The Guardian Advises Tang Long to Abandon the Golden Boot for the Champions League, but Guardiola Wants Him to Double-Kill Cristiano Ronaldo!

All four matches of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals have now concluded.

Real Madrid, playing at home, decisively defeated Monchengladbach 2-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema each scored a goal.

Monaco and Borussia Dortmund were deadlocked on the field, and the score remained 0-0, resulting in a draw.

Borussia Dortmund's young players were full of energy and launched constant attacks, but Monaco's defense was rock solid, successfully defusing the crisis time and time again. The two sides went back and forth, but neither could break through the barrier.

The match between Arsenal and Juventus was equally exciting, with Arsenal narrowly defeating Juventus 2-1.

The atmosphere at Arsenal's home ground was incredibly vibrant, and the Arsenal players displayed a powerful attacking force from the very start.

Their offensive coordination was fluid and seamless, and the players displayed excellent teamwork, securing the first victory through outstanding teamwork.

Although Juventus showed great stamina and launched a fierce counterattack, even managing to pull one back, Arsenal ultimately seized their opportunity to score again and win the game.

The match between Atletico Madrid and Manchester City is undoubtedly the highlight of this round.

Manchester City defeated Atlético Madrid 3-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium!

Manchester City's players faced immense pressure away from home, with Atlético Madrid's home fans chanting deafeningly, attempting to disrupt Manchester City performance.

However, the Manchester City players showed no fear, displaying great strength and resilience on the pitch.

Tang Long's outstanding performance became the key turning point of the game – his dropping back disrupted Atlético Madrid's tactical plan, and his pass was the key to Manchester City's victory.

Apart from the draw between Monaco and Borussia Dortmund, the other three matches all resulted in a winner and a loser.

Two of the matches were won by teams playing at home, while only Manchester City pulled off a comeback victory against Atlético Madrid away from home.

As soon as the first leg ended, betting companies with a keen sense of opportunity quickly updated their latest odds for winning the UEFA Champions League.

Real Madrid 1:2.2

Manchester City 1:2.9

Arsenal 1:4.2

Juventus 1:5.1

Borussia Dortmund 1:11

Monaco 1:17

Real Madrid scored two goals and kept a clean sheet in the first leg at home, instantly igniting calls for them to win the title.

Real Madrid's glorious history and powerful squad inspire confidence in them.

The team's key players are in excellent form, demonstrating a very high level of skill in both offense and defense.

Manchester City, meanwhile, closely followed Real Madrid.

Manchester City demonstrated their strength and team spirit in their away victory against Atlético Madrid.

However, judging from the odds, it's generally believed that Real Madrid has a higher chance of winning the title than Manchester City!

After all, Real Madrid's overall squad value is considerable, and they have a deep historical legacy in the UEFA Champions League, which Manchester City simply cannot match.

Even so, Manchester City remains one of the top favorites to win the title, alongside Real Madrid.

In contrast, the remaining teams— Arsenal, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, and Monaco —have odds all outside the top 4, clearly indicating they are not favored by outsiders.

At the same time.

The odds for the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot have been updated again!

Cristiano Ronaldo 1:1.5

Tang Long 1:2.4

What's baffling is that only Cristiano Ronaldo and Tang Long made it onto the odds list this time, while the rest of the players seemed to have been forgotten and were not included in the betting pool at all.

With the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals just finished, bookmakers are offering odds of the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot to only two players, a first in the UEFA Champions League's long history of over 20 years since its restructuring!

But upon closer examination, this design actually has its merits.

Judging from the number of goals scored by players participating in the UEFA Champions League, it is clear that the Golden Boot race will most likely be between Cristiano Ronaldo Tang Long Tang Long, which will undoubtedly be a showdown between the two.

In the UEFA Champions League top scorer rankings, Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has already reached 17 goals, equaling his record for most goals in a single UEFA Champions League season, set in the 2013-2014 season!

Cristiano Ronaldo is always full of fighting spirit during matches.

He ran like the wind on the field, and with his outstanding physical qualities and superb shooting skills, he broke through the opponent's goal time and time again.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo also leads the UEFA Champions League top scorer list with a huge advantage of 3 goals over second-place Tang Long.

There are other top strikers from other clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League, but none of them have managed to break the 10 -UEFA Champions League goal mark.

