A Thumping Header Out of Nowhere-Manchester City's First Goal of the New Season! One Teammate Isn't Too Happy?
Inside the players' tunnel, the starting lineups of both teams lined up.
Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have members of the England national team, including several teammates from the national teams: Sterling, Walker, Kane, Dier. They exchanged a few pleasantries.
Guarin strode straight toward Ranocchia and, from a distance, shouted loudly as if no one else was around.
"Captain, it's been a long time!"
"Haha, don't call me captain anymore. I'm a Premier League newbie just like you now." The two laughed and hugged.
Tang Long walked straight ahead in the players' tunnel, and when he reached Guarin suddenly put his arm around him.
"Where do you think you're going?" Guarin asked with a grin, putting his arm around Tang Long's shoulder.
"Run to the bench," Tang Long said.
Guarin was shocked to hear that Tang Long was going to the bench, and looked incredulous.
"Oh, you're not in the starting lineup? That can't be right. What was your coach thinking?"
Unlike Tang Long, Guarin transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in July, basically completed the team's summer training, and integrated well with his teammates, so his starting position was a matter of course.
"I know, you're afraid I'll tackle you like crazy at the start, aren't you? Don't be afraid, kid, I'll take good care of you, hahaha!"
Before Tang Long could answer, Guarin laughed, answering his own question, and then said to his new good friend at Tottenham Hotspur, Danish star Eriksen, "My old Inter Milan teammate is afraid of me, so afraid that he doesn't dare to start and has gone to stay on the bench."
Tang Long and Ranocchia exchanged a smile, then turned to Guarin and said, "Hey, did you poop before the game? If you didn't, hold it in until the end of the match. Don't do it during halftime. If Pochettino can't find you, he might not be as easy to talk to as Mancini."
After saying that, he turned and left, raising his middle finger high with his back to Guarin.
Ranocchia was overjoyed and laughed, leaning against the wall.
The story Tang Long told is a joke that only Inter Milan players know.
Last season, Guarin suddenly needed to defecate in the first half and rushed to the toilet for ten minutes. Mancini had an important tactic to make to him but couldn't find him. His teammates said he went to defecate, and in a fit of anger, Mancini substituted him with the young player Kovacic.
After the match, Guarin apologized to the whole team, looking embarrassed, and said, "Please rest assured, teammates and head coach, I will never dare to go to the toilet during halftime again."
At that moment, as Guarin solemnly read out this ridiculous self-criticism, the whole team was trying their best to suppress their laughter in the locker room.
Finally, third-choice goalkeeper Berni couldn't help but laugh out loud twice, and the laughter spread like a contagious disease, causing uproarious laughter. Even Mancini ended up laughing.
This also became a source of amusement within the team. Guarin was frequently teased and ridiculed by his Inter Milan teammates, who would ask him during halftime, "Are you about to go to the toilet?"
This was something that the beautiful team doctor Gracie, specifically reminded Tang Long of during his transfer medical at Manchester City, so he finished his business early in the morning.
The three were speaking Italy to each other. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eriksen 'Italy was only so-so; he only understood the word "poop."
"Poop? What poop?" he asked Guarin curiously in English.
Guarin's face flushed red, and he mumbled a few words, fearing that this embarrassing incident would spread among his new teammates. He quickly put his index finger to his lips and begged Ranocchia not to tell Eriksen the story behind the word.
Fortunately Ranocchia was a kind person and didn't bring up his former teammate's past. He smiled, nodded, and let Guarin off the hook.
With the referee's whistle, the first round of the 2015-16 England Premier League season officially began!
Perhaps because they were facing Manchester City in the first round of the season, White Hart Lane was packed to capacity today.
Sixty thousand fans filled every single seat to the brim.
Looking out, everything was a vast expanse of white, as if a heavy snow had fallen from the sky!
Playing at home, Tottenham Hotspur's players launched a three-pronged attack against Manchester City right from the start, amidst the thunderous cheers of their fans.
Not only was the tall center forward Kane pressing Ranocchia with all his might;
Walker, Dier, Guarin in the backcourt also frequently pushed forward, causing a ruckus in the frontcourt.
Attacking midfielder Eriksen cleverly dropped back, frequently using long passes to probe Manchester City's defense.
Tottenham Hotspur once exerted absolute pressure on Manchester City in terms of performance.
Tang Long, watching from the sidelines, figured out what was going on.
He discovered that, despite using the same opening three moves, Premier League teams and Serie A teams exhibited drastically different performances.
Tottenham Hotspur's opening three-pronged attack demonstrated a much higher level of physical exertion and pressing intensity than Inter Milan!
They attempted to disrupt their opponents' rhythm and create scoring opportunities through high-speed running and frequent physical confrontations.
Even when their formation was disrupted, they didn't care and charged straight at the ball carrier, determined not to let him turn around comfortably.
For example, Guarin and Dier covered the running area of three players, forcing Yaya Toure and Fernando to pass the ball back many times, making it difficult for the ball to move forward and reach Tottenham's Tottenham Hotspur third.
Whether it's Son Heung-min on the left Tottenham Hotspur or Lamela on the right wing, they often manage to break through the opponent's defense and create threats through their individual abilities.
For example, in the sixth minute of the game, Son Heung-min moved to the left wing and faced off one-on-one against Manchester City's right-back Sagna.
At this moment, Guarin had already run to the penalty area to receive the pass, creating a brief vacuum in his position.
If this were Serie A, Son Heung-min should have passed the ball to Guarin to create a long-range shooting opportunity for him.
But Son Heung-min didn't!
A smooth Step Over kick, a slight sway of the body, and then a surge of weight towards the baseline for a cross!
