Chapter 759: A New Journey
"How do you assess the technical level of these players?" After the training session, Pep Guardiola asked his assistant coach, Brian Kidd.
The assistant coach, who had followed Guardiola for many years, scratched his head and replied, "It's a mixed bag. Most of the players seem to lack a fundamental understanding of passing."
"That's exactly why we're here, to make the players understand what possession is and how to control it."
"The times are constantly changing, and the tactics we used in the past also need continuous improvement," Guardiola sighed.
"But Wang Feng performed excellently. I heard he arrived at the base a week early for recovery training."
"And now he has adjusted his physical condition to the best. According to the team doctor, he can participate in official matches at any time, which is really reassuring."
The Spaniard nodded. "The performances of Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne are also impressive. Perhaps we should consider using them more in the new season."
After spending some time on passing training, Guardiola then arranged for physical training. According to him, players must first find their touch before focusing on improving their athletic abilities.
Wang Feng found this novel but not surprising. Every coach had their unique training methods and development strategies.
In addition to practical training, the coaching staff also spent time every day imparting ball control and positioning tactics, mainly using past match recordings as teaching materials.
Many of these materials were matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. When they were first explained, the Manchester City players looked at Guardiola and Wang Feng with strange eyes.
The Spaniard remained calm and cleared his throat. "I don't think a loss in a match means the tactics are entirely wrong. On the contrary, there may be many highlights and areas worth discussing."
The Premier League opener started much earlier than La Liga. On August 13, 2016, in the first round, Manchester City hosted Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium.
This was Wang Feng's first official match after joining the club. The Etihad Stadium was almost full, and most fans wanted to witness the football king's brilliance.
Guardiola deployed an unusual 4-2-3-1 formation for this match. Claudio Bravo was the goalkeeper.
The back four consisted of Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov, John Stones, and Gael Clichy.
The double pivot consisted of Fernandinho and Fernandinho, while the attacking midfielders were Raheem Sterling, David Silva, and Wang Feng.
Sergio Aguero played as the lone striker.
New signings like De Bruyne, Gundogan, and Leroy Sane, were mostly on the bench.
The opponents, Sunderland, were once one of England's top clubs, located on the banks of the River Wear in the north, and were bitter rivals with Newcastle United from the same region.
However, they had not won a top-flight league title in over 70 years and were constantly hovering on the brink of relegation.
It wasn't difficult for Manchester City to secure a victory against them.
"Manchester City's performance last season was still lukewarm, barely securing fourth place in the league and a spot in the Champions League playoffs. They were stopped in the Champions League semi-finals and achieved nothing in the FA Cup and League Cup, hence the determination to rebuild."
As the game was about to begin, the commentators in the studio were making pre-match analyses.
"After spending nearly ￡400 million to strengthen the team, and bringing in top coach Guardiola and football god Wang Feng, Manchester City's lineup is dazzling whether in the starting eleven or on the bench. I believe their ambitions are very big."
"This match will be the best opportunity to test the team's strength."
Both teams were waiting in the player tunnel, Wang Feng was stretching his body leisurely. The Sunderland players next to him stared at him with a strange look, a mixture of excitement, anticipation, vigilance, joy, and even admiration.
After all, if it weren't for the Chinese superstar transferring to the Premier League, most of them would have hardly had any intersection with this football legend.
Wang Feng had long been accustomed to this. He stared ahead at the bright light, eagerly looking forward to starting his Premier League journey.
After the kick-off, the home team quickly took control of the ball and dominated, showing signs of possession football after some time of training.
Wang Feng silently felt the new rhythm and tactics, constantly combining the knowledge emphasized by Guardiola in his mind. In his eyes, the football field was divided into different zones.
Each zone was meticulously arranged by the head coach, while the Chinese superstar played the most flexible role as the attacking core.
Under his agile movements, every position on the field maintained overall passing fluidity, keeping the opponent's defense in a passive state until opportunities emerged from exploiting space.
At the same time, zone division also created local numerical advantages. With clear position guidance, players could easily form situations of outnumbering the opponent.
Of course, the movement in possession tactics was significantly different from Wang Feng's previous style of roaming the entire field to create opportunities. It was more purposeful, with lower intensity of movement and relatively reduced threat.
If the Chinese superstar were five years younger, he would still prefer to take the initiative in attacking, but now Guardiola's tactics were obviously more suitable.
In the 21st minute, Fernandinho dribbled the ball to the right side of the front court, pretending to pass to Wang Feng. The latter immediately moved laterally to draw away two defenders.
Meanwhile, David Silva took advantage of the space on the wing, received the ball and then passed it directly to Wang Feng at the edge of the penalty area.
After successfully completing three diagonal passes, they broke through the opponent's defensive line, closely related to the partial three-on-two advantage they created on the right side.
Whether it was Wang Feng's sudden movement, Silva's positioning on the wing, or Fernandinho's forward run, they all embodied the essence of possession football.
Fernandinho, the Brazilian midfielder, crossed the ball into the box, where Aguero headed it in, scoring Manchester City's first goal of the new season.
After taking the lead, the home team continued to maintain their attacking rhythm. Fifteen minutes later, Stones switched the ball to Sterling on a large scale.
The English forward broke through the Sunderland defense and entered the penalty area, with Aguero charging forward in the central area, while Wang Feng moved to the top of the arc on the other side, waiting for an opportunity.
Sterling attempted to cross from the bottom, but the opponent's tight marking made the passing lane narrow. So, he quickly stopped and passed the ball back to Wang Feng.
Wang Feng controlled the ball, evaded the Sunderland center-back, and then took a shot with his right foot, sending the ball into the net with a beautiful arc, over the goalkeeper's outstretched hand and into the top right corner.
"Goal! The ball's in! Wang Feng's first goal for Manchester City has finally arrived!"
"The score on the field has expanded to 2-0! The Chinese superstar's technical skills and shooting are still extremely sharp! Easily bypassing the defenders, he takes a shot from the spot, and the ball almost enters the net from a dead angle!"
"This is the power of a superstar!"
After the break, in the 69th minute, Manchester City scored their third goal to secure victory.
It was a set-piece opportunity on the right side of the front court. Wang Feng accurately delivered the ball to the back post, where Fernandinho leaped lightly and headed it, causing it to deflect and enter the goal.
3-0! The Blue Moon had a perfect start!
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