A Master Shines at the Etihad! Klopp Is Left Stunned by the Signature Low-trajectory Curve Shot!
Klopp, a Germany, only took over as Liverpool's manager last October.
He was over 1.9 meters tall, with a full beard, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and squinting as he stared intently at the two Manchester City defensive midfielders on the field: Tang Long and Gündoğan.
"What kind of approach is this?"
Klopp made detailed tactical preparations before this match.
He provided a complete overview of all of Manchester City's starting lineups so far this season.
Tang Long has played as a defensive midfielder before, although he mostly plays as an attacking midfielder.
His fellow Germany, Gündoğan, performed excellently in the defensive midfield position in the last match, so it's understandable that he will continue to play in that role.
What Klopp couldn't understand was that Yaya Toure, who had played as a defensive midfielder for several years, was surprisingly pushed to the attacking midfield position in this match due to the presence of Tang Long and Gündoğan.
"Wow!"
Kolarov passed the ball to Toure on the wing, Toure held off Henderson outside the penalty area.
He turned clumsily, took a shot, and fired it high into the air.
The only striker Agüero, shrugged at him, expressing his dissatisfaction, "Pass the ball!"
It was indeed a bit clumsy.
Five years ago, Henderson would probably have been ousted by Toure.
Klopp glanced at Pellegrini beside him.
Seeing him with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground in a thoughtful manner, it was truly baffling what this white-haired Chile old man was up to.
In fact, not only Klopp, but even Gündoğan himself couldn't figure out why Tang Long had moved to the defensive midfield position.
Watching Tang Long move around so actively, frequently using passing and receiving to move the opponent around and widen the field, Gündoğan was also puzzled.
What, was my performance in the defensive midfield position in the last match not enough to impress Pellegrini?
Does his decision to move Tang Long, who poses a greater attacking threat in the attacking midfield position, to the defensive midfield position indicate a lack of trust in me?
Of course, the person most speechless about this personnel change is Milner from Liverpool!
In this match, Milner played as an attacking midfielder.
Although the formation is 4-3-3, he will drop slightly from the forward line to the defensive midfield position, behind the two forwards, to play a connecting and disruptive role.
Milner was already terrified of Tang Long and had a deep-seated fear of him, thinking that his position would prevent him from having any interaction with Tang Long;
But when he saw that Tang Long was actually standing in the defensive midfield position opposite him, he couldn't help but feel a chill and inexplicably nervous.
"Bang!"
Henderson was trying to link up with Milner in the backfield, but his through ball was a little too heavy. Milner tried to chase it, Tang Long came out from the side and made a low sliding tackle, first knocking the ball away, and then ruthlessly bringing Milner down.
Milner was clearly unprepared. Tang Long's shovel was like a spatula, lifting him up and spinning him 360 degrees in the air before he landed on his buttocks, bouncing on the ground and kicking up a cloud of grass clippings.
"Shit!"
Milner cursed in anguish and scrambled to his feet.
"Tang! What are you doing here? Go score a goal up front!" Milner said to Tang Long sarcastically.
"To give you a full-on intensive training session," Tang Long said with a smile.
Tang Long only told Milner half of Pellegrini's tactical arrangement.
Pulling Tang Long to the defensive midfield position was indeed a move specifically targeting Milner.
Since Klopp took over, Milner's tactical role at Liverpool has become increasingly important, making him an irreplaceable part of the team.
His tireless running, fierce tackling, and relentless stamina made him one of the most dangerous disruptors in the attacking third, creating ample space for Origi, Firmino, Coutinho, and others to shoot and dribble.
Pellegrini's personnel choices are quite ruthless!
Seeing that Tang Long had directly put Milner on a stretcher and taken him to the hospital during the first round of combat;
Pellegrini responded in kind this time, pulling Tang Long back to the defensive midfield position, specifically targeting Milner!
Lock him up completely.
As for moving Toure, who originally played in the defensive midfield position, to the attacking midfield position, Pellegrini also had his own considerations.
