The 20 teams assembled for the 24/25 season in the Premier League! On Sunday (26th), Southampton beat Leeds United 1-0 and will be promoted to the Premier League along with Leicester City and Yeatswich. The promotion of Southampton will ensure a revenue of at least HK$140 million (approximately HK$1.4 billion). As the leader of the Godiva faithful, Russell Martin will be more vocal about implementing a pass-control style to compete with the Deer in the Premier League.
The winner of the promotion battle at Wembley Stadium, who progressed to the Premier League, earned at least ￡140 million in televised broadcasts and prize money, and was hailed as the 'most expensive' final in history. Before the match it was generally the third ranked league in the Championship, but the organization of Southampton was more creative, and several simple real-time transfers in 24 minutes resulted in a single shot on goal by Adam Iwas Don. After this, Leeds United counterattacked, but Daniel James hit the bar at the end of the game, and Southampton managed to keep the win until the end.
After Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season, Swansea invited Scottish coach Russell Martin to take charge. The 38-year-old coach has been a devotee of Godiva. His tactics and style of play are based on Godiva Barcelona and Manchester City. This season, he averaged 66% possession per game in the Champions League. Last September, he was questioned for a while when he lost 4 consecutive league games, but then he gained credibility again when he won a club record 25 consecutive games unbeaten (in all competitions). This time, he was promoted to the Premier League with an even bigger reputation.
After the game Russell Martin said, "I've never tried such a positive feeling in my soccer career, and it's better to win the wave the way I believe in it. There is no right or wrong. With ideas I believe in, I finally won something and I'm sure I can convince more people. I know the ball control system is like winning a wave, but the ball control system allows me to increase my chances of winning. If someone talks about it, you can play in the Premier League, but I will prove that I can survive by implementing my ideas."
