Chapter 654: Chapter 653 The Battle for the Premier League’s Number One Striker and Midfielder
Deng Kai: "I have to correct Lahm a bit, we don’t just have so many excellent players. We have so many of the best players!"
"Exactly! I believe that many of us in the team, if not every one of us, will become the best player at a certain moment, in a certain area."
"But we need to prove this with some achievements and honors."
"That’s why we work tirelessly on the pitch."
"That’s also why we still strive to attack even after scoring the fifth, eighth, or even the tenth goal."
"No one is born great, but we are making ourselves and Manchester City great!"
Sky Sports then compiled quotes from various Manchester City players and published a special issue: "A Team Becoming Great—Manchester City!"
...
On September 27th, the seventh round of the English Premier League kicked off.
Manchester City vs Birmingham.
Essien was temporarily away from the team due to family matters, and Fabregas got the chance to start, with Tu Lei playing as the defensive midfielder.
The young central defender Kompany also earned a starting spot.
Manchester City continued to play very well in this match.
Adriano provided a cross assist to Deng Kai, who beautifully chipped the ball with the outside of his foot.
Next, Adriano dropped back to receive the ball from Fabregas, turned with it, and blasted a Batistuta-worthy goal, increasing the lead.
The second half.
Ribery received a long ball from Tu Lei, beat the offside trap and scored a beautiful one-on-one goal.
In the final moments, Lahm made a baseline cross from the left flank.
Villa scored with a header.
Four-nil!
Manchester City celebrated another big win.
In the last three matches, they hammered in twenty-one goals, averaging seven goals per game, a fearsome attacking force!
On October 4th.
The eighth round of the English Premier League.
Desailly returned to the starting lineup.
Maicon crossed from the right flank, Ribery deftly touched the ball, assisting Adriano to score early in the game.
But afterwards, the game fell into a lull.
The second half.
After Lahm carried the ball through the midfield, he made a diagonal pass, and the substitute Fabregas sent a through ball. Deng Kai rushed forward to poke the ball into the goal.
Expanding the team’s lead.
Three minutes later, with the help of Ribery, Maicon found himself with space and sent a cross.
Adriano slid in front of the goal but failed to connect with the ball.
The substitute striker Torres followed up at the far post and scored with a shot.
Three-nil!
Manchester City had kept a clean sheet in three consecutive matches.
With a powerful offense, the defense was becoming increasingly solid.
"In Red-Hot Form! Adriano Scores in Eight Consecutive Matches!"
"He Really Reminds People of Ronaldo! Adriano Blasts Ten Goals in Eight Premier League Games, Provides Three Assists, Leading the Team’s Stats!"
"He’s Finally Risen! Weak Adriano Has Finally Stood Up! He’s Become a Top-Notch Striker!"
"Breakthrough! Adriano Finally Blossoms, Manchester City’s Trust in Him Pays Off!"
"Adriano vs Henry! The Two Are Still Tied for First Place in the Premier League Scorers Chart!"
"Poor Henry! He Weathered Cole, Encountered Van Nistelrooy! Last Year’s Unparalleled Performance, But Then He Came Up Against The Legendary Deng Kai, And This Year It Looks Like He’s Run Into The Next Ronaldo! He Should Have Dominated The Premier League, Yet He’s Always Thwarted by Manchester!"
This sparked a great debate among people.
The Manchester Evening thinks: "Manchester boasts a cluster of legendary strikers, and Henry might be stronger than any one of them except for Deng Kai. But it’s tough for him to compete with Van Nistelrooy + Ronaldo, as well as Adriano supported by Deng Kai and Ribery!"
Sky Sports: "Adriano and Henry are not on the same level, while Deng Kai and Ribery are currently tied for five assists each, leading the Premier League assist charts. Arsenal only has Pires’s four assists to help Henry a bit."
"From this perspective, Henry’s goal-scoring ability is clearly stronger."
"What’s more important is that Henry himself also has three assists. And in the future, his assists are destined to outnumber those of Adriano, so Henry remains the top striker in the Premier League."
Manchester United fans are quite dissatisfied: "Manchester United haven’t found the right person for the right winger position, and the new Beckham is not up to the task. This has caused Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy not to be at their best."
"In the second half, with Manchester United’s adjustments, neither of them will be worse than Henry!"
Manchester City fans are even more amused: "Before my Kai came to the Premier League, Henry might have been the top striker. But after last season, the top striker in the Premier League must be my Kai!"
Arsenal fans angrily remind: "But Deng Kai is a midfielder!"
Manchester City fans: "Forty-seven goals and thirty-seven assists in a single season, and being both the top striker and top midfielder in the Premier League, what’s the problem with that?"
"Do you really think my Kai would take advantage of you?"
Chelsea and Liverpool fans are left with a dark wound.
After all, when it comes to the top midfielder in the Premier League, they believe their own Lampard and Gerrard can still compete. At least they can be part of the top midfield echelon.
But once Manchester City fans speak up, really, the whole world is silenced.
There’s no helping it, Kai is indeed the stats king of last season.
Ronaldo, without the boost of top honors, hasn’t even beaten Deng Kai in the real-time Golden Ball standings.
October 15th, the first round of the Europa League return matches.
Manchester City’s opponent is still Lockrun.
But for Manchester City, players like Deng Kai didn’t even fly to Belgium this time.
Because it’s unnecessary.
They even brought along some unknown substitutes and academy players.
The starting lineup for this match is
=
Torres, Villa
Vidal, Fabregas, David Silva
Mascherano
Ashley Young, Thiago Silva, Kompany, Sun Jihai
Neuer
=
On the bench, Mandzukic, Nainggolan, and others were listed, and they were expected to get some playing time as well.
This 4-1-3-2 formation could only be considered okay, but when they start playing, it’s all attack and no defense.
It belonged to the simple extremes of trash-talking, the ultimate enjoyment.
With Ashley Young and Sun Jihai pushing up, the defense was left with only three people.
It was frightening.
And Lockrun indeed hadn’t recovered from the nightmare of a 13-0 defeat.
The game started with serious mistakes.
Villa once again intercepted the defender and provided an assist for Torres.
This scene happened the last time the two teams met as well.
Following that, Sun Jihai delivered a long pass from the right flank.
Torres burst forward with speed and scored with a sliding shot, netting a brace.
In the second half, Nainggolan and Mandzukic came on early.
David Silva played a one-two with Vidal and then sent a through ball to Mandzukic. The robust Mandzukic dribbled past the goalkeeper and staggeringly completed the goal.
Mandzukic was honest both in looks and playing style, but that didn’t mean he lacked flair.
At eighteen years old, what striker doesn’t dream?
Ashley Young: Exactly.
Neuer: They’re talking about strikers, you’re a full-back, please roll back and defend!
