Conceding a goal in under 15 minutes, Pellegrini hadn’t anticipated this situation.
It’s not that he was unprepared, but Manchester City hadn’t conceded a goal within the first 15 minutes throughout the entire 14-15 Premier League season!
Under Pellegrini’s coaching, Manchester City is a team with a very high level of focus.
As long as they withdraw properly, they have no fear of any Premier League opponent’s opening onslaught.
However, the slight panic that flashed in Pellegrini’s eyes quickly disappeared, and he calmed down.
"Conceding an early goal isn’t terrifying, especially since Arsenal have already retreated after their sneak attack. As long as we control the ball at their home ground and play our game, turning the game around isn’t that difficult," he thought.
Soon, Manchester City began utilizing their pre-planned tactics of possession play.
Manchester City’s possession players have a distinct characteristic: in their 4-2-3-1 formation, all four players starting upfront are short-statured.
Agüero, Sterling, Navas, and Silva are all small, nimble players just over 1.70 meters tall.
Despite their lack of height, they are agile, fast, adept at breaking through and dribbling, and possess considerable ball-handling skills.
If Arsenal’s possession play is like a butterfly flitting among flowers on the field;
Then, when the ball is at Manchester City’s feet, it’s like a pinball machine, swiftly passing back and forth at their feet.
Manchester City’s passing is more stable; though it lacks the aesthetic appeal of Arsenal’s occasional heel flicks or outside-foot touches, their utilization of space and control over advancing attacking layers are superior.
If Arsenal’s possession is like eleven artists painting a vivid canvas;
Then Manchester City’s possession is like eleven technicians assembling a precision-engineered car.
The ball, through passing, can penetrate Arsenal’s penalty area multiple times.
"I just don’t get it. Why can’t Arsenal’s possession reach Manchester City’s penalty area, but City can repeatedly penetrate Arsenal’s?" Keane mumbled.
Henry chuckled, believing the key difference lies in the teams’ strikers.
"Arsenal’s center forward is Giroud. My fellow Frenchman has some foot skills, but due to his physique, he’s mostly a stationary forward."
"On the other hand, Manchester City’s center forward is Agüero. His style is totally different from Giroud’s. Look, he just moved out of the penalty area toward the sideline and swapped positions with Sterling!"
As Henry spoke, Klichy made a straight pass down the sideline and found the outreaching Agüero.
On the bench, Tang Long couldn’t help but exclaim what a great pass! It seems Agüero, like him, sees the same defensive weakness in Arsenal, particularly on the side with right-back Bellerin.
Bellerin stayed upfield, failing to retreat, allowing Agüero to easily find a gap and dribble into the penalty area!
In a pinch, the 1.98-meter-tall German center-back Mertesacker had to step forward.
The two engaged in a 1-on-1 in the penalty area, a comedic sight given their 26-centimeter height difference.
From the broadcast view, Mertesacker seemed so tall, while the diminutive Agüero seemed minuscule, embodying a classic "cute height difference"~
But each has their strengths.
Though Agüero is short, it gives him the advantage of a low center of gravity and quick footwork.
There was no flashy dribbling, no step-overs or Marseille Spins.
Agüero shifted his center of gravity right, then deftly pushed the ball left, faking a cross from the byline.
As Mertesacker lunged for the tackle, Agüero smoothly pulled the ball back with his left foot~
With that push and pull, he sent Mertesacker sprawling to the ground, exclaiming "Ouch!" and landing flat on his back!
The Argentine striker glanced at the penalty area and struck the ball toward the far post with his right foot!
When Agüero delivered this low horizontal pass, the players on the bench, including Tang Long, all jumped up, ready to cheer for the goal!
Everyone could see clearly that Navas was unmarked far across the field.
Agüero’s pass had bypassed Cech, the goalkeeper.
Navas, though with a small shooting angle, faced an almost empty net.
Any professional player, with the right technique, could easily score with a low shot.
But for some reason, Navas didn’t take a direct shot; instead, he stopped the ball at his feet.
Everyone’s raised arms froze mid-air.
"Shoot already!" the players on the bench shouted.
Cech rushed back to cover, restoring his position quickly.
With a sizable gap still in front of Navas, a powerful shot could still yield a goal.
Yet, appearing to have a mental lapse, Navas didn’t shoot, took nearly two seconds, then opted for a back pass, sending the ball to the edge of the penalty arc.
The trailing midfielder Yaya Toure, under Flamini’s challenge, fired a shot that soared into the stands.
"Why pass to me and not shoot?" Toure threw up his hands at Navas in exasperation.
At the far end, Agüero, who thought he had made a brilliant assist, also widened his eyes in disbelief.