Chapter 286: Able to strategize and kill enemies thousands of miles away
"It doesn't matter if the long shot was rejected by the goal post. Next... is Arsenal's extremely threatening corner kick attack!"

The on-site director showed a close-up shot of Sanchez running towards the corner. Sky TV commentator Andy Gray explained loudly: "Manchester City's corner kick defense has always been a shortcoming, but fortunately Per Mertesacker and Olivier... Giroud didn't start, so just standing there would put tremendous pressure on the Manchester City players."

"wuwuuwuwuwuuu——"

Manchester City fans at the Etihad Stadium clearly felt the pressure from Arsenal players and instinctively booed.

Obviously, they wanted to relieve the pressure in this way and have some impact on the Arsenal players who were preparing to take the corner kick.

Sanchez took a corner kick from the right, and the ball flew from the bottom line to the penalty spot with a strong inward arc. The flight path was like a rainbow across the sky.

Martin, who was closely monitored, took advantage of the initial change of rhythm and the cover of his teammates to jump in front of Kompany.

Kompany, who had lost the opportunity, had quick eyesight and quick hands. He stretched out his hand and gave Martin a light push at the moment he took off.

The power is not great, but the effect is very significant.

Martin, who jumped forward, received a push from behind to prevent his center of gravity from becoming unstable, but his upper body was too far forward and his forehead hit the bottom of the football in a hurry...

The football went over the crossbar and out of the baseline.

Martin, who landed on the ground, happened to see referee Anthony Taylor's gesture indicating a goal kick and couldn't help but shake his head.

Considering the previous consecutive penalties favoring the home team, the contact just now was considered very weak, and it was even less likely that the penalty would be called.

Kompany looked at Martin walking out of the penalty area, feeling increasingly pressured.

If it hadn't been for a hand movement, Martin's superb pitching skills would have definitely led to a fatal header that could threaten Joe Hart's goalkeeping in the just taking-off environment.

Luckily fortunately!

Joe Hart took a short goal kick from the backcourt and quickly passed the ball forward through the wing. The football was quickly given to the core midfielder De Bruyne.

In the absence of David Silva due to injury, the Belgian international De Bruyne, who created a double 20+ in the Bundesliga last season, is now particularly obsessed with directly participating in the attack, thinking that he must show it in the game against Arsenal. Actual contribution!
As a young player who is still on the rise, De Bruyne plays a bit impatiently.

When he came to the 30-meter offensive area, he received Sterling's passing ball after he walked in. He made a slight adjustment and shot directly from a long distance!

The football was kicked with great force, but the angle was too wide, so much so that it missed the right goal post.

Arsenal gets a goal kick in the backcourt.

Manchester City's offensive players, led by Aguero, did not rush back to the half-court, but adopted the high-position defense that is becoming more and more popular in world football.

Martin is full of physical energy, and his sudden stops and turns are very realistic, which makes the Manchester City players who are responsible for marking simply unable to watch.

Martin, who dropped back to support De Bruyne, seemed to be following De Bruyne closely, but he actually had a left and right observation during the running process.

I saw his right shoulder sinking, trying to stop and turn the football passed by Koscielny to the right.

De Bruyne knew that Martin might take the ball from the opposite direction and turn around, but Martin's center of gravity was tilted at a large angle, causing his body's conditioned reflex to pounce to the right.

Fernandinho, who was pressed forward by the entire formation, was a thief. Thinking that Martin would often use his back to get the ball, he would turn the ball in the opposite direction with his center of gravity tilted, so he calmly pounced from behind Martin's left side.

At this moment, Martin spread his legs and missed the football passed by Koscielny.

"what?"

Fernandinho, who was so smart that he was misled by his cleverness, was immediately stunned.

As a result, the fans watching the live broadcast couldn't help but laugh when they watched De Bruyne and Fernandinho, who were running towards both sides of Martin, all miss.

And this kind of operation?

"Pretty!"

