Chapter 221 Wenger's Stern Warning, Manchester City's Internal and External Troubles
"Manchester City players' performance on the field has been very strange lately, they seem hesitant to launch attacks," commentator He Wei also noticed Manchester City's anomaly in the commentary box.
"Manchester City is currently one man down, and the opponent has gained momentum recently. It seems understandable to play conservatively," Xu Yang tried to find some reasons for Manchester City's performance, attempting to explain why they chose this approach.
"That doesn't seem right, does it? If that's the case, why did they bring Lin Quan on in the final stages? Couldn't they just substitute a defensive player?" He Wei obviously didn't fully believe his partner's explanation because Manchester City bringing on Lin Quan indicated they wanted to win through attacking.
...
On the field, during a dead ball opportunity, Lin Quan found captain Kompany.
"Captain, we need to strengthen our attack, we can't keep passively defending like this!"
Kompany hesitated. He had been in poor form in this game, making several mistakes, and Pantilimon's red card was directly related to him.
"Let's be cautious, we're one man down, if we launch an attack now and get hit on the counter, we might lose," Kompany replied.
"Even if we lose, there's not much difference between 0 points and 1 point in my opinion, and if we continue to defend passively like this, we might not even secure a draw," Lin Quan was dissatisfied with Kompany's hesitation. In his view, Manchester City was stronger in attack than defense.
If they continued to attack, there might still be a chance.
But if they kept defending passively, they might really lose!
Kompany knew Lin Quan had a point. He had been in poor form this game, making several mistakes.
If they continued to defend passively, he couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be any more major mistakes like before.
With that in mind, he gritted his teeth and nodded heavily, "Alright, I'll listen to you, let's attack!"
Lin Quan breathed a sigh of relief. Kompany was the captain, and convincing him would make it easier to persuade others.
As expected, when he initiated another attack with the ball, Manchester City players finally dared to join in the attack.
Although Manchester City was one man down, their lineup was much more luxurious than the opponent's, and with Lin Quan on the field, once Manchester City players unified their thinking and attacked with all their strength, West Bromwich Albion was quickly suppressed.
After Manchester City launched a threatening attack, West Bromwich Albion's coach calmed down.
"Defend!"
"Everyone come back to defend!"
The game was about to end, and if they were scored on by the opponent at this time, they would have worked for nothing.
Although he wanted to defeat Manchester City and get 3 points, in this situation, the opponent's offensive threat was much greater than theirs.
If they continued to attack Manchester City, they might be the ones conceding first.
At this stage of the game, whoever scored first would almost certainly win.
West Bromwich Albion's attack was not strong, at least much weaker than Manchester City's, so it was obviously unwise to attack the opponent now.
On the contrary, withdrawing all forces to participate in defense, using a bus-parking strategy to hold on in the last few minutes, they could secure a draw.
A draw was better than nothing, and it was 1 point from Manchester City, which was satisfactory!
The West Bromwich Albion coach didn't know that what he thought was an extremely correct command was actually the decisive reason for losing the game in the final moments.
Manchester City players were participating in the attack, but they were very wary of West Bromwich Albion's counterattack ability. The defensive line didn't dare to push too far forward, and the midfield was always on guard against the opponent's counterattacks.
In this situation, Manchester City's attacking firepower was far from being maximized!
However, West Bromwich Albion shot themselves in the foot by voluntarily withdrawing all players back to defend, which relieved the pressure on Manchester City.
Kompany and others saw that Manchester City had indeed suppressed the opponent through attack, neutralizing the threat posed by the opponent to their defense, and they felt relieved.
They no longer had any concerns, boldly pushing forward one by one, supplying ammunition for the attackers in the frontcourt, and providing support.
For a moment, the situation on the field turned into Manchester City besieging West Bromwich Albion's goal.
And on the sidelines, West Bromwich Albion's coach saw Manchester City's attacking firepower so fierce, the entire team defending, yet still finding it so difficult to defend, he couldn't help but secretly rejoice:
It's a good thing I brought all the players back early. If I still had any wishful thinking at this point and wanted to play attacking football against Manchester City, our goal would probably have been breached by now.
Unknowingly, the game had reached 90 minutes, and the score on the field was still 2-2.
The fans at the Hawthorns Stadium were nervously standing up, stretching their necks to look at their own half of the field.
