Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions

Chapter 866 599: Teammates Chickened Out, Tang Long: "Put Me In, I'll Teach Manchester United a Lesson." (Part 2)

Compared to Pellegrini, Guardiola is of a higher caliber and doesn't have that Chilean's mentality for revenge.

So, when people saw Manchester City's starting lineup on the field, everyone was surprised.

- "Oh, why isn't Tang Long starting? This match isn't worth watching now."

- "It's not strange for Tang Long not to start, but Aguero not starting seems a bit too much."

- "Ranocchia isn't playing, Gundogan is also resting, who'll control the midfield for Manchester City?"

- "None of that matters, the key is the main defensive captain might not be starting either, this is really underestimating Manchester United."

- "That's right, apart from Kompany, no one in this Manchester City team can physically handle Ibrahimovic."

- "It looks like Guardiola is giving up this match, handing Manchester United an FA Cup title for free."

- "That's not necessarily true, even with player rotations, the team's playing style remains the same, furthermore Bonazzoli, Sane, Delph, Mkhitaryan, Otamendi, these rotating players aren't lacking in prowess, they could even be starters at Manchester United."

Even so, after the start, although Manchester City still firmly controlled the attacking initiative, the ball mostly circulated under their feet, within their rhythm shifts.

But missing the ball-playing center-back Stones and the rhythm controller Ranocchia at the pivot, Manchester City's backfield passes found it hard to avoid Manchester United's intense pressing at the start, appearing quite troublesome instead.

Especially for Kolarov, the Serbian who replaced Stones as center-back for the first time this season, was playing quite awkwardly in this position.

Although he and Stones are both left-footed players, Kolarov has long run around the flanks making crosses; the last time he played center-back was the season he first joined Manchester City filling in for two matches temporarily.

It's been 7 years since then, and he seems quite rusty.

"Just mark him tightly!"

The keen Ibrahimovic wouldn't miss this opportunity naturally.

Ten years ago, while Ibrahimovic was playing for Inter, he had intense physical battles with Kolarov, who was then playing for Lazio.

The two had multiple conflicts because of it, receiving many yellow cards from each other.

Seeing Kolarov playing somewhat awkwardly in the center-back role and hesitating with passes after getting the ball, Ibrahimovic decisively rushed up!

Perhaps that frustrating season made Ibrahimovic's emotions erupt, giving him an adrenaline rush.

Though he was bulky and not quick to move, he actually sprinted out with pace in those few steps that even Icardi couldn't reach before!

Kolarov didn't notice Ibrahimovic approaching until he stretched out his leg to pass, kicking air, when he suddenly realized Ibrahimovic extended his foot and hooked the ball between his legs, making him exclaim "Ah!".

This steal greatly boosted Ibrahimovic's spirit, making his subsequent moves more contextually natural;

Turning around, he drove the ball into the penalty area.

Faced with another defender, Otamendi, coming to block, he instantly launched a powerful shot and scored!

Just 8 minutes into the match, Manchester United unexpectedly took the lead, this start could not have been anticipated before the match began.

The Manchester United fans at Wembley Stadium erupted in cheers like waves!

"Zlatan!!!"

If merely getting an early lead wasn't enough to bring hope for victory to Manchester United fans, then seeing Manchester City's starting lineup and Kolarov's form, at least over half of the Manchester United fans believed their chances of winning the match were quite high.

After all, Manchester City also needed to be mindful of their Champions League final against Real Madrid.

"What's Kolarov doing, sleepwalking?" exclaimed Chiwo in urgency.

"It's okay, he knows what to do," Guardiola clearly trusted this veteran from Eastern Europe.

Fortunately, Kolarov didn't betray his coach's trust, quickly adjusted his state, and made his passing more decisive.

Once his passing improved, Manchester City's backfield transitions became smoother.

But even so, the lack of Ranocchia's linkage and Gundogan's coordination meant Mkhitaryan and Diego struggled to work together effectively.

Plus the youngster Bonazzoli missed a perfect header opportunity right in front of the goal, in the first half, aside from Ibrahimovic's early solo strike there, both teams created very few chances.

Tang Long saw this scene and scratched his head, thinking to himself: "Although Manchester City is strong now, at least one of Aguero or I needs to be on the frontline, or else without a good finisher, City will find it hard to score."

Sure enough, five minutes into the second half, Guardiola substituted Bonazzoli and brought on Aguero.

Bonazzoli walked to the bench dejectedly, said nothing, and simply started drinking water in silence.

For him, this match should have been a great opportunity to showcase himself; not every player gets a stage in a stadium of 90,000 seats, but he didn't seize it, missing a sure goal.

Tang Long patted his shoulder and comforted him:

"Don't be discouraged, watch closely how Aguero plays, and learn from him."

Once Aguero was on the field, clearly his range of activities was much larger than Bonazzoli's.

In one of the second-half attacks, Tang Long was pointing to Bonazzoli, analyzing Aguero's runs, yet his gaze inadvertently shifted to Gracie by the touchline.