Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 396 The Atmosphere Before the Great Battle
Stoke City have been languishing in the mid-table of the Premier League for the past few seasons, and they have a good understanding of their own abilities.

Therefore, they were prepared to lose this match against Manchester City.

However, conceding two goals in 25 minutes is still a bit disheartening.

However, Manchester City's goal-scoring spree continued.

In the 33rd minute, Manchester City launched an attack, with Nasri crossing from the wing and Aguero tapping in the ball in front of the goal.

"3-0! Manchester City are leading by three goals away from home, and the game may already be over!"

Stoke City is feeling rather down.

Being down by 3 goals before halftime is really hard to accept.

However, no player felt resentful.

Even Cameron, who was full of fighting spirit before the game, had completely lost his will to fight at this moment.

How to stop Shan Yongzhuo?
"Do not make jokes!"

"No one can stop him."

"Even the world's strongest center-back can't stop me, let alone me?"

The halftime break was perfect; Cameron perfectly showcased the American optimism, having completely forgotten his pre-game boasts.

Stoke City manager Philipp also gave up the fight, replacing the ineffective Crouch with a defensive player.

Anyway, we're going to lose the game, as long as we don't lose too badly.

That's very useful.

With their lone striker Crouch off the pitch and a defender brought on instead, Stoke City's backline was overcrowded.

It won't be so easy for Manchester City to score again.

In the second half, the two teams remained deadlocked for a long time, and Shan Yongzhuo even wasted two skills in a row without scoring a goal.

Stoke City's all-out defense made it very difficult for Manchester City to score.

The game became even more soporific, with Manchester City simply passing the ball around in their own midfield and defense.

Stoke City, on the other hand, seemed to lack fighting spirit, focusing only on solid defense and occasionally attempting to attack when the opportunity arose. However, once they were caught out, the entire team immediately retreated to defend.

This situation made the whole game seem rather unwatchable.

The stalemate lasted for twenty-five minutes.

In the 70th minute of the second half, Manchester City still failed to score, while Stoke City surprisingly scored a goal.

They won a corner on the right during a quick counter-attack. After the teammate took the corner, Lescott's header clearance in the penalty area went awry, and Stoke City attacking midfielder Ketterley scored in the ensuing chaos.

1:3.

The Stoke City players were visibly excited after scoring, and the Stoke City fans in the stands were clearly satisfied with their team's goal, showering them with applause and cheers.

Stoke City pulled one back, and Philipp nodded in satisfaction on the sidelines.

Even if they lose, the score isn't too bad.

However, Philipp's joy was short-lived, as Manchester City regained possession of the penalty area.

The goal was scored by Shan Yongzhuo once again.

In the 80th minute of the match, Manchester City were awarded a free kick opportunity approximately 25 meters to the left of the penalty area.

Shan Yongzhuo took the penalty and put the ball directly into Stoke City's goal.

1:4.

Manchester City took the lead again, and the game was no longer in doubt. Aguero seemed very excited. He rushed over and hugged Shan Yongzhuo, laughing, "This is the kind of game we should be playing! You'll definitely be the center of attention tomorrow."

In fact, Aguero has not had a good time lately, especially after the defeat in the European Super Cup. Many media outlets have placed the blame on him, criticizing him for being unable to shoulder the responsibility of the team without Shan Yongzhuo.

Aguero has not proven that he can carry the team on his own. He hopes that Shan Yongzhuo can come back and continue to assist Shan Yongzhuo, so that they can dominate the field and win various championships.

Aguero's focus was naturally on media reports.

Everyone knows that Shan Yongzhuo and Guardiola don't get along, and this match was Shan Yongzhuo's first match back, in which he scored a hat-trick to slap Guardiola in the face. It will definitely be widely reported by the nosy English media.

Shan Yongzhuo didn't seem to care. He didn't even give an interview. He just went back to the locker room with the others, took a shower, and prepared to leave.

……

The next day, the media was indeed filled with news reports about the fourth round of the Premier League.

Manchester City's away victory against Stoke City isn't particularly noteworthy; the only noteworthy aspect is Shan Yongzhuo's outstanding performance since his return.

Manchester City seems to have encountered various setbacks since the start of this season.

Many media outlets were initially optimistic about Guardiola's arrival, believing that Mancini was merely a champion coach who had relied on others and was far inferior to Guardiola in ability.

With Guardiola and Shan Yongzhuo joining forces, Manchester City will surely continue their strong performance from the past two seasons and continue to dominate the Premier League.

However, since the beginning of this season, there have been constant reports of conflict between Shan Yongzhuo and Guardiola.

More importantly, Manchester City's start to the season has been extremely unfavorable.

Manchester City suffered a major blow when Shan Yongzhuo returned to participate in national team matches.

All the matches they won were those where Shan Yongzhuo was on the court.

Therefore, many people have begun to pay attention to Shan Yongzhuo's performance after his return, wanting to see what changes Manchester City will undergo after his return.

Looking back now, the changes have been tremendous.

However, this is the opinion of the general media and fans. In the eyes of truly professional people, there is actually not much change.

Manchester City have continued to adhere to Guardiola's style of play, and their control of the game has improved, with their midfield control of the tempo also being better than last season.

However, their overall pace is much slower than last season.

The team's goals still depend on Shan Yongzhuo, and that remains unchanged.

The only change was in the overall rhythm of the other Manchester City players.

However, the media continues to report on it with great enthusiasm.

"Shan Yongzhuo makes a strong comeback!"

"A hat trick! The King of Etihad declares he's still in top form!"

"Shan Yongzhuo's return has given Manchester City a fresh new look!"

"..."

Such reports are everywhere, but in the eyes of most people, Shan Yongzhuo's hat trick is quite common, as he has far too many hat tricks to list.

In the following week of training, Shan Yongzhuo continued to do things his own way, while Guardiola simply ignored him.

The two seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding: you don't care about me, and I don't care about you.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the Manchester City team was somewhat somber, like the atmosphere before a major battle, or the gloomy sky before a storm.

Because the Champions League is about to start.

Manchester City's first match will be an away game against Real Madrid.

(End of this chapter)