Starting with playing defensive midfield for Evergrande

Chapter 144 (Winners List) The Golden Boy Award is locked in, and the Golden Globe Award is also...
Yaya Toure's explosive shot was like a fuse.

Even without scoring a goal, the roar of the crowd at the Al-Ittihad Stadium reached its peak.

Similarly, Manchester City manager Pellegrini, seemingly inspired by Yaya Toure's powerful shot, waved his hand and shouted for the entire Manchester City team to press forward into Arsenal's half.

That is, from this moment on.

Manchester City's relentless, twenty-minute attack has officially begun.

Aguero constantly darting around in the penalty area, Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in Arsenal's backfield, and even Nasri and Silva on the wings.

From the left flank to the right flank, or from the middle flank to the side!
In those twenty minutes, Manchester City used every trick in the book, employing all their offensive and defensive tactics to overwhelm Arsenal.

Fortunately, Su Hao's shout just now made Giroud realize that his main task in this game was not just to be a striker or anything like that.

With his tireless efforts in various defensive rotations, plus the core defensive circle of Su Hao, Kanté, and Van Dijk, there were very few mistakes.

Therefore, Manchester City's attack can only be described as all bark and no bite, with one wave after another rising higher and higher.

Even in the 24th minute of the match.

After being dispossessed by Su Hao at close range, Lewandowski, who received a long pass from Su Hao, almost volleyed the ball into Manchester City's goal first.

Fortunately, the ball was ultimately just unlucky, grazing the post and going out of bounds.

Otherwise, the more than 50,000 Manchester City fans in the stands at the Etihad Stadium would have burst into tears!
"The pace of the game is very fast!"

"I have to say, the Premier League is really exciting to watch. And Zhan Jun, have you noticed that Su Hao, Van Dijk, and Kanté in the backfield are starting to form a kind of iron triangle?"

"Yes! Kante's sweeping attacks, Van Dijk's final tackle and cover, and Su Hao's anticipation—this defense is truly solid!"

"Oh dear, here we go again! 272's got a stubborn streak, charging at Su Hao again!"

The 32th minute of the game.

Just as Huang Jianxiang and Zhan Jun on the sidelines said.

Seemingly fed up with being repeatedly violated and humiliated by that damned Su Hao, 272, after receiving Nasri's cross pass past the center circle, didn't immediately pass the ball. Instead, he buried his head and dribbled directly towards Su Hao.

Seeing how reckless 272 was, Su Hao naturally didn't hesitate and rushed over as well.

Although Su Hao is physically superior to 272, 272's agility and ball control are indeed much better than Su Hao's.

The moment Su Hao closed in, 272 first slowed down, then turned his body as if he was going to use his left foot to flick the ball past Su Hao.

However, after waiting for a while, Su Hao remained unmoved, still in the same defensive posture as before, his center of gravity remaining stable without any sway.

Seeing that this tactic was not working, 272 naturally increased the intensity.

He started with his left foot and flicked the ball directly to his right.

At this point, Su Hao naturally stretched out his long legs to block the ball that 272 had dribbled towards him.

then
That's exactly what Su Hao was thinking!

272 This was a feint; he was waiting for Su Hao to open his legs so he could crawl between Su Hao's legs!
With a rapid flick of his ankle, 272 pushed the ball forward a little, while simultaneously pushing off the turf with his right leg, intending to go around Su Hao's side.

An absolutely textbook example of a groin-crossing move!
272 had no problems whatsoever, except that while 272 had calculated everything, he hadn't anticipated that Su Hao, this 17-year-old, had absorbed over a decade of match experience from the legendary midfielder Pogba.

Even though his defensive stats weren't high enough, Su Hao instinctively pulled his left leg back early, relying on his experience.

With that precise movement, Su Hao's left leg perfectly blocked the ball that was launched from point 272.

And Su Hao took the opportunity to move his body a tiny bit in the direction that 272 was moving!

"boom!!!"

Finally, the roar of Arsenal's red hues echoed through the Etihad Stadium!

Amidst the sudden shouts, Su Hao had already successfully intercepted the ball from 272's feet in the center circle, and after knocking 272 down onto the grass, he charged towards Manchester City's backfield like a whirlwind.

"Beautiful!"

"That was a great defensive play!"

"That's experience!"

"Su Hao had calculated that 272 would use this method to get past him!"

"He simply and forcefully took the ball from 272's feet!"

