Chapter 520: Chapter 520

Witnessing Tang Long elegantly flick the ball past a defender, diffusing the entire Sword Mountain Ball incident—

Anxious Ranocchia let out a sigh of relief!

That was close. If it were any other teammate facing such a fiercely fast ball, not to mention controlling it, even if they managed to stop it, they’d likely lose possession when surrounded by the opponents’ two midfielders.

Only Tang could pull off such graceful moves.

However, after celebrating with Tang Long with a high-five,

Ranocchia watched Tang Long’s agile form, feeling a trace of confusion~

"If the ball’s speed had been consistently fast from the start, then the subsequent moves were understandable, given his ball sense far surpasses the Bournemouth players. But the ball accelerated suddenly midway..."

In the entire Manchester City team, no one understood or trusted Tang Long more than Ranocchia.

Ever since Tang Long joined Manchester City, during the very first training session, he impressed the coaches and teammates;

Last season, from Inter all the way, Ranocchia fought alongside Tang Long, witnessing him being promoted from the youth team to the Inter First Team, gradually growing, stepping onto the path of a top midfielder.

Playing as a central defender, Ranocchia could often observe every player’s movements in the midfield and forward areas.

Thus, for over a year, every improvement in Tang Long was crystal clear to the Italian defender, often anticipating potential developments even during training sessions.

Yet, it was the first time Ranocchia suddenly saw Tang Long using the back of his foot to flick the ball past two players!

"His progress is extraordinary; every month, no, every week he changes!"

Thinking of this, Ranocchia felt both happy and worried. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nove1Fire.net

Happy because having a teammate like Tang Long is perhaps the greatest fortune in his career; he can pass, position, defend, assist, and score, undeniably the engine of attack in the midfield and forward!

With Tang Long at the helm, the team in the Premier League title race, crushing weak teams with ease and handling strong opponents effortlessly!

Worried because Tang Long’s rapid progress made Ranocchia start reflecting on himself.

"Over these years, have I really trained well, played earnestly? Why can’t my skills improve as rapidly as his? Alas, I’m already 27. If I don’t elevate my game soon, my career will remain stagnant..."

The Etihad Stadium was particularly cold today.

The north wind howled.

The heavy snow, which had paused before the match, started falling again.

The fans in the stands shivered despite wearing thick coats, hats, scarves, and gloves, as the cold penetrated the layers, assaulting their bodies relentlessly.

The breaths of the players instantly turned into thick white mist, lingering in the air.

For Bournemouth’s players, such heavy snow was indeed a disaster.

Though they reasonably utilized the field conditions by employing a long pass and high-ball strategy, bypassing the midfield, with fullbacks and central defenders directly connecting with the forwards,

The slippery field and unpredictable ball speed not only made it difficult for passers to control their kicks, but also left the receivers anxious!

Several times, balls that could have been easily controlled bounced off the ground after a high drop, with the snow minimizing friction between the football and the turf, causing forwards to either mishandle the ball or, even if they controlled it, be easily intercepted by Manchester City’s defenders nearby.

This heavy snow was also an obstacle for Manchester City’s players.

Throughout the midfield and defense, except for Ranocchia who could barely stabilize the situation, the rest of the passes, including veteran Toure and the skillful Klarov, were frequently off the mark.

Aside from one initial connection with Tang Long, the ensuing game proved to be exceedingly bogged down, with neither side organizing effective offensives.

"We should kick the ball up!" Ranocchia suggested to Kompany, feeling helpless.

"I agree; playing ground balls puts us at a disadvantage!"

Kompany shook off the snow accumulated on his scarf, ready to kick a big ball directly to forward Bony, when he heard coach Pellegrini shouting from the sidelines: "Don’t rush! Short pass to Sagna, keep the ball at feet!"

Kompany felt helpless; with the coach overlooking, as the captain, he couldn’t openly defy him, could he?

He had to go with the short passes.

But unexpectedly, as Sagna received the ball, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance;

The ball was about to roll out of play, and the responsible French fullback quickly threw himself into a sliding tackle, hooking the barely line-standing ball back.

