严格说是头球)所致,一球是乌龙,还有一球源于一次低级的个人失误。真正让人在意的是另一点——布莱顿此役缺了不少主力,却依然创造出大把机会,只是他们一方面挥霍无度,另一方面也被切尔西新门神埃米利亚诺·马丁内斯一次次神扑化解。

当然,切尔西自己同样错失了若干绝佳机会。不过这说明的只有一个问题:这场球若是踢成7-5,也丝毫不令人意外。

切尔西4-3力克布莱顿、两战全胜,可这样的赢法撑不起一整个赛季

或者说得更直白一点:即便真撑得起来,成绩恐怕也好看不到哪里去。从场面看,这绝不是一支志在问鼎欧冠的球队应有的模样;退一步讲,即便是像切尔西这样把重返欧冠当作赛季目标的队伍,也不该在自家主场踢得如此惊心动魄。理由不难理解——主场本该是稳稳拿下三分的地方,而不是让看台上的球迷把心脏吊在嗓子眼里过九十分钟的地方。

先说丢球。单场丢三球,乍看之下确实刺眼,不过细究起来,倒不必为此过分忧心:第一球发生在终场前最后一次触球——严格说,是一次头球——严格说意义有限;第二球是对方乌龙相赠,属于天上掉下来的馅饼;第三球则源于一次相当低级的个人失误。换句话说,这三粒失球里,真正暴露体系问题的成分其实有限,更多是运气与专注度层面的事情,属于可以修剪的枝节,而非伤及根系的病灶。

真正值得琢磨的,是另一组事实。从场面看,布莱顿此役缺了多名常规主力,却依然制造出一大把得分机会。他们没能把这些机会转化为更多进球,原因无非两条:其一是临门一脚的挥霍,射术欠奉、时机错失;其二则是切尔西新门神埃米利亚诺·马丁内斯状态火热,连续做出关键扑救,硬生生把对方的射门一次次拒之门外。一支残阵客队尚且能在斯坦福桥——或者说在切尔西的主场——掀起这般风浪,这本身就是一记警钟:防线与中场的保护结构,恐怕还有不少功课要补。

平心而论,切尔西自己同样挥霍了若干绝佳机会,这一点无须讳言。双方你方 ... ...

Como pass first real test...

. Since img tags are forbidden, I'll convert to
英超切尔西两连胜仍非阿隆索真章,科莫客胜那不勒斯显成色
Xabi Alonso. Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
英超切尔西两连胜仍非阿隆索真章,科莫客胜那不勒斯显成色
placeholders. I could do:

科莫首考那不勒斯过关:这支球队是真有成色吗?

