After asking for instructions from the team, he said goodbye to his teammates, and Zhang Kuang went to invite Hong Kong Team's teammates who came to watch the game today to have dinner.
He had to continue preparing for the game three days later and had to go back to make up for the Qi and Blood Points. Therefore, there were no other activities after the meal. After the meal, he sent his teammates off.
Three Britain Study-Abroad Squad girls also prepared a New Year surprise for him, which he really didn't expect when he returned to the hotel.
The surprise is... three new girls have joined. (See the picture at the end of the chapter)
Gee, he likes it very much.
--
Manchester United's winter window operation was dizzyingly fast. "Officially signed forward Javier·Hernández from Mexico Guadalajara, with a transfer fee of 6 million pounds."
On January 2nd, while the joy of the 4-1 away victory over West Brom was still brewing, the official of Manchester United dropped such a heavy bomb.
"The hand speed of Ferguson is faster than the running speed of Zhang Kuang", the title on the front page of "Daily Mail" the next day was quite playful.
What about "The Guardian"?
It was even more direct. "Other clubs are still bargaining with other clubs, but Ferguson has already put the newcomers on the table.
The transfer window has only been open for two days, and Manchester United has completed one in and one out: Hernández was introduced for 7.5 million euros, and Nani transferred to Valencia for 21 million euros.
Once out and in, Manchester United made a net profit of 13.5 million euros, hehe, it's as fast as robbery."
Fan forums exploded.
Someone dug up Ferguson's record of major signings over the years and discovered an interesting phenomenon:
Manchester United coach prefers players under 20 years old, especially those between 18-20 years old.
"Counting, Cristiano Ronaldo is 18 years old, Rooney is 18 years old, Anderson is 19 years old, Nani is 20 years old, Zhang Kuang is 19 years old, and now there is a 22-year-old Hernández. I heard that Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to introduce him as early as a year ago.
When Sir Alex led Class of '92 to sweep Premier League and UEFA Champions League, the average age when he first won Premier League was 20.83 years old, and when he won UEFA Champions League in the 1998-99 season, the average age was only 23.83 years old. So Sir Alex likes young players, preferably those under 20 years old?"
"Well, almost. Maybe Sir Alex thinks that if a player has not shown his ability and talent by the age of 18, then there is no use buying him in his twenties?"
"What about the Van Nistelrooy, Tevez, and Berbatov I bought later? They were all bought when they were at least 23 years old, and Berbatov was already 27 when they were bought."
"So these three people will only be supplements, not the core."
"..."
In Carrington Training Ground, when Zhang Kuang saw Hernández for the first time, Mexico was standing in the middle of the locker room, nodding and greeting every teammate in a friendly manner, like a high school student reporting for duty on the first day.
"Javier? I am Zhang Kuang." He took the initiative to reach out his hand.
Hernández held his hand and grinned, showing his white teeth:
"Hi, Zhang, it's a pleasure to work with you. Please give me more advice in the future. By the way, how do you do the scorpion's tail? I've watched it dozens of times. Please teach me when you have time."
"I'm afraid I can't teach you this. I'm confused." Zhang Kuang shook his head seriously.
"Don't believe him. He has fooled me for three more training sessions. He just won't teach anyone. This kid is hiding it." Rooney poked his head from the side.
Hernández laughed so much that his shoulders shook, and most of his nervousness disappeared.
Zhang Kuang patted him on the shoulder. "Since Sir Alex bought you, you can play with confidence. You are fast and a good mover. Premier League Defenders are most annoyed by your little nimble speed. Come on!"
Hernández's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously. "Thank you!"
Fletcher passed by and said, "Young man, come on!"
Next Hernández was encouraged by all the team members.
January 4, Old Trafford.
The temperature on a winter night is close to freezing, but Theatre of Dreams is still packed with people.
The 73,401 seats are packed tightly in red.
The stands were filled with waving scarves and flags, and the lights cast a dark green sheen on the turf.
Stretford End hung a huge Mexico flag with "Chicharito, welcome to Theatre of Dreams" written in English.
Hernández looked up while warming up on the bench, rubbed his nose, and then waved to the stands.
