A Brilliant Aerial One-Two, and Toure Starts Clinging to Tang Long!

Fernando did not appear in the training session the following day.

Manchester City's medical team conducted a thorough examination of the Brazil midfielder's injury and discovered a serious problem.

It's knotted; you can't untie it from the outside.

To prevent necrosis, the patient had to be taken to the hospital, where an incision was made and a hand was inserted to untangle the wound.

CEO Begiristain inquired in detail about Toure scene at the time.

Toure insisted that Fernando had drunk too much and tripped and fell.

Begiristain went to ask Fernando, but for some reason, he could only stammer and couldn't get any information out of him.

After a thorough investigation, Begiristain immediately decided to sideline Fernando and sign a hush agreement with him.

This incident sent a strong signal to the players who attended Toure's family dinner at the time.

Toure is abandoning the Portuguese-speaking Faction!

Perhaps Toure believed that the two Portuguese-speaking Faction players were no longer of any use.

In this conflict between Fernando and Tang Long, Toure sided with Tang Long.

He even asked someone to send Gündoğan a roll of Turkey wool velvet carpet so he could lay it in his rented home.

On the training field, Toure would strike up conversations with Tang Long Ranocchia whenever he had a spare moment.

Even Kolarov privately remarked to them, "In my five years playing for Manchester City, I've never seen Toure so enthusiastic on the training ground; he'd even run over to retrieve the ball for you!"

Toure realized that as the Italian-speaking Faction group grew stronger, especially these four, they all occupied the starting positions in the team.

If he wants to win a contract extension in the second half of the season based on his outstanding performance, he must cooperate with the Italian-speaking Faction.

Entering the final year of his contract, Toure has to give it his all and risk everything to make a final push.

In a phone call with his agent, he stated confidently:

"Yes, I know I'm almost 33. My demands are: a salary reduction of no more than 20% and a contract extension of at least two years. This is my last big contract, so you keep a close eye on it. Whether I can enjoy my retirement depends on this half-season!"

Therefore, in the 25th round of the Premier League, Manchester City played away against Sunderland.

Toure, who started the match and partnered with Gündoğan in the double pivot, also put some thought into his playing style.

A completely new Toure has emerged before the fans.

In the first 10 minutes, after receiving the ball, Toure reduced his usual tackling and dribbling runs, and instead actively sought to combine with attacking midfielder Tang Long.

Gündoğan's strength lies in orchestrating play in the backcourt, acting as a metronome.

Toure also unusually began running around Gündoğan, making multiple protective runs, just like Gattuso running around Pirlo.

This change in playing style left Pellegrini, watching from the sidelines, completely bewildered.

When did Toure become willing to play such a sacrificial style of play?

That's really rare!

Toure's sacrificial tactics quickly proved effective.

In the 15th minute of the first half, it was Toure's frequent stretching in the backfield that created space for Gündoğan, allowing him to poke the ball to Toure at the last moment, even under pressure from Sunderland forwards Borini and Defoe.

Borini was fast, Defoe was slow but experienced. He immediately shouted for Borini to chase after Toure.

Defoe has faced Manchester City many times on the pitch and is very familiar with Toure's playing style.

That is, when Toure gets the ball, if there is no one in front of him, he will subconsciously take several steps until there is nowhere left to go, and then he will selectively pass the ball out.

However, before Borini could even take two steps and see Toure's backside, Toure delivered a precise through ball to Tang Long in the middle!

To be fair, while Toure is skilled at dribbling, his passing technique is also quite good, and he has an incredibly sharp eye for talent.

Despite playing at home, Sunderland opted for a defensive strategy against the formidable Manchester City, fielding a five-defender formation in a 5-3-2 configuration with only three midfielders in the center.

With Defoe and Borini also involved, Sunderland's midfield appeared quite empty as the pressing drew them into Manchester City's backfield.

There was a clear disconnect between the midfield and the forwards.

Toure's through ball was not only fast and accurate, but also quickly advanced the attacking line;

He also precisely found a gap between M'Vila and Cattermole, allowing Tang Long to reach the edge of the penalty area before he could even take two steps after receiving the ball.

The starting center forward for this match is Agüero.

Seeing the rapid pace of the advance, he quickly retreated, moving back from the offside line to run parallel with the three center-backs, Kone, O'Shea, and Kirchhoff.

Because Manchester City's advance was led by Toure and was very fast, neither David Silva nor Navas on the wings were able to get close to Tang Long and create effective personnel to contain him.

For a moment, Tang Long and Agüero were surrounded by five defenders.

Toure is experienced and has a keen understanding of the situation on the field.

"Gündoğan, you move forward quickly, I'll stay in the back!"

With Toure staying behind, the other defensive midfielder Gündoğan, was able to confidently unleash his full potential and charge straight forward.

Gündoğan's aggressive forward run significantly altered the situation in Manchester City's attacking third.

His running enthusiasm and attacking desire were so high that, even though he was still a body length behind Silva on the left wing, he had already rushed ahead of him in just three or four seconds.

In Tang Long's complete brainwave structure diagram, Gündoğan's point of view shines with a different light than his other teammates.

Although Tang Long, facing the goal, couldn't see Gündoğan behind him, Gündoğan's running trajectory had already drawn an arc in his mind.

By this time, Sunderland's five defenders had spread out and formed two defensive lines in a layered manner.

The other players in the attacking third were also tracking back to defend, so even if Gündoğan rushed over, he would be bogged down in positional play.