Although Ranocchia cleared the ball with a header, Yaya Toure hadn't even stopped when Dier closed in from behind, slamming his knee into Toure's thigh, sending the tall Ivory Coast midfielder sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain, drawing a tactical foul.
Tang Long nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "In Serie A, coaches may focus more on gradually penetrating the opponent's defense through precise passing, positional awareness, and tactical coordination. However, in the Premier League, the individual abilities of attacking players play a very important role."
In the days following his arrival in Manchester, Tang Long used every spare moment outside of training to frantically catch up on the Premier League, feeding the AI system a large amount of video footage.
However, a game video is, after all, a game video; it's a bird's-eye view of the entire stadium.
Some things can only be truly felt by standing on the sidelines in person, experiencing the tactical characteristics and playing style of the Premier League.
After watching for just 10 minutes, Tang Long was quite shocked by the fast pace of the Premier League!
Last year, when he was promoted from Inter Milan's youth team to the first team and started playing in Serie A, Berni emphasized to him. "The pace of Serie A is much faster than the youth league. You need to work hard and adapt as soon as possible!"
But now, as a Manchester City player sitting on the sidelines, experiencing it firsthand, Tang Long realizes that the intensity of Serie A is far inferior to that of the Premier League!
Tang Long was surprised to find that Milner, the starting attacking midfielder, played at a leisurely pace amidst this high-intensity rhythm.
He has excellent positioning on defense!
Even when Manchester City's formation was pushed very low, Milner knew exactly where he should stand, when to drop back, and when to move wide.
Especially after 15 minutes of play, having successfully weathered Tottenham Hotspur's initial onslaught, Manchester City gradually took control of possession and the tempo of the game, and Milner immediately integrated into Manchester City's passing and possession-based tactical system.
He has a unique style in the attacking midfield position. He doesn't receive the ball often, but his tireless running frequently creates space for players like Yaya Toure, Silva, and Sterling to receive the ball.
Tang Long still has many questions about the Premier League.
He looked around and glanced at his surroundings.
On the left sits Nasri, one of the "Five Little Swans of France".
On the right is Argentina international defender Zabaleta.
Both of them had serious expressions and were staring intently at the progress of the game.
Occasionally, Pellegrini would shout a few tactical instructions from the sidelines, and the two players would listen in the direction of his voice, nodding or shaking their heads slightly.
Their attention was entirely focused on the game, and no one specifically thought about explaining the characteristics of the game and how to play it to Tang Long, who was making his Premier League debut in his professional career.
None of them are Berni.
They won't play Berni's role!
Tang Long thought to himself, "Back when I was at Inter Milan, I was a clueless newbie when I was first promoted from the youth team. Naturally, there were senior players in the team who would explain tactics to me and answer my questions. But things are different now. Now, I'm a player that the club spent a lot of money to bring in, and I've won a championship with Inter Milan. In my teammates' eyes, I'm already a big star and a mature player, so naturally no one will take the initiative to explain the game to me."
He then thought, "The competition within Manchester City is far greater than at Inter Milan. My arrival has made many people feel threatened. Whether they can genuinely help me is still a question. Right now, if I want to adapt to the pace of the Premier League as quickly as possible, I can't rely on others; I can only rely on myself!"
28th minute of the first half.
Tottenham Hotspur's defensive midfielder Dier receives the ball.
Seeing that no one was around, he was about to turn around when Milner chased after him like a madman.
Dier hesitated for a moment when he received the ball, and Milner immediately intercepted it with his foot!
Losing possession in the defensive midfield position is extremely dangerous, so Dier had no choice but to reach out and grab Milner's shirt, knocking him to the ground.
The referee blows the whistle!
Manchester City were awarded a free kick in the attacking third and also received a yellow card for Dier.
"You're sticking to the ball too much, kid. Just give me the ball!" Guarin complained loudly, shrugging at Dier.
Dier simply shrugged and didn't look at Guarin.
Seeing this, Zhang Lu cheered and analyzed, "Milner's ability to run like crazy is a tradition among England players. He has a very tenacious, persistent nature, constantly harassing and tormenting his marker. Moreover, he can use both feet to dribble and maneuver the ball. This player is no ordinary player. No wonder Pellegrini likes to use him. If Tang Long played Milner's position, he might not be able to perform as well defensively..."
David Silva stands in front of the set piece.
Tall players like Kompany, Ranocchia, Yaya Toure, and Kolarov stood in Tottenham Hotspur's penalty area.
Silva swung his leg with lightning speed, sending the ball soaring high towards the far post with a violent spin!
Ranocchia stood there like a mountain, took a powerful leap, and Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham's Vertonghen!
With a thud, the header lobbed into Lloris's far corner!
1-0!
Manchester City took the lead in the 30th minute!
"Great shot, Ranocchia!"
Tang Long rushed from the bench to the sidelines, spreading his arms wide.
Upon hearing Tang Long's shout, Ranocchia first high-fived David Silva, who had provided the assist, and then turned and rushed towards Tang Long to hug him on the sidelines!
"Well done, dear Italy lad!" Pellegrini patted Ranocchia, his hand making a loud thud on Ranocchia's back muscles. He was clearly very satisfied with his performance.
Pellegrini was quite pleased with himself. Manchester City's first goal of the season came from a new signing. Wasn't this proof to the world that he, Pellegrini, had a keen eye for talent in the transfer market?
Milner stood at a distance, looking somewhat unhappy.
I fought tooth and nail to get that ball.
Without the free kick I created, how could you Ranocchia's header?
Not only did you not give me a high five to celebrate, but you also turned around and ran towards Tang Long on the bench.
What does that mean?
(There's one more chapter. I promised yesterday that I'd update 10,000 words, but it won't be released until midnight.)