Xinying Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai's excited voice rose an octave: "Let the ball pass! Wilshere!"

With his back to the direction of the attack, Wilshere stood on the outside edge of the center circle and raised his right foot to step on the football that Martin passed over.

Fernando, the deep-lying midfielder, was confused by the actions of his compatriot partner Fernandinho, who had always been stable.

You go up, the ball is not broken and no one is knocked down.

Looking at Martin who turned forward to face his own goal, a question popped up in his mind: What should I do?
Go forward and defend Wilshere, and he will definitely give the ball to Martin.

It would definitely not work to pounce directly on Martin who does not have the ball at his feet.

Wilshere is no fool...

Fernando's brain was still running at high speed, and Martin, who was speeding up, had already passed the football that Wilshere had stepped on with his right foot.

How to do?
He can't wait to ask for help from netizens who are waiting online now.

After a lot of thinking, I came up with the best solution.

foul!

But Martin started out as a defender. How could he not know how defensive players should choose when they are passive?

Now with superb foot skills and Messi's unique skill [slumping shoulders and feinting], facing Fernando who is about to commit a foul is no different than passing a wooden stake.

"wuwuuuwuuuu——"

Accompanied by harsh boos, Martin, who was dribbling the ball at high speed, passed the center line, lowered his right shoulder, and raised the ball to the right with his raised right foot.

Fernando had no time to think. He instinctively pounced to the left as Martin's center of gravity shifted, intending to wait until the two got closer before committing a foul, even if he received a yellow card.

Martin's exaggerated right shoulder sinking is to attract Fernando to hand over his center of gravity, and then use the flexibility of his ankle to quickly smash the ball to the left front from the inside of the instep of his right foot, forming a breakthrough in the opposite direction of Fernando's movement.

"Beautiful pass! Martin now directly faces Manchester City's entire defense!"

Xinying Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai said impassionedly: "What will he do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Otamendi and Kompany, who cooperated relatively well, already had a defensive plan through eye contact.

One stepped forward to defend Martin, and the other paid attention to Walcott, who was advancing at high speed.

However, during the division of labor, Martin passed the ball.

From the right side of Manchester City's half-circle arc, he sent a lofted mid-range straight pass.

Kompany, who had just stepped forward to defend Martin, watched the football rising from the ground fly towards him. He subconsciously braked on the spot, then took two steps back and jumped, but... he did not hit the football.

Walcott is very smart. He uses his speed advantage to bypass Otamendi from the inside line who is at a speed disadvantage.

Whether they were fans at the scene or watching the live broadcast of the game, they could clearly see Walcott overtaking Otamendi at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly approaching Martin's round mid-range lob pass.

Joe Hart is a typical traditional goalkeeper, to be precise, he is a reactive goalkeeper. He has first-class goal-line skills and is also very good at saving points. He is weak in attacking and discharging the ball.

This is also the fundamental reason why Guardiola would rather spend a lot of money to buy the 'Regent' Bravo from Barcelona who is over [-] years old after taking office, rather than use the England national goalkeeper who is in his prime.

The technical characteristics are biased towards the goal line, resulting in Joe Hart's limited coverage.

Of course, even if you abandon the door and attack, nothing will change.

Walcott is fast and forms a pass-and-run consistency with Martin's passing.

The most important thing is that the long round ball will not accelerate forward after landing. On the contrary, there will be a significant deceleration, which means that it is more conducive for the teammate who is sprinting at full speed to get the ball, thus causing the opponent's goalkeeper to make a mistake.

Martin's pass took full consideration of the speed of Joe Hart and Walcott, and the lob pass was just right.

"Nice pass!"

"Walcott!"

"Single sword!"

Xinying Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai watched Walcott, who was running at high speed, use his right foot to push forward the football that had obviously slowed down. burst out.

"wuwuuuuu——"

As deafening boos swept the entire court, Walcott caught up with the football in a few strides without slowing down, and then moved the ball towards the arc of the penalty area, directly facing national team teammate Joe Hart.

