However, from some details, it can be seen that there are still passing biases among the players, and there are fixed candidates for pairing coordination.
For example, in the 71st minute of the second half, myself and Silva swapped positions again, with Silva moving to the middle.
Left-back Clichy moved up, reaching out for the ball;
Right-wing Navas did the same, shouting "Give me!"
But in the end, the ball was passed to the right to Navas!
Navas then accelerated to break through to the baseline and forced a cross, Agüero, under Walker’s interference, didn’t hit the ball properly, his header slightly off, looking quite anxious.
Silva’s choice actually wasn’t bad, as it resulted in a wing attack.
But passing to the left to Clichy seemed to be a more reasonable option.
Tang Long thought: "Clichy’s positioning is actually better, because the defenders on his side aren’t closely marking, and I’m also on this side. If the ball was passed to Clichy, who moved up the left, whether he decided to go down the baseline himself or coordinate with me to attack the box side, both would be good choices. Compared to Navas on the right who is forced to cross under close marking, the choices on the left side are actually broader."
Tang Long actually observed that Silva made a quick head movement to the left and right 0.5 seconds before passing.
Obviously, this indicates he saw teammates on both sides.
With Silva’s level, what Tang Long could think of, Silva definitely didn’t miss considering.
But why did he do it?
Just 5 minutes later, Tang Long noticed the same issue again.
Left-wing Clichy got the ball and made a one-two coordination with Tang Long retreating three steps, with Clichy continuing to charge down the wing, and Tang Long also moving forward.
As Clichy reached midway, the space ahead was too crowded, he pulled the ball back and glanced at Tang Long, but at this time Tang Long was already closely marked by Gualin, with no good chance to receive the ball.
Defensive midfielder Fernando approached actively, reaching out for the ball from Clichy.
Clichy swiftly surveyed the situation.
However, upon seeing right-back Sagna moderately retracting to the middle, Clichy didn’t pass to Fernando in the defensive midfield position but opted for a challenging lob pass, directing to Sagna slightly on the right.
That pass seemed quite risky!
In this wing position, a cross-field low pass is highly likely to be intercepted by the opponent and lead to a counterattack.
Tang Long furrowed his brow, thinking thankfully the pass was accurate enough; otherwise, it could have led to a grave mistake!
Clearly passing to Fernando would have been better, so why pass to Sagna?
Ultimately, after receiving the ball, Sagna also didn’t have a good chance to move forward, returning the ball to Fernando.
But after such two moves, the fluidity of the offensive play was hindered.
As the game progressed, the match grew increasingly intense.
Manchester City maintained their possession for a long time, frequently commuting passes to stir Tottenham players’ to-and-fro running, seeking any gaps emerging during their repositioning.
However, it’s the first match of the new season and a home game, so Tottenham players were highly motivated in their running.
Especially new signing Gualin, who consistently stuck to Tang Long, preventing him from getting good ball reception opportunities.
Additionally, substitute Ali, free of any fitness issues, ran erratically like a mad dog, compensating to some extent for the occasional gaps in Tottenham’s formation as they constantly moved sideways.
Instantly, the match reached the 80th minute.
Manchester City players started to get a bit impatient!
Not touching the ball in the penalty area, he started to retreat.
Despite Pellegrini shouting at Agüero, urging him to stay forward and push out, as players have the instinctive psyche when staying in the same position without receiving the ball, they begin to reposition for a feeling of ball reception.
Otherwise, staying without the ball for long cools the feet, and when the ball finally arrives, mistakes are likely to occur.
Especially in the final 10 minutes of the match, as stamina reaches a bottleneck, technical mistakes occur easily.
"The connection between Agüero and Tang appeared only once, and after that never again, Manchester City has struggled to bring the ball into the penalty area, while Tottenham, exhausted from defense, seemed to have given up attacking in favor of securing a point, making this Premier League opener likely to end with a 2:2 scoreline," Mancini thought in the stands.
Yet Tang Long wasn’t content with his Premier League debut ending merely in a draw!
Especially considering the scene and the comparison of players’ worth and strength, Manchester City, was superior.
Even at the Tottenham’s home ground, Blue Moon should claim the three points!
Manchester City is set on winning the League Champion this season.
A successful start would greatly boost the players’ psychological state, a fact Tang Long, as a professional player, firmly believed.
"Hey, look at me here!"
In the 82nd minute of the match, facing Gualin’s close defense, Tang Long suddenly accelerated towards the left flank.
This change in acceleration rhythm was incredibly fast, as Gualin momentarily froze, seeing Tang Long already four to five meters away.
His teammates heard Tang Long’s call, making a short pass that bypassed Tottenham forward Kane who was pressuring.