Chapter 193 This is the right way to attack!
On the sixth matchday of the league, Manchester City visited Villa Park Stadium to face Aston Villa.
Aston Villa currently sits ninth in the standings. In recent years, their performance in the Premier League has been mediocre, enough to avoid relegation but without higher aspirations.
In theory, against a mid-to-low-level team, Manchester City should have a considerable advantage.
However, Aston Villa is a very special team, they love to commit fouls!
After the first five matchdays of the Premier League, Aston Villa has already received 21 yellow cards, averaging 4.2 per game.
Wenger's Arsenal suffered greatly against them, and Liverpool and Chelsea also had many difficulties when facing them.
If there's a mid-to-low-level team that big teams would prefer to avoid, that's definitely Aston Villa.
Facing a team that commits so many fouls, Manchester City made some adjustments to their starting lineup.
Midweek, they will face Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich, and Pellegrini doesn't want his players to suffer any injuries before that match.
That's why he fielded many substitutes and adopted a more conservative tactic, playing on the counterattack at the opponent's stadium.
Aston Villa fans, seeing the league leaders playing defensively at their own stadium, issued disdainful boos.
On the other hand, Aston Villa players, seeing this, filled with pride.
Look at that, we've scared the league leaders!
That's real intimidation!
So, without any hesitation, Aston Villa attacked Manchester City, hoping to defeat the rival once and for all.
The result showed that Manchester City's substitutes were by no means inferior to Aston Villa's starters.
Although Aston Villa gave it their all and fiercely attacked for 45 minutes, they failed to score a single goal.
Instead, it was Manchester City who, at the end of the first half, thanks to a move initiated by Javi García, got Jovetic to score.
Pellegrini was very pleased with his players' performance, and at the end of the first half, he shook hands with each of them.
On the other side, Aston Villa's coach was not happy at all.
The league leaders playing defensively and on the counterattack, what audacity!
And although we're criticized for playing dirty and committing fouls...
In the first half, the team that received the most cards was Manchester City, with three yellow cards against just one of ours!
If we cover the team names and change the uniforms, anyone would think that Manchester City is Aston Villa!
But Pellegrini didn't care about that, he was very happy with his team's performance in the first half.
The League Cup and FA Cup will start soon, and Manchester City will face the difficulty of competing on four fronts.
In this situation, relying solely on the starting eleven is not feasible, the players will wear out.
That's why Pellegrini plans to give more playing time to the substitutes, allowing them to participate in cup matches to relieve the pressure of competing on multiple fronts.
Manchester City's main goal this season is to win the league and perform well in the Champions League, as for the national cups...
If they reach the final, maybe he'll consider fielding the starters, but if not, he'll continue using the substitutes, at most occasionally fielding one or two starters to keep up the pace.
In short, he won't allow the national cups to affect the team's performance.
"They did very well in the first half, keep playing like this in the second. Increase the defensive intensity, as long as you don't receive red cards it's fine. Hold on until the seventy-fifth minute, then I'll field the starters to secure the match."
In this match, there are up to six substitutes on the field: Javi García, Richards, Jovetic, Negredo, Clichy, and Milner, all players who rarely start.
On Manchester City's attacking front, apart from Navas, almost everyone was on the bench.
Pellegrini plans for them to enter in the second half to warm up and prepare to face mighty Bayern Munich.
...
After halftime, both teams made no changes.
As the second half began, Aston Villa adopted a very specific tactic.
Once they identified the key players among Manchester City's substitutes, they assigned someone to limit Navas and García, preventing them from passing and receiving the ball.
This tactic hindered Manchester City's attack, and the lack of offensive power increased the defensive pressure.
Not feeling the threat of Manchester City's attack, Aston Villa's defensive players moved forward to join the attack.
The increase in numbers made their attack more dangerous, and Manchester City's defense wavered.
In the fifty-first minute, Aston Villa equalized the match with a goal from El Ahmadi, returning parity to the scoreboard.
Fortunately, Pellegrini made timely adjustments, substituting Yaya Touré to strengthen midfield control.
With Yaya Touré on the field, Manchester City's midfield hardness and defensive intensity increased.
The attack also quickly improved.
In the fifty-sixth minute, Yaya Touré, with a long pass, assisted Negredo to score a goal, and Manchester City regained the lead.
After this assist, Yaya Touré was ecstatic.
Being the conductor and core of the midfield was an incredible feeling!
He was the elder brother on the field, and the whole team revolved around him, he hadn't felt like that in a long time!
