Chapter 772: Fierce Chelsea
After finishing the midweek league matches, Manchester City traveled to Germany to challenge Borussia M?nchengladbach.
In this match, Wang Feng shone brightly, helping the Sky Blues secure a 2-0 victory.
After five rounds of the Champions League, Manchester City topped the group with 4 wins and 1 draw, accumulating 13 points. Barcelona, in second place, had 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, with 10 points. Borussia M?nchengladbach ranked third with 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses, totaling 4 points, while Celtic remained at the bottom, struggling to secure a win.
Therefore, the Sky Blues essentially secured the top spot in the group with one round to spare, a result that caused a huge reaction domestically in England.
With substantial investments in summer transfers, there was no doubt about the team's strength, but many were still surprised to see them outperform Barcelona.
"Wang Feng's joining has elevated Manchester City to another level, towards transforming into one of the top teams in Europe!" Legendary figure Joe Corrigan commented.
The former England international, who had served Manchester City for 17 seasons, appeared very excited during the interview: "Now, every game the team plays ignites my passion. I wish I could be on the field fighting side by side with Wang."
After the Champions League matches, Manchester City faced Burnley at home in the 13th round of the Premier League and West Ham United in the quarterfinals of the League Cup.
Both matches ended with victories for the Sky Blues, defeating Burnley 3-0, with Wang Feng scoring a goal.
Facing the determined Hammers, who had advanced to this stage in the cup, Guardiola was unwilling to give up easily. He deviated from his usual strategy of fielding a completely rotated lineup and instead deployed the core trio of Kompany, De Bruyne, and Wang Feng in midfield and attack.
In the second half, Wang Feng received a pass from De Bruyne at the edge of the penalty area and hammered a shot into the net, sealing a 2-1 victory for the Sky Blues and advancing to the semifinals.
Except for Manchester United and Tottenham, the first 13 rounds of the league did not pose a significant challenge to Manchester City. However, their upcoming away match against Chelsea, as well as clashes with Arsenal and Liverpool, were looming.
With the leading group tightly packed, these crucial battles would directly affect the league standings.
Guardiola undoubtedly fielded the strongest lineup, while Conte, unwilling to show weakness, went even further. He completely abandoned the League Cup just for this pinnacle showdown.
In terms of lineup, the Italian coach was also very aggressive, opting for a 3-6-1 high-pressure attacking formation, clearly intending to go head-to-head with Manchester City in midfield.
Goalkeeper Courtois; three defenders: Zouma, David Luiz, and Cahill. Four midfielders: Azpilicueta, Fàbregas, Kanté, and Alonso, lined up in a row. Pedro and Hazard operated as dual attacking midfielders. Diego Costa served as the lone striker.
This formation provided a wide range of attacking options, with full-backs, midfielders, and forwards combining effectively. It allowed for tactics such as using the strong midfield for forward passes, relying on wingers for breakthroughs along the flanks, and launching attacks from both wings simultaneously.
Furthermore, with a single striker, long balls from the midfield could be utilized for aerial duels.
While the 3-6-1 formation may have some defensive vulnerabilities, especially when full-backs push forward, the densely packed defensive line partially compensates for this. Players have more varied positions on the field, gradually withdrawing and forming a hierarchical defensive structure during the transition from offense to defense, strengthening the interception and area defense.
During the pre-match press conference, Chelsea coach Conte expressed affirmation of Manchester City and determination to win the game: "There is no doubt that Manchester City is a super strong team, with the world's best player, Wang Feng."
"But the competition in the Premier League is very fierce. The outcome of each match may even affect the entire leading group situation, making every game crucial."
"Especially here at Stamford Bridge, our home ground, the team has no reason to lose. Our goal is the championship!"
Facing Wang Feng, Conte did not dare to be negligent. In 2005, he had interactions with the Chinese superstar at the beginning of his coaching career when he was an assistant coach at Serie A's Siena.
The Italian had witnessed firsthand how Wang Feng persevered during dark times, pushing the Sacred Union to the brink with frequent underhanded tactics, eventually triggering the "Calciopoli" scandal.
Therefore, when devising tactics, he emphasized the need to contain the Chinese superstar, "This Manchester City team is driven by Wang as its core, so we must restrict his link-up play in midfield and attack."
After the match began, the home team's competitive spirit and vigor on the field were even higher than the Sky Blues', with frequent interceptions and movements to block every possible angle for the visitors' ball possession.
It could be said that the Blues somewhat dominated the field, but neither side managed to score in the first 20 minutes.
In the intense confrontation, Chelsea's number 10, Hazard, left a deep impression on Wang Feng with his aggressiveness and explosiveness, repeatedly breaking through the defense of Fernandinho and Stones.
What's even more commendable is his excellent vision and passing accuracy on top of his aggression and explosiveness. In fact, Real Madrid had shown interest in him a few years ago.
However, at that time, there was no position available for him in the squad, and the Belgian was still somewhat immature. The club wanted to observe him for a while longer, but Chelsea decisively moved first to sign him, and he grew rapidly in a short time.
Interestingly, Hazard, like Wang Feng, initially belonged to a lower-league youth team, but he was from the more famous Tubize club, which not only produced a star player like him but also players like Yaya Touré and Nicolas Anelka.
Moreover, the Belgian prodigy made his mark at the age of 14, catching the eye of Lille in Ligue 1, who brought him to the club. Subsequently, with impressive performances, he secured a regular starting position and even helped the team win the league title as a key player.
Chelsea did not hesitate to pay a transfer fee of up to ￡32 million to acquire this young talent, a decision that proved to be correct.
In the 17th minute, it was Hazard's sudden stop after cutting inside that left a deep impression on Wang Feng. He then back-heeled the ball into the penalty area, and Pedro's powerful shot hit the post, narrowly missing the opening goal for Chelsea.
Pedro raised both fists and thumbs up to praise Hazard. Although the Belgian forward was only 25 years old, he had already won the praise and respect of all his teammates in the squad.
With wave after wave of attacks from the home team, the roar of Chelsea fans in the stands grew louder and louder.
After experiencing extremely dismal seasons, Chelsea had ended up empty-handed, failing even to secure European qualification. So, when the new head coach took over, no one dared to raise their expectations too high.
However, based on their current performance, the Blues' title contention was definitely more than just rhetoric. Conte was truly striving in that direction, and the team had a greater advantage over other top teams, as they faced less pressure from competing on multiple fronts.
Guardiola was also surprised by the ferocity of Chelsea. Unable to remain seated calmly in the coaching area, he ran to the sidelines to loudly direct his players to temporarily avoid the opponent's edge, compress the defensive space as much as possible, and prevent the opponent from easily breaking into dangerous areas.
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