Chapter 458: Chapter 458
Premier League standings after 13 rounds
1. Manchester City 34 points
2. Manchester United 30 points
1. Tang Long 10 assists
2. De Bruyne 8 assists
3. Eriksson 5 assists
It’s already late November 2015.
After 13 rounds of the Premier League, Manchester City remains at the top of the standings.
They are making their final push of the month towards becoming the Christmas champions this season!
However, before the team could fully enjoy their 2-1 home comeback against Norwich, they were hit with a significant setback—technically not one, but two.
Agüero pulled his groin during training!
His injury was quite serious, and he immediately limped off the field to the medical room.
Manchester City’s medical team brought bad news to the entire team: Agüero would be sidelined for at least two months!
Upon hearing the news, Agüero was stunned at first, then furious, punching halfway through Gracie’s office cabinet door!
He then angrily slapped his own groin, thinking how his body could let him down !
How many matches will I miss?
Actually, Pellegrini had prepared himself mentally for Agüero’s injury at the start of the season;
because the Argentine player is inherently fragile.
In the 2012-13 season, Agüero only participated in half of the team’s matches, scoring just over a dozen goals that season.
Luckily, Bony’s rise in form meant that Pellegrini wasn’t too worried about the attacking options up front.
So compared to Agüero’s injury, Ranocchia’s fractured left toe concerned Pellegrini more! ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net
How did Ranocchia get injured? Even Tang Long was puzzled.
When he played for Inter, as the Inter captain, he was almost always present, and his body was very resilient.
He was good at aerial duels and often maliciously fouled by opponents, hit in the waist, or thrown to the ground during high ball confrontations, but he never got injured, earning the nickname "the indestructible little captain" from Chinese Inter fans.
In Premier League and Champions League matches, Tang Long was usually present whenever Ranocchia played;
he didn’t see the tall central defender being violently tackled by opponents.
In fact, about this toe fracture, even Ranocchia himself wasn’t aware at first!
"It must have been during the Manchester Derby when that kid Icardi stomped on the back of my foot!"
"At the time, I thought it was just a bruise and didn’t pay attention; during the English League Cup, it started hurting more, and only after the game against Norwich did I go for a checkup at the medical room. And it turned out, sure enough, my little toe had a mild fracture!"
When Ranocchia talked about this, he was so angry he almost shattered his molars!
He clearly remembered the situation back then.
He was dribbling in the backfield, deliberately attracting Igor Di over, pulling out the opponent’s attacking line, then dribbling past Icardi with footwork and charging into the open space!
Ranocchia, tall and long-legged, skilled with his feet, once he started running, how could Icardi catch up?
But Icardi, bad as he is, couldn’t snatch the ball but still insisted on stretching his foot to stomp, ending up heavily stepping on Ranocchia’s foot!
"Looking back now, this kid did it on purpose for sure!"
"If I’d known, the 7:1 wasn’t enough; we should’ve made it 10:1!" Ranocchia thought to himself, still unsettled.
With Agüero injured, Bony can replace him;
but if Ranocchia is injured and can’t play, who can replace him?
Kompany is a definite starter; the remaining central defender spot is contested by Otamendi, Demichelis, and Mangala.
These three have the ability to take the position, but not the level to play as a ball-playing central defender.
Mangala’s footwork is rough; he’s a tackler-type central defender;
Demichelis and Otamendi, being Argentinians, have slightly better technical footwork but lack Ranocchia’s vision for passing.
In Pellegrini’s 4231 possessive tactics, the role of Ranocchia at the back is as important as Tang Long up front!
Especially with Caballero replacing Joe Hart, the passing relationship between the goalkeeper and central defenders dictates whether Manchester City can smoothly transition from defense to attack under opponent pressing.
Pellegrini can certainly let Tang Long drop back to control the backfield advance.
But if there’s no Agüero up front, ball possession weakens; Tang Long can’t play from midfield all the way up to the forward line!
Is it necessary to make tactical adjustments?
If so, how to adjust, who to play, who to take off, who must be on the field, whose position tactics can be changed?
These are all questions!
Fortunately, Pellegrini had two weeks of international break to think about this troublesome problem.
When Icardi learned from the "Manchester Evening News" that Agüero would be out for two months, he joyfully performed a passionate slide on the living room carpet!
"Oh yeah, another competitor for the Golden Boot is down!"
Agüero and Icardi, although both Argentinians and seemingly friendly on the surface, are fiercely competitive in private!
Whether vying for the Premier League title and the Golden Boot, or competing for the main striker’s spot in the national team, there’s a hidden undercurrent between them.