The second half began.
Man City still firmly controlled the initiative, but the overall formation had dropped back slightly. In particular, the front three had noticeably reduced the intensity of their pressing against Chelsea's midfield and defense. As a result, after the second half began, Chelsea's possession improved somewhat, climbing above thirty percent.
Many people noticed this as well.
The television commentator believed this was a necessary adjustment by Man City, since they had to consider whether their players had the stamina to run for the full match.
"If they continued using that high-pressure tactic from the first half, Man City's players definitely wouldn't be able to maintain it for the full ninety minutes. They might even have to endure extra time, so Guardiola has wisely dropped them back to reduce the physical burden on the midfield and attack. It seems he isn't confident enough to break the deadlock either."
"Chelsea's players have performed exceptionally well tonight, especially the Cahill-Terry partnership. They completely froze Su Dong in the first half. If they can maintain this level in the second half, Chelsea have a very good chance of keeping a clean sheet against Man City tonight, or even defeating them."
The course of the match seemed to prove that Su Dong had been drowned out between Cahill and Terry.
After the second half began, even though the team's midfield and defense had dropped back, Su Dong still found little room to perform. His showing at the start of the second half remained lackluster.
Man City's fans grew anxious. Many of them were calling Su Dong's name from the stands, hoping he would step forward.
Over the past two years, they had grown used to Su Dong always stepping up whenever the team needed him. They believed this time would be no