— that preserves position. That seems fine. - Length: source ~518 chars, rewritten plain text must be ≥440 Chinese characters. I need to write a full-bodied translation/expansion faithful to the content. The source is short (about 90 English words), so 440 Chinese chars means I need to expand somewhat with faithful elaboration — as a "fan translator" persona with commentary flavor, I can elaborate while staying faithful. The requirement says "no fabrication, deletion, or summary only" (no fabrication, no deletion, no summary only), but expansion with contextual commentary in the persona's voice is expected given the length requirement. I'll elaborate on the meaning: Alonso still learning his squad, preaching his style, will take time, early enthusiasm helps buy-in; Martinez from Aston Villa thrown straight in; he's the final nail in the coffin of the "model" of young players + long contracts + furious player trading every summer; Alonso wasn't going to put up with it. Then the Como section begins. Wait — the h2 at the end introduces the Como section, but the actual Como content comes in later segments. So this segment ends with the h2 heading. I should end there, maybe with a transitional sentence? No — the h2 is the last element; the content after belongs to segment 6. I'll end with the h2. Actually, ending a segment with just a heading is fine since the next segment continues under it. But maybe I can add a brief lead sentence after the h2? No, that would preempt segment 6 content. Better to end with the h2. Hmm, but "non-final segment" says stop naturally at the material covered. Ending on the h2 is natural. Persona requirements: - Translator persona: home-team fan translator (Chelsea fan perspective presumably, since it's about Chelsea/Alonso) —侧重主队情绪与期待 - Age: mature 48-55, dignified steady, long sentences with rhythm, historical comparisons, no internet slang, no childish metaphors - Personality: humorous, witty, relaxed — light metaphors or contrast sentences, jokes serve information; no vulgar jokes, no mocking injuries - Tone persona: 38-48 male tactical pundit guest — calm, rational, restrained, professional; can use "the data shows", "from what one sees on the pitch", causal analysis; no incitement, no fandom rivalry, no teenage voice Hmm, there's slight tension: age 48-55 narrator but tone persona 38-48. I'll blend: a middle-aged, calm, professional but with dry humor — like a seasoned tactical commentator who's a Chelsea fan. Use phrases like "to be honest", "from what one sees on the pitch", "to put it plainly", measured humor. The previous segment ending isn't provided (empty), so I should start naturally — it's segment 5, continuing from segment 4 which likely covered earlier Chelsea/Alonso analysis. Since I don't have the previous ending, I'll start with a natural continuation without re-opening. I can start with something like "Back to Alonso himself." — a smooth continuation. The instruction says "must be semantically coherent with the previous segment; do not repeat content already written; do not restart". Since I don't know segment 4's content exactly, but the title of chunk 5 is given ("Premier League: Chelsea's two straight wins still aren't the real Xabi Alonso; Como's away win over Napoli shows their quality"), the previous segments likely covered the Tottenham match details. I'll start with a transition like "Back to Alonso's rebuild project itself." or similar. Actually wait — the title given in the instruction is the chunk title: "Premier League: Chelsea's two straight wins still aren't the real Xabi Alonso; Como's away win over Napoli shows their quality." That's the title, not to be included in bodyHtml necessarily. The output is just bodyHtml. Should the title appear in the body? Probably not — the title is for the page. I'll just write the body. Let me draft the content: Part 1 ( ... ... ... ...

Those signs of progress for Spurs? Well, Marmoush looks like he wants to be there, which is a start. Despite his young age and the skepticism surrounding him, Mateus Fernandes (22) has plenty of personality. And for an hour, they were very much in the game and even showed some De Zerbi football DNA. That's the good news.

<视频2>

The bad news? I'm not sure there's much clarity of thought here. You shouldn't be making two of your four biggest financial commitments of the summer transfer window -- Marmoush and Savinho, or Sávio, as he now wants to be known -- in the final week. That's just bad planning. And those fees -- £60m in a year's time for the former, £70m for the latter -- seem way too high. A bit like Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

Sometimes you end up spending big because you've let players go and are desperate. But Spurs seem to have done the opposite. Richarlison, Kevin Danso, Pape Matar Sarr and possibly Lucas Bergvall are all being linked with moves elsewhere as we count down toward the deadline. That doesn't seem clever. You also wonder where Mohammed Kudus and Dominic Solanke, both just back from injury, fit in, much like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, both pegged for a September return. Not to mention Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert, who are back in January.

De Zerbi has to balance short-term and medium-term success, like all managers. I get it: It's not easy. But it feels as if this instability could haunt them all season long. As for Jaissle, weirdly, his lack of resources seems to have made his job at Newcastle a lot simpler.

Quick hits

10. Jose Mourinho is right not to get carried away with Real Madrid: He pumped the brakes after Sunday's 4-0 demolition of Malaga, saying "the tough times will come, the criticism will come, the negative moments will come ... right now we're just preparing ourselves for that."

双K联袂闪耀,多特蒙德两球轻取汉堡

先说结论:...多特蒙德周六2-0击败汉堡,这场令人信服的胜利,是由两位希腊年轻人定义的。

<视频4>

为何把他们放在一起谈?理由其实很表面

...

...

or

for Inter section: "8. 国际米兰种多收少不是问题" But the requirement says at least 2 h2. Hmm. For a mid-article segment, I could add h2 headings that make sense. Maybe: -

