The Champions League Debut of His Career-Manchester City Take on Borussia Monchengladbach!
The sun was gradually setting.
The sky over Manchester darkened, and a light rain, typical of the British Isles, began to fall again.
The lights in Tang Long's living room were still off, but the television made the room brightly lit.
He intently fed the one-hour Ronaldo instructional video over and over again.
Until the moon hung high in the treetops, and all around was quiet and deserted.
Tang Long slowly stood up.
"I get it!!!"
Tang Long couldn't help but raise his arms and shout!
He was as happy as he was when he scored in the last game.
This is an old videotape that was burned in the last century and sent by Chivu.
This was like a revelation to Tang Long!
This solved a problem that he hadn't fully grasped throughout his many years of football training!
At that moment, Tang Long felt a golden holy light descend upon his head!
He was grateful for Ronaldo's selfless instruction back then, and even more grateful for Mr. Chivu's help; without him, he would not have been able to obtain this precious videotape.
"Bite!"
"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward— Ronaldo's valuable instructional videotape!"
"Basic feeding completed!"
"Dribbling accuracy has been increased to the current threshold!"
"84--90!"
"Specialized Technique Enhancement for Step Over!"
"Matthews' dribbling skills have been improved!"
"Cruyff- specific dribbling technique enhancement!"
"Specialized Technique Enhancement for the Pendulum Dribble!"
"Acquired an advanced version of the extraordinary skill - [The Death Pendulum with Variable Stride Frequency (Proficiency 50%)]!"
"Please continue feeding the video, host. More exceptional skills detected will be activated!"
Tang Long is full of confidence as he prepares for the upcoming UEFA Champions League match!
Manchester City are in Group B of this season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
The four teams are: Manchester City, Juventus, Sevilla, and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Manchester City will host Borussia Monchengladbach in the first round of the 2015-2016 Europe Champions League group stage on Wednesday evening at 7:45 p. m.
This match held unparalleled significance for Tang Long.
Although he won the UEFA Europa League with Inter Milan last season, reaching the pinnacle of Europe.
But a higher-level UEFA Champions League match has never been played before.
Tang Long, who is about to play his first UEFA Champions League, has also attracted a huge amount of attention in China.
Viewers, welcome to tune in to LeSports at 3:45 AM for the UEFA Champions League Group B Round 1 match between Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach. I'm your commentator, Zhan Jun!
"Hello everyone, I'm Dong Fangzhuo!"
"This match will be Tang Long's first appearance in the UEFA Champions League."
"He also became the fourth China player to appear in the UEFA Champions League, following Dong Fangzhuo, Sun Xiang Hao Junmin!"
Upon hearing this, Dong Fangzhuo proudly replied:
"I hope Tang performs well. The UEFA Champions League and the Europa League are on completely different levels. The pace of the UEFA Champions League is very fast. As someone who has been through it, I have some advice for Tang: as a midfielder, he must think about his next move before receiving the ball. If he is unsure, he can watch how my former teammate Carrick plays."
Live stream room.
[Rise up, Tang Long! You've finally made it to the UEFA Champions League!]
Although he played in the UEFA Europa League for Inter Milan and achieved decent results, the UEFA Champions League is a more suitable stage for Tang Long!
-[Watching the UEFA Champions League is still the most exciting; I love its opening theme!]
-[Winning against Monchengladbach Mönchengladbach shouldn't be a problem for Manchester City; hopefully, they can perform well.]
[Hopefully Tang Long can learn from his senior Dong Fangzhuo and lead the team to the UEFA Champions League title!]
-[Are you serious? Learn from Dong Fangzhuo and win the UEFA Champions League?]
- [That's ridiculous! Dong Fangzhuo's UEFA Champions League title was just a fluke; he barely played a few games all season. Tang Long is Manchester City's absolute key player. How can you compare them?]
-[Dong Fangzhuo was just being sensible. What right does he have to give Tang Long advice? He's only played a few times for Manchester United, does he really think he's something special?]
The players from both teams lined up inside the Etihad Stadium.
At that moment, the UEFA Champions League march began to play in the stadium, and a huge UEFA Champions League circular logo was spread across the center circle of the midfield. Ten official staff members were holding the edge of the logo and shaking it continuously as the music played.
The exciting violin melody is igniting!
"Ang ang ang ang ang ang~"
"We are the champions!"
"We are the champions!"
Tang Long had only ever heard this rousing music on television before.
At this moment, he was there in person, stepping on the soft grass of the Etihad Stadium, with rousing music emanating from the speakers around the stadium, and the blood in every vein of his body was churning!
An unprecedented, intense thirst for honor burned within him like a raging fire!
Is this what the UEFA Champions League is all about?
"This is the most competitive competition on the planet!"
Tang Long glanced sideways at the players of their opponent Borussia Monchengladbach.
These Germany players are generally tall and powerful, with an impact that rivals that of Premier League players. Their eyes gleam with determination, and they look like formidable opponents.
