[Football] Bad Boy Batty

4月9日晚上8点, 2018-19赛季欧冠1/4决赛首回合开打，曼城客场赶赴白鹿巷挑战热刺。

Batty lay on the sofa in his home, with a physical therapy device hanging on his legs, drinking a bitter-tasting nutrient solution (specially prepared for him for quick recovery), and watched the game with Loach and Sam Eli who came to accompany him.

When the starting lineups of both teams were displayed on the screen, Batty frowned and his back left the sofa cushion.

"My God, what is Pep doing, where did he put Kevin?" he complained, "and why are Mahrez and Raheem on the right?"

Guardiola fielded a somewhat surprising lineup today. The goalkeeper remained unchanged, Ederson. The back line from right to left were Walker, Otamendi, Lucas, and Delph. In the midfield, he replaced De Bruyne with Gundogan. Fernandinho and Silva remained unchanged. The forward line was Neymar on the left, Mahrez on the right, and Aguero at the front.

"He wants to play it safe," Loach guessed.

"I think so. Kevin and Rahim are not on the field, and Vincent and John are not used in the defense." Sam Eli commented, "It is a relatively conservative lineup."

The screen moved to the side picking stage, today's captain David Silva guessed the coin correctly, and Manchester City kicked off first.

"Relatively conservative? This is very, very conservative!" Batty said sharply, "Putting out a lineup like this is like telling the opponent - our goal today is not to win the game, we'll be thankful if we can maintain a draw and win!"

He was very dissatisfied with Guardiola's lineup. It seemed that the pain caused by the physiotherapy device made Batistuta as outspoken as before. The game had already started for a few minutes, and he was still complaining and pointing fingers at his teammates' choices on the screen.

"Don't say that, Batistuta. Pep has his reasons." Eli refuted as gently as possible. "Tottenham is very strong this season. Look at the standings. They are now on par with Manchester United."

"Oh, this equal means - in the third position?" Batistuta gave the former translator a fake smile. "Pep is too cautious. We don't have to be afraid of them. Look at Gundogan. He is almost on par with Fernandez. Are we going to use the all-out attack and defense double defensive midfielder lineup too...hiss!"

Batty's rebuttal was so intense that he accidentally pressed the button on the therapy device. The sudden increase in power made him scream out.

"What the hell, if I hadn't been hurt like this--"

After a flurry of activity, Batty finally adjusted the power back to its previous level. Loach brought him a can of yogurt. Batty took a look and waved his hand to indicate that he had no appetite.

"You can't deny that double defensive midfielders and all-out attack and defense are gradually becoming the future of football," said Sam Eli. "I think Pep thinks so too. He is experimenting with this lineup."

"Experimenting in the Champions League knockout round? Is he crazy?" Batistuta raised his voice. "If it's true as you said, then I don't understand. He wants to play it safe, but he doesn't use the lineup and style we usually use. He wants to experiment, but the field is full of shadows of the past. What do you think he wants to do?"

Sam Eli opened his mouth, but thinking that arguing would not change the situation and would not do any good to Batty's injury, he closed his mouth and shrugged easily.

"I don't know either," he said. "Don't ask me such profound questions. I'm just a fan and translator."

"Wow!" Loach suddenly screamed, "Foul! Handball in the penalty area, it should be a penalty kick!"

Sure enough, after being reminded by the video assistant referee, the referee gave Tottenham player Rose a yellow card and awarded Manchester City a penalty.

In the 13th minute of the game, Blue Moon got a good opportunity.

"Maybe this is the kick that decides the game." Batty changed his posture. "Tottenham's condition is not very good today. 1-0, I think this score will remain until the end--"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because this penalty kick was not taken, Aguero's kick was at a wrong angle and the power was not strong enough, and Tottenham goalkeeper Lori blocked the ball.

The score on the field did not change, it was still 0-0.
"I take that back," Batistuta said dryly. "0-0, it's going to be a dull draw."

……

At the end of the first half, both sides drew.

Batty turned off the physical therapy machine, stood up and went to the bar to pour himself a glass of wine. Looking at the melting ice in the glass, he suddenly remembered the film of calf muscles that Alandes gave him that day. After hesitating for a while, Batty finally poured out the glass of wine.

