Tang Long's First Premier League Start at the Etihad in His First Home Match!

Tang Long didn't have the habit of going out at night.

His agent Ronaldo, once told him his story.

Ronaldo said that when he played for Inter Milan, he would hear a short horn blast from downstairs every night at 11 p. m.

"No doubt about it, it's Vieri again, he's taken me to a nightclub to party again!"

Ronaldo thus rode in Vieri's car to party every night, drinking, chasing women, and indulging in a life of extravagance, becoming the most dazzling star in the nightclubs.

By 3 a. m., Vieri couldn't stay awake any longer and went home to sleep;

Not yet satisfied, Ronaldo moved on to another venue to continue partying until 5 a. m., when it was just beginning to get light.

At this point, he was too lazy to go home, so he took a taxi directly to Inter Milan's training ground, slept for more than three hours, and then got up to train.

According to Ronaldo, there was a massage bed specially prepared for him in Inter Milan's health room. He would sleep on it after having fun, and the staff would hurriedly wake him up just before training was about to start.

This was common knowledge within the Inter Milan team back then.

Perhaps it's because Ronaldo's ability is indeed ridiculously strong; even while indulging in a life of pleasure, he still manages to deliver incredible performances. So, from owner Moratti down to the management, head coach, and other Inter Milan teammates, everyone tacitly understands this, and no one interferes with Ronaldo's choice.

However, Tang Long believes that if Ronaldo had been more disciplined, his injuries might not have repeatedly kept him bedridden and wasted his prime years.

Ronaldo was very strong, but he could have been even stronger!

Tang Long knew why Ronaldo told him this story. Half of it was to boast about himself, saying, "Look, I only sleep three or four hours a day and I can still become an alien." The other half was to warn Tang Long not to take him as a role model, saying, "I'm a negative example, and most people can't learn from me. Don't follow my example!"

As a professional player who demands a lot from himself, Tang Long always goes to bed before 10 p. m. Only by ensuring sufficient sleep and a regular lifestyle can he guarantee the recovery of his physical strength and perform well in matches.

Tang Long didn't want to go out at this moment for another reason: his emotions were complicated.

He was thinking about other things.

Just now, Bonazzoli's phone call made Tang Long feel the influence of locker room politics once again.

Relying on his status as a veteran of Serie A and an absolute key player for the national team, Candreva formed cliques at Inter Milan, whose core players had been depleted. Not only did he form a small group with himself at the head in just a few weeks, but he also became arrogant and domineering, daring to slap Bonazzoli, a product of the youth academy, in front of everyone in the locker room.

Isn't this a form of locker room bullying?

Tang Long also experienced this kind of bullying.

However, he was luckier than Bonazzoli. Although Guarin was once stripped of his starting position and made a violent tackle on him on the training ground, it was only in a footballing manner, and he would never resort to such a despicable means as slapping someone in the face.

However, the memory of Guarin joining forces with South American Faction to oppose him is still vivid.

Aside from Guarin, his group members, including Medel, Juan Jesus., Jonathan, also discriminated against Tang Long.

During training, unless requested by the coach, they never proactively seek out Tang Long to team up for stretching, passing, heading, or other drills;

During the game, they would not pass the ball to Tang Long unless absolutely necessary.

However, if Tang Long doesn't pass the ball to them, someone will immediately shrug in dissatisfaction.

When other teammates make mistakes, they either remain silent or offer encouragement;

Every time Tang Long made a mistake, complaints and curses would follow.

Even in the corridor, when they passed Tang Long face to face, their eyes were indifferent, as if they treated Tang Long as if he were invisible.

Of course, with Berni's help, Tang Long figured out the gangs in the locker room, and then used his own strength to win the support of the Argentine BBQ Gang leader and the Italian Local Faction leader, ultimately successfully dismantling his locker room crisis.

Tang Long's approach at the time was simply to provide whatever you needed.

Icardi wants to score goals and win the Golden Boot, so I've specifically studied your video feed AI System to create customized passes for you and provide you with assists multiple times.

Ranocchia is the captain and has a more magnanimous attitude, but he values his reputation in Italy very much. In an interview after winning the Man of the Match award, Tang Long repeatedly praised the center-back's solid defense, saying that he is the cornerstone of Inter Milan and a prerequisite for the team's victory.

Now that he's in Manchester City, Tang Long has a vague feeling that there must be different cliques within the Manchester City!

The most obvious sign was that in the half hour he spent coming on as a substitute in his Premier League debut, he noticed that some players preferred to pass the ball to others, which showed that they had a good relationship off the court.

But there's no good guy like Berni in Manchester City right now!

Among all the people at Manchester City who knew him, only his former teammate Ranocchia was familiar with him, and he was also a newcomer to the Premier League.

