Chapter 184: The Battle of Tianwang Mountain!

Manchester City Training Base.

Guardiola's chin was covered with gray beard and his expression was full of fatigue.

It seems that the Champions League knockout match that just ended last night has a great impact.

Guardiola believes that Manchester City deserves to win the Premier League title with its strength, and he hopes to achieve an unprecedented breakthrough in the Champions League, that is, the Champions League title.

But he never dreamed that he would fall before the semi-finals.

Manchester City seems to be missing something, like spirit or foundation.

In last season's Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester City beat Monaco 5-3 in the first leg, but was eliminated in the second leg.

This season, they were defeated twice by Liverpool in two rounds.

You may say that Liverpool's strength has increased after signing Van Dijk, but Manchester City has also defeated Liverpool twice in the league, and their strength on paper is much higher.

All we can say is that Liverpool has the Champions League gene, and the reversal of AC Milan in the 2004-05 season is proof of that.

Guardiola suddenly felt a little regretful that he had fielded all his main players. Not only did they fail to advance, but it would also affect the league the day after tomorrow.

You know, Manchester United is more difficult to deal with than Liverpool.

He raised his head slightly and looked towards the green field, where Manchester City players were playing an intra-group competition.

De Bruyne received the pass from Gundogan and kicked a low arc ball that bypassed the defender, and B Silva swept the ball directly to the middle without stopping.

Sterling followed up and knocked the ball into the goal.

Guardiola's frown relaxed slightly. Fortunately, the players' condition was still online and their mentality was not affected by the failure.

Especially De Bruyne.

Since coming to Manchester City in the 15-16 season, he has gradually been transformed into the core of the Blue Moon Army and the key engine of the offense.

Especially that precise pass.

There is a saying within Manchester City that if you feel uncomfortable receiving a pass from Kevin, it means the ball was not meant for you.

It sounds a bit exaggerated, but it's true.

After all, he is the man who can lead Wolfsburg to threaten Bayern.

He has 15 assists this season, leading the assists list alone.

It is worth mentioning that Sane and David Silva provided 12 and 10 assists respectively, ranking second and fourth in the assist list.

Fortunately, Chu Feng ranked third with 11 assists, preventing Manchester City from taking the top three spots and helping the major Premier League clubs save a bit of face.

"Kyle, you have to be careful during the game and never stretch your legs easily."

Kompany's tone was serious.

In last night's game, Kyle Walker was in a very low state and was broken through by Mane several times in a row. There was even a goal that was directly related to his defensive leakage.

So Kompany is very worried about whether Kyle Walker can defend Chu Feng. After all, according to the data, he is more powerful than Mane.

"Don't worry."

Kyle Walker felt a strong desire to fight. In the previous game, Chu Feng was arranged to play as the right winger, and he made Delph look like a sieve, so the two of them missed the chance to face off.

If Chu Feng plays as left winger in the game the day after tomorrow, he will let the young man increase the intensity.

Kyle Walker believes that he ranks among the top three active right-backs and has blocked countless talented players.

Last night's game made him very angry and he needed someone to vent his anger on. Chu Feng was the best choice.

He wanted to lock down Chu Feng to declare his dominance and help Manchester City get back on top. For this reason, he did not go to the nightclub last night to conserve his energy.

"As long as you have confidence."

Kompany saw this and didn't say much, but went to ask other teammates for help.

The match against Manchester United is important for Manchester City and also for him because he is eager to win another league title before retiring.

April 15, 2018.

The quiet city of Manchester became noisy again, and the Etihad Stadium in the east of the city was surrounded by crowds, with the blue and red colors clearly distinguished.

Since the Saudi consortium took over, Manchester City's performance has been getting better and better, many star players have been signed, and the number of fans has also increased.

But this does not mean that Manchester City has few die-hard fans. On the contrary, Manchester City fans' loyalty ranks among the top three among all Premier League clubs.

Follow Manchester City to get promoted and relegated, even if it is relegated to English League One.

No matter how turbulent the club is, the die-hard fans have not chosen to give up, but continue to choose to support it.

They sang the team song loudly and waved their scarves, forming a huge blue torrent.

There were also quite a few Manchester United fans not far away. Although there were few away tickets released, they still came to the scene, and some even took out money to look for scalpers.

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

The pre-match press conference is taking place in the luxurious conference room.

Major media outlets flocked to the scene and, under the control of the press officer, asked questions one after another.

"Mr. Guardiola, are you confident about tonight's game?"

