Turning Stamford Bridge into a Library! Tang Long Directs a Great Show, and an Even Bigger One Is Still to Come!
Mourinho will absolutely not concede defeat on his home turf!
What's more, he made a lot of bold statements before the competition.
In this match, there's only one path: Mount Hua! Take it!
So when he kicked the tactics board away in the locker room, the Chelsea players instantly understood that tactics were secondary; the key was to have the determination to win the game.
"Charge their right flank!"
The Blues have turned their attention to right-back Zabaleta.
The Argentina full-back is over thirty years old. Although he is experienced, age catches up with him, and his stamina will definitely decline significantly in the second half.
This is a breakthrough point.
Almost every attack was intentionally designed to create opportunities from his side.
In the 48th minute, Willian moved to the wing, lured Zabaleta out, then started running from a standstill to shake him off and cut inside along the sideline!
Fortunately, Mangala pulled out of the penalty area in time to provide cover, and a sliding tackle cleared the ball out of bounds.
Again!
In the 52nd minute, Zabaleta faced another 1v1 situation, but this time his opponent was Pedro.
Pedro is 169cm tall, has more refined footwork and a wider variety of dribbling skills than Willian.
He first cut inside, and when Zabaleta was halfway through his turn, he pulled the ball back, then followed up with a Step Over, dribbling past his opponent and cutting into the byline!
This time, Mangala didn't have time to clean up his teammate's mess, because his opponent, Diego Costa, was sprinting towards the near post!
"Someone fill in!" Zabaleta shouted urgently.
Defensive midfielder Yaya Toure made a diving run, anticipated Pedro's cutback cross, and cleared the ball again.
"Tighten up, everyone, especially on the flanks!" Tang Long shouted, clapping to encourage his teammates.
Although they failed to capitalize on two good opportunities, Mourinho was very satisfied with the team's two attacks.
Zabaleta has fully exposed his lack of speed on the feet;
After this long run and subsequent return play, Toure's stamina had been depleted.
What I, Mourinho, need to do now is to score the equalizer as quickly as possible before the opponent makes any tactical adjustments!
"Keep fighting! Speed up!"
After two attacks, Zabaleta was clearly fatigued defensively.
He struggled to make the moves and, with a serious expression, he communicated with his defensive teammates about countermeasures.
However, Chelsea gave him no time to breathe, and three minutes later, the third wave of attacks down the flanks came!
This time, it wasn't a 1v1 on the ground anymore, but Fabregas made a long pass directly!
Attack Zabaleta from behind!
Manchester City's defense was trying to create an offside trap, but somehow Zabaleta was a step too slow and got left behind.
Willian surged forward, outpacing Zabaleta in a speed contest, and charged into the penalty area!
Horizontal pass!
The ball sailed over Caballero's outstretched hand and rolled to Costa's feet, who then slotted it into the empty net!
In the 56th minute, Chelsea equalized!
"Costa! Costa has equalized!"
"Manchester City's defense made a mistake in creating the offside trap!"
"Cheering erupted across Stamford Bridge, echoing to the heavens!"
"Who says this is a library? This is a bustling construction site!"
"Now both sides are back to square one."
"Coach Fan, your prediction was half right!"
Seeing Chelsea finally equalize, Fan Zhiyi, who had predicted the home team would come back to win in the first half, also showed a smug smile.
"Let me state this first: it's not that I don't support Donald Trump's team, but Chelsea is definitely more united than Manchester City!"
"A united team will win; this is an irrefutable truth!"
"Look at Chelsea's teamwork this time, three times in a row, several players persevered, and finally they broke the deadlock with Zabaleta!"
Fan Zhiyi paused, slapped his thigh, and sighed heavily.
"Manchester City is not united. They're even fighting amongst themselves over a goal. I don't know what Pellegrini was thinking, substituting Nasri while Tang is still on the pitch!"
"If I were Nasri, how heartbroken I would be?"
"Having my goal stolen and then being substituted is so humiliating!"
"I don't know if Xiao Tang apologized to Nasri as I asked? Otherwise, Xiao Tang would be really being unfair!"
Fan Zhiyi thought to himself, "Chelsea equalized so early, a comeback shouldn't be too difficult."
Nasri was substituted, but Tang Long was still on the field. This looks like a bit like a ball hog!
Hmph, only 19 and already a ball hog?
At your age, Grandpa Fan is still cleaning and washing the shoes and jerseys of the older players on the team.