Tang Long was new to the city and a foreigner, so he didn't quite understand the factions in Manchester City's dressing room in a short time. It was like an employee who had just switched to a big company, having to figure out and understand all the complex interpersonal relationships on his own.

He had planned to watch Manchester City's game footage again that evening, analyze the passing patterns in more detail, and make a preliminary analysis before verifying it through training and matches.

So from the very beginning, when Tang Long received the call from Ranocchia, he was unwilling to go out.

However, unable to resist Ranocchia's repeated requests, Tang Long had no choice but to go out.

We arrived at the designated coffee shop at exactly 10 p. m.

Tang Long pushed open the door to the private room and was surprised to find that, in addition to Ranocchia, there was another Manchester City player, Kolarov!

"Hey, bro, you're here!" Kolarov stood up, rubbing his hands together, while Ranocchia leaned back in his chair, smiling at him.

"Uh, what brings you here?" Tang Long was surprised by Kolarov's arrival.

Is this guy really that familiar with me, or rather, with Ranocchia?

Tang Long recalled what Ranocchia had told him on the phone: that he would bring someone along, and that this person would be very important to their new season and would help them get off to a good start.

Could this person be Kolarov?

Tang Long looked at Kolarov, who had the appearance of a rough Eastern European man, with a stubble beard and unkempt appearance, and was at a loss for words.

Ranocchia was clearly the one who initiated this gathering. He said, "Kolarov also played in Serie A. Before coming to Manchester City, he was a famous player for Lazio. I specially invited him out so the three of us could get together and catch up."

Kolarov waved his hand and laughed, "It's not about reminiscing. I'm quite old now, almost thirty. When I was playing in Serie A, none of you were at Inter Milan. I was just hanging out with you guys after training as a teammate."

"By the way, Tang, you didn't tell me how you managed that volley shot!"

"You'll have to ask Ranocchia. He joked that only smart people can understand it." Tang Long and Ranocchia exchanged a smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the atmosphere warmed up, and Ranocchia got straight to the point.

"Tang, have you noticed? There are dressing room cliques at Manchester City right now. I noticed it after my first Premier League game, but I couldn't figure out the specific factions. You've been here for a month longer than me, so I'm sure you're even less clear on it. That's why I invited Kolarov to come and explain it to us."

Tang Long nodded slightly, startled. It turned out that not only he, Ranocchia had also noticed something amiss!

He then thought about it again and realized that it wasn't strange at all to use Ranocchia to look for clues; in fact, it was quite reasonable.

"Ranocchia used to be Inter Milan's captain and the head of the Italian Local Faction. He has extensive experience in managing the dressing room. Compared to me, he is actually more perceptive of the factional situation in Manchester City's dressing room. This is not surprising, it is only natural. It would be abnormal if he couldn't find it."

Then I thought to myself, "He said on the phone that Kolarov is very important for both of us in the new season, so he must have done in-depth research. He knows I don't like going out at night, but he insisted on calling me out. This Serbia left-back in front of me must really know the Manchester City dressing room inside and out. He came to Manchester City in 2010, in the same batch as Silva, Yaya Toure, Milner, and others. He's been with the club for five years, so he's a veteran of Manchester City. Let's hear what he has to say."

As for why Ranocchia found Kolarov, and why Kolarov agreed to meet the two of them, Tang Long didn't know for the time being.

Seeing that Ranocchia had steered the conversation to the main topic, Kolarov didn't beat around the bush and began to speak fluently and unhurriedly while sipping his coffee.

"Manchester City is a club where the presence of factions in the dressing room is indeed very strong, at least stronger than Lazio, where I used to play. It's probably because there are many foreigners at Manchester City, so it's common for them to band together."

According to Kolarov's description, there are four major factions within Manchester City.

Unlike Inter Milan, Manchester City's factions are not united by nationality, but by language.

Kolarov then further divided Manchester City into factions based on his own understanding this season.

Spanish-speaking Faction: Agüero, David Silva, Navas, Otamendi, Zabaleta, Caballero, Demichelis

French-speaking Faction: Yaya Toure, Nasri, Sagna, Mangala, Clichy, Bony

English-speaking Faction: Joe Hart, Milner, Sterling, Delph

Portuguese-speaking Faction: Fernandinho, Fernando

"The most powerful force in the team is the Spanish-speaking Faction, mainly Espanyol and Argentina. Agüero, Silva, Zabaleta, and others are all key players in their respective positions and club legends. With Otamendi's arrival, the Spanish-speaking Faction has taken control of one of Manchester City's central axes."

"There are quite a few French speakers, and it was once glorious, even surpassing the Spanish-speaking Faction at one point. But nowadays, only Toure and Clichy hold high positions in the French-speaking Faction."

"Nasri?" Ranocchia interjected. "I remember he used to be quite famous, known as Four Little Swans of France."