Damn injury.

If he was on the field, the result would definitely be different.

At this moment, Batistuta's cell phone vibrated wildly in his pocket. He answered it without thinking much. Before the call was connected, he glanced at the number and the prefix showed it was from Barcelona, ​​Spain.

"Hey Batistuta! This is Pique, Gerard Pique, how are you doing recently? Are you recovering from your injury? Don't miss our Champions League game."

Pique?

Why would he call?

"Did I give you my number?" Batistuta was not polite to him. He had heard a lot about this guy from Neymar before. To be honest, it was not worth it for him to rush for Shakira.

"No, I asked Leo for it." Pique said cheerfully, not affected at all. "Are you watching the game? The one between Manchester City and Tottenham."

"of course."

"We're watching here too, and I have to tell you, everyone is bullish on Manchester City."

"You called just to talk about this, to tell me you think Manchester City is good?"

"No, not really."

Batistuta leaned against the bar, and sure enough, Pique had other plans.

"In August this year, before the start of next season, you will go to Los Angeles for promotion, right?" Pique said slowly, "We will also go. Manchester City and Barcelona will have a warm-up match at that time. I asked the organizers and we will stay in the same hotel."

"so?"

"I want to ask you for a favor." Pique smiled, "I hope you can introduce me to your godfather. I have a game project on hand, and he has also been involved in the game industry in recent years."

"You can't find it yourself?" Batty said sarcastically, "With the range of contacts you have, you should be able to get the contact information."

"But I want you to come and help. It's easy for you, isn't it? I know your godfather treats you very well. It can be solved with just a phone call."

"We'll talk about it when the time comes." Batistuta didn't say anything too final. He didn't know if Pique really just wanted to discuss the project. If so, he couldn't delay his godfather from making money.

At the start of the second half, he didn't talk much with Pique, hung up the phone and returned to the sofa.

"Sam?" Batistuta asked the translator about the trip to the United States. "Do we have a commercial exhibition match scheduled with Barcelona this summer?"

"Yes, but not everyone has to go." Eli gave an affirmative answer, "You and many others have to participate in the America's Cup. Going to the United States is just a formality and promotion. The main purpose is to rest."

Batty nodded, turned back to watch the game, and already started thinking about the arrangements for that time.

……

The second half of the game was pretty much as Batistuta had guessed. Neither team had many good chances, and the game became boring after a while. Even the camera frequently looked at the bench to prevent the audience from falling asleep.

Jesus replaced Aguero, Harry Kane slipped and was injured, and as the game was coming to an end, Guardiola still had no intention of letting De Bruyne play.

Batty yawned. It looked like the game would end in a 0-0 draw, he thought.

But just then——

【Good opportunity! Tottenham's attack, Eriksen, pass! On the right side of the penalty area, Son Heung-min comes up! He dribbles around the baseline, still dribbling, and enters the penalty area, and the position is vacant! The ball goes in, Delph fails to protect it well, and Son Heung-min pushes the ball into the far corner and scores, 1-0, in the 78th minute, Tottenham leads at home! 】

"wtf!"

Batty's eyes widened, unable to believe the fact that they were behind on the screen.

"What is Delph doing!" He almost jumped up to complain, "You can't let Lucas play as both a central defender and a full-back. You didn't dare to touch him (Son Heung-min) in the penalty area. What did you do earlier? Why let him pass!"

Loach patted the boss on the back: "Don't worry, the game is not over yet."

Batistuta sat back on the sofa angrily, the camera turned to Neymar, and then found De Bruyne who was about to come on the court, you better do something, he thought.

……

Things don't always go as planned, as Manchester City lost the first leg of the Champions League 0-1.

After the game, in the player tunnel, the camera captured Neymar and De Bruyne having an argument. From the picture, it seemed that the two were arguing quite fiercely.

Many people speculated that this was because in the final stoppage time, Manchester City had a good attacking opportunity. Neymar asked for the ball on the wing, but De Bruyne chose to pass the ball to Mahrez on the right, and Neymar had no choice but to let it go.

Looking at the studio switched back on the screen, Batty took a deep breath.

There are many factors that led to Manchester City's failure to win this game, such as the head coach's lineup and the players' generally poor form, but these are not excuses.

