Chapter 239 Returning to the Weser Stadium, a special gift from old teammates!

"I heard that your team has had problems recently?"

Before leaving for Bremen, Lin Quan received a call from Guardiola.

Guardiola has been very busy recently with a lot of things happening at Bayern, which is why he has delayed calling Lin Quan until now.

"Well, a little bit."

Lin Quan answered truthfully that Manchester City’s problems were no secret in the UK and it would probably not take long for the news to spread to Germany.

On the other end of the phone, Guardiola heard Lin Quan's answer and said, "Do you have time to come to Munich after the Champions League?"

"good!"

Lin Quan didn't ask what he was going to do in Munich. Based on his understanding of Guardiola, Guardiola would not do such a meaningless thing.

"Play well in the Champions League, come on!"

"You too, don't lose to Mourinho at home!"

"Haha, don't worry, I have prepared a surprise for Chelsea, I believe they will like it!"

Guardiola looked confident, as if Kroos' departure did not have much impact on his team.

I don’t know if he is pretending or if he really has some special tricks.

On February 18, all Manchester City players arrived in the northern German city of Bremen by plane.

After more than half a year, Lin Quan and De Bruyne returned to the city again.

The difference is that they had previously played for Werder Bremen at the Weser Stadium wearing the green jerseys of the Parrot Army.

But today, they will step onto the Weser Stadium as opponents.

This made both of them feel a little complicated.

"Do you think they'll boo us?"

De Bruyne asked with some concern.

He doesn't have deep feelings for Chelsea, but he has some very good memories here at Werder Bremen, so he is very worried about hearing the boos from the home fans.

"Don't worry, no, I believe they won't do that!"

Lin Quan patted De Bruyne on the shoulder and walked out of the airport passage with him.

“Here they come!”

"Forest!"

"De Bruyne!"

“Welcome home!”

As soon as I walked out of the airport passage, I heard a noise coming from outside.

The two looked up and saw thousands of fans coming to the airport to greet them.

But these fans were not wearing Manchester City's blue jerseys, but the green jerseys representing the home team.

If you look closely, you can even see that they are wearing Werder Bremen's jerseys from last season, with the number 10 and number 6 being the most common.

Seeing this scene, Lin Quan and De Bruyne were stunned.

They never thought that they would enjoy such treatment here when they returned to Werder Bremen.

The two looked at each other, and their previous worries instantly disappeared.

It seems that they won't hear any boos at the Weser Stadium.

"Lin, don't show mercy on the field. Even if Werder Bremen falls in the Champions League knockout stage, they will die standing!"

"Although we are not as strong as you, don't underestimate us. We are the invincible Parrot Army!"

Such words could be heard constantly as the two signed autographs and took photos with the fans who came to the scene to welcome them.

Obviously, they also know that returning to the Weser Stadium as former Werder Bremen players will cause trouble for the team's former twin stars.

So we hope that this method can relieve their pressure and allow them to perform at their best in the game, even when they are facing their own team!

What a considerate group of fans! The two were very touched and patiently signed autographs and took photos with every fan at the scene to thank them for their support.

"Are Lin and his team so popular in Werder Bremen? I heard that Bremen is just a small team!"

Aguero, who was scolded by Atletico fans, felt incredible after seeing this scene.

"When Lin and his team were together, Werder Bremen was a title contender that could compete with Bayern Munich. Now they have become a relegation team. The fans naturally miss them!"

David Silva did not find it strange. Unlike Aguero who fiercely opposed the team by refusing training and then left, Lin Quan and De Bruyne both left the team normally after their loan expired. The fans naturally would not blame them.

…

Although Werder Bremen fans showed goodwill to Lin Quan and De Bruyne, the German media were not polite at all to Manchester City.

At the pre-match press conference, a German reporter asked Pellegrini bluntly:

"Mr. Pellegrini, your team has not won in three Premier League games. If they lose to Werder Bremen in this round, will you resign?"