But this sense of responsibility was his downfall!

Kompany was about to applaud Sagna’s fighting spirit when he heard Ranocchia shout from behind:

"Watch out! Someone’s coming!"

Bournemouth’s team, poor in many aspects, but they can run, with strong impacts.

Forward Graban had been eyeing this opportunity, waiting for Manchester City defenders to make a mistake. This interception opportunity would not be missed.

As Sagna was half up, Graban charged in, seizing the ball, and forced his way past Kompany to the byline!

The heavy snow made the situation unpredictable, as Kompany’s footing was uncertain, failing to keep up initially; Graban flung his body out, executing an inverted triangle cross!

Despite Ranocchia rushing out to extensively block the angle, the midfielder Sulman followed up with a violent low shot that pierced through Caballero’s goal!

Watching Bournemouth, who celebrated passionately as if they had won the match, the Manchester City players fell into silence.

Kompany stood up, shouting unwillingly.

Ranocchia then turned to lash out at the defensive midfielder Toure, "You lost your position, there’s no one at the top of the penalty arc!"

Toure, hands on his hips, avoided Ranocchia’s sharp gaze.

At 32, he could only sigh, feeling inadequate.

Tang Long came over and said to Delph, "You need to run more to help Toure!"

Delph spread his hands, complaining, "I’m responsible for the area on the left, the arc top clearly falls under Toure’s defensive range!"

Tang Long gave him a stare, "You’re in your twenties, Toure is in his thirties; what do you think?"

Delph said nothing, pouting as he walked away.

On the side, Toure heard their conversation, silently glancing at Tang Long, seemingly thankful for him stepping in on his behalf.

Remembering how he used to scold teammates in serious misposition, Toure now felt a surge of guilt.

"Sigh, Tang is not even 20 and already shows leadership within the team, the young are truly formidable..."

On the stands of the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola’s trusted scout Raymond was still present at the match site.

During the 15-minute break, he kept writing non-stop in his notebook.

[Extremely rigid possession play, completely ignoring field conditions]

[Obvious technical gap among players]

[Others can’t keep up with Tang and Ranocchia’s pace]

[Recommend targeted signings in the summer transfer window, starting with revamping the defense]

"Our number ten has returned!!!"

Shortly after the start of the second half, Aguero’s substitution set the passion of the 60,000 fans on fire!

The entire Etihad Stadium was like a powder keg igniting in an instant.

The cheers roared like a surging tsunami, sweeping over with an overwhelming force, as 60,000 fans stood up simultaneously, the waves of sound converging into a powerful strength, making the stadium’s roof seem to tremble lightly.

They waved the scarves and flags in their hands, stamped their feet desperately, every motion full of anticipation and love for this legendary striker!

Watching him running onto the pitch with his lithe figure was like a fireball charging into the field, the temperature at the scene rose with the volume of the cheers, even on a winter’s terrace, fans had beads of sweat glistening on their faces.

The team doctor Gracie cupped her small hands around her mouth, shouting loudly at Aguero’s back, her voice was exceptionally clear and powerful amid the clamor!

For Aguero’s appearance, it wasn’t just the entire coaching staff, not only the teammates on the field;

Gracie was also full of expectations!

Following over a month of cryotherapy treatment, how Aguero’s muscle injury had recovered, whether his condition could match or even surpass that of Ranocchia after his injury?

No matter how detailed the assessments off the field, they were just armchair strategizing;

To see real skills, one had to look on the field!

The Argentine striker, who hadn’t been on the pitch for over a month, kept hopping and warming up on the sidelines throughout the entire first half, chattering non-stop, everyone could see his eager mindset to play.

Yet, once he entered the field, he instantly calmed down.

Several teammates made use of the brief dead-ball period to quickly high-five Aguero, welcoming his recovery and return.

"Try one-touch combinations, if the field is bad, let accidents occur!"

Seeing Aguero specifically run to him, calmly saying a word, Tang Long nodded, understanding that this Premier League top striker had already entered full match mode.

The man who could finally keep up with his own thinking on the frontline was back!

(Aguero: Don’t panic, I’m back!)