Chapter 478: Chapter 478

Thinking this way, Tang Long even feels quite pleased~

I’ve been supporting so many of your media. If I weren’t here, what would you rely on to make a living?

As for whether these reports would cause any real damage to him, Tang Long believes they won’t.

He is clear about his innocence. Both Dilata and Gracie are just friends. That day, the two of them were at his home discussing football business matters, and there was no secret romantic scandal.

Moreover, since starting out at Inter Milan, the teachings of his mentor Chiwo have been engraved in his heart as a motto for life, never to be erased:

"Tang, you must remember that in the world of football, if you want to be respected, it doesn’t matter which country you come from, your race, skin color, or cultural background. The only decisive factor is your skill on the field!"

Perhaps it’s precisely because of this that Pellegrini continues to endure great pressure and puts Tang Long on the starting list.

The reason is none other!

Never mind that the right-wing conservative media such as the Daily Telegraph have been praising the injured Agüero to high heaven;

But the seasoned Pellegrini knows full well that while this Manchester City can do without anyone, it cannot do without Tang Long!

The squad was already incomplete, and facing Chelsea away was fraught with challenges.

If Tang Long were to be removed due to media pressure, then there would be no need to play at all!

My position as Manchester City’s coach was given by Abu Dhabi, and they are the ones paying my salary.

So what if you media complain as much as you want?

As long as I win the Premier League championship next May, whatever I do will be right.

If I removed Tang Long but didn’t win the championship in the end, you’d still continue to criticize me!

I’m not that foolish.

Chelsea vs. Manchester City Starting Lineup.

Home Team Chelsea 4231.

Baba/Cahill/Ivanovic/Azpilicueta.

Away Team Manchester City 4231.

Nasri/Tang Long/Navas.

Kolarov/Mangala/Otamendi/Sabaleta.

This match is being broadcast live in China by LeSports.

For this headline match, LeSports also invited a heavyweight football legend from China, Fan Zhiyi, who once played for Crystal Palace in the Championship.

"Coach Fan, what do you think about this match?"

"I’m watching it from the studio, haha, just kidding, hello to all the audience friends!"

Fan Zhiyi, with his broad shoulders and short neck, always looks slightly hunched in front of the camera no matter how straight his back is, exuding both a commanding presence and a bit of a dismissive attitude.

Zhan Jun, for the sake of the show’s effect, deliberately steers the conversation towards Tang Long.

"Coach Fan, when you played football in the UK, you should have heard of the famous The Sun, right? Regarding Tang Long appearing twice on The Sun..."

"Oh gosh, thank heavens! I didn’t have the skill that Tang does. Back then, I only read about other football stars’ affairs in The Sun, but Tang is the main character now~"

In the end, Fan Zhiyi, in the manner of someone who has been through it all, gave Tang Long some advice.

"Have you heard of the story about ’the premature decline of disabilities’? Famous at a young age, but if you look at him a few years later, if he’s not disciplined, he may not achieve great things."

Zhan Jun purposely said, "Coach Fan, the example you’re giving seems a bit inappropriate. ’Premature decline of disabilities,’ never appeared in The Sun. It might be more of an issue of talent."

Fan Zhiyi glared, not pleased.

"Teacher Zhan, don’t play semantics with me. How can you manage talent without discipline in life? C Luo made similar mistakes in his younger years, but he quickly corrected them. That’s the gap between Tang Long and C Luo!"

Zhan Jun held back laughter, thinking, at Tang Long’s age, C Luo partied even harder, taking a car full of girls to hotels, who knows how many times he’s been on the front page of The Sun.

Manchester City takes the kickoff first.

Bony stepped on the ball and exchanged a glance with Tang Long. Both nodded.

The referee blew the whistle, Bony passed the ball to Tang Long, and Tang Long passed it to Yaya Toure.

Toure waited for two seconds, then, as Kolarov on the left and Sabaleta on the right surged towards the center, he delivered a high ball with a chop!

