Chapter 648: Chapter 647: The Dirtiest Forward in the Premier League
August 26th, English Premier League third round.
Baggio was unwell, Torres started but had an average performance.
Deng Kai provided assists and shots.
Adriano scored in consecutive matches.
Substitute Fabregas delivered a brilliant assist, helping substitute forward Villa to complete a last-minute winner.
Manchester City narrowly defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2.
Among them, Desailly’s performance was a significant reason for the team conceding two goals.
Desailly’s form had clearly declined this season.
However, compared to that, the media were more surprised by the speed at which Manchester City’s new signings had integrated into the team.
In this regard, Deng Kai said, "Whether it’s Fabregas, Villa, David Silva, or Mascherano, they are all very excellent players."
"They adapt well to the environment and tactics."
"I think we have made preparations in all aspects, and we hope to bring a perfect season to the fans!"
Most of the media believed that Deng Kai was merely following the usual practice of praising his teammates to boost their confidence.
After all, Wolverhampton Wanderers were currently at the bottom of the Premier League standings and were this season’s promoted side.
Nearly losing a point to such a team, does Manchester City really have the audacity to boast?
...
August 30th, English Premier League fourth round.
Manchester City faced off against Bolton away.
Bolton had been plagued by Jia De’er for half of last season, which led to their relegation battle.
After offloading Jia De’er during the winter window, they immediately found newfound life and successfully avoided relegation.
Now, it’s said that Jia De’er has become a substitute at his new club.
And the season had only started a month ago.
It must be said, this really is somewhat magical.
Just a couple of years ago, Jia De’er was still the winner of the European Golden Shoe, Silver Boot, Bronze Boot, three-time consecutive winner in the Portuguese league, and three-time top scorer in the Portuguese league!
His biggest problem was choosing the wrong league and team.
The Premier League’s style of play is tough, with a year-round emphasis on long passes and aerial battles, and defenders who are very skilled at disrupting football. Moreover, the passers aren’t delicate enough to provide magic assists to Jia De’er like Deco could.
If Jia De’er had gone to Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga during this stage, it would have been an entirely different story.
Even his stint in Serie A actually had potential.
Because although the level of defenders in Serie A is high, Serie A’s defense emphasizes collective tactics focused on restriction, unlike the Premier League’s emphasis on destruction and one-on-one duels.
In this match, Manchester City still used their regular lineup.
However, Essien was injured during training, so Mascherano got the chance to start.
=
Baggio, Adriano, Ribery
Deng Kai, Mascherano, Tu Lei
Lahm, Chiellini, Desailly, Maicon
Cech
=
But in the fourth minute, Desailly received a yellow card for bringing down an opponent.
His attitude during the game was quite positive, with aggressive defense.
But the decline in his physical condition was an undeniable fact.
His speed and explosiveness, particularly his turning speed, clearly showed vulnerabilities.
From a competitive standpoint, he was no longer suited to be in the starting lineup.
This was something not even Desailly had anticipated.
He had thought he could still compete for two more years.
In the ninth minute, Deng Kai successfully cut in from the wing with a flash, chipping the ball with the outside of his boot.
Ribery leaped for a sliding shot but unfortunately missed the football by a fraction.
The twelfth minute.
Maicon and Ribery coordinated on the wing, with Maicon passing to Ribery and dragging away the opposing defenders with his run to the baseline.
Ribery faked a pass to Maicon, eluding the defender in front of him, and then made a cross.
Deng Kai took a long-range shot from just outside the box, piercing the goal like an arrow and scoring the first goal for the team.
The sixteenth minute.
Tu Lei took a return pass from Deng Kai and split the opposing defense with a through ball.
Adriano, with an opposing center back at his back, launched a powerful shot that was blocked by another center back.
However, following the block, that center back collapsed and didn’t get up, eventually being carried out on a stretcher.
Adriano had taken out an opposing main center back with a single shot.
The violent beauty of it was clearly evident.
The twenty-ninth minute.