German journalists are hostile to Manchester City, partly because they visit as opponents in the Champions League.

On the other hand, it is directly related to Manchester City’s status as a wealthy family.

Most of the Bundesliga teams are membership clubs. The team does not belong to any one person but to the fans.

Thanks to the membership system, their finances are very healthy, but this also means that they will not have too much money to invest in transfers.

Therefore, many law-abiding Germans have a certain hostility towards Manchester City, an outlier that is built on money rather than honor and accumulation.

In their view, this is clearly not a healthy operating model.

"My team will win away from home, so your question is invalid!"

Pellegrini glanced at the German reporter and replied coldly.

"If you lose, will you resign?"

The reporter refused to give in and vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.

Pellegrini was very angry and walked out, ending the press conference early.

Reporters used their cameras to capture his back as he left in frustration, and had already thought of the headlines for tomorrow's news.

As long as Manchester City loses, Pellegrini will inevitably be criticized by major media.

Pellegrini, who was under tremendous pressure, was meticulous when arranging training.

He stood on the sidelines, staring at the players on the training ground, wondering what he was thinking.

"The coach seems to be in a bad mood!"

Aguero took advantage of Pellegrini's inattention and secretly said to Lin Quan.

Lin Quan glanced at the serious head coach standing on the sidelines, nodded slightly and said, "The coach must be under a lot of pressure. We have to play well in this game and strive to win. Only in this way can we dispel the doubts from the outside world."

Manchester City has not won in three games, and there has been increasing criticism from the outside world.

Instead of wasting time arguing with the outside world at this time, it is better to train well and strive to respond to the outside world's doubts with a beautiful victory.

As professional players, we all understand this principle.

"Well, if we win this game, it will be easier to play at home next time. But then again, Lin, you won't let us win, right?"

Aguero stared at Lin Quan with suspicion. Facing his old club, which was very good to him, he really had the guts to do it! "Don't doubt my professional ethics. Going all out is the greatest respect for Werder Bremen!"

If Lin Quan had any concerns in his heart before coming to Bremen.

After experiencing the scene of picking up fans at the airport, all his worries were put to rest.

February 19th, Weser Stadium.

Before the game started, Lin Quan and De Bruyne went to the home team's locker room.

Lin Quan gave each of his old teammates an exquisite watch. Not only the old teammates got one, but also the club staff.

He got a youth team contract last year and his salary was not high, so he didn't give any decent gifts to his teammates when he left.

Now that I have money this time, I naturally have to make it up.

"Well done, kid. You are really different after going to Manchester City. Fifty watches, that must cost a lot of money, right?"

Arnautovic was amazed at Lin Quan's generosity.

The old captain Fritz laughed and said, "It's not cheap. This watch costs at least 30,000 Euros!"

Fritz's words attracted everyone's attention. Arnautovic was shocked and exclaimed: "My goodness, isn't that almost equal to my annual salary?"

Phil Kruger nodded repeatedly, "That's equivalent to my salary for two years!"

Peterson's eyes lit up: "Brother Lin, is Manchester City's salary so high? Do you think I have a chance..."

Milic knocked Peterson on the head and said to him bluntly: "Manchester City only buys top stars. You, a Bayern Munich player, should stop daydreaming!"

Peterson held his head and said aggrievedly: "Everyone must have some dreams, right? If you don't have any dreams, aren't you no different from a salted fish?"

Schaff clapped his hands to stop the team members from making jokes:

"Well, if you have a dream, then perform well in this game and try to score a goal against Manchester City. Then they might take a fancy to you!"

"Okay, boss, just watch me. I feel like I can complete a hat trick today!"

"Haha, just go ahead and brag. If you can complete three shots, you'll be considered successful!"

"I'll give you a tip. When you get on the court, yell 'Lin Ge, pass the ball!' Maybe you can trick Lin Quan into passing the ball to you. Then you might have a chance!"

