novelraw Chapter 643 - 445: "If we fail to win the Champions League in the new season, it will be a complete failure!
Chapter 643 - 445: "If we fail to win the Champions League in the new season, it will be a complete failure!
The new Premier League season is about to kick off!
In the 2016 - 17 season, 20 Premier League teams will come together, playing a total of 38 rounds of matches to determine the ultimate winner.
After winning the Community Shield in a penalty shootout, securing the first trophy of the new season,
The expectations for Manchester City to defend their Premier League title this season have soared ever higher!
Already a strong team, Manchester City made several high-profile signings during the summer transfer window and cleared out a significant number of aging players from the squad;
Coupled with the arrival of the legendary possession master Guardiola, this team’s attention has reached an unprecedented height.
People are not only speculating how many rounds in advance Manchester City could win the title— they’re also eagerly anticipating what kind of shocking tactical changes Guardiola might bring to this Premier League rising star, will he really revolutionize the game?
Sky Sports pundit, Premier League legend Henry, was candid in his media interview.
"I worked with Guardiola at Barça for two years, and I’m sure he is the greatest coach in the world!"
"It’s not just about the number of trophies the team wins; he has completely changed football. He’s a coach of revolutionary stature. Playing under Guardiola is indeed exhausting; it’s hard work every day, but every day you learn something new and gain new insights."
"I watched Manchester City’s and Manchester United’s Community Shield match in full, and I have to say, this is far from Manchester City’s true potential, nor is it a complete representation of Guardiola’s tactical philosophy, because the team is just getting started! Watch more games, they will surely surprise us even more!"
When asked who the most threatening player in the Manchester City squad is;
Henry didn’t hesitate to name Tang Long.
"It’s definitely Tang! Of course, you can say that last season Agüero was the top scorer at Manchester City, but with Tang moving from an attacking midfielder to a left winger, he’s closer to the goal and has more shooting space. You’ll definitely see a different Tang this new season!"
Oasis frontman, diehard Manchester City fan Gallagher, also echoed Henry on social media.
He expressed it more plainly and bluntly, just like his musical style—
"I love Tang so much, he’s simply the best in my eyes; I’d even let my wife sleep with him!"
Meanwhile, in the betting odds for the Premier League championship at the start of the season, Manchester City unsurprisingly ranked first.
1. Manchester City 1:1.8
2. Manchester United 1:3.1
3. Chelsea 1:3.8
4. Arsenal 1:5.5
Leading the way, unstoppable!
However, amid the media praises for Manchester City, their old adversary—the right-wing conservative outlet, the Daily Telegraph— predictably took a dissenting stance.
[Manchester City not winning the Champions League this season would be a complete failure!]
"Winning the Premier League twice in three years, with a net transfer spend of 180 million euros this season, the highest in the United Kingdom, plus bringing in the league champion expert Guardiola, the Premier League title for Manchester City is just the basic minimum expectation; getting it wouldn’t be commendable, not getting it would be laughable!"
"Their sole goal is the Champions League! If they don’t get the Champions League, how will they face those Middle Eastern checks, and how will the team report to the owner?"
"Last season in the Champions League, they were eliminated by Bayern due to losing on away goals, which was quite ridiculous~ but let’s not forget, even after Bayern knocked out Manchester City, in the Champions League final against Real Madrid, they were utterly defeated by C Luo’s hat-trick!"
"A team aiming for the Champions League needs, besides overall strength, top-notch players with exceptional individual abilities, like Real Madrid’s C Luo and Barça’s Messi!"
"From what we’ve seen so far, we haven’t found such players at Manchester City."
"Moreover, just from a team’s overall squad perspective, Manchester City compared to Real Madrid and Barça still has a visible gap!"
"Not to mention the historical pedigree in the Champions League, any big club can easily outmatch Manchester City!"
"For Guardiola, taking over Manchester City at this time is absolutely taking on a hot potato; he has no escape route, if he doesn’t win the Champions League this season it will be his failure, as well as the Abu Dhabi Consortium’s failure!"
...
Guardiola and Raymond were sitting in the office, drinking coffee.
The two talked about the Daily Telegraph’s recent articles.
Regarding the notion that not winning the Champions League would be a failure for Manchester City this season, they both shared a knowing smile.