Joe Hart is not good at attacking, but his goal-line skills are top-notch and his reactions are extremely quick. He slowed down Walcott and dribbled the ball across the penalty area and rushed out.

They are all teammates of the national team and know each other very well.

At this time, the only competition is often courage and mentality.

The narrow road meets the brave to win!

Walcott brought the ball to the penalty spot and adjusted his steps. He supported his body with his left foot and quickly kicked the football with his right foot from back to front.

Joe Hart, who struck out to the edge of the small penalty area, suddenly felt a chill in his crotch. The instinctive closing speed of his legs was obviously half a beat slower than the football rolling close to the ground...

next moment.

"Goooooooooooooooooal—"

Sky commentator Andy Gray piped up.

Walcott, who scored the goal, confirmed the goal. He turned around excitedly and rushed towards Martin, who sent the assist, to celebrate the equalizing goal together.

In the process of celebrating the goal, the players also consciously looked at the referee Anthony Taylor who had made many unfavorable penalties for his team.

The meaning I want to express is already obvious, Bao, look... we still scored a goal.

O(∩_∩)O haha~
Anthony Taylor expression:  ̄□ ̄||.

……

The Arsenal fans who traveled with the team excitedly raised their arms and waved their fists almost wildly, expressing their joy at the equalizer.

Wenger, who was in the visiting team's coaching bench, suppressed his excitement and just high-fived his assistant to celebrate.

At the other end, the coach of the home team was directing the technical area. Pellegrini, who had his hands in his pockets, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Within minutes of taking the lead, Arsenal quickly equalized.

This...is not a good thing for the game.

The passionate Xinying Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai shouted: "Martin assisted Walcott to equalize the score. This is his 39th assist this season, and the number of direct participation in goals has reached 65! It is only one step away from the miracle created by Messi. 4 times left!”

After hearing this, the Dragon Kingdom Martin fans were even more excited and more confident about the next game.

Only 15 minutes into the game, Martin showed excellent competitive form and directly assisted Walcott to score. With 75 minutes left in the game, he still had enough time to score goals and assists!
on the field.

De Bruyne looked at Martin who was celebrating his goal crazily and sighed bitterly.This guy is too strong.

"But... I won't give up easily."

De Bruyne naturally clenched his fists, his eyes full of fighting intent.

Also having the same idea is Aguero, who feels that he is in very good shape for this game.

There is still one goal left for Martin, who is the top scorer. He believes that as long as he seizes the opportunity in the restarted game, it is possible to tie or even overtake!
……

"De Bruyne is in great shape."

Through the wonderful slow-motion replay, Xinying Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai shouted: "The power and angle of his shot 30 meters away from the goal are excellent. If it weren't for Cech's quick reaction, Manchester City would have had the opportunity to exceed the score in a flash!"

Martin turned to look at De Bruyne, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, showing his trademark confident smile.

In good condition, right?

I'm...better than you!
At this moment, the two friends had a spiritual competition.

De Bruyne took a corner kick, and Kompany was feinted by Martin who was in front of him, causing his header to miss the right goal post.

"Fack~"

Kompany looked at Martin's back and became angry.

……

The score became a draw, and the offense and defense of both sides became cautious and somewhat restrained.

There were fewer penetrating passes and more safeties.

However, De Bruyne and Martin's last passes were both very threatening, with two curved passes from the ribs and a direct pass from the ribs. Unfortunately, due to the impact of the forward position and defensive players, they were never able to score.

The fanatical atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium continues to be high, and the Manchester City players on the field are also high-spirited, hoping to take advantage of the home court to exceed the score again.

Avenge the first-leg defeat while retaining the top four in the league and preventing Arsenal from setting a Premier League points record at their home stadium.

Maybe Arsenal will set a points record in the future, but... it definitely can't be done at the Etihad Stadium!

This...is the bottom line for Manchester City players.