Tang, you need to be more mature and less arrogant. When I travel to UK sometime, I'll make a special trip to Manchester to have a serious talk with you about how to be a good person.
A goal was conceded due to a lack of coordination in creating offside traps, and Zabaleta and center-back Mangala got into an argument.
Pellegrini, watching anxiously, quickly shouted:
"Don't rush, keep the ball close to your body, play slowly, and try to keep the ball under your control as much as possible!"
Mourinho whistled and laughed as he walked over to Pelle, leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear.
Pellegrini waved his hand, signaling him to leave his coaching area. Mourinho laughed, hands in his pockets, looking triumphant.
Keep pressing!
Keep attacking!
Under Chelsea's wave after wave of attacks, Tang Long noticed something amiss.
Pellegrini may want to win, but he lacks the will to win!
Manchester City, aiming for the Premier League title, have conceded an equalizer. Should they continue to play a defensive, slow, and methodical game, while maintaining possession as much as possible?
These two statements are a paradox in themselves!
They've all collapsed into a tight defense, everyone's crammed together, how can they control the ball? There's no space at all.
Pellegrini wanted to play the coward and secure a draw, hoping to escape unscathed at Stamford Bridge, but Tang Long had no such intention!
Once a good opportunity arises, we must seize it with unwavering determination.
However, for now, we still need to solidify the defense on Zabaleta's side.
"I'll move a little to the right to help defend the right flank," Tang Long said to Toure.
Toure nodded. "Okay, I'll be careful of their attacks down the right flank too."
The two reached an agreement.
That's the difference between Toure and Nasri.
Although off the field, he, like Nasri, doesn't get along with Tang Long, once he's on the field, Toure is diligent and serious, and would never put personal gain above the team's overall interests.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the two players in midfield, the running coverage on the right flank has increased;
Tang Long initiated the attack from Chelsea's backfield, Fabregas began to mark him tightly, preventing him from comfortably crossing the ball;
Toure, with his precise positioning, retreated to help defend Zabaleta, making several interceptions and relieving Zabaleta's burden.
Zabaleta is experienced in defense. Once someone helps him, the team works together, catches its breath, and gradually establishes its position.
Manchester City gradually stabilized the situation.
Mourinho's strategy of attacking Manchester City's right flank yielded no further results.
While the Portuguese were contemplating their next move, Tang Long struck first!
In the 72nd minute, Manchester City had a rare counter-attack opportunity.
Due to the prolonged and unsuccessful attack, Chelsea's tactical execution also declined to some extent.
Fabregas started to get impatient, making long through balls instead of short passes, resulting in several mistakes.
As time ticked by, Fabregas even saw Matic talking to Mourinho on the sidelines. Fabregas knew this was a signal to switch his position!
"Damn it, I don't want to play, I have to gamble!"
Fabregas suddenly started moving!
He had played as a striker in the youth team, and his dribbling skills were already excellent. This sudden burst of speed and his cutting towards the middle caught Yaya Toure completely off guard!
Toure attempted a tactical foul, but instead of stopping him, he stumbled and fell to the ground!
Just as Toure let out a cry of "Ouch!", he saw a shadow fly past him. Looking up, he was immediately delighted to see Tang Long!
"Fabregas, slow down!"
Tang Long shouted and sprinted back to defend, quickly entangled with him in a few steps.
Fabregas spiked and turned, bypassing Tang Long, trying to break free, but he was still entangled with him, and the two became locked in a tight struggle!
Fabregas and Tang Long are both top-class midfielders in the Premier League at present;
However, Fabregas is much more famous, and the honors he has won at Arsenal and Barca far surpass those of Tang Long.
Fabregas was not in a hurry to deal with Tang Long's persistent pursuit;
He shifted his upper body slightly, then used the outside of his foot to flick the ball around in a circle, trying to get past him again from the other side.
What he didn't know was that Tang Long practiced Iniesta's signature move of spinning in Iniesta every day in the AI Cloud Training Ground!
Not only is his skill in the movements far superior to Fabregas', but his anticipation of the entire movement is also instantly understandable.
Fabregas tried to circle 270 degrees, but after only 45 degrees, Tang Long stretched out a foot from the side, touched the ball first, and then the ball slammed into Fabregas's inside foot, directly knocking him to the ground!
"Beautiful! A very decisive steal!"
"Tang Long won this one-on-one match against Xiaofa!"
"He completely predicted Fabregas's next move!"
"Toure got up and came to meet Tang Long."
"Okay, Manchester City can finally take a breather."