"Manchester City's attack is over, Arsenal counter-attack!!!"

Old Huang, who was in the commentary booth, shouted excitedly.

Meanwhile, on the field at the same time.

As Su Hao rapidly crossed the center line, Di Maria on the left, Sanchez on the right, Giroud who had just been next to Su Hao, and Lewandowski who had started his run early all caught up with him.

Five Arsenal players, along with Su Hao, charged into the heart of Manchester City's defense.

"Stop him!"

The Manchester City players on the field were getting anxious, and so was Pellegrini on the sidelines!

With only four defenders, Pellegrini's worst fears unfortunately came true.

Pellegrini, sweating profusely, began calling out to his own players.

Actually, Pellegrini didn't need to make that fuss at all.

Because Fernandinho had already closed in on Su Hao after Su Hao made the tackle.

It's such a pity!
When outnumbered, Su Hao had no reason to be foolish enough to think about going it alone.

Tap the ball with your left foot!
Su Hao then steadily delivered the ball to Giroud.

Su Hao, with his long legs, bypassed Fernandinho.

Given this situation, Giroud could easily guess Su Hao's intention in passing the ball to him, even if he didn't know better.

So without any delay, right after Su Hao bypassed Fernandinho, Giroud passed the ball back to Su Hao's feet.

"Pretty!"

"Two over one!"

"Giroud has definitely improved a lot this season!"

"Su Hao!!"

"Received the ball again deep in Manchester City's penalty area!"

"The ball is less than 30 meters from the goal; it's already within Su Hao's shooting range!"

Even Lao Huang knew that Su Hao could shoot directly, so Manchester City captain Kompany naturally rushed out of the penalty area to face Su Hao head-on.

However.
Upon seeing Kompany so close by, Su Hao didn't blindly take a shot or try to dribble past him.

With his top-notch ball intelligence and experience, Su Hao naturally chose the safest way to handle the ball.

He slammed his right foot into the bottom left edge of the soccer ball!
"Break!"

A rapid scraping sound rang out.

The ball at Su Hao's feet was already skimming the grass, drawing a deadly and beautiful arc as it flew into Manchester City's penalty area at the Etihad Stadium.

With a passing rating of 92, Su Hao could easily find the Polish striker, the future world's best center forward, among the gaps in Manchester City's defense.

Unlike Grand Giroud.

Such a huge pancake being fed to his mouth.

Lewandowski, of course, didn't waste the opportunity, unleashing a left-footed shot without stopping the ball.

With no one marking him, Lewandowski easily pushed the ball into the bottom left corner of Manchester City's goal.

"Beep!!!"

After going back and forth for nearly thirty minutes...

The referee finally blew the whistle to confirm the goal for the first time!
"pretty!!!"

"pretty!!!"

"The match is in its 35th minute!"

Arsenal have scored!

"Su Hao mode as always!"

"After winning the ball from Manchester City's midfield maestro 272 in midfield, Su Hao dashed into Manchester City's penalty area like an arrow, and in the final moments delivered the ball to the unmarked Lewandowski!"

"A powerful shot!"

"Lewandowski did not let Su Hao down!"

"He sent the ball into Joe Hart's goal with a deadly shot!"

"1:0!"

Arsenal are in the lead!

"After Manchester City's relentless attack for more than 20 minutes, the steady Arsenal took the lead!"
-
[See? I told you so! This Arsenal team is champion material. Manchester City attacked like crazy, but their defense remained rock solid. Especially Su Hao, this guy doesn't seem like a 17-year-old at all. Look at his off-the-ball movement and his passing choices, he's like a seasoned veteran who's been playing for over a decade!]
-
Wenger is incredibly lucky. Sometimes I wonder if he's like the protagonist in a football novel I read who has a cheat code that allows him to see players' potential. Look at the players he's bought lately: Suarez, Kanté, Lewandowski, and Van Dijk—these are all top-tier signings!
-
Manchester City have few chances left. Su Hao's central play has shut down the trio of 272, and with Di Maria and Sanchez also in play, Manchester City are likely to concede more goals soon!
-
[Speaking of the current Manchester City team, I think the only teams that can truly compete with the MSN Barcelona and BBC Real Madrid are the ones that have suddenly risen to prominence recently. It seems like they're just wasting their potential against other teams!]
-
[Hurry up, speed up the process! I really want to see Su Hao win the treble. Will he become the first Asian to win the Ballon d'Or? Haha!]

