He Backed Off, He Chased, He Was Trapped with Nowhere to Run!
-[Holy crap, it went in already?]
-[This is hilarious! Tang Long is running around like he's toying with a monkey, dragging Joe Allen and Emre Can along with him!]
-[Tang Long's signature Low-trajectory Curve Shot, combined with Agüero's signature offside trap, the two are a perfect match!]
Forget about the Sugar-coated Cannonball combination, the Long-Aguero Duo is the best in the world!
- [Zhan Jun's voice is hoarse from shouting, hahaha!]
I understand him; the more agitated he was, the more heartbroken he was inside!
-[My heart aches for Jun-ge, working people really don't have a choice~]
Off the field.
Klopp was stunned.
A chilly wind blew through the Etihad Stadium in winter, ruffling Klopp's hair.
However, he had no time to fix his hair.
He simply couldn't believe it.
After taking over, Joe Allen and Emre Can became incredibly fierce defenders in midfield, repeatedly making interceptions where the ball was dribbled past but the player wasn't.
This time, however, the two of them ran one after the other, one chasing Tang Long and the other retreating from Tang Long. They ran like this for ten or twenty meters, but they couldn't stop Tang Long's advance.
What the hell is this?
That's not scientific!
They're not like that in training.
As for the Low-trajectory Curve Shot that Tang Long gave to Agüero...
What Klopp saw made his heart pound with fear, as if it were about to leap out of his chest and crash to the ground!
Countless times--
Klopp has seen Tang Long's through balls countless times!
I've seen it in Liverpool's film analysis room, on my phone's highlight reel, and even on TV replays while I was eating at a restaurant.
He knew that Tang Long's passing was very strong, so strong that even if a regular guard anticipated the passing lane, it would be extremely difficult to intercept it!
But.
This time at the Etihad Stadium, Klopp, who took office last October, witnessed Tang Long's pass live for the first time. The visual impact of that firsthand experience still deeply moved him!
"Why does this kid seem to pass the ball as easily as he's playing FIFA?"
Klopp stroked the stubble on his chin, his eyes looking bewildered.
In stark contrast,
Five meters away from him, Pellegrini, though his white hair was disheveled by the winter wind, Chile eyes that shone with undisguised joy!
"Well done! Keep it up!"
Pellegrini lifted a corner of his black trench coat, placed one foot on the water tank on the ground, and looked triumphant.
He was very satisfied with the tactical arrangements made before the match.
In particular, Toure did a great job of holding the ball, tying down the opponent's defense and creating space for Agüero to beat the offside trap.
In the stands, Bayern scout Raymond pondered for a moment, then opened a page in his scout notebook and wrote a single sentence:
A tall, positional center forward can always be a valuable asset to the team.
Amid cheers from 60,000 fans, Agüero rushed towards Tang Long and gave him a high five in celebration!
"Haha, I knew it! I'd run and get there!"
After hugging Agüero, Tang Long quickly ran towards Yaya Toure.
"Toure, you deserve credit for this goal!"
Toure was walking back when he heard Tang Long say this, and he was also surprised.
However, when Tang Long said that it was his tall stature that blocked the vision of another Lovren, Lovren, creating space for Agüero.
Toure smiled knowingly.
"In my forward position, I have to do it; it's instinct."
Really.
Toure was 1.9 meters tall, and when he leaned against Lovren, everything went black and he couldn't see anything.
The Ivory Coast players stood like a mountain in front of Liverpool's penalty area; that's the intimidating presence of a target man!
However, Yaya Toure did not celebrate wildly.
Because his older brother, Kolo Toure, was sitting on the ground looking dejected.
It was his mistake in creating the offside trap that gave Agüero a golden opportunity to score.
Realizing this might be their last encounter in the Premier League, Toure, not wanting to upset his older brother, went over and helped him up, offering words of comfort.
Big Toure, looking unwilling, said to Little Toure:
"Agüero just too good. I clearly saw that he was going to break the offside trap, so why couldn't I stop him?"
Younger brother Toure smiled and shook his head, then whispered to his older brother:
"It's already the second leg, don't you understand, bro? The key isn't Agüero, it's Dom. This goal isn't your fault, you did your best, keep fighting!"
Center circle.
Liverpool's players are waiting for the kickoff.
Gündoğan looked at Tang Long standing beside him and couldn't help but sized him up.
This was the first time he had looked at Tang Long's body so closely.
The person was about the same height as me, but not as muscular, and looked much younger.
Both of us are in the defensive midfield position, so why can he do things that I can't?
When it comes to orchestrating play from the backfield, Gündoğan is actually no less capable than Tang Long;
Even in his weaker foot passing, he is more accurate than Tang Long.
However, when it comes to advancing from the backcourt and delivering the decisive blow, Gündoğan feels he is several levels below Tang Long!
Take that Low-trajectory Curve Shot just now, for example.
