Chapter 31

The thirty-first round of the Premier League saw Zhao Gang and Aguero both left off the roster. The two of them sat in the stands with their girlfriends, watching the game.

Without Zhao Gang and Aguero, Manchester City's tactics still revolved around ball control.

Jesus, Sane, and Sterling formed an attacking trio capable of shooting, breaking through, and passing.

The entire match was under Manchester City's control. Although these players had also experienced the trials of national team matches, their national teams were strong, and the physical toll on them wasn't too great.

Manchester City won the match without much effort.

Continuing their march toward the Premier League title.

After thirty-one rounds, they had accumulated eighty-nine points. Because the performance of the other teams this season hadn't been satisfactory, Leicester City's start had been impressive, but they had lost several games in the middle. Chelsea had been strong in the middle of the league, even achieving a twelve-game winning streak, but their early-season losses had left them without a chance at this point.

So, in the next league match, as long as Manchester City wins at home, they can secure the Premier League title six rounds early!

If successful, they will set the record for the fastest Premier League title win.

Manchester United, the most successful team in the Premier League era, had never achieved this. Arsenal, who once held the record for the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, had also never achieved this.

It was foreseeable that if Manchester City won the next game, the Etihad Stadium would be a spectacular sight.

And their opponent was neither too strong nor too weak.

Liverpool, the Reds.

After facing Chelsea at home in the FA Cup, they would face the challenge of Liverpool, the Reds, three days later.

Liverpool would definitely not allow themselves to be a backdrop. And Manchester City, facing Liverpool, and the enormous glory of winning the title six rounds early, would definitely be on high alert and give it their all.

The last time, at Anfield, Manchester City played to a high score of five to four. Liverpool had never been afraid of playing an offensive game. Encountering Liverpool on the road to potentially winning the title early could be considered a worthy challenge.

In the second leg of the FA Cup, Manchester City faced Chelsea at home. Because of the significant advantage from the first leg, Guardiola didn't show as much importance to this game as he had claimed.

When the starting lineup was announced, all Manchester City fans understood that Guardiola might not have been planning to win.

But Manchester City fans were very accepting of this arrangement.

Because the next match, at home against Liverpool, was more important. Not only would winning the game secure the title early, but if they failed to beat Liverpool, Manchester City would have three consecutive away games, making it more likely that they would win the title away, which wouldn't be as perfect.

So, it was understandable that Guardiola gave his main players a rest in this FA Cup match.

In this game, Guardiola arranged a 4-4-2 formation.

Aguero, who had rested in the last league match, and substitute forward Iheanacho were at the front. The midfield four were Garcia, Delph, Fernando, and Zhao Gang.

The defense consisted of Clichy, Adarabioyo, Kompany, and Zabaleta.

The goalkeeper was Caballero.

This defensive line had some experience, but the offensive capabilities of the midfield and forward line were far inferior to the starting lineup.

Manchester City fans were optimistic. The defense looked decent, and with Zhao Gang and Aguero holding the line on the attack, it wasn't too embarrassing.

Thinking this way, it wasn't necessarily easy for Chelsea to win!

The players from both sides prepared to enter the field. Chelsea's players looked very solemn. Their league title hopes were gone, the League Cup was over, and all that was left was the FA Cup trophy to compete for. However, they were already too far behind from the first leg.

It would be very difficult to turn the tables at Manchester City's home.

Fortunately, due to Manchester City's focus on the Champions League and the upcoming crucial league match against Liverpool, Guardiola had sent out mostly substitute players.

There was still a chance to turn the tables. It even seemed pretty good.

When Manchester City players entered the field, the Etihad Stadium was filled with encouraging cheers. Garcia and Iheanacho, two young players, were clearly a little nervous.

They needed to show a very good attitude and form, even if they couldn't play for Manchester City, they might be spotted by other scouts and coaches.

*Beep!!*

The referee blew the whistle to start the second leg of the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Manchester City faced Chelsea at home.

"Some of the Manchester City players may be unfamiliar to fans who don't watch football often.

