Chapter 568: Chapter 567: Manchester City, A Striker’s Paradise!
"I can play in the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, that should be enough. The Premier League should be Čech’s stage!"
Lehmann gave up arguing.
This team’s defense wasn’t capable of doing anything besides letting down the goalkeeper.
He might as well conserve his energy and aim for a transfer next season.
Otherwise, if he kept playing like this, his value would definitely plummet, and he might end up being a third-choice goalkeeper when he moves to another team!
He was still hoping to play as a first-choice goalkeeper for a top club for one or two seasons.
Lehmann didn’t know that his thoughts coincided precisely with the role Deng Kai had in mind for him.
Of course, Deng Kai wouldn’t let down his own people.
Even without the system fixing bugs, Deng Kai would not shortchange them in the end.
According to Deng Kai’s plan, not only would he extend their careers and their time in the spotlight,
he might also be able to hype (sell) their peak period at an even higher (cost)!
When Lehmann left Manchester City, he would definitely be more in demand than when he arrived.
2001-2002 season, yearly Best Sports Director Deng Kai said so!
Who agrees?
Who disagrees?
Maxa, you fake fan, get out!
Two-all!
Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers settled for a draw.
That match ended Manchester City’s two-game home winning streak, but they remained unbeaten at home.
However, it wasn’t a match without discoveries for Manchester City.
Grosso, who started this round as left-back, was solid in attack and defense, delivering an assist that secured the draw.
Robbie Fowler, the genius striker, came on as a substitute and contributed a goal and an assist.
Deng Kai scored a goal.
September 21, the seventh round of the Premier League.
Manchester City challenged West Ham United away.
One-all!
Grosso provided a match-saving assist for consecutive games.
Robbie Fowler scored in three consecutive matches, ensuring the team did not lose.
After the game, the system notified that Robbie Fowler had acquired the purple star skill "Fox in the Box".
September 28, the eighth round of the Premier League.
Perhaps his agent said something.
Lehmann requested to start again.
Once more, Deng Kai approved.
Three-nil!
Liverpool won resoundingly at home against Manchester City.
Lehmann was disillusioned right then, it was toxic!
Grosso acquired the purple star skill "Cut Inside from the Flanks".
As a result, Manchester City, with two wins, two draws, and four losses from the eight completed Premier League rounds, were ranked 15th.
Manchester City fell into the relegation zone.
The last time they had won was over four matches ago.
At this point, the English media finally understood Manchester City’s true level.
Good job, Manchester City!
You had us thinking you were a mid-table team when, in fact, you’re struggling at the bottom.
Almost fooled us.
"Sky Sports": "Four games without a win! As the season progresses, Manchester City’s problems have been thoroughly exposed! Their defense is just too bad!"
"BBC": "Four games without a win isn’t the worst part, what’s frightening is that out of those four matches, besides Liverpool who are second in the Premier League, all the other opponents are ranked beyond tenth!"
The Times: "Being unable to beat mid-table teams and relegation rivals is Manchester City’s biggest trouble in their fight for survival this season! Each match against direct competitors is worth six points!"
Echo Report: "The King of Manchester, Deng Kai, fails to score in two consecutive games! Henry and Ronaldo’s goal numbers are just one goal away from Deng Kai’s!"
Manchester Evening: "Given Manchester City’s struggling state, it is hard for them to bring any surprises to their fans this season."
Mirror: "The English League Cup is upon us! From the lineup, we can discern Manchester City’s strategy for the season!"
As the English League Cup entered the second round, teams from the Premier League and League One joined in.
Manchester City’s opponent was League One team Wycombe.
Wycombe was rubbing their hands together with glee, thinking about cutting an EPL team down to size, staging an underdog victory, and making a name for themselves with a single win.
For them, it was definitely a desirable draw.
Because Manchester City at this moment was undoubtedly a soft persimmon that everyone wanted to pinch.
Their defensive issues were all too apparent.
It was practically paradise for any forward.
The Wycombe manager even voiced his slogan in advance: "We have two goals this season, one is to gain promotion. The other is to achieve good results in the English League Cup."
"We have to at least reach the semifinals of the English League Cup!"
Clearly, Wycombe was not taking Manchester City seriously.
Yet no one accused Wycombe of being arrogant.
Because the starting lineup that Manchester City announced before the game truly did not inspire confidence.
Torres, Adriano, Ribery
Tu Lei, Essien, Deng Kai
Grosso, Chiellini, sister-in-law, Maicon
Lehmann
The team was already in decline.
Apart from Lehmann replacing Cech being a wise choice,
Fowler, Hierro, and Baggio should not have been rotated.
Fowler was currently the team’s best forward.
Baggio may no longer have the star appeal on the pitch, but his impact was definitely positive. He could help sort out the attack for Deng Kai, and he also had a good restraining influence on the offensive end.
Hierro was the steadiest player on that back line, the team’s holes were not something one person could fill, but without him, it would only worsen.
The media interviewed Maxa before the game.
Maxa: "Rotation is a very advanced and scientific system; only those teams that make good use of it will be strong contenders for the championship in the future."
"The understanding of rotation in the Premier League, or in European football as a whole, is relatively backward."
"By doing this, we can extend the careers of older and injury-prone players, and keep more players in good condition."
"Developing young players, diversifying tactics... there are so many benefits to rotation."
"Regrettably, the current football rules only allow three substitutions."
"If the number of substitutions were to be further opened up, like seven, or eleven... then the number of championships Manchester City would win within the next three years could at least double!"
The media felt that Maxa’s thinking was too forward.
They obviously did not agree with Maxa’s statements.
Sky Sports blatantly used the headline "0*2=0" to mock Manchester City’s prospects of achieving nothing over the next three years.
On October 1st, the second round of the English League Cup kicked off.
Many domestic cup competitions have a rule that when teams of different levels meet, the game is played at the higher-level team’s home ground.
This is a very supportive policy.
For strong teams, playing at home boosts morale and helps them advance.
For weaker teams, higher-level clubs certainly sell more tickets than they do. The ticket revenue split at that time might exceed their entire season’s earnings from other sources.
This money strengthens the financial power of the lower-level teams, helping them to survive better and improve their strength.
For the organizers, the further advance of more big teams into the next rounds ensures that the games are more appealing. Only then will the massive fanbases behind these teams continue to follow the event.
For this match, Maine Road Stadium saw the influx of around thirty thousand fans.
Considering the English League Cup, this number is quite significant and also a record-breaking presence in Manchester City’s past matches for the Cup.
Before this, it was only about ten thousand fans.