In the commentary booth, when it turned out that Su Hao wasn't the one who scored the final goal, Huang Jianxiang only raised his voice slightly.

But Lao Huang wasn't very excited.

The professor, standing in front of the Arsenal bench, excitedly raised his arms and shouted.

There was nothing they could do. Less than three minutes into the game, Manchester City delivered a crushing blow. At that moment, the professor was even a little worried that his 4-4-2 formation might have been a bit too overconfident.

Fortunately, his Su remained as steady as ever.

He even took on the responsibility of being the captain and scolded Giru a few times.

Amidst the loud shouts, and looking at Su Hao, who was being lifted into the air by Lewandowski on the field, the professor's eyes suddenly welled up with tears for a moment.

From our first meeting in Australia until now...
The professor truly felt like he was dreaming!
They dominated the game, but ended up conceding the first goal.

The professor was marveling at his suddenly changed life, while Pellegrini, not far away, was slapping his thigh and cursing at the idiotic 272 on the field.

Although Pellegrini knew that 272, who was still lying on the grass covering his face, harbored a great deal of resentment towards Su Hao, the problem was that if he really hated Su Hao, he should have tackled that damn guy off the field, or better yet, injured him.

If that's the case, not only will he think 272 is very smart, but other Premier League managers will also silently give him a thumbs up.

"Tighten up the defensive line a bit, don't push too high, and attack the flanks more. Yaya Toure should also retreat a little!"

Despite his anger, Pellegrini quickly adjusted his tactics after calming down.

Since we can't win in the middle lane, let's go to the side lanes!

And so, after the three-minute celebration, the match between the two teams resumed.

Following Pellegrini's instructions, Manchester City gradually shifted their attack towards their two flanks for a period of time.

However, even if all their energy was devoted to attacking down the flanks.

Even after the cunning professor signaled for a full retreat, Manchester City still couldn't find any good opportunities.

The score remained 1-0 until the end of the first half.

"Mesut! You go down, Dzeko go up."

"Continue to focus on attacking down the flanks in the second half!"

"4-4-2! Remember, Aguero, when Yaya Toure isn't pressing forward, you need to pull back a little!"

"."

It really is their home turf.

Pellegrini really didn't want to give his 50,000-plus fans a Christmas present with a defeat.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Pellegrini decisively initiated the substitution.

With the arrival of tall striker Dzeko and the support of Aguero in the penalty area, the team's attacking prowess was enhanced.

Pellegrini is determined to go all out against Wenger's Arsenal.

Pellegrini's words were very resolute.

So resolute was that the former German prodigy, 272, covered his eyes with a towel after hearing that he had been substituted.

272 didn't listen to a word of the subsequent tactical arrangements.

I don't even know why, but the towel that was just dry suddenly became damp.

Tears?

272 Actually, she didn't know why she was crying.

He is clearly Germany's top attacking midfielder.

He came to Manchester City from Real Madrid to provide technical assistance!

But the result?
Why is it that ever since he came to Manchester City, he... he seems to be cursed.

Manchester City have started making substitutions, while the away team's locker room is not far away.

The professor also made adjustments in anticipation.

After all, Manchester City is no pushover, and with a one-goal lead, they naturally had to strengthen their defense.

Therefore, Giroud, who was used as a defensive midfielder in the first half and was exhausted, was substituted.

Ta Zi Ge came on as a substitute.

When he heard that he was being substituted, Giroud was different from 272.

After being dribbled around like a dog by 272 and Yaya Toure dozens of times in the first half, Giroud was truly disgusted. He would be more than happy to have someone replace him.

"team leader!"

Big Gilru happily wiped his body with a wet towel.

Su Hao skillfully took the captain's armband off his arm and handed it to Brother Ta.

just
"Don't give it to me, you can keep wearing it! Fuck, I suddenly realized today that you're actually more suited to wearing this than I am, boss. Just let Su keep wearing it!"

To Su Hao's surprise, Brother Ta actually refused.

And judging from his tone, it seemed that he genuinely had no complaints.
As he pushed Su Hao's hand back, Brother Ta asked the professor a question.

Ta Zi Ge's question actually made the professor feel awkward.

What should he say at this point?
Saying it's okay, doesn't that mean Brother Tazi can't do it?
I said no.
Fortunately, Su Hao didn't let the awkward atmosphere linger for too long.

"Fuck! You old codger, are you too lazy to even wear the captain's armband now?"

