Chapter 469: Chapter 469
Nasri gave Tang Long a sidelong glance, shrugged, and said nothing;
But he retorted mercilessly to Iheanacho, the black young lad!
"The coach wants us to play possession football, what the hell do you know!"
On the surface, Nasri was strictly implementing Pellegrini’s tactics, but in reality, he was trying to flatter the Chilean old man~
Nasri is a slick character.
He knew that even if the ball was passed and Iheanacho headed it, Pellegrini wouldn’t be pleased!
Because high crosses from the flanks are not part of the possession strategy, Pellegrini looks down on them.
The Chilean old man wants the ball to penetrate the box and play beautiful football.
Nasri had finally welcomed his first Champions League start of the season. You think he would go against the coach?
He’s not that stupid!
Otherwise, what if he’s not allowed to play in the next match?
As for what Tang Long said, the French star felt it had nothing to do with him!
This Chinese guy is practically Pellegrini’s treasure, Pellegrini treats him as if he were his own grandson.
He got on The Sun, and then got let off easily;
While we were all training hard, he was watching videos and reading novels, with no consequences, still starting.
If I had Tang Long’s treatment, I’d play however I want, but I don’t! Get full chapters from Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
The first half ended with both sides tied at 0:0;
But whether in terms of possession or shooting efficiency, Seville was far superior to Manchester City.
Possession rate, 57% vs 43%;
Shooting, Seville 8 shots 4 on target, Manchester City 5 shots 1 on target.
If it weren’t for Demichelis’s multiple daring saves and Caballero’s heroic performance, the score would have probably turned into 0:2 already!
During halftime, Pellegrini encouraged the whole team in the locker room.
"Boys, be confident!"
"We didn’t play well in the first half, but I’m happy you still strictly executed the tactics I deployed before the match, and for that, you deserve praise!"
"We’ve already won 9 points from the first three group matches, leading by a large margin, so in the second half, I want you to play without burdens. Treat the match with a normal mindset, and show the true essence of possession football."
As soon as he finished, the locker room fell silent, everyone looking at each other.
Tang Long thought Pellegrini’s words were nonsensical!
Totally lacking in level.
He thought, "This is the Champions League, is getting nine points from the first three rounds really secure? If we lose this match, Seville will rise to 7 points, just one game behind Manchester City! We still have to play Juventus next, and being first in the group is not stable!"
Tang Long didn’t know why Pellegrini said these words, but Pellegrini’s assistant coach Rein, who had followed him for many years, heard the undertone of these words~
The first half performance was so poor that even Pellegrini himself felt ashamed!
If it were a coach who adapts, like Ancelotti, he would simply use a high-pressure, direct playstyle, utilizing Navas and Nasri’s impact on the wings, and cross to the tall center-forward Iheanacho for headers.
Yet, even though Pellegrini realized the mistakes in his tactical deployment and personnel system chain, he wouldn’t easily admit his mistakes—no, not easily, but never!
So his words were intentionally said to prepare an excuse for himself in case of a loss!
"This old fox, haha," Rein thought, "This is the Champions League, do you really take this as a friendly match, how is that possible?"
The ceaseless chants from Seville filtered into the locker room, many were curses like "Beat these arrogant Brits," "Colonists return our land," "Stop dreaming of your British Empire."
Tang Long listened to these cries that could boost the opponent’s morale, pondering for a long time.
If we continue playing , it’s definitely GG.
Something must change.
Since the teammates dare not make changes, then the one to make a change can only be me!