Chapter 480: Chapter 480

"Nice shot, Nasri, nice shot!"

"Keep them guessing with the next play, good job!"

"We all love you, Nasri!"

"Nasri, are you thinking about the girl you picked up at the club last night?"

Thanks to the advanced and bold stands design, the Premier League stadiums have seats extremely close to the field.

The Chelsea fans in the front row on the sidelines at Stanford Stadium were only about ten meters away from Nasri. Their ironic cheers echoed clearly in Nasri’s ears.

"How was I supposed to know he’d pass it to me!"

Nasri said to Toure, feeling wronged.

Toure covered his face with his hand, looking disappointed and frustrated.

"There was such a big gap, Tang’s pass was so perfect, you were one-on-one as soon as you got the ball. What a great opportunity wasted, and you’re still making excuses, seriously!"

Thinking back, he had even taken this kid Nasri to the coach Pellegrini’s office to complain about Tang Long. Toure blushed with embarrassment.

Nasri, this brat, really is useless!

No wonder neither Mancini nor Pellegrini favored using you.

Look for the problem within yourself.

Nasri was also full of regret.

Just as his big brother in the French Language Gang, Toure, had said, if he had taken two steps earlier, he would definitely have received the ball;

With Chelsea’s defenders pressured to the center and right wings, if he’d just cut inside with the ball, it would have been a one-on-one!

The first goal opportunity was snatched by Tang Long, which made Nasri furious;

The second goal opportunity was missed because he didn’t run, making Nasri even more infuriated!

When would he score his first goal of the season, who knows how long it could take?

Hopefully, he wouldn’t go the entire season without scoring, that would be too humiliating.

What upset Nasri even more was that the pass just now wasn’t from anyone else, it was from Tang Long!

The very same bastard who had robbed him of a golden opportunity in the penalty area!

To get back at Tang Long, for the next ten minutes or so, Nasri didn’t pass to Tang Long even once.

Yet Tang still passed to him in the end...

If given another chance, Nasri would take the gift from his enemy even if it meant swallowing his pride, as he really wanted to score.

This guy Tang, what a strange person, what is he thinking?

Could it be that he didn’t bump into me on purpose, was it really just a coincidence?

Looking up, Nasri saw Tang Long grinning at him.

Nasri quickly averted his eyes and awkwardly walked away.

In fact, Tang Long bumped him on purpose, and passed to him on purpose too~

"Fall back, fall back, pull back a little!"

Seeing Chelsea withstand the first wave of pressure and launch their attack, Pellegrini quickly instructed the players to fall back and compress the distance between the lines.

Scoring in the first minute was absolutely an unexpected surprise for the Chilean!

He hadn’t anticipated that the opening strategy would pay off so quickly.

However, over sixty-year-old Pellegrini is a traditional-thinking old father at home;

And on the field, he is a tactically conservative old coach.

He was very wary of Mourinho’s team’s prowess at home—especially with his own side not at full strength and unable to play the passing and possession game he wanted.

So once past the first twenty minutes, regardless of any goal opportunities, he let the team pull back significantly, seeming to take a ’quit while ahead’ approach.

Truth be told, after losing Ranocchia, Silva, and Agüero, Manchester City’s attacking power with passing and control was weakened;

But the defensive foundation wasn’t too badly affected!

Once fully pulled back, the distance between lines was very tight.

The main strategy was that although they couldn’t score against Chelsea, Chelsea would find it equally difficult to score against them!

Mourinho’s shouts from the sideline were thunderous;

The fans at Stanford Bridge were also cheering their hearts out;

Yet Chelsea, with stars like Diego Costa, Pedro, Chik, William, and Fabregas, just couldn’t penetrate Manchester City’s goal.

Tang Long had also moved back to the defensive midfield position to help.

In the 44th minute of the first half, Fabregas made a fake shot-pass combo five meters from the arc, slipping the ball towards the left side of the penalty area! ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥

"This one is going in, definitely!" Fabregas’s heart raced.

[Detected Fabregas is about to connect with Pedro, watch out for the ground through pass!]

Just as Fabregas got past Otamendi, everyone thought Xiaofa was about to take a left-footed shot from long range, even goalkeeper Caballero was shouting at center-back Mangala to move aside, not to block his view;

But Tang Long had already anticipated Fabregas’s passing signal.

Sure enough, after a feint from Xiaofa, a pass followed!

Just as Pedro was about to get the ball, the already in-motion Tang Long intercepted with a slide tackle, sending the ball flying out to the sideline.

The flying ball precisely hit a Chelsea fan recording with his phone in the head.

The balding uncle’s head leaned back, arms spread out, with the phone flying into the air~

"Damn it! Damn you, Tang!"

"How are his legs so long!"

"He anticipated the play, that damn scoundrel!"

The stands erupted in curses.

As Clattenburg blew the halftime whistle, Mourinho turned and stormed into the player tunnel, angrily muttering:

"Ugly football! They’ve parked the bus in front of the goal!"

Inside the visiting team’s locker room.

