A Throw-In Connection Across Half the Field! Manchester City's New Tactical Setup, Tang Long's One-Hit Kill!
Tang Long's observation of the court has now reached a level of perfection.
Not only is he always one step ahead in anticipating the situation, but he also always seizes the initiative in passing, positioning, and shooting;
They also have unique insights into observing individual players.
During this shooting practice, the reason he quietly slipped from the front row to the back was not because he was afraid of Onana's saving skills, but because he waited for his teammates to take a dozen or twenty shots so that he could use that time to scan Onana's saving actions into the AI System for real-time data analysis.
"His hand position is wrong."
Before Onana arrived at Manchester City, Tang Long did not know the young black goalkeeper and had never fed his goalkeeping videos to the AI System.
Therefore, the twenty or so shots recorded in real time during the shooting training session actually provide very limited material and cannot fully reflect Onana's true level.
However, the AI System still made an intuitive judgment based on the existing footage: Onana's hand position during the save was seriously flawed!
Although Onana made numerous incredible saves against tricky shots from players like Agüero, Bonazzoli, Gündoğan, showcasing his exceptional physical attributes, reflexes, and incredible wingspan, he still managed to impress everyone.
However, when he blocked Ranocchia's bounce ball at the end, he actually exposed the problem with his hand position, as he haphazardly slapped the ball away.
However, the fact that she made such an unexpected save masked the flaw in Onana's hand position when making the save.
However, this detail did not escape Tang Long's notice.
In his final appearance, he unleashed a powerful but unpredictable shot.
The ball just barely touched Onana in the final moments, causing Onana to lose his balance and sway, his footwork becoming erratic!
If it were Bravo or Caballero, either of them would have had a high chance of making the save.
After all, although the ball was erratic, the distance was too close, and it wasn't a wide-ranging sway; the sway radius was only about half a meter, completely within the goalkeeper's control range.
However, it was precisely because of Onana's deficiencies in his basic hand technique for making saves that his hasty saves were not solid; he only managed to hit the ball with the side of his palm, failing to prevent it from going into the net.
"Damn it, we still couldn't hold on!" Onana sighed regretfully.
Then he looked at Tang Long, his eyes full of admiration, and gave Tang Long a thumbs up, "Well done, Tang, that shot was amazing!"
Before joining Manchester City, Onana had heard of Tang Long's shooting skills while at Ajax and had watched many highlights of him in the UEFA Champions League.
But when he actually arrived at Manchester City and stood on the training ground, Tang Long breached his goal. He personally experienced Tang Long's strength and was completely convinced of his power.
In response to Onana's praise, Tang Long simply nodded slightly and said, "Hmm."
Onana also believed that the goal was entirely due to Tang Long's beautiful shot, failing to realize that the problem lay in his own hand position during the save.
Tang Long didn't want to say too much to him, because he wasn't a goalkeeper after all. On the football field, goalkeepers are worlds apart from players in any other position; they are completely different concepts.
These are issues that Manchester City's goalkeeping coach will have to address.
London, a rainy day.
On January 6, 2017, in the third round of the FA Cup, Manchester City traveled to London to face West Ham United.
"It's so cold!"
Tang Long couldn't quite remember how many times he had traveled to London since joining Manchester City, given the sheer number of teams London.
"This awful weather again! It's cold enough, but it's raining too. It's killing me." For the past two years, Ranocchia has been constantly longing for the sunny Mediterranean climate of his Italy hometown.
Goalkeeper Onana, who traveled with the team, looked up at the overcast London sky, took a deep breath, and felt refreshed. Everything seemed new and exciting to him.
This was his first time in London, the largest metropolitan area in UK.
In this match, he will start as Manchester City's goalkeeper in the FA Cup game against West Ham United.
He started immediately upon arrival, even though it was only in the FA Cup. Onana knew that the FA Cup was also one of the three trophies Manchester City was aiming to win this season.
He felt trusted and relied upon, and his whole being was filled with motivation.
"Yahoo!"
