Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 505 Gareth, You're the Best
Adebayor's shot was Tottenham's best chance in the first half, and neither team managed to score again for the remainder of the game.

Halftime break came quickly.

The atmosphere at White Hart Lane was very oppressive, just like the home team's locker room. The low pressure made it somewhat suffocating. Most players were doing their own thing with their heads down. Coupled with the fast-paced offense and defense in the first half, the physical exertion was great, so they were all resting in silence. They seemed afraid of attracting attention, so they spoke very softly.

Villas-Boas returned to the locker room.

He didn't look at any of the players, but stood at the doorway, looking down at the tactics board and notebook in his hands, which were densely covered with many diagrams, lines and words that probably only he could understand.

Villas-Boas stared for a long time without changing his expression. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally let out a long sigh, looked up, and scanned the players in the locker room. There was little pressure or dissatisfaction in his eyes; he wasn't the kind of coach who put pressure on his players.

After scanning all the players, Villas-Boas finally spoke about the problems in the first half.

"Everyone played well in the first half, and overall there were no problems, except that they didn't do well in front of goal."

He didn't pursue the issue further. He knew that continuing to emphasize it would be a public execution of the forwards, especially the strikers. In fact, although no goals were scored, the forwards actually created some good chances.

Next, Villas-Boas talked about the second half of the game. Tottenham's overall style of play will not be significantly changed. He just emphasized that they need to play more steadily. He hopes that the pace can be slowed down a bit to reduce the pressure on the midfielders and forwards, which may help them perform better.

Villas-Boas didn't criticize anyone, but the two main strikers, Bale and Adebayor, still felt embarrassed. Although not scoring wasn't solely their fault, they both had wasted opportunities and should bear the greatest responsibility, especially Adebayor, who squandered a golden chance.

Bell, on the other hand, was very responsible and secretly resolved to do his best.

"Go Gareth, you're the best!"

"You must perform well in the second half; the team's offense depends on you!"

"Believe in yourself, keep going!"

While Bale was determined to help his team score in the second half, Edin Dzeko was doing the same thing in the Manchester City dressing room.

"Go for it, Edin, you're the best!"

"God, bless your believer Edin Dzeko!"

"You will definitely score a goal."

"You're sure to do well, so seize any opportunity you have!"

Zheko kept encouraging himself.

Dzeko and Bale have somewhat different mindsets. Bale hopes to help the team through his performance, after all, he is the team's key player. Dzeko, on the other hand, wants to perform better, just to score more goals. In his view, the outcome of the game is something for Shan Yongzhuo to consider. With Shan Yongzhuo on the team, Manchester City cannot lose. He just needs to outperform Aguero.

In Dzeko's view, this is the biggest advantage of being on the same team as Shan Yongzhuo.

Playing on the same team as Shan Yongzhuo is a big disadvantage for a forward, because all the limelight will be on Shan Yongzhuo, and you will never be able to become the team's main striker.

However, the benefits are also very obvious.

Win or lose?

You don't need to carry it on your own shoulders.

Big picture?

There's absolutely no need to consider it.

Dzeko wouldn't consider it, and few others at Manchester City would either. With Shan Yongzhuo on their team, they had nothing to fear. Shan Yongzhuo was always scoring goals, aiming for over 70 league goals a season. They just needed to perform normally. Of course, if Shan Yongzhuo played but they still couldn't beat their opponent, that wouldn't be their problem, but the coach's.

However, this situation has almost never occurred again.

With Shan Yongzhuo's phenomenal performance, the team has won one honor after another.

Look at players like Silva, Yaya Toure, and Aguero. They've been with Shan Yongzhuo for over two seasons and are almost on track to win a three-peat in the Premier League, and they even have a chance to win a two-peat in the Champions League.

Regardless of whether they're riding on someone else's coattails or not, as long as they achieve this, they're destined to become Manchester City legends and be remembered by history.

Therefore, the Manchester City dressing room was as relaxed as ever during halftime.

Guardiola didn't make any major tactical adjustments to the first half, only emphasizing some defensive issues.

The second half of the game began amidst the anticipation of many fans.

When the match started, the fans' attention hadn't fully caught up yet, and the Tottenham players hadn't fully noticed anything either.

However, at that moment, Dzeko passed the ball to Shan Yongzhuo.

Then, everyone saw Shan Yongzhuo sprinting with the ball, directly past Bale and Adebayor who were still standing there, and rushing into Tottenham's half.

Dan Yongzhuo was incredibly fast, like an arrow shot from a bow, and dashed off in a flash.

This caught everyone off guard.

The fans at White Hart Lane watched in astonishment.

The commentator, realizing what was happening, exclaimed, "It's happening! This is another of Shan Yongzhuo's signature moves—a one-shot wonder at the start!"

"This is a move that Shan Yongzhuo is quite good at, using the opening pitch to complete a long-range run. It might sound a bit fantastical, but he is indeed quite skilled at it..."

"So far, quite a few teams have suffered because of him, including strong teams like Manchester United, Barcelona and Liverpool."

"And now, Shan Yongzhuo has chosen this method again..."

On the field, Shan Yongzhuo dribbled past Adebayor and Bale, rushing into the heart of the field. Moussa Dembélé and Huddlestone reacted quickly, exchanged a glance, and then closed down Shan Yongzhuo from both sides.

Using his light-footed skill of walking on water, Shan Yongzhuo activated his Whirlwind Ground Kick, lifting the ball up to dodge the two tackles. The ball passed over the outstretched legs of the two players, and Shan Yongzhuo himself jumped slightly to get past their defense.

Then Dawson rushed forward, but under the influence of the whirlwind kick, the ball suddenly slowed down, seemingly stopping in place and waiting for Shan Yongzhuo.

Dawson aimed at the ball's trajectory but missed. By the time he regained his balance, Shan Yongzhuo had already dribbled the ball past him.

Vertonghen charged forward, followed by Dawson.

Shan Yongzhuo did not hesitate.

After getting past Dawson, he adjusted his body and unleashed a powerful shot before Dawson and Vertonghen could double in on him.

The shot was a full 27 or 28 meters from the goal. The ball soared high, arcing wildly and eventually flew over Lloris's hand and into the corner of the net.

(End of this chapter)