His Body Soared into the Trafford Night Sky! He Unleashed the Winged Shot!
-[Haha, the essence of human legend!]
If this continues, won't it break Moyes' Premier League record of 81 crosses in a single game?
- [I don't know, but Stones and Otamendi both seem to have swollen foreheads!]
-[I see now, Manchester United are trying to overwhelm the veterans with sheer brute force!]
-[You know what, Icardi's finishing touches are actually pretty good; he's got real flair, he always seems to draw the ball in.]
-[That's why he's called the Tin Man, you know the word beryllium, right?]
-[Tang Long hasn't had a standout performance yet. I feel like Icardi had more screen time than Tang Long in this match.]
"Well done, keep this score until halftime. I'm confident I can beat them." Pellegrini glanced at Guardiola, secretly pleased. What does it matter if the tactics are low-level or not? As long as we beat you, that's victory.
Just as Manchester United were about to score another goal, Tang Long suddenly shouted urgently--
"Andre, go back to center back!"
Ranocchia was taken aback. He had had this thought in his mind for a while, but since Guardiola hadn't said anything, it wasn't convenient for him to act on it.
Just as he hesitated, Guardiola gave the same instruction. "Do as Don says, go back to center back, quick!"
Tang Long's shout brought Guardiola back to his senses. "Oh? I was only thinking about Kompany not being able to play, but I forgot about Ranocchia."
Chivu, standing to the side, suddenly realized and exclaimed happily, "That's right! Andre and Icardi were teammates at Inter Milan, he knows how to deal with this kid. I had forgotten about that!"
In fact, neither Guardiola nor Chivu forgot that Ranocchia was originally a center-back.
Even during training the day before the match, due to Kompany's injury, Ranocchia returned to the center-back position for Team A in the intra-squad scrimmage, partnering with Stones.
However, Pellegrini's unconventional approach, abandoning his previous ground-based possession tactics in favor of simple and direct crosses from the wings, caught the Manchester City coaching staff off guard, causing them to momentarily forget about the incident.
Icardi saw Ranocchia running towards him with a grin, grabbing his arm, and a chill ran down his spine:
"What are you doing? Let go!"
"Mauro, hello there! We're finally facing off again!" Ranocchia is 195 cm tall, looked down at Icardi is 181 cm tall.
Those deep blue eyes, so characteristic of Italy men, sent a chill down Icardi's spine.
He abruptly pulled his hand away, broke free from his former teammate's grasp, and ran away.
Looking across the entire Premier League, the Argentina striker is not afraid of center-backs like Koscielny Ivanovic, nor is he afraid of going up against the solid Kompany; the only one he fears Ranocchia.
As Tang Long privately told Ranocchia, "You are Mauro's Achilles' heel; in the entire Premier League, only you can cure him!"
"Oh!"
Icardi screamed and fell to the ground.
As soon as he landed, Ranocchia fell heavily on top of him, pressing Icardi's face to the ground, causing it to twist and contort.
The referee blew his whistle to indicate a foul, and the Manchester United player asked for a card, but the referee waved it off, "Outside the penalty area, no card!"
Lately, Icardi has been completely overwhelmed by Ranocchia in the penalty area. A series of crosses from De Bruyne, Ashley Young, and Rooney have all been headed away by Ranocchia, giving his younger teammate Icardi no chance to get a header.
Icardi was forced to move outside the penalty area to look for an opportunity.
How could Ranocchia let him escape? The center-backs are marking the center-forward relentlessly, determined to chase him to the very end.
A devastating blow! De Gea's goal kick was violently Ranocchia, who overpowered Icardi!
"You fouled, Andre!" Icardi stood up, rubbing his face and wailing.
Ranocchia winked at him and headed into the restricted area.
De Bruyne delivers a free-kick cross!
"Mine!"
Just as Icardi was about to jump, a mountain came rushing towards him. He feinted, trying to get around it, but the mountain was right behind him. In the end, he could only jump hastily and didn't even touch the ball.
It's Ranocchia!
Manchester United launched another long ball from their own half. Icardi prepared to jump for a header, Ranocchia pulled on his shirt from behind, causing Icardi to fall to the ground. Ranocchia released his grip and, before Icardi could fall, also fell to the ground.
"Referee, he pulled me from behind!"
"... I saw it, it wasn't a penalty!"
Chivu smiled knowingly at this sight.
This is what makes a smart Italy defender: when pulling an opponent in the penalty area, once the opponent shows signs of falling, the defender must let go at the last moment, unlike some honest England center-backs who hold on tightly even after the opponent has fallen heavily to the ground.
Chivu taught Stones this point many times. Although Stones has made progress, he is still young and needs more experience. In actual combat, he is not as experienced as the 28-year-old Ranocchia.
After several rounds of torment, Icardi's spirits gradually waned.
Every time he missed receiving the ball, he would blame his teammates for not passing it well.
"You passed it too hard, Kevin!" He shrugged at De Bruyne.
"What's wrong with you, Yang? Are you blind? Didn't you see I pointed to the front post?!" Ashley Young was scolded for being blind.
"Wayne! I want a high ball, not a half-high ball!" Even captain Rooney was scolded by Icardi.
Almost every Manchester United teammate who provided Icardi with ammunition was criticized.
Who would feel good hearing these words?
They never liked this crossing tactic. A few years ago, Manchester United under Moyes was heavily criticized for its mindless crossings, which ultimately led to his dismissal. Why is Pellegrini going back to the old ways?
The Manchester United players were indignant. "We've been playing on the ground for half a season, so why do we have to switch to such a simple, brutal crossing tactic every time we face Manchester City? Do you, Pellegrini, think we don't have the ability to compete with Manchester City on the ground?"
Previously, it was good that Icardi could score goals; goals could cover up many problems.
But once he stops receiving the ball, his teammates start to rebel.
"Don't give him high balls, he can't catch them. Let's move to the wing and play on the ground!" De Bruyne initiated the attack.
"Do as Kevin says!" Rooney followed suit.
Manchester United's attack gradually weakened.
These players, playing at home, weren't afraid to play on the ground against Manchester City.
This is Old Trafford, we're in the lead, and there are 76,000 fans cheering us on!
"Glory, Glory, United!"
"Glory, Glory, United!"
"Glory, Glory, United!"
Fueled by cheers, the Manchester United players fought with even greater determination, showing no signs of being outdone in their running and tackling.
The match was about to end.
Tang Long, who had been virtually invisible for 45 minutes, suddenly appeared and made a diagonal tackle to steal the ball from De Bruyne, completing his first interception of the match.
Tang Long's disappearance during this period stemmed from his observation of the current situation.
Especially Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea's positioning habits.
He noticed that once De Bruyne received the ball in the attacking third, De Gea would start positioning himself further forward, standing on the edge of the penalty area.
After intercepting the ball, Tang Long didn't even look at the goal. He quickly adjusted his center of gravity, stared intently at the ball, rushed forward, flicked the ball with the toe of his left foot, and just as the ball flew up thirty centimeters, he slammed it down with his right foot!
After hitting the ball, the body leaps high into the air due to inertia, with the legs naturally extending in the air and the arms spreading out to the sides.
"Go!"
Whoosh--
Its entire body was perfectly shaped as if it were about to take flight, frozen in mid-air!
The ball, struck by the ball, resembled a bird breaking free of its restraints, darting left and right, up and down, flying towards the goal guarded by De Gea...