Unafraid of dirty tricks, let's settle this head-on! Tang Long shows off his elite anticipation once again!
Inter Milan's head coach, Laino, was standing at the entrance to the players' tunnel!
He could see clearly that all the Manchester City players had changed their boots, switching to long-studded SG shoes.
He was suddenly startled; had Manchester City reacted so quickly?
He had specifically instructed the Inter Milan club store staff not to sell football boots to Manchester City before the match, but the opponent still succeeded.
Although Laino was a little nervous, he still had a backup plan.
To say that this Inter Milan youth team coach, who was promoted to the first team, has extensive tactical expertise is nonsense.
Compared to other Serie A coaches of similar caliber, he is considered to be in the lower tier. His sixth-place ranking in Serie A is entirely due to the foundation laid last season. His second-place finish in the UEFA Champions League group was also a stroke of luck, thanks to Bonazzoli's last-minute winner.
However, he used two underhanded tactics in this match!
First, they watered the field, and then they reduced the width of the court.
Seeing that the sideline was clearly far away from him, he quickly ordered the team to continue to retreat into the middle, even more so than before.
"Keep a tight grip on the mid lane, leave the flanks open, so even if they try to push to the side lanes, they won't have any space!"
After he finished speaking, he gave Pellegrini a special look.
When he realized that the Chile coach was staring at him, he immediately felt a little guilty and turned his head away, looking at the ground, not daring to meet his gaze.
With his players now equipped with suitable football boots, Pellegrini has ample opportunity to showcase his tactical talent.
While Pellegrini may not be on par with top tactical masters like Ancelotti and Guardiola among the world's best coaches, he is undoubtedly a grandmaster compared to Laino.
A light rain was falling, and the grass was becoming increasingly slippery.
Pellegrini made a decisive move, going head-to-head with Laino!
Since you don't want me to play a possession-based style, fine, I'll go along with it and not play that style!
Pellegrini adjusted the formation, changing from the initial 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3.
The defensive line remains unchanged.
The three midfielders became Delph in the center, Yaya Toure slightly to the left, and Navas on the right.
And Tang Long--
After several matches, he was once again pushed to the front line!
During Agüero's previous injury, Tang Long was pushed up to the front line, running around Bony as a decoy.
In an effort to turn the tide in the second half, Pellegrini deployed three players up front. The main attacking threat remained Agüero, with Tang Long as the second-leading striker, and Sterling as the final striker. Pellegrini instructed Sterling to make frequent runs and cuts, acting as a disruptive force in the attacking third.
Ronaldo stood in front of the large glass window of the VIP box, and from a bird's-eye view, he could clearly see Manchester City's positioning.
His face immediately lit up, and he said happily to his friend Adriano beside him:
"With that in mind, Manchester City definitely have a chance to turn the game around in the second half!"
Ade scratched his bald head and replied somewhat sheepishly:
" Of Manchester City's three strikers, only Tang is over 1.8 meters tall. Agüero and Sterling are both just over 1.7 meters. They don't have a tall center forward. How can they attack?"
"Adriano, who told you that an attack always needs a tall striker? Back in the day, Barca had Lionel Messi, Eto'o, and Villa —none of them were over 1.8 meters tall."
"Huh? But Barca used to play a possession-based style of football. Does Manchester City intend to stick to their possession-based tactics from the first half on this pitch?"
"That's not what I meant. What I meant was that even with straightforward tactics, height is still not the decisive factor in whether a forward can perform at their best. Just wait and see!"
When Adriano played, he was known for his physique and speed, and his powerful shots were legendary in the football world.
However, in terms of tactical understanding, he is far inferior to Ronaldo!
So even after listening to the explanation from the senior members of the national team, Adriano was still completely confused and didn't understand.
Even so, as a former professional player, Adriano, with his vantage point in the stands, quickly noticed the changes in Manchester City's tactics.
"Toure is making frequent forward runs; he seems to have moved into the attacking midfield position!"
Adriano noticed that although Toure's position was slightly to the left of midfield, when left-back Kolarov pushed forward, Toure would give him the left flank and then move inside.
Due to the poor ground conditions, both Ranocchia and goalkeeper Caballero frequently attempted high balls, which often landed on Toure's side.
"Are they trying to get Toure to score a header?"
"Toure is just a ball-moving machine; the focus should be on the three forwards, especially Don."
Ten minutes before the start of the second half.
Although the players, who have long-term personal sponsors, were still a little unfamiliar with the new shoes due to differences in brand and style, they gradually got used to them after about 10 minutes.
In particular, there has never been a single fall while running, stopping suddenly, or turning, which has prevented accidents from happening.
In the 11th minute, the opportunity arrived!
Caballero's goal kick found Ranocchia easily.
Just a second before Ranocchia received the ball, he turned around and found that there wasn't a single Inter Milan player pressing him within a 20-meter radius.
In the second half, the opponents strictly followed manager Laino's tactics of retreating into their own half, so none of their forwards crossed the halfway line too far to press Manchester City's passing center-backs.
After Ranocchia received the ball, Toure in midfield was waving at him, but Ranocchia glanced at the relatively crowded central area, paused for 0.5 seconds, and then passed the ball to Kolarov on the left wing.
Although Inter Milan made a few short passes in their own half, the pitch conditions were not ideal, requiring extreme caution in both passing and receiving the ball. However, since Inter Milan didn't press, there's not much else to say.
