The South Korean fans were dejected at this point.

Except for those fans with impaired judgment who stubbornly insisted that Zhao Gang was Korean, the hearts of the slightly more rational fans were breaking.

They had been making comparisons all season,

treating Zhao Gang as Son Heung-min's greatest enemy in the Premier League.

While shouting that Zhao Gang's level was not good enough, they secretly observed Zhao Gang's matches.

Every goal, every assist, every brilliant dribble, every duel, and so on.

Each time they saw these, it was more painful than being killed.

Even with their stubbornness, they had to admit

that Son Heung-min was far behind Zhao Gang in terms of on-field performance.

Zhao Gang's choices on the field were almost always correct.

His personality, his skills, and his charm were simply too likable.

To borrow a phrase from Pochettino, everyone loves Zhao Gang.

Many fans even felt that Pochettino's comments about Ali were actually about Zhao Gang.

But as the Tottenham coach, he couldn't say it outright, so he used Ali's name to express his true feelings.

The people in England who were still watching the game at this hour were true fans, not just fans of a particular player. They were appreciating a top-tier Premier League match.

"Hey, we have a lot of excellent players, but none of them are playing as the core player in a top league!

Before, one Son Heung-min from South Korea was enough to make those little Koreans shout online every day. I didn't expect China to have this kind of player too..."

"Our country's football level is twenty years ahead of China, but one Zhao Gang is about to erase that difference. Judging from China's last match against Qatar, we might not even be able to beat them."

"A core player can really invigorate the whole team and compensate for a lot of technical deficiencies!"

"South Korean and Chinese players are both putting on such great performances in the Premier League. When will we have one?"

"Son Heung-min grew up quickly in the Premier League. Zhao Gang... has already dominated the Premier League. I never thought I would be envious of Chinese football one day. It doesn't make sense."

"When I was in China before, I knew the state of Chinese football too well. Fans cursed the players and the football association every day. Now they don't curse anymore; they're all praising..."

"Of course, I've also lived in China. Chinese people are very irritable and will argue about everything. They have to compete in every field. When it comes to football, they have nothing to say. Now it's bad; even football can't suppress them."

"In the past, they envied our players, envied that we had players in the top five leagues, envied our football youth training, envied our football level, and envied our World Cup appearances.

Now, looking at this situation, something big is about to happen. China is very likely to qualify for the World Cup this time."

"Can one person really have such a big influence? Can he bring a team to this height??"

"It's impossible for a star player to bring a garbage team to a top team, but it's possible to bring a mediocre team to a mid-level standard.

After all, the Chinese team members are professional players. As long as they are willing to fight and dare to battle, they are still very competitive in Asia. In the past, they were just too scattered. Now that they have a backbone, their spirit is different. The overall level may still not be very good, but it is definitely not the garbage team it used to be."

"If this continues, even if China's youth training is still terrible, as long as Zhao Gang is still in the national team, China's competitiveness will not be bad in the next ten years. Once they produce some good talents, they may really achieve a revival."

...

Pochettino urgently needed his midfielders to stand up and deliver ammunition to the front line.

But Ali's performance was problematic, and Eriksen's best long passes were blocked by Fernandinho, making it difficult to take advantage of Son Heung-min's speed.

They could only try to find Son Heung-min through short passes, but Kyle Walker had already found his position, making it almost impossible for Son Heung-min to find better opportunities.

And once Tottenham lost the ball during the attack, Zhao Gang in the defensive midfielder position could quickly get the ball and launch a counterattack.

Manchester City didn't need to advance step by step anymore.

His presence in that position seemed to reduce attacking opportunities, but in fact, Manchester City's frontcourt players would get more opportunities.

Pochettino desperately wanted to change his formation but didn't know where to start.

The current lineup might be the best it could be, with speed and impact.

If this Tottenham team still couldn't beat Manchester City, he really had no other cards to play.

On the field, the Manchester City players were now standing in their defensive positions according to Guardiola's deployment.

Before the match, Guardiola had studied Tottenham's style of play.

Tottenham's most common tactics were long passes from the backfield and crosses from the flanks.

