I Should Apologize to Him? Is There Any Law, Fairness, or Justice Left?!

"Good shot, Nasri, good shot!"

"Keep being bewildered on the next ball, well done!"

We all love you, Nasri!

"Nasri, you're thinking about the girl you picked up at the nightclub last night, aren't you!"

Thanks to advanced and bold design experience, the stands in Premier League stadiums are very, very close to the pitch.

The Chelsea fans in the first row on the sidelines of Stamford Bridge, only about ten meters away from Nasri, booed him with glee. Nasri heard them clearly; their cheers echoed right in his ears.

"How was I supposed to know he would send it to me!"

Nasri looked at Toure wronged expression.

Toure covered his face with his hands, looking utterly disappointed.

"Such a wide-open space, Tang made such a comfortable pass, you got the ball and were one-on-one with him, you wasted such a good opportunity, and you still have the nerve to argue, really!"

Remembering how he had taken Nass to coach Pellegrini's office to complain about Tang Long, Toure blushed instantly.

That brat Nasri is hopeless!

No wonder neither Mancini nor Pellegrini liked to use you.

Look for the reasons within yourself.

Nasri was also extremely frustrated.

As Toure, the elder brother of the French-speaking Faction, said, if you take two steps ahead, you're guaranteed to catch the ball;

With Chelsea's defenders pinned to the center and right flank, all I had to do was dribble in and cut inside for a one-on-one opportunity!

Nasri was furious when Tang Long stole his first golden opportunity to score.

Nasri was even more furious when his second chance to score went wide because he didn't run!

That's a long time coming before I score my first goal of the season.

It would be too embarrassing if he didn't score a single goal by the end of the season.

What angered Nasri even more was that the person who passed the ball just now was none other than Tang Long!

That beast who stole his golden opportunity in the penalty area!

In retaliation against Tang Long, Nasri refused to pass the ball to Tang Long for the next ten minutes.

But in the end, Tang sent a message to himself...

If given another chance, Nasri would gladly accept this gift from his enemy, even if it meant giving up, because he desperately wanted to score.

Tang is such a strange guy, what is he thinking?

Was it really not intentional when he bumped into me? Was it just a coincidence?

He looked up and found Tang Long grinning at him.

Nasri quickly looked away and walked away awkwardly.

Actually, Tang Long bumped into him on purpose, and he passed the ball to him on purpose as well.

"Retreat, retreat, regroup!"

Seeing that Chelsea had withstood the first wave of pressure and were launching their own attack, Pellegrini quickly ordered his players to drop back and close the distance between the three lines.

A goal in the first minute was an absolute delight for the Chile!

Before the match, he never imagined that his opening three moves would be so successful, and that his first move would be so effective.

However, Pellegrini, who is over sixty years old, is a traditional-minded father in his family;

On the field, he was also an old coach with conservative tactics.

He was very wary of Mourinho's team's intimidation at home – especially when his own team was incomplete and unable to execute the possession-based tactics he wanted.

So once the first twenty minutes were over, regardless of whether there were any more scoring opportunities, he instructed the team to retreat significantly, indicating a willingness to settle for what they had.

It must be said that Manchester City's passing and possession-based attacking prowess has diminished somewhat after losing Ranocchia, Silva, and Agüero;

However, the foundation of their defense was not significantly affected!

Once all personnel were recovered, the distance between the three lines was compressed very tightly.

The main message is: even though I can't score against you, it won't be so easy for Chelsea to score against us!

Mourinho was shouting deafeningly from the sidelines;

The Stamford Bridge fans were also cheering at the top of their lungs;

But Chelsea, with its roster of talented players including Diego Costa, Pedro, Loftus-Cheek, Willian, Fabregas, simply couldn't break down Manchester City's defense.

Tang Long also returned to the defensive midfield position to participate in defense.

In the 44th minute of the first half, Fabregas feinted a shot five meters from the edge of the penalty area and then passed the ball to the left side of the penalty area!

"Goal! Goal!" Fabregas's heart pounded.

[Fabregas is detected connecting with Pedro; watch out for a through ball!]

The moment Fabregas cut past Otamendi, everyone thought he was going to take a long-range shot with his left foot once he was within shooting range. Even goalkeeper Caballero yelled at center-back Mangala to move aside and not block the view.

Tang Long, however, received Fabregas's pass signal prematurely.

Sure enough, after faking a move, Fabregas immediately followed up with a pass!

Just as Pedro was about to get the ball, Tang Long, who had started his run ahead of time, suddenly appeared and slid in to tackle the ball, sending it flying out of bounds.

Bang!

The flying football struck a Chelsea fan in the head with perfect accuracy.

The middle-aged man with the bald head tilted his head back, spread his hands, and his phone flew into the air.

"Damn it! Damn Tang!"

"How come his legs are so long!"

"He predicted that shot, you son of a bitch!"

A chorus of curses erupted from the stands.

As Clattenburg blew the whistle to end halftime, Mourinho turned and walked into the players' tunnel, muttering angrily:

"Ugly football! They've parked the bus in front of their goal!"

Inside the away team's locker room.

Pellegrini began by praising the team.

I give a big thumbs up to the team for their tenacity in the latter part of the first half.

