Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 144 Chelsea's Attack

Just ten minutes into the second half, Mancini substituted three key players.

The Premier League schedule is different from many other leagues. There is no winter break in the Premier League, and the schedule is very dense. After playing against Red Bull, Manchester City has to play a league match and a League Cup match within 5 days, which is a lot of pressure.

Moreover, for Manchester City, gaining points in the league is still very important.

The game is basically won; a 2-0 score is quite secure, and there's no need to further deplete the key players.

Shan Yongzhuo was naturally among those substituted, but he didn't care, since he had already scored a goal.

Manchester City players began to control the pace of the game, while Red Bull, unwilling to accept defeat at home, launched a full-scale attack in the following minutes. They broke through Manchester City's goal in the 88th minute, making the score 1-2.

However, this was the last goal.

This match was the first round of this year's Europa League and did not attract much attention.

In Group A, Manchester City and Juventus are clearly stronger than the other two teams, and from the outside perspective, it is not surprising that the two teams will win.

However, Manchester City defeated Red Bull as expected, while Juventus in the same group suffered a setback, being held to a 3-3 draw at home by Polish side Poznanhet, and even trailing 1-2 in the first half.

This match was a complete surprise.

However, this is actually a good thing for Manchester City, because with Juventus' draw, Manchester City will be in sole possession of the top spot in Group A, and will be able to focus more on the league.

Upon returning to England, the team did not get any rest.

However, the team was quite relaxed during the recovery training. After all, the team was doing well, so everyone felt no pressure or burden.

On September 19, the fifth round of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic kicked off at Wigan's home ground, DW Stadium.

Wigan Athletic narrowly avoided relegation last season, and their performance in the first four rounds of this season has been mediocre, managing only 4 points. Manchester City will naturally be aiming for a win against such an opponent.

Shan Yongzhuo played for 45 minutes and scored two goals, while the other goal went to Tevez. The two goals helped Manchester City defeat Wigan Athletic 0-3 away from home, continuing their pursuit of Chelsea in the league.

Four days later, there was a League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion.

In this match, Mancini brought a completely reserve lineup, with players like Shan Yongzhuo, Tevez, and the Toure brothers not even making the squad.

This was a match that was essentially forfeited. There was nothing they could do; the sixth round of the league was just two days away, and their opponent was league leaders Chelsea. It was a battle for the top spot in the league, and they couldn't afford to lose.

As for the League Cup, which is considered rather meaningless, Mancini doesn't think the outcome is that important.

West Bromwich Albion, their opponents, were quite pleased. Although they are also a Premier League team, they lacked ambition when facing Manchester City.

However, if they face a Manchester City team with a completely reserve squad, then there's not much to say. For them, going one more round in the League Cup would be a good thing.

Ultimately, West Bromwich Albion rallied at home to defeat a Manchester City side fielding a completely reserve squad 2-1 and advance to the next round.

Manchester City's defeat in this match was somewhat powerless. Although Balotelli scored a goal, they were dominated throughout the game.

Mancini was completely unconcerned; his focus was already on the match the day after tomorrow, a crucial game against Chelsea at home. As one of the Premier League's top four, Chelsea has been arguably the strongest team in recent years, and defeating them will not be easy.

Although Chelsea experienced a period of turmoil after Mourinho's dismissal, they regained the league title last season under Ancelotti's leadership.

This season, they have continued to perform strongly, winning five consecutive league matches in the first five rounds and also getting off to a winning start in the Champions League, where they have won by large margins in succession, making their performance extremely impressive.

During the summer, Chelsea didn't make many moves in the transfer market, letting go of veterans like Ballack, Joe Cole, and Carvalho, and bringing in players like Ramirez and Benayoun, which was quite low-key.

Although they had also joined the race to sign Shan Yongzhuo, they were mostly just there for show. Everyone knew that their real target was Liverpool's star striker, Torres.

However, seeing Shan Yongzhuo's phenomenal performance in the Premier League, Ancelotti is now somewhat regretful.

Since arriving in the Premier League, Shan Yongzhuo has been unstoppable, scoring 10 goals in five matches – an incredibly impressive record.

Chelsea supporters naturally ignored all of this and began to build momentum before the match, with various media analyses and reports suggesting that Manchester City could not defeat Chelsea.

As the first generation of wealthy clubs, Chelsea naturally looks down on Manchester City, the second generation of wealthy clubs that has tried to replicate their success but has yet to produce any results.

Does Shan Yongzhuo score more goals?

However, he was just one person; the rest of Manchester City performed poorly, and they didn't have any particularly convincing performances. Their star striker, Tevez, only scored two goals in the league.

Chelsea, on the other hand, were united and scored 21 goals in five games, with more than four goals in a single game. Moreover, each player made an impact, and they performed like a mature and powerful team.

"Shan Yongzhuo is very strong, but he is only one person!"

"Manchester City has no cohesion at all. They brought in a bunch of star players, but they don't play like a team."

"Chelsea's success is due to the team, not just individual stars."

"Chelsea have a steel-like defense."

"..."

Manchester City's media, of course, were not to be outdone, and they countered with various statistics, claiming that Chelsea only had a schedule advantage.

After all, Chelsea's opponents in the first five rounds were all weak teams, with the strongest being only West Ham United and Blackpool. This five-game winning streak looks impressive, but it's not actually that convincing.

Manchester City's opponents are different. In the first five rounds, Manchester City defeated strong teams such as Tottenham and Liverpool in succession, which makes their performance more convincing.

Of course, this is just the opinion of Manchester City's supporters and fans. After all, Manchester City has left an impression of being foolish and rich in recent years.

As for their actual strength, they have never really produced any results, and they haven't even managed to get into the top four.

Most people would expect this match to be a fierce battle, but Chelsea would likely emerge victorious.

(End of this chapter)