That means making Toure a target man with the ball, and then having Agüero run around him.
This risky move surprisingly yielded results very quickly.
Liverpool made a very aggressive and fierce attack in the first 15 minutes.
Sturridge, Origi, Milner all share a common characteristic: they are incredibly fast runners with a very wide running range.
Since Klopp took over, Liverpool's style of play has changed, becoming one of the Premier League's top fast-paced, high-speed teams.
The three players on the field intertwined very frequently. Most teams would Liverpool overwhelmed just watching them run around, and the man-marking tactics they prepared before the match were all forced to be converted into zonal marking.
Fortunately, Tang Long was there to oversee the dealing of the cards from the back!
Even when Liverpool's players pressed hard, Tang Long single-handedly managed to organize the ball movement in the backfield with remarkable order and efficiency.
16th minute of the first half.
Seeing that his early lead in the first 15 minutes had failed to materialize, Klopp was unwilling to give up. He not only had his three forwards press high up the pitch one last time, but also pushed Henderson up significantly to create a wave of pressure.
Seeing the four players approaching with such force, Gündoğan became somewhat nervous for a moment.
Under pressure from Firmino and Origi, Ranocchia passed the ball to him, but he didn't dare turn around and immediately passed it back to Ranocchia.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Origi charged at Ranocchia like a mad dog, creating a gust of wind!
For a moment, the Italy center-back was in a dilemma.
Kolarov on the left flank has been completely marked by Firmino;
If you pass it back to Caballero yourself, the distance is too short, which is not a good idea;
After Gündoğan passed the ball to himself, although he was making a run and had just created some space, Henderson, who had moved up, had already marked him closely!
In a flash, Ranocchia, adhering to the belief of "when in doubt, pass to Tang Long," pushed the ball with the instep of his foot and passed it to Tang Long.
"Oh no! It's going to get lost!"
Gündoğan shouted urgently and rushed forward to receive the ball, signaling for it to be passed back to him. Then he launched a long ball forward, heading straight for Toure and Agüero.
Emre Can and Joe Allen also pushed up significantly at some point, and for a moment, there were as many as six Liverpool players pressing high up the pitch in Manchester City's backfield!
Gündoğan couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
It's been almost 20 minutes. Do Liverpool have unlimited energy?
Even seconds before Joe Allen and Emre Can got close, Tang Long had already sensed the wind whistling behind him.
At this moment, however, he remained remarkably calm.
From his teammates' perspective, being double-teamed might be a sign of a crisis.
But Tang Long felt that this was not a crisis, but rather an excellent opportunity to break through Liverpool's defense!
Both Emre Can and Joe Allen are formidable opponents, and it's not a safe bet for Tang Long to rely on them to get past them in one fell swoop.
Therefore, he adopted a very clever, roundabout strategy!
Joe Allen was shorter, more agile, and faster, so he approached Tang Long first.
Just as he touched Tang Long's shoulder with his hand, Tang Long's foot had just touched the soccer ball.
"Thank goodness, it's on!" Joe Allen thought to himself with relief.
But his hand suddenly found nothing!
With his back to Joe Allen, Tang Long dribbled the ball back three meters!
Joe Allen was caught off guard and was quickly outpaced by Tang Long.
Seeing this, Emre Can was overjoyed and excitedly shouted at Joe Allen:
"Let's keep chasing him!"
Joe Allen understood immediately, and the two chased after Tang Long like a whirlwind.
An excited Klopp scratched his beard, signaling his players to press forward and cut off Tang Long's back pass.
In his view, a defensive midfielder facing defenders with his back to goal in the backfield, instead of passing the ball or diving to draw a foul, quickly dribbling the ball back – this is a major taboo for a defensive midfielder!
Isn't this just drawing Liverpool players further into Manchester City's penalty area?
If the ball is intercepted, it will be a disaster.
However, Tang Long naturally had his own unseen considerations for doing this.
His predictions about the situation on the field are often a level above what most people can imagine.
Even a renowned manager like Klopp couldn't see it, let alone the likes of Joe Allen and Emre Can.
