Manchester Derby Kicks Off! Tang Long: When You Play Manchester United, You Have to Beat Them to a Pulp!

Midweek, Manchester City played an UEFA Champions League group stage match at home against Borussia Monchengladbach.

Manchester City won the match easily, defeating their opponents 3-0 and maintaining their top position in Group B.

In preparation for the weekend's league match against Manchester United, Pellegrini made some rotations.

Bony, who performed well in the last league match, continues to start.

Bony, emboldened by his performance, broke the deadlock in the first half and was subsequently substituted by Agüero.

Agüero was bursting with energy, and his performance after coming on was equally impressive, scoring twice.

Tang Long played the full 60 minutes and provided one assist.

In short, the match was won without much drama, and the general consensus among the media is that Manchester City's qualification for the knockout stage in Group B is virtually guaranteed. The key lies in whether they can secure first place in the group against Juventus, thus increasing their chances of a favorable draw in the round of 16.

The UEFA Champions League group stage match against Monchengladbach was just an appetizer for Manchester City fans this week.

After this match, not only Manchester City fans, but the entire British Isles and even the whole of Europe football focused their attention on the industrial city of Manchester.

The first Manchester Derby of the season will kick off on Sunday evening.

Manchester City will travel to Old Trafford to face their city rivals Manchester United.

The day before the match, at Manchester United's press conference, manager Van Gaal brought the team's top scorer Icardi along.

The shrewd and calculating Van Gaal skillfully dodged the various pointed questions from the media, changing the subject with his words.

The young Icardi was unreserved and outspoken!

"The Premier League title will definitely belong to Manchester United. I remember hearing a saying before I came to the Premier League: 'Manchester is always red,'" Icardi said in his broken English with a Spanish accent. "That means the dominant color of Manchester will always be red!"

"The reason I came to Manchester United from Inter Milan was to showcase myself on a bigger and bigger stage."

"The European Golden Shoe, this season's European Golden Shoe is my goal, and the Premier League title will also belong to Manchester United. These are my two goals this season."

"Manchester City's Agüero and Dom? Haha, they are indeed very strong, but they are still a bit inferior to my combination with De Bruyne."

Icardi crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair in a tactical pose.

"You ask me why I say this? Why don't you compare them yourself? De Bruyne is the best midfielder in the Premier League, he's better than Dom; I'm confident I'm the best striker in the Premier League, I'm better than Agüero. So, isn't it obvious which combination is stronger?"

"You mean that Bony from Manchester City? Haha, sorry, who's Bony? I don't know him."

When asked if he still keeps in touch with his former teammate Tang Long.

Icardi gave a cold laugh.

"We were good friends when we were at Inter Milan, but that's all in the past. Now he plays for Manchester City, and I play for Manchester United. We're fierce rivals on the pitch, and we don't keep in touch at all outside of it. That's it."

"Would I not have won the Serie A Golden Boot without Tang?"

When Icardi suddenly heard this question, he became furious!

"That's something I earned through my own abilities, what does it have to do with Tang! Don't try to smear me, or I'll sue you!"

Manchester City's press conference will be held an hour later.

Seeing Icardi's arrogant demeanor in front of reporters, Tang Long decided to stop hiding his true intentions and directly confront him, launching into a verbal exchange.

His opening remarks were earth-shattering and astonishing!

"When playing against Manchester United, we have to beat them to a pulp!"

Upon hearing this, not only did all the reporters in the room look up at him in surprise, but even Pellegrini, who was sitting next to Tang Long and drinking water, choked.

Fight them to the death, how exactly are you going to fight?

Tang Long said that in Italy, when you score three or four goals, you slow down and stop.

But it's different in the Premier League!

Firstly, in the Premier League, you might win the title because of a superior goal difference;

Secondly, your opponent is Manchester United. If you have the chance, score as many goals as possible. Stopping at this point would be disrespectful.

"Therefore, you should strive to score more goals and show respect for your opponents, which shows that you take them seriously."

The reporter followed up with, "So that means if you take a 3-0 or 4-0 lead, you'll still launch a fierce attack on your opponent?"

Tang Long nodded. "We won't stop attacking until the match is over. We want to see if Manchester is red or blue."

When asked which Manchester United player would pose the biggest threat to Manchester City, everyone assumed Tang Long would say his former teammate, Icardi.

Unexpectedly, he blurted out midfielder De Bruyne.