In the Sky Sports live broadcast room, Martin·Tyler and Rob·Hawthorn are doing pre-game warm-ups in front of the camera.
Martin·Tyler opened the information. "Viewers, welcome to the 22nd round of Premier League in the 2010-11 season. Manchester United faces Stoke City at home. Manchester United is now at the top of the list, far ahead, and the lead is not just a little bit."
Rob answered, "Yes, look at Stoke City, who has 8 wins, 3 draws and 10 losses in 21 rounds and accumulated 27 points, ranking 9th, a mid-table position. This is far from Manchester United.
But this team has a very unique characteristic: they are the team with the most header goals in Premier League, no one.
In addition, there is Delap, who throws the foul ball... more accurately than a grenade. Therefore, Premier League and other teams call it a 'grenade tactic', which is indeed the image."
Martin·Tyler laughed and said, "Haha... Speaking of the player Delap, I saw an interesting information two days ago. He has created more than a dozen shooting opportunities this season just by relying on throw-ins.
Think about it, everyone, how outrageous it is that a throw-in ball can be used as a corner kick or a cross.
Back to Manchester United, Ferdinand is missing today, Vidić is bringing Smalling, so the two of them need to be more energetic."
"In addition, Manchester United still made some big moves today. For example, new aid Hernández entered the roster. This guy Mexico was signed into the roster just after signing in the winter window. It seems that the Jazz have high expectations for him.
And...Nani is really gone, Valencia has officially announced it, 21 million euros.
This is really unexpected. People said that he had conflicts with Zhang Kuang, but Manchester United sent him away directly. Manchester United did this with great force." Rob added.
Martin: "Nani's incident has actually been foreshadowed for a long time. His relationship with Ferguson, Zhang Kuang, and others has not been easy to deal with in the past six months.
However, the price given to Valencia is actually quite fair. After Zhang Kuang comes, Nani's playing time has been greatly compressed. It would be good for both parties if he leaves."
Rob: "Talking back to today's game, Zhang Kuang has been in a very hot state recently, turning purple and black. He scored two goals and provided two assists against West Brom.
Stoke City Coach Pulis said the truth before the game: 'If one person can't guard him, just use two people. If two people can't guard him, then three people.' Today Zhang Kuang will probably have to enjoy the super VIP treatment of being double-teamed."
"The question is: can it really be defended even if there are three people on it? West Brom doesn't have many people on it? Even if there were three people surrounding him on the court, he wouldn't be able to score two goals. I would like to see what moves Pulis used today." Martin shook his head.
On the other side, at the other end of the world, BJ, CCTV-5 studio, He Wei and Xu Yang are also warming up.
He Wei: "Dear viewers, the New Year's Day holiday is not over yet, right? But we are ushering in a new round of Manchester United's Premier League.
One thing to watch in today's game is that Manchester United's new player, Mexico's Hernández, has entered the squad. This 22-year-old Mexico forward is nicknamed 'Little Pea'. It is said that he moves like a ghost and shoots calmly. He is an assassin-type forward.
I don't know if Sir Ferguson will arrange for his debut today, it's worth looking forward to."
Xu Yang: "In addition to what you mentioned, Stoke City's head coach Pulis said something before the game: 'Manchester United is not scary, but Zhang Kuang alone is scary.'
Listening to what he meant, Pulis is probably going to use some super strategy to deal with Zhang Kuang today. I estimate that as soon as Zhang Kuang gets the ball, there will be at least two people surrounding him."
He Wei laughed, "Two people? I'm afraid it's not enough. West Brom sent three people on that scene, but they couldn't stop it. Let's see how Pulis responds to this situation today."
Xu Yang: "Well...Stoke City's style of play is very simple: long passes, plus bombing with throw-in balls. Delap's extravagance with throw-in balls can start from The sideline was thrown directly into the small penalty area, like a cannonball, which is more difficult for the goalkeeper to handle than a corner kick. Manchester United Young goalkeeper Kuszczak starts today, he must be ready to catch the 'grenade'."
In the players tunnel, the cold air likes to drill holes like this. It is so cold that it gives people goosebumps.