"What a great idea, you're really a genius!"

…

Lin Quan and De Bruyne looked at each other. This group of teammates was still the same as when they left, just as happy and funny.

The game time soon arrived when Lin Quan and De Bruyne walked through the player tunnel and arrived at the Weser Stadium.

There was a huge cheer from the scene! "Lin!"

"De Bruyne!"

The home fans stood up and applauded and cheered for the two.

Although the two are no longer wearing the green jerseys of Werder Bremen, the fans are still very grateful for the championship trophies and wonderful memories they left for everyone last season.

When the fans stood up collectively, the Werder Bremen players on the field also took out the cardboards they had prepared in advance and pieced together a hand-painted 'Werder Bremen family portrait'.

Behind the players, a huge group photo of Werder Bremen last season appeared on the south stand.

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Lin Quan and De Bruyne appeared in the family portrait and group photos.

Seeing this scene, Lin Quan and De Bruyne couldn't control their emotions.

The two walked forward and hugged their old teammates one by one, but were pulled by their teammates to stand in the center and a new "family portrait" was taken for them.

In the CCTV live broadcast room, He Wei was quite moved when he saw this scene.

"Maybe, this is the charm of football. In addition to winning and losing and trophies, there are other things!"

Although Bremen fans are very friendly to Lin Quan and De Bruyne, it does not mean that they do not want the home team to win.

After the start of the game, Werder Bremen played very aggressively.

Coach Schaff had obviously studied Manchester City's game videos. Based on the tactics summarized by Mourinho, he sent people to limit the connection between Kroos and De Bruyne.

One of these two is Manchester City's metronome, and the other is Manchester City's frontcourt organizing core. If they are restricted, Manchester City's offensive threat can be reduced by half.

Ten minutes before the game, Werder Bremen players successfully achieved their tactical goal by running at all costs.

In the stands, the fans saw that their home team was not only not at a disadvantage on the field, but even had a slight advantage, so their cheers suddenly became louder.

In the stands, Germany coach Loew, who came to watch the game, saw Kroos playing very awkwardly on the field and couldn't help shaking his head.

Pellegrini's coaching level is indeed slightly worse than Guardiola's.

Under Guardiola, Kroos has performed much better than when he was at Manchester City.

If his performance at Manchester City does not improve, then in Löw's opinion, Kroos's decision to join Manchester City was probably a wrong one.

Kroos was very smart. He knew he was being targeted, so he consciously retreated a distance to his own backcourt and got closer to the defense line.

This move achieved very good results, because he was closer to his own defense line and the interference he encountered when receiving the ball was much less.

After receiving the ball, Kroos has more options to pass the ball while dribbling forward than when he is in midfield.

The other players of Manchester City have good passing ability. They don’t necessarily need to go to the midfield, they can also launch attacks from the flanks.

In the 18th minute of the first half, Kroos saw the opportunity and passed the ball to David Silva on the wing.

David Silva and Lin Quan who came to support completed a wall pass, passed the defender and then passed the ball to De Bruyne who was unguarded.

De Bruyne made a precise pass and found Lin Quan who had started early.

Lin Quan easily pushed the ball into the goal, helping the team take the lead 1:0.

After scoring the goal, Lin Quan pressed his hands down to indicate that he would not celebrate.

After seeing Lin Quan score the goal, De Bruyne lowered his head and turned back. He had no intention of celebrating, and there was not even a trace of joy on his face.

Pellegrini on the sidelines was very excited. It was good news that the team was leading away from home.

Even if they are tied in the end, they still have a great advantage thanks to the away goals.

Seeing this goal, Schaff couldn't help but shook his head.

It's undefendable, absolutely undefendable, the players of the two teams are not on the same level.

Lin Quan's positioning is better than last season, and De Bruyne's passing ability has also improved a lot.

The fans at the scene felt a little bitter. The connection between De Bruyne and Lin Quan was the killer weapon that helped them to dominate the Bundesliga last season.

