novelraw Chapter 591 - 401: Collapsed? Conceding 2 Goals in the First Half! Manchester City Stands on the Edge of the Cliff!_2
Chapter 591 - 401: Collapsed? Conceding 2 Goals in the First Half! Manchester City Stands on the Edge of the Cliff!_2
Ronaldo smiled and tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to sit down.
"No rush, the game has just started less than a minute ago. Let’s watch it slowly."
Despite falling behind at the start, Ronaldo still had full confidence that Manchester City could advance.
For no other reason than Tang Long being in Manchester City!
Ronaldo was certain of Tang Long’s strength.
He believed that Manchester City’s overall strength was already higher than Inter Milan, and with Tang Long overseeing the midfield, advancing shouldn’t be a problem.
Luck wouldn’t always be on Inter Milan’s side, against Manchester City.
Moreover, Tang Long had played in the Serie A for a year, so he was definitely familiar with the playstyle of Serie A teams.
After the initial shock from the opening, Manchester City’s players gradually began to adapt to the field conditions.
They found out that there was less water in the center of the pitch, while there was more on the wings, so according to the field conditions, they made corresponding adjustments during movement and passing.
After the adjustments, Manchester City gradually stabilized, slowly controlling the situation of the match and becoming the side with ball control.
And after stealing a goal at the start, Inter Milan also began to retract according to their predetermined tactics, focusing on a defensive counterattack.
However, the field conditions affected Manchester City more than just the slippery grass;
The width of the pitch was reduced from 68 meters to 64 meters, which also made it very uncomfortable for Manchester City players to control the ball!
Do not underestimate this mere 4-meter reduction, as it posed a significant constraint on Manchester City players during their offense.
Cruyff once said, football is an art about space.
He divided the field into a chessboard-like grid, with players as pieces moving between the squares.
The field reduction from 68 meters to 64 meters from a ratio standpoint was merely a 6% reduction.
This 6% might not seem conspicuous, yet it provided Inter Milan with substantial help in defense!
"Good, very good, unbelievably good!"
Inter Milan coach Leno shouted three goods in his heart from the sidelines.
He found that after such a reduction, his team’s formation could draw closer in defense, compressing the distance between the three lines and reducing gaps.
On the other hand, Manchester City’s coach Pellegrini was frowning on the sidelines.
Manchester City’s passing and control tactic was based on passing, utilizing the pitch’s width, moving the ball from left to right, and from right to left, using the shift to maneuver the opponent’s formation.
Commonly known as using the pitch’s width!
An important point in this tactic is that the opponent’s formation must move with the movement of the ball.
Many teams, in static situations, professional players can steadily occupy their positions, maintaining good distance between the three lines, and perform blocking and cutting of routes;
But once they start moving, if any of the 10 players fail to keep up with the collective pace and make a mistake, there will be gaps behind, which is the point Manchester City needs to exploit in their passing and control tactic!
However, as the commander in the midfield, Tang Long found that, due to the field reduction, even if the ball reached the two wings, the damage to the defense player formation of Inter Milan was greatly reduced.
Because they had less running distance than before, but the number of players in defense remained fixed, thus, Inter Milan’s formation was quite compact and hadn’t been stretched open by the passing and control.
Plus, with the bad field conditions, even if Tang Long could skillfully accommodate the field conditions and pass the ball steadily—other players couldn’t do the same.
The 26th minute of the first half.
Tang Long, after receiving Sterling’s cross from the wing, used Kovacic to pass the ball back to the approaching defensive midfielder Delph, then moved forward.
He had great trust in Delph’s vision in midfield, actively seeking to coordinate with Delph.
Delph originally intended to pass the ball directly to Tang Long but found that the Inter Milan players were all packed in the middle, highly dense.
At that moment, he wasn’t confident in his kicking skills and decided to pass the ball back to Sterling, where there were fewer defenders.
But this kick was too big!
He didn’t keep the ball down, and after the ball bounced, it accelerated forward with a zip;
Sterling’s legs weren’t long naturally, he managed to block it, but didn’t stop it well.
As Sterling was about to adjust, Santon extended his long leg and intercepted the ball!
Before the game, Leno communicated a firm defensive counterattacking concept to the team, and emphasized one point: play fewer ground balls and more long balls, play fast if possible, never slow down, as opportunities are fleeting.
Even without Leno’s reminder, with the experience gained from the treble years, Santon could judge the best timing to pass the ball relying on his rich field experience.
Bam!
Santon made a long pass, handing the ball to the wing midfielder Obi!
Obi was a Nigerian player, and last season at Inter Milan, he didn’t have many appearances, it was Tang Long’s assist that ended Obi’s four-year goal drought since joining European football.
That day, in Obi’s village back in Nigeria, fireworks were set off, a bonfire party was held, and villagers of all ages danced around the fire in celebration, with Obi’s father weeping tears of joy.
Due to the lack of big names in Inter Milan this season, young Obi became a rotating starter.