Berbatov stood in the queue, stamping his feet and moving his ankles, rubbing his hands, and the white air he exhaled drifted away under the light.
Zhang Kuang put his hands in his jersey pockets and looked at Berbatov's actions with a cold eye, his eyes showing the emotion of 'a young man laughing at an old man's physical weakness'.
The referee Clattenburg walked at the front and after confirming that the players from both teams were in place, he then waved his hand and led the team out of the tunnel.
As soon as the team came out of the tunnel, Old Trafford exploded. After waiting for so long, the people finally came out.
The song of "GloryGloryManUnited" was like a roar from the sky, with 70,000 people singing in unison, making the walls of the passage tremble.
Hernández was sitting on the bench wrapped in a thick coat, looking at the turf of the stadium that was illuminated by the lights, and tightened the zipper of the coat on his knees with both hands.
Martin began to introduce the starting lineup of both sides, "Let's take a look at Stoke City's starting lineup today. Today's lineup is a 4-5-1 formation. Goalkeeper No. 1 Begović, In the defense, No. 28 Wilkinson is the right back, No. 4 Huth and No. 17 Shawcross partner at center back, and No. 5 Collins is the left back.
Five midfielders: No. 24 Delap right wing, No. 12 Mark·Wilson and No. 18 Whitehead center, 2 No. 0 Tuncay plays in the attacking midfield, No. 26 Etherington plays on the left wing. The single arrow is No. 9 Ken Wayne·Jones."
Rob answered, "Stoke City has a complete lineup, all the main players are there, and there are no disabled people. Huth and Shawcross are two central defenders who are over 1.9 meters tall and specialize in guarding against high-altitude balls.
Delap's 'grenade' must have been thrown into the Manchester United penalty area more than a dozen times today, right? Pulis's Stoke City, I don't know if Manchester United can succeed today by relying on his body and high altitude."
Martin turned to the Manchester United lineup. "Manchester United still ranked 4-3-3 today, goalkeeper No. 29 Kuszczak, Van der Sar is out with the flu.
Defense line: No. 21 Rafael right back, No. 15 Vidić and No. 12 Smalling partner as central defender, No. 3 Evra left back.
The three midfielders: No. 28 Gibson, No. 24 Fletcher, and No. 11 Giggs. The front trident: No. 10 Rooney is on the right, No. 9 Berbatov is in the center, and No. 33 Zhang Kuang is on the left."
Rob·Hawthorne: "Manchester United also has a rotation today. Ferdinand has a back injury and cannot play. Van der Sar has a cold and is resting. The Trident is unstoppable in the starting lineup. The performance of Manchester United's Trident in this half of the season is so horrific that it feels unreal.
Sitting on the bench is Hernández, who is on standby for his Manchester United debut. In addition, Carrick, Anderson, and Obertan are also on the bench."
The referee Clattenburg looked at his watch and held the whistle in his mouth.
"Beep!"
The Hawthorns... No, the whistle of Old Trafford blew, and the noise of 70,000 people instantly escalated to a higher level.
Stoke City formed an extremely tight formation as soon as the ball kicked off.
The two tall central defenders Huth and Shawcross are stuck in the penalty area. Wilkinson and Collins are very close to the inside, and the two wings are barely pressing.
The entire Stoke City half was like a tightened net, and the Manchester United frontcourt trident hit the wall as soon as it advanced to the 30-meter area.
Pulis stood on the sidelines, with his hands in his coat pockets, staring at the court expressionlessly. What he said before the game is true: if three people can't do it, then four people, today we are here to strangle.
Zhang Kuang felt what "making dumplings" means when he first touched the ball.
In the 3rd minute, Evra took the ball from the left and passed it to Giggs who was retreating to respond. Giggs found Zhang Kuang with a cross kick.
The moment Zhang Kuang turned his back to catch the ball, Wilkinson blocked it from behind, Delap came from the left, and Huth even retreated from the front court to the ribs to help defend.
The three figures were like three door panels closing at the same time, leaving no room for him to even turn around.
"Three people! As soon as Zhang Kuang gets the ball, three people gather around him!" Martin·Tyler shouted.