When two people are double-teaming him, it's not easy to get past him, but if they create distance and attack one at a time, Tang Long is naturally not afraid.
[Joe Allen closes in, Emre Can will close in two seconds]
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as Joe Allen was about to reach Tang Long's back, Tang Long suddenly did a Marseille Turn with his back turned!
With a swift, fluid movement, he pulled and stepped past Joe Allen, even with his back to the goal!
A gasp of surprise erupted from the Etihad Stadium!
Tang Long actually dared to do that at the edge of the penalty area; he's truly skilled and daring!
After getting past Joe Allen, Tang Long didn't pass the ball, but instead charged straight at Emre Can!
[Pendulum Dribble with Variable Stride Frequency!]
Tang Long actually used Pendulum Dribble against Emre Can in his own backcourt!
Emre Can was absolutely furious!
This is your backfield! Do you think you're a striker?
How much do they look down on Emre Can if they do this!
What's more, our Joe Allen is still chasing after us. With your haphazard, unsteady approach, your pendulum has already broken!
So Emre Can didn't rush to intercept, but instead rhythmically retreated to the side, calling for Joe Allen to interfere with Tang Long from behind.
You don't necessarily have to steal the ball; even drawing a tactical foul is worthwhile!
But Emre Can made a surprising discovery.
Joe Allen was clearly chasing and yelling right behind Tang Long, but he was always just one step away;
Just when he thought he was about to catch up with Tang Long's last step left him exactly 50 centimeters behind, making it seem like he could never catch up no matter what.
Emre Can didn't dare to rush in and instead retreated.
Other Manchester City players were also constantly making runs and cutting in, drawing away Liverpool players, so no opponent continued to close in on Tang Long.
So Joe Allen and Emre Can, sandwiching Tang Long, advanced about 10 meters back, crossing the midfield line.
Seeing that the time was right, Tang Long suddenly dribbled to the right and changed direction diagonally, giving the impression that he was going to use his speed to get past Emre Can!
Seeing that the true intentions were revealed, Emre Can decisively took a step forward, attempting to use his long legs to intercept Tang Long's path.
However, with that one step he took, the original defensive rhythm of retreating changed, which meant the failure of this defense!
Just as Emre Can's left foot landed—
Tang Long suddenly pulled his right ankle inward, and the football obediently made a sharp turn, grazing the grass and passing between Emre Can's legs.
[Pendulum Dribble Combined with Nutmeg!]
[Pendulum Dribble with Variable Stride Frequency] Proficiency increased by 5%!
This sudden and decisive change caught Liverpool's defense off guard.
[Agüero is about to start, rebellious offside!]
So much so that while they were still in a daze, Tang Long had already unleashed his signature Low-trajectory Curve Shot, curved shot.
All the previous dribbling was just preparation; this pass was the decisive strike.
The football spun intensely, making a whooshing sound like a spinning top, carving a deep line along the grass and sending grass clippings flying wherever it went!
Yaya Toure's brother, center -Kolo Toure, reacted quickly and instinctively pressed forward to try and catch Agüero offside.
Little did they know, Agüero had been keeping an eye on this old man all along.
Kolo Toure pushed forward, Agüero retreated as well. However, Toure was facing forward, while Agüero was sideways. So when he circled around and charged forward again, he had the advantage of starting faster than his opponent!
"Agüero!"
"Agüero dribbles into the penalty area!"
"Liverpool players are raising their hands to indicate offside!"
"Agüero one-on-one with the goalkeeper, rounds the goalkeeper, and slots the ball into the empty net!"
Was that ball offside?
"The camera focuses on the linesman; he's not raising a flag, he's not raising a flag..."
As a Liverpool fan, Zhan Jun felt a pang of despair, knowing that the chances of winning the game were completely over.
However, as a professional commentator, he suppressed his resentment and shouted out excitedly.
"Looks like a beautiful offside trap goal!"
"An unparalleled offensive combination!"
"Tang Long and Agüero connected for the first time and broke through Liverpool's goal!"