novelraw Chapter 629 - 434: Coach Guardiola Announces New Tactics: Switching to 433! Tang Long to Play as Left Winger!
Chapter 629 - 434: Coach Guardiola Announces New Tactics: Switching to 433! Tang Long to Play as Left Winger!
"As far as I know, Guardiola took a pay cut when he moved from Bayern to Manchester City."
"His annual salary at Bayern was 15 million British Pounds, but at Manchester City it’s reduced to 12 million British Pounds."
"However, Manchester City has provided him with high performance bonuses."
"If Guardiola can lead Manchester City to win the Premier League or Champions League, he will also receive millions of pounds in bonuses."
In Tang Long’s home in Manchester, Dilata was discussing Guardiola’s arrival with him.
Tang Long remarked, "Four years at Barça, three years at Bayern, in just seven years of coaching, he has achieved all club honors possible. Considering this, to make a monetary sacrifice and move to a league he hasn’t been to, then conquer it, he truly is a man of great ambition."
Dilata nodded, "This season, your main task is the Champions League, and City Football Group also has great ambitions. Otherwise, based on what Pellegrini accomplished in these three years, no other club would have fired him."
The two talked about it for a while longer, and Dilata glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up, and prepared to leave.
She stretched out her long, jade-like arms and yawned, saying she had to work overtime at the station to make a documentary about the new season preview.
Tang Long embraced her waist and, with a bit of force, pressed her back down onto the island in the living room.
"Overtime is tiring, afraid you can’t handle it, I must boost your energy in advance."
Dilata, leaning on the island, her black mini skirt was lifted to her slender waist, revealing her straight and smooth long legs, slightly trembling, her face instantly flushed in red, half resisting and half anticipating, her tone coy yet welcoming:
"Again? We’ve been through two rounds already, hehe, you better be gentle..."
Both shy and expectant, a layer of mist veiled her bright blue eyes.
Just as Dilata’s face flushed, she bit her lip waiting to indulge, the doorbell rang abruptly, making the sound particularly jarring in the intimate atmosphere.
Tang Long turned his head to look at the visual telephone screen, goodness, a shiny bald head intruded into sight—
It was Guardiola! Tang Long couldn’t help but gasp, "Hissing..."
Frowning, he pulled Dilata up from the island, helped her lower her skirt, patted her elastic bottom, and gestured towards the door for her to hurry up with her overtime.
"Humph...dog-man!" Dilata, face full of displeasure, grabbed her bag, stomping barefoot to the door, stepped onto her stilettos, and snapped the door open;
In Guardiola’s surprised gaze, she glared at him and then left.
Guardiola stood at the door, subconsciously rubbed his shiny bald head, looking bewildered and embarrassed, unable to decide whether to enter or leave.
It seems his impromptu visit has made him an uninvited guest.
Fortunately, Tang Long warmly invited him inside, even brewed some tea bought from Manchester’s Chinatown to ease the awkwardness.
After officially signing the coaching contract with Manchester City, Guardiola’s first step wasn’t to discuss with the Manchester City management on how to operate the upcoming summer window or configure the squad he desired;
Rather, it was to have a long chat that had been brewing for over half a season, find Tang Long and pour his heart out!
He was just too eager.
He didn’t even have time to ask Tang Long for his phone number, only managed to get the address, and hurriedly drove to his home.
"Perhaps you don’t know, that for today’s conversation, my scout Raymond and I have been preparing for too long!"
Guardiola took out an iPad from his bag and began flipping through it in front of Tang Long.
Tang Long was surprised to find that the scout notes were full of his own name.
Through Guardiola’s explanation, he learned that Guardiola’s scout Raymond had already tracked Manchester City for half a season, practically watching every game from the stands and focusing on Tang Long’s performance!
So, he had been in the spotlight all along!
Of course, there were records of other Manchester City players, but primarily focused on Tang Long himself.
"Tang, I remember, after Manchester City was eliminated by Bayern, I asked if you wanted the Champions League badly? I remember you told me you wanted to win every club honor and also get the Ballon d’Or, do you remember how I replied?"
"That’s right! I said, even if you win the Champions League with Manchester City, the Ballon d’Or won’t be yours, it will be Agüero’s, because you’re not a forward, you don’t score enough goals!"
