Tang Long opened the drawer and found a USB stick.
"What’s in here?" Tang Long pinched the USB stick and asked Ranocchia.
"It’s a collection of running highlights of our main striker Agüero, I’ve got it for you!" Ranocchia said proudly.
Tang Long was overjoyed at the news!
At present, from Serie A to the Premier League, with the new season about to start, Tang Long needs to quickly understand the running habits of the team’s striker.
Since activating the Green Grass Invisible AI System last November, Tang Long has been feeding the system with a lot of match videos in his spare time during matches and training.
But most of these are about Serie A teams.
As for specific strikers, Tang Long has mainly focused on Icardi alone.
After all, at that time, Icardi was Inter’s chief striker, a weapon for scoring goals.
Tang Long figured out Icardi’s habits, thus opening the door to Inter’s attacking game.
Although football tactical thinking is universal, the playing style of the Premier League is quite different from that of Serie A.
The pace here is faster, and the transitions between attack and defense happen in a very short time.
The intense confrontation, frequent running, compared to the relatively relaxing Serie A, the Premier League is more youthful and vigorous.
Playing as a forward in the Premier League is different from Serie A, personally, Agüero and Icardi, though both Argentine compatriots, have vastly different technical characteristics!
Agüero is not as good as Icardi in single-touch shooting or header duels;
However, Agui is small, with a low center of gravity, excellent in dribbling, faster, and has a wider range of activities!
He can not only lurk in the penalty area but also pull out of it and wander the flanks.
He can play as a center forward and as a hidden forward, unlike Icardi, who is a pure-type poacher center forward.
All in all, Agüero’s way of playing is broader!
This determines that Agui’s running habits, football mindset, and technical moves are significantly different from Icardi’s.
Previously, the easy passes Tang Long sent to Icardi in Serie A may not necessarily be devoured by Agui, and vice versa as well.
This requires Tang Long to collect and organize new materials about Agüero to feed his AI system.
At this time, Ranocchia bringing Agüero’s running highlights is like coal in the snow, just aligning with Tang Long’s desires.
"So considerate, captain, how did you know I needed this?" Tang Long asked him curiously.
At a traffic light, Ranocchia stopped the car and rolled down the window.
In August, Milan experiences the peak of the Mediterranean climate’s hot season.
But the temperate oceanic climate in Manchester, deep in the night, sees temperatures even below 20 degrees.
A slight breeze from afar blows across the streets, passing through the car cabin, making one feel refreshed and delighted.
"It was Mr. Chiwo who specifically instructed me, he told me that you have a habit of researching strikers’ running positions by watching videos, and previously helped you organize Icardi’s materials."
"He asked me to find as many videos about Agüero online as possible, send them to him, and after he edited them, to give them to you on a USB stick."
"So, don’t thank me, if you must, thank Mr. Chiwo! He really cares about you, as if he can’t let go."
"According to him, he confirmed only three days ago that you would transfer to Manchester City, and he spent a good 10 hours editing these materials!"
Ranocchia’s words indeed moved Tang Long deeply.
Tang Long left Inter Milan, and so did Chiwo.
From a personnel relationship standpoint, they’re no longer colleagues.
Chiwo has no obligation, professionally, to help Tang Long edit video materials.
The reason he’s doing this is purely out of a mentor-mentee sentiment, hoping Tang Long can quickly familiarize himself with his teammates.
Tang Long thought to himself: "In today’s restless society, I, a foreigner, am lucky to meet a mentor like Chiwo who expects nothing in return, and if there’s an opportunity in the future, I must repay him well."
Upon another thought: "Since Mr. Chiwo at Inter Milan was essentially a technical analyst, Mancini supposedly requires him to personally handle every match review, his edited videos must be high-quality highlights, and I must feed them well to the system to establish myself in the Premier League, win the trust of my teammates, and achieve better stats than in Serie A."
He grasped the small 128g capacity USB stick.
The USB stick is as thin as a cicada’s wing, but when held by Tang Long, it feels as heavy as a thousand pounds!
Chiwo ultimately agreed to Mancini’s request to go as an assistant coach with him to England’s national team.
He couldn’t stay at Inter Milan.
Tang Long fetched his phone, opened social media, and clicked into Chiwo’s homepage.
The suffix after his name had changed from [Inter Milan First Team Coach] to [England National Team Assistant Coach].
The pinned image at the top is still him lifting the cup on the field when Inter Milan won the Champions League in 2010.
The second picture, upon clicking, Tang Long found Chiwo and Manci signing the scene at The English Football Association office.
In the picture, Manci, looking confident and ambitious, gives a thumbs up to the camera, obviously satisfied with the signing, with big ambitions.
Although Chiwo’s face also bears a smile, it seems somewhat unnatural and peculiar, like it’s forced.