"If We Don't Win the Champions League This Season, It'll Be a Complete Failure!"
The new Premier League season is about to kick off!
In the 2016-17 season, 20 Premier League teams competed in 38 rounds of matches to determine the final winner.
After securing their first title of the new season in a penalty shootout at the Community Shield.
The calls for Manchester City to defend their Premier League title this season are growing louder and louder!
Manchester City, already a formidable team, made several big-money signings during the summer transfer window and also cleared out a significant number of aging players.
The addition of Pep Guardiola, a master of possession-based football, brought the team to unprecedented levels of attention.
People are not only speculating about how many rounds early Manchester City will clinch the title, but also anticipating what kind of revolutionary tactical changes Guardiola will bring to this rising Premier League team, and whether he can truly bring something new and exciting.
When interviewed by the media, Sky Sport commentator and Premier League legend Thierry Henry was very open and honest.
"I worked with Guardiola at Barca for two years, and I'm convinced he's the greatest manager in the world!"
"It's not just about the number of titles the team has won; he completely changed football. He's a revolutionary manager. Playing under Guardiola is indeed very tiring, every day is exhausting, but every day you can learn new things from him and gain new insights."
"I watched the entire Community Shield match between Manchester City and Manchester United, and what I want to say is that this was far from the level Manchester City should be at, nor was it a complete reflection of Guardiola's tactical philosophy, because this team is just getting started! Let's watch more games, and they will definitely bring us more surprises!"
When asked who the most dangerous player in the entire Manchester City squad is;
Henry pointed out Tang Long's name without hesitation.
"It's definitely Tang! Of course, you can say that Agüero was Manchester City's top scorer last season, but with Tang's position shifting from attacking midfielder to left winger, he's closer to the goal and has more shooting space. You'll definitely see a different Tang this season!"
Oasis lead singer and Manchester City die-hard fan Gallagher also echoed Henry's sentiments on social media.
He spoke more bluntly and bluntly, just like his musical style.
"I love Tang so much, he's the best in the world in my eyes, I'd even let my wife sleep with him!"
Manchester City unsurprisingly topped the Premier League title odds at the start of the season, as bookmakers offered.
1. Manchester City 1:1.8
2. Manchester United 1:3.1
3. Chelsea 1:3.8
4. Arsenal 1:5.5
The main point is to be far ahead and invincible!
However, amidst the numerous media praises of Manchester City club's long-time rival, the right-wing conservative newspaper the Daily Telegraph, unsurprisingly sang a different tune.
If Manchester City fails to win the UEFA Champions League this season, it will be a complete failure!
"Winning the Premier League twice in three years, with a net transfer expenditure of 180 million euros this season, ranking first in the Britain, and bringing in Guardiola, a league champion specialist, the Premier League title is just the minimum requirement for Manchester City. Winning it is nothing to brag about, and failing to win it would be a joke!"
"Their only goal is the UEFA Champions League! If they don't win the UEFA Champions League, how will they face the waving checks from the Middle Eastern clubs, and how will the team explain itself to the owner?"
"Last season in the UEFA Champions League, Bayern eliminated them over two legs due to away goal difference, which was quite comical. But let's not forget that even Bayern, who eliminated Manchester City, were utterly defeated by Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid!"
"A team that wants to win the UEFA Champions League, besides overall strength, must also have top-tier players with exceptional individual abilities, like Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid and Lionel Messi for Barca!"
"As of now, we haven't found a player like that at Manchester City."
"Moreover, just looking at the overall squad of the team, Manchester City still has a visible gap compared to Real Madrid and Barca!"
"Not to mention their experience in the UEFA Champions League; any random top team could easily crush Manchester City!"
"For Guardiola, taking over Manchester City at this time is definitely taking on a hot potato. He has no way out. If he doesn't win the UEFA Champions League this season, it will be a failure for him and for the Abu Dhabi United Group!"
Guardiola and Raymond were sitting in the office, drinking coffee.
The two discussed recent articles in the Daily Telegraph.
The consensus was that Manchester City's failure this season would be if they didn't win the UEFA Champions League, and everyone just smiled knowingly.
