[Football] Bad Boy Batty

Everything was so wonderful. After Batistuta scored, Manchester City's morale was high. At the end of the first half, the Chelsea defender played with fire and accidentally kicked Batistuta's cross into his own goal.

Three minutes later, Manchester City made a comeback. Batistuta and De Bruyne used two exquisite passes to tear through Chelsea's defense, and Aguero made a successful shot from the back post.

Within 5 minutes, Manchester City scored two goals in a row and entered the halftime break with a score of 3-0.

"B-ti! B-ti! Ohhh—"

There was jubilation in the locker room. The players shouted the name of Batistuta, the biggest contributor today, to welcome him back to the locker room. The equipment manager turned on the player, and the playlist was full of Batistuta's favorite Spanish and Portuguese songs.

In addition to football, music and dance also flow naturally in the blood of Brazilians.

Led by Batistuta, the South American gang almost turned the 15-minute halftime break into a large-scale disco scene.

Guardiola was also very happy. This was the first time this season that his team achieved a 3-3 lead in the first half against a top three team, so he did not stop the players from having fun.

"Okay, boys, stay focused. We only played well in the first half." The head coach clapped his hands to encourage the players. "Now go! Another half, beat them! With these three points we will be at the top of the table!"

But the situation suddenly turned bad in the second half.

Less than 5 minutes into the game, Kompany fell to the ground without any confrontation and was eventually replaced by Fernandinho due to injury.

From here on, Manchester City's defense made repeated mistakes, not only failing to help the frontcourt attack, but also allowing Chelsea to seize the opportunity to score two goals in a row, bringing the score to 3-2.

In the distant eastern continent, two Brazilian fans were staying up late watching the game on TV.

"In the first half, we were 3-0 up, but we lost one goal in the second half. Then our defense became unstable and we scored several goals in a few minutes. I think I've seen this scenario before."

The curly-haired boy wearing Neymar's jersey was eating French fries while talking. As soon as he finished speaking, his friend wearing Batistuta's jersey pushed him with his shoulder.

"Don't be such a pessimist," said my friend.

"That's not a bad omen." The curly-haired boy took a few more fries and put them in his mouth. "We watched the Olympics together. Don't tell me you forgot."

"That's different." The friend grabbed a pillow and hugged it, saying worriedly, "This is the home debut of baby Batistuta. If there is no big win, he will definitely be sad."

"...Baby, I think you're crazy." The curly-haired boy twitched his lips. "But seriously, it's already 3-2. I think Chelsea can score a buzzer-beater or something."

"I told you to stop being such a pessimist!" His friend threw the pillow on his head.

"Okay, okay, I won't be such a pessimist. I'll just shut up, okay?" The curly-haired boy waved his hands but still didn't shut up. "But that's not certain. Your baby Batty is a talented player. With him around, the outcome of the game is hard to predict."

"I like to hear this. Say more."

"Okay, then I'll write you a new script - Manchester City will make another comeback in the injury time, and that kid will jump out and perform his samba skills to win the game."

……

Back on the field, Guardiola stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face.

Their defender problem is too serious.

This is the first time that I have failed to seize a good start.

In fact, the problem of unstable defense has existed since he came. It's not that he hasn't tried to make adjustments, but he has been in charge of Manchester City for too short a time and has not completed all the transformation.

As for the current defense, apart from Otamendi who has always performed fairly steadily, the remaining players are either too old or too inexperienced, and they are simply unable to guarantee the safety of Manchester City's goal.

For example, Kolarov - his performance has been criticized by fans since the beginning of this season. He is not fast and not strong in physical confrontation. Just now, during Chelsea's quick counterattack, he was eaten alive by the opponent's winger.

Zabaleta is also the same. As he gets older, the Argentine veteran is now unable to keep up with the progress on the court.

And Bravo.

In Guardiola's tactical system, what he needs most is a goalkeeper with good footwork, who sometimes has to stand forward and act as a defender to receive the ball (Neuer is very good)
But Bravo has not had any good performance so far. Instead, his embarrassing scenes such as attacking errors, passing the ball to opponents, and red card fouls have left a deep impression on the fans.

In general, Manchester City has encountered the same problems as Barcelona.

But Manchester City's current forward line is far from having as strong firepower as MSN, while Chelsea's defense has gradually stabilized with two waves of attack.

The fulcrum center forward Aguero was restricted tightly. Not only did he have no space to get the ball, but he was also closely guarded by David Luiz if he ran a little.

As a result, the offense was unable to advance and the defense was missing people. Just one second before the end of the regular game time, Manchester City's goal was lost again.

Alonso intercepted the ball from Aguero in the backcourt and made a long pass. Hazard started from the center line, shook off Stones and shot into the near corner. The whole process took only 25 seconds. Chelsea drew 3-3 with Manchester City away.

The Chelsea fans who came from afar went crazy.

[Hiss—the situation is not favorable for Manchester City, who are playing at home.] The commentator said worriedly, [How come the game turned out like this after such a good start? Some Manchester City fans at the scene began to leave the stadium. They were very dissatisfied with the poor performance of the home team.]

Of course, the poor performance wasn't for everyone.

Batistuta, the biggest contributor to the 3-0 victory, couldn't help but start swearing again.

No matter how well they play up front, the defenders always lose the ball for inexplicable reasons.

"We were 3-0 in the first half, 3-0!" He shouted to the players on the back line in his increasingly fluent English, "Don't let them get through. Can't you do such a simple request?"

……

Yes, it’s not done well.

