[Football] Bad Boy Batty

The second half started soon, and Guardiola did not let Batistuta play. Manchester City's lineup remained the same as in the first half. Unfortunately, Mourinho was not fooled. He made an accurate prediction and did not change his strategy at the last minute.

At the beginning of the game, the madman adjusted the team according to Manchester City's passing-dominated style of play in the first half, using two substitutions at once, replacing Herrera with Mkhitaryan to increase the cohesion of the midfield, and Rashford with Lingard to strengthen the impact on the right side. At the same time, he asked the players to press forward as a whole and use more counter-attacks to constantly create pressure on Manchester City's midfield.

Guardiola's worries became a reality. The midfield composed of De Bruyne, Fernandinho and Silva was not strong enough. After several attacks by Manchester United, the number of breakthroughs increased significantly.

Manchester City's dominance is declining significantly.

In the 50th minute, Manchester United defender Valencia forced a breakthrough and Silva had no choice but to make a foul. The referee took out a yellow card and gave Manchester United a midfield free kick.

And the first set-piece Manchester United got in this game finally turned into a goal.

In the 51st minute, Rooney stood at the penalty spot. The distance of half court was the most suitable. After a brief thought, the experienced Rooney gestured to his teammates, took a run-up, and the ball accurately found Fellaini.

The Manchester City goalkeeper chose to attack, he blocked his position and Fellaini was unable to jump up and head the ball, but unfortunately he did not hold the ball. To be precise - he caught the ball first and then lost it.

Just at that moment, Ibrahimovic appeared there, and before the ball landed and the players of Manchester City and Manchester United had time to react, Da Fengxian seized the opportunity and shot on the spot. With an unexpected and extremely relaxed posture, the football went into the net.

[1-3! We got one back! We still have a chance! Go ahead guys!]

The live commentary was almost crazy. Led by him, Manchester United fans first burst into warm applause, and then sang the team song loudly. That was not enough. After the team song ended, they sang a song satirizing Manchester City's years of championshiplessness.

Since they scored one goal, Manchester United played more and more aggressively. Pogba pressed forward more, Manchester United's pass success rate rose, and the number of shots also increased. It was obvious that Manchester City, which was still in the running-in period, gradually made mistakes and could not hold on to the ball.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Guardiola made changes.

In the 69th minute, Manchester City made a series of substitutions to strengthen their defense. Fernando and Zabaleta replaced Iheanacho and Fernandinho who had contributed greatly on the offensive end.

The situation is stabilizing.

But it is still not safe, the 2-goal gap is not big, but not small. If they attack hard, the midfielder's interception ability will be reduced, and Manchester United may equalize the score at any time, and Manchester City's 3 points will become 1 point.

There was one last substitution available. Looking at the situation on the field, Guardiola inadvertently caught a glimpse of the expectant young man over there. He hesitated for a while and finally made up his mind.

Forget it, we will just defend the team closely for the last 15 minutes and let the kids run a couple of laps. Even if they can't participate in any offense, it will be a chance for them to feel the atmosphere of the Premier League.
And think about the Olympic final, maybe a miracle would happen if he were to go in instead.

So in the 75th minute, Manchester City used their last substitution.

No. 9 Batista comes on and No. 7 Sterling takes off.

[Oh, at the last minute, the Catalans finally decided to bring in their biggest signing of the summer.] The commentator joked in a humorous way, [I wonder if Manchester City’s beloved Brazilian rose can withstand the fierce (a not very polite word) of the Premier League]

Batistuta came to the fourth official and waited for the dead ball. Arteta followed him and he seized the last moment to emphasize to Batistuta the arrangements after he came on the pitch.

"You have to play on the left side. We know this is not your position. We are not an attacking team now, so there is not much you can do when you go up there. Just take it as a necessary experience and feel the atmosphere of the English stadium."

Arteta spoke quickly, pretending to open the tactical book: "Akun will hold on until the last second. Listen to his instructions and follow him. Don't run around. If you see Manchester United players rushing towards you, dodge if you can. If you can't dodge, don't be afraid. Whoever retreats will get hurt when they collide."