They had a very strong center forward and a number of fast wingers. Ali and Trippier would also often roam to the flanks, looking for opportunities to tear apart the defense.

They had a strong impact.

However, with Kyle Walker stationed on Son Heung-min's wing, there was much reassurance. And Fernandinho and Sane's restriction of Eriksen made it difficult for their long passes to be effective.

Ali, on the other hand, was a bit neurotic from the start, constantly dribbling and breaking through, unable to coordinate with his teammates, making Tottenham's tactics seem scattered.

Unable to get the ball, Kane could only sigh in vain.

Even if he managed to find an opportunity in the penalty area, it would be preemptively disrupted by the agile Zhao Gang.

Tottenham played somewhat depressingly in this match.

Especially Ali, who Pochettino had high hopes for, hoping that he could use his personal ability to tear apart the defense.

But his performance was disappointing. Once he got the ball, he wouldn't pass it.

After Eriksen communicated with him, he did change somewhat, but after hearing the chants from the Manchester City fans, he became emotional and even more eager to prove himself.

He was like a headless fly, bumping around everywhere.

As a result, the Tottenham players were no longer willing to pass the ball to him.

His reckless attacks could be tolerated, as he might get lucky and break into the penalty area to score a goal.

But what was unacceptable was that once he messed up and lost the ball, Zhao Gang would get the ball and launch a counterattack!

If the coordination between Zhao Gang and Sane hadn't been a bit rusty, Tottenham's midfield would have been riddled with holes.

Twice, Zhao Gang directly found Sane rushing forward, but because Sane's positioning was a bit off, the ball was a bit bumpy after it was sent out, delaying the offensive rhythm.

At the end of the first half, Ali dribbled the ball forward and was intercepted by Fernandinho in cooperation with Kolarov. Zhao Gang directly found De Bruyne with one kick.

This time, there was no need for Sane's response. This was what Pochettino was most worried about.

Zhao Gang hadn't found this kind of long-passing opportunity in the entire first half. Now he had found it.

With this kick, Manchester City's transition from defense to offense only took three or four seconds!

If Jesus and Sterling hadn't both failed to receive De Bruyne's wonderful pass, Tottenham would have been completely finished!

During the halftime break, Guardiola told the players to relax.

"I know that all of you players, all the staff at Manchester City, and tens of thousands of fans want to turn Tottenham into a sieve.

Use a massacre to vent your anger!

Zhao, I also saw some of your..." Guardiola paused for a moment, "...some of your personal motives. On the field, you kept looking for opportunities to confront Ali because he heard some things Pochettino said before the match and believes that he is the best young player in the Premier League. You want to teach him a lesson and prove yourself.

But now, you need to restrain this useless impulse. Everyone needs to calm down!!

Tottenham treats us as rivals, just like Ali now only has Zhao in his eyes.

The fact is that Tottenham has never been in the same league as us. Our goal is the championship! The EFL Cup, the FA Cup, the Premier League, the Champions League!

And Tottenham has nothing. They can only rely on defeating us to increase their confidence and sense of existence!

The relationship between us and Tottenham is like the relationship between you, Zhao, and Ali. He has never been your opponent!

You never need to do anything on the field that harms yourself for his sake!"

Zhao Gang scratched his head and nodded.

Guardiola nodded in response. This kid was so reassuring; he listened to advice.

"Don't make too big of a move, don't get injured!!! That's what I want to say.

No one should try to provoke Tottenham.

It's not that we're afraid of confrontation, but because we have a higher goal!

I want you to stay focused, do your own thing, and don't do anything extra. When we lift all the trophies, that will be the best proof!"

"In the second half, we don't need to make too many changes. Zhao, I need you to stand firmly in your position. Your presence there will make everyone in Tottenham tremble and feel a lot of pressure when attacking.

The rest of you should not easily lose possession of the ball. Once you lose possession, the first thing you need to do is immediately counter-press. If you can't win it back, you need to return to your defensive area as quickly as possible!

Sane, you did a good job." Guardiola specifically mentioned that Sane's positioning often overlapped with his teammates. This was caused by his previous tactics and play style. There was no way around it; it would take time to adjust.

