Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 675 - 469: Leading by 3 goals and still sending on a forward, Manchester City is really pushing Arsenal and Wenger to the brink!
Chapter 675: Chapter 469: Leading by 3 goals and still sending on a forward, Manchester City is really pushing Arsenal and Wenger to the brink!
Wenger has been pushed to the brink, he’s fighting with his back against the wall, but not all Arsenal players think the same way.
As the saying goes, "Iron-clad camps, flowing soldiers." Once the team’s performance declines, the management’s instinct is to change the coach first, rather than blame the players.
Because for the club, a player is considered an asset on the annual balance sheet, whereas the coach is not.
More importantly, some Arsenal players have had criticisms of Professor Wenger’s tactics over the years.
Some players privately discuss that with the current Arsenal lineup, it’s hard to play both beautiful and practical possession football. They should play more pragmatically to earn more points.
Especially against Manchester City, going head-to-head with them is tantamount to courting death, isn’t it?
Because the Arsenal players on the field were not united in thought, the ball didn’t flow as smoothly as usual at their feet.
Additionally, Guardiola employed his usual full-pressing tactics right from the start.
Manchester City players used methodical breakdowns to cut off Arsenal’s passing lanes, continuously shrinking their movement space, making it harder for them to advance.
In the 15th minute of the first half, the ball rolled rapidly on the grass, carrying the heartbeat of the whole stadium.
Spanish star David Silva moved lightly on the flank like a fish.
Every touch of his seemed like the ball was glued to his feet, deftly weaving through defenders. His slick dribbling was mesmerizing, even drawing applause from Tang Long on the bench.
Ranocchia, Sterling received the ball in turn.
Their cooperation was seamless, with every pass perfectly timed.
Silva, like a gust of wind, charged directly toward the penalty area with the ball.
His eyes were resolute, gazing towards the baseline, with feints so convincing that the defenders were all fooled.
At that moment, his left foot twitched unexpectedly, and the ball flew precisely to the far post where Sane was waiting.
Sane leaped high, his silhouette gleaming agilely under the afternoon sun in London.
All the defenders thought he would trap the ball, but they watched as he elegantly flicked his ankle, making a direct return pass without stopping it!
Bonazzoli dashed forward like a leopard, meeting the ball with a slight backward lean, and unleashed a stunning volley with explosive force!
The ball shot into the net like a cannonball, whistling through the air!
"Great goal, Bonazzoli!"
Tang Long on the bench rushed to the sideline instantly.
Bonazzoli ran toward him from afar, and they embraced tightly!
Tang Long could feel Bonazzoli’s pounding heartbeat.
"Tang, I did it, I did it, ah, I can do it!"
Bonazzoli’s face was flushed red, stammering excitedly as he repeated the words.
What he meant by "I did it" was the volley without trapping the ball just now.
During daily training, Tang Long had noticed the problem in Bonazzoli’s shooting technique.
He liked to take his time, winding up his leg, ensuring his posture was fully extended before securely striking the ball.
But as a striker, there’s seldom that much time or space in an intense match.
Tang Long tirelessly reminded him to increase the speed of his leg swings and take the shot as soon as an opportunity presented itself.
At that moment, Bonazzoli executed Tang Long’s advice perfectly, swinging his leg and striking the ball before Koscielny extended his leg to block.
In the Emirates Stadium, 60,000 spectators erupted in a cascade of boos.
These boos weren’t directed at the scoring Bonazzoli, but like a surging tide, they targeted the Arsenal players on the field.
Amidst them, the chants of "Wenger out" started sparingly but quickly swelled into a deafening roar that echoed throughout the stadium.
This was the first time since the start of the season that Arsenal fans had booed their veteran manager Wenger at their home ground.
The tall Wenger turned around helplessly, his eyes revealing a hint of fatigue and resignation as he spread his hands toward the fans in the stands, as if to say, "What good is booing me?"
However, this dedicated French coach quickly adjusted his emotions, turned back around with a smile on his face, applauding and cheering for his players, as if nothing had happened.
However, when people are united, they can move mountains;
When people are divided, everything feels exhausting!
He found that no matter how he shouted, the players on the field seemed spiritless, not as lively as they used to be.
Ten minutes later, Kolarov delivered a dipping cross, and in the center of the penalty area, Ranocchia dived and scored with a header, making it 2-0!
Halfway through the first half, they were already two goals down.