"De Bruyne is a passer with superb footwork, and I admire him very much. I played against him in the UEFA Europa League when I was with Inter Milan, against his then-team Wolfsburg, and he left a deep impression on me. Of course, I believe he will always remember me after that match," Tang Long joked.

The reporter was not satisfied and kept pressing Icardi for answers.

Tang Long, annoyed by the questions, replied, "There are two people in this world who understand Icardi best, and they're both at Manchester City right now. Just watch tomorrow's game, and you'll know how we'll deal with him."

Old Trafford Stadium, 7:30 PM!

Inside the players' tunnel.

The players from both teams entered.

Old Trafford stadium was packed tonight, with all 76,000 seats filled to capacity.

A continuous roar of cheers erupted from the stands, slamming into the surrounding area before converging into the players' tunnel.

A tense atmosphere filled the air.

Tang Long, who was visiting this place for the first time, was in a good mood. As he walked down the stairs, a ball boy wearing a Manchester United jersey reached out his hand to Tang Long.

Thinking he wanted to shake hands, Tang Long smiled and reached out to give him a high five;

At the last moment, the caddie withdrew his hand, pressed his fingers to his nose, and made a pig-nose face at Tang Long.

"You're already lying at such a young age? You can't do that." Ranocchia, now a father, wanted to teach his son a lesson.

Tang Long waved his hand.

"Andrea, how many players did Manchester United send?"

"Judging from the noise outside, it's at least 70,000."

"After tonight, make them all cry!"

Two people stood in a line.

Tang Long turned his head and saw Icardi, only to find that Icardi was also glaring at him.

Their eyes met, and a tense atmosphere erupted.

"Captain, it's been a long time."

Icardi deliberately bypassed Tang Long and greeted Ranocchia in the back row.

Ranocchia nodded with a cold laugh. "Long time no see, Mauro."

Former teammates can become opponents; this happens all the time on the football field.

So far this season, Tang Long and Ranocchia have faced several teammates, including Guarin, Podolski, Shaqiri, and Handanovic, and the atmosphere has been relatively harmonious. They even chatted and laughed after the games and have kept in touch privately.

However, no former Inter Milan player has ever been in contact with Icardi.

Because they are still on Icardi's contact blacklist!

The encounter between Icardi and Tang Long was quite meaningful.

These two were once close friends at Inter Milan, able to talk openly about football and life in the locker room showers.

Newcomer Tang Long established himself in Inter Milan's first team by providing assists to Icardi, and has grown into a rising star in midfield;

With Tang Long's help, Icardi won the Serie A Golden Boot with 40 league goals, a record that may remain the highest single-season goal record in Serie A for a long time to come.

The "Sugar-coated Cannonball" duo once drove countless China fans crazy, who called them a match made in heaven;

Now, the two who were separated meet again, but they are now fighting for different masters and have become mortal enemies in the same city!

No wonder Zhan Jun made this remark after introducing the starting lineup:

"The once- Sugar-coated Cannonball duo, known for their 'sweetheart and cunning' partnership, wrote countless legends on the Apennine Peninsula. Their seamless teamwork drove countless China fans wild and captivated them. Now, the wheels of fate have quietly turned, and former best friends have become bitter rivals, meeting again on the battlefield of the fiercely contested Manchester Derby. Time has passed, things have changed, leaving one with a deep sense of melancholy. But perhaps this is the charm of football—full of unknowns and uncertainties!"

Countless China fans tuned in to the live broadcast, watching this pivotal match in Europe football.

Its popularity even surpassed that of the Spain Derby d'Italia.

Starting lineups: Manchester United (4-2-3-1)

Icardi

Rooney / De Bruyne / Mata

Schneiderlin / Schweinsteiger

Rojo / Smalling / Jones / Valencia

De Gea

Away team Manchester City: 4231

Agüero

Sterling / Tang Long / Navas

Yaya Toure / Fernando

Kolarov / Ranocchia / Kompany / Sagna

Caballero

The moment the referee blew the whistle, Rooney, the Manchester United captain, charged into Manchester City's attacking third like a wild bull.

From Scholes, Giggs, and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past, to De Bruyne, Mata, and Icardi now;

Rooney, now 30, has had many teammates come and go, but he continues to play for Manchester United and remains a key player.

The teammates around me have changed, but the only thing that remains unchanged is my heart's desire for victory.

Manchester United launched an exceptionally fierce attack from the start.

As a member of the top group in the Premier League title race this season, Manchester United must defeat their rivals in this derby to overtake Manchester City and climb the standings, maintaining their lead over Chelsea.

