AI Empowerment, Shooting Power Soars! A Kick That Explodes the Football, the Referee Is Stunned!
The next round of the Premier League coincides with the Europe international break, a full two weeks apart.
During this time, Tang Long began intensive and continuous training in the AI Cloud Training Ground. At the same time, he would also come to Manchester City's training ground every morning for some physical training.
Combining the virtual and the real leads to better efficiency.
This AI System from 2084 can provide training guidance that is far ahead of Tang Long's experience in 2016.
Thanks to these advanced training methods, Tang Long progressed much faster than his teammates in the physical training arena.
Coach Chivu has been feeling extremely tired lately, and he doesn't seem to have much energy when he wakes up in the morning.
Fortunately, he had only retired a few years prior and still maintained the lifestyle of a professional athlete, eating very disciplinedly. After a week, he gradually pulled through.
After two weeks of training, Tang Long's shooting ability has greatly improved, mainly in terms of shooting power.
"Bite!"
"The Tiger Shot' training phase is complete!"
"Shot power increased!"
"88--94!"
"Activate the basic Tiger Shot skill - Tiger Descends the Mountain!"
Brazil full-back Roberto Carlos is known for his powerful shooting ability; when he swings his leg, defenders and goalkeepers face immense physical and psychological pressure!
If we define Carlos's shot as the most powerful shot in world football, then his shot power is a perfect 99.
After Carlos retired, his shots became legendary in football, and no one can replicate them.
In the football world in 2016, in terms of power alone, no active player could match Roberto Carlos's shooting ability, but players around 95 were also few and far between.
Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hulk, and others are among the best.
Looking at his score of 94, Tang Long felt quite satisfied.
After all, that's a full 6 percentage points increase!
The marginal utility diminishes; once any value exceeds 90, it becomes extremely difficult to increase it by even one more point.
In a contest between experts, the difference can often be revealed by just one or two numerical points.
On an amateur basketball court, a player receives the ball, stops, looks, dribbles, and shoots.
This entire process may take four or five seconds or even longer.
Because there were no defenders around him providing effective interference.
However, in professional football, especially in the Top Five Leagues that represent the highest level of world football, there isn't that much time to prepare before you shoot.
Players often have to plan their next move before they even receive the ball, and even so, the time it takes for a striker to swing their leg and shoot is extremely short.
Often, after a player takes a shot, he will be knocked down or tripped by a nearby defender. This is because at the moment of shooting, the defensive pressure around him suddenly increases, and the defender will often use pushing or sliding tackles to disrupt the ball, thus bringing down the player who is shooting.
In the blink of an eye, the opportunity is gone.
If they could have capitalized on this shot, adding even just 1% more power, the goalkeeper might not have been able to react in time!
Even the slightest difference can have a world of difference on the field, resulting in either a goal or no goal!
On November 19th, just two weeks later, the 12th round of the Premier League resumed.
This time, the entire Manchester City team traveled to London to play against the Crystal Palace.
"Ah, I've lost count of how many times I've been to London!" Tang Long exclaimed.
"You're right, there are so many teams in London: Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, West Ham United, Charlton, and so many more. I can't name them all at once," Sterling said.
Kompany smiled slightly, "So what if there are many teams? The center of Premier League football isn't in London, it's in Manchester!"
However, Tang Long didn't get many long-range shooting opportunities in this away game against the Crystal Palace.
Perhaps due to the rest during the international break, Crystal Palace seemed full of energy, even engaging in an attacking battle with Manchester City at home.
Their black striker Zaha, in particular, performed exceptionally well.
This player, who only played for Manchester United for one season, harbored deep hatred for Manchester City and played with incredible ferocity and intensity.
Tang Long paid special attention to this player and found that Chivu was right; Zaha's talent gave him exceptional flexibility, allowing him to frequently perform extreme moves.
Neither Stones nor Ranocchia, who is a midfielder and center-back by trade, could keep up with Zaha's pace when contesting a 50/50 chance for the ball.
However, having only Zaha isn't enough; in this Zaha, Zaha's partner was none other than Benteke, the king of missed chances.
On the one hand, the two players struggled to coordinate effectively; on the other hand, Crystal Palace pressed forward but couldn't pull back, leaving Manchester City with a lot of open space behind them.
Manchester City, a team traditionally known for its possession-based style, surprisingly started launching counter-attacks frequently, with various through balls constantly tearing apart the opponent's defense.
If players can pass the ball into the penalty area to create a shot, they will naturally not use long-range shots, because long-range shots are often a last resort, meaning that the ball cannot penetrate the opponent's penalty area, so they resort to shooting from outside the box.