Zhang Kuang's mind is spinning very fast.
Hard breakthrough? All three directions are blocked.
Return pass? Then this wave of offense has to be reworked.
How long will it take to grind again and again?
Then there is only one way: crash out.
His left shoulder sank and he made a feint, and Delap's center of gravity shifted half an inch.
In this half-inch gap, Zhang Kuang exerted force, and his right shoulder violently resisted Wilkinson's push, and the whole person squeezed out of the gap like a bullet.
Wilkinson reached out and grabbed a handful of the jersey, but the moment the red jersey slipped from his fingertips, he only touched a handful of air.
"Crashed over! Zhang Kuang used his body to open a path and forced a breakthrough!" Rob Hawthorn's voice rose in pitch.
Zhang Kuang stabilized his center of gravity while staggering, lifted the outside instep of his left foot, and the ball drew an arc, passed over Huth's head, and accurately landed on Berbatov's running route at the front of the penalty area.
Berba turned sideways to meet the ball, stopped with his left foot, half-turned his body, and volleyed with his right foot.
The whole set of movements was as smooth as gliding on the water. The ball went straight to the lower left corner with fierce spin.
Begović flew to make a save, his fingertips could hold him, and the ball missed the post and flew out of the baseline.
"Wow!!" All 70,000 people in the audience exclaimed in unison, and the sound was like a wall suppressing them.
Berbatov put his hands on his hips and shook his head, giving a thumbs up to Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang jogged towards the penalty area, ready to receive the corner kick. Wilkinson and Delap exchanged glances from behind, with expressions that read "How the hell can we defend against this?"
Pulis took his hand out of his coat pocket and rubbed his chin, his brows furrowed.
In the 4th minute, Giggs took a corner kick.
The ball flew in an inward arc towards the center of the penalty area. Zhang Kuang had just taken off and was preparing to compete for the top. Huth hugged his waist from behind, and Shawcross pressed his chest from the front. The two of them, one behind the other, pinched him in the air.
Zhang Kuang lost his balance and fell sideways to the ground.
At the same time, Rooney rushed up from behind and hit the goal with a header. The ball missed the left post and flew out of the baseline.
"A hug! His action is obviously a hug!" Zhang Kuang got up from the ground, spread his hands and shouted to Clattenburg, "He hugged my waist! Can't you see?"
Clattenburg waved his hand to indicate that the game should continue.
Zhang Kuang cursed and kicked the turf. Rooney ran over and pulled his arm. "Forget it, Premier League The referee is so virtuous, don't get ahead of him, it's not worth it to get a card later."
Zhang Kuang took a deep breath, shouted "lower the ball" to Giggs, turned around and ran back.
Martin: "Wow, um, Huth did commit a wrestling violation, but... hmm, maybe this is Premier League."
Rob: "I have to say that in order to restrict Zhang Kuang, Stoke City has already used extreme measures."
Martin: "However, this method is okay once, but if you use it again, you will really lose your money."
He Wei: "Huth hugged and threw Stoke City. Isn't this a foul? Isn't this a foul?"
Xu Yang: "Clattenbur let Huth go, but I'm afraid I won't be so lucky next time."
In the 9th minute, Manchester United spent two minutes in Stoke City's half, but could not break through the dense defense line.
Huth and Shawcross are like two moving walls, being pushed out every time a cross is made.
Fletcher picked up the ball in the center circle and looked left and right but couldn't find the ball release point, so he was a little hesitant.
Zhang Kuang observed the left winger position for a few seconds and suddenly began to retreat, retreating from the front line to near the midfield and raising his hand for the ball.
Fletcher's eyes lit up and he immediately pushed it over.
"Zhang Kuang retreated to get the ball! He brought out the defensive player!" Martin·Tyler keenly captured this change.
Sure enough, Wilkinson, Delap and Whitehead surrounded them like sharks smelling blood, and a large gap was instantly opened in the middle.
Just when they were about to close up, Zhang Kuang lifted the outside instep of his right foot, and the ball drew an arc across the entire court and landed accurately at the feet of Rooney, who was in the middle of the gap on the right.