防守端同样值得称道:零射门被对手打出

<视频5>

数据背后:施洛特贝克缺阵下的零封防线

8. 国际米兰:种得多收得少,不是问题

paragraph and a <视频3> placeholder. There are no h2/h3 in this segment's source. But the output format note says bodyHtml must preserve placeholders like , <视频1> (positions can be slightly adjusted, must not delete/modify/duplicate); img/figure/video and are forbidden. So I must keep <视频3> in my output. The SEO requirement mentions at least 2 h2 — but for a single segment, adding 2 h2s might be odd. Hmm. Let me re-read: "SEO:title/summary/meta_kw 基于译文要点;正文有导语;至少 2 个 h2。" This seems to be a general site requirement. Since I'm only producing bodyHtml (not title/summary/meta_kw — the output format only has bodyHtml key), I should focus on the body. But to be safe, I could include an h2 for this segment's section. Actually, since this is a mid-article segment, previous segments likely had their own headings. Including one h2 for this section makes sense. But the requirement says at least 2 h2... For a segment, that could mean the whole article across segments has 2+ h2. I think including one or two h2 within this segment is reasonable if it fits. Actually, the source segment is a single paragraph about Inter — splitting it into two h2 sections might break flow. But the outline preview says segments 16-21 continue, so this is one part. Hmm, let me think about the structure. The source segment is about: 1. Not overly concerned about Inter's failure to score against Cagliari 2. You worry when you don't create chances, less when you don't finish them 3. Chivu's Inter scored 89 goals last season, most in Serie A since 2021, most for Inter since 1951 4. Not scoring against Cagliari is variance/randomness 5. If you want to fret, worry about conceding two big late chances that Joseba Martinez snuffed out 6. Not being clinical — when you've been clinical before and getting quality shots — is much less of an issue Wait, there's a logical oddity: "Chivu's Inter scored 89 goals last season" — but Chivu just became Inter coach this season (2025-26). Hmm, actually... wait. Let me reconsider. Maybe the text means "Chivu's Inter" as in the current season's Inter that has scored a lot? Actually in the 2025-26 season, Inter under Chivu scored a lot early on. Hmm, "last season" though... Actually, maybe the original article says something like Inter scored 89 goals... Hmm, actually in 2024-25 under Inzaghi, Inter scored 89 goals? Hmm, no wait — hmm. Actually, I recall Inter scored a lot in 2024-25. Hmm, but "Chivu's Inter" — maybe Marcotti wrote this later in the 2025-26 season. Actually, wait — could it be that the article is from later in the season and "last season" refers to 2024-25? But Chivu wasn't coach then. Hmm, actually — maybe I'm wrong about the timeline. Let me not overthink. The ESPN article ID 49781063 with "Chelsea win again, but this isn't Xabi Alonso ball yet" — hmm, Xabi Alonso at Chelsea? That's odd... Unless this is a hypothetical/future article. Actually, this could be from a simulated/future dataset. The mention of "Chivu's Inter" suggests Chivu is Inter coach (he was appointed in June 2025). "Xabi Alonso" — hmm, maybe linked to Chelsea? Or the article discusses Alonso's Real Madrid? Actually the title says "this isn't Xabi Alonso ball yet" about Chelsea — that doesn't quite ... ... 5. RB Leipzig look sharp in opener ... are they Bayern's biggest domestic challenger?" which is a section header - I should render that as an h2 or h3. The first paragraph continues from previous about the four-goal scorer. The generic instruction says at least 2 h2 - but for a mid-segment, that could mean the h2 for section 5 and maybe one more. Hmm. Actually, I think the safest interpretation: the segment has one section header (5. RB Leipzig...). I could split the RB Leipzig section into two h2 subsections? That might over-structure. Alternatively, I can create an h2 for the continuation part and an h2 for section 5. Let me do: - An h2 for the continuation about the four-goal performance (something like "大四喜的第三个进球最见功力" or connecting to Como context). But wait - the previous segment already established this discussion. If the previous segment ended mid-sentence, I continue. Since I don't know exactly where it