For example, Lionel Messi, Lewandowski, and other top players have already been eliminated in the knockout stages, so their UEFA Champions League goal tallies are now fixed and will not change.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tang Long still have the opportunity to score in subsequent matches, allowing their goal tallies to continue to climb.

However, the odds clearly show that Cristiano Ronaldo is significantly ahead of Tang Long.

Especially in this round of matches, Tang Long failed to score, while Cristiano Ronaldo successfully broke through, which widened the gap between the two to three goals!

With fewer and fewer matches remaining, these three goals undoubtedly create a significant lead for Cristiano Ronaldo in his quest for the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot.

The renowned the Guardian astutely grasped this situation and quickly published its views in an article.

The article points out that, compared to the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot, Tang Long's more important task at present is to lead Manchester City to win the UEFA Champions League trophy, which the team has never won since its founding.

"Football is essentially a team sport. Individual honors are certainly dazzling, but for a true player, the honor of the team is the key measure of their value."

"With his extensive experience accumulated over many years in the UEFA Champions League, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo has steadily climbed the scoring charts, gradually gaining a significant lead."

"If all goes well, it's almost certain that he'll break his own record of 17 goals in a single UEFA Champions League season, and even surpassing 20 goals wouldn't be out of the question."

"From the perspective of individual goals, it's incredibly difficult for Tang Long to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League."

"However, under Guardiola's careful leadership and with the concerted efforts of his teammates, it is not impossible for Manchester City to defeat Real Madrid."

This the Guardian article seems to be subtly advising Tang Long to temporarily set aside his personal goal-scoring contest with Cristiano Ronaldo and focus more on the team's overall balance.

The Manchester Evening News, on the other hand, expressed its opinion more directly.

"In the first leg against Atletico Madrid, Guardiola made a brilliant decision in the second half, dropping Tang Long from the forward line to the defensive midfield position. This decision was like a bombshell, completely disrupting Atlético Madrid's original tactical plan; it was a truly ingenious move."

"People will not forget how amazing Tang Long's performance in the defensive midfield position was during Pellegrini's tenure, and Guardiola certainly remembers it well. He knows that while Tang Long's performance on the front line is dazzling, the role Tang Long can play in the defensive midfield position is actually more significant for the team's overall contribution."

The Manchester Evening News also specifically praised Tang Long's dedication.

"A young man who is fiercely competing with Cristiano Ronaldo for the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot can readily accept the coach's tactical arrangements and voluntarily drop back from the forward line to the defensive midfield position. Such magnanimity is not something every young person possesses."

"In Tang Long, we truly see a spirit of selfless dedication, exceptional discipline, and outstanding ability as a versatile individual."

"If Manchester City manages to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy this season, then without a doubt, he will be the biggest contributor!"

Manchester City's assistant coach, Chivu, naturally also noticed these overwhelming reports.

Deep down, Chivu hopes that Manchester City can overcome all obstacles in the UEFA Champions League and successfully reach the pinnacle of Europe football glory.

We also hope that Tang Long can beat Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot race and win this personal honor. If that day comes, it will be Tang Long's glory and Chivu's pride!

However, as a former defender, he was well aware that it's often difficult to have your cake and eat it too, and sometimes, for the overall benefit of the team, individual players have to make some sacrifices.

For example, Chivu's former teammate at Inter Milan, Eto'o, the Cameroon striker during the treble-winning era, once played as a full-back for Inter Milan in order to focus on defense, making a huge personal sacrifice.

Despite understanding the reasons, Chivu's heart was always shrouded in gloom and lingered with a persistent worry when faced with the overwhelming reports focusing on the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot race and the team's tactical arrangements every day.

He was afraid that Guardiola's tactical deployment might inadvertently affect the relationship between Tang Long and himself.

"I know Tang Tai well. Although he doesn't talk much, his desire to win is extremely strong. If he loses to Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot race, he will likely harbor resentment towards Guardiola's tactical arrangements. We mustn't let this decision ruin their relationship."

Chivu repeated these words to himself, his feet unconsciously walking slowly toward Guardiola's office.

He intends to discuss this matter thoroughly with Guardiola, attempting to find a proper solution to this potential problem.

However, he stopped just as he reached the door. Loud laughter echoed from inside the office.

Chivu pretended to walk by casually and secretly peeked inside.

Tang Long and Guardiola were sitting on the sofa, chatting happily, their faces beaming with relaxed and cheerful smiles, appearing to have a very harmonious relationship.

