novelraw Chapter 587 - 398 Ferguson: Tang is a great player, even during my tenure, we were defeated twice!_2
Chapter 587 - 398 Ferguson: Tang is a great player, even during my tenure, we were defeated twice!_2
Kolarov seized the opportunity and also began to cut inside, taking advantage of Toure and Ranocchia pulling away the opposing players, and positioned himself at the defensive midfield spot.
With this maneuver, Tang Long found the middle open, and Kolarov passed the ball to him, immediately starting to move forward again.
This surge by the three defenders was like three rushing streams suddenly flooding the field, driving the movement of other players.
Tang Long knew that there was no reason to slow down at this moment; the entire formation was moving forward, and he had to make good use of this wave, for if missed, his teammates’ stamina would decline, possibly missing the second chance.
The attack was initiated from the left flank, and Tang Long decided to engage Navas on the right.
He dribbled towards Navas, drawing a Manchester United player’s defense, then nudged the ball to him.
Having previously coordinated on the wing with Tang Long, Navas, still a traditional Spanish winger who liked to run towards the middle, realized after that goal that forming one-twos with Tang Long was a better tactic.
He continued to bring the ball to the byline, intending to send a cut-back pass to Tang Long’s position.
Once again, it was that spot, the right side of the penalty area!
While everyone was watching what decision Tang Long would make after receiving the ball, he suddenly stepped forward, took a step towards the ball, and, with his heel, nudged it behind him—
The ball slowly rolled towards the top of the penalty arc.
This pass left Manchester City’s players momentarily stunned.
That spot was open, no one was there!
Just when everyone thought it was an inadvertent pass error by Tang Long.
A hulking black figure, standing at 1.9 meters tall, charged up with heavy footsteps, panting heavily.
"Clear out of my way!"
Toure shouted violently, with Agüero and Sterling quickly moving aside.
They knew Toure was going for a long shot!
Although Tang Long had his back to Toure, with the AI computing power used during the attack, he had already anticipated Toure’s advance.
But Toure wasn’t fast, so Tang Long intentionally nudged the ball slowly and leisurely towards the middle; never mind the ball’s slow pace, it just aligned perfectly with Toure’s advancing stride.
Toure covered the ground in three strides, stepping up before Carrick could block, and unleashed a powerful shot with the instep!
The shot was a black tornado, and De Gea was well-prepared on the goal line. He anticipated Toure’s intent, seeing that he wanted to strike with the instep and predicting the shot’s trajectory.
But Toure’s instep shot was formidable and powerful, delivering sheer force!
De Gea extended his long arms, and his palm touched the ball, only to feel a sharp pain, like his wrist might dislocate. The ball slapped his palm, bounced off the goalpost, and returned to the penalty area.
When Toure took the shot, everyone stood frozen, except Agüero, lurking on the offside line, accurately judged his position relative to the defenders and rushed forward.
Opportunities are always for the prepared, and coincidentally, the ball bounced right in front of Agüero, who struck easily, accepting the open goal!
2:0!
Seeing Agüero score twice, Icardi was first stunned, then slapped his own face repeatedly.
Slap slap slap slap!
If not for the astonished Manchester United substitutes pulling him back, Icardi might have slapped his face into a pig’s head.
"Two goals, two goals!"
Icardi lamented endlessly, his cries so miserable.
Even on the broadcast, the fans watching the live game could hear, which sparked some surprise: Hey, who’s crying?
The teammates on Manchester United’s bench thought Icardi was frustrated that the team was two goals behind Manchester City.
The teammates tried to comfort Icardi, saying there were still eight rounds in the league; even if we lost this match, there was still hope.
But they didn’t know that Icardi’s mention of two goals wasn’t about Manchester United being two goals down to Manchester City away, making the League Champion distant;
Instead, in the real-time updated Premier League top scorers’ list, he was already two goals behind Agüero!
Two goals!
From leading by three goals to trailing by two, Agüero caught up with five goals in just a few matches!
With the rival for the Golden Boot rising strongly, while he remained stagnant, Icardi was very unwilling.
Not to mention the European Golden Boot, at this rate, my Premier League Golden Boot might fly away, ah...
Once this goal was scored.
Sir Alex Ferguson, resting in his country villa in the Scottish countryside, sighed, and with trembling hands, turned off the TV.
In the previous Manchester Derby, Manchester United suffered a 1:7 thrashing against Manchester City at home.
Sir Alex was invited to watch from a VIP box at Old Trafford.
That match made him dizzy and he even ended up in an ambulance.
Although there was no serious harm afterward, it left Old Sir with lingering fear!
So, although he got another ticket from Manchester United this time, he repeatedly refused, saying he didn’t dare attend the match in person.
After turning off the TV, he half-lay on the sofa, clutching his chest, grateful he didn’t watch live.
Though a 0:2 score seemed much better compared to the first leg’s 1:7.
If Old Sir witnessed Icardi’s two stunts in person, he might have fainted again.
"Is Van Gaal really up to the task," his wife said, placing a plate of strawberries on the coffee table, "losing 1:9 total in two games. If you were still the head coach at Manchester United, such a ludicrous gap would never have happened."
Ferguson waved a tired hand.
When Manchester United was thrashed by their city rivals in the first leg, many media questioned Van Gaal’s coaching ability, feeling he was far inferior to Ferguson.
Some even called for Sir Alex to return to save the team.
But after watching the second-leg encounter, Ferguson felt it was a moot point.
"Dear, don’t you see? It’s not about which manager is in charge; even if Pellegrini and Van Gaal switched places, the result would be the same."
"The key is that player Tang at Manchester City! If Tang were at Manchester United, it wouldn’t be Manchester City completing the double, but us!"
Upon hearing this, his wife was surprised.
"That can’t be. You’ve always told me all these years that a team is not about one player, but team effort. How can one player bring such a dramatic change to a team?"
Ferguson replied, "One player? No! Although Tang is a single player, his presence on the field can influence the entire team’s changes, that’s his greatness!"
He adjusted his glasses, muttering to himself.
"A great player, Tang, he’s truly a great player..."
The match ended!
Manchester City defeated their opponent 2-0 at home, achieving a season double over Manchester United.
They opened up a 5-point gap on the league table.
Mancini and Chiwo walked off together, and on the way, after discussing the performances of English players like Sterling, Rashford, and Lingard, the topic naturally shifted to Tang Long.
"Their second-leg Champions League match against Inter is about to start, Christian, what do you think are Inter’s chances?"
"Unless they completely neutralize Tang, their chances are at most 20%, but sending multiple players to defend Tang creates openings for other Manchester City players, which is exactly what Pellegrini hopes for, so it’s up to how Leno sets up his plan."
Mancini smirked, remembering Leno’s demeanor, and felt disdainful.
"Leno? What trick can this useless guy possibly pull?"
Chiwo said, "Not necessarily, in the first leg, they held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw, crucially securing an away goal. If they resolutely keep a 0-0 stalemate, Inter can advance."