Batty bent down and lifted his socks. "Got it."

As David Silva kicked the ball out of bounds, the game was suspended and Sterling trotted off the field.

Although he was somewhat unwilling, he still followed the coach's arrangements.

The always optimistic black boy gave his little teammate a hug and said: "Good luck to you."

In the 76th minute, Batistuta came on as a substitute and made his Premier League debut.

……

With the warm-up during the half-time break, Batistuta was no longer nervous. He came to the left side, observing the positions of his teammates and opponents while running.

They are not in the front now, only near the midfield. Manchester United launched another attack with the just-taken-out ball. Fellaini made a long pass, Rashford took the ball on the left, trying to cut inside and tear open Manchester City's defense.

"Steady! Get back on defense!" Guardiola gestured and shouted, "Silva! Get them back to the goal!"

Manchester City's midfield and backcourt gathered towards the goal, and at one point there were even seven players in front of the goal. Rashford failed to cut inside and had to pass the ball back to the midfield.

The situation seemed to be developing in a favorable direction for Manchester City, but Batistuta did not get the chance he wanted.

The time soon came to the 85th minute and the score remained 1-3, with the home team in the lead.

Manchester United fans did not lose heart and cheered loudly for their home team. The encouraged Manchester United players launched a more fierce attack under the command of Mourinho.

Manchester City players retreated deeper and parked the bus at the instruction of Guardiola.

The scene was quite funny for a moment.

The two coaches exchanged attributes. Guardiola, who always valued the scene and advocated "beautiful football", urged his players to retreat, while Mourinho, who was famous for parking the bus, ordered his players to attack with all their strength.

"Go back, don't let the opponent take advantage of the opportunity - don't kick there! That's our goal!" Guardiola shouted from the sidelines, "Pass, pass... Wait, Batistuta, what are you doing, hey! Don't be impulsive!"

Then a man rushed out from among the Manchester City players who were defending.

It was Batistuta, who turned a deaf ear to his coach's words and had 'I want to attack' written all over him.

[It's Batistuta! What is he going to do?] The commentator suddenly became nervous, [Is he going to ignore his teammates and lead the team forward?]

That’s right, that’s what Batty thought.

Coming off the bench in his debut just to defend? He wouldn't do that.

"Don't! You can't get through the distance because it's too far. You will be counterattacked!" Guardiola hugged his head in a state of collapse. "Come back soon, you idiot. Don't make me send you to the reserve team!"

The reserve team is the reserve team, Batistuta thought, he would attack even if he was demoted, this was his first game, the whole world was watching, and his team must not end in a state of retreat, even if they had the advantage in the score.

"It's crazy!"

Everyone present watched as the light-haired boy dribbled the ball all the way from the backcourt, like a quickly spinning ballet dancer, and in the blink of an eye he arrived at the heart of Manchester United.

[Damn it! Where are our defenders? Blind, Bailly, and Valencia, put the tackle, block it - no! Valencia's tackle missed, that bad boy used a fake move to easily fool our defensive general, De Gea! It's up to you! ]

The teenager rushed into the Manchester United penalty area with the ball. There was no one to stop him except the goalkeeper. He raised his foot and shot. [God bless! We love you David De Gea! ]

Batistuta's shot was of extremely high quality and went towards the blind corner, but De Gea reacted faster and guessed the direction correctly. He stretched out his arms and lifted the ball out of the goal frame.

Seeing his sure goal being saved, Batistuta punched the grass.

But it's not completely without gain.

In the 86th minute, Manchester City got a corner kick.

……

De Bruyne stood near the corner flag ready to kick off, but Batistuta chose the back post.

He knew very well that after the previous attack, Manchester United would definitely strengthen their defense, so he gestured to De Bruyne, indicating that he should move to the middle. At the same time, he pulled Aguero's arm and quietly asked him to withdraw from the competition area.

After the corner kick, De Bruyne kicked the ball to the middle. Fellaini got the first point and quickly cleared the ball, which was exactly what Batistuta wanted.