Since Lin Quan joined the team, it had been a long time since he enjoyed that treatment.
From the sidelines, watching his teammate score, Lin Quan also applauded for them.
Yaya Touré's pass impressed him, the quality of the pass was high, it definitely wasn't by chance.
But why weren't these passes seen in normal matches?
After assisting his teammate, Yaya Touré didn't settle for that.
He started asking for the ball frequently, initiating attacks on his own, seemingly wanting to score a goal himself.
Aston Villa was worried about not being able to control the midfield, but seeing Yaya Touré advancing with the ball, they didn't hesitate to attack him.
At one moment, several players pounced on him to press him.
Although Yaya Touré had good ball protection ability, with so many players pressuring him, he couldn't hold on.
They lost possession quickly!
And losing the ball at that moment was fatal for Manchester City, as Yaya Touré wasn't in his defensive position.
"Retreat, retreat quickly!"
From the sidelines, seeing the loss of possession, Pellegrini immediately realized the danger and shouted to his players.
Manchester City players were already retreating, but the ball's speed was faster than that of the people.
Aston Villa players wasted no time and quickly passed the ball to the forwards.
Their winger Bacuna, using his excellent speed, bypassed the defenders and with a powerful shot pierced Manchester City's goal.
2-2!
The score was tied again!
And that wasn't the worst part, two minutes later, Aston Villa repeated the play, stealing the ball from Yaya Touré's feet and almost in the same way, scored another goal.
The score became 3-2, Aston Villa led Manchester City at home.
If the match ended with this score, Manchester City's five-match winning streak would end at the hands of Aston Villa.
After the goal, Aston Villa players and fans celebrated with euphoria.
They didn't expect to beat the mighty Manchester City, before the match, their best hope was to draw at home and stop the opponent's winning streak.
But the result gave them a surprise, they were leading Manchester City at home!
This gave them hope of winning!
On the visiting team's side, watching their team concede two goals in three minutes, and almost in the same way, even the calm Chilean engineer couldn't help but get angry with Yaya Touré.
"Why did you leave your position? Damn it, you're a defensive midfielder, not a forward!"
Faced with the coach's criticism, Yaya Touré lowered his head and didn't argue.
He was also confused, why didn't the result turn out as he imagined?
In his plan, with his organizing ability and strong offensive capability, by advancing with the ball, he could help the team widen the lead, making the coach fully recognize his offensive talent.
But the result?
He messed it up!
In the sixth matchday of the league, Manchester City visited Villa Park Stadium to face Aston Villa.
Aston Villa currently occupies ninth place in the standings. In recent years, they have had a mediocre performance in the Premier League, enough to avoid relegation, but without higher aspirations.
Against a mid-table team, Manchester City should have a great advantage.
However, Aston Villa is a special team: they love to commit fouls!
After the first five matchdays of the Premier League, Aston Villa has already received 21 yellow cards, averaging 4.2 per game.
Wenger's Arsenal already suffered a lot against them, and both Liverpool and Chelsea also had difficult wins against them.
If there's a mid-table team that big clubs prefer to avoid, Aston Villa is definitely on the list.
Facing such a foul-prone team, Manchester City made some adjustments to their starting lineup.
In a few days, they will face German giant Bayern Munich, and Pellegrini doesn't want his players to suffer injuries before that match.
Therefore, he fielded many substitutes and adopted a defensive and counterattacking tactic at the opponent's stadium.
Aston Villa fans, seeing the league leader playing so defensively at their own stadium, began to boo with disdain.
Aston Villa players, seeing this scene, felt proud and haughty.
Look, we've scared the league leader!
That's intimidation!
Without hesitation, Aston Villa attacked mercilessly, hoping to defeat the opponent in one fell swoop.
The fact proved that Manchester City's substitutes were not inferior to Aston Villa's starters.
Although Aston Villa gave it their all and attacked fiercely for 45 minutes, they failed to score any goals.
On the contrary, just before the end of the first half, a move initiated by Javi Garcia allowed Jovetic to score.
Pellegrini was very satisfied with his players' performance and shook hands with each of them at the end of the first half.
On the other side, Aston Villa's coach was not happy.
The league leader playing defensively, don't they have any shame?
Besides, they criticize us for playing dirty and committing fouls.
But in the first half, the team that received the most cards was Manchester City, with three yellow cards against one of ours.
Cover the names and change the uniforms, and no one would think that Manchester City is Aston Villa!
Pellegrini didn't worry about this, he was very satisfied with his players' performance in the first half.