If we lose at home, the Internet with memory will say this:
[Arsenal visited the Etihad Stadium and defeated Manchester City to set a new Premier League single-season points record! 】

In order to avoid this situation, Manchester City players are united and want to score goals in the shortest possible time.

In the 28th minute of the game, De Bruyne attacked the right rib and received Jesus' pass directly into the right rib of the penalty area.

Aguero understood it and completed a high-quality low shot into the far corner while running.

Cech got off the ground very quickly, and the fingertips of his right hand pushed the menacing football outward, causing the football that was supposed to fly into the net along the inside edge of the far goalpost to miss the outside of the post and roll out of the baseline.

"Pretty!"

Jin Xiangkailang said: "Aguero shot beautifully, Cech made a wonderful save!"

Three minutes later, De Bruyne received the ball at the front of the penalty area and inserted Fernandinho's pass, which was involved in the attack, and made a decisive long-range shot.

The kicked football rushed towards the goal from the gap between the people. Cech, who reacted very quickly, stretched his body to the extreme and missed it. However... the powerful and heavy football slightly missed the outside of the goal post and hit the billboard behind the goal. It makes a crisp collision sound.

Manchester City continuously created extremely threatening attacks, and the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium became feverish again, with huge cheers coming one after another.

Martin, who continued to assist the overall defense during this period, realized that he must create enough threats to put pressure on Joe Hart to guard the goal, otherwise the defensive players will participate in the offense unscrupulously.

It may bring opportunities for counterattacks when the team switches from defense to offense, but now he is more worried about the team conceding the ball first.

After all, personal efforts are limited.

He can ensure the safety of the area he is responsible for with his super single defense ability and running coverage ability, but there is no way to take care of every inch of the backcourt.

Scoring goals is the only way to bring awe to the visiting team.

Even if they can't score, they must put pressure on Manchester City's defense.

Cech was about to take a short goal kick in the backcourt. Manchester City still used a high defense, with all the midfielders and frontcourt players blocking the potential receivers on the outside of Arsenal's penalty area.

Aguero is facing the double central defender, Navas and Sterling are on the left and right in the ribs, De Bruyne is between Martin and Elneny, Fernando and Fernandinho use De Bruyne as the The apex of the triangle stands on both ribs.

The best way is to drive the ball to the frontcourt with your big feet.

However, Arsenal's forward in this game is Walcott instead of Giroud, so they are at an absolute disadvantage in the fight for the top.

Passing to the two full-backs is the wisest choice.

In addition, as the rules have not yet been changed, it is illegal for a teammate to receive a goal kick outside the penalty area.

This means that Cech's short-distance goal kick only complies with the rules if it is passed to a teammate outside the penalty area, but such a pass will give Manchester City an opportunity to switch from defense to offense.

Cech hesitated before taking the kick, and referee Anthony Taylor was also looking at his watch.

In order to prevent his teammates from making mistakes due to too many touches of the ball, Martin took the initiative to increase the retreat distance and came to the top of the penalty area to ask for the ball.

Seeing Martin asking for the ball, the two central defenders naturally spread out to both sides.

Cech gave the ball to him immediately and didn't care that De Bruyne was following Martin closely behind him.

Martin handed the ball directly to Koscielny. Aguero, who originally planned to steal Martin with De Bruyne, temporarily changed his attention and ran straight to Koscielny to complete the press with Navas.

Although Arsenal's most threatening player is Martin, other Arsenal players should not be underestimated.

If you focus too much on marking Martin, other players will pick the ball out.

Compared with the unknown situation in the future, the practical problems before us should be solved first.

Martin, who had a wide field of vision, captured the immediate situation immediately. He lowered his left shoulder and gave a gesture to Koscielny. The latter immediately understood and passed the ball according to Martin's request.

Martin is very explosive, balanced, and flexible. De Bruyne realized that it was too late to start again after Martin faked a run.

Martin made an emergency stop and turned forward just in time to receive Koscielny's pass, then speed up and move the ball forward.

Both Aguero and De Bruyne lost the opportunity to defend Martin.