It was a joke, plus Su Hao forcibly putting the captain's armband on him.

Ta Zi Ge then helplessly refrained from saying anything more.

The fifteen-minute halftime break ended quickly.

After the players from both teams switched sides, the game was able to resume.

then
Then a scene that made the fans and reporters at the scene feel a little funny happened.

Yeah, who the hell would have thought of that?
During halftime, these two renowned coaches surprisingly switched formations with remarkable tacit understanding.
明明教授上半场玩的4-4-2，而佩莱格里尼则是4-3-3.
But the result?

现在阿森纳上了比较稳妥的4-3-3，曼城却是玩起了4-4-2。

The fans couldn't help but laugh, and the two old men in front of the bench were naturally a little embarrassed and didn't dare to show any special expressions.

Especially Pellegrini.

Although he was mentally cursing the professor's ancestors, he still kept a close eye on his own central defense on the field, which seemed to have become even more vulnerable.

Etihad Stadium.

The Manchester City fans' chants were wild and unrestrained.

Meanwhile, Manchester City players on the pitch launched a fierce attack on Arsenal's backfield.

In the first ten minutes or so of the second half, following Pellegrini's instructions, they went all in trying to equalize the score.

The problem is that Su Hao, Ta Zi Ge, and Kanté all gathered in the backcourt.

The already solid defense line naturally became even more difficult to breach.

"here!"

The 59th minute of the game.

After several crosses from the wing were thwarted by Van Dijk's superb judgment of the ball's trajectory, Yaya Toure had no choice but to try attacking through the middle again.

Having failed to receive any good passes, Aguero retreated to midfield and began playing as a deep-lying forward.

At a shout, Yaya Toure immediately passed the ball to Aguero.

However, to Aguero's dismay, the moment he received the ball, the diminutive Arsenal player named Kante would immediately pounce on him without hesitation.

Agile footwork, a body on par with his own, and stamina and speed that were driving Aguero to the brink of collapse.

Even though Aguero used every trick in the book to try and shake off Kanté, he still couldn't get past him.
It was precisely this stickiness of his ball that allowed Su Hao to arrive from Yaya Toure's side in time.

Suho + Kante!

The two, already the strongest midfield pairing for the future World Cup, now have an added bonus of 100% chemistry.

Therefore, there were no surprises.

Kante and Su Hao intercepted the ball with a perfectly coordinated close-range shot.

"Here we go again!"

"Arsenal's stunning counter-attack!"

"Su Hao!"

"The ball was first delivered to Sanchez on the right wing!"

"Control the ball with your right foot and start running!"

"Sanchez!!!"

"Su Hao and Kant are advancing side-by-side in the middle lane!"

"Lewandowski also rushed up immediately."

The singing at the Etihad Stadium has stopped.

Meanwhile, the more than three thousand Arsenal fans excitedly began their roaring moment.

It's still a counterattack, still a fight with numbers against fewer opponents!
Sanchez's furious charge into Manchester City's backfield did not disappoint his fans.

After using his speed to outpace Krishnamurti.

Sanchez delivered a cross to Lewandowski.

However, having learned from the lesson of letting Lewandowski off the hook last time, this time not only Manchester City captain Kompany, but even Demichelis promptly blocked Lewandowski's side.

Two ghosts are knocking on the door!

In this situation, even if Lewandowski is incredibly strong, he has no shooting angle whatsoever.

Manchester City die-hards in the stands at the Etihad Stadium breathed a sigh of relief.

Similarly, Pellegrini, standing in front of the Manchester City bench, also lowered his hand from his chest.

However.
Just when everyone thought Arsenal's top-class counterattack would ultimately come to nothing,

Despite having no chance to shoot, Lewandowski made a move that surprised everyone.

It wasn't a shot on goal!
Lewandowski simply flicked the ball backward with his heel!
The football seemed to have eyes, arriving at the edge of Manchester City's penalty area.

And that location!
Su Hao, who had just sprinted from the backfield, raised his right leg and, like a drawn bow, blasted the ball sent by Lewandowski directly towards the poor Joe Hart.

At this point, Joe Hart had focused all his attention on Lewandowski.

He really didn't expect Lewandowski to pull something like this!

Therefore, faced with Su Hao's violent and fierce beating...

Joe Hart didn't even make a token gesture; he just felt his hair twitch and saw the referee in front of the penalty area put his whistle to his mouth.

"Beep!!!"

The whistle blew, confirming the goal.

