Agüero Got His Face Smashed but Still Cheered! Tang and Ranocchia Each Showed Their Skills!
"Sterling! I never expected it to be Sterling!"
Sterling scored Manchester City's first home goal of the new season!
"I'm sorry, this might offend some Sterling fans, but this 21-year-old black striker is indeed not known for his shooting."
"Last season, he made 35 league appearances for Liverpool, scoring only 7 goals."
"Throughout his Premier League career, his best season only saw him score 9 league goals!"
"Before the match, I thought that the player who would score the first home goal in front of 55,000 fans would be last season's Premier League Golden Boot Agüero!"
"This is truly beyond everyone's expectations!"
"I think the key to this unexpected event lies in Tang Long's assist!"
"Tang Long provided Manchester City's first home assist of the new season. Let me watch the SportMediaset again..."
"Wow! This ball, he actually did that, is it Reverse Flip Flap?"
"As we all know, the Flip Flap' is the signature move of Brazil star Ronaldinho, used to dribble past opponents. But Tang Long actually modified it and used it for passing?"
"This is a fantastic idea! I've been commentating on football for over ten years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it!"
Not only commentator Zhan Jun was surprised by this.
The Manchester City home fans in the stands never imagined that Sterling would be the one to score Manchester City's first home goal.
This player's shooting skills are terrible. Remember last season when Manchester City faced Liverpool in two matches, Sterling wasted many chances and became a master of passing, making captain Gerrard very anxious.
Putting aside the distant past, just looking at the last round of matches, Sterling had three one-on-one opportunities, but failed to convert a single one.
This has left Manchester City fans deeply skeptical about the €63 million signing – has the club been ripped off?
After the first round of matches, some Manchester City fans began to console themselves, saying that even if the Sterling transfer went down the drain, the Tang Long transfer was a bargain, so it balanced things out, and they didn't lose out. After all, in football transfers, how can everyone be so accurate in their predictions?
However, when Sterling scored his first home goal, especially under the close marking of West Bromwich Albion center- Dawson, he still managed to calmly slot the ball into the top corner. This superb shooting skill certainly gave us reason to expect that he would be a force to be reckoned with after just a few days.
"It was Don who brought in Sterling, and that's how this shooting idiot evolved!" a fan shouted from the stands.
"Haha, that's right! Only Tang could have passed that ball. Milner wouldn't have passed it; he would have just kicked it hard, and it would most likely have bounced off someone!" a fan immediately chimed in.
Although they had only played two official matches together, Tang Long had basically figured out Sterling's habits.
"Sterling actually has shooting skills, otherwise he wouldn't be playing for Liverpool at such a young age. Moreover, being able to run into a one-on-one situation proves his positioning ability. However, when he's unmarked, he tends to overthink, hesitate, and be too cautious. On the contrary, he's more decisive when he's closely marked. It's really a psychological issue."
In this respect, Sterling is far inferior to Agüero!
The latter maintains a consistent shooting level under all circumstances, and is much more reliable in one-on-one situations; otherwise, how could he have won the Premier League Golden Boot?
"Good shot! Good shot, Tang!"
When the West Bromwich Albion players came to the center circle to kick off, starting left- Kolarov retreated while applauding Tang Long.
Tang Long waved to him as well.
He understood what Kolarov meant.
In the attack in which Sterling scored, Kolarov on the wing was also very active, having already pushed past the halfway line and at one point approaching within 35 meters of the penalty area.
The Serbia were eager to participate in the attack.
However, the ball didn't go in his direction, and Kolarov didn't touch it once until Sterling scored.
Tang Long looked toward the substitutes' bench and saw Clichy warming up on the sidelines.
Of course, this doesn't mean Pellegrini is going to replace Kolarov with Clichy. It's just a routine rotation of substitute players to warm them up and prepare them for the game.
But it's easy to see from Clichy's eager eyes that he has a very firm belief in starting at home.
Kolarov and Clichy are both 30 years old and at the peak of their careers.
Manchester City having these two top-class full-backs is a happy problem for Pellagrini, but a painful struggle for the players.
Tang Long decided to lend Kolarov a hand.
In the subsequent part of the match, Tang Long intentionally moved the ball to the left flank, allowing Kolarov to touch the ball more often.
In the 12th minute, Tang Long passed the ball back to Yaya Toure, Yaya Toure, finding no good passing options, passed it back to center -Ranocchia, attempting to stretch the opponent's formation.
Ranocchia is a ball-carrying center-back. He spotted an opening, cut inside with his foot, dribbled past the pressing center forward, and began his rapid advance!
Although he is 195cm tall, his dribbling posture is extremely graceful and his playing style is elegant, without any of the clumsy footwork of traditional English center-backs.
Ranocchia advanced to the vicinity of the center circle, glanced at Tang Long, and noticed that Tang Long pointed to the left wing. Ranocchia understood immediately and passed the ball to left-back Kolarov.
