[Football] Bad Boy Batty

The day before the derby, both teams announced their roster, and Batista's name was on the list.

After a week, with the help of Alandes, Aguero and many others, Batistuta finally completed the learning task assigned to him by Guardiola. Now he can distinguish the meaning of nearly 100 stadium terms.

But just before Batistuta decided to show off in front of Guardiola, Arteta said: "Even if you can't complete it, he won't put you in the reserve team. Don't worry, he just said that."

They barely managed to stop the angry Batty.

Of course, if Batistuta really ran over and yelled at Guardiola, that would be another story, and he might really be thrown into the reserve team.

After a simple warm-up training, Guardiola called the players back indoors for a meeting, which was still held in the screening room.

Batistuta and Aguero were still sitting in the front row. The difference from last time was that Batistuta could understand Guardiola's English explanation today. (He understood half of it and guessed the rest by looking at the gestures)
"Many people say that Mourinho, the current head coach of Manchester United, can only park the bus, but I know that is not the case. You should also know that he cannot achieve his current success just by parking the bus." Guardiola made an opening statement at the front. "So, my only request to you is not to underestimate the enemy. Do you understand? Don't be confused by those false comments on the Internet."

He has very rich body language and often adds small movements during his speech. Batty thinks this is very interesting. At least he doesn't stand still and speak like Mikael. The content is also monotonous and makes him sleepy.

"Now we look at Manchester United's last game at Old Trafford," Guardiola said.

After the warm-up, he switched the content on the screen, and the entire screen was divided into two. The top was a screenshot of Manchester United's successful defensive counterattack and goal-scoring process, and the bottom was the starting lineup that Manchester City was going to line up this time.

The regular 433 formation, goalkeeper Bravo, who just came to Manchester City this summer, and like Batistuta, this is his first game; the forward line is Sterling, Aguero, Iheanacho; the midfielder is De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva; the defender line is Sagna, Stones, Otamendi and Kolarov.

Guardiola danced in front of the tactical board.

"Look here - given the premise of deciding to seize the opening and the main attack, how do we avoid being counter-seized? There is only one answer: pass the ball.
To control the ball at our feet, pass it from here to here, and then pass it here, our three starting midfielders are capable of tearing open Manchester United's defense.
De Bruyne, Fellaini, Silva, you have to reduce your defensive efforts, understand? Don't leave space for the opponent. Mourinho will most likely use Pogba and Fellaini as defensive midfielders. Pass the ball and don't give them any chances. "

"When they drop deep and block the goal, it's our turn for the forwards to go in and do the same thing: pass the ball, pass the ball, pass the f*cking ball.
Aguero, you have to stand still in front of the goal. If the opponent's central defender blocks you here, it means there is a gap in their ribs, so seize it.
Sterling and Iheanacho, you have to run on the wing. Passing the ball does not mean you have to stand there and wait. Run, no iron bucket can be our opponent. "

"——There is also the back line, pass the ball, but don't stick to short passes, Manchester United's attack and defense transition ability is very strong, so you can use more long passes and through passes.
Stones, I remember we practiced before, right? (Yes) Then show your ability, don't panic even if Manchester United has the ball, their strikers are not young, Rooney and Ibrahimovic are over 30 years old, they can't catch up with you. "

Guardiola made his passionate pre-match arrangements, and Batistuta looked at him with his chin propped up.

In addition to emphasizing passing and control, ordinary coaches will also talk about other things, such as how players should act in certain situations and how to keep calm and not get angry after being "given special care."

But Guardiola has a magical ability, or aura, that makes the players naturally listen to his speech and follow his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about, Barty? It's time to go."

The meeting was over in a blink of an eye. Aguero stretched and stood up, ruffling Batistuta's light hair.

"Don't be discouraged, boy. Few new players start the game directly (except for superstars). We will win, and win beautifully." The Argentine said confidently, "Just wait for me to score 4 or 5 goals, then you will have nearly 30 minutes to come on the bench."

Batistuta also stood up and followed Aguero and others out of the screening room: "Then what shall we do tonight?"

"That's it. Go back and rest to conserve your energy." Aguero patted Batistuta on the back of his head with a warm smile, "Then just wait for the game to start."

……

On the match day, Manchester City players arrived at Old Trafford 90 minutes in advance on the bus. Both sides were filled with Manchester United fans wearing red, who booed the blue Manchester City bus.