Garcia and Adarabioyo are young players from Manchester City's youth academy, and have only made substitute appearances in the League Cup so far. Iheanacho has had slightly more playing time, but it's difficult for him to be heavily relied upon by Guardiola in the league.

Delph and Fernando have both had league rotation appearances and have also started games.

Clichy is considered a regular rotation player, and fans who watch Manchester City games often should be familiar with him.

On the Chelsea side, they are fielding a full-strength lineup, still using the very popular 3-4-3 formation this season. This system had previously drawn with Manchester City in the league and had also achieved a twelve-game winning streak second only to Manchester City, making them extremely strong.

However, in the first leg of the FA Cup, they suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat at home to Manchester City. It will be extremely difficult to turn the tables in this game."

Manchester City won the coin toss, Chelsea had possession.

As soon as the game started, Chelsea held nothing back, showing no conservative attitude even though they were playing away.

They adopted a somewhat aggressive approach, launching a direct, forceful attack.

Hazard's and Pedro's individual explosive abilities were difficult for Manchester City's current midfield and defensive line to handle.

Hazard's low center of gravity allowed him to dribble past Garcia's defense. Hazard outmatched Garcia in terms of physical strength, speed, and technical ability.

Garcia didn't even have time to foul him.

Kompany also had to keep an eye on Costa, who was wandering around. Adarabioyo could only try to defend Hazard after he cut inside.

Facing this player, who was hailed as the third-best player after Messi and Ronaldo, the current "Burger King" Hazard wasn't yet the champion-winning Hazard of Real Madrid.

With a few feints, he confused Adarabioyo, almost making him lose his sense of direction.

Hazard took a quick step, dodging the defense and was about to shoot when Kompany timely came to defend and block Hazard's shooting angle.

Bang!

Hazard gently pushed the ball, passing it directly to Costa, who was in an open position.

Costa lifted his leg and shot, but fortunately, Clichy interfered slightly in the penalty area, preventing Costa from putting his full strength into the shot.

Goalkeeper Caballero reacted in time and barely managed to push the ball away.

Clichy on the other side reacted quickly, and facing Pedro's pressure for the second ball, Clichy, who couldn't see his teammates, kicked the ball forward with a big foot.

The ball went out of bounds.

From the start, Chelsea pressed forward with their entire army, basically in a desperate state.

It was difficult for Manchester City's mostly substitute lineup to withstand the pressure.

Chelsea saw this opportunity and launched a fierce attack.

Not only did they hope to turn the tables and advance to the next round of the FA Cup, but they also had a chance to avenge the crushing defeat they suffered at the hands of Manchester City in the first leg.

Regardless of whether they were substitutes or not, as Vila's coach said, as long as Zhao Gang was on the field, it wasn't a substitute lineup.

Conte kept clapping and shouting, urging his players to concentrate and launch attacks.

Without a moment's rest.

If they couldn't score in a short period of time, it would be much more difficult to score once these substitutes adapted to the rhythm of the game.

Guardiola didn't show much emotion on his face. He hadn't made up his mind. Originally, he had planned to take the FA Cup in one go, but after entering the next round, playing on two fronts with the Champions League, the consequences would be unimaginable if any of his main players suffered injuries.

This season was the most likely season for him to win the Champions League title since he left Barcelona.

The FA Cup was clearly a level below the league title and the Champions League title.

But they had already reached this point, especially with a large lead from the first leg, it would be too wasteful to give up directly.

That's why he had arranged for Zhao Gang and Aguero to have a rest in the last league match, and this time he was resting the other main players in the FA Cup.

If they advanced, they would continue to play.

If they were really defeated, it would be good to concentrate all their energy on the league and the Champions League.

These young people on the field, although they were said to be young, were all older than Zhao Gang, but their performance was far inferior.

It could only be said that a genius like Zhao Gang might only appear once every hundred years.

He couldn't expect too much.

In his coaching career, he had been lucky enough to encounter two such talented players as Messi and Zhao Gang.

Most coaches wouldn't encounter even one.

