[Football] Bad Boy Batty

Compared with previous years, Christmas in 2018 was relatively dull. Batistuta held a party in his apartment and took Niqiu to Neymar's place to spend a night on New Year's Eve. Apart from that, the rest of the time was occupied by games.

This Christmas schedule is not very friendly to Manchester City. On average, there is a game every three days, and two of them are even less than 3 hours apart.

The players who had been busy throughout the game returned to the club and had to rush to the next battlefield before they had fully recovered, which directly led to the Blue Moon's injury wave being brought forward.

Gundogan has a problem with his thigh muscles, Lucas has an ankle injury, Jesus has knee discomfort, and even David Silva has a calf injury, suspected to be in the soleus muscle.

However, injuries did not affect Manchester City's performance too much.

Taking advantage of the mistakes made by Manchester United and Liverpool next door, Manchester City struggled to climb back to the top of the table. Although the process was a bit bumpy, fortunately they won every game and did not give other teams the opportunity to pull them down.

The last game of the year was the Champions League. The team's performance was mediocre, but Batistuta had a big breakout and made his name resound throughout the Etihad Stadium with a beautiful four-goal scoring streak.

Guardiola's team bid farewell to 2018 with a big win.

In the end, Manchester City defeated Hoffenheim 7-1, won all six games in the Champions League group stage, and advanced as the top team.

Batistuta also took home the Champions League Player of the Week trophy.

On January 1, Manchester City welcomed their first game of the new year, the 4st round of the Premier League, where they faced Everton at home.

The fans in the stands sang the team song to cheer, and the players in the tunnel were ready to go. Batistuta once again took over the captain's armband and stood at the front of the team. Neymar followed him, and then successfully received the undisguised disgust from the little king.

Of course, it’s because of his golden dreadlocks.

Neymar has a unique view on "what is fashion" and sometimes no one can convince him, such as the two dreadlocks on his forehead. Even Batistuta called them cockroach whiskers many times and even named them Cockroach No. 1 and Cockroach No. 2, he couldn't change Neymar's mind.

"He likes it this way. Wait a little longer. He'll get bored in three months at most." This is what Rafina said to Batty at the Christmas party.

Barty rolled his eyes.

To be honest, his control urge is not so strong that he can't stand it (hair), but if Neymar teases him with cockroach whiskers again next time they are playing some pleasant little games, he will punch him without hesitation.

"Don't be ridiculous, Batistuta, we all know your punches aren't that powerful," Neymar said with a smile. "Even if you don't admit it, the machine won't lie."

The machine Neymar was referring to was a Hercules game console.

That was the Christmas gift that Walker, Stones and Loach gave to Batistuta. It came with a set of retro arcade games. The gameplay is very simple. Hit the hanging rubber ball with your greatest strength, and a value of 0-999 will be displayed on the screen based on the strength.

Neymar only needed two attempts to score 803, while Batistuta tried multiple times but his best score was only 748. As a result, the little king of the Premier League, who is famous for his "combativeness" and "ability to fight", received a good-natured laugh from his teammates.

Batty clicked his tongue impatiently. "How long are you going to keep talking about this? What can a few numbers tell us? Have you forgotten that we once fought? Do you need me to help you remember?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten. That was our first meeting." Neymar shook his dreadlocks in front of his eyes, and the smile on his mouth never stopped. "But that doesn't stop me from laughing at you, dear. You only played 748."

Batistuta: "Everyone in the Premier League knows that I am the most difficult to deal with. Sometimes they can't push me down even if they want to foul me."

Neymar: "But you only played 748."

Batistuta: "At least no one treats me as a soft persimmon. The day before yesterday, you were fouled throughout the game against Southampton. I was the one who dealt with the problem, otherwise you would have been beaten."

Neymar: "But you only played 748."

Batty: "When I was 13, I only used a submachine gun to recover the ** that was stolen from my godfather, and I was not injured."

"Wow, that's amazing." Neymar praised sincerely, and the next second he laughed again, "But baby, you only played 748."

Batty: ...
Batty: The fist is hard.