In these few minutes, Manchester City's offensive onslaught had kept their players pinned within the 30-meter area.
West Bromwich Albion's defensive lines had been compressed to the extreme, and the penalty area was densely packed with players.
Lin Quan tried to make breakthroughs, but because there were too many people, he often had his attempts disrupted by others stretching their legs to block the ball after passing one or two players.
There was just too much crowd!
This was no longer a case of one man against four hands; it was more like one person against an entire team.
Moreover, there were too many people in the penalty area, and almost all the passing routes forward were cut off by the opponents, making it difficult for him to pass the ball to his teammates.
Perhaps it wasn't because the opposing players' defensive awareness was outstanding; it was simply the effect of having too many people stacked up.
Since this approach wasn't working, it was time to try long shots!
There are two ways to break through dense defense: set pieces and long shots!
Set pieces waste too much time, and Manchester City doesn't have much time now. If this move is to be used, it should be saved for the last attacking opportunity.
With this in mind, Lin Quan no longer forcefully attacked the penalty area. He withdrew from the penalty area and passed the ball to David Silva, then moved to the area near the top of the penalty area.
David Silva pretended to break through from the left side towards the penalty area, attracting the attention of the defenders, then decisively passed the ball to his teammate on the bottom.
Navas quickly received the ball and crossed it to find his teammates in the penalty area.
Kompany and Yaya Toure both leaped up, trying to win the header for a shot on goal.
But West Bromwich Albion's players wouldn't let them have it their way. They interfered with both of them, trying to disrupt their attempts while also joining in the aerial challenge to snatch the ball away.
Kompany, who had been in poor form throughout the match, unexpectedly managed to win the header this time.
However, he was pushed by the opponent, losing his balance, and it was difficult for him to adjust his body posture to make a shot.
At this moment, he saw Lin Quan at the top of the penalty area, with no defenders around him while the defenders' attention was focused on the ball!
A good opportunity!
Kompany didn't hesitate. In the air, he used his forehead to nod the ball towards Lin Quan.
A good pass!
Seeing Kompany pass the ball to him, Lin Quan secretly praised in his heart.
West Bromwich Albion's players were terrified when they saw Kompany passing the ball to Lin Quan, who was unmarked.
Oh no, they've left this guy unmarked!
Due to his height disadvantage in the aerial challenge and his departure from the penalty area, West Bromwich Albion's players lowered their guard against him.
However, this choice was a fatal mistake because, within the Manchester City team, the biggest threat had always been Lin Quan!
Seeing the incoming ball, Lin Quan didn't wait for the defenders to rush over. He skipped the step of controlling the ball and directly swung his leg to unleash a volley!
Bang! A loud noise rang out as the ball flew out, heading towards West Bromwich Albion's goal.
The West Bromwich Albion player, who had just finished contesting for the header and hadn't landed yet, had no time to jump again to intercept Lin Quan's shot.
Even more tragically, the goalkeeper's line of sight was blocked by the players jumping for the header on both sides, and he didn't spot Lin Quan's shot in time.
"Watch out!"
"Dangerous!"
The West Bromwich Albion fans behind the goal shouted in panic, trying to alert the goalkeeper.
However, the speed of the ball was too fast. Almost as soon as the goalkeeper heard their warning, the ball was already in front of him.
Swoosh! The goalkeeper symbolically raised his hand, and the next moment, the ball flew into the goal, making a close contact with the net.
Seeing the ball go into the net, all 21 players on the field were stunned.
The first to react was Lin Quan, who excitedly ran forward, taking off his jersey as he ran! He threw away his jersey, revealing his muscular physique, and ran to the corner flag where the away team fans were, roaring angrily at the camera at the corner flag area!
The reporters on the sidelines quickly pressed the shutter, capturing this moment.
"Wow, so cool! Lin Quan, I want to have your babies!"
Lin Quan rarely celebrated by taking off his shirt, so even the Manchester City fans rarely saw his real physique.
At this moment, seeing Lin Quan's strong muscles, the fans at the scene went crazy.
Some female fans even had stars in their eyes, screaming non-stop.
Lin Quan's original appearance was not bad, and this strong physique added a lot of points to him.
Not to mention the female fans at the scene, even the fans watching the live broadcast on TV and online were all stirred up at this moment.