Aguero on the outside got to the second point and held the ball firmly.

Manchester United's defense withdrew, and a gap appeared next to Batistuta. He shouted: "Akun!"

"coming!"

Aguero passed the ball straight to Batistuta, who stopped the ball and turned around in one go.

De Gea panicked and quickly asked his teammates to defend tightly, but it was too late. Batistuta swung his leg and shot the ball on the spot. The ball passed through the gap between Pogba and Blind, brushed De Gea's shoulder and flew into the net.

[No——] The commentator yelled in despair, [How could this happen? The fourth goal, Manchester City's fourth goal of this game, was scored by a 4-year-old Brazilian international. This was his first goal in the Premier League, and this game was even his first game in the Premier League.]

There was a loud booing at Old Trafford. Unlike the previous times, a considerable part of the booing this time was directed at the home players.

The crazy home fans began to vent their anger by throwing things. The broadcast camera was aimed at the stands, and former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson appeared in the camera with an incredible look.

But that has nothing to do with Batty.

The teenager who had just scored his first goal ran towards Aguero who assisted him. The Argentine opened his arms and caught Batistuta who jumped towards him.

"That's amazing, Batistuta! I'm so proud of you!" Aguero hugged Batistuta's waist tightly to prevent him from falling, and then continued to run forward to celebrate. "This is your first game. Not many people can score in the first game. You are really a treasure!"

"Of course!" Batty laughed proudly, "I was born for this!"

The light-haired boy clenched his fist and saluted his excited teammates and the very few Manchester City fans.

Aguero patted Batistuta's thigh, signaling him to get off. Before getting off, Batistuta whispered in Aguero's ear: "You know, we will become a partnership like Batman and Superman, the best in the world."

The best partner in the world?
sounds good.

The Argentine smiled: "Of course."

……

There was also jubilation on the bench. Guardiola, who had just scolded him for being disobedient, was now overjoyed. He hugged Arteta's head and kissed him hard. The players who did not play were also very happy and all stood up to celebrate.

With less than 3 minutes left, the state of the two derby teams changed again. Manchester City players were excited, while Manchester United players were anxious. When they came into contact with their opponents, the amplitude of their movements increased. The referee blew the whistle several times before they could barely stop it.

Soon, 90 minutes ended and the game entered injury time.

The fourth official raised the electronic display board and the referee gave 4 minutes of extra time.

Enough for one more goal, Batistuta thought.

In the 92nd minute, De Bruyne used his last bit of strength to pass the ball and advance from the middle. Facing Manchester United's red-eyed defense, he did not get too entangled and cleverly passed the ball to Batistuta.

Batistuta dribbled the ball down the wing and accelerated forward. Just as this tactic of 'crossing from the bottom' was about to achieve phased success, Manchester United midfielder Pogba suddenly rushed out, predicted the position, then jumped up to tackle and organize the attack. His action was too fierce, and he tackled Batistuta and the ball out of bounds.

[beep——]
The referee's whistle sounded.

Batistuta only had time to let out a short scream. In an instant, he and Pogba rolled into a ball and stopped only when they hit the billboard next to them.

"Referee! He showed his studs! That's a red card!"

This sentence was the catalyst, and the emotions of the players from both teams were instantly ignited. They gathered around Batistuta and Pogba, pushing and shoving each other, and swearing at each other. The fans were also happy to see such a scene. The more intense the derby, the better.

Soon, more mineral water bottles and packaging bags were thrown down, some of which were far enough to hit the players. Manchester United had to call in riot police to stop the fans from throwing things.

As Pogba stood up, the situation became tense.

"Stay away from him!" Aguero rushed towards Pogba. "How dare you, how dare you show your studs to him! If his ankle is injured, you will be the biggest murderer!"

Pogba knew he was wrong, but he couldn't admit his mistakes in this situation, so he had to say something else. "That guy is more vulnerable than he looks," he said. "It was just normal contact. Who knew he was as light as cotton."

And at this moment——

[Damn it, I think I saw blood. Why hasn't Batty gotten up yet? What happened? ]

(End of this chapter)