Chapter 328: Manchester City's 7-2 Massacre of AC Milan at the International Champions Cup!
Manchester City's acquisition of a young defender from the Scottish Premier League for 10 million euros did not attract much external attention. After all, Manchester City's previous purchases often involved tens of millions of euros, and spending only 10 million euros on Van Dijk seemed minor to reporters. How capable could a defender bought at that price be?
Compared to Van Dijk, the press was more concerned about potential transfers involving Manchester City's big-name stars. However, as Lin Quan, Kroos, and De Bruyne appeared on Manchester City's training ground one after another, the transfer rumors circulating in the media quickly dissipated. If these stars were truly transferring, they wouldn't be returning to Manchester City for preseason training.
After a brief training period, Manchester City immediately headed to the United States to participate in the International Champions Cup. Started in 2009, the International Champions Cup is a commercially-oriented event. Although it's quite high-profile, it essentially serves as a series of warm-up matches. However, since the participants are mostly top clubs and the participating teams receive significant financial rewards, invited teams generally do not decline the invitation. After all, it's a chance to make money and get in some preseason training—a win-win situation.
By its fifth year, the International Champions Cup had grown significantly in influence, attracting more television networks interested in buying broadcasting rights. Especially this year, with all eight participating teams being major European clubs, there were no filler teams from regional leagues like in previous years. The teams included Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, AC Milan, Inter Milan, AS Roma, Real Madrid, and Olympiacos. Except for Olympiacos, the rest were considered top clubs, with Manchester City and Roma slightly behind but still close to that level.
This lineup drew a large number of fans to the games, and as soon as tickets went on sale, they were quickly snapped up by eager fans. The matches involving Real Madrid and Manchester City drew the most attention. Indeed, these were the only two teams with superstar players. The organizers, understanding the market well, scheduled the final to be held at Michigan University's stadium, which can accommodate over 100,000 spectators. If Real Madrid and Manchester City were to meet in the final, just ticket sales alone would generate a substantial profit for the organizers.
According to the tournament format, the eight teams were split into two groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals, and the winners of those games moving on to the finals. As the favorites, Real Madrid and Manchester City were placed in separate groups. Manchester City's group included Liverpool, Olympiacos, and AC Milan, while Real Madrid's group comprised Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, and Roma. Real Madrid's group was more balanced in terms of team strength, especially with Manchester United, who had aggressively recruited new players during the summer and had a real chance to challenge Real Madrid for the top spot in the group. The two Italian teams, limited by the decline of Serie A, were not highly regarded.
As for Manchester City's group, they were expected to advance without issue, with Olympiacos likely being eliminated. Whether Liverpool or AC Milan would advance would depend on their direct match.
As the recent Premier League and Champions League champions, Manchester City was scheduled to play in the opening match against the Italian giants, AC Milan. Since it was a friendly match, both sides fielded several substitutes. The starters sat on the bench, watching and joking as the substitutes strived on the field. Such preseason games did not necessitate starting with the main lineup because there were unlimited substitutions and no restriction on the number of players on the bench.
Despite being a lineup of substitutes, there was still a clear difference in strength. Manchester City played very actively from the start. Just 11 minutes in, Jovetic scored the first goal. Two minutes later, Sinclair added another, making it 2-0 to Manchester City. Although it was only a friendly, being two goals down within 13 minutes was embarrassing for AC Milan's coach, Inzaghi, who began to stand and shout to his players to be more proactive and aggressive. However, his shouts seemed to confuse his players more than help.
By the 23rd minute, Navas had added a third goal for Manchester City. Four minutes later, the score was 4-0. Not yet done, Jovetic scored again in the 32nd minute to make it 5-0. Seeing his team about to suffer a massacre, Inzaghi couldn't sit still any longer. He substituted four key players in an attempt to turn the game around, but the substitution had little effect. Van Dijk and goalkeeper Navas, making their debuts for Manchester City, performed exceptionally well, repeatedly thwarting AC Milan's attacks. Navas, in particular, made some spectacular saves that left AC Milan's players questioning their life choices.
Fortunately, Montari managed to pull one back for AC Milan in the 42nd minute, slightly salvaging the situation. However, as the second half began, Manchester City also made substitutions. Silva, Kroos, Aguero, and De Bruyne came on, and the game's dynamics changed drastically. It shifted from AC Milan pressuring Manchester City to Manchester City dominating AC Milan. Inzaghi responded by substituting four more main players, and at this point, almost all of AC Milan's starters were on the field, while at least half of Manchester City's main players were still on the bench.
As more star players entered the field, the game became even more exciting, and the atmosphere in the stadium heated up with the fans' cheers growing louder. However, the peak of excitement hadn't been reached yet, as over fifty thousand fans were anticipating one man's appearance.
"Sub Lin in!" "Let Lin play!" "We want to see Lin!"
As the game approached the 70th minute with no sign of Lin Quan, the fans grew restless. They began to loudly chant his name, putting pressure on the event organizers and Manchester City's coaching staff. With the team leading by a large margin and dominating AC Milan, Manchester City's coach, Pellegrini, was in a good mood. Hearing the fans, he turned to Lin with a smile and asked, "Lin, want to warm up by playing?"
