[Football] Bad Boy Batty

As November approaches, Manchester has experienced a small drop in temperature. Although it has not yet reached the coldest time of the year, the wind already feels like a knife, so you have to wear a coat and scarf when traveling.

Perhaps due to the weather, Liverpool lost their momentum in the league and sent Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League with two consecutive draws. At the same time, after experiencing the turbulence at the beginning of the season, Manchester United is also keeping close in the standings, winning the last few games and ranking behind Liverpool by 1 point.

But this is not the most concerned.

What netizens and fans talk about most is always the various news about the stars off the court.

For example, what new videos did the British star who was in poor form recently post on social media, what colorful hairstyle did Pogba have on his hair, what shiny earrings and trendy clothes did Neymar wear, and of course the most important thing -

The top Premier League player who has been talked about for almost half a month and has become mature and stable in the rumors is Batistuta.

【A well-deserved master of training, Guardiola has only used two seasons to remove all the thorns on Batistuta. Today, the Manchester City young king is able to perfectly deal with defenders' fouls and sharp questions from the media, and is moving step by step towards becoming the perfect core in the hearts of fans. 】

The Guardian gave a very high evaluation of Batty's performance.

Unfortunately, this didn't help him at all (during the game).

Yes, all the opposing players who have read or heard the report always make fun of Batty when facing him. Some of them make good-natured jokes, while others make sarcastic ridicules.

Just like in the 9th round of the league when Manchester City played against Tottenham at home, Vertonghen, who was defending against him, had repeatedly provoked Batistuta with this matter.

"Oh, you're a good boy now aren't you, Pep's good boy, I'm so sorry for you, poor little thing."
"Oh - I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you... Sorry I forgot, you are just a swollen bread now, no deterrent at all."
"Respect! Respect your opponent! Stop using those little tricks of yours. They are totally inconsistent with your current status."

Finally, Batistuta couldn't bear it anymore, and at almost 80 minutes into the second half, when Vertonghen was about to be substituted, he used a series of large-scale confrontation moves to knock the opponent to the ground.

To be honest, that action didn't involve any elbows or studs, and it happens almost every day on the court. It's a foul that can be called or not.

However, the referee on duty in this game was Jonathan Moss, a famous performance referee in the Premier League. He showed Batistuta a yellow card without hesitation.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Neymar came to persuade, "That guy just wants to provoke you."

Batistuta rolled his eyes and shook off Neymar's hand. Of course he knew Vertonghen did it on purpose, but he couldn't tolerate such things, otherwise anyone could take advantage of him in the future.

“I know,” he said. “It’s worth it.”

This yellow card did not cause much damage to Manchester City, and they eventually beat Tottenham 2-0 at White Hart Lane and won another 3 points.

But people's attention was all focused on "Bati's irrational foul."

This is also impossible.

When the public's impression of him is elevated to a certain level, everything he does will be evaluated under a microscope, and even a mistake as small as a grain of rice will be magnified infinitely.

So in the post-match interview that day, Barty swore in front of the camera for the first time in nearly a month.

"I just want to be a better version of myself and make the team better. That doesn't mean I've become an incompetent wimp! Don't f*cking try to provoke me again, I'll make you cry and crawl out of the locker room! I mean what I say!"

Such remarks put him in the spotlight.

Most rational fans support him, but there are also a few extreme mad dogs chasing him, plus some retired players and commentators who want to get traffic. Batistuta's social media accounts have become a mess, so much so that he only used a small account to surf for a long time.

Perhaps because his autobiography is about to be released, former England player Michael Owen tweeted to express his views.

Owen: "People expect too much from him (Bati) too quickly. He is still a kid. What are most people doing when they are 19? They are drooling over hot girls passing by. Temper is the hardest thing to change. I have seen too many such irritable players. Can Batistuta eventually become the king in the hearts of Manchester City fans? I think he can, but that may have to wait until 20 years later."

It seems that he is speaking for Batistuta, but in fact he is mocking him for being far from mature.

Batty was furious.

However, despite being blocked by many parties, he did not quarrel with Irving on Twitter. He just commented calmly under the other party's tweet: I wish your autobiography will sell well (applause) (applause) (smile)

……

The online quarrels continued until mid-November.

Soon the 12th round of the Premier League will begin, with Manchester City traveling to Anfield to challenge Liverpool. This can be regarded as the most influential top battle in the first half of the league.