Chelsea took a throw-in, and Chelsea's two wing-backs also rushed forward to increase their firepower.

Zhao Gang also began to reinforce the defense. Manchester City's midfield was heavily suppressed in their own half.

There was no way around it. Even if Manchester City's entire starting lineup was on the field, they might still be suppressed for a short period of time, let alone a combination of substitutes and youth academy players.

Bang!!

Pedro received a pass from Hazard and suddenly unleashed a powerful shot from the left side of the penalty area. Caballero leaped up but didn't reach it. However, the ball didn't hit the goal frame either.

It flew out of the stadium, grazing the post.

Pedro clutched his head, frustrated. It was so close!

Hazard gave Pedro a thumbs up to encourage him.

Hazard was very active at the start of the game, but he didn't shoot himself. Instead, he kept passing the ball to his teammates, letting them be the finishers.

In the twelfth minute of the game, Chelsea already had six shots.

This statistic was extremely frightening.

Fortunately, Caballero hadn't made any major mistakes, and Chelsea's shots weren't all accurate either.

The score was still zero to zero.

But if this continued, there would definitely be problems with Manchester City's defense.

During this time, Chelsea almost completely suppressed the ball in Manchester City's half.

Only Aguero was left in front, while the other players retreated very deep.

This made it difficult for Zhao Gang's passes to be threatening.

Even though he had twice intercepted the ball from Fabregas and Moses, it was difficult for him to pass the ball forward.

Aguero was almost trapped in the opponent's defensive trap, and it was almost impossible for him to run into position.

And Garcia and Fernando's dribbling abilities were simply not enough to handle these top Chelsea players.

Iheanacho, a forward, couldn't understand Zhao Gang's passing intentions. With Aguero unable to provide assistance, Iheanacho's movement was crucial, but he wasn't familiar with Zhao Gang, and he was a little confused when he first came on.

Two counter-attack opportunities had to be terminated.

Before Zhao Gang could find Iheanacho, Aguero found him first and told him to run forward, to run forward when Zhao Gang had the ball!

Iheanacho was skeptical, but since the team's big shot had said so, he had to run forward!

So, he consciously moved his position forward a little.

When Zhao Gang got the ball again, Iheanacho took off and ran forward!

Zhao Gang scratched his head. Just as he was about to pass the ball, he saw Iheanacho in an offside position and had to stop.

This was rare.

When Zhao Gang had the ball, Manchester City's forwards did trust Zhao Gang and ran forward directly.

But there was a prerequisite, you couldn't be offside when Zhao Gang received the ball.

No matter how accurate or fast the pass was, if you were offside before you even got the ball, who could pass it to you?

"Aguero is fighting alone at the front, and it is difficult to stretch Chelsea's defense. Iheanacho needs to stand up, but the coordination between Iheanacho and Zhao Gang and his midfield teammates is a little problematic.

In this way, it is difficult for Manchester City to launch a counter-attack.

It is impossible for Zhao Gang to break through three people's defenses alone. Manchester City's positional attack is even difficult to get past the halfway line. Even if they can attack, they can't form an effective offense.

At least in these fifteen minutes, Chelsea has occupied a very large advantage.

Fortunately, Chelsea's ability to seize opportunities does not seem to be very good in this game.

But if they continue to play like this, it should be a matter of time before Chelsea scores."

"These young people still need to be trained and need to grow."

No sooner had He Shiren finished saying that Chelsea's ability to seize opportunities was not strong, than in less than two minutes, Hazard's first shot gave Chelsea the lead.

A signature thunderbolt from a clear sky, even more hidden and less detectable than Coutinho's shot.

Hazard dribbled past Garcia, making him look flustered. After a series of breakthroughs, he played a wonderful combination with Costa, who had retreated. Hazard, after receiving the ball, hadn't even entered the penalty area, he unleashed a powerful shot as if he was preparing to break through.

The ball spun directly into the goal, grazing the crossbar!

Caballero simply didn't have the ability to save a ball at that angle.

