Chapter 560: Chapter 559: The Weak Adria
After Deng Kai’s hat-trick, the long-awaited captaincy decision for Manchester City was finally announced.
Deng Kai became the youngest captain in Manchester City’s history at the age of 17 years and one month.
He also ranked among the youngest captains in the history of the Premier League.
The nickname "Manchester City’s Charitable Youth Army" was thus cemented.
Boys this young and this caring really are rare nowadays.
Feng Te, being the most seasoned player in this Manchester City squad, became the vice-captain.
He attained this position because he joined Manchester City at least one day earlier than any other player.
Pandering is shameful.
But mastering the art of opportunistic steering can lead to a rising tide that lifts all boats.
Dogs and chickens: Hey, that’s not a nice way to put it, man.
Baggio was the third captain.
Hierro was the fourth captain.
These two were clearly chosen out of respect.
Fortunately, there weren’t many veteran players left in Manchester City, so the fans didn’t have much to object to.
Sun Jihai: Ahem, if we’re talking about veterans here...
Deng Kai: The domestic situation isn’t clear enough, pal. I can’t set you up till it is. We have to understand each other, right?
Sun Jihai: I’m not that sort of person.
Deng Kai: It’s not just you, mate... it’s the circumstances. It’s not personal, I assure you.
"Ding! You have failed to learn Batistuta’s goal! You have acquired the residual blue player skill ’Flick and Blast’. "
For a moment, Deng Kai felt refreshed.
Almost there!
He felt that one more go, and he might truly master the Batistuta goal.
Unfortunately, the uniqueness of the golden legendary skill made it very difficult for non-specific players to grasp it.
Plus, Deng Kai’s physical condition didn’t support his mastery of such a skill.
Exploiting bugs shouldn’t be expected to be efficient, right?
Bang!
Adriano, who was involved in a one-on-one training session with Hierro, lost the ball due to a clumsy touch, allowing Hierro to steal it smoothly.
The likes of Chiellini, Maicon, Essien and others were staring, dumbfounded.
Grosso: "Is this the power of Real Madrid’s captain, the legendary Spanish defender? So strong. Adriano is so fierce but couldn’t get past Hierro even once?"
Tu Lei: "This... even if Batistuta himself came, I’m afraid he wouldn’t get past Hierro! So strong! Like an iron gate!"
Adriano furrowed his brows.
He felt... that the spark he just had was gone again... what the hell is going on?
Am I not working hard enough?
Deng Kai, sympathizing from the sidelines, advised Adriano to take a break.
He promised, as compensation, that after Torres finished learning ’Instant Dash,’ it would be Adriano’s turn to learn.
Ribery: ???
Ribery: I want to learn the Batistuta goal too!
Deng Kai: When will this cycle of grievances end?
...
August 28, the month of August was coming to an end.
The third round of the English Premier League kicked off.
Sporting Lisbon faced Aston Villa away.
Before this match, my nephew made a last-minute recovery and strongly demanded to participate in the battle.
Considering that he is after all a young player, directly suppressing him would not end well, and it could even cause resentment among the players, so in the end, Deng Kai let my nephew start the game.
However, as the saying goes, there are no weak teams in the Premier League.
Even though Aston Villa is a mid-to-lower-tier team in the Premier League, it’s not news when a relegated team beats a championship team.
Not to mention a defense as leaky as Manchester City’s?
During this match, what probably stuck with Manchester City fans the most was Adriano receiving a through ball from Deng Kai, taking too big a touch which allowed the goalkeeper to close the distance by the time he shot.
In the end, the goalkeeper blocked Adriano’s forced shot with his body.
Later, Aston Villa’s defensive stalwart Gareth Barry scored with a header during a corner kick attack.
In the first half, Barry also provided an assist for a counter-attack, helping his teammate to make the score two-nil.
In the second half, the towering Peter Crouch, standing at two meters and one centimeter tall, used his outstanding height to score his second goal of the game.
This was a rare highlight in the beanpole’s loan journey.
On Manchester City’s defensive line, my nephew stands around one meter eighty-three, Hierro at one meter eighty-seven, and Essien at one meter seventy-eight.
Their overall height isn’t remarkable, and aerial defense is their weak spot.
Of course, they have the one-meter ninety-one tall aerial dominator Feng Te and the one-meter ninety-tall swinging defender Grosso on their bench.
Along with Chiellini at one meter eighty-six, Maicon and the nearly one meter ninety tall Yaya Toure, improving their aerial defense would only take a minute if they wished.
But Deng Kai didn’t want to.
With my nephew and Chiellini available, would you choose to train Feng Te?
In the end, substitute Torres, the Spanish prodigy, received a through pass from Deng Kai, went one-on-one, and scored, providing a small consolation for Manchester City.
One to four!
Manchester City suffered a heavy defeat and their Premier League ranking slid to fifteenth.
This drastic fluctuation was difficult for the fans to accept.
"What kind of rubbish are these Manchester City players? I’m speechless!"
"Baresi’s performance seems normal, but with his declining physical fitness, you can’t expect him to challenge the opponent’s muscle forest!"
"Inter Milan really swindled us! This Adriano, I think it’s more like Adriano the Weak, right? How many one-on-ones has he missed this season?"
"Three rounds into the league and not a single goal. From my memory, he’s missed at least four one-on-ones!"
"Absolute rubbish! Get him off the field already. At least Torres is better than him; he’s faster."
"They should have put Fowler on, despite being physically disadvantaged, Fowler’s ability to score would outshine Adriano the Weak by miles!"
"Thiago Silva’s defense is truly weak, too many out of position!"
"Poor Hierro, one man can’t carry this bunch of duds!"
"Lahm’s offense is okay, but as a full-back, defense should be the priority. I appreciate his attitude, but defense is mainly about physicality, and they should start Grosso instead. Lahm isn’t up to it."
"What the heck is Cech doing? His charges are as terrible as a pile of shit! Put Lehmann on already! It’s just beyond words how my Dortmund goalkeeper is being wasted by Manchester City!"
"Exactly, if he’s to be a second-choice keeper, Lehmann would be better off at Arsenal!"
"Looking at it this way, Manchester United is still stable, and they won again."
"The Manchester victory conservation law still holds, there’s always someone in this city who can enjoy the euphoria of winning! Although, it seems like Manchester United fans might get to enjoy it more often."
"Poor King of Manchester, struggling alone! Deng Kai’s post-match rating is only second to the opposing Barry and Crouch. If only he had some capable teammates..."
"Manchester City’s transfer operations this summer were terrible, they don’t deserve Deng Kai’s joining. They better bring in some superstars in the winter transfer window to pair with Deng Kai. Otherwise... Deng Kai should leave next year!"
Premier League fans saw Manchester City’s predicament "crystal clear" and empathized with Deng Kai’s situation.
Deng Kai: If I say I am very happy, would you believe me?