"Football is just like that; forwards always steal the spotlight, they waste ten chances and seize one, and the world calls them heroes."
"I’ve been tracking you for most of this season. After almost every game, I take ten minutes to dissect your performance with Raymond. We’ve concluded that you absolutely have the potential to become a world-class forward!"
Tang Long looked at the detailed scouting report on the iPad, and his respect for Guardiola increased even more.
Starting preparations for the next season even before joining his new club—this dedication is truly admirable.
And Guardiola also expresses a great deal of professionalism!
During the last few months of coaching Bayern, he remained diligent, not only leading Bayern to win the League Champion but also taking the team to the Champions League final;
Had it not been for C Luo’s divine hat-trick to reverse the game, Guardiola’s three years with Bayern would have been a flawless success story.
"I am interested in becoming a forward, but I want to ask, we already have a top striker, Agüero, on the team. If I also play as a forward, will the team become unbalanced? Would it be beneficial for the overall strength of the team?"
Faced with the question from Tang Long, Guardiola slapped his thigh heavily.
"Kid, that’s a great question!"
"Next season, I am going to adjust the 4-2-3-1 tactic left by Pellegrini and switch to a 4-3-3."
"In my plan, three forwards—you will be on the left, while Agüero can play centrally or on the right."
"As for the midfield issue, you don’t need to worry. Everything is under my plan. What I can tell you now is that Ranocchia will be pushed forward, converted from center-back to midfielder!"
Guardiola is known to be a football fanatic. Once he starts talking about football, he becomes immersed and can’t extricate himself.
He gabbed on incessantly, his mouth like a machine gun, speaking in rapid-fire English with a Spanish accent for over an hour, during which Tang Long barely got a word in.
His focus remains on his possession and control system, but comparison shows jaw-dropping differences.
Tang Long found out that compared to what Pellegrini talked about in daily training, Guardiola’s ideas are very bold, with some innovative tactical thinking never mentioned by Pellegrini.
For example, Guardiola suggested that in his defensive possession system, full-backs should move centrally at the right time to play as midfielders. Tang Long started to imagine how Sagna or Kolarov would perform as midfielders if they moved in and played that role.
As the conversation drew to a close, the sun was setting.
The red sunset, through the wide floor-to-ceiling glass of the living room, shone obliquely on the herringbone wooden floor.
At the end of the discussion, the topic returned to Tang Long playing forward.
"Tang, it’s getting late and I have to go. Before I leave, I want to ask you one last question. Please answer quickly without thinking."
"I ask you, if you were to play as a forward, compared to Agüero, who do you think is stronger?"
Tang Long answered without hesitation that it’s Agüero.
"Aside from height, Sergio possesses everything a top forward needs. He’s fast, good at dribbling, has excellent shooting technique, and his movement is elusive. He is very adept at taking advantage of defenders losing focus to pick up the midfield’s through balls. His stamina is strong, he’s determined, and he’s especially calm when one-on-one. I learned a trick from him when it comes to shooting."
Guardiola nodded repeatedly as he listened.
"You’re right. From your conversation, I found you know your teammate very well, which is a good thing because you’ve provided many assists to Agüero."
"If I were to judge—yes, Agüero’s overall strength at the forward position is indeed better than yours, which can be seen from the number of goals."
Then Guardiola pivoted with a smile and said:
"But in my view, none of that matters, because there’s one aspect where you’re far better than Agüero, leaving him far behind! Just based on this, your future potential as a forward is much higher than his."
"Anticipation—what I want to say is this word, anticipation!"
...
Before leaving, Guardiola laid out expectations for Tang Long in June.
The players will gather for training in July; June is the vacation period for players.
However, Guardiola asked Tang Long to continue maintaining personal training and gave him a contact for a personal coach, mentioning that he had collaborated with this person during his time at Bayern and that he is now at Manchester City.
"You are 182 cm tall, weighing 79 kg. For midfield, this weight is fine, but if you aim to play as a left-winger, I need you to lose about 2 to 3 kilograms. It will keep you agile and be better for your knees!"
"Alright, kid, today’s conversation was very enjoyable. I have to go now. The next time we meet will be in a month. Looking forward to working together in the new season. Goodbye!"