Chapter 190: Lin Quan's Anthem Throughout the Stadium
"CCTV, CCTV!"
"Dear viewers, here we are live broadcasting the highlighted match of the fifth round of the 2013-2014 Premier League season, the clash between Manchester City and Manchester United!"
"I am presenter He Wei!"
"And I am Xu Yang!"
He Wei glanced at the current Premier League standings and continued:
"The two teams currently hold the first and fifth positions in the standings, with Manchester City leading with 12 points after four consecutive wins. Meanwhile, Manchester United has two wins, one draw, and one loss in four games, totaling 7 points and occupying the fifth place in the Premier League."
Xu Yang added:
"Although Manchester City is in a superior position in the standings, the quality difference between the two teams is not as big as the standings suggest."
"Yes, in this match, whoever plays better will determine the winner!"
"Without further ado, let's take a look at the starting lineups of both teams..."
"Today Manchester City is forming in a 4-4-2, with Lin Quan playing as an attacking midfielder, although he may not be fixed in that position, most likely he will be a free man upfront, just like in previous matches."
"Yes, he can play in various positions in the attacking line. To fully utilize his potential, he needs tactical freedom. If restricted to a specific position, his impact will be weakened."
"With the referee's whistle, the match begins!"
"Manchester City has possession of the ball, Aguero passes the ball to Lin Quan, who returns it to captain Kompany. Manchester City is being patient in building up the game, not rushing in the attack."
Watching Manchester City's patient build-up play in their own half, Xu Yang and He Wei began to converse.
"Since Pellegrini arrived, he hasn't made many changes to Manchester City's attacking system. He has focused on organizing the team's defense."
"Yes, there is no doubt about Manchester City's offensive power, but their defense is not solid enough. If they only face teams from the bottom half of the table, Manchester City can suppress opponents with their powerful attack, which masks their defensive problems. But when facing stronger teams, their weaknesses are quickly exposed and exploited by their opponents, which was also one of the reasons they couldn't advance in the Champions League last season."
...
After a clash in the midfield, Efraín gained possession of the ball and passed it to Fellaini, but before he could distribute it, he was dispossessed by a Manchester City player.
Manchester City launched a counterattack, Fernandinho passed the ball to Negredo.
As soon as Negredo received the ball, he was quickly marked by Manchester United players and lost possession.
Now it's Manchester United's turn to counterattack, but their play couldn't penetrate the midfield, and the ball was cleared out of play by Yaya Toure.
The battle in the midfield intensified with each team making more mistakes.
In the fifth minute of the match, Manchester City's Nastasic brought down Smalling and received the first yellow card of the match from the referee.
The yellow card served as a warning, and both teams moderated their actions a bit.
However, due to the intense struggle in the midfield, neither of the two teams could organize an effective attack, and the match was trapped in a state of uncertainty.
In the stands, Guardiola scratched his chin, lost in his thoughts.
If he were the coach of either of the two teams, how would he solve this problem?
It seems that just having an organizer in the midfield is not enough. They should retreat further back, perhaps even position themselves as central defenders.
But in doing so, the defensive capability of the team's backline would inevitably decrease, which could be exploited by teams with strong offensive ability.
Unable to retreat, then how about placing the organizing center on the wings? Perhaps a winger midfielder or a wing forward?
This idea is quite bold, because no one has done such a thing before.
Even Guardiola is not sure if it will work, but after conceiving this idea, he can't help but want to try it!
On the field, seeing that his teammates couldn't gain an advantage in the midfield battle, Lin Quan drops back and joins the pressure on Manchester United players along with his teammates.
Lin Quan's entry provides an additional player in Manchester City's midfield, not only increasing passing options but also expanding defensive coverage in the midfield.
As a result, Manchester City gradually begins to dominate in the midfield battle.
In the 15th minute, Manchester City organizes an attack.
After a series of passes in the midfield, the ball reaches Aguero's feet.
But as soon as Aguero receives the ball, he is quickly marked by Manchester United players.
Manchester United continues with the tactic they used against Chelsea, leaving a bit of space on the wings but increasing defense in the center, to intercept and prevent the opponent from penetrating through the middle.
Aguero, who is not very tall, clearly has a disadvantage in duels with defenders.
Seeing that he is about to lose the ball, he suddenly sees his teammate Lin Quan approaching.
Without hesitation, Aguero passes the ball to Lin Quan.
When Lin Quan receives the ball, Manchester United players shift their marking towards him, leaving Aguero and heading towards Lin Quan.
Seeing the opposing team closing in, Lin Quan doesn't confront directly but retreats with the ball to evade Manchester United's pressure.