"Outside instep transfer! This view! This footwork..." Rob Hawthorn shouted.
Rooney stopped the ball with his chest. The ball bounced in front of him. He raised his right foot and hit it directly. The ball blasted towards the goal like a cannonball. Begović blocked the ball out of the baseline with both fists.
"Begović again! Two great saves in a row!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Manchester United has great threats in these two attacks, but Stoke City goalkeeper is in great shape today."
Zhang Kuang was panting in the distance with his hands on his hips, but the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
Are you surrounding me? Then Rooney is missing.
In the 10th minute, Manchester United corner kick.
Zhang Kuang started "walking the dog" in the penalty area, rushing left and right, leading Huth and Shawcross to run around the penalty area. The two tall central defenders were distracted by him.
Giggs's corner kick flew to the center, Rooney moved forward from the back point to rush forward, but Begović punched the ball in advance.
Zhang Kuang clapped his hands in the crowd and shouted to Giggs, "Shorter!" Giggs gave a thumbs up.
In the 11th minute, Stoke City made its first threat.
Manchester United's corner kick was cleared. Tuncay took the ball from the left and made a precise pass. Ken Wayne·Jones jumped high in the penalty area and pressed Vidić for a header. The ball rubbed Vidić's head and missed the right post.
"Stoke City's counterattack is coming!" Martin·Tyler said, "This is how they play: one or two passes can lead to a shot. Manchester United's defense was not fully handled this time, and Vidić was overwhelmed."
After Vidić landed, he patted Smalling on the shoulder, whispered a few words, and the two of them showed their positions.
Ferguson was chewing gum faster on the coaching bench. He shouted something to the court and made a "tighten" gesture with his hands.
In the next ten minutes, Manchester United's ball possession rate once exceeded 70%, but it could not penetrate the Stoke City penalty area.
The two big men Huth and Shawcross were like two iron towers. Every pass they made was accurately pushed out. Zhang Kuang tried an inward cut to hit the goal, and the ball hit Huth's legs and bounced out of the baseline.
Rooney tried a long shot, Begović held it firmly.
The situation on the field was a bit dull.
Zhang Kuang was running back and forth on the left side. Every time he caught the ball, two people would catch the ball and he could not get it back.
He could feel that Stoke City players were becoming more and more bold in their defensive moves. Wilkinson pushed him from behind several times, and Delap even stepped on his heels directly.
Zhang Kuang said nothing, but his eyes became cold.
In the 27th minute, the deadlock was broken by a heel.
Rooney takes the ball on the right and faces Collins.
He was not in a hurry to break through, he stepped on the ball and made a fake move of dribbling the ball laterally.
Just as Collins's center of gravity was shaken open, Rooney suddenly knocked his heel, and the ball passed between Collins's legs.
"Heel! Rooney This heel pass is so imaginative!" Martin·Tyler shouted.
Rafael came in from the right back position and swept the low ball towards the penalty area.
Berbatov was originally standing near the penalty spot. The moment Rafael took off his feet, he suddenly started to move diagonally from the back to the front. His movement was ghostly like a shadow.
He gently blocked the Huth behind him with his hand, regained half of his body, led with his right foot, turned around and shot low into the far corner.
The ball rolled against the wet turf into the lower right corner of the goal.
1:0.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Berbatov!" Martin·Tyler's voice broke, Manchester United"Manchester United leads 1 to 0! Rooney's heel pass, Rafael's insertion, Berba's ghostly movement, every aspect of this offense is perfect!"
Berbatov ran towards the corner flag area, spreading his hands flat, his expression still as lazy as "Look, I said you can enter."
Zhang Kuang was the first one to rush over, jump on his back and pat his head hard. "You scored one! Pay what you owe me!" Rooney ran over and the three of them high-fived.
On the bench, Hernández stood up and applauded, staring at the court with bright eyes.
Ferguson just patted his palms twice, but did not stop chewing gum.
Of course he was happy when it was 1-0, but a team like Stoke City would kick back if they fell behind, and the game was far from over.
As expected, Stoke City seemed to have been poked into a hornet's nest after losing the ball, and they wanted to take revenge.