Those Who Resemble Me Live, Those Who Learn From Me Die! De Bruyne's Cleverness Backfires, Icardi Cries!
"Well done, lads! If you want to stay in the Premier League, you have to work like this, giving it your all!"
Bournemouth's new manager, Tindall, has been yelling non-stop since the very first minute of the match.
Manchester United never dreamed that Bournemouth, who were almost at the bottom of the table and had just suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat, would bounce back so dramatically in this match!
I wonder what kind of magic their new head coach Tindall, cast on the players, or what kind of pep talk he gave them before the match.
These Premier League players fought incredibly hard. As the saying goes, even a novice can defeat a master with a flurry of punches. They fought tooth and nail for even close balls, making Manchester United's valuable players tremble with fear.
Fortunately, Manchester United has De Bruyne.
Having honed their fast-paced style of play at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, Manchester United were overwhelmed by Bournemouth's attacking onslaught from the start, with only De Bruyne appearing relaxed and confident.
Starting striker Icardi was particularly spirited.
He cherished this unexpected starting opportunity.
Especially De Bruyne, who has always been at odds with him, actually approached him in the players' tunnel before the match and started talking to him.
"Mauro, I'll try my best to play through balls to you in this match. You need to utilize your positioning advantage and try to create one-on-one opportunities. As long as you create space, my ball will definitely be there!"
Icardi ran away, and he did just that.
De Bruyne did indeed pass the ball out under pressure from everyone.
But Icardi, for some reason, perhaps due to a long period of inactivity and rusty technique, or perhaps because his sexually frustrated wife Wanda had drained him dry.
His running steps seemed heavy, and his shots were weak and powerless.
De Bruyne unleashed a low, Low-trajectory Curve Shot from behind!
Icardi kicked the goalkeeper into his arms.
De Bruyne curled a powerful shot with the outside of his foot over the heads of two center-backs, Icardi arrived in time!
With a cry of "Ouch!", Icardi had only taken two steps into the penalty area when his legs suddenly gave way and he collapsed to his knees.
The worst part is that not only did he kneel, but he also touched the ball with his hand while kneeling, resulting in the referee awarding the opposing team a free kick. This infuriated Icardi, who slammed his fist on the ground and yelled "bullshit!"
The most dramatic moment occurred in the 52nd minute of the second half.
Former Manchester City player Bony and De Bruyne executed a one-two pass, and Bony, with his powerful leg muscles, surged forward like lightning to the byline.
"Bony didn't choose to shoot from that tight angle!"
"He passed it to Icardi near the penalty spot!"
"Haha, Icardi's got an open goal, he's bound to score now, right?"
"Hopefully this shot will help him get back into form..."
As soon as the commentator finished speaking, Icardi unleashed a powerful shot, which struck the crossbar and clattered out of play.
The shot was powerful, hitting the protrusion at the junction of the goalpost and the crossbar, causing the ball to shatter and fall flat on the ground, unable to bounce back.
Pellegrini was so angry he was about to vomit blood!
Just use the instep of your foot to push the ball in, why bother with a powerful shot!
Icardi stood there, looking up at Old Trafford, the deafening boos from 80,000 people nearly deafening him.
He felt completely lost.
Because his leg had been weak earlier, he deliberately increased the power of his shot, but he didn't expect to overdo it and miss the open goal.
Pellegrini let Ibrahimovic warm up, and two minutes later he decided to substitute Icardi.
However, after he finished giving his instructions, he turned around and heard cheers coming from Old Trafford. Upon looking around, he was overjoyed!
Icardi broke the offside trap and got another one-on-one opportunity!
This time it should go in, after all, beating the offside trap is a skill that players known for their positioning and finishing ability excel at.
Icardi is desperately chasing the ball!
When De Bruyne delivered that pass, he felt a chill run down his spine – and finally unleashed the White Whale Return he had been dreaming of.
This kicking technique, similar to a slice shot in table tennis, results in a rapid rebound of the ball after it lands.
De Bruyne trained diligently every day, studying Tang Long's videos and Chivu's coaching, and finally achieved the desired results in training. This Premier League match also marked the first official appearance of De Bruyne's White Whale Return!
The ball is flying in the sky!
Icardi was chasing after him!
When he finally caught up with the ball and was about to control it with the inside of his foot, the ball bounced up and flew behind his head with a "thud".
"Aaaaaaah, where's the ball?!"
This time, Icardi didn't even manage to stop the ball, let alone shoot.
The live stream was absolutely hilarious!
- [Oh my god, why did De Bruyne's pass curve?]
-[This isn't turning, it's practically reversing!]
Is this an imitation of Tang Long's White Whale Return in the UEFA Champions League match?
-[That seems so, but Icardi doesn't seem to have timed things perfectly?]
-[I'm dying of laughter, look at Icardi throwing his hands up in despair, that little expression is hilarious!]
De Bruyne looked completely bewildered.