Tang Long glanced at his teammates and found them to be calm.
Agüero, who started the match, even had a relaxed smile on his face, touching the face of the caddie next to him and joking with him.
Tang Long thought to himself that his Manchester City teammates were already quite used to playing in the UEFA Champions League.
Back when I was at Inter Milan, I had to struggle for a whole season just to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
After qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, the level of joy was almost the same as winning the Serie A title. It seems that players on different platforms have different mindsets.
Starting lineup for this match:
Manchester City home team), 4231:
Agüero
Sterling / Silva / Nasri
Tang Long / Toure
Kolarov / Ranocchia /Mangala LS Baleta
Joe Hart
Borussia Monchengladbach, 442:
Rafael / Stindl
Fabian / Xhaka / Dahoud / Herrmann
Wendt / Dominguez / Christensen / Korb
Sommer
Manchester City made several changes to their starting lineup for this match.
First, Apollo and Joe Hart both returned to the team.
Chivu hit the nail on the head: Tang Long was moved from the attacking midfield position to the defensive midfield position, forming a double defensive midfield partnership with Yaya Toure.
Perhaps because Pellegrini believes that Borussia Monchengladbach is the weakest opponent in Group B, and Manchester City has a significant advantage in all aspects due to playing at home, he is using this UEFA Champions League match to try a new tactic.
Borussia Monchengladbach has a large number of Germany players, many of whom are tall.
To compensate for the height disadvantage of the attacking players after Tang Long moved from attacking midfielder to defensive midfielder, Nasri replaced Navas in the starting lineup.
In defense, the 1.87-meter-tall Kolarov replaced the 1.76-meter-tall Clichy.
Kompany and Sagna, two perennial starters, were given a proper rest, while Mangala and Zabaleta started the game.
The players from both sides are in position, waiting for the kickoff.
Toure, positioned in the defensive midfield role, glanced at his midfield partner Tang Long and couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
He thought to himself, "What I feared most has come to pass!"
It seems the coaching staff's casual conversation during training a few days ago wasn't just idle talk; Pellegrini really has moved Tang Long to the defensive midfield position!
Currently, the team also has Delph, Fernando, and Fernandinho who can play as defensive midfielders.
With five people competing for two spots, the pressure is immense.
If it were Toure, five years younger, joining Manchester City with the glory of winning the treble with Barca, he wouldn't be afraid to compete with any player at that time, and would find it exciting and challenging.
However, Toure is now 32 years old and in the final year of his contract. He is still negotiating with the club for a new contract extension.
The practice of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose is commonplace in world football, especially among elite clubs.
Once they believe a player no longer possesses the corresponding competitive value, they will not hesitate to sell them off.
Toure, who had been playing football for many years, was well aware of this, and he even began to resent Tang Long.
Forward, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder—how can you play every position?
When Tang Long competed with Milner for the attacking midfield position and ousted Milner, Toure remained silent.
When Manchester City needed a goal, Pellegrini didn't trust Bony and instead promoted Tang Long to the forward line. Although Toure secretly helped Bony, in his mind, this was just competition among forwards and wouldn't affect his position.
Now, Tang Long is standing right next to him, already in the defensive midfield position, Toure is really getting anxious!
Two defensive midfielders, Fernando and Fernandinho, are also regular rotation starters for Manchester City.
In terms of pure skill, these people are not necessarily much worse than Toure, and are even stronger defensively.
Now, with the addition of the all-around Tang Long, Toure couldn't help but grit his teeth. He had to perform well in this match, otherwise, next year, while his younger brother Bony was still in the team, he would be the one packing his bags and leaving!
The referee blew his whistle, and the match began!
Manchester City kicked off first.
Agüero gently flicked the ball to Sterling, Sterling then passed it back to Silva.
The Etihad Stadium erupted in a deafening roar— the UEFA Champions League is here, let's get this party started!
Seeing the tall Germany player rushing towards him, Silva immediately passed the ball back to Toure.
"Pull them back a bit!" Silva said.
Manchester City's possession-based system is not afraid of opponents pressing them.
Playing at home, when they see their opponents rushing out, they will keep passing the ball back to lure them deeper into their territory.
Once the opponent's formation becomes too stretched out and disjointed, quickly advance and catch them off guard.
Toure's positioning was a bit too far forward; as soon as he received the ball, the opposing tough Xhaka had already blocked him at his feet.
"Pull it back a little more!"
Tang Long quickly stepped back a few paces, Toure had passed the ball to him.
Tang Long had already planned out the next move for the ball in his mind.
Whenever Toure passes the ball to him, he will slowly stop it, wait for Xhaka to continue his advance, and then pass the ball to the technically gifted Ranocchia at the last moment.
In this way, after drawing the opponent's firepower to the front of the penalty area, you can then create space to receive Ranocchia's pass, and then turn around and launch an attack on the spot!