After receiving the ball, Kolarov noticed that Tang Long suddenly retreated and ran towards him, drawing a defensive midfielder out of the defensive area.
"The opportunity has arrived!"
Kolarov had already planned out the next three steps.
He first passed the ball directly to Tang Long; that was the first step.
Tang Long's first-time, sideways pass returned the ball, completing the second step;
In the final step, 35 meters from the goal, Kolarov drew his bow and arrow, unleashing a powerful shot with the instep of his left foot!
A thunderclap out of nowhere!
The football hurtled towards the goal without any spin. West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Myhill was startled by the powerful shot; although the ball went out of bounds, he himself flew into the goal.
Splash--
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted at the Etihad Stadium. Kolarov smiled, shook his head, and gave Tang Long a thumbs-up – a gesture that appeared for the first time in a close-up shot on the stadium's big screen.
It's normal that the ball didn't go in, but the courage to shoot from 35 meters out is rare, especially since it was a very good shot with great power, successfully hitting the target area. Even though it didn't go in, it served as a warning to others, so the fans in the stadium enjoyed it and applauded continuously.
Clichy, who was doing his routine warm-up and leg stretches on the sidelines, curled his lip and thought, "It's so far, over thirty meters away, how could he possibly get in? This guy is really delusional, humph!"
Even so, Klich felt a pang of jealousy.
My defense and stamina are no weaker than his, but why is my long-range shooting technique just not as good as his? Sigh, we're both 30 years old, and we'll be retiring in a few more years. At Arsenal, I had to compete with Eboue for a starting position, and now at Manchester City, I have to compete with Kolarov. I'm already this old, and I still have to fight for a starting position. Heavens, why is my life so hard!
He thought to himself, "This newcomer, Tang, seems to get along quite well with Kolarov, and Ranocchia, he was clearly deliberately passing the ball to Kolarov just now. That's strange. I know Kolarov; he always has a cold face. How come he's suddenly getting along with these two new signings?"
Meanwhile, in the coaching area on the other side, Pellegrini was also nodding frequently.
Just now, it was a small-scale passing and cutting combination between Ranocchia, Kolarov, and Tang Long.
Whether it was Ranocchia's forward run, Kolarov's overlapping run, Tang Long's return pass, or Kolarov's final shot, the three players were all on the same page, cooperating with each other to complete this group task.
Pellegrini turned to his assistant coach and said, "We can try more attacks after the center-backs have the ball and advance. Now that we have Ranocchia and Kolarov, the entire defensive line has a strong attacking force."
Assistant coach Rayne said, "Adding to that, these three are the only players on our team who have played in Serie A. They know each other well, which is an advantage."
Pellegrini nodded, then looked thoughtfully at Klich, then at Kolarov, lost in thought.
The first home game of the new season was packed with fans, the players were excited, and they scored the first goal.
Manchester City maintained firm control of the situation.
Despite their grievances, West Bromwich Albion could only watch as Manchester City cut them off.
The reason it's described as "cutting apart" is because Manchester City's passing and possession system is becoming increasingly sophisticated, acting like a cutting machine, constantly dissecting West Bromwich Albion's defensive zone.
Although 62-year-old coach Pellagrini may not be considered a top Europe coach, he has many years of experience in the industry and has coached super clubs like Real Madrid, so he is adept at developing players.
After arriving at Manchester City in 2013, former manager Mancini left him with a rich personnel legacy.
Agüero, Silva, Yaya Toure, Nasri, Kolarov... these players possess top-notch footwork skills even by Premier League standards.
Based on the existing player lineup, he established a possession-based tactical system and further optimized Manchester City's possession-based tactics based on his five years of coaching experience at Villarreal in La Liga.
As the players grow older, their mentality matures, and they become more adept at passing the ball around.
When to advance and when to retreat;
When to go fast and when to go slow.
Everything forms muscle memory; the components work together and constantly produce chemical reactions.
Tang Long's Inter Milan under Mancini played a possession-based tactic, and Manchester City's personnel has been relatively stable in recent years. Most of the core players from the Mancini era are still playing as starters. So, although this Manchester City is coached by Pellegrini, it is imprinted with Mancini's influence. Tang Long can easily integrate into the team tactically, given his abilities.
Bang bang bang--
Bang bang bang--
The football was like a three-dimensional pinball, repeatedly pulled back and passed at the feet of Manchester City's midfielders.
With Kompany anchoring the defense, Ranocchia, a center-back skilled in passing and ball control, could confidently push forward.
As a result, Manchester City's 4-2-3-1 formation was temporarily transformed into a 3-6-1!
Ranocchia's advanced central defense, combined with his control of the defensive midfield position, not only freed up Yaya Toure, allowing him to position himself further forward and closer to the goal, but also freed up Tang Long.