ended, but the "上一段改写结尾" is empty ("..."), I need to make a reasonable continuation. The previous segment likely ended with introducing the player's four-goal game. So my segment starts with "The pick of the bunch?" - the best of the goals. Hmm, actually, given the header says "本段必须与上一段语义连贯" and the previous ending is not provided (just "..."), I'll start naturally continuing the discussion of the goals, perhaps with a phrase like "要说这四个进球里最精彩的一个" - "If we're picking the best of the bunch..." For the h2 requirement: I'll add an h2 for section 5 (the RB Leipzig part). For a second h2... maybe I can add one at the start for the goals part? Like "四粒进球,第三球最见真章" as an h2? But that would restart the flow... Actually since the previous segment was probably under section 4's header, and this segment continues it, adding a small h2 for the continuation could work as a sub-summary. Hmm, but the instruction says "小标题层级与全文大纲一致" - the outline has numbered sections. The section 5 header is the natural h2 here. Let me reconsider: maybe the "至少 2 个 h2" applies to the full article, not each segment. Given the constraints conflict, I'll use judgment: include the section 5 header as h2, and perhaps also give the first part a modest h2. Actually, to be safe and to satisfy "至少 2 个 h2", I'll include two h2s: one for the continuation part (the four-goal discussion) and one for section 5. This keeps flow reasonable since the first h2 can serve as a topical header for "他的第三粒进球" discussion. Hmm wait, but that might duplicate what segment 17 already covered. If segment 17 ended with "he scored four goals" and this segment discusses the best goal, an h2 like "大四喜中最漂亮的一球" works fine as a natural sub-header. Actually, let me think about who this 39-year-old is again, because the translation might benefit from naming him... but no, I shouldn't invent names. The original doesn't name him in this segment. I'll keep "他". Hmm, wait - actually, thinking more about ESPN Marcotti articles... "Chelsea win again, but this isn't Xabi Alonso ball yet; are Como for real?" dated around... If Chelsea won twice under... hmm, this seems like a recent article. Como beating Napoli away... A 39-year-old scoring 4 goals... Could it be about... Hmm, actually in Serie A 2025-26... Could this be about Riccardo Orsolini? No, he's 28. Hmm, actually - wait. Is this article maybe not about Como's game but about multiple matches? The "9th time in his career he scored four in a single game" at 39 years old... Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 4 in a game multiple times... Actually, hmm. But the article title is about Chelsea and Como. Actually wait - maybe the previous section was about someone else entirely, like Messi (39 years old in 2025, born June 1987 - he'd be 38... turning 39 in June 2026). Hmm, Messi scored 4 in a game? Actually, hmm. Or... could it be about Edinson Cavani? He's 38. Zlatan retired. Quaresma? Actually - what about Cristiano Ronaldo? Born Feb 1985, so 40 now. Not 39. Hmm, what about... Actually, you know what, there's a real possibility this is about Lionel Messi: MLS Cup playoffs 2025, Messi scored... hmm. Or maybe it's about someone in the Club World Cup... Actually, let me think - the article ID 49781063, "Chelsea win again... are Como for real?" - Chelsea winning twice... this is likely from around November 2025? Chelsea under... wait, "this isn't Xabi Alonso ball yet" - Xabi Alonso at Chelsea? That doesn't fit 2025 reality (Alonso is at Real Madrid). Hmm, but this might be a hypothetical/future article or... Actually the title says "Chelsea win again, but this isn't Xabi Alonso ball yet" - so in this article's world, Xabi Alonso is Chelsea's coach. This might be a 2026 article. If it's spring 2026... a 39-year-old scoring four goals for the 9th time in his career... Cristiano Ronaldo turns 41 in Feb 2026. Messi turns 39 in June 2026. If the article is from after June 2026... Hmm, but "are Como for real" and Como beating Napoli away - Como qualified for Europe in 2025-26, so 2026-27 season would have them in Europa League... The Leipzig section mentions "opener" (season opener) and losing Yan Diomande to Real Madrid - Diomande to Real Madrid... that's a future transfer. ...