Given Arsenal’s current form, how can the fans in the stands believe they can make a comeback?
Noisy, chaotic, angry, shouting—various emotions and noises filled the Emirates Stadium.
The only cheering came from the southwest corner of the stands, where more than 2,000 traveling Manchester City fans were gathered!
They sang and danced, beaming with joy, constantly chanting Guardiola’s name!
Guardiola glanced over and raised his hand to greet them from afar.
Up until now, Arsenal has not played the beautiful football that Wenger imagined.
On the other hand, Manchester City leveraged strong high-pressing, quick one-touch passes, and a set piece to leave Arsenal completely powerless.
On the bench, Tang Long was leisurely drinking water, leaning back in his seat chatting with teammates.
He vaguely felt that maybe there was no need for him to play today?
"It’s good to take a break; playing constantly is quite tiring. Later, I’ll have Gracie give me a massage to loosen up a bit."
As soon as Tang Long hadn’t finished his sip of water, he heard the continuous "thump thump thump" sound of the ball being hit on the field.
He quickly looked up and saw Silva, Ranocchia, and Bonazzoli passing the ball six times consecutively;
Then Bonazzoli retreated to the edge of the arc, flicked the ball with his head, and Sterling rushed into the gap in the penalty area, calmly slotting the ball into the near corner to score!
Tang Long quickly swallowed the water in his mouth, tossed aside his water bottle, and walked to the sidelines to greet Sterling’s embrace.
Sterling’s hug was even more enthusiastic than Bonazzoli’s!
The Englishman hung on to Tang Long’s chest like a little black monkey.
"You were right, Tang, shoot into the near corner!"
Sterling was thrilled not just because he scored against Arsenal, but because this particular shot was taught to him by Tang Long.
Tang Long had advised Sterling, since his shooting was poor, to first ensure his shots were within the frame. For such semi-one-on-one situations, rather than aiming for the challenging far corner, it would be wiser to go for the near corner given the shorter distance, allowing him to be more accurate.
As it happened, Sterling’s near-corner shot tricked the goalkeeper!
The match had just reached the 30-minute mark, and Manchester City was leading Arsenal 3-0 away.
Guardiola quietly glanced over, wanting to see Wenger’s reaction.
Wenger stood still like a clay statue on the ground, his feet seemingly nailed down, not moving an inch.
From ten meters away, Guardiola could see how grim and ashen Wenger’s face was.
"Should I pull the punch now?" After a brief moment of delight, Guardiola pondered internally.
He quickly dismissed this idea.
A 3-0 scoreline isn’t particularly secure in football!
Take, for example, the world-famous Istanbul miracle, where AC Milan led 3-0 at halftime only for Liverpool to come back in the second half — such wind-turning events aren’t impossible.
"Only three goals; stick to the plan without making adjustments yet."
During halftime, Guardiola instructed assistant coach Chiwo.
Chiwo nodded in agreement, "We need at least one more for safety."
Agüero heard this and eagerly stepped in, volunteering, "Coaches, let me go on, I promise to score one to complete the task!"
After playing in the Premier League for many years, Agüero had ample match experience.
After watching for mere fifteen minutes from the bench, he observed that Arsenal was disunited and in a very low state.
Even with Ranocchia’s goal from the corner, he was surrounded by defenders while heading it.
Even a mid-table team in the Premier League could defend it, yet Arsenal conceded easily, showing they were extremely sluggish today!
Faced with such an opportunity, as last season’s top scorer, how could Agüero resist going up to score a few goals?
Claiming he’d score just one was merely his excuse; he wished to net a hat trick!
Just then, Sane ed feeling tightness in his right calf muscle, possibly a minor strain.
Thus, Guardiola took the opportunity to substitute Agüero for Sane.
As for Tang Long, Guardiola decided to wait a bit and wasn’t in a hurry to send him on the field.
Although his expectations were to sub Tang Long in the second half to maintain his physical condition, now wasn’t the time.
In the second half, seeing Agüero in the number 10 jersey on the field with hands on hips, twisting his waist left and right, the Arsenal players felt a chilly fear!
His threat was far more daunting than Sane’s, but weren’t Manchester City already leading 3-0? Why wouldn’t they relent?
Professor Wenger, despite his usual gentlemanly demeanor and scholarly charm,
had his shirt soaked through as sweat poured out like a spring — he was sweating more than the Arsenal players on the field!
"To send Agüero now, Guardiola is putting me under unimaginable pressure..."
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