The Premier League's Highest Altitude Plateau Stadium! Tang Long's Strange Move After Scoring...
A deadly weapon is rarely revealed; once revealed, it must draw blood.
In Guardiola's view, Tang Long is his trump card.
When the deadlock on the field cannot be broken, he is the most reliable person on the team!
It's not just Guardiola who feels this way; Mancini and Pellegrini, who coached Tang Long, also share the same opinion.
Therefore, when Guardiola's eyes darted between Agüero and Tang Long, he only thought for two seconds before bringing Tang Long on!
In the end, Tang Long lived up to expectations, ending the match with an unstoppable volley.
No wonder Guardiola praised Tang Long to the media after the match:
"He is not only someone I can trust, but someone the entire club can trust!"
Three days later.
The opponent is the same as West Bromwich Albion, but Manchester City is playing away.
Before the match, Manchester United manager Pellegrini had a phone call with his friend, West Bromwich Albion manager Pulis. The transcript of the call is as follows:
"Pulis! Help me take down Manchester City!"
"Why?"
"Of course! You beat Manchester City, so the points gap between us will be smaller."
"What are the benefits?"
"You help me beat Manchester City, and I'll help you beat Sunderland. How about that deal?"
Pulis thought about it, nodded, and thought the deal was acceptable. After all, Sunderland was West Bromwich Albion's relegation rival, just like Manchester City was Manchester United's title rival.
But then he shook his head and said, "That won't do."
"Why?"
"Because whether I want to beat Manchester City or not, you have to beat Sunderland. You don't have a choice, but I do. I can choose to fight Manchester City or just give up."
"... Tell me, what do you want?"
"Send Icardi to my team during the winter transfer window."
"You can afford it? Anything is possible in dreams, my dear brother Pulis."
"If I can't afford to buy him, I can loan him. Anyway, he's just sitting on the bench with you, but with me, he'll start every game. Ask him if he's willing."
"You should beat Manchester City first."
Pulis, who was just eliminated by Manchester City in the League Cup, was clearly very dissatisfied.
Of course, his resentment didn't stem from being defeated by Tang Long's last-minute goal—that goal was truly unstoppable, leaving West Bromwich Albion's players completely convinced of its superiority.
What he resented was that if it weren't for Caballero's phenomenal performance, they would have taken the lead long ago in the first half, and Tang Long wouldn't have had the chance to score the winning goal.
"The last League Cup didn't reflect the team's true strength. This time, back at home, we'll have to give Manchester City a good fight!" West Bromwich Albion manager Pulis thought to himself.
But this arrogant manager should also use his brain. If Manchester City hadn't made significant rotations and hadn't lacked a strong desire to win, how would they have had a chance to show their skills at Manchester City's home ground?
This time, Manchester City are heading to West Bromwich Albion's Hawthorns Stadium, determined to capture them!
The name of this golf course is full of romanticism; to those who haven't been there, hearing the name conjures up images of hillsides covered in hawthorn trees.
In fact, a hundred years ago, this area was covered with hawthorn bushes, which needed to be cleared before West Bromwich Albion could build a new stadium. Therefore, after the stadium was completed, it was natural to name it "Hawthorns Stadium".
Similar to some place names in China cities, such as "soup" or "bay," the hawthorns in the Hawthorns Stadium were all cut down a hundred years ago.
Now, all that remains are roads, parking lots, and a venue that can hold 26,500 spectators.
"Don't underestimate this place," Kompany and Tang Long said as they stepped off the bus, pointing to the roof of The Hawthorns Stadium. "This is the highest stadium in the league, housing all 92 teams in England, at an elevation of 551 feet."
"That's terrifying," Tang Long laughed. "Converted to metric units, it's a full 168 meters. It's truly a high-altitude stadium."
Ranocchia interjected, "From this height, can you even see Etihad from the top of the stadium?"
Kompany shook his head and said, "It's probably difficult, but seeing the crows circling over that highway is still possible."
"Hawthorns!"
