Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 381 Boos from Ittihad

In the second half, Guardiola made a substitution.

New signing Savic replaced Lescott, and Guardiola was clearly unhappy with Lescott's lapse in marking in the first half that led to the goal. However, a like-for-like substitution at center-back position actually had little impact on the game.

After the start of the second half, Manchester City's attack continued to struggle.

Aguero remained tightly marked on the field, and his performance could be described as lackluster.

The more important problem is that Manchester City's attack lacks a clear strategy; most of the time, they seem to be just making ineffective passes on the field.

It seems that Manchester City is trying to get the ball into Southampton's penalty area by passing it around.

However, Southampton's defense is not to be underestimated; they are very aggressive and tenacious in their pressing against Manchester City in midfield.

Southampton's three midfielders, Schneiderlin, Lallana, and Price, made tireless running and tackling, causing considerable trouble for Manchester City's midfield passing.

Southampton's two wingers in their 4-3-3 formation, Prado and Rodriguez, seemed to be on fire in this match, playing very actively and frequently attacking Manchester City's flanks, making Clichy and Zabalet look quite disheveled.

Guardiola watched from the sidelines with a headache, but he didn't have any good solutions.

"It seems we're still lacking the right person..."

This is Guardiola's truest thought at this moment. In his view, it seems a little difficult for these people to realize his tactical ideas.

However, after glancing at Shan Yongzhuo, who was sitting on the bench like a meditating monk, he remained firm in his decision.

"We must implement this tactical thinking!"

The game was actually quite boring to watch. Although Manchester City had a much higher possession rate than Southampton, they didn't create any really good chances.

On the contrary, Southampton became more and more confident as they played, and their counter-attacks became more and more threatening.

In the 65th minute, Southampton's counter-attack paid off.

Lallana broke through on the wing, then combined with Schneiderlin, the two switching positions, and finally passed the ball to Jason Punchon. Jason Punchon, leaning on Kompany in the penalty area, unleashed a sudden shot that went straight through the goal guarded by Joe Hart.

1 is better than 2!

Manchester City are behind again at home.

This goal sent the Al-Ittihad stadium into a frenzy, with disgruntled fans shouting and yelling angrily to express their emotions.

"Why not let him play solo!"

"Can even a newly promoted team bully Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium?"

"We need to see the order!"

"Damn it, hurry up and get the players on the field!"

"Aguero is a complete waste, why isn't he allowed to play solo!"

"..."

The entire Etihad Stadium was filled with discontent and clamor. Manchester City fans simply couldn't understand why Shan Yongzhuo wasn't playing, and they could only vent their anger.

Southampton, on the other hand, were very excited. The players huddled together, pressing Poonjeong on the bottom, and started playing a human pyramid.

The Sky Sports commentator sighed, "Southampton have taken the lead again. They have something to be proud of. A newly promoted team has put the defending champions in this situation away from home. Perhaps they didn't even expect it before the game."

"What I don't understand is, is this Manchester City team really the same Manchester City that won five titles last season?"

"Their attack was so boring to watch. They kept passing the ball around in midfield and seemed to dominate the game, but they didn't have many truly threatening shots." "Perhaps Guardiola has his own ideas, and he wants to prove that his tactical approach works at Manchester City."

"But I still have to say, with a goal-scoring machine like Shan Yongzhuo, why not field him?"

"Having a player worth 200 million euros sitting on the bench is a huge waste..."

Sky Sports commentators directly targeted Guardiola.

However, Guardiola, though feeling somewhat troubled, did not make any substitutions, but instead gave instructions to the players on the field on what to do.

Seeing this scene, Shan Yongzhuo was genuinely angry, but he didn't know what to do. He could only sit there, chin in hand, helplessly watching the situation unfold.

After the match restarted, Manchester City launched an attack towards Southampton's half.

They sped up the pace of the game, and their attacks became more concise.

In terms of player strength, Manchester City still holds the advantage. They quickly suppressed Southampton, pinning the Saints in their own half, making it very difficult for them to launch counter-attacks.

However, breaking through Southampton's defense is not an easy task.

Southampton's players' united defense meant that a draw would be satisfactory for them, especially since there is still hope of winning the game.

Encouraged by this, Southampton's players defended with all their might, making it even more difficult for Manchester City to play.

Manchester City finally broke through in the 79th minute of the match, capitalizing on a chance that wasn't really an opportunity.

This time, Nasri broke through on the wing and crossed the ball. After the ball was cleared to the outside by a Southampton player, Silva's shot hit the post, but Aguero followed up with a shot that finally broke through Southampton's goal.

2:2.

Manchester City finally managed to equalize the score.

However, with just over 10 minutes left in the game, a 2-2 scoreline was clearly unacceptable for Manchester City.

In the following minutes, Manchester City players launched a relentless attack on Southampton. Although Southampton were tied, they still wanted to hold onto a draw.

Adkins also made frequent substitutions, replacing offensive players with defensive players to solidify the defense.

Guardiola also made substitutions, but stubbornly refused to bring on Shan Yongzhuo, instead replacing Rodwell with Balotelli.

However, Balotelli's appearance did not bring any changes to the team's attack.

For the next ten minutes, Manchester City launched repeated attacks, but ultimately failed to break through Southampton's defense.

2:2.

This score remained until the very end.

With stoppage time over, the referee blew the final whistle to end the match.

Southampton's players celebrated wildly; for them, drawing with the defending champions was like winning.

The Manchester City players looked dejected, their heads drooping, clearly not in a good mood.

The Al-Ittihad fans weren't exactly friendly to them either.

Many fans remained at the stadium and booed, a sight not seen for the first time in two years.

(End of this chapter)