Tang Long Brings Back His Signature Defensive Dribble, Slapping Dong Fangzhuo in the Face Twice!

[Holy crap, they scored after just 19 seconds! Is this some kind of thrill?]

- [What the heck? I just turned on the TV, who scored?]

-[Tang Long assists Agüero, Agüero scores with a chip shot!]

[Tang Long's first touch in his professional UEFA Champions League debut resulted in an assist—that's incredible!]

[Just like his Premier League debut, he provided an assist with his very first touch!]

I love watching Premier League and Bundesliga teams play; they're always so exciting and wide-open!

-[I finally understand, of all Manchester City's strikers, only Agüero and Tang Long are the best match!]

- [Aguero is Manchester City's Icardi, everyone else like Bony, Iheana, and José Sterling are just awful!]

When Tang Long's first touch of the ball led to Agüero's goal, Dong Fangzhuo in the studio fell silent.

Zhan Jun praised Tang Long passionately from the side, while Dong Fangzhuo was speechless.

Just moments before, when Tang Long was surrounded by three Borussia Monchengladbach midfielders, Dong Fangzhuo naively thought that Tang Long was likely to concede the goal.

All he can do is either pass the ball back or barely manage to protect it.

As for his half-turn move, without even looking at the front of the field, he delivered a long pass, accurately assisting Agüero. This kind of performance was something Dong Fangzhuo never expected.

However, this is not Dong Fangzhuo's fault.

His most glorious experience was playing alongside Manchester United midfielders like Giggs and Carrick in several matches.

These Premier League midfielders, in terms of their honors and major tournament experience, are indeed far more accomplished than Tang Long.

However, they still can't match Tang Long in anticipating their teammates' movements and choosing their next move when under high pressure.

"My commentator Dong Fangzhuo, used to play for Manchester United in the Premier League and even started in an UEFA Champions League match against Roma. Coach Dong, what are your thoughts on Tang Long's assist?"

When questioned by Zhan Jun, Dong Fangzhuo stammered and hesitated.

His words and expressions no longer carried the air of instruction from a senior, as he repeatedly addressed him as "Little Tang, Little Tang" at the beginning.

"Little Tang... um, Tang Long did a great job on that shot."

Dong Fangzhuo immediately changed his tune, feeling that he was no longer qualified to call Tang Long "Little Tang".

"Tang Long's no-look pass demonstrated his extraordinary strategic vision and accurate anticipation of the striker's movement. It was truly astonishing; I never expected him to do that."

As he said this, Dong Fangzhuo's forehead was covered in sweat.

He put himself in Tang Long's position and thought that if he were in Tang Long's position, he would most likely concede the goal.

He joined Manchester United when he was in his early twenties and was once considered the hope of China football.

Dong Fangzhuo himself was also feeling quite smug.

Although he only played a few games for Manchester United, this experience with the Red Devils became a source of pride for him throughout his life, and he still talks about it with relish to this day, using it to gain attention.

However, this was his first time commentating on Tang Long's match, and when he saw Tang Long's first touch of the ball, a deep sense of powerlessness overwhelmed Dong Fangzhuo.

"Sigh, the gap between people is just too vast..."

Manchester City players embraced each other, celebrating this incredible goal.

Although the goal was highlighted by Agüero, Etihad Stadium was chanting the name of the number 10 player, Agüero knew that 80% of the credit for the goal belonged to Tang Long.

That pass was absolutely perfect! For a player of Agüero's caliber, this one-on-one opportunity was practically a gift; he couldn't possibly miss it!

This goal also set a new record for Manchester City's fastest goal in UEFA Champions League history.

Everyone was happy, except for Yaya Toure, who wasn't so happy.

Although he ran with his teammates to celebrate the goal with Tang Long and Agüero, if the camera had given Yaya Toure a close-up at that moment, it would have revealed that his smile wasn't genuine; it looked more like a forced one.

His hands were sweating, but his heart was ice-cold.

Yaya Toure's feelings were very complicated at this moment.

On the one hand, he was quite grateful for Tang Long's goal;

Just before Tang Long received the ball, Yaya Toure made a foolish mistake in his defensive midfield position.

Faced with the relentless Borussia Monchengladbach, Yaya Toure —the most experienced, seasoned, and senior player in the entire Manchester City squad—lost his composure and made a basic mistake by attempting to force his way past the pressing opponent.

Fortunately, the combined efforts of Ranocchia and Tang Long made up for Toure's mistake!