"I’ve heard before, when I was coaching at Barça, that the British media is fierce. Only when I came here did I realize how sharp-tongued they really are." Guardiola laughed.
"Pep, they’re putting you on the grill," Raymond said, "No coach would dare say they are guaranteed to win the Champions League this season, after all, cup competitions are different from leagues; the degree of unpredictability is immense."
The two also discussed Tang Long’s performance and the team’s prospects for the new season.
Both Guardiola and Raymond agreed that Tang Long’s debut as a left winger in the Community Shield was perfect, deserving of a solid ten!
He scored all the goals he should have, controlled the ball where he couldn’t score, looking for passing opportunities and connecting with teammates.
Overall, during that match, Tang Long hardly made any mistakes, perfectly achieving the tactical effect Guardiola hoped for.
Guardiola also told Raymond that even so, Tang Long still has significant potential to be tapped; his specialty is developing young players.
"I believe I’ve seen at most 50% of Tang’s potential; he’s like a gold mine, as long as we persistently dig, there will come a day when we will reap great rewards."
Though very satisfied with Tang Long’s performance, the overall performance of the team was somewhat less impressive.
Although at the post-championship press conference, Guardiola downplayed the negatives, focusing primarily on praising the team’s positive and proactive performances;
Privately, Guardiola and Raymond summarized many issues currently facing the team.
First and foremost, the team’s three midfielders.
Ranocchia, Mkhitaryan (Diego), Gundogan.
This trio, except for Gundogan, who played half a season at Manchester City last season, the other two positions either belong to new signings or Ranocchia, playing midfield for the first time. In general, coordination is still relatively unfamiliar.
So in the match against Manchester United, even though the team scored two goals, those goals were solely due to Tang Long’s extraordinary personal ability, who broke through after cutting inside from the wing, rather than penetrating the middle with a through ball.
In essence, Manchester City’s midfield support for Tang Long is there, but it’s still far from enough!
"Of course, for this matter, I’m not worried. Regardless of how strong, players gathering together need time for adaptation. I believe in another month or two, they will quickly adapt to each other’s characteristics, achieving an optimal synergy. Now, I’m more concerned about Stones!"
Stones cost Manchester City 55 million euros to bring in from Everton.
This 21-year-old English homegrown center-back is also the highest-valued player in the Manchester City squad this season.
Before bringing in Stones, Manchester City’s scout team had tracked this player for two years straight.
Guardiola also very much acknowledges this player’s ability, especially his decent footwork and passing capability considering he also possesses height and defensive coverage.
However, after experiencing being utterly defeated twice by center forward Eevee, Guardiola began to reassess this young local center-back.
"Stones as a ball-playing center-back is absolutely fine, but his one-on-one static defending ability urgently needs enhancement. Although only one Eevee exists in the entire Premier League, if our target is the Champions League, then across Europe, there are several center forwards who could match or even be stronger than Eevee, like Lewandowski, who I once coached; his threat is no less than Eevee’s!"
"If we face Bayern in the Champions League knockout stage, I’m not sure whether Stones can handle Lewandowski."
Thinking of this, Guardiola touched his bald head, suddenly feeling somewhat at a loss.
If not advancing Ranocchia and keeping him as a center-back, from physical conditions, ball-playing level, and defensive experience, the Italian would be superior to Stones.
But to maximize Ranocchia’s defensive and offensive dual advantages in midfield, Guardiola had to reluctantly let him leave the center-back position.
Actually, this adjustment has parallels with Pellegrini’s use of Tang Long last season!
Tang Long, whether as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, or on the forward line, has performed well in all three positions;
Yet to maintain the team’s overall balance, Pellegrini still mostly preferred to place Tang Long as an attacking midfielder or defensive midfielder, rarely putting him on the forward line.
Here, Raymond also showed a troubled expression.
"This is indeed tricky. Within our Manchester City first team coaching staff, there are very few who were top-tier center-backs by profession. Improving personal techniques relies greatly on verbal and hands-on teaching, a person who has never played in a professional league can become an excellent coach, offering the team tactical commands from a macro perspective, but to truly help players markedly improve their individual technical level, it’s crucial to have coaches who are stars from the respective positions."