Then the players got off the bus, walked through the post-match interview area and entered the locker room. A reporter captured Batistuta pouting when he entered the locker room, looking unhappy.

This photo was quickly uploaded to the Internet, and people began to interpret Batistuta's expression crazily. More than 6% of netizens believed that he was expressing his dissatisfaction with Guardiola for not putting him in the starting lineup.

The truth is——

Before getting on the bus, Batistuta and Guardiola had an argument over whether Loach was eligible to play with the team.

Batistuta said that Loach must stay with him, they have never been separated since he was 5 years old, and only Loach knows him best; while Guardiola said that only players and his coaching team can get on the bus, and Loach is not a player or a staff member, so it is not possible.

In the end, they failed to reach an agreement.

In order to prevent things from going on, Niu Qi took the initiative to give in. He drove a private car to Old Trafford, and then entered the player tunnel with the Manchester City work permit borrowed from Alandes to find Batistuta.

But Batistuta was still very angry and he thought Guardiola's remarks were very disrespectful.

The young man sat on the bench in the away locker room and put on his socks with a snort. From putting them on his feet to pulling them up, every movement was filled with anger.

With a 'pop' sound, the sock on his right leg covered his knee, and the elastic edge left a red mark on his thigh.

"Hiss - curse you, you damn sock!" Batty raised his middle finger to Honghen, and then threw the other sock that he hadn't put on yet, "Get away from me, don't let me see you again!"

I don't know if he was talking about socks or someone.

Aguero, who had changed his clothes, watched the whole process from the side. It’s amazing that this childish act of venting is actually a bit cute.

He couldn't help laughing, he stood up and walked over to ruffle Batistuta's hair: "Don't be angry, Batistuta, it's time to play soon, give me a hug and wish me a goal."

"Why do you keep messing with my hair? How many times has this happened?" Batistuta slapped his hand away and fixed his hair, then gave him a symbolic hug. "Here you go, the blessing you wanted. Now go and make that Manchester United goalkeeper cry."

After saying that, Batty got up from the bench, walked to the corner barefoot, and picked up his socks again.

Aguero smiled, and while Batistuta was putting on his socks, he ruffled his hair again. Batistuta looked up and bared his teeth at him. Somehow, Aguero suddenly thought of the cat in his friend's house.

Haha, so cute.

Not long after, Guardiola walked in: "Remember to pass the ball! You must control the game and seize the initiative! Go and take them down!"

When he saw the head coach come in, Batty immediately turned his head away and avoided looking at the bald head.

Not only did they not give him a starting position, they also didn't allow him to get on the team. The young man thought gloomily, Guardiola, humph, just wait and see, sooner or later he will give him a few slaps on the shiny forehead.

……

With a quarter of an hour left before the game started, Batistuta and other substitutes came to the sidelines and sat down. He chose the seat at the edge, while the seat next to him was quickly taken by Jesus.

"Do you think we can get a chance to play today?" Jesus leaned close to Batistuta's ear and whispered, "I hope they can score a few more goals. Without the pressure of losing, the boss will definitely let us play."

Batty didn't hear a word he said; he was listening to the song secretly.

"What did you say?"

Jesus was shocked. "Why did you bring the headphones here?" he said, "Take them away quickly, this is not allowed in the UK. Didn't they tell you that this is different from Brazil?"

"Nothing is different. It's not allowed in Brazil either," Batty said, removing one earphone. "I got fined many times for this when I was at Santos."

"Then why are you still wearing it?" "I'm not on the court, so what's wrong with listening to some music?" Batty disagreed, "Besides, the more forbidden it is, the more exciting it is to do it, isn't it?"

Jesus couldn't argue with him and squeezed his hand. "Don't let the coach find out. I'll block it for you. Put it away quickly."

Batty pulled his hand back, not appreciating it at all: "Aren't you going to stay away from me as a competitor? Why, seeing me sitting on the bench like you, does your sense of crisis disappear?"

“That’s impossible!” Jesus waved his hands quickly. “I know that there is fierce competition among Premier League clubs. I just—”

"Just what?"

"…I just don't dare to look for you."

"What kind of bullshit excuse is that? I won't bite anyone."