After scoring, Hazard celebrated briefly and returned to the field.

They had a difficult task. They needed at least three more goals to advance!

The first leg was really a disaster for Chelsea, with Manchester City winning by three goals and scoring four away goals!

Chelsea had to win by a score of 4-0 or higher to advance.

Guardiola and Conte didn't show too much excitement because of this goal.

Conte might get excited if they scored two more goals.

They were still far from turning the tables.

Guardiola looked at the young players in the forward line, midfield, and defense.

Their performance was too poor when facing an opponent like Chelsea.

None of them had a moment of brilliance.

He still remembered how Zhao Gang looked when he first appeared in the Premier League.

Although Manchester City fans weren't very opposed, they clearly didn't trust him much.

Zhao Gang was unhurried, taking his time, and soon made Sunderland dizzy.

Facing Manchester United and Arsenal, he didn't show too much desire to perform, but he also didn't show any nervousness, making those Premier League players complain endlessly.

And it was clear that these young people lacked confidence, were too nervous, and cared too much about this opportunity.

Even some technical movements were distorted.

Iheanacho's condition was slightly better, but the other two were confused and didn't know what they should do.

Garcia was a disaster facing Hazard. Adarabioyo's defense was out of position. If it weren't for Kompany and Clichy's covering, Manchester City's penalty area would have been a mess.

Zhao Gang scratched his head and found an opportunity to say a few words to Iheanacho.

Although Iheanacho was a little older than Zhao Gang, his status in Manchester City was definitely as small as dust compared to Zhao Gang.

Iheanacho was still very obedient.

At this time, Aguero was almost completely restricted and it was difficult for him to play. Of the three midfielders, Garcia was dizzy, Fernando lacked offensive ability, and Delph's passing and coordination were okay, but he lacked explosive power.

On the offensive end, all they could rely on was Iheanacho, who had been slightly overlooked by Chelsea.

If Zhao Gang could coordinate with him, there might be unexpected results.

After the kickoff in the center circle, there wasn't a good offensive opportunity. Zhao Gang was double-teamed again, and he could only pass the ball back to stabilize the rhythm.

Chelsea's three forwards and two wing-backs pressed forward directly, including the two center-backs, who were also moving forward, as if Chelsea was on the attack.

There was a significant mistake in the passing coordination between Adarabioyo and Delph.

Pedro, who had a very wide range of movement, intercepted the ball with one foot and quickly passed it to Hazard, who had cut into the middle.

After a series of dodges, Hazard was brought down by Adarabioyo just before entering the penalty area!

This was a foul close to the penalty area. If Adarabioyo had been a step slower, it would have been a penalty inside the penalty area.

Adarabioyo didn't dare to breathe loudly. He was already nervous, and now he was even more frightened.

If he committed a foul inside the penalty area, with his disastrous performance, he would be completely finished. Even if they won the league title early, he wouldn't have a chance to play.

"Well done," Zhao Gang said, returning to the defense and gently patting Adarabioyo's shoulder.

His voice wasn't loud, but Adarabioyo heard it clearly, but he didn't react for a moment.

Did Zhao Gang just talk to me?

Yes, it was him.

He praised me.

Damn it, I'm just standing here like an idiot, without responding.

I'm so useless.

I need to hurry up and catch up and say something back.

He's already walked away. What if going over now affects his defensive state?

Don't go.

Not going is too rude, too disrespectful to the team's big shot.

……

In ten seconds, dozens of thoughts flashed through Adarabioyo's mind.

Professional players, due to their status and some unspoken rules, don't communicate with newcomers.

If newcomers don't actively try to integrate, veteran players won't lower themselves to communicate.

Even Messi, as a newcomer, had difficulty integrating into the team due to his personality.

If it weren't for Ronaldinho and Guardiola's control over the locker room, Messi's growth would have been much slower.

So, Zhao Gang's encouragement after Adarabioyo's foul, instead of scolding him, made Adarabioyo feel flattered.

And Zhao Gang's encouragement wasn't just lip service. He didn't need to build a relationship with a newcomer.

