Chapter 393: Chapter 393

Just like that, Tang Long, who had just eluded Zaka’s fierce pressing, instantly faced the encirclement of two Monchengladbach midfielders.

Even though he was uneasy because of Tang Long’s outstanding performance in the defensive midfield position, Yaya Toure, who cared about the team’s bigger picture, immediately sensed Tang Long’s danger. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NovelHub(.)net

He sprinted close to Tang Long, pulled slightly to the flanks, and shouted, "I’m here!"

This was a protective reception initiative for Tang Long.

And behind Tang Long, watching him drive the ball straight into the encirclement of two players, Ranocchia, fearing Tang Long hadn’t seen Toure’s position, also shouted:

"Pass to Toure, don’t let them intercept!"

Previously, Toure’s ball was intercepted in this position, almost giving the opponent’s forward Rafael a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper, but fortunately, Ranocchia’s timely defense averted the crisis.

With this previous lesson, Ranocchia, in the center-back position, was very attentive and cautious about the defensive midfielder’s ball handling, fearing Tang Long would make the same mistake as Toure.

However, Tang Long didn’t seem to have any intention of passing the ball.

His right foot and left foot each traced arcs over the ball, using bicycle feints in quick succession.

Tang Long’s bicycle feints are highly deceptive, mainly reflected in the way his upper body leans with the movement of his feet, and his arms swing dramatically, his entire body, from top to bottom, changing with the bicycle moves.

This was unlike some players who only move their feet while other body parts remain slightly stiff during bicycle moves.

There is a certain sense of executing the move for its own sake.

Coupled with Tang Long’s rapid footwork, after executing two bicycle feints, his entire body exuded strength and speed!

Defender Dahud, who pressed forward, could only see two afterimages swaying before his eyes.

He vaguely saw Tang Long’s body sway to the left, and instinctively stretched his foot towards the swaying direction.

Just as his lifted foot was about to land, there was a snap, a direction change, and Tang Long disappeared from his sight.

"What the hell, so fast!"

Dahud was stunned, turning around in bewilderment.

Luckily, Herman, who had been called over to assist, quickly approached Tang Long again.

"Don’t worry, I’m here to cover!"

Compared to the 1.85m-tall Dahud, the 1.89m-tall Herman had a bigger physique and a wider interception range.

He had more defensive experience than Dahud.

Learning from Dahud’s reckless press mistake, Herman advanced and retreated, maintaining a side-on standard defensive stance, refusing to close in on Tang Long actively.

He thought, I won’t interrupt your ball, I’ll just keep retreating, as long as I delay your offensive rhythm, other assisting players will surround you.

However, although Herman’s calculations were sound, the actual situation wasn’t what he expected.

If you keep retreating and fail to intercept Tang Long, can you really stop him?

Tang Long continued shifting the ball left and right, first driving it left to draw Herman to turn sideways, then immediately pulling it back to the right.

Left and right, the ball and his body repeatedly approached Herman, aiming to lure him into extending his foot.

Nonetheless, seasoned defender Herman wasn’t easily fooled, no matter how Tang Long tried to entice him, he just resolutely kept retreating.

"Stop just watching, everyone come help defend and cover me!" Herman shouted anxiously to his teammates.

Due to Herman temporarily slowing down Tang Long’s attack rhythm, Dahud, whom Tang Long had previously bypassed, gradually caught up.

Another defensive midfielder, Zaka, had also returned to position.

"Stop dribbling, Tang, pass the ball to me!"

Yaya Toure, who was still worried, had chased after Tang Long and reached an open position again, reaching out to request the ball from Tang Long.

According to Toure’s years of top league experience, Tang Long indeed dribbled a bit too much, with opponents already circling, there was a risk of losing the ball at any moment.

Toure thought to himself, although his passes from the defensive midfield position are impressive, his understanding of judgment and advancement from this position still falls short of mine.

Just as Manchester City’s players thought they had successfully used a retreat defense to slow down Tang Long’s offensive rhythm,

Tang Long’s sudden change of pace disrupted the situation!

Facing Herman’s defensive retreat, Tang Long decisively accelerated, pushed forward with the outside of his foot, and instantly moved to less than one meter in front of Herman.

Where will you retreat to now?

In the midst of his retreat, Herman’s mind momentarily went blank!

In this brief 0.05 seconds, Herman’s brain was rapidly processing.

"He kicked it too far, definitely kicked it too far, this is a great chance for a tackle, not to be missed!"

According to the general rule on the football field, during a one-on-one, when the ball is within 1.5 meters, the attacking player must act.

If they mistakenly push the ball to within a meter of a defender, they are in a very dangerous 55-50 scenario!

This means the defender has a high chance to break the ball with just one extended foot.

Therefore, relying on his rich defensive experience, Herman judged Tang Long had pushed the ball too far.

With his 1.88-meter height and long legs, he had a good chance to poke the ball out, completely ending Manchester City’s attack.

However, as Herman extended his leg, he fell right into the trap Tang Long had set for him!