The Etihad Stadium was utterly silent.

"pretty!!!"

"pretty!!!"

"The ball went in!!!"

"The ball went in!!!"

"The match is in its 59th minute!"

"Su Hao has scored his first goal of the match!"

"2:0!"

Arsenal are leading 2-0!

"Arsenal's dream comeback, just like always!"

"Sanchez's dragon run down the wing, Lewandowski's agile backheel in front of the goal!"

"Su Hao's fatal final blow!"

"No problem!"

In the commentary booth, after seeing that it was his own teammate Su Hao who scored the goal, Lao Huang finally started his hysterical celebration once again.

Meanwhile, on the field at the same time.

After scoring, Su Hao strode over to Lewandowski and, just like Lewandowski had lifted him up earlier, placed Lewandowski directly between his legs.

"Haha, Su! See that? Wasn't my shot pretty cool?"

"Lewandowski, damn it, why did you only see Sue? I'm here too!"

"2-0! Manchester City has no chance!"

"I can't believe it, Lewandowski, you're treating tonight! A goal and an assist, and that backheel shot is definitely a contender for Goal of the Week!"

Tactical errors, substitution mistakes, and a collapse in morale
While Arsenal fans were celebrating wildly.

Manuel Pellegrini, standing on the Manchester City bench, looked on with a bitter expression as he pondered how he could turn the tide in the final thirty minutes.

just
After seeing Arsenal's several phenomenal new signings this season, even Pellegrini suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Yes!

Compared to Arsenal's group of top young players, it seems that Manchester City's aging team really, really can't keep up with their pace.

However, although that's what Pellegrini thought deep down, he still didn't give up and made adjustments again.

2: 0!

This is how the match ended.

Because Manchester City attacked too aggressively in the first half and at the start of the second half.

Starting in the 70th minute of the match, Manchester City players began to experience serious physical problems.

It was precisely because of his physical limitations that Pellegrini had no choice but to opt for the defensive counter-attacking tactic he least wanted to use.

Pellegrini had hoped that bringing on Milner and Bony would make their counter-attacking style more effective.

However, the experienced professor also made substitutions, bringing on Chamberlain and Wilshere.

They all have super substitutes with full physical reserves, and Arsenal shamelessly started to retreat and adopt the most conservative defensive tactics.

The last thirty minutes of the game felt like garbage time.

Apart from a few barely successful long-range shots from both teams.

The score remained unchanged after that.

After the three-minute countdown for the substitutes ended.

The referee promptly blew the whistle to end the match.

The 18th round of the Premier League has now come to a close.

Arsenal defeated the second-placed team in the league and took all three points.

With this victory, Arsenal have extended their lead over Manchester City to a full 11 points in the standings.

Moreover, with this victory, Arsenal once again replicated their unbeaten mid-season championship feat from the 2003-2004 season.

"What a wonderful halfway through!"

"I am very grateful to each and every one of my team members!"

"Yes, for a moment, I felt like I was more than ten years younger."

The incredible 18-round unbeaten streak has been repeated.

The professor naturally became a hot commodity in the eyes of reporters.

At the post-match press conference, all sorts of praise and compliments poured in on the professor.

Meanwhile, the entire Arsenal team, who had just finished their post-match celebration in the locker room, surrounded Lewandowski, who had won the mid-season Golden Boot and was also the MVP of the match, with beaming smiles.

Just like I said on the court.

These Arsenal lads, who had been holding back for days, had forced Lewandowski to book King, Manchester's biggest stadium and a frequent haunt of Manchester City's wealthy clubs.

However, while others were already fantasizing about how many steamed buns they would eat later...

Su Hao suddenly noticed a text message from Mendes on his phone.

What the hell?

The text message was simple.

It was just a few words, but the content made Su Hao's heart pound.

Have no idea
Mendes's words implied that Su Hao had already secured this year's Golden Boy award, and Su Hao had also entered the top ten in UEFA's Ballon d'Or rankings, even making a surprising entry into...
The 11-man roster for the All-Star team.

P.S.: I need to speed things up; if I write too slowly, everyone will have already left.

The list of winners for this lottery is as follows.

Brothers who won, join the group and someone will greet you.

[5, 23, 47, 89, 112, 156, 189, 217, 245, 278,

321, 355, 399, 432, 467, 501, 546, 589, 624, 658

702, 745, 789, 832, 876, 915, 954, 998, 1042, 1476
(End of this chapter)