and tags. The original_image_count is 2, but no image placeholders in the body_html snippet. Hmm. The instruction says placeholders position can be slightly adjusted but must not be deleted/duplicated. Since the provided body_html has no <图N> placeholders... Actually the note says "bodyHtml 须保留原文中的 、<视频1> 等占位符(位置可微调,不得删改重复)". Since original has 2 images (original_image_count: 2), maybe I should include and placeholders? Hmm, but the body_html provided doesn't contain them. To be safe, given original_image_count is 2, I could add and placeholders at natural positions. Actually, the rule says "保留原文中的" (keep those in the original) — the original doesn't show them, but original_image_count=2 suggests there were 2 images. Previous segments presumably had them. Since I'm told not to delete/duplicate them, and the original body here has none visible, I think it's safe to include and since there are 2 images. Actually wait — this is a chunk of a larger article; the images might belong to other chunks. Hmm. Let me think. The safest interpretation: the source body_html given to me is what I must translate. It contains no image placeholders. The output_format note says to preserve placeholders "原文中的" — if none exist in my chunk, I don't need to add them. But original_image_count: 2 suggests images exist in this chunk's original. Hmm, tricky. Including and might be reasonable since the chunk has 2 images associated. But if other chunks also have them, numbering would conflict. Given ambiguity, I'll include and because original_image_count is 2 and the instruction emphasizes preserving them. Actually, let me reconsider: "保留原文中的 、<视频1> 等占位符(位置可微调,不得删改重复)" — "不得删改重复" means don't delete, modify, or duplicate. If the original doesn't have them, adding them could be "modifying". But with original_image_count: 2, the images likely correspond to this chunk. I'll include two placeholders and at sensible positions — one after the first paragraph area (Bruno section) and one in the Monaco section. Hmm, but actually the structure: the first paragraph is the tail of point 2 (about Bruno), and point 3 is about Monaco. Images might be: one of Bruno celebrating, one of Brunner. I'll place after the first paragraph and within/after the second paragraph. Actually, let me be careful. The requirement says "保留 h2/h3 与 <图N>、<视频N> 占位符". The original has for the section heading "3. Filipe Luis and Monaco ride Paris Brunner..." — I should convert that to an h3 probably, since it's a numbered section heading. The instruction says keep h2/h3 — the chunk title given is "英超切尔西两连胜仍非阿隆索真章,科莫客胜那不勒斯显成色" which is the overall article title (this is the running title for the whole article across chunks). The chunk meta says index 20, and there's a requirement of at least 2 h2 in the whole article (from the general instructions: "SEO:title/summary/meta_kw 基于译文要点;正文有导语;至少 2 个 h2"). But for this chunk, I shouldn't necessarily add h2s that conflict with the overall article structure. Hmm. Actually the general instruction block says: "SEO:title/summary/meta_kw 基于译文要点;正文有导语;至少 2 个 h2。" But I'm only outputting bodyHtml, not title/summary/meta_kw. The keys are only ["bodyHtml"]. So I just output bodyHtml. For structure: I'll use an h3 for the "3." section since it's a subsection heading. The first paragraph is a continuation of section 2 (about Bruno). Since the previous segment ended mid-section, I should continue naturally without re-opening. Wait — "上一段改写结尾(供衔接,勿复述)" shows "..." — empty. So I don't know exactly what the previous segment ended with. The previous segment (19) likely covered the beginning of point 2 about Bruno's hat trick vs... wait, actually the text says "it was only Ipswich at home" — hmm, that's odd, Bruno at Man United vs Ipswich? Actually this seems to be from a Gab Marcotti article. The mention "Carrick's United" — Michael Carrick? Hmm, that doesn't match current Man United manager context... Actually this might be fictional/alternate content or the article is about something else. Regardless, I translate faithfully: "Carrick's United is very much a work in progress" — 卡里克麾下的曼联仍处于磨合阶段. Hmm wait, actually the chunk title says "英超切尔西两连胜仍非阿隆索真章,科莫客胜那不勒斯显成色" — that's the overall article title for chunks. The actual content here covers end of item 2 (Bruno/Man United) and item 3 (Monaco/Brunner). I translate what's given, faithfully. Let me now draft the translation. Paragraph 1: "You can also make a case that I'm blinded by his hat trick and assist. And that it was only Ipswich at home, and that United's comeback was prompted by an opponent slipping and a goal that shouldn't have stood. Maybe so. But it was Bruno who put the metaphorical foot on the neck of the opponent and stopped them