Adarabioyo's defense had indeed done well enough, disrupting Chelsea's rhythm with the early foul.

He wouldn't have been able to stop Hazard in that position anyway. Committing a foul early was a good defensive strategy.

The ball was too close to the goal, making it difficult to shoot with power. If it were two meters further away, the probability of scoring directly would have increased significantly.

Chelsea didn't play any combination, Hazard took a powerful shot directly, but because it was so close, it was difficult to get the arc up.

The ball was still rising when Kompany headed it out of the penalty area.

Fabregas grabbed the second point, Garcia's defensive attitude was still very good. He ran over to interfere at the first opportunity, preventing Fabregas from quickly organizing an attack.

With a swish, Manchester City's players pounced out, partly to compete for the ball and partly to make Chelsea's retreating players offside. Fabregas didn't dare to lift the ball into the penalty area casually to find Costa.

Fabregas quickly passed the ball to the wing, letting Moses, who had stronger dribbling ability, look for opportunities.

Zhao Gang rushed over directly, coordinating with Fernando to block Moses's path.

Moses was forced to lean towards the side, trying to take advantage of the width of the field to break through.

Zabaleta also found an opportunity and surrounded him directly.

Moses was instantly trapped in a three-man包夹 (bao jia, encirclement). He didn't pass the ball in time and gritted his teeth, preparing to force a breakthrough.

"Hey, Moses, three people are 包夹 (bao jia), and he's still trying to break through. This ball is gone... Does he think he's Messi or Zhao Gang? Three people are still trying to force it."

"Zhao Gang would also pick the ball out before a 包夹 (bao jia) forms. He's very successful even when facing three people, but there are still many situations where he picks the ball out and gives it to his teammates in a 包夹 (bao jia). In the Premier League's defense, if a 包夹 (bao jia) forms, who can break through? These are all professional players."

Moses's feet dangled for a moment, and he saw his teammates responding, but there was no passing route at all. Zhao Gang stepped up and yanked the ball directly from Moses's feet.

When Pedro and Moses tried to counter-attack, Zhao Gang had already taken the ball to an open space and cleared enough angle.

And Iheanacho, who had been instructed by Zhao Gang before, had already started running forward.

Aguero, of course, was madly stretching the defense.

Zhao Gang only glanced forward, then kicked a rainbow ball, flying towards Iheanacho's path.

Chelsea's center-backs were 包夹 (bao jia) Aguero, watching as Iheanacho unloaded the ball, Cahill chased over, preparing to defend.

At the same time, Zhao Gang and Delph were also quickly inserting into the attack from the back.

Cahill squeezed Iheanacho's breakthrough path to the side.

It was impossible for Iheanacho to use his speed to eat Cahill alive like Bale.

And if he passed the ball back, he would lose a good offensive opportunity.

He couldn't squeeze past Cahill even if he wanted to cut inside to the middle.

And in the backfield, Zhao Gang, who had been sprinting all the way, had passed Fabregas and Matic one after another, feeling like the wind was blowing under his feet.

Stepping over the center line, Chelsea's midfielders were moving too slowly.

He was quickly leaving them behind.

Iheanacho was a little anxious. He couldn't break through with this ball. Once Alonso or Pedro caught up and formed a 包夹 (bao jia), the offensive opportunity would be gone.

He wanted to perform, but he also understood his current level.

Iheanacho saw Zhao Gang, who was speeding up from the middle with a blue light, and passed the ball diagonally, passing Cahill's defense. The path was a little off from Zhao Gang's movement.

He had given too much of a head start.

Luiz had given up defending Aguero and was rushing towards the ball.

Iheanacho stopped, took two deep breaths, and was a little frustrated, preparing to signal that it was his passing mistake.

Luiz accelerated to chase the ball. He looked up and saw Zhao Gang's speed seemed to be getting faster and faster. Luiz instantly felt that something was wrong. He gritted his teeth, his tufted hair fanning as he ran, the veins on his neck bulging, and the muscles on his face trembling up and down from the intense running.