When Gündoğan played for Borussia Dortmund, he had many matches against De Bruyne of Wolfsburg.
Once upon a time, the Belgium's stylish Low-trajectory Curve Shot were something Gündoğan greatly admired;
After the game, they exchanged jerseys, and he imitated the game many times during training.
Finally, in a Bundesliga match, Gündoğan followed suit and delivered a Low-trajectory Curve Shot of the same quality to his then-teammate Aubameyang!
"I did it! De Bruyne can do, I can do too!"
Gündoğan was incredibly excited at the time.
He once thought that De Bruyne's Low-trajectory Curve Shot was truly the best in the world of football!
But.
When I arrived in Manchester City.
As he ran on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium.
When Tang Long, as his teammate, witnessed Gündoğan unleash that Low-trajectory Curve Shot, all of Gündoğan's understanding of this technique was completely overturned!
What De Bruyne!
In the world of football today, Tang Long is undoubtedly the best player with the Low-trajectory Curve Shot passing technique!
And what about me?
I'm 25 years old!
He's not even as good as Tang Long's only been playing for a little over a year.
After all these years, I need to reflect on whether I've trained properly and studied diligently.
"Tang, could you teach me your Low-trajectory Curve Shot during training tomorrow? Your footwork is amazing!"
Before serving, Gündoğan quickly tried to curry favor with Tang Long.
Tang Long smiled faintly and nodded.
Clearly, Gündoğan still hasn't grasped the essence of the matter.
The key to my Low-trajectory Curve Shot slash wasn't the footwork itself.
The key to breaking the deadlock was the anticipation of Agüero's run!
Back to the game.
Liverpool is now in a dilemma.
Klopp's original plan before the match was to attack aggressively for 15 minutes, steal a goal if possible, and then immediately retreat;
Unable to steal the ball, they continued to retreat and play a defensive counter-attacking style.
But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes."
Klopp's team has just held on for 15 minutes.
As the saying goes, greed knows no bounds, and in the end, it's like a mantis trying to catch a cicada!
In the 16th minute, Klopp recklessly ordered his players to press forward, which immediately resulted in a fatal blow from Manchester City.
What should the team do now?
Although Klopp was somewhat frustrated, he quickly calmed down and did not allow the team to push forward too aggressively because they were behind. He knew that doing so would only result in a worse defeat!
Therefore, the players still need to follow the established tactics and play a defensive counter-attacking style in order to see a glimmer of hope.
Milner was so angry he jumped up and down!
He cursed Klopp in his heart incessantly:
"Either you attack to the end, or you defend to the end. You launched an attack, and now you've retreated, and you're down by one goal. How are we supposed to play? It's infuriating!"
In this match, Milner's desire to win surpassed that of all Liverpool's players.
Football is actually a small circle.
Especially for players like Milner, who played for Manchester City for five years and is now back at the Etihad facing his former club.
He left in a truly disheveled state.
He didn't leave in a grand and glorious way.
Unlike some players who leave with a farewell ceremony from the team, enjoying the cheers of fans and the praise of the media.
Milner was forced out; he was ousted by Tang Long!
Milner experienced a resurgence in his career after arriving in Liverpool.
He wants to participate in next year's UEFA European Championship, but he also simply wants to prove himself.
Milner's tendency to feel compelled to prove to his ex that he was doing better after being dumped made him somewhat unable to control his actions.
What's meant to be will be; what's meant to be will be.
Anyway, I'm going to be matched up against Tang Long in this game, so I'm not afraid at all. Let's go for it!
Milner then frequently stayed close to Tang Long, pestering him relentlessly and subjecting him to various forms of physical and verbal interference.
"You're really good, Tang. If you're so good, why don't you go to Real Madrid?"
"So what if you won the Premier League? I've won several at Manchester City. You definitely won't win the UEFA Champions League this season!"
"Still bringing it? Send it back to me!"
"Hehehe, you've given Agüero so many assists, why is your weekly wage still lower than his?"
Gündoğan, standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer.
He repeatedly and deliberately ran towards Milner's area, trying to draw Milner's firepower towards Tang Long and relieve pressure on his teammates.
However, Milner seemed to treat Gündoğan as if he were invisible.
Even when Gündoğan had the ball, Milner didn't try to intercept him; instead, he stayed close to Tang Long, waiting for Gündoğan to pass the ball to him.
In the 35th minute of the first half, the score remained 1-0.
Taking advantage of a brief moment when the ball was dead, Gündoğan walked over to Tang Long's side.
"Hey, isn't it annoying that Milner keeps trash-talking you?"
"Ugh, I'm so annoyed by him."
"Alright, let's find a chance to dart around with him and tease him a bit!"
Gündoğan whispered something in Tang Long's ear, covering his mouth.
Tang Long listened and nodded with a smile.
Then the two looked at Milner meaningfully.
(There's one more chapter, it'll be a little later, probably finished around 1 a. m.)