"Go, get ready." He propped his chin up and instructed the loach beside him, "When their return flight is about to arrive, we will set off for the training ground."

"Where are you going?" Sam Eli asked confusedly. It was obvious that he hadn't checked the group chat in the past two days.

Batty smiled at him.

"Nothing." He said, "Go and curse."

……

Of course, Batty’s purpose was not just to curse.

In the car, he repeatedly watched the clip where De Bruyne did not pass the ball to Neymar, and carefully watched the 10 minutes before and after. Although he didn't want to say it, he believed that De Bruyne did nothing wrong.

In the previous game, Tottenham right-back Trippier provoked Neymar and made some large movements. Neymar complained about him, but the referee did not think it was a foul, so Trippier did not receive a yellow card. This is why Neymar was angered.

After that, it was obvious that his feet became disordered and he dribbled the ball more and more often, but his success rate in dribbling was decreasing. Manchester City's rhythm was disrupted several times. It can be said that this was a tactical victory for Tottenham.

When Manchester City's players returned to Etihad Stadium in defeat, Batistuta rushed back to the club with the physiotherapy device as he said. However, he did not see his teammates, and was stopped by someone in the parking lot who had anticipated his actions.

"I can't let you pass." Lucas opened his arms and blocked the car with a serious expression.

In the car, Loach looked at the boss in embarrassment.

Batty asked him to turn off the car, "You go in first and tell Alan I'm coming." He looked at Lucas and said to Loach, "I'll take care of this."

"but--"

"Go quickly."

Loach was a little worried, but he had to listen to Batti, so he gave Lucas a warning look and then ran towards the building where Alandes was as fast as he could.

Lucas glanced at Loach's back and said, "I won't move out of the way, Batty." He said, "It's a good idea to go directly to Alan for a check-up. The locker room is a mess right now, so you'd better not go over there."

Batty got out of the car and thrust out his fist fiercely, "Get out of the way, Luki. I'll say it one last time."

Lucas performed well today and was the only player in Manchester City who scored over 7.5 points. Playing as a central defender, he made several great defensive contributions and steals. He can be regarded as the big daddy of Manchester City's defense. It is also because of this that Batistuta is willing to give him more time to speak.

Lucas didn't say anything, he looked at Batty pleadingly.

"Please, go back."

"I have to go, otherwise tomorrow's headlines will be [Internal conflict between two Manchester City players led to the loss, the second leg is worrying], is this what you want?" Batistuta suppressed his anger and tried to reason with Lucas, "I have to settle this!"

"So what do you think?"

"Kevin did nothing wrong. He really shouldn't have passed the ball to Neymar. You were on the pitch and you should have known that Neymar was already over the top. Giving the ball to him would have made it easier for Tottenham to counterattack."

Lucas sighed softly, then put on a look that resembled a pitiful big puppy.

"You can't take sides, it will only make things worse," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Wh-hey!"

Before Batistuta could finish his words, Lucas suddenly rushed over, picked Batistuta up, opened the car door, and quickly and carefully stuffed Batistuta into the back seat.

Lucas was very careful and did not touch Batty's calf at all. After succeeding, he put away the physiotherapy device and checked its switch.

"What the hell do you want to do!" Batty's anger reached its peak. He grabbed Lucas' collar, looking like he was going to hit him but actually using the force to get up. "Get out of here! You don't have the final say in the locker room! You're not even the captain of the roster!"

If it weren't for the injury and the physiotherapy device, Lucas would have been pinned to the ground. Of course, there was also the factor of Batistuta's reluctance. He knew that the Frenchman in front of him, like him, was truly doing it for the good of the team.

Lucas saw through Batty's purpose. He did not resist. Following the force of his collar being grabbed, he followed Batty back to the back seat of the car.

"Get up! Stop pressing on me!"

"No, you have to promise me not to go to the locker room first."

"no way!"

"Then I won't get up."

"let go!"

"Do not."

"This has nothing to do with you! It's none of your business whether I stand on the same side or who I stand with! I can handle it!"

After a long fuss in the back seat, we still couldn't come to any conclusion.