Lin nodded. Though the outcome was already decided, as a fan favorite, he always took care of his supporters. So, in the 75th minute, Lin was substituted in. The crowd erupted in cheers when Lin finally took to the field.
"Lin!" "Lin!"
Over fifty thousand fans chanted Lin's name in unison, welcoming their football emperor. Lin couldn't let such support go unacknowledged. After entering the field, he scored directly from a free kick, further extending the team's lead. In the final moments of the game, Lin received the ball on the wing, dodged multiple AC Milan defenders, and after a nearly solo run down their defensive line, calmly finished inside the box. This goal completely electrified the stadium, leaving the fans in awe of Lin's performance.
In the end, Manchester City crushed AC Milan 7-2 in the opener. Although it was just a friendly match, the margin was still staggering. During the post-match handshake, AC Milan's new coach Inzaghi, who had taken over after his predecessor Seedorf was fired for poor results, looked grim. This defeat made him pessimistic about his prospects at AC Milan. The current team was far from the Milan he remembered from his playing days. Misfortune seemed to befall both Milan teams simultaneously, as on the other side, Inter also fell to Real Madrid. However, unlike AC Milan's collapse, Inter fought until the end but unfortunately lost in a penalty shootout. The International Cup does not allow ties; matches that end in a draw go straight to penalties.
In other matches, Manchester United beat Roma 3-2, and Liverpool narrowly defeated Olympiacos 1-0. The Premier League teams maintained a perfect record with three wins, while Serie A teams suffered three losses, showcasing their decline. This left Italian football fans, especially those who remembered Serie A's glory days, feeling quite melancholic:
"Alas, it seems Serie A really is in decline. The glory days of the mini World Cup are gone!"
After a three-day rest, the second round of matches quickly began. This round pitted Manchester City against Liverpool in an all-Premier League clash, full of rivalry and tension from the start. To secure a victory, Pellegrini fielded a mix of starters and substitutes. Van Dijk and Navas continued to start, alongside Milner, Fernandinho, Kolarov, Jovetic, and Aguero.
The situation was similar for Liverpool, with neither side wanting to lose. The match was tense, with no goals in the first half. In the 53rd minute, Jovetic broke the deadlock, but Manchester City's lead didn't last long. Henderson equalized for Liverpool in the 57th minute. Substitutions followed shortly, and within ten minutes, both teams had switched to their main line-ups.
However, Pellegrini left Van Dijk on the field. The Chilean coach seemed to have high hopes for the young player and was using the match as a high-pressure training to accelerate his development.
"Is this really okay? If he makes a mistake that leads to a loss, it could greatly damage his confidence," the assistant coach expressed concern, feeling it was too soon for Van Dijk to face such pressure.
"It's just a friendly match. If he can't handle this pressure, how will he manage in league and Champions League matches?" Pellegrini explained while keeping an eye on Van Dijk, eager to see what surprises the player could bring.
Unlike goalkeeper Navas, Van Dijk had never played in the top five leagues before. The intensity of this match was undoubtedly at or even above that level, and all his teammates were starters, except for him, a substitute and a recent addition to the team. This put a lot of pressure on Van Dijk, making him quite nervous.
However, he was not the type to shrink back. Under immense pressure, Van Dijk not only maintained his performance but improved. In several defensive plays, he managed to shut down Sturridge and Balotelli. Although Balotelli was known for his unpredictable behavior, his physical prowess was world-class, a challenge for any defender. But against Van Dijk, Balotelli gained no advantage and was thoroughly contained.
Seeing Van Dijk's solid performance, Manchester City's coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief. On the other side, Liverpool's coach Rodgers was baffled. Where did Manchester City get this formidable defender? He had no recollection of him. After inquiring with his assistant, he learned that Van Dijk had only recently been purchased from Celtic for a mere 10 million euros.
"10 million euros for this level of defender?" Rodgers was astounded. Such a bargain seemed unbelievable. Why hadn't Liverpool had the chance to snag such a deal? If he had known about such an excellent defensive prospect at Celtic, he wouldn't have hesitated to offer 15 or even 20 million euros. Quality defenders were becoming increasingly rare and expensive, a trend exacerbated by clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, who had driven up prices by paying exorbitant fees for their defenders.
After the defense held off Liverpool's offensive pressure, Manchester City's formidable midfield and attack began to dominate. With Lin, Aguero, and De Bruyne leading the charge, Liverpool's defense eventually crumbled. In the 67th minute, Lin scored, putting Manchester City back in the lead. Eight minutes later, Aguero scored off an assist from De Bruyne, securing the victory.
In the dying moments of the game, as Liverpool attempted a comeback, Manchester City launched a swift counterattack, with Lin assisting David Silva to score another goal, finalizing the score at 4-1.
With two consecutive matches ending in large victories and scoring a total of 11 goals, Manchester City's terrifying offensive power sent chills down the spines of the other participating teams. Manchester City's strength had not diminished; it had only grown stronger.
(End of Chapter)