Then he specifically named Tang Long!

"Look at Tang! He scored in the first minute, achieving his tactical goal of opening three goals!"

Seeing Pelle's fatherly smile at Tang Long, Nasri silently clenched his fists.

That ball should have been mine, but Tang stole it.

You Chile old geezer, are you blind?!

"In the last minute of the first half, he also disrupted Fabregas' through ball!"

"You guys need to learn from Tang – he can attack and defend! He's good at both!"

"If you had half his focus, I'd have fewer gray hairs!"

The Manchester City players looked up at Pelle's now completely white hair, then lowered their heads again.

Having worked together for over two years, they knew the head coach was using a strategy of praising first and then criticizing, and that he was about to unleash his tirade.

"As for you, Nasri, your performance was absolutely terrible."

Another one where names are mentioned!

Nasri nervously raised his head, his eyes wide.

What's wrong with me? I think I did pretty well.

"Oh? Nasri, judging from your surprised look, you still thought you were playing very well, right?"

"Why didn't you run on that through ball, Tang? You're too lazy, your movement is seriously insufficient, kid, this will ruin your career!"

"I believe that with your skills, getting that ball would have been a one-on-one opportunity, but you didn't run... Sigh, never mind, I think you need to apologize to Tang."

Everyone looked at Nasri.

Nasri's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed hard.

Do you want me to apologize to him?

My God, he shoved me from behind, stole my goal, and now he wants me to apologize to him???

Is there no law anymore?!

Is there any fairness or justice left?!

Nasri turned his head to one side, remaining unmoved.

Seeing Nasri looking so aggrieved and on the verge of tears, team doctor Gracie, who was organizing the medical kit in the locker room, couldn't help but chuckle.

Captain Kompany stood up.

"Nasri, apologize now! If it weren't for you, we'd be two goals ahead!"

"Actually, the boss isn't blaming you for not scoring, but criticizing you for not running enough. That's a fact, I see it clearly. You're only 28, not old enough to retire yet. I feel like even 32-year-old Toure runs much more than you!"

Having said that, Nasri had no choice but to stand up and slowly walk towards Tang Long.

"Hurry up, everyone's waiting for you. The boss still needs to plan the tactics for the second half!" Kompany urged impatiently.

Nasri dawdled up to Tang Long, forcing a smile onto his face.

That smile was truly awful; the corners of his mouth were twitching uncontrollably, something you couldn't even fake in a movie.

"Sorry, it's my fault. I didn't run away. You spread the word well, Don." Nasri said coldly.

Tang Long also stood up generously and gave him a big hug.

"It's okay, keep running. Keep running and you'll get something. I'll definitely give you an assist, a lucky break, and help you get off to a winning streak!"

Then he leaned close to Nasri's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"I'm sorry, that goal should have been yours. I took it from you, and I apologize to you as well."

Nasri's face lit up with joy, and his gaze toward Tang Long softened considerably.

It seems his prediction in the first half was correct.

Tang Long definitely didn't do it on purpose!

Remembering how he had just told everyone he would feed him the ball and help him get his first win of the season, Nasri felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Such a good kid, and I still went a bit too far by leaking information about him to the Sun. Hehe, I definitely won't do it again next time.

"Thank you, Tang. I'll definitely start running earlier during the next break. I really will..."

"There won't be a next time, Nasri, because you wasted a golden opportunity," Nasri said, before Pellegrini interrupted him, "Sterling, you're replacing Nasri in the second half!"

Sterling leaped from his seat, the massive muscles in his buttocks jiggling.

"Alright, boss!"

Standing at the door, assistant teacher Rayne, who had remained silent until now, revealed a knowing smile.

"Hehe, after following him for so many years, the old man is still the same; his familiar charm hasn't changed at all."

Rayne understood that Pellegrini was an extremely stubborn coach.

Nasri was substituted at halftime not because he wasted that golden opportunity!

As an offensive player, it's normal for him to waste this opportunity;

Should a striker be substituted at halftime just because he missed a one-on-one chance?

What displeased Pellegrini was Nasri's lax attitude in the first half.

Perhaps even Nasri himself didn't realize that he was indeed running too little.

A chronic illness that has persisted for many years cannot be cured by just one month of intensive training;

Some players have developed a fixed mindset in football, making it difficult for them to make a breakthrough in the short term.

Starting Nasri against a strong team like Chelsea was a mistake from the start!

This put the team on the defensive end at a disadvantage.

However, as the tactician who devised the tactics and the one who finalized the starting lineup, Pellegrini was unwilling to admit his mistake.

So he chose an excuse to substitute Nasri with the more active Sterling.

In a short period of time, Nasri's mindset went through dramatic ups and downs, from sadness to joy and back again.

Even after Pellegrini finished explaining the tactics and all the players had left the player tunnel, he was still sitting alone in the locker room.

"Hmph, you all look down on me, huh? Just wait, in the next game I'll get off to a goal with an assist from Tang Long, and I'll be on a winning streak. Let's see who dares to look down on me then!"

"I am the leader of the Four Little Swans of France. Once I take flight, you ducks and sparrows can only look up to me!" Nasri secretly vowed.