A Leap into the Air, a Direct Lob from the Edge of the Box! Courtois Was Left Speechless!
The Etihad Stadium has gone wild!
A familiar scene reappears!
Tang Long received the ball on the edge of the penalty area, and amidst being surrounded by two or more defenders, he made a through pass to his teammate Agüero, who scored!
"Tang!"
"Sergio!"
Their names resounded throughout the heavens.
In the jumping crowd.
Mancini, with his half-gray hair and sunglasses, fell silent.
This England national team manager visited Manchester City's home ground for the first time this season to scout players.
However, if the goal is simply to scout players for the England national team, Mancini probably wouldn't bother making this trip; he could just have his assistant do it.
Because both teams have only two England players in their starting lineups: Stones of Manchester City and Cahill of Chelsea.
Mancini's visit was more about seeking knowledge from others.
This coach, who has won countless honors in Italy, wanted to see just how intense this battle for the top spot in the Premier League was, and how much of Guardiola and Conte's tactical thinking it revealed.
Of these tactics, how many can he actually use and apply to the England national team?
However, Mancini, who came to learn from Tang Long and Agüero, was speechless after seeing their teamwork and didn't know what to say.
This was actually a very simple diversionary attack.
Full-back Navas initially controlled the ball on the right flank for an extended period, drawing Chelsea's defensive focus to the right.
Instead of rushing to cross, he passed the ball to Tang Long, maintaining his position on the right. Tang Long then started his run, dribbling towards the center, drawing the opponent's movement, finding a breakthrough in the defense, and then making a through pass to the striker to score.
But Mancini, with his seasoned experience, understood that while the strategy was simple, executing it was not so easy.
The key lies with Tang Long!
Mancini watched the replay and sighed inwardly:
"No matter how good the tactics are, they are useless without a player like Tang to execute them!"
He recalled this year's UEFA European Championship, in the match against Iceland, where Henderson and Sterling's repeated clumsy attempts to coordinate completely ruined the planned tactics, which made him feel quite frustrated.
"Henderson won't be like Don, anticipating Fabregas's pressure from behind a second before receiving the ball, nor will he be able to turn and dribble past his opponent."
"Even Sterling doesn't have Agüero's keen sense of smell, knowing to cut into the opening at an angle."
"Furthermore, Tang's deceptive move of looking to the left while simultaneously slipping the ball into the middle is something probably no one in the entire England national team can match..."
Conte flew into a rage, his face turning bright red like a ripe tomato, veins bulging on his forehead. At his call, Henderson and Kante rushed over anxiously, only to be given a severe scolding.
"How did you block them? Two people trying to block one person couldn't even do it. Pay attention!" Conte's voice was like a booming bell, making their ears ring.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than two sharp "slaps" rang out, and a large hand landed heavily on the two men's foreheads.
Henderson and Kante were knocked off their feet, their faces filled with grievance and helplessness, like elementary school students being scolded by their homeroom teacher, and could only turn around and run back onto the field in a huff.
"Did you see how Tang passed the ball? It looked like it went through both of our legs?" Henderson asked in a low voice as he ran closer to Kante.
"I don't know," Kante said, rubbing his bald head, which had been numb from Conte's iron grip. "Judging from Tang Long's expression, I thought he was going to pass it to Kolarov on the other end. Sigh, he fooled me!"
Conte has never been one to back down when faced with difficulties.
With the team trailing by one goal away from home, he stood in front of the coaching bench, waving his hands and shouting loudly, calling on all the players to launch a counterattack.
However, while Manchester City's passing and possession game couldn't contain Barca at the Camp Nou, it proved quite effective against Chelsea at their home ground.
Even when Chelsea finally regained possession.
Manchester City's defense was also very well organized.
Stones, a key defender, was particularly noticeable on the field.
Thirty-year-old Kompany was playing continuously and his physical strength was gradually failing, so Stones increased his running coverage.
Like a nimble the Cheetah, he constantly darted between the defensive lines, always on alert. Whenever the defense showed the slightest weakness, he would quickly cover for it, causing Fabregas, who was good at penetrating attacks, to repeatedly try to connect with Costa, only to have his connection broken off or unable to find an opening, leaving him hesitant.
The ball just couldn't penetrate Manchester City's penalty area!
Mancini, watching Stones intently from the stands, continuously directed the movement of the defensive line;
As a center-back who also plays the ball out, he dares to receive Bravo's passes even when pressed by Costa.
Mancini grew increasingly satisfied with the look, nodding in approval. He couldn't help but recall what his former assistant coach, Chivu, had once said: Stones was indeed a rare gem, with immense potential for development.
"Well done Stones! Pass the ball forward more often, you can do it!"
Chivu's voice came from below, clearly reaching Mancini's ears.
He turned his head and saw that familiar figure standing below, directing the game.
Mancini felt a pang of sadness, especially when he saw that the person standing next to Chivu was not himself, but Guardiola.
He thought to himself, "If I had listened to Chivu and started Stones Iceland, England wouldn't have lost to such a small country."
It's too late to say anything now.
Mancini recalled the moment when he angrily rebuked Chivu and ousted him from his position as assistant coach of the national team, and felt extremely remorseful.
In the 62nd minute, an accident occurred.
Hazard took a few quick steps just outside the penalty area and was tripped by Kompany, winning a free kick 25 meters from the goal.
Brazil center-back David Luiz unleashed a high-quality dipping shot, fast and with a sharp drop;
Bravo's short reach became apparent again, and there was no stopping him; Chelsea equalized!
Guardiola heard Conte's excited roar in his ears, his brow furrowed slightly, but he was thinking:
"Bravo can only be a temporary solution; we need a goalkeeper who is solid on both the goal line and on the ground to be reliable."
With a wave of his hand, he signaled to the players not to be discouraged and to continue their attack!
They also substituted Sane with the fresh player Bonazzoli.
The change in personnel quickly proved effective!
Tang Long followed Guardiola's instructions: except in positional warfare, he would retreat when the opportunity arose, but in counter-attacks, he would always be at the forefront, reducing his running.
In the 78th minute, Bonazzoli received the ball, made a strong turn, and raced against Moses.
The two were evenly matched, and during the run, Bonazzoli, with his superior stamina, used his arms to pull Moses along with a slight force.
After a fierce struggle, Moses was exhausted, Bonazzoli finally overtook him!
Just as Tang Long was about to cross the offside line, Bonazzoli, for some unknown reason, mustered the courage to deliver a cross with his non-dominant foot!
Passing has always been Bonazzoli's weakness, but this time, the ball's trajectory was unexpectedly perfect;
Tang Long leaped into the air at the far end of the penalty area, just about to control the ball, when he inadvertently glanced at Courtois's position and immediately changed his mind, flicking the ball with the instep of his foot in mid-air!
Whoosh--
As soon as that kick was made, Courtois, who was positioned further forward in the penalty area, widened his eyes like saucers and immediately ran back!
But how could he outrun the ball's speed?
Tang Long hung him from the door!
2 to 1!
Manchester City finally took the lead before the 80th minute!
The entire stadium erupted instantly, with Manchester City fans cheering and applauding so loudly it seemed to lift the roof off the stadium.