Manchester United scored just 8 minutes into the game.

Rooney dribbled into the attacking third but was dispossessed by Fernando. Fernando then passed the ball to Yaya Toure, who dribbled forward.

"Rooney lost possession, no need to guess, everyone knows what he'll do next!"

"As expected, he didn't stand there complaining, but instead chased back and defended!"

"Toure lost possession! Oh dear, he was careless, he didn't even notice Rooney chasing from behind!"

"The 30-year-old Manchester United captain is still full of energy; he's like a perpetual motion machine, his energy covering the entire pitch."

"I still want to say it: having Lu Xiaopang in the family brings happiness and good health!"

Toure was dispossessed while making a run forward in midfield, creating an opening in Manchester City's backline.

Valencia decisively moved inside from his full-back position, received Rooney's pass, and flicked it with his heel— De Bruyne had made a forward run, reacted very quickly, took the ball, swung his leg, faced the goal, and unleashed a powerful shot from 30 meters out!

Although he has performed steadily in recent matches and replaced Joe Hart as the starting goalkeeper, Caballero, who is only slightly over 1.8 meters tall, has a wingspan disadvantage that was clearly exposed in De Bruyne's stunning long-range shot.

"De Bruyne, and scores with a long-range shot!"

"The ball is at least 30 meters away."

"This is the first shot of the game, and it broke the deadlock!"

"Haha, Sir Alex Ferguson in the stands jumped up and waved his hands excitedly!"

De Bruyne excitedly rushed towards the stand of die-hard fans and performed a knee slide.

He wants to prove to everyone that I am not Manchester City's so-called backup plan, but the best attacking midfielder in the entire Premier League!

Icardi was also incredibly excited. Although he wasn't involved in the attack, his team had broken through Manchester City's goal early in the game, giving them a 1-0 lead, which made him extremely proud.

As he charged toward De Bruyne, he deliberately circled around to get in front of Tang Long, even bumping him with his shoulder.

This detail was highlighted by the director in the subsequent replay, and, with a "the more the merrier" mentality, it was shown on camera.

China fans watching the live stream went wild!

[That damn Icardi, he's so despicable!]

[If you're going to celebrate, then celebrate! Why did you deliberately run someone over?]

-[I really don't understand Icardi. Does he have such a deep grudge against Tang Long? Is it really necessary?!]

As for this kid, anyone who stands in his way of getting first place is his enemy.

-[Last time Manchester United played Tottenham Hotspur Guarin punched him, and that son of a bitch still hasn't learned his lesson. Tang Long will beat him up!]

[Don't let Tang Long beat him up, let Ranocchia go instead. He's big, he can just kill him!]

In my opinion, the biggest humiliation for Icardi would be for Manchester City to stage a comeback, thrash Manchester United, and then shut out him!

Conceding a goal isn't scary; what's scary is being intimidated by Manchester United's momentum. This season, many Premier League teams visiting this stadium have been terrified by the terrifying boos from Manchester United fans after conceding an early goal in the first half.

But for Manchester City players, this is not an issue at all.

Playing a derby, why be afraid of boos?

The louder you hiss, the harder I pee, and I'll pee right in your face, believe it or not?

Just five minutes later, Tang Long responded.

In the attacking midfield position, he still used his signature enticing dribbling style.

However, this time Tang Long went even further.

The football seemed to be rolling and tumbling under his feet within a pre-programmed model, until it attracted the attention of three players: Mata, Schweinsteiger, De Bruyne. Finally, at the last moment, he aimed at that golden line and delivered a through ball as precise as a scalpel, piercing through the defense of Jones and Smalling.

Agüero charged diagonally forward, not even glancing at the goalkeeper, and delivered a powerful strike with the instep!

The ball flew right past De Gea's hand and into the net with a loud "whoosh"!

"Well said!"

"Well done!"

The two gave each other a heavy high five, and Tang Long's hand went numb from Agüero!

After attracting Mata and Schweinsteiger, Tang Long now has the opportunity to play a through ball to Agüero;

But he deliberately drew in a third person, De Bruyne, before passing the ball!

Because he wanted to show Manchester United his confidence and composure, and crush them with his confidence!

Agüero rarely uses the instep of his foot to shoot when one-on-one; he can simply push the ball forward.

But he insisted on using a powerful shot, which slammed through the goal guarded by De Gea!

Because he wanted to show Manchester United his dominance and decisiveness, and overwhelm them with his presence!

Just as Tang Long said, when playing against Manchester United, you have to fight them to the death!