Batty didn't really use his full strength, and Lucas was determined not to let him go. After a while, the two gradually stopped. Lucas' eyes were still full of seriousness, and Batty's face was still full of anger, and he also held Lucas' collar tightly.

They panted, and no one retreated.

Lucas' arms, which were supporting him with so much force, began to feel sore. He couldn't help but take a look. His hands were resting on Batty's head, and some light-colored hair covered them. Following the hair, Lucas' eyes came to Batty's face, and he saw that the blue eyes were still staring at him.

"If you're unhappy, just vent it to me." He curled his lips at Barty, "But I hope you can be gentler when you do it. I don't want to miss the second round."

The French defender put his legs up as he spoke, and he supported himself on Batistuta, trapping the opponent in the back seat with his body.

"...puta."

Really, who taught him to talk like that?

Batty cursed inwardly, looked away, and loosened Lucas' collar.

"never mind."

"What do you mean, forget it? Do you agree not to go in?"

"Ah."

"Really? You didn't lie to me!" Lucas reacted for a while and became ecstatic. He lowered his head and kissed Batty on the face.

To be honest, I didn't have much hope of stopping Batty.

"I just lied to you, what can you do?" Batty bared his canine teeth at him, "Get up! You're choking my collar."

"Oh sorry." Lucas subconsciously looked at his collar, Batty pulled his collar down and took a deep breath.

Oops, that feeling comes again.

Lucas began to stare uncontrollably at the small patch of skin at Batty's collar, which was now emitting a gorgeous pink color after having just experienced a fight (barely).
-
Don't be a fool, Luki, pick up your eyeballs-
But look at this beautiful color, how many people in the world can do it-
I really want to kiss it and taste it
wait--

Lucas was once again frightened by his own thoughts. He withdrew his hand and sat up straight. His original intention was to move away from the trigger point (Bati), but unfortunately, sitting on him made the situation worse.

Now he could see the whole picture.

Batty was lying in the back seat of the car, his sweatshirt and hair were messy, his face was flushed from exercise, and there was still some anger in his eyes as he looked at him, breathing slightly quickly.

What a terrible picture this is.

But it's so beautiful, you can't blame your brain for having wild thoughts.

"Are you crazy? I told you to get up!" Batty kicked Lucas with his uninjured leg. "Can you move faster? It's hot!"

He asked him to move faster.

Lucas was in a trance, his brain unable to analyze the words he heard normally, until a voice came -

"Boss! How are you!"

It was Loach, he had returned from Arandus.

Lucas woke up suddenly, and when he realized that he had just thought about something terrible while watching Batty, he was grabbed by the collar and pulled out of the car.

"He is still injured, how dare you fight with him!" Loach yelled at him angrily.

"I do not--"

"Let him go, it's okay, Loach." Batty interrupted Lucas's defense, he sat up from the back seat while rubbing his hair, "I, your boss, am not so weak that I can be suppressed by such a small injury."

Loach glared at Lucas, let him go and went to help Batty: "I've told Alan that when you come back from the locker room after scolding people, you can go to him for a check-up."

Hearing about the locker room, Lucas immediately tensed up again.

"We won't go to the locker room." Batty said calmly. With the help of Loach, he took down the physical therapy device. "Let's go and find Alan directly."

"Ah?" Loach was very surprised.

"I'm too lazy to scold them. I can talk to them after I come back for training in a few days." Batty said, as if he was annoyed. He gestured to Loach and turned to the elevator, "Follow us, let's go."

Loach looked at Lucas twice, raised his fist to him threateningly, and finally followed him quickly.

Lucas rested for a while and returned to the locker room. There were a few players scattered inside. Guardiola was talking to Neymar. De Bruyne was not far away, and it seemed that he had just finished a lecture. Arteta was listening next to Guardiola and taking notes with a pen.

The atmosphere was a bit heavy, but generally peaceful.

Good thing no one knew what was going on.

Lucas packed up his things and sat in a chair in a daze. The head coach had disbanded the team and did not ask him to stay. He didn't know what he was waiting for.

In a trance, the image of the light-colored figure gasping for breath beneath him reappeared before his eyes.

It was over. Lucas covered his face in despair.

What to do? All he can think about is Batty.

(End of this chapter)