Chapter 647: Chapter 646: Deng Kai’s New Ronaldo
They achieved this through a lot of movement, complex interchanging runs, and so on.
This is also why, whether it was Villa, Fabregas, or David Silva, these excellent players all showed clear signs of maladaptation or even mistakes after joining Manchester City.
They still needed some time.
But definitely not a whole season.
Because the Manchester City system is established, it is much quicker for others to integrate.
Last season was from scratch, and it must have taken at least a season to achieve some success.
The seventy-first minute.
Baggio and Lahm worked together on the wing, with Lahm winning a corner from the opposition.
Deng Kai took the corner.
Portsmouth’s players won the header and pushed the football out of the penalty area.
But in the next moment, the Buffalo Essien brutally fired the football back with a long-range strike.
The ball grazed Ribery’s face and hung in the dead corner of the opponent’s goal.
Ribery broke out in a cold sweat.
Shit!
Almost got my head blasted by a teammate!
But he didn’t scold Essien; instead, he rushed up to celebrate with Essien.
In the world of football, there is no sin in scoring a goal!
"Oh! Three-nil now!"
"Essien, a long-range shot from Essien!"
"Don’t think of Essien just as Manchester City’s key defensive player, his long-range shooting is actually quite good. Or rather, this Manchester City team, everyone has at least one decent long shot!"
"Someone previously accused me of hyping Manchester City, saying their offense isn’t that fierce, what about now?"
"As long as you let Manchester City score, it will never be just one goal, especially with Deng Kai on the field"
"No one understands Manchester City and Deng Kai better than I do! The game is as good as won for Manchester City! Don’t forget, this is Manchester City’s home ground, this is Maine Road... this is the Etihad Stadium!"
Manchester City, having extended their lead, obviously relaxed a bit.
Guardiola started to bring on substitute players.
Maxa: ???
Villa came on for Baggio in like-for-like substitution.
Fabregas replaced Tu Lei in a positional switch.
Thiago Silva came on for Desailly in a direct swap.
This time Fabregas performed much better than in the Community Shield match.
The pressure from Portsmouth was nothing compared to that from Manchester United.
The eighty-second minute.
A through ball from Fabregas connected with fellow Spaniard Villa.
Unfortunately, David Villa’s low shot was blocked by the body of an opposing defender.
Portsmouth dodged a bullet.
The eighty-fifth minute.
After a tackle in the backfield, Essien passed the ball to Deng Kai.
Without even lifting his head, Deng Kai launched the football at high speed to the opposing half.
Adriano, almost in sync with Deng Kai’s launch, started moving like a tank toward the landing spot of the football.
The opposing center-back quickly engaged in a physical tussle with Adriano.
Under intense harassment, Adriano managed to control the ball and then, with one hand, pushed the opponent aside to catch up with the football.
Bang!
A blistering shot while on the move.
Adriano went all out.
Whoosh!
The ball kicked up a white spray.
After a brief silence, the stadium erupted.
"GOAL! Four-nil! Adriano is on fire today!"
"A hat-trick of goals! This is the first and only time in Adriano’s professional career that he’s achieved a hat-trick in an official match!"
"Congratulations to Adriano! He seems to have finally found his shooting boots!"
"In this game, I indeed saw Ronaldo’s shadow in him!"
After scoring, Adriano celebrated excitedly.
He knew the critique he had faced before this moment.
This hat-trick was crucial for him.
His persistence had finally paid off.
In the 92nd minute, with the game nearing its end,
Fabregas, after receiving a pass from Maicon, intended to turn and break through to showcase his skills.
Unexpectedly, the opposition poked the football away from his feet, achieving an interception in the attacking third.
The opponents conducted a two-on-one at the edge of Manchester City’s box and ultimately scored the football.
Cech waved his hands in anger.
Damn!
There went his clean sheet bonus!
In the end, the match finished with a scoreline of four to one.
Adriano, with three goals, was named the best player of the game.
After the match, facing the media interviews, Adriano beamed with pride, "Yes, I know for some people this seems incredible."
"But over the past year, Deng Kai has told me countless times that I have the talent to score goals, that I have the talent to be a top striker."
"I think it’s time now to become that kind of player."
"Thanks to everyone who has supported me, especially Deng Kai and Coach Maxa, for consistently giving me opportunities!"
Feng Te nodded in agreement repeatedly on the side.
Adriano’s path was now wide open.
As long as you’re willing to work hard with Deng Kai, what awards or honors are unachievable?
Ronaldo has already become the leading figure of Manchester United!
Ronaldo: ???
Faced with media inquiries, Deng Kai generously stated, "We have to admit that in recent years, the world’s best forward is named Ronaldo."
"Of course, I also worked with a Ronaldo, C. Ronaldo, I think he’s also one of the best forwards."
"And now, I’ve met another Ronaldo, Adriano, who people are calling the next Ronaldo."
"I believe he has also entered the ranks of the top forwards."
"He will prove himself this season!"
...
"Deng Kai Returns, Assists Twofold Leading Manchester City to a Great Victory!"
"Deng Kai’s New C. Ronaldo—Adriano!"
"Maxa: Manchester City is advancing on the right path, and we will stick to a Deng Kai-centric strategy unwaveringly!"
"New Players Underperform, Veterans Shine—How Should Manchester City Address This Split?"
"Understanding Football": "Manchester City’s new signings haven’t been in place for a month, and their performance so far is already quite good. In fact, according to the football IQ of Fabregas and Villa, their integration into the team is just a matter of time."
"We predict that small teams will find it very difficult to shake this Manchester City, perhaps only the Premier League powerhouses are their true competitors."
"Sky Sports": "Adriano scores three in two rounds, standing shoulder to shoulder with Henry at the top of the Premier League scorers’ chart!"
"BBC": "Some media are overly optimistic about Manchester City’s forecast! The team’s movements are complex, and it’s hard for average players to integrate!"
Regarding the integration of new players, opinions from the outside varied.
People were willing to acknowledge the advanced or sophisticated tactics of Manchester City.
After all, it’s Maxa.
And the more complex the tactics, the harder it is for players to integrate.
Typically, the lesser players fall into two categories.
One kind lacks the physicality, speed, defensive intensity, and other hardware to adapt.
The other lacks the tactical adaptability.
For instance, Veron mostly falls into the first category.
But Manchester City’s new signings are thought to be in the second category.
However, in the third round of the Premier League, Manchester City’s new signings brought a surprise to everyone.