"This swan is almost completely bald," Kolarov laughed. "He had already gradually faded from the starting lineup last season."

When discussing English-speaking Faction, Kolarov emphasized Joe Hart.

"Hart has been with Manchester City since 2007 and is the longest-serving player in the team. He holds a revered position in the hearts of the club's fans. Back then, Manchester City was just an ordinary club, and he witnessed the Manchester City's rise from its lows to its peak step by step."

Tang Long nodded and said, "Yes, my compatriot Sun Jihai was Hart's teammate for a year, and he told me about Hart."

"As for Milner, he's a key rotation player and plays very hard. Sterling and Delph are both new signings," Kolarov added.

Upon hearing Milner's name, Tang Long nodded slightly. "He is indeed very hardworking. Next year is the UEFA European Championship; who doesn't want to lose their place at this crucial time?"

Upon hearing about the UEFA European Championship, Kolarov's eyelids twitched slightly, and he immediately appeared preoccupied.

The weakest group, consisting of only two Portuguese speakers, was glossed over by Kolarov, who simply said that the two of them were playing by themselves.

After listening, Tang Long realized that Kolarov's statement included all Manchester City players except Tang Long himself and Ranocchia, but notably omitted Manchester City captain Kompany and Kolarov himself.

Tang Long could understand that Kompany might be holding back his information, but he needed to find out Kompany side Manchester City captain was on, so he pressed Kolarov for answers.

Kolarov explained that Kompany is Belgium, speaks seven languages, including some obscure ones, and joined Manchester City in 2010, serving the team for seven years. He is well-liked and has good relationships with club staff. In addition, his skills are indeed outstanding. Therefore, he moves between different factions and often acts as a mediator in disputes between them.

Ranocchia a wry smile and said, "I know that feeling, captain, especially a captain from a top team, is always cleaning up their messes."

The three talked for an hour, during which Kolarov gave a general description of each teammate's personality and preferences, and so on.

This was only a superficial assessment, giving Ranocchia and Tang Long a rough, general impression.

It was already 11:30 a. m., and with training scheduled for the next day, Kolarov politely took his leave.

Tang Long and Ranocchia were still sitting in the coffee shop.

In late August in Manchester, even in summer, the nighttime temperature is only below 20 degrees Celsius.

Moonlight streamed through the blue glass window, falling onto their backs.

"So, was it worth the trip?" Ranocchia said.

Tang Long nodded solemnly and gave Ranocchia a thumbs up.

"Very good, Captain. You've really gotten to the heart of the matter. Kolarov's explanation is very thorough."

"Heh, don't forget I'm Inter Milan's captain—well, I used to be. I know that straightening out the factions in the locker room is very important for new signings like us; it's about our future."

"But Captain, there's something I don't understand. How did you find this Kolarov? Why is he telling us all this? Or rather, what benefits does he get from saying all this?"

Seeing that Tang Long had immediately identified the key point, Ranocchia smiled calmly and asked Tang Long in return:

"Did you notice that among the Manchester City players, he was the only one who didn't mention himself?"

"I found out, but I didn't ask. Go on, haha!"

"Kolarov faced discrimination at Manchester City. He's Serbia, and he's the only player from the former Yugoslavia in the entire Manchester City, and even the only one from Eastern Europe."

"So he wants to team up with the two of us who speak Italy? That makes sense. Right now, there are only three of us in the team who can speak Italy, and Kolarov even played in Serie A before."

"That's one reason, but not the main one. Since last year, Pellagrini has been keen to promote Clichy to the starting position at left-back, replacing Kolarov. Kolarov was in a crisis, and I told him, 'Don, your arrival can change his crisis and suppress his competitor, Clichy!'"

The two talked in the moonlit café until 12:30 a. m., and only left when the waiter informed them that it was closing time.

"What do they need, and what can you provide?" On the way back, Tang Long kept replaying Berni's words in his mind.

One week later.

Manchester City hosted West Bromwich Albion at home in the second round of the Premier League.

In this round of matches, Tang Long finally replaced Milner and appeared in Manchester City's starting lineup!

Pellegrini said to him, "Tang, congratulations on your first start. I gave you 30 minutes last round, and this round I will give you 60 minutes. You didn't participate in our summer training, and your fitness still needs to recover slowly. You don't have any objections to my decision, do you?"

Tang Long gave an OK sign. "Thank you, coach. 60 minutes is enough."

Splash--

The Etihad Stadium is completely sold out of all 55,097 seats!

The fans of the Blue Moon have finally welcomed their first home game!

Even before the match started, fans spontaneously organized a wave.

Blue waves rolled across the stadium, merging into a vast ocean. They cheered and shouted with all their might, trying to push the waves higher and swallow the visiting Little West Bromwich Albion whole, leaving them to slam onto the beach!