getting back into the game. Carrick's United is very much a work in progress, and the challenges ahead are huge. Having Bruno to hold your hand might not be enough for it to be a success, but it makes things a whole heck of a lot easier." Translation with persona (mature, humorous, calm tactical commentator, home-team fan translator — but here the "home team" perspective... the translator is a 主队球迷译员, focusing on home team emotions while objective about opponents. The home team here... unclear which team is "home" for this site. I'll keep it neutral-ish but with fan warmth toward the players discussed, especially since it's Marcotti's column. Actually "主队球迷" — maybe the site follows Man United? Hard to say. I'll write with warmth toward the subjects but stay faithful.) Draft: "当然,你也可以说我是被他那记帽子戏法加一次助攻晃花了眼。你也可以说,那不过是主场对阵伊普斯维奇;曼联的逆转,一半靠对手滑倒送礼,另一半靠一粒本不该算数的进球。也许都对。但别忘了,正是布鲁诺把那只比喻意义上的脚踩在了对手的脖子上,让他们彻底翻不了身。卡里克治下的曼联,坦白讲仍是一件半成品,前路的挑战只会更大。有布鲁诺在旁边搀你一把,未必足以保证成功,但至少能让这条路好走得多——这就好比爬山时有根结实的登山杖,能不能登顶另说,起码摔不下去。" That adds a metaphor at the end which fits the humorous persona but adds content. The requirement says faithful, no fabrication... adding a small illustrative simile is typical of 改写 style but might count as embellishment. The persona allows "轻巧比喻或反差句调剂节奏". I think a small simile is acceptable as long as facts aren't altered. But I should be careful not to overdo. The length requirement is 932+ chars from ~1097 source chars, so I need to expand slightly (85%+). Chinese translation of 1097 English chars... wait, source_plain_chars is 1097 — that's characters of the source plain text? English chars? If English, 1097 English characters ≈ ~180 words. Hmm wait, let me count the source text. Let me count: the body_html text: "You can also make a case that I'm blinded by his hat trick and assist. And that it was only Ipswich at home, and that United's comeback was prompted by an opponent slipping and a goal that shouldn't have stood. Maybe so. But it was Bruno who put the metaphorical foot on the neck of the opponent and stopped them getting back into the game. Carrick's United is very much a work in progress, and the challenges ahead are huge. Having Bruno to hold your hand might not be enough for it to be a success, but it makes things a whole heck of a lot easier." That's roughly 530 characters. Then point 3: "3. Filipe Luis and Monaco ride Paris Brunner to win over Marseille and top spot in Ligue 1: The 20-year-old German scored both goals in their 2-0 victory over l'OM, and the second especially showed off his strength, speed and confidence (check out the cutback and footwork). Having managed just three top-flight starts to date before this summer, this could well be his take-off season, and you wonder if he's going to be something more than Folarin Balogun's understudy (or indeed if Balogun will still be there when the transfer window closes)." That's roughly 480 characters. Total ~1010-1100 characters. OK so source_plain_chars = 1097 is English characters. The requirement: "改写后纯文本应不少于 932 字(本段原文约 1097 字)" — 85% of 1097 = 932. So they want the Chinese output to be at least 932 Chinese characters. A faithful Chinese translation of ~1097 English chars would naturally be around 600-750 Chinese characters. So I need to expand to 932+ Chinese characters — meaning I need to add reasonable elaboration/transitional glue, in line with the rewrite style (translator_local_fan with persona). This is a "改写" not literal translation, so adding connective tissue, brief tactical color consistent with the persona, is expected. I must not fabricate facts though. I can elaborate on what's implied: e.g., explaining the "foot on the neck" metaphor, describing what the cutback and footwork showed, Ligue 1 context, Balogun situation, etc. Let me plan the structure: - Continuation paragraph (Bruno) — no heading, continues from previous chunk. ~450-500 chars. - placeholder somewhere (maybe after first paragraph). - h3 heading for item 3: "三、菲利佩·路易斯与摩纳哥:帕里斯·布鲁纳两球击退马赛,登顶法甲" — then body ~450-500 chars. - placeholder

Like many Ligue 1 sides (and Marseille are no different), Monaco are operating on a shoestring this season (Maghnes Akliouche, Aladji Bamba and Caio Henrique are all gone) and will be placing their faith in youth. New boss Filipe Luis, after his exploits in Brazil with Flamengo, was an interesting choice -- European clubs tend to be snooty when it comes to Brazilian managers, even those who spent a lifetime in Europe as players -- and this is definitely a club to follow. Can they outlast you-know-who? No: in fact even Champions League qualification would be an exploit. But on early evidence, there's plenty going on here ...

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