If Manchester City can win, they will consolidate their position as the top of the Premier League and widen the gap with Liverpool by 5 points, while Manchester United, who just defeated Bournemouth last night, will rise to second place; if Liverpool win, they will overtake Manchester City and return to the top of the list, while Manchester United will still be in third place.

Batty is not too worried about this, he has confidence in the team.

"They treat me like a fool. Just because I'm a little more humble, they think I'm easy to bully." He complained with his arms folded in the player tunnel before the game.

Neymar smiled and reached out to touch a strand of hair that stuck up behind Batistuta's head: "Ignore them, you did a great job."

"I didn't want to bother with them, but the more I did that, the more excited they became." Batty blew his lips and made a disgusted sound. "Honestly, I don't understand what's going on in their guards' minds. If I keep my temper, does that mean they can manipulate me and foul me at will? What's the logic!"

This topic will never end if we continue.

"Just treat them as barking dogs on the roadside. Just raise your hand to drive them away and they won't dare to do anything to you," Neymar said. He adjusted his shorts and changed the subject, "By the way, Batistuta, my tattoo artist gave me a design for the two of us."

"Huh?" Batty's attention was diverted. "When did you find a tattoo artist?"

"Even last time, when you said you liked my tattoo pattern." Neymar stretched out his arm to show him.

"Oh..." Looking at those patterns, Batty recalled some good memories. He raised the corners of his mouth and whispered, "I really like the tattoos on your hands. Especially when they grab something hard, they are very hot."

Neymar patted him on the back of the head: "We are about to play!"

"I know." Batty poked his arm and jokingly said, "Why, are you afraid that you can't hold the gun?"

"... Stop it, you little bastard." Neymar glared at him, "Seriously, do you want to get it tattooed?"

"What if I say I don't want to?"

"Then I'll wait until my birthday to give it to you. You promised to fulfill my birthday wish."

"Not a bad idea." Batistuta gave Neymar a final hug before stepping onto the pitch. "But dear, even if you don't use your birthday as an excuse, I'm willing to get it tattooed."

Unless the tattoo is too ugly, he added in his mind, there is nothing more beautiful than a tattoo of a similar style.

……

The relaxed atmosphere in the player tunnel was not carried over to the pitch. Just a few minutes into the game, Manchester City's defense made consecutive mistakes, giving the opponent plenty of chances. Fortunately, Ederson's high catch prevented their goal from being quickly breached again.

In response to Liverpool's style of play, Guardiola made tactical adjustments. He learned lessons from Hoffenheim. Although the formation was still 433, he worked hard on defense and reduced the number of forward runs by the two full-backs Walker and Lucas.

However, Anfield's reputation as a devil's home ground is not for nothing. The Red Army fans cheered loudly and booed every time Manchester City players got the ball. Finally, Manchester City's defense had problems. Mane broke into the left side of the penalty area and fell under Walker's defense. The referee sentenced Manchester City to death. Less than 15 minutes after the start, Liverpool won a penalty.

Salah scored the penalty, 1-0, Liverpool got off to a dream start.

"Mine, mine." Walker gestured to apologize to his teammates.

"What the hell!" Batty stomped on the grass in annoyance, but he didn't complain about Walker's mistake. "Hold on, we still have time!"

The games against Liverpool are never easy.

Every one of them knows it.

【After falling behind at the start, Manchester City should be careful! 】

……

However, excluding the uncontrollable factors in the game (penalties caused by mistakes), Guardiola's tactical arrangement was successful. Falling behind 0-1 did not let them lose their rhythm, and Liverpool's high pressing in the frontcourt was not very effective.

In the 39th minute, Manchester City took advantage of the empty backcourt when Liverpool was pressing high and played a beautiful team cooperation. Facing Henderson and Wijnaldum who retreated to defend, Batistuta made a De Bruyne-style precise pass, which passed perfectly between the two. After receiving the ball, Neymar used a flexible man-ball pass to get past Van Dijk, and Liverpool's defense was broken.

Facing Alisson, Neymar made a sudden cross pass. Batistuta's movement attracted Lovren's attention. Jesus quickly inserted into the back post. Alisson had no time to return to block, and Jesus shot into the far corner with a single shot.

1-1! Manchester City equalized the score.

