Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 486 Are all my studies useless?
Rose Garden Stadium.

The atmosphere was extremely strange.

Both Malaga and Manchester City were stunned speechless by Shan Yongzhuo's sudden appearance in the World Cup.

On the sidelines, Pellegrini frowned deeply.

His opinion was the same as Demichelis': in this position and at this distance, Shan Yongzhuo would never have shot directly.

Based on Shan Yongzhuo's habits, he would definitely dribble past his opponent.

Or he could break through and cut inside to the middle, then shoot near the penalty area line – that's his specialty.

Or he could break down the wing, then enter the penalty area from the wing, then chip the ball and head it.

Many people are unaware of this second option, but Pellegrini, through video analysis, discovered that Shan Yongzhuo is indeed very good at this type of goal.

Although he doesn't use this method most of the time, it's still one of his options for taking a sneak attack.

Therefore, Demichelis's choice just now was actually not a problem. He was preparing for Shan Yongzhuo to cut inside to the middle lane, directly preventing Shan Yongzhuo's breakthrough route and possibility.

But no one expected it.

Shan Yongzhuo actually took a shot directly?

Therefore, Pellegrini is indeed somewhat panicked now.

It wasn't because of that one goal conceded, but because Shan Yongzhuo had once again baffled him.

"So, all my research was useless...?"

This is what Pellegrini is most worried about right now. If he finds that Shan Yongzhuo has changed his usual habits and continues to perform unexpectedly like this, then his defensive arrangements may be completely useless.

In fact, this is one of Pellegrini's biggest flaws.

As a head coach, Pellegrini's professional ability is undoubtedly top-notch. His ability to lead teams like Villarreal and Malaga to the Champions League semi-finals and quarter-finals is enough to demonstrate his professional competence.

However, for a top head coach, professional skills are not the only requirement. Tact, control, and decisiveness are often more important.

Pellegrini is gentle and easy-going, and you could even say he has almost no temper. He is nothing like Mourinho, who has a strong personality and temper, or Guardiola, who is decisive and skillful.

This isn't a problem at smaller clubs, but at top clubs, he can't control the locker room.

This is the key reason why he left Real Madrid after only one season.

Moreover, Pellegrini is somewhat hesitant and indecisive; although stable, he lacks decisiveness.

So, Pellegrini was momentarily flustered and confused, wondering whether to adjust his mindset, and even began to doubt himself.

The Spanish commentator, however, was filled with bitterness. Looking at the composed Shan Yongzhuo on camera, he said with a wry smile, "Perhaps this goal is just ordinary for him."

"That's right. What other players can brag about for a lifetime is just an ordinary goal for him."

"That's the power of the world's number one soccer player!"

The game starts again.

Malaga's players have also regrouped.

One goal conceded is nothing; the game has only been going on for eight minutes, and they still have plenty of time.

Next, Demichelis continued to follow Shan Yongzhuo closely, observing him carefully. He then discovered that Shan Yongzhuo was indeed behaving the same as usual, almost standing still.

This is the rhythm he excels at.

This reassured Demichelis a little. What he feared most was that Shan Yongzhuo wouldn't play like he usually did, but would play unpredictably like he did with that goal.

On the field, Malaga continued their attack on Manchester City.

Isco, Saviola, Baptista, and Joaquin formed the core attacking quartet, constantly assaulting Manchester City's defense, while Toulalan stood behind them as the orchestrator.

For a time, Malaga once again put Manchester City under pressure.

However, Malaga also has a significant weakness: their overall pace is rather slow, a common characteristic of Pellegrini's teams. Their style leans towards a slower, controlled pace, relying on one or two exceptional players to create scoring opportunities.

Isco was the breakout player for this team, activated by Pellegrini, but his current ability is not as great as Forlán's during his time at Villarreal.

For most of the time, Isco seemed to be entangled with Manchester City.

Therefore, although Malaga controlled the pace, they posed very few real threats.

Then, in the 17th minute, the situation on the field changed dramatically again.

In those 17 minutes, apart from that one goal, Shan Yongzhuo seemed to disappear, unlike Isco who was so active.

But this time, Shan Yongzhuo suddenly made a move, startling everyone.

Silva immediately noticed this and passed the ball over.

As the ball rolled towards him, Shan Yongzhuo charged straight at it, with Demichelis close behind. However, he found himself no match for Shan Yongzhuo and couldn't keep up with his speed at all.

Then, Shan Yongzhuo took control of the ball.

Demichelis was once again prepared to defend against Shan Yongzhuo's turn and breakthrough. The distance from the goal was more than 30 meters. Although it was in the middle, should he turn and shoot directly?

That's unlikely...

Demichelis followed up, preparing for defense, while Tulalang and Itura also surrounded him from both sides, attempting to close down Shan Yongzhuo.

Without any hesitation, Shan Yongzhuo glanced at the goal behind him, then flicked the ball and took a shot from the side.

This was another very sudden shot.

To everyone else, with his back to the goal and about to be double-teamed, the best option for Shan Yongzhuo was to pass the ball back to his teammate in front and then look for an opportunity.

However, to everyone's surprise, Shan Yongzhuo opted for a side-turn shot.

Demichelis, standing behind him, never expected him to shoot.

this distance.

This action.

Shoot?

Do not make jokes!
But the moment the football took off, it drew a beautiful arc in the air and then landed precisely in the top left corner of the goal.

All anyone can do is watch the trajectory of the football.

In the end, Malaga goalkeeper Caballero could only act as a mascot; although he made saves, they had no effect.

0 is better than 2!

The ball went in again!

"Shan, it's Shan Yongzhuo again!" the English commentator exclaimed excitedly. "A brilliant turn and shot!"

"0-2! Manchester City take a two-goal lead against Malaga away from home!"

"And only 17 minutes into the game, Shan Yongzhuo has already scored twice!"

"A brilliant performance!"

"What's even more amazing is that this was Shan Yongzhuo's third touch of the ball."

"The first time was when I passed the ball to Aguero at the start of the game, the second time was during the previous shot, and this is the third time!"

"Three touches, two shots!"

"Then two goals!"

"Shan Yongzhuo is amazing, incredible!"

(End of this chapter)