Sterling and Navas, who are holding down the defensive ribs, are still deep and far away from Martin, and there is simply nothing they can do.

The heavy responsibility of defending Martin also falls on Fernando and Fernandinho.

Elneny and Wilshere, who had switched positions with Martin, moved forward respectively.

As the last barrier of Manchester City's central defense, the two men did not dare to step forward to defend. They fought and retreated. They chose to block Martin's passing route to Elneny and Wilshere while following up on the defense.

Therefore, Martin, who had increased his speed, chose to advance with the ball by himself, using the outside instep of his right foot to move the ball towards the arc of his own center circle.

The running direction of Elneny and Wilshere was also very stupid. They ran to both sides consciously, as if they were deliberately opening up space for Martin to hold the ball and advance.

Fernandinho, who has a very good defensive awareness, decisively gave up guarding Wilshere and pounced on Martin who dribbled the ball past the midline.

At this moment, Martin handed the ball to Wilshere, who ran away to the right and then suddenly ran to the center.

After Elneny completed the task of attracting firepower, he did not push forward. He followed the tactics formulated by coach Wenger before the game and handed the route to Martin, who was fully speedy.

Wilshere stopped and took the ball to about 45 meters away from the goal.

Fernando, who was defending Elneny, moved decisively to the middle to prevent Wilshere, who was very sharp with the ball, from directly facing the entire back line.

Walcott moved forward to press Otamendi and Kompany, and Wilshere, who has a high football intelligence, quickly passed the ball to the attacking left rib.

"Alexis Sanchez!"

Sky commentator Andy Gray's voice rose an octave.

Sanchez, who received the ball, used the outside instep of his right foot to move the ball towards the middle, and made a cross-movement with Wilshere who completed the pass.

Fernando's defense against Sanchez alone was definitely not enough. Right center back Otamendi gave the responsibility of defending Walcott to captain Kompany. He and Fernando defended left and right, and Sanchez used his speed to hold the ball in the middle to wipe out Sanchez in the penalty area. .

Sanchez, who attracted enough defensive attention, sent the ball sideways to the attacking right rib with the outside instep of his right foot.

"Martin!!"

A red figure appeared from the lower right side of the broadcast screen, and Xinying Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai shouted passionately.

"Wowowoooooo—"

The home fans screamed subconsciously over the Etihad Stadium.

Martin, who was unmarked, was about 35 meters away from the goal on the right side of the attack. He used the arch of his right foot to stop the ball to the front right to a comfortable position, and then adjusted his step point.

"Martin—"

Xinying sports commentator Jin Xiangkai's voice rose an octave.

De Bruyne, who was chasing madly but getting further and further away from Martin, could clearly see Martin swinging his right foot and kicking the ball hard in the middle and lower part of the football that was still rolling forward. A crisp and muffled sound came out spontaneously.

"—Long shot!"

Boom~
The kicked football was full of power at first glance. After rising from the ground, it flew very fast without any rotation in mid-air. It was like a cannonball coming out of the barrel. Kompany, who was on the route of the football, could clearly hear the roar. The sound of breaking through the sky.

Standing in the middle of the goal, Joe Hart looked at the football that appeared in the sky above the penalty area in the blink of an eye. He subconsciously took a step to the left, bent his knees and jumped to the left. He made full use of his own bounce and jumped out, using his waist and abdomen at the same time. The open right arm spreads out vigorously.

But before he could complete his arm-stretching action, the powerful and heavy football rushed over half a second ahead of others, grazing the inner edge of the right goal post and diving into the snow-white net...

"Oh My God!"

"Goooooooooooooal—"

"Ball! The ball went in!!"

"Incredible performance! 2:1! Arsenal takes the lead!"

“The World Wave username is worthy of its name!”

……

The commentators in the live commentary box/in the live broadcast rooms of countless broadcast agencies all blurted out subconsciously, shouting impassionedly for Martin's wonderful goal.

(End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like