It’s not that I don’t want to do it well, it’s that I really can’t do it.

The referee gave 6 minutes of extra time, and during a dead ball, Batistuta came to the sidelines to replenish water.

The sweat on his forehead slid down his temples. He stared at the bright red 3-3 on the scoreboard above the court. His back teeth suddenly clenched together, and water flowed from the corners of his mouth, revealing his collar.

"Don't be stunned, Batistuta, we don't have much time." Guardiola walked over to him quickly and said, "Kevin is trapped in the defensive midfielder position, there is no one in the frontcourt to connect, you go to the middle to get the ball, Kun is restricted, you have to be flexible, go ahead, you can do it."

Batty raised his hand to wipe the water off his chin and nodded slightly.

He can.

This was his first home game, and he would not allow a tie to happen.

Batistuta looked towards the south stand, where the die-hard fans were still cheering for Manchester City. In the crowd, a small figure in a skirt sitting on her father's shoulders was particularly conspicuous.

He will win, he thought, that's the deal.

……

In the last three minutes of injury time, Aguero fell to the ground during a fight. Chelsea players thought he was diving, and he also directed his criticism at David Luiz, and the two sides got into a dispute.

Batistuta did not join in the argument, he found De Bruyne who was equally anxious.

"We can't go on like this, our defenders will just let the ball slip to the opponent." Batty covered his mouth and whispered, "We have to create opportunities for ourselves."

De Bruyne agreed with him.

"Time is running out. What do you want to do?" The Belgian had complete confidence in his ability. "Free kick?"

"No, Courtois has the height advantage and can make flying saves," Batistuta said. "I have to get closer to the goal."

When mentioning Courtois, De Bruyne's expression was a little subtle for a moment, but he quickly covered it up, "I can pass it to you as long as you get into position."

"I will be there, you don't need to tell me." Batistuta said, "Kante is a problem, you can tell Sane to restrict Kante, and then Luis and Kun, you can pass the ball through the middle."

De Bruyne nodded. "Leave it to me."

The referee stopped the chaos in Manchester City's frontcourt and he chose to calm the situation again. David Luiz received a verbal warning and Aguero was not convicted of diving.

Chelsea was very satisfied with the decision, but Aguero was not. The Argentine striker returned to his position angrily shaking his hands, and even the gesture he made to Batistuta was full of anger.

That's good, Batistuta thought, Chelsea's defensive attention will definitely be focused on him later.

Soon the time came to the last minute.

De Bruyne got the ball in the midfield, Sane diverted Kante's attention, and David Luiz followed Aguero, everything was just right.

Batty could feel his heart beating faster.

opportunity!

"Kevin!"

[De Bruyne's through ball - was intercepted... Wait, there's more! Batistuta got the ball back, he's still in control! The ball seems to be stuck to his feet... Pick it up, wow! Thigh catch, beautiful! Facing Chelsea's four-man defense, the ball is still at Batistuta's feet! In the final moments of the game, the Brazilian rose blooms again! Entering the penalty area——]

Batty couldn't hear the commentary, he had only one thought, which was to win the game.

In order to win the game, he cannot lose the ball.

Chelsea's defense has been left behind him, and now he will face the Belgian goalkeeper Courtois who is in hot form.

[Single blade! ]

Which side should I kick?

Batistuta made a quick decision in his mind, his eyes switching back and forth between the left and right sides of the goal, and he was sure that Courtois had completely grasped his gaze.

This is a compulsory course for goalkeepers, who must judge the forward's shooting movements through their eyes and movements, and then confuse their opponents with their own save preparations.

This is a psychological game.

Left or right?

Courtois stared at Batistuta intently. He knew who he was facing. Those people called him another top genius after Messi. And precisely because of this, Courtois wanted to save his goal. He wanted to tell the world that even a genius could not break through his ten-finger barrier.

At the last moment, Batty's eyes drifted somewhere.

It's on the left!
Courtois made a quick decision and flew to save the ball.

However, his judgment was wrong. Batistuta did not kick the ball to the left or the right. He braked suddenly before the powerful shot.

Courtois:!
[Spoon! Batistuta scored a spoon goal!] The commentator became more and more excited, [He completely fooled the goalkeeper. This powerful shot that should have been powerful turned into a light spoon goal. Batistuta! The lore! He saved the team again!]

call--

The moment he kicked the ball, Batistuta could not hear anything. He watched his ball jump into the net. In an instant, it was as if a meteorite fell to the ground, and the next second all the sounds returned to his ears.

"You did it! You did it!! A killer kill!"

Batistuta turned around. He had never seen De Bruyne running towards him so happily.

"Come up, come up!"

Before Batistuta could react, De Bruyne grabbed his waist and lifted him up. Like a happy dog ​​that had just taken a bath, the Belgian ran along the sidelines with Batistuta in his arms.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he passed in front of Courtois.

The Chelsea goalkeeper nearly broke his teeth.

By the time he ran to the bench, De Bruyne had exhausted all his strength, and he fell down with Batistuta on top of him.

"You two! How could you leave me alone!"

Aguero, who was following closely behind, was not willing to be outdone and also pressed forward.

After scoring the winning goal in stoppage time, Manchester City played a human mountain game at home, and even head coach Guardiola jumped on at the end.

Batty at the bottom: It's going to break, it's going to break! Go away!

After a narrow escape, Manchester City finally defeated Chelsea 4-3 at home with Batistuta's winning goal, ending the opponent's winning streak and topping the Premier League with 33 points.

(End of this chapter)