A Four-Minute Debut Seals the Victory! Manchester City's Packed Schedule Can't Dim His Brilliance!
Dreams are always fleeting.
Sometimes, I can remember the details clearly when I wake up, but after a few hours, I forget them completely and can't recall them no matter how hard I try.
Therefore, Guardiola was eager to share this detail with Chivu.
"After the match, the first thing I asked De Bruyne was how he managed to pass such a beautiful ball. Haha, that pass was absolutely amazing!"
Chivu asked curiously, "How did Kevin assist Don?"
Guardiola looked around. There was a globe on the table. He took the ball down, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it.
"Let me imitate it for you."
Guardiola tapped his head, trying hard to remember, then kicked the globe away.
"It was that kind of Low-trajectory Curve Shot, but not a pure Low-trajectory Curve Shot, because the ball had a slight spin after landing, which bypassed Modric's defensive zone and passed between Kroos and Casemiro, just in time for Tang's sprint down the left flank!"
"That footwork was absolutely amazing! If the spin after landing had been any smaller, Tang probably wouldn't have been able to catch up, and there wouldn't have been a one-on-one match with Ramos."
After Guardiola finished speaking, he paused, looked at Chivu, and seemed to be waiting for him to ask further questions.
Chivu smiled. It seemed he had no choice but to ask. "A landing spin shot, that's Don's signature move. De Bruyne probably can't play it as well as Don. So, what did he say?"
Guardiola's face suddenly darkened, and he said in a sinister tone, "De Bruyne told me that you often analyzed Dom's playing secrets for him on the phone. Whatever he asked you, you answered. You were the one who told him how to play."
Chivu's mind went blank!
He opened his mouth wide, his breathing became rapid, and he quickly waved his hands, saying:
"No, I didn't, absolutely not, I was giving it to Ika..."
Realizing he was about to let something slip, Chivu quickly shut up.
Large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
In an instant, a torrent of thoughts raced through my mind. "Did Guardiola find out I analyzed Dom's playing style for Icardi and ask me on purpose? No, no, no, that wasn't De Bruyne's pass either. This is all messed up, what the hell?"
Guardiola glared at Chivu for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.
The laughter was so loud that he choked on his own saliva and began to cough violently.
Chivu quickly handed Guardiola a water glass, which Guardiola gulped down before leaning back and slumping onto the sofa.
This time, not only was Chivu covered in sweat, but Guardiola himself was also sweating profusely.
He laughed and said, "When I woke up, I found it funny. If De Bruyne our team, he could have discussed techniques with Tang face-to-face. Why would he ask you on the phone? It's pointless. So, dreams are just dreams, always full of absurdity and strangeness. Sigh."
Chivu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words "absurd" and "bizarre".
It seems it really was a real dream, and Guardiola wasn't lying to him.
Still shaken, Chivu immediately changed the subject.
"De Bruyne is indeed a promising talent. It would be great if he could come to Manchester City. I heard that he originally wanted to come to Manchester City, but we used the budget for him to buy Don."
Guardiola nodded and said, "That's right, I also like Kevin very much. He's a good lad. It's just a pity this isn't Bayern, otherwise I could have poached him directly."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Three days later, it was another League Cup match.
This season, Manchester City aims to win both the league and the UEFA Champions League titles.
The Premier League has the most congested schedule among the Top Five Leagues. The FA Cup is still worth paying attention to, but the League Cup is something I really don't want to play!
However, he couldn't openly give up, so Guardiola fielded mostly substitutes in his starting lineup, treating it as a training opportunity to give the substitutes a chance to warm up.
Even Caballero, the second-choice goalkeeper who hadn't played for a long time, started the match.
Their opponent is West Bromwich Albion, and they're not too keen on playing against them, especially since they'll be facing Manchester City again in the Premier League just two days after this League Cup.
For a relegation-threatened team like West Bromwich Albion, the league title is definitely the priority. If you give them a League Cup title in exchange for relegation to the EFL Championship, the owner would absolutely go crazy.
Therefore, they also sent their substitutes to the game.
Both teams' players seemed distracted, and the audience was yawning. Tang Long, on the bench, was chatting casually with Ranocchia.
But as I looked at it more, I realized something was wrong!
Manchester City's starting goalkeeper, Caballero, made several brilliant saves to keep a clean sheet!
Moreover, Guardiola remained calm despite his teammates' lack of pressing, while Caballero was extremely anxious, shouting loudly at his teammates.
"Take a few more steps, Delph!"
"Otamendi, aren't you awake? Look at people!"
Ranocchia, watching from the sidelines, smiled and said to Tang Long:
"They're right not to be too proactive; if they were too proactive, how would Caballero have a chance to shine?"
This is Caballero's first appearance for Manchester City this season.
The Argentina goalkeeper is in low spirits for the new season!
He thought to himself, "I was Manchester City's starting goalkeeper last season, and this season I'm a substitute. Why? This new guy, Bravo, is the same age as me and the same height. He's not necessarily better than me! I'm not afraid of competing with Joe Hart for the starting position, so why should I be afraid of a Chile?"
Caballero cherished this opportunity, treating his start in the League Cup as a rare chance to shine. He played with incredible energy, making numerous saves throughout the match.
His consecutive saves drew applause from the Etihad crowd, who were jolted awake from their slumber.
Seeing that several of West Bromwich Albion's long-range shooting players had missed, they became even more enthusiastic and continued their attack.
"Let's see just how strong you really are!"
On the other hand, the Manchester City players on the field, although mostly substitutes and youth team players, were willing to play a peaceful game if their opponents wanted to, but if they wanted to gang up on them, then sorry, Manchester City's home ground was not going to be dominated by a mere West Bromwich Albion.
Inspired by Caballero's fighting spirit, the players also started running.
However, the coordination among these substitute players was clearly not as good as that among the starters, and for a time, the two sides were evenly matched.
The game ticked by, second by second.
The time has reached 80 minutes.
Guardiola is getting a little anxious!
He muttered to himself, "It's either win or lose; a draw is absolutely unacceptable."
According to the League Cup rules, a draw requires a replay.
Manchester City is competing on three fronts, and their already packed schedule cannot withstand a meaningless replay.
The score remained 0-0 in the 83rd minute.
Guardiola glanced at the bench; Agüero and Tang Long were both sitting there.
"Tang, get ready to go on stage!"
In the 84th minute, Tang Long replaced Bonazzoli, who had failed to score a single goal throughout the match, and came on as a substitute!
When he stepped onto the field, the Etihad Stadium erupted in enthusiastic cheers!
"Nanbonai, Tang!!!"
In the League Cup, Etihad, with a capacity of 60,000, only had less than 40,000 attendees.
The 40,000 fans finally perked up and began to cheer loudly.
They don't care about competing on three or five fronts; as long as they're here, they're determined to win—we've spent tens of pounds on tickets, real money supporting the team!
"Bang!"
Tang Long, positioned on the left side of the penalty area, received a pass from Zabaleta on the right Zaza a powerful, first-footed volley with the instep of his foot!
The ball was hit so hard that it deformed violently, and the seams on the skin almost burst open!
"Whoosh--"
The football flew like an arrow, cutting through the air!
If air could feel pain, it would surely scream in agony!
If West Bromwich Albion's starting goalkeeper couldn't stop the ball, how could the substitute goalkeeper possibly stop it? He was stunned, standing there, watching the ball go into the net with a whoosh.
Just four minutes after coming on, Tang Long helped Manchester City finally break the deadlock that had lasted all game!
Tang Long shrugged at his teammates and smiled.
Guardiola laughed, "Alright, we won, so... we won!"