Guardiola gently lifted the microphone, "Football is unpredictable, just like last night's game, Roma created the impossible."

"However, our Champions League match starts one day later than Manchester United's. The players are at a disadvantage in terms of form and fitness. This match will definitely be very difficult."

"But I still think the initiative is in our hands."

It was a stark contrast to the rhetoric that was circulated when the two teams first met this season.

It seems that after the last failure, Guardiola does not dare to assert victory.

Another reporter raised his hand to ask a question.

"What do you think of Valverde's tactics?"

Guardiola groaned for a moment, "He is an excellent coach."

At the same time, in another meeting room.

Mourinho faced the reporter's question and said indifferently: "Proud? No, no, no, I have won 8 league titles. I will not be proud of defeating Bayern."

"My players will not be proud and will take every game seriously no matter what kind of victory we achieve."

The Guardian reporter raised his hand and asked: "If Manchester United wins tonight, they will have a chance to win the championship two rounds in advance."

Mourinho waved his hand to interrupt the reporter, "Let's talk about the future in the future. It's too early to talk about the championship now."

"Valverde? Just looking at last night's game, his tactics are a mess. He has strong offensive players but he chose a conservative style of play. I really can't understand it."

Half an hour later.

In the player tunnel, players from both teams stood opposite each other, and the air was filled with a heavy atmosphere.

Everyone looked straight ahead.

"Chu Feng!"

Suddenly, a voice was heard in the passage, and it was in familiar Chinese. Chu Feng subconsciously turned around to look.

A caddie who looked obviously Asian was waving at him.

"Boss Zhang's son?" Chu Feng thought for a moment and asked with a smile.

"Yes, my name is Zhang Yang."

The little caddy smiled brightly.

He had previously applied for Manchester United's youth training, but was not accepted, which made him very depressed for a while.

Fortunately, he won the favor of Manchester City's youth training coach.

And because of his outstanding performance in the team training match last week, he was qualified to play as a ball boy.

Never underestimate the caddie.

They need to pay a certain fee to the club. Among the Premier League clubs, West Ham United charges the most, £700 per game.

However, the BIG6 of the Premier League disdain to make money from this and basically allocate the places to their own youth training players.

Oh, by the way, Tottenham are not among them and they will also charge a fee of £405.

The two chatted casually, and the light in Zhang Yang's eyes became brighter and brighter, as if he saw what his future would be like.

Soon, players from both teams slowly walked out of the tunnel.

Al-Ittihad instantly erupted into cheers that resounded through the sky.

"Good evening, viewers! Welcome to watch the 34th round of the Premier League!"

"Manchester City vs Manchester United!"

"This is a fierce battle between the two teams and the result will have a huge impact on who will be the Premier League champion."

"If City win, they will be back on top on goal difference."

"If Manchester United wins, the gap with Manchester City will be widened to 6 points, and there is a high probability that they will win the championship two rounds in advance."

"Here are the starting lineups for both teams."

"Manchester City are wearing blue jerseys and attacking from left to right. They are in a 4-3-3 formation, a classic striker-less passing formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Ederson!"

"Defenders: Kyle Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Delph!"

"Midfield: De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva!"

"Forwards: B Silva, Sterling, Sane!"

"Manchester United are wearing red jerseys and attacking from right to left. They also set up a 4-3-3 formation!"

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"Goalkeeper: De Gea!"

"Defenders: Ashley Young, Rojo, David Luiz, Valencia!"

"Midfield: Pogba, Matic, Herrera!"

"Forwards: Chu Feng, Lukaku, Rashford!"

When Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu introduced the basic situation of the two teams, the fans in the live broadcast room discussed enthusiastically. - [The direct confrontation between Xiao Chu and Kyle Walker, there is something to watch tonight! ] - [Manchester City's midfield is mainly offensive, Manchester United's midfield is mainly defensive, reflecting the philosophy of the two head coaches. ] - [Why didn't Laporta play? ] - [He and Kyle Walker have a very poor cooperation, and there is no tacit understanding at all. Fortunately, Manchester United did not buy him. ] - [Speaking of this, Manchester United will definitely buy a central defender next season. Guess who it will be? ] - [Maguire! ] - [I also think he is very suitable! ] - [.]

The view returns to the green field.

Following the referee's whistle.

The competition officially begins.

Manchester City have the ball.

Sterling passed the ball back to De Bruyne.

Manchester City immediately launched exquisite and continuous short passes.