But after losing the ball, he actively counter-pressed, which needed to be praised.

At the start of the second half, the Manchester City players naturally understood Guardiola's meaning.

Tottenham was not their goal at all. There was no point in kicking in seven or eight goals.

Tottenham had a reputation, and if they got anxious, some accidents might happen directly.

The most important thing for them now was to win the game and stay healthy.

So Manchester City was not in a hurry to attack but stabilized the rhythm and began to advance step by step, returning to Guardiola's previous approach.

It was boring to watch, but very effective and stable.

The players' physical fitness was maintained well, and they could win the game smoothly.

With Manchester City stabilized, it was even harder for Tottenham to score. Especially after Pochettino saw Ali's performance, he hardened his heart and brought on Camela, trying to find new opportunities.

The result was predictable. Tottenham lost another point of explosion, and the attack failed to materialize.

Moreover, Zhao Gang's position was too far back, cooperating with the front Jesus and Sterling, forcing Tottenham to worry about Manchester City's counterattack at all times when attacking.

And what they feared came to pass.

In the 80th minute of the match, Tottenham launched attack after attack, trying to pull back a goal.

As a result, after Son Heung-min cut inside, Otamendi cleared the ball with one kick.

Zhao Gang, who had been conscientiously standing in his position, turned halfway and kicked the ball to the frontcourt!

In Jesus's view, this footwork was simply a GPS cruise missile!

If Brazil had such a figure, they wouldn't have been beaten so badly by Germany two years ago.

Jesus swung his arms and rushed up, his legs churning so fast he was about to take off.

The Tottenham players behind him couldn't catch up at all. He dribbled the ball all the way to the Tottenham penalty area line like he was walking a dog!

And Danny Rose, who was tracking back on the wing, got a fever in his head when he saw this situation. He was losing and getting anxious. While Jesus was adjusting to prepare for a shot, he directly tackled him from behind!

Jesus shouted and rolled twice, falling into the penalty area.

The referee decisively rushed up, penalty, red card!

Mad shouts came from the stands of the Etihad Stadium.

In this kind of situation, Danny Rose's foul was definitely a losing proposition.

With no defender in front of him, it was definitely a red card and a penalty, and it was in a situation where they were already two goals behind. This kind of foul was simply a manifestation of losing and getting anxious!

This was losing the game and losing face!

Jesus grimaced and got up. He was young and in good shape and wasn't injured.

"Danny Rose was indeed too impulsive!"

"Yes, this kind of foul is really unnecessary. It can't show his active defense at all; it can only show that he's lost control..."

"Zhao Gang should be the one to take this penalty, right? After Aguero's injury, Zhao Gang should be the first-choice penalty taker." Zhang Jun, the commentator, looked at the broadcast footage. Although Zhao Gang was standing there, he noticed a pair of very unusual eyes.

Jesus was eagerly staring at the penalty spot and looking up at Zhao Gang with burning eyes.

There was very direct eye contact between him and Zhao Gang, and one could fully see the desire and expectation in his eyes.

Zhao Gang hesitated for a moment. If Danny Rose hadn't fouled, Jesus might have scored.

From this perspective, it was normal for Jesus to want to take it himself.

The most important thing was that Manchester City was now leading by two goals, and this goal didn't seem to have much impact on the overall situation.

Jesus was so eager, and Zhao Gang didn't have a persistent pursuit of scoring goals.

Letting him take it would satisfy Jesus's desire to score and give him a great sense of accomplishment and existence.

It wouldn't have much impact on Zhao Gang himself.

Moreover, Zhao Gang's biggest weakness in terms of personality was that he was not good at refusing other people's requests.

He had done a lot of soul-searching when he left Norwich, and rejecting Wenger had made him depressed for a long time.

Even Ollie had come together because of this personality weakness.

If another woman had confessed at the time, Zhao Gang would most likely have agreed.

So, now, facing Jesus's gaze, Zhao Gang was a little embarrassed.

He held the ball, thought for a moment, slowly exhaled, shook his head at Jesus, and placed the ball on the penalty spot.