Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 196 Mancini's Troubles
When Shan Yongzhuo returned to his home in Manchester, he immediately entered jet lag mode. He didn't know how long he slept until the sun was high in the sky again, at which point he dragged his tired body out of bed.

"what time is it?"

After a quick wash, seeing Marilena busy at home, Shan Yongzhuo asked weakly.

"It's eleven o'clock, you're still going to the club."

"I'm so tired..."

"I can't help it," Shan Yongzhuo said with a hint of helplessness.

The memory of winning the championship was still vivid in his mind, but after participating in a series of competitions, his tense emotions relaxed, and the long flight left him exhausted.

He returned to the club discreetly. He needed to undergo a medical examination, so he went directly to the medical room.

Mancini and his teammates are very happy about Shan Yongzhuo's return, especially since Manchester City's performance is currently poor, and they have fallen to second place in the league.

The following day, Manchester City faced Birmingham City away from home in the 25th round of the league.

Shan Yongzhuo watched the match at home. The final result was 2-2, with Birmingham drawing with Manchester City at home, casting a shadow over Manchester City's fortunes.

"Looks like he can't do without me. Mario is still too green." Shan Yongzhuo thought to himself, while also feeling the pressure on his shoulders.

The competition in the Premier League is indeed much fiercer than in Serie A. In Serie A, the main rival was Inter Milan. Roma and Inter Milan quickly pulled ahead of the teams behind them in points, and even Juventus and AC Milan could not catch up.

However, after a series of winless matches in the Premier League, coupled with this draw, Manchester City immediately dropped to third place, 3 points behind first-placed Manchester United and 1 point behind Arsenal. Chelsea, who are behind them, are also only 3 points behind Manchester City.

Fortunately, Tottenham, in fifth place, had a significant lead, and Liverpool's poor form allowed them to maintain their position in the top four of the league.

Manchester City is under a lot of pressure.

This was evident in training; Mancini was constantly frowning, while only troubled teenagers like Balotelli didn't seem to care.

Shan Yongzhuo didn't care too much about these things. In his opinion, winning the championship was something that could be left to fate, and he didn't force it. The most important thing was that he could score goals.

If you work hard to score goals but the team still can't win the championship, then it's not your fault.

Shan Yongzhuo has a lot to do in training. He has participated in the Asian Cup for several consecutive matches, and the high intensity of the games has caused his physical condition to decline. He must do serious recovery training.

However, Shan Yongzhuo's return has made a difference for Manchester City. Within the team, Mancini immediately noticed that the players were much more relaxed during training, as if everyone had found their backbone.

Especially key players like Balotelli, Silva, Kompany, Boateng, and Milner, seemed to have found a pillar of confidence.

During free time in training, all of them would surround Shan Yongzhuo. They would practice tactics with Shan Yongzhuo, and chat with him during their free time. The sound of a group of people laughing could often be heard on the training field, which changed the atmosphere of the whole team.

If the atmosphere in Manchester City's training was increasingly oppressive throughout January, and the team seemed disorganized and lacking in cohesion due to their declining performance, then...

With Shan Yongzhuo's return, Manchester City seems to have become a team that has been working together for many years, and the players seem to have become old friends.

This is what Mancini would like to see, but...

"Is this what it means for superstars to come together?"

Mancini had to admit that although Shan Yongzhuo had only been with Manchester City for less than a season, his influence on the team was already greater than that of him, the manager who had been there for several years. This was somewhat tragic.

As the head coach of a team, my biggest worry is that my authority will be affected.

In the current situation within the team, Shan Yongzhuo has more influence than him and is more able to affect the players' mental state, which somewhat challenges his authority as head coach.

Moreover, he was somewhat dissatisfied with Shan Yongzhuo's training attitude.

If I had to describe him in one word, it would be "free-spirited and undisciplined." During training, he basically did his own thing, and he simply didn't do any training that he considered irrelevant.

Mancini was well aware of Shan Yongzhuo's laziness; in fact, Shan had set a record for the lowest running distance in history at just over 1700 meters during an intercontinental cup competition in Asia.

This is not a good record; it could even be considered a disgrace to a professional player. As a professional football player, the distance he covers in a single match is less than that of a table tennis or badminton player.

Even Mancini felt a little embarrassed that such a player was his trusted confidant.

But now this guy seems to be getting lazier and lazier, and his attitude during training is very perfunctory.

However, if it were any other player, Mancini would definitely make an example of them to establish his authority.

But... Shan Yongzhuo.

Mancini considered it for a moment and decided not to say anything to him.

Shan Yongzhuo is not only a darling of Manchester City fans, but even the Manchester City management believes that Shan Yongzhuo is more important than Mancini.

"Forget it, this guy is a genius. Geniuses are always a bit eccentric. Let's just ignore him."

"As long as he can score goals and lead the team to victory, that's enough."

Mancini had to compromise, and he had to admit that with Tevez gone and Balotelli unable to carry the team, he had to rely on Shan Yongzhuo.

After all, last summer, Manchester City spent over 2 million euros on the market, and the biggest characteristic of wealthy people is their eagerness for quick success and instant benefits.

Although oil tycoons don't care about money, spending money without results is something they don't want to see.

Therefore, even though he was somewhat dissatisfied with Shan Yongzhuo's lazy attitude, Mancini did not educate him. Instead, he vented his frustration on Balotelli, who imitated Shan Yongzhuo and was even lazier than him.

So, three days later in the 26th round of the league, Shan Yongzhuo started the game, Balotelli was benched, and Jo became the other starting striker.

In this round of matches, Manchester City will host West Bromwich Albion.

In their first encounter this season, Manchester City did not have an easy time defeating West Bromwich Albion, but now West Bromwich Albion is in a very bad situation.

After 25 rounds, West Bromwich Albion has 24 points, ranking fourth from the bottom in the league. They are only ahead of West Ham United on goal difference, and the pressure to avoid relegation is enormous.

West Bromwich Albion's pre-match preparations are also a mess. They are currently without a head coach, and the new head coach, Hodgson, will not take over the team until mid-February. It is difficult for the interim head coach to make any significant contributions.

Although their away game at the Etihad Stadium has garnered considerable attention, few people are optimistic about their chances.

(End of this chapter)