Against West Bromwich Albion, Tang Long doesn't need to drop back to the defensive midfield position. With Ranocchia's passing, the ball can be advanced from Manchester City's backfield to the front without encountering much resistance.
Right now, Manchester City is playing a slow, agonizing game, trying to kill the match with as little energy as possible.
In the 38th minute of the match, West Bromwich Albion finally managed to launch an attack.
Their full-back, under pressure from Sterling, launched a long ball forward.
By sheer luck, the long pass flew precisely towards striker Lambert's head!
He quickly closed in on Kompany, who was marking him.
However, this 33-year-old Lambert is no ordinary player. He has spent a long time in the EFL Championship and EFL League One during his professional career and has a knack for physical confrontations.
He first used his hips to slightly push Kompany away by half a body length, then jumped ahead of time, not giving Kompany a chance to contest the header, and barely managed to glide the ball to the other side.
West Bromwich Albion played a traditional English 4-4-2 formation.
The tall Lambert is a target man, while the other striker, Berahino, prefers to drift wide, provide support, and roam.
Seeing Berahino get the ball and rush towards Ranocchia, Kompany yelled "Oh no!"
Berahino is about 180cm tall, with a slender build. His strengths are speed, dribbling skills, and he is known for his one-on-one ability to beat opponents.
Last season, at just 22 years old, Berahino became West Bromwich Albion's youngest ever top scorer with 14 league goals, many of which came from dribbling past defenders one-on-one on counter-attacks!
Kompany watched as the 195cm tall Ranocchia shifted his weight constantly with Berahino's left and right dribbling, and couldn't help but feel a little worried for this Italy center-back partner!
Kompany is also a tall center-back; although not as tall Ranocchia, he is still over 190cm.
He fully enjoyed the huge advantages that tall center-backs bring in aerial duels and physical confrontations. At the same time, he also had to suffer from the common problem of tall center-backs: slow turning speed, making him easy for smaller, more agile players to get past!
"Hold him off, I'll come back to help you!"
Kompany shouted and rushed toward Ranocchia, wanting to help him defend Berahino.
But no sooner had he spoken than Kompany saw Berahino first perform a stepover with his left foot, faking out Ranocchia, and then sprint in the opposite direction with the ball on his right foot!
Seeing that Ranocchia had indeed been fooled in the first move and had lost his balance, Manchester City captain Kompany felt a sinking feeling in his heart and could only silently pray that Joe Hart could make a brilliant save to deny the one-on-one opportunity.
Nothing is more frustrating than being tied by the opponent just minutes before halftime!
However, just as Joe Hart was preparing to launch his attack...
Ranocchia used his signature move— In-situ step-back bow-stance interception!
After Berahino dribbled past Ranocchia, he was overjoyed and prepared to dribble past him and charge into the Manchester City penalty area. He had even planned out his goal celebration!
Unfortunately, just as the ball was about to roll past Ranocchia, somehow a long leg descended from the sky like a giant mountain, blocking the ball's path!
Berahino couldn't react in time, stepped on the ball, rolled over, and fell to the ground!
Ranocchia quickly got up, pulling back his steps while also pushing the intercepted ball forward, and then began to accelerate forward!
Kompany behind him was dumbfounded!
"He... he actually intercepted the ball!?"
Ranocchia's superb defensive skills even astonished Manchester City captain Kompany!
However, what shocked him even more was yet to come.
Generally speaking, in a one-on-one defensive situation, the opposing center-back is not specifically marked by a player.
Therefore, Ranocchia's sprint through the middle caused some hesitation among West Bromwich Albion's players: should you head the ball, or should I?
While hesitating, Ranocchia suddenly performed a Marseille Turn, getting past a midfielder, and then passed the ball to Tang Long, who had been waiting for a long time.
"Haha, they're here!"
The Ranocchia phone's movements were so fluid and graceful, they were dazzling.
Tang Long's subsequent first-time, outside-of-the-foot pass left West Bromwich Albion players completely bewildered—where was the ball?
"Agüero!"
Kolarov received a pass from Tang Long with the outside of his foot and, before the ball even hit the ground, unleashed a powerful horizontal shot with his left foot, sweeping it across the front of the goal!
That's not a cross, that's a shot!
Agüero, lurking in the penalty area, didn't even see the ball clearly before he felt a gust of wind. Then, with a loud slap, he was spun around in place, his head spinning, and he almost fell to the ground. When he came to his senses, he realized that the ball had already fallen into the net.
"Great shot! That's the power you need for a sweeping shot. Keep it up next time! The harder the better!"
Agüero, whose mouth was bleeding from the blow, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, high-fived Kolarov, and then called over Tang Long and Ranocchia, who had joined the attack. The four of them embraced.
"Good job, brothers! Let's get this done!"