Statistics show that the vast majority of goals occur inside the penalty area;
Shots taken inside the penalty area have a much higher chance of resulting in a goal than those taken outside the penalty area.
However, Tang Long still has a chance to test his skills.
54th minute of the second half.
Kolarov took a corner kick from the left, and a scramble ensued between the two teams in the penalty area.
Several people tripped and fell to the ground, and it was unclear who stepped on whom.
Pulling, cursing, shoving, pushing—the small restricted area was as noisy as a train carriage during the Spring Festival travel rush.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Tang Long had quietly withdrawn from the penalty area and silently moved to the edge of the penalty arc, away from the hustle and bustle inside the penalty area, waiting for the fatal blow from outside.
Kolarov unexpectedly delivered a low cross. The ball bounced and rolled into the penalty area, where it was tangled up by a dozen legs. It was impossible to tell who kicked it. After several bounces and deflections, the ball reached the edge of the penalty area, where Tang Long stepped forward and unleashed a powerful shot!
That shot was like Tiger Descends the Mountain, full of momentum!
The momentum from the shot propelled the player forward, and upon landing, the sharp cleats kicked up a large chunk of turf.
With a deafening bang, the football struck the corner of the goalpost and bounced heavily into the air!
Agüero tilted his head back, leaning against someone as he tried to stop the ball, but when it bounced to his feet, he felt a strange sensation.
The ball drooped on the ground and wouldn't move.
Agüero turned and managed a weak shot, but the ball rolled slowly out of bounds. Only then did everyone realize that Tang Long had actually kicked the ball away.
Tang Long's stunning long-range shot was incredibly accurate. After the shot was released, the seam of the soccer ball struck the sharp corner of the goalpost and the crossbar. The sharp metal post tore through the seam of the soccer ball, causing it to deflate.
The referee was taken aback!
Although he pretended to remain calm and instructed the players to change the match ball, his heart was in turmoil.
As a referee nearing 50, he'll be retiring in a few more years, but in the hundreds of matches he's officiated, he's never seen a player kick the ball so hard it explodes.
Such scenes are not uncommon; his colleagues have experienced them as well. However, witnessing this bizarre moment firsthand was a first for him in his professional career.
Crystal Palace's goalkeeper Hennessey, was also sweating profusely, thinking to himself, "What a close call!"
Although the penalty area was crowded with people, greatly obstructing his view, Hennessey, as a Premier League- level goalkeeper, instinctively observed Tang Long's leg swing through a small hole at the moment Tang Long shot.
He bent over and shook his head, trying to decide where to dive based on Tang Long's shooting posture and the ball's instantaneous movement after contact.
However, he saw nothing, only heard a crisp sound of a foot striking a football, and then, almost a fraction of a second later, heard a dull thud from the goalpost behind him, followed by the goalpost swaying and shaking.
"Luckily it didn't hit the door frame, otherwise it would have been in already!"
Tang Long tested his skills and achieved a shooting power of 94, combined with the power of the Tiger Shot!
However, this play did not attract much attention from the other players on the field.
Most people think that Tang Long was able to kick the ball so hard because it hit the contact point between the goalpost and the crossbar.
Moreover, when Tang Long took the shot, the penalty area was in chaos. Many defenders and attackers were still struggling with physical contact, and no one noticed that Tang Long's shooting posture was any different from that of ordinary players.
After taking that shot, Tang Long was substituted off the field.
Tang Long didn't score in this match, but he provided an assist for Bonazzoli to open the scoring. Sterling, who came on as a substitute for Agüero, then scored a one-on-one goal that he wasn't known for.
The opponent pulled one back in the 89th minute, but it wasn't enough to salvage the team's defeat. Manchester City ultimately won 2-1 away against the Crystal Palace.
They traveled to London countless times, and no matter what the journey was like, they always managed to bring back three points, achieving a satisfactory result and returning in triumph.
Three days later.
Manchester City travel to their home ground to face Scotland side Celtic in the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
During the pre-match tactical briefing, Guardiola specifically reminded the players:
"Celtic suffered a loss against us in the first leg, so they definitely won't press forward in this match. Instead, they'll stay deep in the back. For them, getting a point and securing third place in the group to qualify for the UEFA Europa League is their goal. So if our passing and possession game doesn't work, we can try to use some long-range shots from outside the box."
"If we win this match and get all 15 points from 5 rounds, we'll have a enough advantage to keep Barcelona in the lead and qualify as group winners!"
Tang Long thought his chance had come, and the muscles in his calves involuntarily tensed up.