Just when Batistuta was about to beat Neymar in the tunnel, an acquaintance appeared and stopped him, thus preventing the pre-match tragedy from happening.
"Hey Batistuta! Neymar!" Richarlison came over from behind, waving his hands. "The game I've been looking forward to is finally here. Only God knows how long I've been waiting!"

Since he joined Everton, they have played against Manchester City a total of five times, but unfortunately he has hardly ever had a chance to play, and even if he did, he only came on as a substitute at the end of the game.

The situation is different this season. The new coach Marco Silva's attention has allowed him to gradually gain a foothold in the first team.

Today, it was the first time that Richarlich started against Manchester City since coming to the Premier League.

"Well, we are all looking forward to today's game. Who doesn't want the first win of the new year?" Batistuta let go of Neymar and gave him a hug. "Congratulations on your goal in the last game, but I'm sorry, it won't be so easy this time."

"I feel pretty good recently, who can say for sure." Richarlison was very optimistic. He let go of Batistuta and hugged Neymar again. "You better be careful. Maybe Everton can make it to the Champions League zone by the end of this season."

"Same words to you." Neymar pushed back his dreadlocks. "In front of you are two people who just scored four goals and a hat trick. We have secured our first win of the new year!"

The three of them looked at each other, paused, and smiled at the same time.

"Whatever - good luck with the game."

……

At the beginning, both sides were cautious.

Guardiola attaches great importance to the match against Everton. In the 16-17 season, also in January, also at the Etihad Stadium, Everton beat Manchester City 1-4, which was the biggest (league) defeat in his coaching career.

The starting lineup of this game was not too surprising. Otamendi and Gundogan took turns to play, Jesus, David Silva and Lucas temporarily sat on the bench, and De Bruyne was not included in the roster due to his injury.

"Steady! Don't rush! Do as I say!" Guardiola clapped his hands and demanded, "Pass the ball, pass it! Give it to the forwards, Kun, Batistuta, Ney, they will complete the final shot!"

However, Everton got the first shot chance in the first half.

In the 9th minute, Kyle Walker made a mistake in the backcourt and lost the ball. Everton striker Digne intercepted the ball and quickly broke into the penalty area. Walker tried hard to chase back, but Digne still managed to pass the ball to the middle. Richarlison rushed in front of the goal and completed a volley.

Fortunately, Ederson was well prepared and he dragged the ball with his hand, and the ball went over the crossbar.

"Wake up Kyle! Nothing can go wrong in the first game of 2019." Batty waved at Walker, "Don't make such low-level mistakes that make me want to laugh at you! Come on, cheer up!"

Since listening to Neymar and no longer forcing himself to be a positive and nice guy, he has tried to combine complaining about his teammates' mistakes with encouragement and cheering them up, taking care of his teammates' feelings while making himself comfortable.

Facts have proved that this method is correct, and Batistuta's teammates are very fond of it.

Kyle Walker smiled apologetically and gestured to return to his position. Ederson kicked the ball out and the game continued.

The initiative came to Manchester City.

In the 13th minute, Laporte made a long pass from the backcourt, and B Silva tried a long shot from the outside. Goalkeeper Pickford was very focused and quickly fell to the ground to confiscate the ball. One minute later, Gundogan was fouled and the referee awarded Manchester City a free kick. Gundogan took the penalty himself and kicked the ball in front of the goal. Batistuta's turn shot was blocked by the defender, and Neymar's supplementary shot missed.

Manchester City's offensive gradually increased, and there was a panic in front of Everton's goal.

In the 19th minute, the score on the field changed. Manchester City attacked from the left. Gundogan and Zinchenko cooperated. Neymar got rid of the defender and made a cross. Aguero missed the ball easily. Batistuta rushed to the back point and the ball went into the net. Pickford was out of reach.

1-0!

Manchester City leads at home!

"Beautiful! You completely fooled the goalkeeper, it was so beautiful!" Batistuta hugged Aguero and gave him a big kiss on the forehead, "Don't dye your hair back, the light color makes you stronger!"

"Of course, this is my lucky color!" Aguero brushed the white hair on his head. He has kept it light-colored for almost half a year since Batistuta dyed it light-colored, and he played well in the past six months. "At least I won't dye it back until the end of the season!"