If it weren't for the two of them, Toure's mistake could very well have led to a goal conceded, and then the blame would have been directed at him alone.

In this sense, Tang Long's assist overshadowed Toure's mistake on the field, and the focus of the entire stadium shifted from Toure's dribbling error to Tang Long's assist.

But it was precisely this shift in focus that made Yaya Toure uneasy.

He thought to himself, "Under multiple defenders, with his back to them and not looking at his opponent, he successfully connects with the striker with a side-footed pass. I played for Manchester City for five years, and I've only managed that less than five times. This kid did it on his very first day playing as a defensive midfielder, and on his very first touch, he did it. It's really embarrassing for me. It seems that this kid, Tang, is good at playing as an attacking midfielder and striker, and he also has great potential as a defensive midfielder. He's truly a powerful player!"

Then I remembered that Tang Long had just turned 19, while I was already over 32 in 1983.

A sense of midlife crisis, where the younger generation surpasses the older, leaving the older generation stranded on the beach, has once again deeply struck.

But Toure is Toure; what hasn't he seen back in his Barca days?

He's played alongside top players like Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Lionel Messi, and Villa.

In terms of personnel, these players are a level above Manchester City's current squad.

Toure also partnered with captain Puyol at Barca, playing as a starting center-back.

He quickly adjusted his mindset, temporarily forgetting the positional pressure Tang Long had put on him, and threw himself into the game.

In the 15th minute of the first half, Toure, facing Xhaka's strong run, stretched out his long leg and twisted his hip to knock Xhaka cleanly, winning a steal.

This steal demonstrated Toure's formidable physical attributes in one-on-one defense, as well as his accurate anticipation of the offensive player's movements.

Tang Long couldn't help but applaud him, giving him a thumbs up. "Beautiful steal!"

Then Toure played a one-two with Ranocchia, who came to receive the ball, and passed it to his partner Tang Long.

The three players formed a triangle, instantly neutralizing Borussia Monchengladbach's pressing attack.

In the first ten minutes or so, Monchengladbach Mönchengladbach took the initiative and launched an attack at Manchester City's home ground, a tactic that their manager had laid out before the match.

After all, considering the relative strengths of the two sides, Monchengladbach is playing against a stronger opponent, and if they simply follow the established pattern and fight Manchester City, they have no chance of winning.

We have no choice but to take a risk and launch a surprise attack!

Unfortunately, Manchester City not only withstood their pressing but also took the lead, which caused Monchengladbach's initial momentum to falter.

This is precisely the difference between Toure and other master players of his generation, and fringe players like Bony and Milner.

An occasional mistake won't affect the mentality of a player of his caliber.

Occasional minor ripples are easily forgotten with a turn of the page.

As long as they remain calm and composed in the subsequent matches, and bring out their full potential and strengths, they can make up for their mistakes.

As a veteran player, Toure maintained a strong sense of responsibility, prioritizing the overall situation and actively engaging in the game.

It's even less likely that he would draw a character like Milner, who is of poor character, deliberately tripping up Tang Long because Tang Long stole his thunder.

Xhaka, the Switzerland midfielder Monchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach, is full of fighting spirit and never gives up!

Xhaka, who was defeated in a physical confrontation with Yaya Toure, did not lose heart and decided to turn his firepower towards another defensive midfielder, Tang Long.

In his view, Yaya Toure, who is 1.9 meters tall and weighs over 90 kilograms, is a tough and powerful defensive midfielder who is difficult to overcome on the field.

However, Tang Long, who is 1.82 meters tall and thinner than Toure, is a breakthrough point.

Tang Long's unusual performance when surrounded by multiple players at the start of the game startled the Monchengladbach, so they didn't dare to surround him together, fearing that they would lose their position in the back.

Therefore, they sent Xhaka to harass Tang Long separately.

In this match, Tang Long played as a defensive midfielder. Pellegrini's instructions to him were simply to control possession in the backfield, while Yaya Toure was to push forward appropriately, using his speed and impact to quickly draw away the opposing defenders and create space for Tang Long's passes.

Meanwhile, the two full-backs Kolarov and Zabaleta, were also actively moving back and forth on the flanks.

This is a fighting style that Tang Long really likes!

When he played as a defensive midfielder for Inter Milan, Mancini made the same demands of his Inter Milan teammates.

Only when his teammates are running and moving, disrupting the situation on the field, can Tang Long fully utilize his superb understanding of spatial cutting and deliver a deadly pass.

But Xhaka clearly didn't want to see this happen, so he stuck to Tang Long like glue, maintaining a tight defense.