The League Cup and FA Cup will start soon, and Manchester City will face the challenge of competing on four fronts.
In this situation, relying solely on the starting lineup is not feasible, the players would wear out.
That's why he plans to give more playing time to the substitutes, allowing them to play in cup competitions to relieve the team's pressure.
Manchester City's main goal this season is to win the league and have a good performance in the Champions League, as for the national cups...
If they reach the final, he will consider fielding the starters; if not, they will continue playing with substitutes, perhaps occasionally using one or two starters to keep up the pace.
In short, he won't allow the cups to affect the team's performance in the league and the Champions League.
"In the first half, you played very well, keep it up in the second half, defend with intensity and avoid red cards. Hold on until the 75th minute and then I'll put in the starters to finish the match."
In this match, there were six substitutes on the field: Javi Garcia, Richards, Jovetic, Negredo, Clichy, and Milner, all players who rarely start.
On Manchester City's attacking front, except for Navas, almost everyone was on the substitutes' bench.
Pellegrini planned to bring them on in the second half to warm up and find their rhythm before facing the mighty Bayern Munich.
...
At the end of halftime, both teams returned to the field without making any changes.
As the second half began, Aston Villa adopted a very specific strategy.
They identified Manchester City's key players on the field, Navas and Garcia, and assigned them specific marks to block their passes.
This caused Manchester City's attack to stagnate, increasing pressure on their defense.
Without feeling the threat of Manchester City's attack, Aston Villa players pushed forward and joined the attack.
The increased number of players in the attack made their offense more dangerous, and Manchester City's defense began to falter.
In the 51st minute, El Ahmadi equalized the game for Aston Villa, putting both teams on equal footing.
Fortunately, Pellegrini made a timely substitution, replacing Yaya Toure to reinforce midfield control.
With Yaya Toure on the field, Manchester City's midfield gained defensive solidity and intensity.
The attack also improved rapidly.
In the 56th minute, Yaya Toure, with a long pass, assisted Negredo to score, regaining the lead for Manchester City.
After this assist, Yaya Toure was thrilled.
What a good feeling to be the commander and core of the team's midfield!
He was the big brother on the field, and the whole team revolved around him. This feeling was something he hadn't experienced in a long time!
Since Lin Quan's arrival at the team, he hadn't enjoyed this treatment for a long time.
On the sidelines, watching his team score, Lin Quan applauded his teammates.
Yaya Toure's pass surprised him. It was a high-quality long pass, not just luck.
Why hadn't Toure made such good passes in previous matches?
After the assist, Yaya Toure wasn't satisfied with it.
He started asking for the ball frequently and initiating attacks, as if he wanted to score himself.
Aston Villa, seeing that they couldn't control the midfield, swarmed Toure.
Many players surrounded and pressured him.
Although Toure has a good ability to protect the ball, facing so many players was too much for him.
He lost the ball quickly!
And at that moment, for Manchester City, losing the ball was fatal, as Toure wasn't in his defensive position.
"Retreat, quickly!"
On the sidelines, Pellegrini saw the danger and shouted to his players.
Manchester City players were retreating, but players aren't as fast as the ball.
Aston Villa wasted no time and quickly got the ball to their forwards.
Their winger, Bacuna, using his speed, left the defenders behind and launched a powerful shot that pierced Manchester City's goal.
2-2!
The game was tied again!
But this wasn't the worst part. Two minutes later, Aston Villa stole the ball from Toure again and, similarly, scored another goal.
The score became 3-2, and Aston Villa was leading the league leader.
If the game ended like this, Manchester City's five-match winning streak would be broken by Aston Villa.
After the goal, Aston Villa players and fans celebrated wildly.
They didn't expect to beat the mighty Manchester City. Before the game, their best hope was to draw and break the opponent's streak.
But reality gave them a surprise: they were winning!
This made them see the possibility of victory.
On the other side, seeing their team concede two goals in three minutes, and almost in the same way, even the always calm Chilean engineer couldn't help but get angry with Toure.
"Why did you leave your position? Damn it, you're a defensive midfielder, not a forward!"
Faced with the coach's criticism, Toure lowered his head and didn't argue.
He was also confused. Why wasn't the result as he expected?
In his plan, with his organizational and offensive ability, he could help the team increase the lead and demonstrate his offensive talent to the coach.
But the result?
He messed it up!
Not only did he not score, but he directly caused the team to concede two goals.
Furious, Pellegrini almost substituted Toure immediately after his mistake.
However, the assistant convinced him not to do it.