"Hawthorns!"
"Hawthorns!"
Twenty-six thousand West Bromwich Albion fans were roaring.
There's an interesting phenomenon this season.
Many stadiums that are usually packed with mid-to-lower-tier Premier League teams are sold out when Manchester City plays!
Although many fans fear Manchester City's strength and are worried that they will be thrashed at their home ground;
However, fans are also filled with anticipation.
What are they expecting?
"Tang Long!"
Tang Long walked out, holding the caddie's hand.
"We saw that all the West Bromwich Albion fans around him stood up, craned their necks, and held up their phones to take pictures of him!"
"The director gave this shot perfectly; some fans even had binoculars, just so they could clearly see Tang Long from the upper stands!"
"Before the match, my colleagues in UK told me that the tickets for this game had sold out a week in advance!"
"This match also boasts West Bromwich Albion's highest attendance of the season, completely sold out!"
"This season, the entire Premier League has been swept up in a Tang Long craze!"
"It's not just Manchester City fans; fans of many other teams are also paying attention to Tang Long."
"At 20 years old, he's already the league's number one star!"
"Countless spotlights were shining on his head. Never before in history has a China player received such attention in Europe!"
Manchester City have an UEFA Champions League match against Monchengladbach Mönchengladbach in three days, so this trip to West Bromwich Albion will naturally be a quick and decisive affair.
Since they've won the game and need to conserve energy, Guardiola has two options.
The first step is to control the ball, use passing to restrain the opponent, and gradually weaken them, like boiling a frog in warm water. West Bromwich Albion's players will be taken down without realizing it, and when they do, they will be caught in the quagmire of Manchester City's rhythm and powerless to fight back.
The second strategy is to launch a fierce attack from the start, scoring two or three goals in the first half and then clocking out. The earlier the goals are scored, the better!
Guardiola chose the second option!
He chose to start Tang Long and Sane, one on the left and one on the right, hoping to overwhelm the opponent with speed;
Place Agüero in the middle, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Attack together!"
The formidable Delph earned Guardiola's trust and called on his teammate Thiago to join forces in attacking Fletcher.
Former Manchester United player Fletcher has long lost the agility of his Red Devils days. His body can't keep up with his mind. His foot was only halfway out when Delph suddenly appeared from the side, like a tiger descending a mountain, his two feet like tiger claws, grabbing it and taking it back!
"Great shot, Delph!" Guardiola gave him a thumbs-up.
"Keeping him was the right decision; Delph possesses a tenacity that other players lack," Chivu said.
While Delph's footwork may not be on par with teammates like Mkhitaryan, Thiago, and Gündoğan, it gives him a certain advantage against the rougher players from West Bromwich Albion.
With two snaps, a La Croqueta appeared, past Chester!
With a whoosh, a ball flew past Dawson!
Then it was passed to Tang Long on the left flank.
Tang Long dribbled the ball slowly forward, and after leading Dawson into the penalty area, he became "reckless".
First, he pedaled twice, and judging from Dawson's footwork, he knew that the man's pace was not fast. Then, he suddenly flicked the ball to the right, which startled Dawson, who quickly turned to intercept. However, Tang Long's next step was not to shoot, but to gently flick the ball with his right studs and pull it back!
The simplest tricks often contain the most deceptive effects.
The basic strategy is to fake a shot and then dunk, combined with Tang Long's extremely wide dribbling, instantly blew Dawson away!
Dawson wanted to chase after him, but it was too late. He could only lament in his heart, "How can he be so fast!"
Near angle!
With a very tight angle, Tang Long used the outside of his right foot to strike the ball into the near corner!
That goal was scored very deliberately.
After scoring, Tang Long didn't celebrate much. He simply high-fived his teammates, walked in front of the camera, raised his foot, pointed to the outside of his foot, tapped the camera lens, and then turned and left.
"Hmm? What does Tang Long mean by this? What is he trying to express?"
(I got back late, there's one more chapter to post around 1:30 AM)