"I know, but - it feels like you are not in the same circle as us." Jesus said hesitantly: "Although we are about the same age, your friends are all top stars like Neymar and Aguero, like the stars in the sky, so far away from us."

"Are you saying I'm putting on airs?" Batty narrowed his eyes.

Jesus' eyes widened. "That's not what I meant! What I said was—"

At this moment, the referee blew the opening whistle and the home fans sang the team song, the sound resounding throughout Old Trafford.

So Jesus' words were held back.

Batty glanced at him again, and seeing the other person's depressed expression, he seemed to understand something.

10 minutes into the game, Manchester City's backcourt resolved Manchester United's attack, and goalkeeper Bravo made a long pass back to the midfield. The Manchester United defender made a low-level mistake, De Bruyne stopped the ball and adjusted, and went straight in, facing Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea, and calmly pushed the ball into the goal.

0-1, the visiting Manchester City took the lead!

There was a round of boos at Old Trafford.

[Despicable! The Belgians succeeded in a surprise attack, and we fell behind right after the start of the game.] The commentator said angrily.

Amid the boos, Batistuta suddenly spoke up: "Neymar once told me that new players at big clubs all start as substitutes, and so does he. He then becomes a starter after coming on as a substitute in the second or third game."

Jesus was stunned.

What is Batty doing?
"you--"

"In short, there's no point in being anxious," Batistuta added. It was obvious that he didn't say this often. "I've seen you play. Although you have a lot of problems, you still have a chance to start if you work harder."

Listening to the other party's lame comfort, Gabriel Jesus suddenly laughed.

Gold will always shine, but only if it is real gold.

Jesus thought, not everyone can get the starting qualification with just a few substitute performances, especially guys like you who are incredibly talented.

but--

The arrogant boy was really trying to find a way to comfort him.

So Jesus quietly touched Batistuta's calf with his heel.

"Thank you."

……

At the end of the first half, the visiting Manchester City extended their advantage to 3 goals, with Aguero scoring in front of the goal in the 35th minute, and De Bruyne's low shot hitting the post in the 42nd minute, and Aguero's follow-up shot from the goal line hitting the target.

Batty followed everyone back to the locker room, and everyone's face was filled with joy.

"How was it? Was my goal beautiful?" Aguero jumped to Batistuta like a big dog that had just taken a bath. "Hurry up and tell me - don't try to fool me. I saw you celebrating just now and you didn't even applaud me."

"You saw it wrong." Batty blinked and lied very naturally, "I stood up and cheered for you three times, but you didn't see it."

Aguero wrinkled his nose at him in disbelief.

The assistant coach came over and handed him a bottle of water, then patted Batty on the shoulder and said, "Go to the sidelines and warm up. You should get up and move around."

Ok?
Batty raised his eyebrows. "Is this the coach's request?" he asked.

Arteta nodded.

"Did he say anything else?" Batty asked again, "like when I'm going to play."

The teaching assistant smiled but didn't give a direct answer. "Don't ask so many questions," he said. "Just go."

Aguero nudged Batistuta on the back, then gave Batistuta a thumbs-up when he looked over. Batistuta said nothing more, picked up a football and walked onto the field.

Guardiola didn't say when he would be allowed to play, so this warm-up was probably just a smokescreen. Mourinho's team performed very badly in the first half, so he would definitely make changes in the second half. If he thought Batistuta was about to come on as a substitute, it might confuse his judgment to a certain extent.

The view became wider and the sound became louder, and Batistuta counted the steps one by one and stepped onto the grass of Old Trafford.

It would be a lie to say I'm not excited.

After handing his jacket to the equipment manager, Batty started running back and forth on the sidelines.

The home fans quickly noticed him and booed him continuously.

Batty's heart was pounding. The boos did not scare him, but made him more excited.

After three sets of shuttle runs, he stood there and began to stretch his muscles and tendons amid the boos.

The on-site cameraman tactfully aimed the camera at Batistuta, and his slightly immature but energetic figure appeared on the big screen. As the boy bent over and fell to one side, the hem of his jersey was pulled up due to the force, revealing a small piece of the honey-colored beauty underneath.

The booing died down.

"Waistline, his waistline is showing!" A red-faced Manchester United fan in the stands screamed, "What should I do, he looks so good, quick! Someone hold me back, I can't help but surrender to the enemy!"

(End of this chapter)