Wherever Tang Long ran, Xhaka followed.

Several times, because Xhaka was pressed so tightly against him, he kept interfering with his back by using his arms;

Tang Long was forced to pass the ball back to Ranocchia, Ranocchia then distributed it to the two full-backs before organizing the attack.

Xhaka was quite pleased with himself, believing he had accomplished his tactical objectives.

Xhaka, also a former midfielder, knows that in the defensive midfield position, most players will choose to pass when facing pressure.

Dribbling past someone?

They wouldn't dare.

Toure's mistake just now serves as a warning!

Because if you make a mistake while dribbling past someone in the defensive midfield position, you'll be dispossessed and easily put on a one-on-one situation.

So even though they conceded a goal early in the game, Monchengladbach Mönchengladbach's task for Xhaka was to mark Tang Long closely, preventing him from passing forward. As long as he passed the ball back, they achieved their goal.

Seeing that Tang Long was forced to repeatedly pass the ball back under Xhaka's pressure,

Seeing this, Dong Fangzhuo in the studio smiled slightly.

He's got energy again!

"Coach Dong, in this phase of the first half, I noticed that Tang Long was being contained by the opponent's midfielder Xhaka. He's sticking to Tang Long like glue, and Tang Long doesn't have a chance to turn and move forward." Zhan Jun said anxiously.

"Hehe, this is a very obvious problem, isn't it? Little Tang is being watched closely." Dong Fangzhuo changed his tone and started referring to Tang Long as Little Tang again.

Dong Fangzhuo began reminiscing about his glorious past.

"Back when I was playing for Manchester United, let alone Tang Long, even top midfielders like Carrick and Scholes were afraid of this kind of pressing."

"There's nothing wrong with choosing to pass back. As long as you keep the ball at your feet and prevent the opponent from taking it, that's a successful passing game."

"However, compared to Carrick and Scholes, our other midfielder at the time Giggs, was much more flexible in his options. Sometimes when the opponent pressed him, he would suddenly turn around, make an unexpected dribble past the opponent, and then advance with the ball."

The game became quite close at this point.

To liven up the atmosphere, Dong Fangzhuo shared some interesting anecdotes about watching Giggs play when he was playing for Manchester United.

"There was a match, I can't remember which round it was, but I remember the opponent was Stoke City. Their players were all very tall, after all, Stoke City is known as the City of the Sky, and they play traditional English football."

"Giggs was cornered by the opponent's tall midfielder. Oh my, that pressing was really fierce. They were pushing with their hands and kicking with their legs. They were about to pick Giggs up and throw him down."

"It just so happened that the referee was very lenient in that game, and Giggs was fouled several times without any calls. This emboldened the opponent, and at one point, the referee kept pressing him, so Giggs kept retreating, almost back to his own penalty area."

"Just when we all thought Giggs would pass the ball back to the goalkeeper, he unexpectedly flicked the ball forward, pretending to pass it back, but then with a final flick, it slipped away from the outside!"

"At that moment, I didn't even see it clearly from the bench. It wasn't until the replay that I realized he had used a Cruyff Turn!"

Dong Fangzhuo's tone became more assertive, as if he himself were the one making the gesture, not Giggs.

"My goodness! To use Cruyff Turn get past an opponent's defender inside your own penalty area is an incredibly difficult move. Back then, in the entire Premier League, only those old Manchester United players could pull off such a move!"

Zhan Jun smiled and continued, "Manchester United back then was truly a constellation of stars, a memory for our generation. In terms of ability, today's Premier League players really can't compare to those Manchester United superstars."

"Haha, that's right, that's what I mean," Dong Fangzhuo said with considerable pride. "After all, I've been in the Premier League for seven or eight years longer than Xiao Tang, so I might see some things more clearly than him. Actually, playing football..."

Before Dong Fangzhuo could finish speaking, Tang Long, who had been forced to the edge of his own penalty area by Xhaka, did not choose to pass back. Instead, he turned around, spun around Xhaka with a sharp kick, and quickly advanced forward with the ball!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh--"

A thunderous applause erupted at the Etihad Stadium, everyone marveling at Tang Long's incredible dribble!

In the studio, Zhan Jun and Dong Fangzhuo were both stunned.

After a brief silence of a few seconds, Zhan Jun quickly realized:

"Coach Dong, Tang Long's back-to-the -Xhaka dribble past Xhaka just now, doesn't that look like the Cruyff dribble you mentioned?"