"Wow, Lin King's muscles are impressive!"
"No wonder Lin King's physical confrontation ability is so strong. He's not inferior to the Premier League defenders. It turns out he's a hidden muscle man!"
"Wow, these beauty chasers, seeing Lin King's handsome face, just want to throw themselves at him!"
"Hehe, Lin King not only looks handsome, but he also has a good physique, good football skills, and he's rich too..."
"Stop it, stop it, I'm already embarrassed, thank you!"
Seeing the fans' enthusiastic response, Lin Quan was about to strike some more handsome poses for the camera in response to them.
However, at this moment, his group of clueless teammates had already rushed up and tackled him down like a bunch of madmen.
The ups and downs of this game made the Manchester City players feel frustrated as well. At this moment, Lin Quan once again staged a last-minute goal, finally easing a big burden off their minds.
At the same time, the Manchester City players also felt somewhat puzzled. Just a small team like West Bromwich Albion, why did it feel so difficult to play against them?
The opponents' performance didn't seem that strong, did it?
After they finished celebrating, the injury stoppage time was almost up.
After the restart, the main referee didn't give West Bromwich Albion any chance and directly blew the final whistle.
In the end, with Lin Quan's last-minute goal in the 92nd minute, Manchester City narrowly defeated their opponents 3-2 away.
After 14 rounds, Manchester City currently has 13 wins, 1 draw, and 40 points.
Unfortunately, Arsenal also won this round, and the gap between the two teams remains unchanged.
Since losing to Manchester United away, Wenger's team has been performing very well recently, biting tightly with Manchester City with a three-game winning streak.
But it's okay, the two teams will face each other directly in two rounds. Perhaps in this game, Manchester City can widen the gap with them.
However, what surprised everyone was that before facing Arsenal, Manchester City slipped up early.
In the 15th round of the league, in the away game against Southampton, Manchester City, who scored first, was once again reversed by their opponents.
This time, Lin Quan couldn't save the team, and Manchester City was eventually forced to a draw by Southampton.
Fortunately, Arsenal also slipped up. They were forced to a draw by Everton at home.
The gap between the two teams remains unchanged at 6 points.
After learning of this result, fans of both teams were very regretful.
Manchester City fans felt that they missed the opportunity to widen the gap. If they could win this round, they would lead their opponents by 8 points before facing Arsenal.
Arsenal fans regretted their team's slip-up at home. If they hadn't been forced to a draw by Everton, the gap between them and Manchester City would have narrowed to 4 points.
If they could beat Manchester City in the next round, the gap between the two teams would be reduced to 1 point! In this way, Arsenal's title challenge situation would change dramatically.
If Manchester City's form continues to decline, they might even snatch the mid-season championship from their hands when the first half of the season ends.
After the match, when facing questions from reporters, Wenger said he had found a way to deal with Manchester City. Arsenal would end Manchester City's unbeaten record and home winning streak at the Etihad Stadium.
Many people thought Wenger was just bragging.
After all, Manchester City's home record was too terrifying, leaving a deep impression on the outside world.
"I think the professor isn't bragging. A month ago, Manchester City might have been invincible, but now they seem like a tired and weak beast, just having a scary appearance but actually not as strong as before.
Otherwise, why would they play so badly against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton?"
Thinking carefully about Manchester City's first two games, it seems like there was a problem with their form.
The Manchester City that slaughtered Tottenham Hotspur 6-0 at home, but was reversed in away games consecutively. If it weren't for Lin Quan's heroic performances, saving the team several times, Manchester City might have already lost.
"I think we don't need to guess anymore. The next game is the Champions League match. Whether Manchester City has a problem with their form or not, we'll see how they perform against Bayern Munich away!"
"That's right. Both Manchester City and Bayern Munich can't afford to lose this game. They must go all out to compete for the top spot in the group. This gives us a great opportunity to observe Manchester City's situation!"
"If they withstand Bayern Munich's attacks, or even overturn Bayern Munich, it's enough to prove that Manchester City's current form is not a problem; on the contrary, if they are completely defeated by Bayern Munich and lose by a big margin, then Manchester City might really have a problem!"
On December 11th, under the attention of the world, Manchester City arrived at the Allianz Arena to challenge the mighty Bayern Munich.
This is the last group match, and also the most important one!
(End of this chapter)
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