【Beautiful! It seems that falling behind at the start did not bring too much psychological burden to Manchester City's players. They played a textbook team cooperation goal! In the past 10 minutes, Manchester City's possession rate was only 57%, but it turned out that Guardiola's choice was correct. He gave up part of the ball to stabilize the backcourt, thus bringing convenience to the offensive end. 】

……

In the second half, Liverpool also made adjustments. Neither side found any good opportunities and the game fell into a stalemate.

In the 59th minute, Manchester City's midfield launched an attack. David Silva made a precise pass, but Batistuta was near the offside line and hesitated for a moment, resulting in a delayed start and the loss of this good opportunity.

Alisson hugged the ball, while Batistuta rolled out of the baseline like a panda after Van Dijk's clean tackle.

"That's terrible." Batty rolled his shoulders and climbed up.

At this time, Van Dijk had returned to the backcourt, and Alisson stood in front of the goal with the ball in his arms, gesturing to direct his teammates' positions, as if he had forgotten that there was someone behind him, and that it was an opponent player.

Batty rolled his eyes.

Ahaha, maybe I can find a bargain or something.

He approached quietly, and then—

Alisson did not make the same mistake as the master of butter hands Barthez. He noticed something was wrong and turned back vigilantly, just in time to meet the eyes of Batistuta who was in ambush.

"…What do you want to do, Barty?"

Seeing that his plan failed, Batistuta smiled brightly at Alisson with his innocent face: "I'm leaving now, don't worry."

The broadcast camera on the sidelines happened to capture this scene.

For a while, there was constant laughter in front of the TV.

[Haha! Barty tried to sneak attack but was discovered by Alisson! He is still a child and has a lot of playfulness. ]

……

The score remained 1-1 until the end. With only a few minutes left in the game, Manchester City had a great opportunity, but it was unfortunately ruined by fans who rushed into the stadium.

This is the most frustrating and aggrieved situation for the players.

Apart from suspending the game, the referee could not make any penalties against the fans. When he heard the whistle, Neymar could only stop dribbling the ball on the wing and waved his hands angrily to vent his dissatisfaction.

Worse--

"Buddy! Buddy I love you! Give me a hug! Please!"

Yes, that fan was going for Batistuta.

Batty: ...
Batty: Are you here to cause trouble?

The fan was as fat as a Christmas tree decoration, but he was very agile and jumped around the security guards towards Batistuta. It was not known whether it was due to lack of ability or just wanting to watch the fun, but the Anfield security guards failed to control him in the first place.

"Hey! Get him out of here!" Guardiola was scratching his head on the sidelines. On the one hand, he was anxious about the game, and on the other hand, he was worried that Batistuta would do something to the fan and be punished by the FA. "Keep an eye on Batistuta, Ney! Keep an eye on him!"

Fortunately, Guardiola was overthinking it.

Batistuta didn't do anything to the fan, even though the guy's hug nearly broke his ribs.

"I love you so much, baby Batistuta! You are simply perfect!" The fan ignored the warning look on Batistuta's face, hugged him and kissed him on the chin twice, "I am a Manchester City fan, a die-hard fan! Because of you, I love Manchester City even more!"

"Then hurry up and go! Don't dawdle!" Batty pushed and scolded, "We had a good chance, but now you've ruined it - wait!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a corner of red hidden under the fan's jacket. And it was not the red of the home team Liverpool, but the red of their old rival and city rival!

This is a Manchester United fan!
Batty's eyes widened: "Oh my God! Spy! You actually--"

However, it was too late to say anything.

The security guard dragged away the Manchester United fan who was wearing a Manchester City fan's coat. The referee signaled the game to continue, and Manchester City's good opportunity disappeared.

In the end, the two teams shook hands and made peace with a 1-1 draw.

The next day, Manchester United finished the game and beat Everton 2-1. As a result, Manchester City remained in first place in the standings, Manchester United rose to second place, Liverpool followed closely in third place, and Arsenal returned to the familiar fourth place.

Facing the camera after the game, Batistuta denounced the Manchester United fan with ill intentions.

"What kind of team you have, what kind of fans you have!" he said indignantly, "They (Manchester United) have always only profited from places other than regular matches!"

The good news is that this time no one accused him of speaking in an extreme manner that was unworthy of his position, and the comment section was full of jokes and laughter.

Batty: ...
Batty: (Headache)

(End of this chapter)