Chapter 361: Chapter 361

The Premier League is the complete opposite; defenders have less overall tactical awareness compared to Serie A players, but Premier League defenders are taller, have stronger impact, and create intense pressure.

Often before the forwards can even receive the rolling ball, a wall has already crashed in from behind!

But because of this, forwards in the Premier League often get more open spaces on the attacking line than those in Serie A.

As a midfielder, Tang Long didn’t invest more in forward skills in the AI system; his focus remains on passing.

Therefore, after being suddenly moved to the front line in this match, Tang Long relies more on his football understanding, playing while observing.

In the 53rd minute of the second half, Tang Long received a direct pass from Yaya Toure on the wing.

Lovren, who was marking Tang Long, stepped up and continuously used his body to disrupt him from behind.

Tang Long didn’t entangle with him further; he passed the ball back to Nasri, who came to support.

Nasri, known early in his career, though due to personality and game attitude issues, his form has been wavering and lost his starting position at Manchester City.

But known as one of the "French Four Swans," his innate talent on the pitch still remains at around six or seven out of ten.

He extended his left hand, pointed to the left, and then nudged with his right foot to begin cutting inside.

Understanding his intention, Tang Long moved towards the left, opposite to Nasri’s inside cut.

Just as expected, after passing Henderson in midfield, Nasri did not continue forward but instead nudged his right foot, perfectly delivering a direct pass to Tang Long, who had just charged past the offside line!

Tang Long’s AI brain had already predicted that Nasri’s touch would be a bit hefty.

So his forward run was very determined, accelerating to catch up with the ball at a tight angle, and as he met the ball, he made a strong shot!

The precision and power of the shot were good, but unfortunately, the angle was too narrow, and Mignolet deflected it forcefully, sending it past the near post for a corner.

This play gave the Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet quite a fright!

Truth be told, the danger level of Tang Long’s shot was much lower than Iheanacho’s two shots in the first half because the angle was really small.

However, the quality of Tang Long’s shot was much higher than Iheanacho’s! It was also a test of Mignolet’s extreme goalkeeping skills.

The fans at Anfield burst into enthusiastic applause upon witnessing Mignolet’s save, highlighting the high quality of Tang Long’s shot!

The eccentric Nasri glanced at Tang Long but didn’t say anything.

Ordinarily, when he delivered such a goal-bound pass and the forward didn’t score, Nasri’s French mouth would babble non-stop, shrugging and gesturing.

But this time, Nasri knew it was his heavy pass; with Tang Long able to reach the ball and complete a shot at a tight angle, it was quite commendable, so Nasri did not complain.

Off the pitch, Pellegrini’s eyes lit up!

This was the first time he saw Tang Long playing as a forward; just based on this attack’s outcome, it seemed effective.

Especially notable was Tang Long’s decisiveness at the start, crucial in his ability to reach the ball.

"He seemed to foresee that the ball would be passed hard; if he waited to run, the ball would just roll out of bounds." Coach Pei thought.

Pellegrini greatly appreciated Tang Long’s ability to predict ball trajectories.

He thought perhaps Tang Long’s long-term position as an attacking midfielder helped him grasp passing routes, making him adept at receiving passes up front.

"It’s a pity if Nasri’s pass were a bit lighter, Tang would have surely scored!" Pellegrini lamented.

In previous rounds, had I given Nasri more playtime to help him regain his touch earlier, maybe Manchester City could’ve equalized quickly.

We need to score faster!

Pellegrini’s intense desire for goals was not without reason.

Placing Tang Long up front and switching to a 442 formation was actually quite a risky move for Manchester City.

In traditional English football, 442 is a very common formation.

Arsenal’s Wenger once said he liked using the 442 formation for a while; he considered it the most balanced setup to evenly cover every corner of the pitch.

However, last season Pellegrini used Milner as the second forward in his 442 setup.

Objectively speaking, Milner contributed more defensively and in terms of running in the second forward position than Tang Long, easing the defensive pressure on the midfield.

Looking at Manchester City’s current midfield, Nasri and Navas on the sides are not known for their defensive skills, while Yaya Toure likes to move forward, leaving only Fernando as the pure defensive midfielder.

This makes Manchester City’s current 442 appear slightly unbalanced in terms of offense and defense.

However, Pellegrini had no choice; he had to take some risks!

Losing one goal is losing, losing two goals is still losing; only by equalizing the score quickly can they boost morale, then make some minor adjustments.

Manchester City capitalized on the momentum, continuing to attack.

Liverpool’s manager Rodgers was somewhat bewildered!

He had rehearsed numerous scenarios in his mind before the match, even considering the possibility of Manchester City going all out after falling behind, fielding two forwards. But that was supposed to be Bony and Iheanacho, as they were the only two certified strikers Manchester City had available.