Seeing that Ranocchia hadn't passed the ball to the midfield but instead to his own team's wing, Laino was secretly pleased.
"Hehe, this field is much narrower, everyone's crowded in the middle, how are you going to have a chance to pass?"
Even if Kolarov gets the ball on the wing, so what?
If we don't try to steal it, your formation won't be disrupted. The three lines behind us are solid and tightly sealed, so there's nothing you can do.
Unexpectedly, Kolarov didn't even stop the ball, and instead delivered a long, lobbed pass to meet it!
This long pass showcased the Serbia left-back's skillful use of his long-passing technique.
He turned slightly to the side, his left leg like a sturdy axle, while his right foot swung gracefully, gently brushing against the grass.
Although he chopped a topspin shot, it didn't spin to the left or right, but rather to the right.
The ball flew higher and higher, streaking across the searchlights of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the night sky. Then, as if its power had been drained, the ball's speed gradually decreased, and under the pull of gravity, it fell almost vertically towards the ground.
Light and airy~
This is exactly the effect Kolarov wanted!
At this moment, Toure was positioned slightly to the left of midfield. Brazil full-back Jonathan saw that the ball was coming slowly and that Toure was just standing there dumbfounded. He quickly rushed forward, wanting to clear the ball from Toure with a diving header.
Just as he jumped up, Toure suddenly stuck his butt out and spread his arms, forcefully pressing Jonathan down!
He tilted his head back, letting out a loud "Ah!" as his forehead slammed into the near post of the soccer ball.
When Toure flicked the ball on with his head, he didn't even consider who to pass it to up front.
But he knew that the three players behind him were constantly making runs and cuts, and if the ball was headed suddenly and rushed forward at high speed, it would definitely give his teammates an opportunity.
"Whoosh--"
Toure's header was quick and flat; the ball bounced off his head and, aided by the slippery turf, suddenly accelerated forward!
Adriano, sitting in the VIP box, was startled and shouted, "It's in!"
There are significant differences between how professional players watch football and how ordinary fans watch it.
Kolarov's long pass flew towards Toure's head. Just as Toure was about to head the ball, the fans watching the live broadcast and those at the stadium were all wondering, "Where will Toure's header land?"
Their focus was entirely on the ball.
Meanwhile, Adriano, sitting in the VIP box, was focused on the positioning of the three forwards the moment Toure headed the ball.
He noticed that the instant Toure touched the ball, while the other Manchester City players, including Inter Milan defenders, were waiting for the direction of Toure's header, Tang Long suddenly made a high-speed diagonal run to the left!
His sudden, explosive start was so rapid that Adriano could tell from his arched back and swinging arms that it was an extreme sprint.
Sure enough, the football flew towards the direction Tang Long was sprinting!
The instant Toure's scalp barely touched the ball, Tang Long, with his exceptional anticipation, correctly predicted the ball's trajectory.
Seeing Tang Long suddenly dart behind him, center-back Andre Olli was startled and quickly chased after him, trying to keep up with Tang Long's pace;
Meanwhile, Tang Long's former teammate Santon was shouting, "Don't rush, he won't be able to catch this ball easily, just make sure you're in position!"
But it's clear that both Andre and Santon underestimated Tang Long's strength.
Tang Long's exceptional anticipation allows him to anticipate the ball's trajectory in advance;
After practicing his Fly Eye extensively in the AI Cloud Training Ground, Tang Long has developed a keen ability to discern changes in the speed and spin frequency of a soccer ball on the field.
Kolarov's long backspin pass was slow, but after being flicked on by Toure's head, it gained forward spin, and upon landing, it experienced an additional speed boost—this series of changes left Inter Milan's defenders overwhelmed, their mental processing speed failing to keep up with the ball's trajectory.
But Tang Long saw it clearly, and his pupils suddenly contracted!
With a soft thud, the instep of his foot slightly pulled back, bringing the ball to a steady stop. He then hopped on his supporting foot and executed a turn with the ball pulled back!
Ouch!
This change in rhythm caught Andreolli off guard as he rushed forward, and he slipped!
Even the deep, scythe-like SG sneakers couldn't keep up with the slippery ground.
"Oh no, Andre has slipped and fallen over Inter Milan's side!"
"The slippery pitch not only affected Manchester City, but also Inter Milan!"
"Tang Long's movement was quick; he dribbled past the fallen Andre!"
"Goalkeeper Sepe seems a bit dazed; isn't he going to come out?"
"Too late!"
Tang Long slots the ball into the far corner and scores!
Manchester City have pulled one back!
After scoring, Tang Long's face was cold and stern. Without any celebration, he rushed into the goal, snatched the ball from Sepe's hands, and then turned and ran towards the center circle.
He didn't celebrate for two reasons: firstly, to maintain respect for his former employer.
Secondly, we're still behind in the overall score, so what's there to celebrate? What we need is to advance!
Laino, bring on all your despicable tricks.
My teammates and I will play with you to the very end!
In Milan in March, the nighttime temperature is only three or four degrees Celsius.
A cold wind blew, and a fine drizzle seeped into Tang Long's sleeves.
Steam was rising from Tang Long's head, like steaming buns that had just been steamed and had their covers lifted.
He slammed the ball hard towards the center circle, the cold rainwater pooling on the ground splashing up and into Tang Long's eyes...