Chapter 353: Chapter 353

Ronaldo once said to Tang Long, never take media reports seriously!

When you perform well, they lift you up to the sky and place you among the clouds;

But if you start to believe it, if you start to float, and your performance falters, they won’t just drag you down from the clouds, they’d love to see you fall into the dirt, stomp on you, spit thick phlegm on you, and leave laughing!

Manchester City ended their winning streak in the league, and after losing at home to Southampton in the fifth round, Manchester United, the local rivals, took the top spot on the leaderboard.

Regarding this result, many media outlets were thrilled, sensing the key to drawing in crowds.

Although the United Kingdom is a country with a relatively open business environment, its thriving commercial atmosphere has attracted many foreign investors to the Premier League.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, the current Premier League powerhouses, are all firmly controlled by foreign capital.

Even so, compared to Manchester City, controlled by Middle Eastern oil consortiums, Manchester United, held by Americans, can still win more favor in the United Kingdom due to cultural roots.

Many British people believe, Americans, well, they are the grandchildren of us Brits!

When grandchildren come to buy teams on granddad’s turf, doing well is just what’s expected!

As for the Abu Dhabi Consortium, which made its fortune on oil, although everyone envies them and feels secretly sour with jealousy, they still pretend to scorn: Uncultured nouveau riche!

The Daily News is a typical example.

"Manchester City’s winning streak being ended by Southampton is actually quite reasonable."

"To many, Manchester City is simply not qualified to be called a Premier League giant! Whether it’s from fan culture, team building, or the number of championships won, they cannot compare to their local rival Manchester United."

"After winning two Premier League titles, last season, Manchester City immediately lost to Chelsea."

"The strong revival of Manchester United this season is a heavy blow to these Middle Easterners!"

"Although Sir Ferguson has retired, under the leadership of the Dutch master Van Gaal, Manchester United’s spirit continues and will soon flourish again, once more becoming the towering tree that covers the entire British Isles!"

After criticizing the entire Manchester City club, the media still feel unsatisfied.

Criticism needs a typical example, whether domestic or foreign, criticism conferences are always .

They have to pull someone out and give them a thorough lashing under the spotlight, even if that person is a scapegoat, they aim all firepower harshly at him.

Manchester City is a club with over 20 players, including the management and first-team coaching staff.

Many of them have been rooted in the football realm for years, possessing certain social prestige.

Especially the head coach Pellegrini, after a confrontation with Wenger at the Emirates Stadium, people got a first-hand impression of this Chilean coach’s fiery temper.

The British media, sharp as they are, decided to find a soft target to squeeze~

And Tang Long, unsurprisingly, became the soft target in the eyes of the British media!

Young, not yet 20 years old, having become the most expensive transfer in Manchester City’s history, many questioned whether he was worthy of such a high price tag.

After all, Tang Long came from a country deemed a desert for football, he wasn’t originally qualified for the Premier League! It was thanks to the genius clause that granted him the exceptional entry to this league.

Previously playing for Inter Milan, in this era, Serie A? That’s synonymous with old and lagging!

This Southern European league, with its soft, slow pace of matches, how can it compare to the high pace, high confrontation of the advanced Premier League?

Thus, once Tang Long set foot in the Premier League, tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on him.

If he performs well, assists, scores, and earns the best of the match, that’s what’s expected—who told you to be so expensive?

But if he performs poorly, even if only for a single match, just because he didn’t attack or score, some people’s eyes can’t tolerate such failure!

The traditional right-wing media, the Daily Telegraph, which always had its eyes on Tang Long, began to stir trouble, deciding to harshly squeeze this "soft target" from China.

In the previous round, thanks to Tang Long’s brilliant performance, after Manchester City’s away victory over Arsenal, the Daily Telegraph only grudgingly left a small commentary in the last section of the paper, a coy gesture that made one sick.

And this round, after Manchester City lost at home to Southampton, losing the top spot, the Daily Telegraph immediately changed its tone and made an elaborate front-page feature!

[He vanished when the team needed him the most!]

The accompanying image was quite imaginative, showing Tang Long draped in an Invisibility Cloak from the Harry Potter films~

"With Joe Hart and Agüero suspended, this Manchester City, head and tail severed, became a headless team."

"As Manchester City’s most expensive transfer ever, Tang was expected to bear the burden and lead Blue Moon forward courageously. But unfortunately, he failed to do so! Not only did he not score, but he also didn’t assist, his post-match rating was an unsatisfactory 5.5."

"No wonder in the last 10 minutes before the game ended, over 50,000 fans at Etihad Stadium were hollering Agüero’s name!"

"Agüero! Fans were calling for that goal-scoring hero, the one who, three years ago, with a blasting strike in 2012, delivered a last-minute victory over Queens Park Rangers, bringing Manchester City their first ever Premier League title!"