His White Whale Return was perfectly timed in terms of both power and spin, landing right in the awkward position of the goalkeeper coming out of the penalty area.
However, he failed to calculate Icardi's running speed and the distance of the opening, so after Icardi's valiant pursuit of the ball, he did not enjoy the benefits of the rebound, but instead watched helplessly as the ball bounced over his head.
Icardi, who failed to score, was substituted by Ibrahimovic.
Ultimately, thanks to Ibrahimovic's powerful header amidst the chaos, Manchester United secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at home, earning three points.
After the match, Tang Long watched the highlights. When he saw De Bruyne use the White Whale Return, he wasn't surprised.
After all, De Bruyne is one of the world's top passing masters. Not only did De Bruyne want to learn football skills, but Tang Long also learned a lot from De Bruyne.
Tang Long's Low-trajectory Curve Shot technique was honed through repeated practice and refinement by constantly watching videos of De Bruyne's Low-trajectory Curve Shot and combining them with system modeling in the AI Cloud Training Ground.
Assistant coach Chivu was also discussing De Bruyne's pass with Tang Long.
"De Bruyne's spin was excellent in terms of technique, power, and placement, but Tang, do you know what he lacks compared to you?"
"It's an anticipation, an anticipation of our own forwards' movements," Tang Long said.
"That's right, it's prediction!"
Chivu gave Tang Long a thumbs up, and the two smiled at each other without saying much.
Chivu's analysis was correct; De Bruyne's white whale back pass only captured the form, not the essence.
The so-called "form" refers to the control of passing techniques, including the power, spin, and landing point of the ball.
But the true essence of this beluga whale pass lies in its spirit!
Behind every pass lies the passer's anticipation of their team's forward's movement.
In the UEFA Champions League match against Monchengladbach, when Tang Long passed the White Whale back pass to Agüero, the latter was entangled with the opposing defender Domingos, for a long time and did not start moving immediately, and was still quite far from the goal.
However, in the link-up between De Bruyne and Icardi was sprinting from the start, so even though De Bruyne delivered a technically skillful rebound, he didn't coordinate with Icardi's movement.
Therefore, although De Bruyne outstanding technique, strong comprehension, and a rapid learning and improvement ability;
But he only learned Tang Long's form, not Tang Long spirit!
Those who imitate me live, those who learn from me die—this is the secret to Tang Long's football skills, something not everyone can learn.
In Manchester City's subsequent evening match.
Manchester City defeated Swansea 2-0 away from home, thanks to goals from Tang Long and Agüero in the first and second halves respectively.
Chivu received another request for help from Icardi on social media.
"Mr. Chivu, what do you think of De Bruyne's 'White Whale Return in today's match?"
This time, Chivu wasn't as cooperative as before. He thought to himself, "You, Mauro, why are you still harping on this issue?"
Is that kind of pass something a player of your caliber could make?
You haven't even learned to walk yet, but you're always thinking about running. If you don't fall, who will?
"Mauro, let's not dwell on this issue, okay? Although I always tell you to strive to become an all-around striker, stop obsessing over passing. Focus on making sure you can score the chances first. Look at your shots, they're absolutely awful... Don't put the cart before the horse!"
But De Bruyne the other end of the phone screen, persisted in asking the same question.
By the end, Chivu was genuinely impatient.
"Why are you so concerned about De Bruyne? Let me tell you the truth, there are some things De Bruyne can't learn. In terms of prediction, he can't compare to Tang Long!"
Director Wang from CCTV remains in London.
His negotiations with Sky Sport are on the verge of breaking down.
After learning of Director Wang's purpose, the Sky Sport team analyzed that CCTV's sudden intervention was entirely due to their interest in Tang Long's domestic influence, hoping to grab a share of the viewership.
Having tasted the success of the record-breaking deal for the Coppa Italia final, Sky Sport immediately offered $500 million over three years!
No matter how Wang Wen argued, saying that their price was far too high, much more expensive than those in Japan and South Korea, and that they were deliberately trying to rip them off, it didn't change anything.
But Sky Sport's decision-maker replied that their broadcasting rights were subcontracted from UEFA and then subcontracted to you, so they also have costs involved.
But Wang Wen knew perfectly well what was going on.
The UEFA Champions League broadcasting rights granted by Sky Sport to mainland China are not exclusive; in fact, LeTV already holds those rights.
It's not an exclusive broadcast, and you're still charging such a high price? Do you think we're fools?
The negotiations ended in disagreement.
Wang Wen and his entourage left Sky Sport's London headquarters in high spirits.
However, Wang Wen was constantly trying to find a way to satisfy both sides, so he stayed in London and did not return to China.
Until he received a phone call from a strange woman, it was like grasping a straw in drowning...
(Happy New Year everyone, and best wishes for a prosperous Year of the Snake! Updates will continue on New Year's Eve, so please vote with your monthly tickets and recommendations! Thank you!)