Chapter 609: Chapter 608: Look at What Kind of Stuff Manchester City Is Made Of
"Alright, Sporting Lisbon’s main lineup consists of Baggio, Fowler, and Ribery."
"Deng Kai, Essien, Tu Lei."
"Grosso, Chiellini, Hierro, Maicon."
"Lehmann."
"There’s nothing much to say about this lineup; it should be Manchester City’s strongest lineup."
With the whistle.
The match officially began.
In the first five minutes, Chelsea launched relentless attacks.
They were one of the few teams in the Premier League at this stage that combined long balls and crosses with delicate teamwork.
That was the influence that Zola and other Italian players had brought to Chelsea.
But by the sixth minute, after Manchester City got the ball, Deng Kai actively dropped back.
The rest of the players then began to press forward.
Eventually, they brought the football past the halfway line with a numerical advantage.
Then Maicon made a cross from the bottom, initiating a threatening attack.
Robbie Fowler, as if blessed this season, was spot-on with his positioning and fired a volley at the goal.
Regrettably, it was saved by Cudicini.
But this attack had Chelsea breaking out in a cold sweat.
They had seen plenty of counter-attacks.
But Manchester City wasn’t just counter-attacking.
This was a proper continental attack.
It was the kind of fluid passing and full-team offensive play that Arsenal was known for.
Extremely dominant!
Chelsea swore that when they faced Manchester City early in the league, Manchester City was just a sieve and didn’t have this kind of offensive pressure.
Last month when they played Manchester City, they were just as limp. How did they transform so drastically in just one month?
This question, seasoned Manchester City fans could easily answer.
First of all, the Manchester City players knew on the day of that match that Deng Kai was going to the Oscars that night, and he would bring back autographs for them.
If you say that did not affect their performance in any way, that’s impossible.
Secondly, in the league, you should also look at what kind of players Manchester City fielded.
Ashley Young, Adriano, Ribery
Deng Kai, Thiago Silva, Sun Jihai
Grosso, Chiellini, Feng Te, Lahm
Caballero!
Most of these players were substitutes for Manchester City.
And some players hadn’t played in many years.
Feng Te: Indeed, it is I!
And the goalkeeper is also key, Caballero! Do you know who Caballero is?
He’s a godlike goalkeeper who defended against Argentina single-handedly!
If the keeper had been Cech, they would have conceded two fewer goals.
Despite Cech being one of the poorest performing goalkeepers in the Premier League this season.
Most of his conceded goals were lost in the process of leaving his line, and there were not a few mistakes and own goals.
Aside from these, his save rate was actually quite astounding.
Just looking at Cech’s save rate in front of the goal line, he’s in the top three of the Premier League!
That’s also why Deng Kai kept training Cech to leave his line.
Because the data indicated that even if Cech couldn’t master it, his baseline skills were still there.
There wouldn’t be a situation where he didn’t improve and couldn’t revert to his former skill level.
In the eleventh minute.
Lampard showcased his insight with a through pass linking up with Hasselbaink.
Hierro applied timely pressure, leading to Hasselbaink’s heavy touch.
Lehmann, who came off his line, diffused the crisis successfully, not giving Hasselbaink the chance for a shot. Otherwise, Manchester City would have been in trouble.
In the seventeenth minute, Chelsea, who had been mostly suppressed, displayed their sharp counterattacking skills.
Terry linked up with Zola, who after some clever dribbling, drew a yellow card from Tu Lei.
This was a significant blow for Manchester City.
Because Tu Lei played a very crucial role in midfield, responsible for all areas between the two boxes, and naturally, that included both attack and defence.
Carrying an early yellow card can seriously affect his performance on the defensive end.
In the twenty-seventh minute.
Baggio dropped back and passed the ball to Deng Kai, who had moved to the flank.
Deng Kai dazzled down the flank with a flick and acceleration, breezing past Chelsea’s right-back Mario.
Deng Kai cut inside all the way to the edge of the penalty area.
Chelsea’s right center-back Graham stepped out to defend.
Lampard also tried to come over and double-team Deng Kai.
Bang!
Deng Kai, with another flick, created a three-stage advance route: vertical, diagonally to the front-right, then vertical again.
He completely shook off his opponents and managed to deliver a powerful cross just before the baseline.
Bang!
The football struck Terry’s shin as he ran back to defend and deflected into Chelsea’s own goal.
After a brief silence, the Manchester City fans erupted in cheers.
"GOAL! Beautiful! Just beautiful!"
"That’s Deng Kai! He can do almost anything on the pitch."
"With that sharp break down the wing, I’d believe you if you said he’s Ronaldo!"
"But Ronaldo can’t deliver such a threatening cross!"
"Deng Kai has successfully forced an own goal."
"Terry seems a bit downhearted, he’s just so unlucky. If he hadn’t been there, the ball might have simply slid past the goal, since Fowler, Baggio, and the others weren’t in position."
"But Terry didn’t dare gamble, and Deng Kai’s pass was too fast, giving no chance for Terry to dodge."
One to zero!
Manchester City is leading Chelsea.
But the record between Manchester City and Chelsea this season hasn’t actually changed.
They still haven’t scored any goals themselves.
In their three encounters, Chelsea scored nine goals—eight in Manchester City’s net and one in their own, frighteningly efficient.
In the thirty-first minute.
Petit linked up with Gudjohnsen.
Gudjohnsen took a long shot during his run.
Essien’s tackle was a mistake and he brought down Gudjohnsen.
This was a classic offense-defense showdown.
Gudjohnsen’s long shot was a snap decision, and even if he had made it, it wouldn’t have threatened the goal.
He anticipated Essien’s sliding tackle.
Essien was outsmarted by Gudjohnsen.
The Icelander, part of a family with a rich legacy in football, has extensive experience in drawing fouls.
Gudjohnsen made his debut for the Icelandic national team at the age of sixteen, which was in 1996, and the player he replaced was none other than his father, the "Icelandic King of Football"!
Coming from a family of football royalty, he remained an indispensable member of Chelsea’s frontline even after the arrival of the Mourinho and Drogba era.
As expected, the referee came over and showed Essien a yellow card.
Two out of the three midfielders for Manchester City now had yellow cards.
The situation seemed dire.
Yet, Manchester City’s offensive drive became even stronger after this.
Deng Kai gestured frequently, signaling his teammates to press forward.
Even Tu Lei kept pushing up.
It was precisely because there were troubles on the defensive end that they had to attack with all their might.
It was a gamble.
A bet on their offensive capabilities.
A bet that Manchester City could score before Chelsea broke through their defense.
In the thirty-fourth minute.
Zola cut inside, getting past Grosso and delivering a fine pass.
Hasselbaink’s header hit the post, missing the goal by just a few centimeters.
Bang!
Chiellini cleared the ball with a big kick.
But the football fell to the edge of the penalty area, and a quickly advancing Lampard took a long shot, sending it back.