"Doesn't anyone think my assists are beautiful?" Neymar pulled Batistuta off Aguero, then opened his arms, "Come on, Batistuta, let's keep the tradition of scoring the first goal of the new year!"

Batty paused.

Come on, if I play tree climbing with you, we will both fall on the grass together.

However, just as he was about to refuse, he heard Neymar laughing and speaking -

"Trust me, it's no problem for someone who hits 803 to catch someone who hits 748. Come on, get on!"

Batty: ...

When will this matter be over?

……

Manchester City continued to press and soon took control of the situation.

In the 23rd minute, they made a comeback. Walker came on to assist. Batistuta needed to vent. He changed direction continuously and dribbled past the opponent. There was an open space in front of Everton's goal, but Batistuta did not shoot himself. He chose to lift the ball to the back post. Neymar saw the opportunity and jumped up to head the ball.

The goalkeeper's gloves touched the ball but ultimately failed to stop it from entering the net.

2-0!

The first half of the game was just over and Manchester City was leading by two goals!
Neymar was very excited after scoring the goal. After all, the number of headers he had scored in his career could be counted on one hand. He pulled Batistuta and Aguero to the sidelines and pretended to fire cannons into the sky to celebrate. His movements were cheerful and sarcastic.

What the audience didn't expect was that Manchester City scored again 5 minutes later.

This time it was Aguero. Fernandinho launched an attack from the midfield, B Silva made a straight pass, Batistuta turned and shot in front of the penalty area but was blocked, and Aguero made the supplementary shot into the net.

In less than 30 minutes, Manchester City led 3-0.

[Even injuries can't stop this team! Who else can stop them! ]

……

The game has completely entered Manchester City's rhythm.

It was not until the 56th minute of the second half that Everton regained some form. Forward Lookman made a cross from the left, and Richarlison succeeded in grabbing the ball in front of the goal, but the shot was too strong and the ball went over the crossbar. This was Everton's second shot of the game.

In the 65th minute, Manchester City expanded the score again. Neymar passed the ball, Fernandinho made a cross from the bottom left of the penalty area, and Batistuta scored his second goal with a very smooth volley.

The home fans sang Batistuta's song, praising their little king for bringing them surprises every day. Under his leadership, the blue will continue to sweep across Europe, and Manchester City will still be the biggest winner this season.

4-0!

Everton can hardly catch up due to the huge gap.

Manchester City is like a captain at the helm, with every move on the field under control. Batistuta took the time to pay attention to Richarlison.

He was not in good shape today and failed to perform to his full potential.

The main reason is the coach's tactics. Batistuta thought that in order to deal with Manchester City, Marco Silva frantically piled up the midfield, leaving only a single striker at the front, and Richarlison was arranged on the right.

To be honest, he is not fast and not good at getting rid of the opponent. His strengths are physical confrontation and sense of smell in front of the goal. Therefore, his most suitable position is center forward, and he is a classic type of standing center forward who does not participate in passing the ball.

Inevitably, Batistuta thought of the national team and the World Cup.

If the team had a slightly more capable center at that time, whether waiting for teammates to pass the ball to score or attracting the attention of the defenders, it would definitely be easier for them to play.

Maybe there won't be any penalty kicks in the final.

[beep——]
The referee's whistle brought Batistuta out of his fantasy. He first looked at the time on the sign and saw that it was already 81 minutes.

No matter what, it was impossible for Everton to score four goals in the end to achieve a reversal. Batistuta was not at all sorry for his distraction. He was more interested in why the referee suspended the game.

"What the hell-Ney?"

Batistuta's question was stuck in his throat as the Manchester City team doctor passed by him and followed them to look. He noticed Neymar sitting on the ground on the left.

broken!

It was like a bucket of cold water was poured on his head.

"What happened?" Batty ran over quickly, "Did someone commit a foul?"
"Nothing." Neymar was held up by the team doctor and answered while gasping for breath, "I'm still playing. Go back. I'm fine."

You can see that he is in pain but he is trying his best to hide it.

"No one committed a foul," Neymar added. "Go back, you can't help here."