They never expected that one day this killer weapon would hit them on the head.

After a moment's silence, someone started applauding.

They were applauding Lin Quan and De Bruyne for their wonderful cooperation, and also applauding the two for not choosing to celebrate.

After taking the lead, everyone in Manchester City seemed to relax a lot.

After they relaxed, they played better and better, and all kinds of wonderful cooperation were frequently staged.

The goal came soon. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Lin Quan assisted Aguero to score a goal.

In the 44th minute, Lin Quan received a long pass from Kroos, successfully countered the offside and scored another goal.

Before the end of the first half, Manchester City, playing away, was already leading by 3 goals.

The gap in strength between the two teams was fully reflected at this moment.

After losing Lin Quan and De Bruyne, Werder Bremen's record has declined seriously.

Affected by the Champions League this season, they are fighting on three fronts and their performance in the league has plummeted.

The Bundesliga has played 21 rounds so far, and Werder Bremen has only won 5 games but lost 10 games.

They have only 21 points, ranking sixth from the bottom in the league and just one step away from the relegation zone.

But in this game, they faced the leader of the Premier League.

The score of 3:0 at halftime is perhaps the most true reflection of the strength of the two teams!

During the half-time break, Pellegrini did not make any personnel adjustments.

Werder Bremen replaced two defensive players with two offensive players.

They don't seem to intend to admit defeat, but want to defend their dignity at home.

Werder Bremen played very tenaciously, even though they were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of ball possession.

But they seized every opportunity, pushed forward and threatened Manchester City's goal as much as possible.

Their efforts paid off!

In the 67th minute of the second half, taking advantage of a set-piece opportunity, Fritz lofted the ball into the penalty area. Arnautovic overpowered Kompany and got the ball. He headed the ball into Manchester City's goal with a lion's head.

After scoring the goal, Arnautovic seemed very excited. He ran to the corner area and roared at the fans in the stands.

The fans at the scene were instantly excited, and more than 50,000 fans gave him deafening cheers.

His teammates also rushed up and excitedly celebrated with Arnautovic who scored the goal.

This goal was like a shot in the arm for the home team, allowing them to launch a short offensive climax.

The mentality of Manchester City players seemed to be affected a little. They made several mistakes and almost let the opponent seize the opportunity.

However, Lin Quan stood up at the critical moment, dribbled the ball from the wing and passed three people, almost single-handedly broke through Werder Bremen's defense, and finally scored.

This goal was like a bucket of cold water poured over Werder Bremen's heads, making them wake up instantly.

Among their opponents, there is another terrifying guy like this!

"Sure enough, this kid is still so hard to defend."

On the sidelines, Schaaf smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Having coached Lin Quan, he knows better than anyone how difficult it is to defend Lin Quan! Even Bayern's top defenders can't do it, let alone these players of Werder Bremen.

Therefore, as long as Lin Quan is there, it is almost impossible for them to beat Manchester City.

After scoring his third goal of the game, Lin Quan still did not choose to celebrate.

He pulled up Selassie, who had been knocked down by him, and nodded to him apologetically.

Selassie touched his head nonchalantly, indicating that there was no need to apologize.

I couldn't defend because I'm not as skilled as others, there's nothing much to say.

The Weser Stadium fell into a long silence, and this time no one applauded Lin Quan.

His goal not only interrupted Werder Bremen's counterattack rhythm, but also directly killed the suspense of the game.

If Manchester City ends the game with a score of 4:1, it can basically be declared that they have entered the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

With Werder Bremen's strength, it is impossible for them to score 4 goals at the Etihad Stadium.

Thinking of this, some fans began to cry uncontrollably.

Compared to the brilliant last season, they have nothing this season.

The team was caught in a relegation spiral, was eliminated in the round of 16 in the Champions League, and was eliminated early in the German Cup.

If those two were still on the team, would the record be the same as it is now?

(End of this chapter)