CHAPTER 86

The team checked into the hotel in the morning, and the players rested in their rooms for a few hours ahead of the match scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

Ethan stood in the hotel lobby, staring at the gloomy sky. Dark clouds were gathering in the distance, giving him the uneasy feeling that a giant reservoir was hanging overhead, ready to burst at any moment.

"The weather forecast says there's no rain..." Lin Sen reminded him gently from beside him.

"England's forecasts are even less reliable than the ones back home," Ethan replied with a sigh, watching the stormy clouds rolling in over the city.

He remembered a meteorologist he once knew, who told him that modern forecasting was still not much better than the old farmers reading the sky. Relying on cloud charts to predict the weather a week out was like a blind man trying to understand an elephant by touch—no one truly knows which way the wind will blow.

Sure enough, a light rain had already begun to fall, and it looked like it might get worse.

Ethan shook his head. He had always disliked matches played in the rain.

In his view, although Coventry were a solid Championship side, Luton had the upper hand in terms of overall strength. With recent improvements to the squad, Coventry's hard power couldn't quite match Luton's. What Ethan had hoped for was a clean match in fair weather—conditions in which Luton's technical strengths could shine and the risk of random mishaps would be minimized.

...

Fortunately, an hour before kickoff, the rain had settled into a light drizzle, with no sign of turning into a downpour. Some of the heavy clouds had even begun to disperse. Ethan let out a breath of relief.

The weather in England truly was unpredictable—changing from minute to minute.

Still, at least his players wouldn't have to play through a torrential storm.

The match was set for 4:00 p.m., but by 3:00 p.m., it was already nearly impossible to find an empty parking spot around the Ricoh Arena. Despite the drizzle under the grey skies, the English fans were undeterred. Most didn't even bother with umbrellas. Dressed in sky blue, waving Coventry flags, and singing their team's chants, they streamed toward the stadium from all directions.

The Ricoh Arena, built in 2005, can hold more than 30,000 spectators. Before that, Coventry played at the famous Highfield Road—once one of the largest grass pitches in England and the first all-seater stadium in the country. On April 30, 2005, Coventry bid farewell to Highfield Road with a 6–2 victory over Derby County before relocating to their new home in the north of the city.

The team bus left the hotel at 2:30 p.m. and made its way slowly through the narrow city streets of Coventry. Though the stadium was only seven or eight kilometers away, it took the coach nearly half an hour to reach its destination.

Low buildings lined the streets, their creamy-white roofs resembling blocks of cheese. Under the heavy skies, those roofs seemed to give off a soft glow, adding a strange contrast to the dull weather.

The players paid no attention to the scenery. They were focused inward—some listening to music, others resting with their eyes closed, a few murmuring quietly among themselves. They were used to this kind of match-day rhythm. An away game like this one, against Coventry, didn't make them overly anxious or excited.

Soon, the bus pulled into its designated spot. The players gathered their gear and stepped off. Time was tight—only an hour remained before kickoff. They needed to warm up quickly and get a feel for the pitch.

The drizzle hadn't let up, and a light mist hung in the air, but the atmosphere in the Ricoh Arena was electric.

As Luton's players stepped onto the pitch for their warm-up, they were greeted with a thunderous boo from the Coventry faithful. Over 30,000 fans jeered loudly—a clear show of hostility.

Some of the Luton players glanced up at the stands. As a League One team, they weren't used to such targeted treatment in FA Cup away fixtures. When they had faced Chelsea in the third round, for instance, Chelsea's fans hadn't even bothered to jeer during warm-ups—few believed Luton posed any real threat.

But now, Coventry fans were booing from the moment Luton emerged, showing just how seriously they took this match—and just how much they saw Luton as a genuine threat.

　　...

Mourinho's good friend, Chris Coleman, is actually feeling quite optimistic about drawing Luton Town as Coventry's FA Cup opponent. While the media hypes up Luton as a side capable of playing in the Premier League, Coleman doesn't quite buy into that narrative.

Luton certainly has quality, but Coleman believes their stunning victories over Chelsea and Manchester City were due in large part to those teams underestimating them.

"Coventry won't make that mistake," Coleman insists. He's confident his squad can at least reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

That confidence stands in contrast to Coventry's struggles in the Championship. In their most recent league fixture, they suffered a disappointing home defeat to Sheffield United, which saw them slip to 12th in the standings—eight points adrift of sixth-place Bristol City. With the gap growing, hopes of promotion this season are fading fast for Coventry fans.

But the FA Cup has offered a glimmer of hope. Coventry's cup run has been impressive—albeit fortunate at times. They drew Guiseley in the third round, a non-league side, and cruised to victory. In the fourth round, they faced Torquay United, another fifth-tier, semi-professional club, and again advanced with ease.

The real test came in the fifth round against Premier League side Blackburn Rovers. Coventry went two goals down away from home, but in the second half, Coleman's side staged a remarkable comeback. They scored twice to level the match, and just when it looked like a replay was on the cards, striker Clinton Morrison struck a dramatic winner in the 94th minute to seal a 3-2 victory and send Coventry through.

"We have no right to underestimate anyone," Coleman told his players in the dressing room before the Luton clash. His tone was serious.

"Luton knocked out Chelsea and Manchester City—if we treat them like just another lower-league side, then we're the fools," he warned, tapping his temple. "Stay sharp. No complacency."

"For this match, our approach is defense first," Coleman added. "We're at home, so we need to stay solid at the back and pick our moments to strike."

Both teams are relatively unfamiliar with each other, so charging in recklessly would be a gamble. Coleman's cautious, calculated approach reflects his respect for an opponent that has already proven they can punch well above their weight.