The approach was correct, but a problem arose at the Toure stage.
For some reason, Toure didn't pass the ball to Tang Long, but instead flicked it past Xhaka.
Toure used a "La Croqueta" move, making two quick "smacks" to dodge Xhaka's press.
Although the fans at the Etihad Stadium erupted in applause, cheering for Toure's superb footwork;
However, both Tang Long, who was dropping back to receive the pass, and Ranocchia, who was on the backcourt, were puzzled.
"That's too dangerous. Toure plays as a defensive midfielder; a tackle could be fatal. With Toure's experience, he wouldn't be so reckless."
As expected, although Toure's dribble past Xhaka, before he could advance with the ball, Monchengladbach Fabian and striker Rafael quickly rushed up and besieged Toure.
If it were Toure, who was 5 years younger, he might have been able to use his speed and physical advantage to get past the two attackers.
However, Toure is now 32 years old. He is still tall and has a standard build, but his muscle strength and ankle agility have declined to varying degrees.
Before he could even make his next spike, the ball was intercepted during the close contest with Rafael!
"Danger!"
Tang Long immediately rushed out to the position where Toure lost the ball, acting as the first line of defense.
Meanwhile, Nasri and Sterling in the attacking third were forced to drop back and provide defensive support.
This is the impact of a defensive midfielder losing possession!
This position is extremely important; a change in one part would have far-reaching consequences.
The defensive midfield position is the most difficult to play in, as every movement will affect the movement of players in different positions in front, behind, left, and right.
Tang Long quickly took position and blocked Rafael's advance with the ball;
However, another striker Stindl, had already reached the edge of the penalty area.
Rafael decisively passed the ball around Tang Long, handing possession to his striker partner.
The rest of the Monchengladbach players pressed forward, attempting to launch a decisive attack and take control of the game!
"Where do you think you're going!"
Ranocchia truly lives up to his reputation as the anchor of Manchester City's defense.
In matches where the captain is absent, this Italy center-back is the absolute commander of the defense.
Taking advantage of Stindl's momentary loss of footing upon receiving the ball, he decisively pressed him closely, using a subtle trick that the referee couldn't see—he nudged Stindl in the buttocks.
Stindl is only 1.81 meters tall, which is below average in the tall squad of Monchengladbach;
With Ranocchia's 1.95-meter frame, he stumbled and stopped the ball from flying.
The football rolled towards Tang Long.
"Force him there, don't let him turn around!"
With all of Monchengladbach's players pushing forward, they had seven players clustered in Manchester City's attacking third.
The three opponents closest to Tang Long quickly closed in, preventing Tang Long from turning around.
Everyone knew of Tang Long's threat.
Even if they fail to intercept the ball in this defensive play, as long as they prevent Tang Long from turning around, force him to pass back, and prevent him from passing forward, Monchengladbach can consider it a successful defensive play.
Seeing this, Dong Fangzhuo in the studio, speaking from experience, said:
"Xiao Tang is being tightly marked. We can't afford to lose this ball. Ideally, he should shield it with his body and risk a foul. I wonder if he can do that?"
But does Tang Long no longer pose a threat if he doesn't turn around?
For most midfielders, only by turning to face the opponent's goal can they clearly see the movement of all the players on the field;
But this is clearly not the case for Tang Long!
Even with his back to the ground, he had a clear view of his teammates' movements.
Just as three defenders closed him down to within three meters, about to surround him;
Tang Long suddenly accelerated, turned halfway, and without even looking at the position in the attacking third, he chipped the ball towards the bottom of the box!
He slammed the ball hard against the bottom of his foot with the inside of his foot, sending it flying in a sharp arc towards the front!
"Haha, you really saw it!"
Agüero, who had already rushed to the offside line, watched the ball fly rapidly into the open space. His running route perfectly matched Tang Long's passing strategy.
Monchengladbach paid the price for their initial high press!
What started as a probing sprint by the Argentina striker has unexpectedly earned him a one-on-one opportunity.
Next, Agüero gave Sterling on the field, as well as Bony and Iheanacho on the bench, a live demonstration of how a striker should take a one-on-one opportunity.
Both attempts involved chipping the ball, but when Agüero was about two meters from the goalkeeper, he slowed down his pace.
He flicked his foot to the left, feigning a shot;
After deceiving goalkeeper Sommer into falling, he gently flicked the ball under his toes.
The football had only flown a little over a meter high when it landed on Sommer's head, having already lost his balance and fallen to the ground, and rolled lightly toward the goal.
It even bounced lightly on the goal line before the goal was scored.
"Gooooooooooal!"
"Agüero has scored!"
"A perfect chip shot, deceiving Monchengladbach goalkeeper Sommer and finding the net!"
"Manchester City took the lead after just 19 seconds, it's unbelievable!"
"It was Tang Long who passed the ball!"
"Even more incredible is that he got an assist with his very first touch of the ball!"
"This start is absolutely wonderful!"