De Bruyne and David Silva are like two rib engines, providing strong power continuously.

Manchester City's advancement mode keeps switching.

Manchester United's overall formation quickly retreated, building a complete defensive system in its own half, forming a one-on-one exchange with Manchester City.

This is how we deal with Manchester City's tactics.

But the results were not satisfactory.

Manchester City's swift passing and cutting turned into sharp blades, spinning madly to cut through Manchester United's defense, stretching the spaces and gaps bigger and bigger.

After continuous passes, the football came to the feet of Seat B on the right.

This player from Portugal moved from Monaco to Manchester City for 50 million euros this season, with the original intention of being Aguero's successor.

His recent performance is also very good. He is good at changing the rhythm of his steps and using high-speed dribbling to break through the defense.

He can also use his overall perspective to guide the midfield and forward line.

I have to say that Guardiola has a very good eye for people. After receiving the ball, B Silva shook his body continuously, and after flashing out of the space, he ran straight to the baseline from the outside.

But he got into trouble today.

As a veteran, Ashley Young has unique experience in defending this kind of player. He neither rushes to the ball nor retreats, but keeps a certain distance from B席.

no way.

B Silva's idea of ​​getting past Ashley Young was shattered and he could only kick the ball and pass it to the middle.

But how can Manchester City's strikerless formation score goals?

Sterling is nearly 20cm shorter than David Luiz, which is equivalent to having one less head.

Amid the cheers of Manchester City fans.

David Luiz easily cleared the ball with his head.

The second point was kicked out of the sideline by Matic.

"It's very difficult for Manchester City's strikers to get the first ball in front of Manchester United's giants."

"Manchester United's tactics are very targeted, but Manchester City can also take advantage of this and make breakthroughs with their small and fast advantages."

"It all depends on who has better execution and more sophisticated tactics!"

At the side of the court at this time.

Mourinho glanced at the next room without leaving a trace and found that Guardiola's expression was very solemn.

I believe he also noticed that the Manchester City players were in average condition.

"Boss, we have a better chance of winning!" Faria said excitedly.

Mourinho kept silent and acquiesced to the other party's statement.

The first half of today's game should be very tense, and the real outcome should be decided in the second half.

The situation on the field seemed to verify his idea.

After several exchanges, the ball was controlled by Matic, who then passed it straight to the left.

While the football is rolling at high speed.

Chu Feng moved quickly to adjust his position to receive the ball, and at the same time observed Kyle Walker behind him with his peripheral vision. As expected, he chose to steal the ball.

In fact, he has many flaws in his defensive skills, including reckless kicks, irregular defensive movements, non-standard clearance movements, etc.

But due to his super explosive speed, he can chase back and make up for the mistakes.

Seeing this, Chu Feng shifted his center of gravity to the left, pretending to break through from the inside.

The moment Kyle Walker followed up on defense.

Chu Feng's left foot swung quietly, and his center of gravity reversed, from extreme stillness to extreme movement!

Rubbing shoulders with Kyle Walker.

Then he pushed the grass with his legs, his calf muscles bulged high, and he burst out with terrifying speed.

There were sudden exclamations at the Etihad Stadium.

Kyle Walker seemed to be prepared and quickly turned around and ran.

His sprint speed is rated 93 in FIFA, making him the highest-ranked full-back among active players.

As a player who had played for Tottenham, he had a very bad impression of Chu Feng.

Today is the day of revenge.

He believes he can surpass Lahm or Alves and become the best full-back in Guardiola's coaching career.

It seemed as if there were two sports cars racing on the green field, showing an unparalleled sense of speed, which amazed the more than 50,000 fans on the scene.

In a flash.

The two men entered the 30-meter area. Chu Feng still did not pull away, but he also did not let Kyle Walker catch up.

There is no opportunity to adjust.

Chu Feng made a cross from the left side of the penalty area.

At the same position and angle, the landing point is also near the penalty spot.

But Manchester United's tactics achieved different results.

After slowing down his weight gain, Lukaku gradually balanced confrontation and speed, and his condition is much better than before.

He used his forward momentum to suppress Otamendi and smashed his head hard on the spinning football.

Bang! The football blasted towards the goal like a cannonball.

Ederson had too little time to react and ultimately failed to block the ball.

0-1!

Amid the loud cheers of Manchester United fans, Lukaku ran excitedly for dozens of meters and then slid to his knees. He used this goal to announce his return.

(End of this chapter)