Pellegrini first praised the team.

He gave a big thumbs up for the perseverance displayed by the team in the latter part of the first half.

Then he specifically mentioned Tang Long!

"Look at Tang, he scored in the first minute, accomplishing the opening gambit tactics!"

Seeing Pellegrini show a fatherly smile to Tang Long, Nasri silently clenched his fist.

The ball should have been mine, but Tang snatched it.

You old blind Chilean man!

"In the last minute of the first half, he also disrupted Fabregas’s through ball!"

"Can attack and defend, you all should learn from Tang!"

"If all of you had half his concentration, I would have fewer gray hairs!"

The Manchester City players looked up, glancing at Pellegrini’s already completely gray hair, then lowered their heads again.

Having worked with him for more than two years, they knew the coach was about to start criticizing.

"As for you, Nasri, your performance was absolutely terrible."

Another name-calling!

Nasri nervously lifted his head, eyes wide open.

What did I do wrong? I thought I performed okay.

"Oh? Nasri, judging by your surprised expression, you thought you played well, huh?"

"That through ball from Tang, why didn’t you run? You’re too lazy, your movement is seriously lacking, kid, this will harm your career!"

"I believe with your skills, getting that ball would have been one-on-one, but you didn’t run... sigh, I won’t say more, but I think you owe Tang an apology."

Everyone looked at Nasri.

Nasri’s Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard.

Do I, do I have to apologize to him?

My god, he pushed me down from behind, snatched my goal, and I have to apologize???

Is there any justice left?

Is there any fairness and righteousness left?

Nasri turned his head to the side, indifferent.

Seeing Nasri’s almost tearful appearance, Gracie, the team doctor sorting the medical kit in the locker room, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Captain Kompany stood up.

"Nasri, just apologize. If not for you, we’d already be leading by two goals."

"Actually, the boss isn’t blaming you for not scoring, but criticizing your lack of movement, it’s a fact. I saw it clearly, you’re only 28, not yet at retirement age, and I feel even the 32-year-old Toure runs more than you!"

With this said, Nasri had no choice but to stand up, reluctantly moving towards Tang Long.

"Hurry up, everyone is waiting, the boss still needs to set up the tactics for the second half!" Kompany urged impatiently.

Nasri dawdled to Tang Long, forcing a smile.

The smile was very awkward, with twitching corners that even movies couldn’t depict.

"Sorry, my bad, I didn’t run, your pass was good, Tang." Nasri said coldly.

Tang Long generously stood up, giving him a big hug.

"No worries, keep running, and you’ll get it. I’ll definitely give you an assist, feed you a chance, and help you open your season account!"

Then he whispered in Nasri’s ear, in a voice only the two could hear:

"Sorry, that goal originally should be yours, I snatched it, I also apologize to you."

Nasri’s face showed surprise, his gaze towards Tang Long softened a lot.

It seemed his guess in the first half was correct.

Tang Long really didn’t do it intentionally!

Thinking about how Tang Long had just said in front of everyone that he would feed him a chance, help him open his season account, Nasri felt a warm rush in his heart.

Such a good kid, and I was going to leak info about him to The Sun, that really was a bit too much, haha, won’t do it next time.

"Thank you, Tang, next chance, I’ll run ahead, I definitely want to..."

"There won’t be a next time, Nasri, because you wasted the perfect opportunity," Nasri was interrupted by Pellegrini halfway through his words, "Sterling, you’ll replace Nasri in the second half!"

Sterling leapt up from his seat, the large muscles on his hips shaking.

Standing at the door, assistant coach Rein, who had remained silent, showed a knowing smile.

"Hehe, followed him for so many years, the old man still has the same character, the familiar taste hasn’t changed a bit."

Rein understood that Pellegrini was an extremely stubborn coach.

Nasri being substituted at halftime wasn’t just because of that wasted opportunity!

As an attacking player, missing that chance was normal;

Should a striker be substituted at halftime for missing a one-on-one chance?

What displeased Pellegrini was Nasri’s lax attitude displayed in the first half.

Perhaps even Nasri himself hadn’t realized that his movement was indeed insufficient.

Years of entrenched habits can’t be changed by a heated month of training;

Some players’ football mentality has become fixed, making short-term breakthroughs difficult.

Starting Nasri against a strong team like Chelsea was a mistake in itself!

This put the team in a defensive predicament.

However, as the tactician and finalizer of the starting lineup, Pellegrini didn’t want to admit this mistake.

So he chose an excuse to substitute Nasri for the more active Sterling.

In a short time, from sadness to joy, and then joy back to sadness, Nasri’s mindset went through extreme ups and downs.

Until Pellegrini finished explaining tactics and all players had exited the tunnel, he remained sitting alone in the locker room.

"Humph, they all look down on me, huh? Just wait, when I score with Tang Long’s assist next game, opening my season account, let’s see who dares to underestimate me!"

"I’m the leader of the Four Little Swans of France, when I take flight, you ducks and sparrows can only look up at me!" Nasri secretly vowed.