The performance of Manchester City in the entire first half made Pellegrini very disappointed.
On the surface, Joe Hart’s poor form, being a backdrop three times, was the direct cause of the three goals conceded.
However, as the head coach, Pellegrini knew exactly what was going on!
Joe Hart indeed played terribly, so he was substituted;
But the real reason for being three goals behind was the team’s loss of control in midfield; no one could hold onto the ball, control the ball, or control the rhythm of the entire game.
Neither Toure, Fernandinho, nor Silva could replace Tang Long’s role in the midfield!
Pellegrini overestimated Manchester City’s strength and underestimated Juventus’s strength.
Juventus without Pirlo can still play spectacular football;
But once Manchester City is without Tang Long, facing a strong team like Juventus, they can only be a lamb to the slaughter! The most update n0vels are published on novel{f}ire.net
As for why Toure was substituted instead of Fernandinho, it’s because Pellegrini believed that under Juventus’s high-intensity pressure, Toure’s fitness would be problematic in the second half.
After Tang Long came on, using him as the core distributor, the younger, more dynamic Fernandinho with a stronger defensive coverage could play the role of a Gattuso-like supporter and enforcer, providing more help to Tang Long.
Toure is still a gentleman.
He didn’t try to defend his performance in front of a crowd like Joe Hart did.
After all, it’s very difficult for players to overturn the coach’s decisions.
He could only stand up, force a smile, and pat Tang Long on the shoulder, pretending to be sunny and gracious:
"Young man, good luck, the comeback against Juventus is up to you!"
Ranocchia looked at Toure coldly, hearing the malice in his words.
This was intentionally putting the responsibility of turning around against Juventus solely on Tang Long.
Even Ranocchia, who had complete faith in Tang Long’s abilities, wasn’t very optimistic that Manchester City, three goals behind, could pull off a comeback at Juventus’s home ground!
Can Juventus, the best defensive team in Serie A, really be scored on four times?
Do you think this is Istanbul?
Tang Long, who had been silent amidst the noise, slowly stood up at this moment.
"Brothers, I’ve faced Juventus three times when I was at Inter. I know how to deal with them, let’s just do it!"
What Tang Long said was actually true. In the current Manchester City team, only he and Ranocchia have faced Juventus three times.
Both of them, former Inter players, understand Juventus the best.
Seeing Tang Long’s calm and confident demeanor, a few members of the French Language Gang couldn’t help but snort coldly.
Don’t put on airs, kid; we’re eager to see what changes you can bring to the situation after coming on. Are we really going to reverse against Juventus?
Luckily, Captain Kompany played the role of a leader, quickly shifting everyone’s attention back to the game.
"Respect the coach’s substitution adjustments. As players, our only goal is to play to our strengths. As a Premier League team, we absolutely cannot let those from Serie A look down on us!"
In the Sky Sports studio, Dilata was preparing to commentate the second half of the match.
"Okay viewers, welcome back to the continuation of the 2015 - 2016 UEFA Champions League group stage, Round 2 of Group B, where Manchester City is playing against Juventus away from home. I’m sure many viewers were surprised by the score after watching the first half."
"Juventus has made no personnel changes in the second half."
"For Manchester City, Joe Hart has been substituted with Caballero coming on."
Materazzi mumbled, "Hart should have been taken off long ago, look at how he played on the field."
Trezeget laughed, "If I were Hart, I’d wish I could find a hole to hide in. Where would I have the face to play again!"
Dilata’s eyes spotted a figure running out from the player tunnel.
A tall figure, black hair, black eyes, and a pair of determined eyes, Dilata was all too familiar with!
She covered her mouth in surprise and said shakily, "Oh that, my boy..."
"Tang, Tang! He’s on the field!" Realizing she misspoke, Dilata immediately corrected her slip.
Trezeget was taken aback, "Ah? He really dared to come on, I thought he was at least banned for a game."
Materazzi slapped his thigh hard, "Haha, Trezeget, you guys have a saying, don’t you? France can’t do without Voltaire, Manchester City can’t do without Tang!"
"Go, go, go, what kind of comparison is that? Nonsense." Trezeget dismissed it disdainfully.
Dilata’s eyebrows, which had been furrowed since the start, finally relaxed, revealing a sweet smile.
"Good luck, my boy!" she whispered to herself.
As soon as Tang Long ran out onto the field from the player tunnel, the Juventus fans in the stands erupted!
They even created a bigger uproar than the away Manchester City fans because the things they had prepared were finally going to be used, things they thought wouldn’t be needed.
"Hey, Tang! Look here, look here!"
"Chinese, look this way!"
"Can you introduce us to Dilata?"
"Are your legs going to go soft when you play today?"
Thousands of Juventus fans held up Dilata’s posters in unison, waving and whistling in Tang Long’s direction.
They tried to distract Tang Long on the field this way!
But Tang Long had no time to pay attention to them; he quickly communicated with his fellow midfielder, Fernandinho.