At this moment, the ball is near the center circle, and Manchester United defenders hesitate, not advancing and returning to their positions, leaving the task of pressing Lin Quan to his teammates.
Lin Quan notices this choice by the opponent and realizes the situation.
The defense of Manchester United has strict limits in their zones, only advancing to intercept when the opposing player enters their defensive zone.
Once out of that area, their pressure is not as active.
So, how to find that specific dividing line? He decides to try it several times more!
The defenders of Manchester United had just retreated when they saw Lin Quan approaching with the ball again.
Rooney tries to press, but Lin Quan easily evades him.
Faced with Lin Quan's agility, Rooney seems clumsy like a wild boar, hoping to steal the ball but it's an impossible task unless he resorts to tactical fouls.
Carrick and Fellaini have to press forward, while Lin Quan chooses to pass the ball to his teammate on the wing and advances decisively.
The defense of Manchester United is unprotected on the wings, allowing Navas to easily advance to support his teammate.
After receiving the pass from Lin Quan, Navas makes a deep pass unchallenged, returning the ball to Lin Quan.
At this moment, Carrick and Fellaini have already been surpassed by Lin Quan's sudden movement.
The defenders of Manchester United have no choice but to step forward to intercept.
Lin Quan repeats his previous action and retreats with the ball.
The defenders of Manchester United begin to hesitate again, seeing Carrick and Fellaini closing in on Lin Quan, about to double-team him.
They decide to withdraw!
It's now!
Seeing their markers release the pressure, Lin Quan seizes the opportunity, quickly sprinting towards Ferdinand.
Between Vidic and Ferdinand, if asked who is stronger, Lin Quan feels that Ferdinand is, but that was years ago. Now, at 35, Ferdinand faces the typical problems of older players: decreased physical capacity and reaction time.
And this, for a central defender, is a deadly weakness!
Seeing Lin Quan not retreat but advance again, surprising with a sudden movement.
Vidic and Ferdinand are greatly surprised, especially the latter when he sees Lin Quan heading towards him, instinctively wanting to intercept.
But suddenly he realizes that Lin Quan's feinting ability is so good that he can't even distinguish his feints, and his dribbling frequency is surprisingly fast.
If he tries to intercept, he will definitely be surpassed.
With that in mind, Ferdinand quickly gives up and retreats, hoping for his teammates' help.
But Lin Quan doesn't give him much time, seeing that Ferdinand doesn't attempt to intercept, Lin Quan speeds towards him.
Ferdinand is furious.
This kid is underestimating me.
While trying to tug Lin Quan's shirt to stop him and organize his teammates to defend, he also spins to block the position.
If this were ten or even five years ago, Ferdinand might not have come off worse in this confrontation.
But facing a 35-year-old Ferdinand, whose physical capacity and reaction have decreased overall, defeating him is not difficult!
Lin Quan shakes off Ferdinand's grip and reaches the ball first.
De Gea, seeing Lin Quan trying to pass Ferdinand, has already decided to come out. At this moment, the distance between him and Lin Quan is less than two meters. In less than half a second, the ball would be in his hands.
Lin Quan doesn't get nervous, he lightly touches the ball to his left, creating some space, and then decides to shoot.
De Gea rushes to intercept, his reflexes are already fast, but Lin Quan's shot is even faster.
The ball sails over De Gea's head, tracing an arc in the air, and lands in the net.
The Etihad Stadium instantly explodes, more than fifty thousand fans go wild, celebrating this goal frantically.
"Wonderful!"
Guardiola, seeing this goal, can't help but exclaim.
Not only is the shot magnificent, but the buildup to the goal was also very exciting.
"This kid keeps improving, it seems that every time I see him, he surprises me with something new."
Guardiola applauds as he comments this to his assistant, Ten Hag.
Ten Hag only sees Lin Quan's dribbling and shooting as very impressive, but he can't discern much more.
But if Guardiola says so, there must be a reason, so he also applauds along with him.
After scoring this goal, Lin Quan is very excited.
He runs towards the corner area, puts his hand near his ear, and requests applause and ovation from the fans in the stadium.
The Manchester City fans, of course, will not disappoint him, the whole stadium is filled with more than fifty thousand people shouting his name, so loud that it can almost deafen someone.
Some Manchester City fans even start singing the personal song they have composed for Lin Quan: Lin Quan's Song.
This song was written by the fans themselves and not many know it.
But as the melody is catchy, after singing it in the stadium, more and more Manchester City fans learn it.
Therefore, in a short time, the entire Etihad Stadium is singing Lin Quan's Song.
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