Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 134 Hat Trick
With little time left in the first half, the two teams battled for possession several times before the break began, and the players returned to their locker rooms.

The Manchester City players all had smiles on their faces and were talking enthusiastically about the goal.

Shan Yongzhuo became the protagonist.

However, he hasn't been with Manchester City for very long, and only a few teammates came over to say hello. The others kept a certain distance, but they still couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"Stan, you're amazing! Two goals in the first half!" Boateng leaned over and said enviously, "Two goals in the first half, you'll definitely be the best player of the round."

“Of course, this is Shan Yongzhuo.” Balotelli also smiled and came over, putting his arm around Shan Yongzhuo’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “If I were on the field with Shan, we would definitely be leading by four goals right now.”

Balotelli boasted arrogantly, but Boateng and Shan Yongzhuo simply laughed it off.

On the other hand, Tevez was very upset after hearing this.

"Damn it, that kid!"

Tevez was angry at Balotelli's words, but there was nothing he could do.

Yes, he also got a lot of opportunities in the first half, and he was very active in tackling and running, making him the most active Manchester City player on the field.

But what's the point?
Shan Yongzhuo played almost like he was taking a stroll on the field, yet he scored two goals, while I, despite being so active, didn't score a single one.

"No, I must work even harder. I absolutely cannot let this black devil ride roughshod over me!"

Tevez was somewhat impressed with Shan Yongzhuo, the European Golden Boot winner whose footwork was truly astonishing, but he didn't take Balotelli seriously.

Mancini walked in.

He was very relaxed and felt confident of winning the match.

The opponent played very well, but their two forwards were too inefficient. On the contrary, Shan Yongzhuo easily scored two goals.

This efficiency is incomparable!

"Shan Yongzhuo and his lack of cooperation? That's not important!"

"He just can score goals!"

Mancini was pleased with himself, but he also realized the problems in the first half.

Manchester City were completely dominated in the first half, mainly due to a lack of cohesion, and the main problem with that cohesion was the coordination between the two midfielders and the wingers.

Mancini easily found the key point.

Barry and Wright Phillips!

Both players have ability, but neither is the type of player who can effectively link up the team. When they play alongside De Jong and Yaya Toure, two workhorse midfielders, the team's control and attacking creativity are greatly diminished.

Therefore, Mancini made adjustments.

The second half.

Manchester City made a substitution early on, with Barry being replaced by David Silva, their summer signing.

Silva is one of Valencia's twin stars and a key player in Spain's World Cup victory. His partnership with Villa has demonstrated formidable attacking firepower in La Liga. The signing of Silva in the summer was considered Manchester City's second most important transfer after Shan Yongzhuo.

Compared to Barry, Silva is at a disadvantage in physical duels, but his ability to cut inside and connect plays is something Barry lacks.

Sending Silva in now is quite suitable. The ideal is beautiful, but reality is harsh.

After the start of the second half, Silva's dribbling and breakthroughs did create some opportunities for Manchester City, but he was clearly not used to the Premier League. As the opponents intensified their pressing and physical play, Silva's effectiveness decreased.

However, Manchester City's overall attack was better than when Barry was on the field, and they were able to create some short-range combinations in the midfield and attack.

But none of this mattered to Shan Yongzhuo.

He continued to run his own thing on the field, without any coordination with his teammates, and he was also closely marked by the opponents.

Manchester City has gradually gotten used to Shan Yongzhuo's inconsistency, and the other players just focus on playing their own game. However, with only Tevez up front, the problem is still significant.

Tevez has a good impact and excellent footwork, but he has a big problem: he is only 1.7 meters tall and has no aerial advantage whatsoever.

This also meant that Manchester City could only create opportunities in the penalty area most of the time through ground passing.

Manchester City's attack is in trouble, and Tottenham's is facing similar problems.

Tottenham's two flanks have a significant advantage, especially Bale's side, where frequent breakthroughs have created many threats.

However, Tottenham's problems are also very obvious. Crouch has a height of two meters, but his stick-like body makes him unable to gain any advantage in the penalty area against Kompany. On the contrary, Defoe is able to create threats by frequently poaching points with his agile running.

However, Defoe's finishing ability was also a bit lacking. Twenty minutes into the second half, he had two close-range shots, but both went wide of the goal.

Shan Yongzhuo's transparency caused Tottenham to relax their marking of him slightly. Shan Yongzhuo noticed this and, starting from the 70th minute, he began to drop back more and more frequently.

For Shan Yongzhuo, it's difficult to get the ball inside the penalty area, but if he drops back and makes a little movement, he still has some chance to get the ball.

Although he wasn't familiar with his teammates yet, he had scored two goals and was the team's highest-paid player, making him a star player who had been parachuted in. His teammates were still willing to cooperate with him.

This time, Ledley King's marking was a little slower, and Shan Yongzhuo retreated to the left side of the penalty area.

In the 83rd minute, Manchester City were advancing head-on when Shan Yongzhuo, who was running a little slower, moved to a position almost parallel to Silva and received a pass from him.

Silva immediately moved forward after passing the ball, thinking that Shan Yongzhuo would pass it back to him, or to Tevez in the penalty area or Yaya Toure who was making a run forward.

Dan Yongzhuo, however, unleashed a whirlwind ground kick, charging forward with the ball.

Ledley King immediately came over to make an offer, but Shan Yongzhuo simply walked past him, quickly getting rid of him. Then, instead of moving forward, he made a slight adjustment at the edge of the penalty area before swinging his right foot.

Shan Yongzhuo's dribbling and shooting were executed in one smooth motion, leaving the other Tottenham defenders no time to react, and the ball flew straight towards the top right corner of the goal.

Gomez failed to reach the ball.

"0 to 3!"

The commentator exclaimed, "It's Shan Yongzhuo again! A powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area—his third goal, a hat-trick!"

"0 to 3!"

"Manchester City are leading by 3 goals, and Tottenham have absolutely no chance."

"This goal shows just how good Shan Yongzhuo is. Even though he was almost invisible throughout the game, he managed to score from his few chances..."

"Tottenham were completely careless. They seem to have been misled by Shan Yongzhuo's performance. In fact, Shan Yongzhuo was last season's European Golden Boot winner and the top scorer in both Serie A and the Europa League. Even though he just joined Manchester City, he would still be the most threatening player."

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(End of this chapter)