Batty frowned as he watched him leave the field with the help of the team doctor. His eyes moved down to the opponent's right leg, which was in the air but he dared not use any force, between the hem of his shorts and the top of his socks.

It is most likely a muscle problem like David Silva's.

hiss--

Batty cursed secretly in his heart. Muscle problems are the most troublesome because they can be big or small, and are most worrying when no accurate examination is done.

But the game must go on.

"Keep trying! It's almost over!" He clapped his hands and called out to his teammates, "Don't panic, don't give us any chances, victory will soon be ours!"

In the 81st minute of the game, Neymar was injured without anyone touching him, and Guardiola urgently replaced him with Sterling.

Everton then scored a goal to save some face, but Sterling's goal in the last seconds widened the score again.

At the end of the game, Manchester City started the new year with a 5-1 victory.

But the price was that Neymar was injured, and another player in the frontcourt was injured before midfielder De Bruyne returned, adding a new member to the Blue Moon Army's already long injury list.

After the game, Batistuta was not in the mood for interviews and only answered a few simple questions. He exchanged jerseys with Richarlison and hurried back to the locker room, but Neymar was no longer there. He was sent back to the examination center at the training base to determine his injury earlier.

The speed was indeed fast. When Batty arrived, his first round of inspection had already been completed.

"It's basically an adductor injury," Arandez said. "Don't worry, it's not serious based on the X-ray."

"Are you sure?" Batty asked.

"Almost." Alandez shrugged. "The test results are not out yet, but everyone thinks the situation is very optimistic. Relax Batistuta, Neymar will not be away from the court for too long."

"How long will it take?" Batty asked again.

"I don't know, but it's estimated to be 3-4 weeks." Arandez looked at his watch. "Go back first. The results will be out in two hours. I'll tell you then."

Batty thought about it and nodded in agreement.

He had to go back and clean himself up first. He hadn't even had time to take a shower after coming back from the stadium. He would go say hello to Pep after he finished showering and get some food from the kitchen. It would be just the right time.

……

The results of the examination were confirmed in the evening, and it was similar to what Alandes said. Neymar had strained his thigh adductor muscle and would be out for 2-3 weeks.

"It's really weird, why are there so many injuries this season?" Batty complained, sitting backwards in his chair. "What's wrong with God? Does he think we won too easily last season?"

Neymar was very relaxed. He lay on the bed opposite Batistuta and received treatment. This was his physiotherapy room. It had been five hours since the game ended and they were now in his villa.

"It's better to say it's a test from God," Neymar said with a smile. "If you can withstand the test, it means you deserve the championship trophy."

The physiotherapist behind him was sliding an instrument over his thigh. The adductor muscle treatment/rehabilitation process was painful and he would cry out from time to time.

Batistuta looked at Neymar for a while and said nothing.

The room was quiet, with no other sound except the hum of the therapy machine.

Neymar stared at Batistuta's knees sticking out from his ripped jeans. After a while, he moved his eyes upwards. The little Manchester City king had a serious look on his face, as if he was worried about his painful groans.

Oh, this is so sweet.

"Don't be so sad, Batistuta," Neymar said to comfort him. "Soon, I'll be back on the court in just three weeks."

Batty's eyes finally focused.

"Huh?" He blinked in confusion, "What did you just say?"

"I said..." Neymar moved his arms and said in a long voice: "Muscle therapy does hurt, but if you can be nicer to me and come to see me more often, it won't hurt so much."

Batty raised his eyebrows and looked at him: "No, I have a lot of competitions recently, so I can't come to see you all the time."

Neymar was stunned.

"Bati!" He called his name in disbelief.

"Is there a problem?" Batty raised his lips, "You should do the physical therapy well, I will call you, we still have many games to play when you come back."

He stood up, stretched, walked to the bed, bent down, kissed Neymar on the face, then turned and walked towards the door.

Neymar's eyes followed all the way.

Little bastard, he cursed inwardly, I thought you were worried about me.

"By the way..." Batty stopped before leaving the house. He leaned against the door frame and turned back to tease, "So what if you can hit 803? You'll still get hurt. What's the point?"

Neymar was stunned.

(End of this chapter)