"I'd heard before when I was coaching Barca that the UK media was very powerful, but I didn't realize how scathing they were until I got here," Guardiola laughed.
"Pep, they're putting you on the hot seat," Raymond said. "No coach dares to say they'll definitely win the UEFA Champions League this season. After all, cup competitions are different from leagues; there's just too much chance involved."
The two then discussed Tang Long's performance and the team's outlook for the new season.
Both Guardiola and Raymond agree that Tang Long's performance as a left winger in the Community Shield was perfect and deserves a perfect score!
They scored all the goals they were supposed to score, and even on the ones they couldn't, they controlled the ball and found ways to pass and move to connect with their teammates.
In short, Tang Long made almost no mistakes throughout the match, perfectly achieving the tactical effect Guardiola expected.
Guardiola also told Raymond that even so, Tang Long still has great potential to be developed, and his greatest strength is in training young players.
"I believe I've only seen about 50% of Tang's potential. He's like a gold mine; if we keep digging, we'll eventually reap enormous wealth."
While I'm satisfied with Tang Long's performance, I'm somewhat disappointed with the team's overall performance.
Although Guardiola avoided the main issues at the press conference after winning the championship, he mainly praised the team's positive performance;
But privately, Guardiola and Raymond also discussed the many problems the team currently faces.
First, the team's three midfielders.
Ranocchia, Mkhitaryan (Thiago), Gündoğan.
Of these three players, aside from Gündoğan who played half a season for Manchester City last season, the other two positions are occupied by either new signings or Ranocchia, who is playing midfield for the first time. Overall, their coordination is still relatively unfamiliar.
Therefore, in the match against Manchester United, although the team scored two goals, both goals were achieved by Tang Long through his superior individual ability, cutting inside from the wing rather than through balls from the middle.
In short, Manchester City's midfield provided support for Tang Long, but it was far from enough!
"Of course, I'm not worried about that. No matter how strong the players are, they always need time to gel. I believe that in another month or two, they will quickly adapt to each other's strengths and become a perfect team. What I'm more worried about now is Stones!"
Stones cost Manchester City €55 million to bring him in from Everton.
This 21-year-old England centre-back is also Manchester City's most expensive signing this season.
Before signing Stones, Manchester City's scouting team had been tracking the player for two years.
Guardiola also recognizes the player's ability, especially his good footwork and passing skills, which are in addition to his height and defensive coverage.
However, after being thoroughly outplayed twice by striker Ibrahimovic, Guardiola began to re-evaluate this young homegrown center-back.
"Stones is absolutely fine as a center-back who plays to distribute the ball, but his one-on-one defending ability urgently needs to be improved. Although there is only one Ibrahimovic in the entire Premier League, if our goal is to win the UEFA Champions League, there are still a few center forwards in Europe who can match or even surpass Ibrahimovic. For example, Lewandowski, whom I used to coach, is no less threatening than Ibrahimovic!"
"If we face Bayern in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, I'm not sure if Stones can get past Lewandowski."
Thinking of this, Guardiola touched his bald head and suddenly felt a little strapped for cash.
If Ranocchia isn't moved forward and is still placed in the center-back position, the Italy is superior to Stones in terms of physical condition, passing ability, and defensive experience.
However, in order to maximize Ranocchia's dual strengths in defense and attack in midfield, Guardiola had to reluctantly remove him from the center-back position.
In fact, this adjustment is similar to Pellegrini's use of Tang Long last season!
Tang Long has performed exceptionally well in all three positions: defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, and forward.
However, for the sake of overall team balance, Pellegrini prefers to place Tang Long in the attacking or defensive midfield position and rarely sends him to the forward line.
At this point, Raymond also looked troubled.
"This is indeed a bit difficult. There are very few top-class center-backs in our Manchester City first team coaching staff. Improving individual skills mainly relies on teaching by example. Someone who has never played in a professional league can become a good coach and can provide macro-level tactical guidance to the team, but if you want to greatly help the players' individual technical level, you need a coach who is a star player in the corresponding position."