Substituting Toure at that moment would be too humiliating for the player, and the relationship between them would be definitively broken.
Although Toure made a mistake, he remains a crucial member of Manchester City until a suitable replacement is found.
Without him, Manchester City's midfield defense would weaken considerably.
So, Pellegrini restrained his impulse and called Lin Quan and Aguero.
"Lin, you and Aguero only have one mission: put the damn ball in the net."
Both looked at each other, nodding seriously.
"Alright, now I'll explain the tactic you'll use..."
After giving them tactical instructions, Pellegrini gave them only three minutes to warm up and sent them onto the field.
The game was in the 75th minute, and time was running out for Manchester City.
After Aston Villa's two goals, they felt euphoric and wanted to continue their streak.
After Manchester City's kick-off, Aston Villa launched intense pressure, trying to steal the ball and launch counterattacks.
Lin Quan, who took over the team's direction, didn't rush.
Calmly, he made passes, moved, and received the ball.
Under his direction, Manchester City's attack regained its fluidity, and Aston Villa's pressure had no effect.
This pressing tactic consumes a lot of players' energy. If it fails, it will affect their morale and aggressiveness.
Therefore, unless it's a team accustomed to this tactic, other teams can't maintain it for long.
As expected, seeing their pressure wasn't working, exhausted Aston Villa players abandoned this tactic and retreated to defend and secure the victory.
But would Manchester City allow them to succeed?
The moment Aston Villa stopped pressing, Lin Quan signaled an attack to his teammates and accelerated the pace of the game.
The ball began to move among Manchester City players as before.
Villa fans in the stands were disdainful. "Time is running out and they're just passing the ball, what's the use?"
"Can passing the ball kill their own team?"
However, they soon stopped laughing.
Under Lin Quan's direction, Manchester City's passes advanced towards Aston Villa's area.
When the ball returned to his feet, Lin Quan had already observed a gap in the opponent's defense.
It's now!
Taking advantage of the defenders not yet repositioned, he sent a lethal pass.
Aguero, almost simultaneously receiving the pass, moved forward and entered the area to receive Lin Quan's ball.
Goal!
With a powerful shot from less than ten meters out, Aguero pierced Aston Villa's net.
The score was leveled at 3-3, Manchester City tied.
And this, in less than ten minutes since they both entered the field.
With additional time, there were still almost ten minutes of play left.
With Manchester City's offensive power, they could well score another goal.
After the goal, Aguero didn't celebrate, quickly running to the center with the ball.
Lin Quan also returned to the kickoff point at the same time, looking at the opponent's goal, then they looked into each other's eyes and smiled.
Everything was said without words!
Seeing Manchester City players attacking decisively, Aston Villa felt imminent danger.
The goal had left them with no options, not knowing how to defend.
The ball rolled in front of them, and marking players or the ball didn't seem like the solution.
Every Manchester City player could score, and any mistake could cost them dearly.
Moreover, the newly arrived with the number ten jersey was extremely skillful.
His passes were unpredictable, his movements unpredictable, and his position unreadable.
To mark such a player, they would need double marking and physical contact.
On the sidelines, Aston Villa's coach thought about this and signaled to his players to use tactical fouls.
Even if it meant receiving cards, they needed to stop the opponent's attack.
They might not win, but at least secure a draw.
So, after the kickoff, Aston Villa players surrounded Lin Quan and committed fouls to prevent him from passing the ball.
Seeing this, Lin Quan retreated to his own half.
He didn't need to be in the front to organize the attack, in Barcelona he played as a defensive midfielder.
In that position, Lin Quan could also help in the attack.
By retreating, Aston Villa's double marking weakened.
They were uncoordinated and with many teammates around Lin Quan, they couldn't cut off all passing lanes.
On the contrary, they left gaps in their defense, which was deadly against a passing master.
In the 89th minute, Lin Quan, after getting rid of the pressure, saw a gap on the right side of the opponent's defense.
He sent a long and precise pass to Navas.
Navas, with free space, didn't waste Lin Quan's pass, quickly moving inside.
Aston Villa's entire defense focused on him.
Navas feinted a shot but passed the ball to a teammate in the center.
Aguero, at the edge of the area, received the ball and rushed towards the goal, shooting before being blocked.
The winning goal!
Manchester City turned the game around in the 90th minute.
Villa Park Stadium fell silent, only the few visiting fans were celebrating frantically.
On the field, after seeing Lin Quan give two assists to tie and then win the game, Toure was impressed.
This is how you attack properly.
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