Chapter 566: Chapter 565: Blue Moon Gunner, The Winner Takes All
"I think that’s fine," Deng Kai glanced at the match schedule and continued, "Lehmann’s ability is top-notch, there’s no better goalkeeper in the team than him."
"Of course, Lehmann, don’t get the wrong idea about Coach Maxa."
"The reason he’s been keeping you on the bench is to let you get a better grasp of the Premier League. The bench is the best spot to observe the whole game, and as a goalkeeper, you surely know the importance of observation."
"I believe, as long as there’s an important match, you’ll always be the team’s number one choice."
After finishing his words, Deng Kai looked towards Maxa.
Maxa immediately repeated, "That’s right! Number one choice!"
Lehmann exhaled deeply, extremely happy.
It turned out he had misunderstood the team’s arrangements for him.
He thought so, how could Cech with so many mistakes possibly be the team’s first choice.
Now it was clear.
Cech was just a stone paving the way for the gem.
Now it was time for this gem to take the stage.
Relieved!
Worthy of being called a saint, this arrangement... so considerate!
When Lehmann happily bounced away, Maxa immediately asked, "Kai, what’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to keep training Cech?"
"Is it because Lehmann was here, you felt awkward to refuse him?"
"In that case, I’ll talk to him again later. I’ll be the bad guy and make sure you don’t have to feel uncomfortable."
While saying this, Maxa filled Deng Kai’s cup to the brim.
"It’s fine, letting Lehmann stretch his legs in the next match is good too," said Deng Kai, "Cech needs training, but while he’s practicing his attacking moves, his defensive positioning and choices are going to be very poor."
"It doesn’t matter in regular matches, but once we face a strong team, he really can’t hold the line."
"For the key matches this season, I plan to have Lehmann play."
"But Lehmann isn’t aware of our assessment of him, and he might not approve of this kind of arrangement. He certainly hopes to play more matches, unlike those old pros like Baggio, Schmeichel, Guardiola, who like to be rotated."
"Lehmann still has room to improve."
Guardiola: Old pro? Lehmann is only two years older than me!
Deng Kai: But Lehmann can still improve, while your status as a player has been in name only for quite a while now, my dear assistant!
Now that he understood, Maxa was relieved, "But what if he plays very well, what reason do we use to start Cech?"
Deng Kai pointed his finger on the name of the next opponent, "Lehmann will probably find it hard to play very well."
Next round... Manchester City away against Arsenal!
As last season’s champions, Arsenal have brought in strong reinforcements this season, such as the Brazilian international Gilberto Silva, and potential new stars like Wu Xudong.
Their strength has only increased, not decreased.
Currently, they rank second in the Premier League standings.
Even higher than third-placed Liverpool and fourth-placed Manchester United.
Manchester City is going to find it very difficult to take points from such a team.
Because Arsenal is a typical offensive team.
Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Ljungberg, Benayoun— their ability to seize offensive opportunities is too strong.
Especially Henry.
Manchester City just happens to be a team with many weaknesses, prone to offering chances to their opponents.
This is exactly the type of team they would rather avoid.
This round it seemed like Manchester City was pressuring Everton, but in truth, it had a lot to do with Everton’s forwards being out of form.
After the talented Rooney came on the field, didn’t he immediately score?
If Everton had started Rooney from the beginning, not to mention beating Manchester City, they could have scored at least two more goals.
If it were not for his position forbidding it, Deng Kai would want to request leave to avoid the next round’s battle.
It’s going to be tough.
If there’s one precise term to describe this Manchester City, it’s probably... delayed!
The players on this team seemed to play with a several-second delay.
It was very easy for them to make mistakes.
Even when they didn’t, it was hard to know what to do next.
...
September 10th.
The Premier League’s hotly contested battles commenced.
This round, Arsenal, currently ranked first, would face the challenge of the Premier League’s charity army—Manchester City on their home ground.
In this game, Manchester City made adjustments to their goalkeeper position.
Lehmann started the match.
The media also commented on this, suggesting that Manchester City had finally stopped insisting on using their youths.
This was the correct path.
According to Manchester City’s style this season, if Baggio and Hierro hadn’t been big enough names, they probably would have been benched, too.
After all, even Guardiola had been put on the shelf.
Guardiola: I’m just stepping back, it’s not that I lost the competition for the spot, understand!
But the result of this game was a huge surprise.
"Six to two! Arsenal thrashes Manchester City’s youth army! Maxa, the rising star, has to pay tuition in front of Wenger!"
"Manchester City lost the game, but not Deng Kai! With two assists and a pair of goals, he didn’t give up even in the face of adversity!"
"Coronation at Highbury! Henry’s hat-trick ties with Deng Kai for top scorer in the Premier League, sharing first place!"
"Lahm and Lauren in a high-speed clash, both injured and out! Speedy players and those with small frames are really in danger in the Premier League!"
"Wu Xudong comes on as a substitute to assist Adriano’s goal against Kaiser! Adriano frequently drops back, trying to emulate Drogba?"
"The genius killer revives! Robbie Fowler comes on as a substitute and scores twice to salvage some dignity for Manchester City!"
"A tough year! Lehmann starts but suffers a crushing defeat, and despite several miraculous saves, he couldn’t protect the goal! But he shouldn’t be the one to take the blame! Manchester City was like a sieve, and no one could save them!"
It was a crushing defeat!
The law of victory in Manchester seems to have failed.
Because, in an unexpected turn, Manchester United lost their match against the relegation-threatened team, Bolton.
Both giants of Manchester let their fans down.
Manchester United: They call Manchester City ranked twelfth in the Premier League a ’giant’?
Manchester City: A ’giant’ is still a ’giant,’ alright!
But talk is talk, and despite the jokes, losing to Arsenal did not subject Manchester City to widespread mockery.
This was something everyone had anticipated.
Arsenal and Manchester United were not teams the current mid-table Manchester City could challenge, not to mention Liverpool, Chelsea, or Leeds United.
On the training ground.
The loss didn’t seem to affect Manchester City either.
On the contrary, Adriano was starting to get the hang of the playmaker role.
In fact, mastering top-notch shooting too early doesn’t always benefit a player.
There are many top-level stars who might be considered slightly disappointing because their shooting isn’t elite.
But there are very few superstars known solely for their shooting skills.
Most of them only stood out for their shooting after their athletic abilities declined, and other advantages faded.
To put it simply, shooting doesn’t amount to much by itself; it’s part of the superstructure.
Its importance only becomes highlighted on top of the foundation of dribbling, ball control, confrontation, speed, and height.
People always thought Adriano was strong, but also said he hadn’t fully realized his potential.
The death of his father was certainly the main reason for Adriano’s collapse.
But his style of play was never going to be sustainable in the long run.