Upon seeing this, Chivu was slightly taken aback. He thought that since the two had such a good relationship, it was inappropriate for him to interfere rashly. He then turned and left.

In Manchester City's manager's office, Guardiola looked at Tang Long with a serious expression and said firmly, "Listen, we've come this far, so I'll be frank with you."

"During my four years at Barca, I completely dominated Real Madrid in every aspect! In those four years, I only allowed Mourinho to snatch one league title from me."

"But last season, my Bayern team lost to them 2-3 in the UEFA Champions League final, Tang, do you remember!"

At this point, Guardiola's smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a serious expression.

Tang Long nodded slightly, his thoughts instantly drawn back to the intense UEFA Champions League final last May.

He watched the match live with Ronaldo, Ranocchia, Bonazzoli, and others; the tense and exciting scene is still vivid in his mind. How could he forget it?

At that time, Bonazzoli said to Tang Long with an envious look:

"If I remember correctly, this is Cristiano Ronaldo's third UEFA Champions League title, it's incredible. Inter Milan has only won three UEFA Champions League in its more than 100-year history, he alone is worth an entire Inter Milan team!"

Tang Long nodded in agreement, saying, "Cristiano Ronaldo has already won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot. If Portugal performs well in this year's UEFA European Championship, the Ballon d'Or will definitely be his."

As Tang Long had predicted, things turned out exactly as he had.

Having won both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA European Championship, two continental titles, Cristiano Ronaldo indeed defeated Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or last December!

Guardiola got up, walked to the French windows, and looked at the sky.

In the distance, thick layers of cumulus clouds piled up like a huge gray curtain, completely obscuring the Manchester sky.

In the British Isles, sunny days are as rare as a precious gem; gloomy, overcast weather like today is the norm.

Guardiola beckoned Tang Long to the glass and pointed to a corner of the sky in the distance, saying:

"I know the sun is in that spot, but its light is being obscured by the clouds."

"But so what? With us here, and the two of us working together, we'll surely see the light at the end of the tunnel!"

"Manchester City wants to win the Premier League title, beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final, and personally take back what we lost last year!"

Tang Long laughed and said, "Boss, if I may ask, how can you be so sure that Real Madrid will definitely make it to the final?"

Guardiola replied without hesitation, "It's definitely them. I have a feeling about it; it's my gut feeling."

Tang Long nodded slightly, thinking, "He's right. Among the eight teams, Real Madrid and we are the most likely winners of the UEFA Champions League, considering team strength, form, and odds."

Guardiola put his hand on Tang Long's shoulder and said, "Manchester City not only has to beat Real Madrid, but you also have to beat Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"You're going to win European Golden Shoe and the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot," he said, his eyes filled with encouragement and expectation. "This year, you're going to completely crush Cristiano Ronaldo in every aspect, and then win the Ballon d'Or d'Or in December!"

Guardiola spoke those last words with absolute certainty and conviction, leaving no room for doubt.

Tang Long was startled.

Cristiano Ronaldo was last year's Ballon d'Or winner; this year, Tang Long's goal is to crush him and win the Ballon d'Or.

However, this was only his inner thought, and he never mentioned it to Guardiola.

When Guardiola spoke this goal so firmly, Tang Long finally realized that defeating all the world's top players and winning the Ballon d'Or was not only his own dream goal, but also the burning ambition deep within the heart of the team's head coach, Guardiola.

Tang Long still wore that faint smile on his face, and he deliberately said:

"That's very difficult. You've coached Lionel Messi, so you know how strong he is. If he wins the La Liga and UEFA Europa League titles, and performs well from the beginning of the next season until December, even if I win the treble and various Golden Boots, and beat Cristiano Ronaldo, I still might not be able to beat Lionel Messi. This is because many people have a voting bias; in this day and age, they're used to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sharing the Ballon d'Or."

Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, and the office curtains fluttered in the wind.

As the two gazed into the distance, it seemed as if an invisible hand had slowly lifted a corner of the clouds, and a dazzling ray of sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds like a sharp sword, painting a golden and brilliant glow on the top of the Oak Forest not far away.

"When I was coaching Barca, Lionel Messi was the best player in the world," Guardiola, turning his gaze from the beautiful scenery outside the window to Tang Long. "Now that I'm coaching Manchester City, Tang, you will definitely grow into the best in the world! I have that confidence!"