Baggio slid a through ball along the flanks intended for Adriano, but it was intercepted by the opposition’s center-back, who booted it back to midfield with a big clearance.
Tu Lei and his opponent fiercely contested for possession.
Mascherano, quick of eye and foot, seized the opportunity to poke the football away and launched a counterattack with a pass to Deng Kai.
After receiving the ball, Deng Kai continuously feinted with step-overs.
Bang!
In the midst of doing step-overs, Deng Kai tipped the ball with his toes, lofting it into the left side of the opponent’s penalty area.
Adriano burst into the penalty area, leaped high, and headed the ball across.
Ribery flew in, taking both man and ball as he charged into the goal.
"GOAL! Two-nil! The match has now entered Manchester City’s rhythm."
"Deng Kai’s lob was exquisite, people simply couldn’t predict when he would pass the ball, let alone guess where it would land!"
"In terms of effortless passing, only Deng Kai’s former teammate, Ronaldinho—who conquered Camp Nou—could be mentioned alongside Deng Kai."
The thirty-fourth minute.
Adriano played the ball back.
Center-back Chiellini charged forward and took a long shot that went slightly wide.
Manchester City’s army pressed forward.
Bolton collapsed across the board.
The forty-first minute.
Maicon and Ribery played a combination down the wing.
This time Ribery made the run down the flank, while Maicon dragged defenders at the upper-right corner of the penalty area.
Ribery feigned a pass with his left leg, but instead pulled the ball back further down the flank.
Then he followed up with a right-footed cross.
Bang!
The football flew into the penalty area.
Adriano in the penalty area made a run towards the near post, drawing the defense.
Deng Kai, unmarked, surged through from the middle.
He headed the ball directly, with the force of a charging bull, targeting the goal.
"Three-nil! Deng Kai scores a brace!"
"It’s too easy! Bolton is completely disorganized!"
"Manchester City’s attacking movement is too complex, Bolton simply can’t keep up."
"How could they forget a superstar who scored thirty-four goals last season?"
It wasn’t until the forty-fifth minute that Bolton managed to mount a successful counterattack.
But sometimes once is enough.
The Bolton striker evaded Desailly and curled the ball into the net.
Cech’s view was partially obstructed by Desailly and he failed to anticipate the shot trajectory in time.
Of course, the brilliance of the opponent’s shot also played a part.
The player who scored the goal was Kevin Davies, who had just transferred from Millwall to Bolton.
He previously played for teams like Southampton and Blackburn.
This player is not afraid to contest for the ball, and his playing style is very tough, especially when going in for contested headers, he’s known to be fearless.
If things go as expected, in the next two to three seasons, he might become the "dirtiest" player in the Premier League, committing numerous fouls and being the forward responsible for the most defender injuries.
During the halftime break, Deng Kai approached Desailly to ask about his condition.
And whether he’d like to swap positions with Chiellini or something similar.
Desailly knew he wasn’t performing well and candidly said he would accept it if the team decided to substitute him.
But in the end, Maxa did not make any changes at halftime.
Enough respect was given to the former Chelsea and France captain with that decision.
The fifty-sixth minute.
Desailly made an error receiving the ball and, in his attempt to make up for his mistake, he brought down an opponent, nearly earning himself another yellow card.
The Bolton players protested, arguing that Desailly should have been given a second yellow, resulting in a red card.
In the end, Kevin Davies took a high-quality freekick shot which almost altered the score again.
Fortunately, Cech was heroic in goal, denying the football that rose over the wall.
The sixty-third minute.
Kevin Davies pulled wide before delivering a through ball.
The Bolton midfielder, advancing forward, effortlessly tricked Desailly on the edge of the penalty area and took a shot at goal.
Chiellini’s slide tackle brought down the opponent.
Even though he touched the ball first, the referee still pointed to the penalty spot.
Yellow card package!
Afterward, Kevin Davies converted the penalty, scoring his second goal of the game and narrowing the score to three-two.