Tang Long didn't want to waste Toure's brilliant through pass down the middle.

He decided to suddenly change the rhythm!

Just as he had previously warned Gündoğan, the purpose of passing the ball should not be too obvious; changing the rhythm is the key to victory.

Seeing that Gündoğan had already rushed to within 5 meters of him, Tang Long didn't look back. He flicked the ball with his right heel, using it to push it to the left, relying on the full-back Hall.

Using your heel to flick the ball up is extremely difficult, almost like a juggling act;

But why did Tang Long choose to chip the ball up when a simple short pass would have sufficed?

Gündoğan also looked puzzled.

Sunderland's players initially thought Tang Long's pass was poorly executed.

Therefore, Kone and Billy stepped up, and Cattermole, who had returned to his defensive position, also actively pressed forward.

Once Gündoğan controls the ball, they will immediately double-team and block him. After all, in this attack, it takes Gündoğan much longer to control such a high ball than a ground ball!

Although Tang Long had never been teammates with Gündoğan before, his understanding of Tang Long was in no way inferior to that of Gündoğan like Mkhitaryan and Reus, who had partnered with him for many years at Borussia Dortmund.

Or rather, Tang Long's understanding of Gündoğan is more about Tang Long's deep understanding of the sport of football!

He deliberately lifted the ball towards Gündoğan's direction, not wanting him to stop it, and then unleashed a powerful volley!

Against a weak team like Sunderland, Tang Long did this in the first ten minutes or so to observe whether Gündoğan could understand his passing intentions.

Under Tang Long's expectant gaze.

Gündoğan initially intended to control the ball, but upon seeing at least three players charging towards him, he instantly changed his mind.

Just as expected!

With a few quick steps, he adjusted his footing, raised his white leg, and slammed the outside of his foot hard into the upper right side of the soccer ball!

With a deafening roar, the football traced a strange arc through the air, seemingly heading towards the left corner flag, but at the last moment it veered off course and deflected towards the goal!

Goalkeeper Mannone was stunned, watching helplessly as the ball flew into the net!

"That's it? Gündoğan scores with a long-range shot!"

"We saw that Tang Long's pass was not good; it was a dangerous pass for Gündoğan!"

"But faced with intense pressure, Gündoğan's choice was very decisive and reasonable!"

"He didn't stop the ball, but instead volleyed it into the air!"

Let's take a look at the replay of this goal from the goal's perspective.

"Wow, that curve was a bit over the top!"

Gündoğan's long-range shot left the Sunderland home fans at the back of the stands completely stunned.

Standing behind the goal, these Sunderland fans could see it all clearly.

The curvature of that shot was in no way inferior to Carlos's free kicks of yesteryear.

However, Carlos's free kick to the inside corner was placed on the ground, while Gündoğan's was a volley, making it much more difficult!

Tang Long rushed to Gündoğan and hugged him.

Congratulations! You've secured the Premier League Goal of the Week!

Gündoğan chuckled and said, "If you hadn't misplaced the ball, I might not have been able to make such a beautiful pass!"

Tang Long smiled without saying a word, not revealing the secret behind it.

There are some things that even if Tang Gündoğan explains them, if Tang Long doesn't understand them, the other party still won't comprehend them.

Every step on the football field is ever-changing. Anticipating the situation and controlling the overall situation requires understanding and gradual learning.

From this perspective, Tang Long believes that 25-year-old Germany midfielder Gündoğan still has a lot of room for improvement!

The evening breeze swept across the stadium in Sunderland, but it couldn't dispel the fear in the hearts of Sunderland fans.

Because they discovered that they simply couldn't win the ball back from Manchester City, whether in the attacking or defensive third.

Yaya Toure and Gündoğan are a perfect match;

Meanwhile, in the attacking third, Tang Long, Silva, Agüero, and Navas, three players who are not particularly tall but possess extremely skillful footwork, can pass the ball around with ease.

They constantly shifted into triangular formations, one triangle after another, on Sunderland's pitch, like a game of rondo, making Sunderland players run around like monkeys.

Just before the end of the first half, Manchester City launched another attack.

Agüero and Tang Long exchanged headers in the air Agüero flicked the ball on with his head and passed it to Silva, who had made an overlapping run on the left wing. Silva then launched a high ball, which Navas, who had made a run down the wing, slotted into the near corner.

"Wow, even Navas scored!"

"Keep in mind, this is his first goal of the season, and he's also the last Manchester City player to score!"

"Even the iron tree has blossomed! Manchester City's attacking firepower is truly terrifying!"

"Although saying this might seem like I'm deliberately praising Tang Long, I still have to say it."

"In this attack, although Silva provided the assist and Navas scored, the key pass was the header relay between Tang Long and Agüero!"

"This one-two pass in the air provided Agüero with a crucial breakthrough pass to break the deadlock!"

"One-two passes on the ground are as common as hairs on a cow, but this is the first time I've seen one-two passes in the air this season!"

"In all my years of commentating on the Premier League, I haven't found another person who has such a deep understanding of football as Tang Long!"

"Perhaps Gerrard could have done it back then, but it's a pity..."

"Isn't Agüero's encounter with Tang Long also a stroke of luck in his career?"

"I wonder if Icardi, who plays for their arch-rivals in the same city, will be jealous of Agüero."

"De Bruyne's passing is excellent, but compared to Tang Long, his anticipation of the situation is far inferior!"