Wow, Manchester City is trying to make a powerful opening play at Stanford Bridge!

After two consecutive draws, Pellegrini thought it over and decided to make some adjustments for this away match at Stanford Bridge.

Although his stubbornness still favored the passing control tactic, he intended to dominate the first 15 minutes, pressing hard against Chelsea. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽

Pellegrini believed that whether or not to score was secondary, but he wanted to make a statement in Mourinho’s home field, on his turf!

To curb the recent arrogance of this Portuguese man!

Manchester City’s opening play was extremely aggressive. When Yaya Toure made the pass, Bony, Tang Long, Nasri, Navas, and other frontline players were already positioned near the opponent’s penalty area;

Defensive midfielder Delph was speeding up while both fullbacks Kolarov and Sabaleta closed in quickly towards the center!

Especially Kolarov, standing at 1.87 meters, was already positioned near the halfway line before Bony initiated from the center circle.

So when Toure unleashed his long pass, Kolarov was already within Chelsea’s penalty area!

Chelsea’s defense was not prepared for Kolarov’s rapid advance.

His matchup, Spanish right-back Azpilicueta, only 1.78 meters tall, was nearly 10 centimeters shorter than Kolarov, and not as strong as the Serbian.

The two contested for the header, and Kolarov soared high, overshadowing Azpilicueta so much so that Azpilicueta couldn’t see the ball, only Kolarov’s rear end, twisting stylishly in mid-air accompanied by the contraction of his core muscles~

Chaos erupted in the penalty area!

Bony, like an African leopard, leapt high, overpowering center-back Cahill, nodding the ball down centrally!

At this moment, the penalty area was crowded with over ten players from both teams and more than twenty legs.

Delph joined the fray, swinging fiercely for a strike!

The ball hit Fabregas squarely in the chest.

Fabregas groaned, enduring the pain and tried to clear it, but his attempt hacked the ball into teammate Ivanovic’s knee, rebounding into the penalty area.

Navas attempted a slide tackle to hook the ball, but misjudged the strength, slipped, and accidentally sat on the ball.

When he stood up, making a complete 360-degree turn, he had no idea where the ball was.

In the chaotic crowd, the ball unexpectedly rolled to Nasri’s feet!

He quickly swung his lower leg, aiming for a toe punt.

A very clever move, showcasing the French star’s football intelligence.

In the chaotic crowd, space for leg movement was extremely limited. Whether pushing with the instep or driving with the laces, room for leg motion was required;

But a toe punt could send the ball at the highest speed with the smallest leg movement, catching Courtois off guard!

However, just as Nasri believed the ball was about to go in, and he was about to secure Manchester City’s first goal of the season—

His back was suddenly pushed hard, and he ended up sprawled face-down.

Tang Long, from behind, gave Nasri a shove, then fiercely volleyed the ball!

Goalkeeper Courtois, hunched at the goal line, didn’t notice where the ball was, but heard the "whoosh" sound from the net.

He stood upright, hands spread wide, helpless.

"It’s in! Beautiful!"

Bony jumped on the spot, using his incredible leap to land directly on Tang Long’s shoulders.

Tang Long staggered a few steps, barely supporting him to prevent a fall.

The first of the opening strikes was a blow to Chelsea’s net!

The Manchester City players were utterly surprised by this start!

Nasri sat dumbfounded on the ground.

In the brief moment he fell, he saw Tang Long had already initiated the shot after the push.

Aaya! So it was Tang who pushed me!

With two consecutive starts, Nasri’s mood was already great;

Seeing that he was about to start his scoring tally for the season made him even more thrilled.

Who could have predicted that at the final kick, Tang would shove him from behind, hogging the glory!

How could Nasri not be angry?

He was almost driven mad!

In a fit of rage, Nasri jumped up, not bothering to brush off the turf stuck to his face, and rushed to the referee, yelling at him while pointing at Tang Long:

"Foul! Referee! It was a foul! He pushed me from behind!"