"From the second half onwards, they were constantly under pressure from Chelsea. Even as a commentator, I was exhausted just watching, let alone the players on the field, haha..."
"Ah?"
"Tang Long didn't give it to Toure?"
"He's accelerating! Tang Long is sprinting!"
After Tang Long intercepted Fabregas, he waved his hands, signaling Sterling on the left and Bony in the middle not to retreat, but to rush forward, while he himself dribbled forward!
This straightforward style made Pelle anxious, and he quickly signaled and shouted to be more composed, control the ball, and not lose possession so easily.
Perhaps Tang Long was too far away to hear;
Or perhaps, Tang Long didn't want to listen to him, so he raised his leg and slammed the ball down in Sterling's direction, sending it to the wing!
"I'll deal with him!"
Azpilicueta is getting close!
The 178cm tall Spain full-back might be at a physical disadvantage against a heavy tank like Kolarov, who is 187cm tall.
However, Azpilicueta was full of confidence in dealing with Sterling, who was 172cm tall.
Tang Long deliberately hit the ball very hard in order to speed up his attack!
Sterling and Azpilicueta both chased the ball!
The latter has more defensive experience and runs inside, covering shorter distances, so even though he's not as fast as Sterling, he didn't lose his position!
Sterling was now in full swing; this was his first chance since coming on as a substitute, and he couldn't afford to miss it!
Two players are positioned on either side of the center of the soccer ball!
Just as they were about to clash shoulder to shoulder, ready to decide the winner—
Sterling suddenly twisted his body, turning his backside towards Azpilicueta!
"Take this! Hip Bump!"
With a loud thud, Sterling's big butt swung around, sending Azpilicueta flying more than two meters away!
He dribbled past them!
Pass the ball to Tang Long, who is making a run from behind!
Tang Long and Cahill are now one-on-one!
"Support me! Support me!"
Cahill had just called out to his center-back partner Ivanovic when he felt a gust of wind brush past his ear, and Tang Long had vanished in an instant.
Center-back Cahill is getting older, and his speed has dropped from his peak of 83 to 78. Tang Long, with the added boost of "Speedster of the Pitch," can easily defeat opponents with a speed of less than 80!
At the same time, Bony also sprinted alongside, and the two moved forward side by side!
When they were three meters away from the onrushing goalkeeper Courtois, the two tacitly created distance between themselves!
Bony received a cross from Tang Long and slotted the ball into the empty net!
Manchester City have taken the lead!
Bony rushed up to Tang Long again and began to polish his shoes.
"Haha, Chelsea is nothing special!"
Sterling, on the other hand, punched his own backside with a flourish, then slid past the two men, kicking up a cloud of green grass!
This unexpected delight brought a smile to Pellegrini's face.
He immediately made two substitutions.
Due to exhaustion, Zabaleta and Toure were both substituted, and Sagna and Fernando came on!
Retreat completely, hold on for a 2-1 lead!
The formation has been changed to five defenders!
A large bus was parked across Manchester City's goal.
Despite bringing on Falcao and Cuadrado, Mourinho was still unable to break down Manchester City's solid defense.
The moment the referee blew the final whistle, Stamford Bridge truly became a library!
Only the roars of 2,000 Manchester City Expeditionary Army echoed across the sky!
"City!"
"City!"
"Come on, City!"
"Well done, brothers!"
Nasri, who was substituted at halftime, casually clapped as he walked up and high-fived his teammates.
Upon reaching Tang Long's side, Nasri instantly broke into a radiant smile, as bright as a flower.
"Tang, well done! You were definitely the best player of the game. That tackle and breakthrough left me speechless, hahaha! Remember to keep playing like that in the next game. I want to be like Bony and get those assists from you!"
Nasri wanted to give Tang Long a hug, hoping to use that hug to establish a "friendship" between Tang Long.
However, Tang Long slapped his outstretched hand away forcefully, then snatched the camera from the photographer who was following him and shoved it into Nasri's arms.
"Put it on for me, Nasri."
Tang Long said to Nasri with a smile.
Nasri was taken aback, then grinned, thinking to himself, "You're really good at this, kid." He then hoisted the camera onto his shoulder and began filming Tang Long in a very professional manner.
"Alright! I'll take the picture for you. You wouldn't believe it, I'm the best at taking pictures! Come on, give me a thumbs up!"
Tang Long flashed a V sign at the camera, revealing a sinister smile.
"You are a truly excellent photographer, Nasri!"