During the training session, Onana continued his solid performance, making several brilliant saves. After each save, he shouted to encourage himself.
"Onana!"
"Onana, attack!"
"Flying tackle!"
"He blocked the ball out of bounds!"
West Ham United striker Carroll is in pain!
"Not only was his swordsmanship thwarted, but he was also knocked away by Onana's tackle!"
"Huh, Onana got up, and he doesn't seem to feel any pain at all..."
The rain in London continued to fall in a light drizzle, with fine raindrops constantly pattering onto the grass, enveloping the entire stadium in a damp atmosphere.
Carroll, this 1.93-meter-tall Premier League tough guy, has a figure that resembles a majestic small mountain.
Every move he made on the field seemed to cause the surrounding air to vibrate.
At this moment, in the recent head-on confrontation with Onana, he unexpectedly suffered a defeat, which filled the proud and arrogant man with resentment.
Inside the penalty area, Carroll's shorts had turned a dirty green, stained with mud and rainwater.
He glared at Onana, his eyes practically spitting fire;
Onana glared back at him defiantly, meeting his gaze head-on.
West Ham United full-back Nordtveit stood on the sideline, constantly wiping the rainwater off the football with his jersey.
He took a deep breath, started his run-up, and his footsteps quickly alternated on the slippery ground, splashing water everywhere.
Four steps later, he used all his strength to throw the football high into the penalty area like a grenade.
Call--
The football arced through the wind and rain, whistling through the air, and landed precisely in the penalty area where Carroll was positioned!
Although Carroll's time at Liverpool was not smooth and he failed to shine as expected, his ability to win headers was unparalleled in the entire Premier League.
His physical attributes are exceptional; his strong physique and amazing jumping ability give him a significant advantage when facing high balls.
At this moment, he stood with his back to the goal, his eyes fixed on the high-flying football, silently pondering:
"Hmph, I lost to this little black guy earlier because I wasn't fast enough. Now, with this kind of stationary header, speed isn't important, it's all about physicality. I'll teach him a lesson. I can't let this big, dumb black goalkeeper underestimate me!"
At the same time, Manchester City's Stones and Kompany also sensed the danger and leaped high, creating a tense and fierce contest for the ball in the air.
Carroll jumps!
Stones jumps!
Kompany jumps!
In an instant, Carroll, Stones, and Kompany felt a darkness descend upon them, as if a huge dark cloud had suddenly pressed down, making their hearts tighten and giving rise to an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Before they could even react, Onana had already leaped high into the air, his long arms drawing a graceful arc in the air as he steadily snatched the ball away!
Whoosh--
Almost at the same instant Onana received the ball, a blue lightning bolt shot out swiftly from the sideline of the field—it was Tang Long.
He astutely seized this excellent counter-attack opportunity, and the moment Onana received the ball, he suddenly launched himself like an arrow released from a bow.
They moved incredibly fast, each step taking a huge stride, the water splashing up from their sneakers making a rustling sound.
Just as Tang Long was about to raise his hand and call for the ball, it came hurtling towards him at high speed, perfectly matching his running direction. Tang Long didn't even need to slow down or adjust; he simply pulled the outside of his right foot back and gently controlled the ball.
"Great gift!"
Bang bang bang--
Tang Long charged towards the restricted area like a war machine moving at full speed!
"Onana outjumped Carroll and plucked the ball from above his head!"
"Then came a long-range throw!"
"My God, the football flew across half the field in an instant! That's so far!"
"Tang Long has the ball!"
"He's accelerating!"
"He dodged Obiang's tackle!"
"Feghouli's arm was entangled with his!"
"Feghouli has fallen!"
"Tang Long has shaken off two players in succession; he's getting closer and closer to the penalty area!"
"Tang Long shoots!"
Goal!
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian is furious; he's kneeling on the ground, pounding the floor!
"Haha, Tang Long is hitting your crotch!"
"That was a perfect counter-attack! From Onana's throw to Tang Long's goal, it probably took no more than five seconds!"